シャノンのブログ

Top 10 Books I've Read

2008-11-21T19:15:00.003-05:00

I haven't written a blog post in quite a while and I was thinking about this topic last night at work. I commented to Deb K. that Kresley Cole's A Hunger Like No Other is in my Top 10 of All Time, and then I was thinking, well, what would the rest be? After much pondering I've come up with a list starting at the bottom and working my way up to #1:

10. Dark Lover by J. R. Ward
9. If Angels Burn by Lynn Viehl
8. The Last Vampire Series by Christopher Pike
7. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
6. The Bleeding Dusk by Colleen Gleason
5. Storm Front by Jim Butcher
4. The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason
3. A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole
2. Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon
1. Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris

And there you have it. I picked books that really stood out for me and especially the ones that made me feel some emotion. Dead to the World is my favorite Sookie book but I love them all really. The Last Vampire Series by Christopher Pike is what really set me off on reading vampire fiction in the early 90s. That series, and his writing in general, still leaves an impact on me to this day. The Gardella Vampire Chronicles books by Gleason were a welcome addition to my collection. Honestly they're the best new series I've read in years, and also the most refreshing take on the vampire mythos.

The NIN Concert ROCKED!

2008-08-26T02:58:00.004-04:00

Phil and I went and saw Nine Inch Nails at The Palace on Saturday. I think the last time I was there was to see Tori Amos and Howie Day. That was a loooooong time ago. This was actually my first NIN concert, and honestly I don't know why I didn't go see them/him sooner. Our seats were in the very first section closest to the stage and only 4 rows back. We were so close, it was insane!

I wish I had known that cameras were ok to bring because I took some pics with my phone and they didn't turn out so great. My camera would have taken some wicked picture. Oh well, maybe next time. They played a lot of songs, although I wished they had played some more off With Teeth. I should have gone to see them when they came around in 2006, that would have been a great concert.

I would really like to go to more concerts, but not a lot of bands I want to see come to Detroit all that often. And because of the weather, they're almost all during the summer. I really wish Godsmack would come out with a new CD and tour for it. I need to see them again.

Below are the pics I took, they're pretty crappy but they at least show how close we were to the stage. The setlist at the bottom is a picture I stole from someone else (sorry!) I wish I could have gotten that!

New pics of Squeakers

2008-08-26T02:19:00.002-04:00

I took some pictures of Squeakers and I really like how they turned out so I thought I'd post them here.

Macro is COOL

2008-07-21T23:43:00.002-04:00

I was playing around with the macro setting on my camera and since I was already outside taking pictures of my sunflower I took some more pics of flowers. I wish I had some prettier flowers to take pictures of. But I'm kind of proud of the marigold because I grew it from seeds.

I also have some tomatoes growing in a pot. I can't wait until they get ripe and I can eat them.

Aha! I Win This Round!

2008-07-21T23:39:00.005-04:00

Everyone kept arguing with me that the plant that was growing in my herb garden wasn't a sunflower. Well, I moved it the other day and now it's got three flowers. So who was right, huh?

Selling a Large Chunk of My Anime Collection

2008-07-14T23:42:00.002-04:00

I'm hoping that by posting this here more people will see my auctions and therefor, I'll also sell more.

I'm getting rid of a big chunk of my personal Anime collection. I put most of them in my store as buy it now, although there are a few auctions as well. I take very good care of my DVDs and most that I'm selling were opened but never watched. That's really why I'm selling them, because some I've had for years and never watched them, so I decided they need to go.

Also, I'm trying something new and offering free shipping within the US and to Canada. I also combine shipping too, so no matter how many auctions are won, shipping is free within the US and to Canada.

I'll be adding more soon as well, I'll post here when I do. So far, this is what is listed:

Store Link

Auctions:
Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex COMPLETE NEW US - Starting Bid: $0.99
Gungrave 1-7 NEW COMPLETE ANIME SERIES Region 1 OOP - Starting Bid: $0.99
Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok COMPLETE ThinPak NEW - Starting Bid: $0.99
Paradise Kiss 1 2 3 + Collector's Box Anime OOP RARE - Starting Bid: $0.99
Read or Die R.O.D. Complete Series 1-7 Box & Figure OOP - Starting Bid: $0.99
Robotech Protoculture Collection Anime DVD Box NEW! OOP - Starting Bid: $0.99

Buy It Now Listings:
Aquarian Age Complete Anime Collection OOP RARE - BIN Price: $29.99
Azumanga Daioh Class Album ThinPak COMPLETE COLLECTION - BIN Price: $44.99
Buso Renkin Box Set 1 Anime Shonen Jump FREE SHIP - BIN Price: $34.99
Elfen Lied Diclonius Report Complete Collection Anime - BIN Price: $39.99
Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex COMPLETE NEW US - BIN Price: $99.99
His & Her Circumstances Complete Anime Collection Box - BIN Price: $39.99
InuYasha Movie 2 Castle Beyond the Looking Glass - BIN Price: $14.99
Kino's Journey Volume 1 2 3 4 COMPLETE SERIES ANIME - BIN Price: $29.99
Kyo Kara Maoh Season 1 Limited Collector's BOX ONLY - BIN Price: $24.99
Kyo Kara Maoh Season 2 Limited Collector's BOX ONLY - BIN Price: $29.99
Kyo Kara Maoh! Season 2 Volume 1 + RARE Film Card OOP! - BIN Price: $19.99
Kyo Kara Maoh! Season 2 Volume 2 + RARE Film Card OOP! - BIN Price: $19.99
L'Arc en Ciel Live in USA RARE 2 DVD SET + Light Up Pen - BIN Price: $14.99
Le Chevalier D'Eon 1 2 3 + Collector's Box RARE Anime - BIN Price: $49.99
Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok COMPLETE ThinPak NEW - BIN Price: $54.99
Peacemaker Complete Anime Collection ThinPak FREE SHIP - BIN Price: $56.99
Petite Princess Yucie Complete Anime Collection Shoujo - BIN Price: $44.99
Planetes Sci Fi Complete Anime Collection US RELEASE - BIN Price: $34.99
Robotech Protoculture Collection Anime DVD Box NEW! OOP - BIN Price: $64.99
Rozen Maiden Volume 1 + RARE Velvety Box FREE SHIP - BIN Price: $24.99
Rurouni Kenshin Season 1 2 3 COMPLETE SERIES Region 1 - BIN Price: $149.99
Samurai 7 Complete Series Anime Collection FREE SHIP - BIN Price: $65.95
School Rumble Volume 1 NEW and SEALED US FREE SHIP - BIN Price: $17.99
Shingu Anime Complete Collection US RELEASE Sci Fi - BIN Price: $44.99
Slayers Complete Season 1 Anime Box Set FREE SHIP - BIN Price: $27.99
Vampire Princess Miyu 8 DVD Lot Soundtrack COMPLETE US - BIN Price: $149.99
Wedding Peach Season 1 2 COMPLETE ANIME SERIES FREE S/H - BIN Price: $59.99
Witch Hunter Robin Complete Anime Collection US RELEASE - BIN Price: $34.99
Wolf's Rain Complete Series Collection I & II Region 1 - BIN Price: $59.99

I also have some new game systems for sale as well:

Auctions:
Nintendo DS Lite Metallic Rose Pink RARE NEW SEALED - Starting Bid: $0.99
Sony SLIM Red God of War Limited PSP NEW + HEADSET - Starting Bid: $0.01

Buy It Now Listings:
Nintendo DS Lite Metallic Rose Pink RARE NEW SEALED - BIN Price: $139.99
Sony SLIM Red God of War Limited PSP NEW + HEADSET - BIN Price: $219.99

Thanks to anyone that takes a look at my auctions!

Yen Plus First Issue Covers

2008-07-09T00:17:00.003-04:00

Found the covers today for the first issue of the new manga anthology magazine Yen+:

I think the covers look awesome and I can't wait to pick this up at the end of the month. I'll more than likely place an order for a subscription soon after. Cool.

Final Fantasy Fable: Chocobo's Tales 2 and Chocobo's Dungeon DS+ Announced

2008-07-08T16:39:00.003-04:00

My Wii Chocobo's Dungeon just shipped today from Amazon and I read on GoNintendo that there's been 2 new DS Chocobo games announced. The first one is called Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Tale - The Witch, the Girl, and the Five Heroes and the second one is simply Chocobo's Dungeon DS+.

Teaser Site for Chocobo's Tale 2.

Teaser Site for Chocobo's Dungeon DS+

I still have to finish the first Chocobo's Tales DS game, and since these were just announced for Japan it'll be awhile before they come here, so I've got time.

OMG! There's a Chi's Sweet Home DS Game Coming Out!

2008-07-08T02:21:00.003-04:00

I HAVE TO HAVE THIS.

It's $46.99 at YesAsia right now. It doesn't come out until September so I have some time to save up. YAY!

Enjoy the first 4 episodes of Chi's Sweet Home below and then tell me it's not the cutest thing ever. (If you've ever had a cat, you understand.)

100 Way to Draw Manga Eyes

2008-07-08T00:34:00.002-04:00

I found this really cool video by way of MangaBlog. I love watching people draw, I always find it soothing. So check out the following video if you like watching people draw too.

New Anime License Wishlist

2008-07-06T17:43:00.003-04:00

With Hayate being licensed I had to update my list over at AOD. So here's my new list of anime I'd like to get licensed here. It's a much shorter list than before.

Antique Bakery Episode 1

2008-07-06T03:33:00.003-04:00

I watched the first episode of Antique Bakery tonight. I read the first volume of the manga a long time ago and I never felt like buying the rest. It wasn't as if the manga was bad, I just found other things I wanted more.

Now as for the anime, I'm not so sure I like the adaptation so far. The animation is really washed out looking and it's strange how the characters don't look like they're part of the background. It kind of reminds me of paper dolls, or maybe colorforms, where you've got cut-outs of the characters on a static background. And then there's places where the animation is 3D and it's very distracting.

I've read other titles by Yoshinaga Fumi, so I'm rather familiar with her style. I don't feel it in this show. The comedy in her books that works really well, such as the chibi-like faces, falls flat for me in the anime.

I did enjoy both the OP and the ED though.

This was only the first episode so I'll give it a few more before I decide to watch it in its entirety or drop it completely. It's only 12 episodes so I might hang in there regardless since it's so short. But so far, I'm not impressed.

Episode 1 Grade:
Animation: C
Opening: B
Ending: B-
Story: C
Overall: C+

Viz has Otomen Manga and More

2008-07-04T22:56:00.006-04:00

Viz announced that they're going to be releasing Otomen by Aya Kanno. I've actually been collecting this one in Japanese so I'm not sure I will pick up the English version right away. There's only 5 volumes of this one so far so I'm sure they're going to release it slow so they don't catch up too fast.

Other series Viz announced today:
Honey Hunt by Miki Aihara
Hot Gimmick (VIZBIG version) by Miki Aihara
Oishinbo by Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki
Gestalt (pictured at right) by Yun Kouga
Heaven's Will by Satoru Takamiya
Magic Touch by Izumi Tsubaki
Fushigi Yuugi (VIZBIG version) by Yuu Watase

I had mixed feeling when I finished Hot Gimmick, but I like Miki Aihara anyway so I'll probably pick up Honey Hunt. And I kind of regret selling off my Hot Gimmick volumes so I might repurchase the VIZBIG editions. I will be selling my Fushigi Yugi volumes in the next week so I can pick up those VIZBIG editions for sure.

I want to get Oishinbo, but 102 volumes have been released in Japan and Viz is only going to release a few "best of" volumes and not the whole thing. I'm not sure how I feel about that so I'll have to think about it some more before I purchase them.

Not that many licenses from Viz this time around, and I was hoping for some more Chie Shinohara manga as well. Guess I just need to keep studying Japanese so I can read everything I want to.

Hayate the Combat Butler Licensed!

2008-07-04T22:38:00.004-04:00

So Bandai Ent. announced that they're releasing Hayate the Combat Butler. I never would have thought they'd have it but I'm glad because I like their cheap complete sets they put out. I hope it doesn't end up with the Lucky Star or Haruhi treatment with all the really expensive limited edition version, but if it does I suppose I can wait for a set. At 52 episodes, this is a long series too, so it'll be interesting to see how it gets released.

Ouran Has a Release Date!

2008-07-04T16:09:00.002-04:00

Here's some more news out of AX that I'm happy about: Ouran High School Host Club will be released in 13-episode half-series box sets starting on October 28th.

Cool, I can finally finish watching this series, it's probably one of the funniest ones I've ever seen.

Yay!

FUNimation + Geneon = HUGE WIN

2008-07-03T16:07:00.003-04:00

So I get back from rehab today after getting injections in my rear to find out that FUNimation will be manufacturing and selling "select" Geneon titles. !!! As I wrote in my Anime License Wishlist post a few days ago, there were a few titles from Geneon that I wanted to finish that got put on hold, seemingly indefinitely. Fortunately, the titles I wanted, Saiunkoku Monogatari, Kyou Kara Maoh, Rozen Maiden: Traumend, and Karin, are all titles that FUNimation will be releasing.

Awesome!

(It also makes me wonder if I should get rid of the few volumes I have of those series and start over fresh. It'll certainly free up some much needed funds. Hmm . . .)

Yen Plus Magazine Details

2008-07-01T23:04:00.004-04:00

Some new details about Yen Press' manga anthology magazine, Yen Plus, were posted today over at their blog. They won't be offering subscriptions until the second issue, which is a bummer, so it looks like I'll have to make the trek up to Barnes and Noble sometime at the end of the month.

Here's the details if you don't feel like clicking the link:

Price per issue: $8.99 US / $9.99 Canada
Number of pages: 400+
Subscription price: $49.95 US / $59.95 Canada
1st issue on sale: 7/29

Is it still fair to make Canadians pay more when the exchange rate is so close now? Maybe the extra cost stems from the cost to ship it over the border.

This magazine is notably more expensive than Shojo Beat, which I just renewed my subscription to, but it's also notably a thicker magazine - almost twice as long. But then, Shojo Beat isn't half-filled with OEL manga or manhwa so I guess if you're not a fan of those you might be slightly miffed with the higher price.

Three out of four of the non-Japanese titles look like something I'd read so I'm not upset about them being there. And then I'm excited about four of the five Japanese titles so without even seeing the first issue I know I'm going to place an order for a subscription as soon as I can do it online.

The Japanese titles that will appear in the magazine are:

Soul Eater by Atsushi Ohkubo

My thoughts: Having watched the first 6 episodes of Soul Eater, I already know that I'm going to like this one. I can't wait to see what the manga looks like. Hopefully the comedy plays out on the page as well as it does on screen.

Nabari no Ou by Yuhki Kamatani

My Thoughts: I've seen the first 3 episodes of this anime, and I'm honestly not sure why I got so far behind. I like the characters, the animation style, and the story, so I'm not sure why I let this one get on the back burner. I'm looking forward to reading this manga so maybe it'll help push me to catch up with the anime.

Sumomomo Momomo by Shinobu Ohtaka

Mom

ko Kuzuryuu is a ma

rtial-arts crazed teenage girl who has grown up in the mountains with her father, a legendary fighter. However, one day her father tells her that because she is a girl, she will never be able to ma

ster the family's ultimate technique. The only thing for

her to do is go marry the strongest warrior, and produce the strongest offspring. He

r unlikely fiance is the handsome but weak Koushi Inuzuka, the son of her father's best friend and rival. Their marriage was agreed upon by their fathers before they were born. However, Koushi has no interest in martial arts; in fact, he is a coward who freezes wh

enever he sees violence. Instead, he wants to become a prosecuto

r, so that no criminal can escape

capital punishment. Despite Koushi's adamant refusal to marry her and his subsequent displays of cowardice, Momoko falls in love with him and swears to remain in h

is house and train with his father in order to become the strongest fiancee ever.

My Thoughts: This is probably the one title I'm not so excited about. I saw the first 2 episodes of the anime, and granted, I'm sure I'm not the target audience for this type of show, but honestly it was one of the dumbest shows I'd seen in a while. And it really creeps me out when they draw a 17-year-old girl so she looks like she's 12 or 13. I posted two pictures above so you can see what I mean. Plus the way her hair stands up in the front annoys me. Since I'm paying for the magazine I'll probably read as much as I can, but I don't expect I'll stick with it for very long.

Bamboo Blade story by Masahiro Totsuka, art by Aguri Igarashi

Kawazoe Tamaki has sworn herself to be a protector of justice. In all her years of learning kendo, she has never once been beaten. But, in this world can a hero truly be strong without knowing defeat, or could it be that only some lessons are learned after one loses. Joining the kendo club along with new friends and teammates, Tama-chan begins her long and hilarious journey to becoming a great kendo fighter.

My Thoughts: I've got the entire anime sitting on my computer right now and I'm not sure why I never started watching it. If this manga is any good I'll probably watch it. If not, no big deal, I can just make room for something else. The cover art looks interesting though.

Higurashi: When They Cry story by Ryukishi07

One hot day in 1983, a transfer student named Maebara Keiichi comes to live in the peaceful villiage of Hinamizwa. He befriends fellow classmates, Mion Sonozaki, Rena Ryugu, Rika Furude, and Satoko Houjou who welcome him as a member of the "club". Keiichi and his friends play games like Old Maid and even Hide and Seek. The way life was for kids BEFORE video games. However Keiichi soon stumbles upon Hinamizawa's dark history: Every night, during the Watanagashi festival, one person goes missing and another winds up dead. As Keiichi gets deeper into the mystery, he learns that there may be more to his new friends than meets the eye.

My Thoughts: I've seen both seasons in their entirety of Higurashi so I'm curious to see what, if anything, the manga can do that'll be new and/or refreshing. I like the characters though and the premise of the series so I'll probably enjoy the manga as well.

Then there's also a few OEL manga titles and manhwa thrown in:

Maximum Ride - story by James Patterson, art by NaRae Lee

My Thoughts: For reasons unknown I own the first three books in this series but have yet to read them, yet I'm familiar with the story. I'm wondering how well this series will transfer over to the manga format, but I guess I'll find out soon enough!

Nightschool by Svetlana Chmakova

My Thoughts: This series was created by the author of Dramacon, which is really popular but not a series I ever read. I'll read anything with vampires in it but maybe this will be a good story considering how well her other series sold.

Pig Bride by KookHwa Huh and SuJin Kim

Si-Joon has a recurring nightmare about being eight years old and lost in the woods. In his dream, he is forced to marry a strange girl whose face is obscured behind a pig mask. Unsettling as it is, at least it’s just a dream… On his sixteen birthday, though, the girl with the pig mask appears in his room — declaring that she’s come to share their first night together as husband and wife!

My Thoughts: I can't help it, every time I look at the cover for volume 1 it cracks me up. It's been a while since I read any really good manhwa, so hopefully this one is as funny as it looks.

Jack Frost by JinHo Ko

It’s Noh-A’s first day at Amityville High School, and her reception is chilly to say the least. Brutal might be a better description! Decapitated but not dead (or is she??), Noh-A quickly realizes that nothing is as it appears at Amityville High where paranormal creatures battle for supremacy. Caught in the crossfire, Noh-A may have to rely on the unlikely (and possibly unreliable) aid of the most sinister student at Amityville…the deadly Jack Frost!

My Thoughts: Wow, that cover is wicked. Hopefully the art inside is just as good and detailed. The story sounds interesting so I'm looking forward to this Korean title as well.

Dissidia: Final Fantasy

2008-06-27T01:18:00.003-04:00

I must be living under a rock lately, since I hadn't even heard of Dissidia: Final Fantasy until today. I was more excited for Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon until I learned about Dissidia through the video below.

I don't play many fighting games, I tend to stick to either Mortal Kombat or Tekken, but a fighting game with old Final Fantasy character in it? Sign me up. RIGHT NOW. It's killing me though that I don't own a PSP. I really don't want to buy a system to play a handful of games. What can I say, I'm biased toward the DS. I'm sure there's other games on the PSP that I'd play, I'm just being stubborn really. Plus I don't really have the extra money for a new system right now.

And then there isn't even a Japanese release date yet so who knows when we'll see it here. I suppose it'll give me some time to convince Jesse to buy me a PSP.

びっくりした!

2008-06-27T00:16:00.004-04:00

After the torrential downpour this afternoon, there wasn't that many people out and the traffic was light so it really felt like the perfect conditions for a bike ride. I've got a route now that I go on that's about 6.5 miles and I can do it in a little under 40 minutes. I'd like to go longer, but there's just not that many bike friendly areas to ride through. I get sick of stopping for cars and traffic lights and all the bumps in the sidewalk when I can't ride in the street safely. I found out on Tuesday that the sidewalk on the side of Wyandotte Shores Golf Course is actually one long strip on asphalt without any breaks. I wish all sidewalks were like this, it's a dream to ride on.

Anyway, getting to my point. So I had just turned down Biddle off of Pennsylvania when I saw this truck pulled off to the side of the road. I thought it was weird since I don't think you're supposed to stop on Biddle like that. So I look over to my right to see what they were looking at and . . . there were a bunch of deer! How crazy is that? There were about two males and maybe six or seven females. They were just chilling behind this fence eating the grass. It's such a strange place for them to show up.

The satellite images below are from Google Maps, while the other three picture I took with my phone. I actually got pretty close to them before they got skittish. You can see my shadow in the last picture, I thought that was cool.

If you look at the satellite images you'll see the golf course to the north, factories to the west, the Detroit River to the east and some big brown building to the south. I tried using Google Street View to try to figure out what that building is, I think it's another factory or something. So . . . why are there deer in this one little patch of uninhabited land? I wonder if they've ever gotten onto the golf course. That would be hilarious. As far as I can tell though, that entire area that they're in is fenced in. So it really makes me wonder how they got there. It's just so strange.

As I was sitting on my bike taking pictures, more people stopped to watch the deer eat so I guess I wasn't the only one who thought it was cool.

Oh, and if anyone's wondering the title of this post reads as bikkuri shita! in Japanese which means: I was surprised! >_<

Wednesday's Book Haul

2008-06-25T19:57:00.004-04:00

Not really a haul, just two books. They actually came on different days but I forgot to post until now.

Honestly I don't know why I still buy the Buffy novels. I haven't read a single one, and I own a ridiculous amount of them. I've got to stop this obsessive compulsive collecting. I suppose there's worse things I could do with my money though.

Found another figure that I want

2008-06-25T19:27:00.011-04:00

So I found this figure of Konata a couple days ago and I realized that I really want her.

I found a place called Otaku Fuel that has her for only $23.95. They also have free shipping if you spend $99, or the shipping is a little over $9 for UPS ground. So I feel like I need to find some other things to order to reach the free shipping threshold. But Konata doesn't come out until 9/30 so I've got some time. It's also possible that TRSI might list her on their site as well and I'd rather order from them anyway. I guess I'll just have to sit and wait, but it's good to know I found somewhere to get her cheap. Yay.

New Manga Release List 6/25

2008-06-24T19:43:00.004-04:00

I took a look at the new releases this week, and it looks like the only books I've got preordered are from Del Rey so it's a short list. Currently, they're my favorite manga publisher so I guess that's a good thing.

DEL REY
Alive GN Vol 05 $10.95
Le Chevalier dEon GN Vol 05 $10.95
Pumpkin Scissors GN Vol 03 $10.95
XXXholic GN Vol 12 $10.95

Oh wait, I just checked my TRSI orders and it looks like I've only got Pumpkin Scissors Vol. 3 and Le Chevalier d'Eon Vol. 5 on order. I think the only reason those were ordered was because the release dates got pushed back and I ordered them in with a bunch of April/May releases. Oh well, I'll just have to wait for the next studio sale for Del Rey to order the rest.

Here's the link for the entire list of comics shipping to stores this week.

Chocolate Underground Ep. 1 Impressions

2008-06-23T02:20:00.003-04:00

I just finished watching the first episode of Chocolate Underground and . . . it was really stupid. The whole premise of the show is, it's illegal to eat any food that's unhealthy - especially chocolate. But really, what's more unhealthy: eating chocolate or having your house destroyed?
That's what happens to a couple in the first minute of the show. They're sitting at a dinner table with chocolate and these military guys and this giant robot destroy their house to get the chocolate. This is just a tad extreme. And unlike Toshokan Sensou which is somewhat plausible, this series so far is just ridiculous. Plus, the episodes for this series are only 5 minutes long so just as you're getting into it, it ends. I had a feeling this one was going to fall flat for me, and it looks like I proved myself right.

Oh well, one show scratched off the summer list, 7 to go.

It's Official

2008-06-22T05:34:00.003-04:00

I have insomnia. I'm pretty sure it's because of the tramadol so it's my own fault for not listening to Winnie and taking it so late at night. But it helps my pain enough so I can sleep . . . but then I can't sleep because the medicine keeps me up. Seems kind of ass backwards, huh? I think I'm going to try to get my doc to put me back on vicodin, I don't have nearly as many side effects when I'm on that one for some reason.

Sigh . . . at least I can listen to my music loud because Jesse is in Canada. So I guess that's a plus. Last night I ended up reading The Harlequin in bed until after 8 AM. I kept telling myself to try to go to sleep but I didn't feel tired at all. Honestly, I'm wondering how late I could have stayed up. Gladly though I finally fell asleep and ended up sleeping most of the afternoon. I wake up a lot more now too I've noticed. I think I woke up maybe 4 or 5 times, but that could have been because of the thunderstorm. I'm glad it woke me up though because the windows were open and it was raining on the TV. Haha, whoops.

Anime License Wishlist

2008-06-22T05:02:00.002-04:00

I've been getting caught up on a lot of series lately because I've been sitting at home so much. There's only so much I can do with my back hurting all the time so mostly I just sit around reading or watching tv, movies or anime.

Over at the AnimeonDVD forums they've got a list of the anime that everyone wants licensed. It's actually not that bad of a list, even though the top couple of titles I wouldn't watch if you paid me.

Well, after finishing Moyashimon last night and getting caught up with a few other series, I felt inspired to update my license wishlist. They only do a top 10 over there, but I'm going to post my full list. Because I'm just that bored. Ha.

And . . . that's it. Hopefully some of these get picked up some time soon. I'm not holding my breath for Sailor Stars though, that's why it's so low on the list.

Everything below Sailor Stars was licensed by Geneon but not released in full due to the problems they're currently facing. I'm hoping either they come back and start releasing DVDs again, or at the very least another company comes by and finishes them. Otherwise, I'm probably just going to sell the couple of DVDs I have and finish the series via fansub. Hopefully they'll be released though because I'd like to own them.

Too Cute

2008-06-22T03:27:00.006-04:00

I found something else today that I decided I want but probably shouldn't buy. I really just want Konata.

YesAsia has the set right now for $90, which puts each figure at $9 a piece (when you think of it like that it doesn't seem so bad.) But I'm pretty sure Jesse would kill me if I bought them.

What I'm currently obsessed with

2008-06-20T23:30:00.007-04:00

I've been catching up with Moyashimon lately and I can't get over how freaking cute the little microbes are. They crack me up. I especially like how the dark purple one has such a deep voice. I keep looking on eBay to buy some little figures, but the people selling them want way too much money for bits of plastic. I did find some little guys over at JPQueen, but they weren't the ones that I wanted.

I really like A. Oryzae but he's out of stock. He's probably the most popular since he's kind of the main one that follows Tadayasu around.

I actually would love to have this set of figures:

But the guy that's selling them wants $46.20 for them plus $18 for shipping. I want them, but I don't want them that much.

This set of magnets is also really cool too:

They're from the same seller and this time he wants $80 for them! That's insane! PLUS $18 for shipping. Sigh. Oh well, I'll just have to keep looking I guess.

Enjoy the opening for Moyashimon below. It's hilarious, super cute, and probably one of the highest quality videos I've seen on YouTube ever. Why can't they all look this good?

Thursday's Book Haul

2008-06-20T18:06:00.004-04:00

Came home yesterday to find 3 boxes from UPS on my front porch. I love getting packages. Here's what came:

Penny Arcade + Anita Blake = AWESOME

2008-06-20T01:27:00.005-04:00

So, I love Penny Arcade. But I sometimes forget about it for weeks at a time and then go back and read 5 or 6 comics that are new to me. So when I saw the comic below, my head almost exploded.

I never thought in a million years that the Penny Arcade guys would write a comic about Anita Blake. And, on top of that, it's just so freaking TRUE! And what's hilarious is I finally started reading The Harlequin last night and even though I honestly think LKH's books have gotten really ridiculous, I just can't stop reading them. I'm kind of ashamed to admit that's she's got me hooked for life.

True Blood Pilot Impressions

2008-06-16T22:25:00.006-04:00

So I watched the first episode of True Blood tonight and I have to say that I absolutely loved it! The only cast member I'm not too sure about is Tara - she seems just a little too bitchy. But Anna is super cute as a blonde. And I can't believe how well they cast everyone. Sam is hotter than I pictured him but I can deal with that. Jason was a little sleazier than I remember him being but I don't think it's that big of a change. The sex scene in the beginning is a little over the top but I guess that's HBO for you. Arlene is exactly what I had in mind. And I was never sure if Merlotte's was pronounced with a hard "t" or not, so I'm glad to have finally heard it said aloud.

And man, knowing what I know, I can't help but hate Bill right off that bat. It kind of sucks going into the show with so much knowledge of everything. But the actor who plays Bill really fits what I had in mind. It's just hard watching Sookie and Bill together when you knows what's in store for them. I'm sure I'd feel the same though if I ever sat down and reread the books (like I plan to sometime in the future.)

I'm really glad that they're sticking to the plot from the books and not veering off and doing their own thing like what happened to The Dresden Files. It's uncanny how they've managed to recreate Charlaine's world, and you can tell she had a lot of input.

The only thing I'm kind of upset about is everything I've been reading about what other people think of the pilot. Most say they've never read the books and they don't like the premise of the show. They also don't like how you're thrown into the world without really any background info. This sucks because if people that haven't read the books can't get into it then it's not going to have a lot of mainstream appeal and then it's possible it won't last past one season - which would break my heart. (Oh, Moonlight, how I miss thee.) Now granted, the pilot that was leaked is obviously a rough version seeing as there's scenes missing, so it's possible that things could get fleshed out more when it officially airs in September. I hope so, because even though it's about vampires and supernatural stuff I still think it has broad appeal. Plus the books are fantastic and I hope it gets more people to pick them up.

Here's some other news. Pam got cast recently. Her name is Kristin Bauer. I think she fits well.

For some reason though I always imagine Angela from The Office when I think of Pam.

Now I seriously am going to have a hard time waiting until September!

Fear Itself Episode 2 Thoughts

2008-06-15T02:26:00.005-04:00

So I watched the second episode of Fear Itself tonight, mostly out of boredom and because I couldn't find anything else I wanted to watch. I downloaded it the other night but I'm not even sure what day it airs to tell you the truth.

I'm just going to copy the summary from NBC.com for those that don't know what this show is about:

"Fear Itself" is a provocative, new 13-episode suspense and horror anthology series set to push the boundaries of this classic genre through a host of provocative talent, both in front of and behind the camera, including award-winning, sought-after directors John Landis ("An American Werewolf in London"), Darren Bousman ("Saw II, III and IV") and Ronny Yu ("Bride of Chucky"); actors Brandon Routh ("Superman Returns"), Shiri Appleby ("Charlie Wilson's War"), Elisabeth Moss ("Mad Men"), Cynthia Watros ("Lost"), Eric Roberts (NBC's "Heroes") and John Billingsley ("Star Trek: Enterprise"); and writers, including Joe Gangemi ("Wind Chill," the novel "Inamorata"), Steve Niles ("30 Days of Night") and Dan Knauf ("Carnivàle," "Supernatural").

Tonight's episode was about a cop who ends up killing a young man while he's interrogating him. With the guy's dying breath he "curses" the cop telling him he won't let him forget this or some nonsense to that degree. Well it turns out this cop has gone too far on a number of occasions and he loses his badge and pension, yet serves no prison time, for killing the criminal.

So now the cop is a private detective. He gets hired by this lady to find evidence that her husband is cheating on her. He sets up across the street from her mansion-like house in this crazy old falling down graffiti-laden house. A lot of the grafiti is words like "death" and "murder" and happy stuff like that so of course the house isn't haunted or anything. There's also these paintings of kids that keep changing, their mouths open as if screaming, their necks get cut which honestly was about the only spooky thing about the whole episode.

With the show airing on network television it obviously can't be too violent or gruesome but this is the second episode of this series I've seen and they've both been kind of silly. The acting is pretty bad too.

I doubt this series sticks around past this first season, and if it does I'll be really surprised.

Also, interesting tidbit: Fear, Itself is the title of an episode of Buffy and Fear Itself is the title of a book by Jonathan Nasaw, an author I really like.

Thursday's Book Haul

2008-06-14T17:57:00.006-04:00

On Thursday I went back to Barnes & Noble to pick up a few more books. I also special ordered and preordered a bunch to get the extra discount. It was cool because both Danielle and Jason were there so I got to talk to them.

Below are the books that I purchased on Thursday. Now I just need to find somewhere to put them all!

Monday's Book Haul

2008-06-14T01:34:00.007-04:00

Working at Barnes and Noble definitely has its perks, especially when they have the extra discount week for the employees. Normally we get 30% off books but this week they bumped it up to 40% off. I've been on short term disability the last two month (and still am) so I haven't been buying as many books. Normally when I worked I'd bring home at least 2 or 3 books a night, but that number has dropped off dramatically since I've been spending so much time recuperating at home.

I went in on Monday to give the managers my updated doctor's note and to pick up a few things when Julie let me know that it was extra discount week. Thankfully my brother Phil was with me so he could carry my basket! I ended up spending about $160 after the discount. This is what I ended up with:

The links aren't working at the moment because LibraryThing is down for some reason. I'll try to fix them some time tomorrow.

UPDATE: LibraryThing started working again so the links are fixed.

New Comic Release List for Week of 6/11

2008-06-13T23:37:00.002-04:00

I was looking over the list today and I thought I'd post the releases I'm looking forward to.

Dark Horse
Penny Arcade TP Vol 05 The Case Of The Mummys Gold, $12.95 - I actually preordered this one for Jesse but I'll probably take a look at it too

Digital Manga
Red Angel GN Vol 01 (of 2), $12.95 - it seems like everything that Makoto Tateno has ever written is getting released lately, which is good because I like her stories a lot, and with this being a vampire series I'll have to check it out

TOKYOPOP
Blood Sucker Legend Of Zipangu GN Vol 07 (of 11), $10.99 - I need to get caught up on this one
Faeries Landing GN Vol 19 (of 19), $9.99 - is this really the end?!? I hadn't really been paying attention
Tactics GN Vol 05 (of 8), $9.99 - another one I need to get caught up on

Not a whole lot this week for me. The only thing I actually preordered isn't even for me. But I'm going to post the list of books that I bought this week so it's probably good that there wasn't much manga I wanted.

2008 Summer Shows

2008-06-13T20:14:00.002-04:00

Here's my list of shows that I'm following this summer.

Name: Chocolate Underground
Airing: 6/12 - Thursdays

Japanese Name: チョコレート・アンダーグラウンド

Official Site: http://www.choco-bar.jp/index/next.html

Number of Episodes: 13

Summary: Based on Alex Shearer’s novel Bootleg, in which a new political party called Good For You takes over and bans unhealthy items, including chocolate. In response, a group of kids start moonshining– chocolate, that is. They set up their own factory and create bootleg chocolate in order to undermine the new government (giapet)
Thoughts: This is actually an internet series and I'm not sure if it's going to be subbed or not. It also sounds a little silly but it could have potential. Plus I like the character designs.

Name: Telepathy Shoujo Ran

Japanese Name: テレパシー少女蘭
Official Site: http://www3.nhk.or.jp/anime/ran
Airing: 6/21 - Saturdays
Number of Episodes: 26
Summary: Ran is a bright and energetic first-grader in junior high school who possesses supernatual abilities. Together with her two friends who also have supernatural powers, Midori and Rui, the threesome are constantly embroiled in mysterious circumstances. The threesome team up to solve these mysterious events. (AniDB)
Thoughts: I think this could be a really interesting series, but the fact that the characters are so young could be a turnoff. I guess I'll watch a few eps and see how it goes.

Name: Ultraviolet: Code 044
Japanese Name: ウルトラヴァイオレット:Code044
Official Site: http://uvcode044.jp
Airing: 7/1 - Tuesdays
Number of Episodes: 12
Summary: Ultraviolet is set in a dystopian future where vampires are used by the government to strike terror in the hearts of citizens and to keep them in check. Main character "044" is a female warrior who is genetically engineered with high combat skills and ordered by the government to annihilate a vampire army. (AniDB)
Thoughts: I'm probably one of the 10 people that actually liked the Mila Jovovich movie Ultraviolet. So I'm actually really looking forward to this one. Plus, I'll watch anything with vampire regardless.

Name: Antique Bakery
Japanese Name: 西洋骨董洋菓子店～アンティーク～
Official Site: http://www.fujitv.co.jp/jp/b_hp/antique
Airing: 7/4 - Fridays
Number of Episodes: 12
Summary: Tachibana, grandson of a rich businessman and newbie in the world of managing; Ono Yuusuke, famous pastry chef and even more infamous “devilish homosexual”; Kanda Eiji, a retired young boxer with a thing for pastries; Kobayakawa Chikage, servant friend of Tachibana and current romantic interest of Ono, who is clumsy yet serious and stoic to a fault (most of the time). Together, these four men maintain a small yet elegant cafe known as “Antique”, where they and all their customers can come together to cherish one of the few but truly important things in life: cake. (ANN)
Thoughts: I've read the first volume of the manga and I generally enjoy Fumi Yoshinaga's stories, so I'll definitely have to watch this one. I hope more people watch this one because it's not BL like one would expect.

Name: Ryouko’s Strange Case Files
Japanese Name: 薬師寺涼子の怪奇事件簿
Official Site: http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/yakushijiryouko
Airing: 7/6 - Sundays
Number of Episodes: 13
Summary: The story revolves around Ryouko Yakushiji, a 27-year-old multilingual investigator that graduated from Tokyo University's elite Department of Law, and the bizarre cases she faces while working for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. Yakushiji not only has to deal with supernatural beings in her line of work, but also her rival Yukiko Muromachi, another equally talented and beautiful police investigator. (AniDB)
Thoughts: This series looks awesome and I'm really looking forward to it. The character designs are really nice and the story sounds interesting. Plus, it seems to be one of the few more serious series this season so it'll be a nice change of pace.

Name: Natsume Yuujinchou
JP Name: 夏目友人帳
Website: http://www.natsume-anime.jp
Airing: 7/8 - Tuesdays
Number of Episodes
Summary: Natsume Takashi has the ability to see spirits, which he has long kept secret. However, once he inherits a strange book that belonged to his deceased grandmother, Reiko, he discovers the reason why spirits surround him. Containing the names of these spirits, a binding contract was formed between the spirits and the owner of the book. Now, Natsume is determined to free the spirits and dissolve the contracts. With the help of a spirit cat, his days are filled trying to return the names to these spirits. (ANN)
Thoughts: This one looks like it could be a lot of fun. Hopefully it doesn't fall into the spirit-of-the-week trap though. The spirit cat is really funny looking too.

Name: World Destruction ~Sekai Bokumetsu no Rokunin~
Japanse Name: ワールド・デストラクション～世界撲滅の六人～
Official Site: http://wd.sega.jp/anime
Airs: 7/8 - Tuesdays
Number of Episodes: 13
Summary: World Destruction is based on– or at least related to –an RPG being put out in Japan by Sega around the same time the anime airs. The plot revolves around Kirie, a boy who has immensely destructive powers for reasons he doesn’t know. He meets a group of people including a woman named Morte, who is part of a terrorist organization aimed at destroying the world. (giapet)
Thoughts: I watched the teaser trailer for this one and it looked really well animated. This could easily be a mediocre series though but I'll give it a shot.

Name: Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu
Japanese Name: 乃木坂春香の秘密
Official Site: http://www.nogizaka-haruka.com
Airs: 7/11 - Fridays
Number of Episodes: 13
Summary: The main character, Ayase Yuuto is your average boy
without any special traits. He attends a private high school where he is one of the many and doesn't stand out, until, one day, he happens to discover the secret of the school princess Nogizaka Haruka, and his life changes drastically from there on. (AniDB)
Thoughts: More than likely this will get dropped after one or two episodes. A lot of times these otaku-pandering series just don't appeal to me. Maybe because I'm not a guy? I don't know. I'll give it a chance though, it might surprise me like Lucky Star did.

So, only a total of 8 shows. That's not a lot compared to what a followed this past spring. I guess it'll give me a chance to catch up a little, there's still some shows that finished a while ago that I never got around to.

Summer Anime 2008 - What I plan on watching

2008-06-13T04:01:00.000-04:00

I noticed today over at giapet that she's got up a really great listing of the new anime airing in Japan this summer. This past spring I followed more fansubs than I'd ever followed before and with having all this free time I'll probably follow a lot this summer as well.

It's late, so I think I'll post what shows I plan on watching sometime tomorrow.

Last day of PT

2008-06-13T03:58:00.000-04:00

Today was my last day of physical therapy and I'm feeling a little anxious. Part of me only liked going because I always got at least 10 minutes of massage. But the other part of me wonders if I'm going to have more pain without the therapy. It kind of makes me worried about the next couple of weeks before I see the specialist I was referred to. Hopefully she's going to be able to help me more.

New meds

2008-06-10T16:49:00.000-04:00

So I went to a doctor's appointment yesterday and he gave me a new medication - tramadol. This stuff is messing me up. I actually think it's stronger than vicodin. It's like a mix between vicodin and one of the muscle relaxants I was taking. I ended up sleeping until 4 o'clock today because it knocked me out HARDCORE. And now I'm still feeling a little hazy. Hopefully it doesn't last long.

Thankfully though, it did relieve some of the pain. I guess that's good.

Added some stuff

2008-06-09T03:08:00.000-04:00

I've added some links to items in my eBay store: Saru Shop. I actually just renamed my store today. Why Saru Shop? Well, saru is monkey in Japanese, and I love monkeys and the Japanese language. Why didn't I call it Monkey Shop? Well, it was already taken. >_<

My First Blog Post EVER

2008-06-09T02:14:00.000-04:00

So I've decided to start a blog today. It'll be interesting to see how much I decide to keep this up because whenever I'd decide to write in a journal I'd write for a week and then come back to it a few months later or so. Maybe since I'm always on my computer I'll remember to update more often.

Right now I'm just getting the hang of this place. I'm trying to personalize things as much as possible. I'm really glad that I figured out how to add the LibraryThing widget. It's one of my favorite sites since I have an uncontrollable urge to catalog things. And when you own over 1400 books, it's probably a good idea to keep track of them.

I guess that's it.