Fair enough my good sir, fair enough. And ty for the kind advice.

BTW ... before I forget ... speaking of looking forward to things - what series are you curious about next season?

BTW - I can't rep you for your comment on Hyouka being boring ... I literally lol'd. Well played sir

TBH I have never really been a fan of the mecha genre (and Xenoglossia didn't help any -_- ), so FMPanic not being interesting is not a big surprise, I guess. (Plus violent tsunderes just totally rub me the wrong way.)

I had Great Expectations for both Hyouka and Chuuni, and they were fulfilled. Was looking forward to Nichijou, and really enjoyed it. Etc., etc., etc.

So for now I am looking forward to Tamako Market....

Hmm ... well, I have liked everything KyoAni made except the FMPanic series - everything. So - not a ravenous fanboy, but a pretty intense one, I guess.

For someone who says Hyouka and Chuuni2 were pleasant surprises what else can I conclude but that your stance in anti-KyoAni?!

Fiend I say! FIEND!

Thanks, but I already own the DVDs! ... Oh. Wait. Yeah, I'll take that.

That's how they get you. Damn capitalists. Always selling you frosty blankets.

Alright, that's cool. Sounds good. I might watch that in the near future! You never know what happens either, maybe I'll find a super-cheap XBOX 360 at some point. Not top of my list of priorities, but you never know.

Every American gamer I watch or talk to despises Gamestop. It might just be coincidence, my sample size is pretty limited, but it's got a really bad rep among certain crowds at least. If even half of the stuff I've heard from former employees is true, it's a hellhole. Speaking of anime boxes, I thought of something (while I was out in the blistering cold!) You said your friend owned Higurashi, right? That guy is a lucky bastard. That stuff's out of print, impossible to get (because Geneon, who released it, are out of business permanently) and goes for a hefty price online. He probably already knows that if he's an anime fan and owns it, but yeah, he's sitting on a big fat paycheck there if he's kept it in reasonable condition. You were right about it just saying "When They Cry" on the box as well. It's listed as "When They Cry: Higurashi" (or vica verca) in a lot of English databases and such, so that's what I was going by.

Exactly. Once you grow accustomed to it, it's so damn easy to take it for granted. So damn easy. You had to bring up Vanilla Coke, you magnificent bastard. Now I've got a craving real bad. I'd trade that laptop for a six-pack of those right about now.

I'm actually not sure how frequent they are here now that I think about it. I seem to remember a lot of them, but my memories of anything... less than 10 years ago, is *highly* suspect. I hope we both get one. Damn that global warming for ruining Christmas! (I'm going to make that my scapegoat, whether it's actually the cause or not.)

Spare me the legalese! All I wants to know is how to make like fast with the killings and whatnots.

I know that feeling. Waking up with a cold because I forgot to shut the window. Man, that sucks. And there's no one to blame but yourself!

I neither own an XBOX 360, nor can I read (or understand, for that matter) Japanese, so 0-2 there. I'll probably have to give the anime a spin. You recommended it, so I assume it makes some sort of coherent sense to someone who's unfamiliar with the game? Gives you a feel for the characters and whatnot? Does it spoil the game? I guess it doesn't matter too much, I'm never getting a 360 unless someone's literally throwing it away.

Aye, it might've been that, or perhaps a limited collection thing that was only available for a short period? The show's actually getting up there in age now that I think about it. Doesn't feel that way. Uh-oh, am I getting old? Well, walking into Gamestop was your first mistake, from what I hear. I actually saw a video from the same guy who showed me the revelaitions thing where he (working at Gamestop at the time) gets punched in the face by a customer because he had to sell away that guy's preordered game due to story policy. Crazy stuff. It was also voted 10th worst place to work in America according to a recent survey I saw.

Yeah... it's amazing how much gets stuffed into those tiny things. We take it for granted to the point where it's pretty mundane and boring, but it's sort of amazing how quick technology has progressed. Exactly like professor Frink predicted! Yup, that's how it all played out. I doubt anyone would buy my ancient laptop. Oh wait, definitely no one wants to, I forgot that half the keyboard is ruined too. I forget how that happened. Probably spilled something at some point.

Ah, snow. It's a real gamble as to whether or not that shows up before Christmas here. I'm hoping it does, not just because of the cozy, Christmasy feeling, but because it's typically not as damn cold when there's snow around. Ironically. Seriously though, I am impressed by how well you've kept the music consistent that way. It's good stuff. The latest song was probably my favorite thus far.. though it's hard to top Kalafina.

Premeditated murder has never been easier. What a wonderful age we live in.

Aye. My window is actually not entirely airtight. It lets in a little bit of air, because it's old as fuck. Usually it's entirely negligible, but when the winter is at its worst, you can really feel it.

It sure is, and that's one of the reasons I'm just not that keen on gaming any more. 60-80 hours is pretty damn long even for an RPG. I figured that's what happened in the anime, but it's not like the pacing ruined it for me. Maybe it's worse when you know the potential, but I had a good time with it. I might pick up one of the games at some point. When I get that JRPG itch.

I've watched a lot of shows with Otome in their title, so I know that one. It's a popular choice. (And it has a very nice batting average!) I know it's supposed to be Lelouch, I was just wondering where you saw the alternate spelling. I don't own the show, but I've seen the releases browsing around, and the boxes had it spelled correctly. That's why I was wondering if it was in the manga or something. Could also have been a typo they fixed on later releases. I saw that resident evil one! A guy I watch on Youtube made a video about it. Revelaitions, was it? I remember there was an extra "i" in there somewhere, at least. For Working, that was what I heard. I think I actually read it here on this very forum when the release was announced and there was some discussion about the weird title change. Neither Working or Wagnaria sound very enticing based on the title alone, honestly, so I hope it was a copyright thing. Otherwise it was just bad even from a pure marketing standpoint.

Ah, still missing that vital component. Let's pray for the safe and swift arrival of both of our packages! I know *all* about annoying laptops, man. You should see mine. Sometimes it just randomly begins opening endless amounts of browser windows. Once it went up to 440. I don't use it much anymore...

Man, time flies. 4 already. I started listening to the 3rd one writing this post. You're doing really good keeping a theme running through all of the music. Appropriately December-y.

I'm sure there's an equivalent around here something. The search begins!

I'm exactly the same way, man. I hate using the heater, it makes my brain mushy, but even more-so, it makes my hands and face really dry. I already have pretty dry skin, especially my hands, so I really feel it. It's a pain. I only turn my heater on when I have to, and trust me, a blanket is not enough right now.

Yeah, most of those games are made for the multiplayer, and it's not uncommon for people to pick them up just to play with their friends. Most games can be entertaining if you're playing them with a group of people like that. I've never played any of the games you mentioned. The Tales series has like 15 titles or some crazy number, right? I saw the Abyss anime though. That was good, if a little inconsistent with its pacing.

Yeah, it is a history period, often called the warring states period in English translations. (Which can be a little confusing because there's the Chinese period with the same English translation. Wikipedia also has it listed as "Age of the Country at War." Doesn't quite roll off the tongue like "warring states" does, though.) It's used in anime all the time, so it's well known among a lot of anime fans. Sengoku Collection, Sengoku Otome and Sengoku Basara being some examples of anime with it right there in the title, while even more, such as Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls and Brave 10 are more loosely based on it. It's pretty much the Japanese equivalent of the American Revolution in terms of how frequently it's discussed and adapted, so it's definitely something people should know. As for otome, I've only heard that translated as girl/maiden, but I'm sure there are other translations too. Most Japanese words have more than one possibly meaning, most of which I of course don't know.

The Higurashi example is actually even stranger. The boxes I've seen are called "Higurashi: When they Cry." So again, they wanted the Japanese word people know in there, but translated the rest. I'd even be fine with just calling it "Higurashi." That's what most people call it. Then have the Japanese title in small print under maybe. This half-translating stuff is really silly, I agree. That Lelouch thing I've not even seen, what is that for, the manga? Wagnaria I heard was a case of fear of copyright infringement because there was some existing live-action television series with the name "Working." I'll cut them some slack on that one if that was the case. Wagnaria is a pretty ugly title though. At least it starts with a W....?

That isn't very considerate. Does that mean you got it all now though? I'm currently having some trouble with the post office myself. Had to send them a receipt and some personal information through snail-mail for them to clear my package through customs. It's happened once before, and it's a little annoying. Adds like 4-5 days to the delivery time, and is just a hassle in general. (Not the Bakamonogatari package, a different one. That one's still not here, damn!)

That was pretty damn funny. Seriously though where do you buy that stuff?

If I broke my window by chucking a controller through it now I would literally freeze to death. You don't even know. I thought my heater was broken today, but nope, it was still running at twice the level I usually keep it at. Man. I actually own the PS3. But I am not a proud owner. It's one of my most regret-ridden purchases ever. Granted, I held on for a while until the system dropped considerably in price, but it still hasn't been worth it. I only own like 5 games for it. The system cost more than those games did. Part of that is my own fault for having stopped liking new games around that time, but damn. However, it is nice to have a Blu-Ray player! That's a small consolation. Still, it was a lot of money, and I'd like to think I've learned from that mistake.

I already did. I... already did.

Aye, no one likes everything. Most people have those genres they just can't get into, especially when it comes to games. I'm like that with FPS games. I can't play them. I just can't. Luckily most of those are generic borefests, but I'm sure there are some genuine gems I'm missing out on as well. I'm a fan of both Western and Japanese RPGs, but I'm not an expert on either. When it comes to gaming, I'm very much a quality over quantity guy. I haven't experienced copious amounts of them, like I have with anime and to a certain extent movies. Some of the greatest stories I've experienced have been told through games though, that much is certain.

Yeah, that's what it translates to as far as I know as well. Regardless of the finer details, that's obviously not even an attempt at any sort of fidelity. Pure marketing. At least it was done with a show that is pure shlock, so it's not like any great art was despoiled in the process, but I believe it sets a bad precedent. On that note... ranting time:

Oh my god, I just remember another one I dislike. And this one I've got a personal, furious vendetta against. There was this show called Sengoku Otome - Momoiro Paradox which aired last year. I really liked it. Excellent fluff. So the English title they decide to go with, I think whoever translated it at Crunchyroll came up with the title, but don't quote me on that, was "Battle Girls -Time Paradox." Okay... that's not what it means. They literally kept half the title and replaced the other half, one word from each segment. Do they think that most anime fans are too dumb to understand or be willing to try something with the word "Sengoku" in it? Why would they; they're here because they enjoy Japanese stuff, aren't they? At the very least, if you need to translate it, translate it to warring states or something, not "battle". What kind of sense does that make? Then there's the other alternation, which is actually even worse! "Pink paradox" might not draw in the action junkies, but come on, it's a show about girls kicking ass and having fun. It's cute and humorous. Keep the word pink. I reckon most people watching it to begin with can't be too afraid of that color. Okay, so we end up with the most generic title imaginable, "Battle Girls -Time Paradox." It wouldn't be that big of a deal either, but much to my surprise, the show actually got licensed. Great! Oh... wait... they're going with the that title for the release. God damn.

Oh, awesome. As much as it pains you to wait, at the same time that's a great feeling. Sitting there waiting for something to arrive so you can get down to business. That takes me back.

It's Urobuchi Gen and studio IG! If it turns out to be good, that'll be par for the course!