Dagger

TRSI is great, but they only carry figures that have been picked up for a domestic release. For a wider variety, sites like [url=http://www.toyslogic.com/][u]ToysLogic[/u][/url], [url=http://www.tmpanime.com/index.php?main_page=index][u]Twin Moons[/u][/url] and [url=http://www.hlj.com/][u]HLJ[/u][/url] are better. Have you seen (NOT VERY SFW) [url=http://www.amiami.com/shop/ProductInfo/product_id/82402][u]this one[/u][/url]? There's also a [url=http://www.amiami.com/shop/ProductInfo/product_id/82403][u]nekomimi[/u][/url] version, ahaha... But I think my favorite sword-carrying Shana is the recent [url=http://www.amiami.com/shop/ProductInfo/product_id/77698][u]Max Factory model[/u][/url]. Love that hair. ~Dagger~

Which figure are you thinking of getting? (There are some really nice ones out there.) I'd be tempted myself if I were a bigger fan of the show. ~Dagger~

I've seen about as far as Des. Shana's character development is hilariously ham-handed (at least at this point), but the show has its entertaining moments. I may continue to watch it in a trickle, if only to mourn Geneon's passing... ~Dagger~

[url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-10-01/notes-left-near-bodies-in-belgium-linked-to-death-note][u]Notes near body parts in Belgium linked to Death Note[/u][/url] Troubling, creepy and as messed up as hell, but to be honest, I almost feel like it was only a matter of time before something like this happened. ~Dagger~

飲料 = a drink So it just says "original coffee drink." Whatever that means. ~Dagger~

[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naoki_Hisaya][u]Naoki Hisaya[/u][/url] worked on both Kanon and Sola, and this connection was really played up before Sola aired. So although they don't have the same kind of source material or anything, I think it's a fair comparison. ~Dagger~

[B]Name:[/B] Akari Mizunashi [B]Source:[/B] Aria [the Natural, the Animation, the Origination, the OVA and the Aria & Aqua manga] [B]Status:[/B] The lead. An aspiring gondolier in the city of Neo-Venezia, which is located on a terraformed Mars, now called Aqua. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/a2847e2346f6c4acfcf38bdeb011487e.jpg[/IMG] - [strike]Glasses[/strike]... okay, that's fanart, and she doesn't actually wear glasses, but wouldn't it be awesome if she did? - Her daily exchange with Aika. "Embarrassing lines are not allowed!" "Eeeehhhh!?" - The way she calls everything "suteki~~" (wonderful) - Cat ear pajamas - How she gets all sentimental over her gondola - Her admiration for Alicia-sempai - Her adorable, lost-looking chibi face - The Aria Company's winter and summer uniforms - Cute hairstyle - And, connected to that, her reaction whenever Akatsuki calls her Pigtails. ("I'm not Pigtails...") ~Dagger~

I can't say I had a particularly deep attachment to them or anything, but they released a lot of stuff that other companies probably wouldn't touch. And it's really unfortunate about the shows that will be cut off midway through being released. Kyo Kara Maoh fans especially will get burned--out of eighteen discs, the last three miss the deadline. So close, and yet so far... It's also pretty upsetting for something as supremely awesome as Black Lagoon to get shafted. I'd like to think that other companies can license-rescue it & other titles, including the as yet unreleased licenses, but I have a feeling that rights difficulties might make this tough, if not impossible... :animedepr ~Dagger~

[quote name='Lunox'][font="trebuchet ms"] Sorry, Remus Lupin definitely owns anime. :p[/font][/QUOTE] I'd agree, but he went kind of downhill in the later books. [quote name='2007DigitalBoy'][COLOR="DarkOrange"]I'm assuming you are naming another werewolf-owning vampire.[/COLOR][/QUOTE] :laugh: [quote name='Clurr'][FONT="Arial"]I also can't stand the book Thirsty because of how annoying the vampires were (and also because it was written pretty badly). If they're not done just right, I don't like them. [/FONT][/QUOTE] Heresy! M.T. Anderson is a genius. :animeknow I don't think the reader is supposed to like Thirsty's vampires. It's perfect because it's the opposite of [i]both[/i] the stories that glamorize vampires (e.g. Twilight) and the stories that demonize them. They're as human as humans, ultimately, in in their ugliness and their grief and their self-centeredness. As for the topic at hand, I don't like werewolves as much, due to not being a fan of the whole sprouting hair and roaring thing. ~Dagger~

[B]Name:[/B] Sora "Amazing!" Naegino [B]Source:[/B] Kaleido Star [B]Status:[/B] The main character (and what a main character she is). At the beginning of the series, she comes to LA to audition for the Kaleido Stage, a famous Cirque du Soleil-style circus. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/soratan.jpg[/IMG] - Positive attitude. Her cheerfulness is never annoying. - The way she repeats sentence endings when she's apprehensive ("~kana... kana... kana!?") - Her gorgeous performance costumes - Her scary determination - Flexibility. Which might sound a little dirty, ahaha, but it's so adorable when she carries on a regular conversation while doing a headstand or the splits or something. - Awesome vocal work by Ryou Hirohashi. This was the role that made me love her. Whenever I hear her in other shows, I get nostalgic for K*. ~Dagger~

To put it simply, a moe point is a superficial trait that heightens your interest in or affection for a character. It can be physical (e.g. hair ribbons, eye color, school uniform, bust size) or more abstract (such as cute catchphrases and other quirks). So in this thread, you take the character(s) of your choice and explain their moe points. Images are encouraged, as long as they're work-safe and don't stretch the layout. Here's an example. [size=1]I wanted to use Chie Hallard from My Otome--she would've been perfect for this--but it's so hard to find good pictures of her. Oh well.[/size] [B]Name:[/B] Rai [B]Source:[/B] Lamento - Beyond the Void [a PC game] [B]Status:[/B] One of four main characters. A one-eyed, fluffy-tailed bounty hunter. Clearly, he hails from the Sesshomaru School of Bishounen Design. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/evilraialt.jpg[/IMG] - Cat ears, tail & fangs. - Eyepatch. I am soooo weak against eye-related features--glasses, eyepatches, heterochromia, you name it. - Gets flustered by hot food. - Occasionally goes berserk in battle. - Comes equipped with an appropriately [url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/childraialt.jpg][u]Dark and Bloody Past?[/u][/url]. - Is voiced by Toshiyuki Morikawa (Sephiroth). Again, that was just an example. Have fun, and feel free to use any format you like. :catgirl: ~Dagger~

Take a gander at Max Factory's [url=http://www.goodsmile.info/products/max/2008/max0801-03.html][u]Tsuruya-san[/u][/url]. It's easily the best-looking commercially produced Haruhi-related figure so far (that's a lot of qualifiers, huh?). Bonus points for the optional nekomimi and [I]très[/I] sexy tail. ~Dagger~

[quote name='2007DigitalBoy'][COLOR="DarkOrange"]lulz, I hope Dagger does [B]ARIA[/B]. I imagine it has a LOT.[/COLOR][/QUOTE] Well, if you insist. :animesmil Take a tiny sip if: - Alice says "dekkai" (really/super/totally) - Aika says "Embarrassing lines are not allowed!" - Akari goes, "Eeeeh!?" - Akari emails Ai (or vice versa) - President Maa attacks President Aria Take a regular sip if: - The girls are getting coached by Akira - A guest character learns an important life lesson - Akari discovers something new & delightful about Neo Venezia - Athena falls on her face - Akatsuki calls Akari "momiko" (pigtails) - Aika calls Al an old man Down your glass if: - An insert song starts playing - It's a festival episode - Cait Sith shows up - Ai makes a return visit to Aqua - There's a Three Water Fairies flashback Chug the whole bottle if: - Everyone suddenly switches gender ~Dagger~

Having finished Togainu no Chi, I'm now playing the newest game from Nitro+ Chiral, [b]Lamento - Beyond the Void[/b]. It's waaaay slower going than Togainu no Chi, since it's not compatible with the Anime Game Text Hooker. So I've been getting real friendly with my kanji dictionary and focusing on the journey rather than the destination, etc. That said, I'm really thrilled & excited to be working my way through Lamento. The world is fascinating, and it's visually a lot more sophisticated and dynamic than Togainu no Chi. I can't wait to see what happens next. It's also kind of exciting to be playing it blind (whereas I picked my first Togainu route randomly, but played the others with a capture guide). Next in line (albeit far down the road!) are two Nitro+ hetero eroge, [b]Saya no Uta[/b] (suspense/horror) and [b]Jingai Makyo[/b] (an "outsider" game). ~Dagger~

I'm not sure I felt it to be particularly fast-paced and exciting, haha, but it's fairly unique in its serious, realistic (well, more or less) approach to strategy-driven space battles. I don't mean to rewatch it anytime soon... I don't regret having bought it, though. Love the OP & ED. ~Dagger~

Here's a link to other anime directors' English-translated [url=http://forums.animesuki.com/showpost.php?p=1140125&postcount=199][u]comments on Bakeneko/Mononoke[/u][/url], courtesy of wao. I love Mahiro Maeda. "Psychedelic banzai!!!!!" :animesmil ~Dagger~

Lucky Star is getting [url=http://www.lucky-ch.com/info/info_goods_sp.html][u]Nendoroid figures[/u][/url]! :love: I am so buying these. They aren't on that page, but apparently there are also kitty (Konata) and bunny (Kagami) variants... ~Dagger~

Just finished the first disc of [url=http://www.animeondvd.com/reviews2/disc_reviews/6294.php][u]009-1[/u][/url]. I was really surprised by how much I liked it. The fight animation & chase scenes are awesome (and not just in the first episode). It's at once retro spy-fi and noir, ridiculous and unexpectedly nuanced, sexy and classy. ~Dagger~

By the way, the full version of Utada's Beautiful World came out recently. Still not sure how I feel about it in the context of Eva, but I do like it, perhaps even as much as her Kingdom Hearts songs. ~Dagger~

These side-by-side comparisons (juxtaposing the TV series against the first movie) are really neat. [url=http://image.blog.livedoor.jp/guideline/imgs/1/3/131dc765.jpg][u]Page 1[/u][/url] [url=http://image.blog.livedoor.jp/guideline/imgs/2/7/27a99965.jpg][u]Page 2[/u][/url] [url=http://image.blog.livedoor.jp/guideline/imgs/f/1/f116aa68.jpg][u]Page 3[/u][/url] [url=http://image.blog.livedoor.jp/guideline/imgs/c/8/c8cb85eb.jpg][u]Page 4[/u][/url] [url=http://image.blog.livedoor.jp/guideline/imgs/9/7/97ce3f91.jpg][u]Page 5[/u][/url] ~Dagger~

I don't know if a Moetan watcher should be talking about others having iron guts. :p ~Dagger~

I've seen it said several times that the obviously gay man in Someday's Dreamers [spoiler]turns out to be 100% straight.[/spoiler] Which, pathetically enough, is the main reason I've never gotten around to watching it--I don't like misdirection, I guess? :animeswea The Nopperabou arc of [B]Mononoke[/B] blew my mind. First, it was an orgy of acting prowess (Takahiro Sakurai + HIKARU MIDORIKAWA + Houko Kuwashima at her emotionally ravaged finest = spontaneous combustion on my part.) Secondly, it was sooooooo unexpectedly romantic & bittersweet in the subtlest possible fashion. That kind of thing gets under my skin and drives me crazy (in a good way!). Third, it made me think harder than Boogiepop, the Utena movie and the second season of Big O. Combined. The significance of the repeated scenes, the huge number of possibilities that could explain what happened, not to mention the question of what the hell actually happened... Mononoke writers, I hate you, but only because I can't watch more episodes [i]right now[/i]. ~Dagger~

[quote name='2007DigitalBoy'][COLOR="DarkOrange"]>_> They pronounce it like 'Here' in the dub at least. BTW, excellent dub.[/COLOR][/QUOTE] Huh. Weird. Yeah, I've heard the dub is great, but you should also listen to the JP track if you ever get the urge to watch the show again. Jouji Nakata was born to be the Count. ~Dagger~

[quote name='2007DigitalBoy'][COLOR="DarkOrange"]argh... if I didn't hate the character dsigns [i]so very much[/i] I'd give that show a try.[/COLOR][/QUOTE] Your loss. :animesmil By the way, you're almost up to the episode of Gankutsuou that basically left me in the fetal position. Good times. (Er, and what's up with your name for Haydée/Haidee?) ~Dagger~

Recent though it is, I'm pretty sure that [b]Tales of the Abyss[/b] is the only game I've spent over 100 hours on. This is not because it's objectively better than the other RPGs I've loved. There are plenty of games that have left me thinking, "Oh, this is fun, I should try to do all the extra stuff while I'm at it." But usually the end of the main storyline is enough to satiate me, and I end up losing my desire to play. I think Abyss is more accessible in some ways--travel is instantaneous (if you want it to be), the dungeons aren't dauntingly convoluted... it makes the prospect of jetting all over the globe to fetch things & talk to people & so forth somewhat more palatable. There's also the fact that skits appear in response to optional mini-games, titles & locations, which means that character interaction continues even if you're just wandering around to kill time before the final battle. I guess for me, at least, that's a pretty big motivating factor. ~Dagger~