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Announcements & Introductions / Super Special Awesome BTF Christmas Card Exchange 2020

« on: August 15, 2020, 08:24:29 PM »

Think I'm fine with sending/receiving physical mail but I can look into doing something else if somebody isn't comfortable with doing that. My address is the same as last year's

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ELDA TALUTA / Fall 2017 Anime

« on: October 14, 2017, 08:40:53 PM »

http://randomc.net/2017/09/22/fall-2017-preview/

Somehow, I ended up checking out 7 series..yes 7..  from this fall season despite being pretty meh on each Anime season the past few years. So what the hell, I might as well write my impressions and I'd love to hear other peoples opinions if they have any for this new season.

Kino's Journey -the Beautiful World- the Animated Series - The original Kino's Journey was one of first series that I owned on DVD so naturally I was all on board when they announced a new anime. I was expecting it to retell some of the old stories in addition to some new ones with better animation and for the most part, that's what it does. They ruined the coliseum arc by squishing 2 episodes into 1 but I'm still optimistic about this show. For those that don't know, Kino's Journey is about a traveler who stays in different countries for 3 days before moving on. Since 3 days is the perfect length to stay somewhere. 8/10

The Ancient Magus' Bride - I checked this one on the hype alone and I wasn't disappointed. It's about a girl who was mistreated by various relatives because she can see supernatural things that other people can't see. So she willing puts herself up for auction and is taken in by a skull faced mage that wants to make her his apprentice and apparently..his bride? The setup seems a little dicey at first but I've heard that it's addressed in decent manor by people who have read the manga.  The setting is great though since rather than being in Japan it takes place in England which is a nice change of pace. Not to mention the backgrounds are absolutely gorgeous. And the character bits so far are nice too so I'm think this will turn out to be a nice little fantasy show. 9/10

Recovery of an MMO Junkie - Anime that have main characters that are older are a rare breed so I checked this one because of that. It's about a 30 something woman who quits her job to become a NEET and creates a male character in a MMO. She befriends another guild member who is a guy playing a female character. Neither one knows that the other person is the other gender IRL. So far it's pretty cute and amusing. 7/10

Girls' Last Tour - It seems like a Sound of the Sky type of show so I think I will stick with it. Two girls ride in a tank across a dystopian landscape and make comments about war and their predicament. Not much going on in the show but it's relaxing. I dig it. 7/10

Blood Blockade Battlefront & Beyond - I'm probably alone in this but I wasn't wild about the first series. The setting had potential but I never got super attached to any of the characters. The finale being delayed didn't help either but I picked the second season anyways since I wanted something a little more action-y. It seems like more of the same if you did enjoy the previous one. 6/10

Children of the Whales - Wow. This setting. The main character lives on a mud whale that sails on a vast sand sea. He's one of the "marked ones" that live in this community who have special powers at the cost of their lifespan. You see they only live into their 20s and 30s. Nobody knows why since their ancestors didn't leave detailed accounts and there are other mysteries in this world like where are other humans. They explore other islands but only found destroyed buildings. That is until one day the protagonist finds a girl on one of them that is the sole survivor of her people. Really loving this one so far. The animation is really distinct and interesting too. 9/10

Inuyashiki - An old man is treated badly by the people around him until one day he gets caught up in a blast made by aliens and dies. The aliens bring him back to life in a new cybernetic body and he uses his new found powers to defend a homeless man from these teenagers who were going to kill him. I have to say the setup is interesting but I find 99% of the characters so unlikable that I doubt I'll be continuing with this one for long.  6/10

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ELDA TALUTA / Recommend me an Anime

« on: March 27, 2017, 11:53:48 PM »

I've been going through a bit of a dry spell when it comes to Anime for the past year or so. Not that I haven't enjoyed some series but nothing has really got me super excited either. There hasn't been anything that has garnered a 9 or a 10 rating for me. So..I thought I'd make an anime recommendation thread for not only me but anyone else that is looking for some good suggestions.

I'll start..I don't know what exactly I want right now but something different would be nice. I also feel like I haven't seen any decent action/scifi anime lately either. Fire away

[Spoiler: Hemisphere from Rahxephon •]

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ELDA TALUTA / Favorite Anime OPs

« on: February 27, 2014, 02:25:00 PM »

What are your favorite anime opening themes? And why? (If you feel like it)

Here are a few of mine and I put them in random groups for the heck of it :V I have at least a dozen more but this will do for now :p

Maaya Sakamoto with Mechs

Spoiler: Hemisphere from Rahxephon • show

Spoiler: No Need for Promises from Escaflowne • show

Openings from my favorite "band" animes. Also, engrish. Lots of engrish.

Spoiler: Hit in the USA from Beck • show

Spoiler: Rose from Nana • show

Creepy, depressing shows :V Good OP themes though

Spoiler: Guardian Angel from Texhnolyze • show

Spoiler: Duvet from Serial Experiments Lain • show

More Ops sung in English

Spoiler: Falling Down from Eden of the East • show

Spoiler: Kiri from Ergo Proxy • show

Ops from Anime that take place in the fuuuture.

Spoiler: Inner Universe from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex • show

Spoiler: Obsession from .Hack//Sign • show

Soothing & very relaxing

Spoiler: Undine from Aria the Animation • show

Spoiler: Morning Grace from Princess Tutu • show

Morning Grace

Haunting D:

Spoiler:  Higurashi no Naku Koro ni from Higurashi • show

Spoiler: Dream Island Obsession Park from Paranoia Agent • show

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ELDA TALUTA / Spring 2012

« on: April 14, 2012, 10:31:40 PM »

http://randomc.net/2012/03/29/spring-2012-preview/

For some time, I haven't been interested in Anime. Not since Mawaru Penguindrum ended in December. The winter season came and went without anything catching my interest. I've been watching the Hunter x Hunter reboot which is still recapping events from the original series 26 episodes in (and thus, boring). I've also been watching Natsume's Book of Friends which while good wasn't evoking any strong emotions from me. So I went into this season expecting maybe one or two series to be merely "entertaining". Imagine my surprise when I was floored by 6 great series. Count me as impressed. Here are some of my thoughts and anyone's free to add their impressions of spring 2012.

Shirokuma Cafe (or Polar Bear's Cafe): Just your normal slice of life anime about a guy who runs a cafe and his two regular customers.. or is it? The guy is an anthropomorphized polar bear and the others are animals too (a penguin and a panda bear). The first episode deals with a young lazy panda that is forced by his mother to find a part time job. He is rejected after being interviewed at the cafe but is later hired by a zoo to "act like a panda". It was really bizarre. The second episode was split into two parts. One were each animal in the cafe imagines their ideal café (panda café, penguin café, llama café)  and the second were Mr.  Penguin becomes drunk during the cherry blossom viewing party. If I had to describe this series I'd say it's very "cute" :3 Fuzzy adorable animals for everyone!

It looks like all the opening videos on youtube have been removed so here's a clip instead.

Space Brothers: A story about two brothers who, after seeing a UFO as kids, vow to become astronauts. Fast forward several years to when they are in their 30s. The younger brother has went ahead and  fulfilled that dream. While the older just got kicked out of his job at an automotive place for head-butting the boss and has to move in with his parents. He gets rejected at job interviews from place to place despite his credentials because of how he got fired. Things look up when his mom secretly sends his resume to NASA and he gets accepted into the recruitment process. My one word impression is "Inspiring" also "Heartwarming" "Funny" "Relatable" It's hard not to root for this guy as he tries to recapture his forgotten dream. And something about a series about an actual adult is cool too. I'm really looking forward to seeing more.

Opening Here

Lupin the Third, The Woman Called Fujiko Mine: Honestly, I hadn't seen a single Lupin episode before this. I only checked this out because the art style from the screenshots I saw was really intriguing. And indeed, this show is extremely gorgeous and really looks like nothing out there. The epic heists are fun to watch unfold and the two main characters (Lupin and Fujiko) are likeable. If I had to criticize something, I'd say there's a lot of gracious nudity. Like a lot. But if you can get past that this is very fun stylistic (film noir) series. It’s only 13 episodes too.

Opening Here (really NSFW)

Kids on the Slope: Initially this was the only series I was looking forward to just for pedigree alone. Shinichiro Watanabe (cowboy bebop) is taking the director’s helm for the first time in a very long time and it also reunites him with the well-known composter Yoko Kanno. Anyways, it’s about a kid who’s had to move from place to place and just transferred to a new school. He seems to suffer from severe social anxiety and frequently has panic attacks.  He then attracts the attention of the class delinquent much to his dismay. But they later become friends as he discovers that this rough guy also plays the drums and “loves jazz”. The main character prefers to play classical music on the piano but seems to get inspired by the delinquent’s jazz drum playing. So this wasn’t the most exciting thing I watched today but it was pretty interesting as a character piece. I also can really sympathize with having to do deal with panic attacks and such. It’s really scary.

Opening Here

Tsuritama:
Like Kids on the Slope, this is about a boy that hasn’t lived in one place long his whole life and also just transferred into a new school. He also has frequent panic attacks. That’s about all that is similar though. WTF did I just watch!? Stuff like showing a guy having panic attacks by literately having him drown in water, a self-proclaimed alien that talks to a fish in a fishbowl on his head and a Turkish guy with a goose. I found out after watching this that it’s from the director of Mononoke so I should of seen this coming. It’s also pretty stunning in the animation department.

Opening Here

Eureka Seven AO: I liked the original Eureka Seven. And now there’s a new series? What’s not to love? I thought this was going to be total standalone but there have been hints that the protagonist is the child of the original mains. The setting, like the original’s and Xam’d’s, feels very ghibli esque. In other words, it’s stunning. This looks to be another solid offering from Studio Bones.

There wasn't an opening for the first episode but here's the ending

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ELDA TALUTA / Show Off Your Collections :D

« on: January 02, 2012, 11:07:23 PM »

I love seeing other people's nerd collections hence this thread. Do you collect Anime? Videogames? Figurines? Show them off here!

Here's mine - http://myanimelist.net/blog.php?eid=662991
Also, this older one shows games that technically belong to the family but I borrow/play anyways - http://myanimelist.net/blog.php?eid=34602

Edit: I guess I collect animal skulls and anime wallscrolls too. More pics to follow!

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ELDA TALUTA / Summer 2011

« on: July 11, 2011, 06:24:56 PM »

http://randomc.net/2011/06/25/summer-2011-preview/

A bit late but I'm bored out of my eyeballs so bear with me. Anyways, the summer season of Anime is upon us! What shows are you interested in watching? Or if you've already checked some out, what are your first impressions?

Blood-C: It's no secret that I absolutely loathe Clamp so it comes as a surprise that I checked this out. Gorgeous animation, loved the OP and the action scene near the end was cool. Other than that, not exactly a stand out episode. I'll have to watch the next episode before deciding whether to commit to it or not. Also, long legs. @_@ I want to stare at their faces but their legs are so distracting. It definitely takes some getting used to. 6/10

Ikoku Meiro no Croisée: A period piece set in 19th century France? Sign me up! If I had to give a feeling to this Anime, it'd be "warm and fuzzy". It had the same soothing atmosphere as Aria and Mushishi. I have a feeling that I'm going to enjoy the heck out of this show. My only complaint was it was a bit confusing sometimes 'caus they made no distinction about when they were speaking French or Japanese. 8/10

No. 6: Studio Bones always delivers solid animation hence why I checked this series out. The story isn't anything unique but it works because of the great execution. The interaction between the gifted, pampered kid and the fugitive was fun to watch and the episode left me intrigued about what will happen next. Here's to hoping they can adapt 9 manga volumes into 11 episodes. 8/10

Mawaru Penguindrum: Oh. My. Gawd. Is it possible to fall head over heels for an Anime after just one episode? 'Caus I think that's what just happened. Um, and you can just totally tell it's from the director of Utena. Incest (possibly lesbian?) shows up by the end of the episode too. People likened Star Driver to Utena but IMHO it was only like it superficially. Penguindragon channels Utena in soul. 9/10

[Spoiler:]

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ELDA TALUTA / What are your favorite Anime couples?

« on: April 01, 2011, 02:29:06 PM »

Canon, Non-Canon, Yaoi, Yuri - whatever floats your boat, list them here!

Fakir x Duck from Princess Tutu

This pairing gives me the warm fuzzies and I don't know why. Side note: my little sisters couldn't stop giggling when somebody said Fakir's name in the show.

Spoiler: show

Tsukasa x Subaru from .Hack//Sign

I like this couple since they looked out for each other throughout the show and I found that very endearing..

Spoiler: show

Tanda x Balsa from Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit

One, I have a thing for 'older' couples. They're past the dumb teenage puppy love and in that way it seems more geniune. Two, this one is funny since the guy acts like the wife and the girl, the husband. Poor Tanda..

Spoiler: show

Tai x Sora from Digimon Adventure

@$&#$&#*$& ZERO TWO EPILOGUE. RAAAAAAGE. >:0

Spoiler: show

Hiei x Kurama from Yu Yu Hakusho

*oogles* 0-0 The image below the cut is an official artwork. I am not totally making this up..

Spoiler: show

Yusuke x Keiko from Yu Yu Hakusho

Love interests for the shounen hero are a dime a dozen but how many actually end up working in the end?

Spoiler: show

Kuranosoke x Tsukimi from Princess Jellyfish

Nerdy girl meets crossdressing guy. (Hint: the guy is on the right :3)

Spoiler: show

Hige x Blue from Wolf's Rain

;_;

Spoiler: show

Hubb x Cher from Wolf's Rain

Again, older couples. Love'em

Spoiler: show

Isaac x Mira from Baccano!

These two were made for each other. They're complete and utter idiots

Spoiler: show

Ok. I should stop for now before this post gets even longer.

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All Series / First Bee Train series?

« on: September 11, 2010, 10:26:14 PM »

What was your first Bee Train series and your initial impressions of it? Since I started the thread I might as well get the ball rolling. Mine was .Hack//Sign on the Toonami block back in 2001 or 2002 when I was first started getting hardcore about my Anime viewing. I'd watch about every and any Anime that would air on TV so naturally I watched Sign when it first came on. What I liked about it was the air of mystery, Yuki Kajura's excellent music and the striking art. The yuri subtext at the end kind of put me off as a fledgling fan but I liked it well enough. Oh, and the silver knight was bad a!  

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Announcements & Introductions / 'allo 'allo!

« on: September 08, 2010, 04:33:45 PM »

Hey Y'all! I went on a trip with AlexShadow and Okoa to Anime Vegas last weekend where they told me about a little (but awesome) forum called BeeTrain Fan Forum. So here I am! My brain is kind of still going spinny spinny from the awesomeness of Vegasland. It'll be interesting to see the video from Sunday night. Uhhh..umm.. does this post have a point?   Oh! I'm not a huge fan of Bee Train. I didn't like Tsubasa and I thought Sign was the only good show out of the .Hack series. But I love the Girls with Guns trilogy/Phantom/Murder Princess (from the three episodes I saw with Alex/Okoa at the con).

I'm sort of afraid now. Please don't kill me...