I hate politics. I had one hope during this election cycle, that at the end of it, I would be able to have rational discussions with my family members who were of a different persuasion than I on some of the bigger issues of our time. In the end though, that has not happened.
Story:
My fiance, my beautiful kind Jessica saw a show on Faux Noise (aka Fox News) in which they were actively comparing Obama to Hitler. Not to belabor the point but this has no intellectual integrity, this is the kind of fear mongering I had hoped would go away or atleast be stamped out. Well this was a big fight between jessica and her parents because they didn't see the big deal in it although they agreed that it was over the top. Well the next day at lunch, being a social guy, I decided to sit down at my favorite place here in town for lunch with a complete stranger. We agreed that we both wanted to eat and their was only one table for 2 open. So to me, this was a great example of sitting down with another human being and just having a nice time seeing another world view if only for a moment. Well, conversation nds up in healthcare land and this bovine moron actually starts parroting this shit about the third reich.... sorry folks if you are a nice person and are being led down this path by the fear mongering wackos out there... take a breath look at the facts and walk away from the television...
Well anyway, in a rage I post to facebook about how the wackos that were actively propogating this were idiots and I guess they were like Republicans Code Pink... the lefties screaming wackos... well in the end my mother in law reads this and is deeply offended thinking I am calling her names... a part of me might have been needling her.. that was my mistake but honestly... obama and hitler? where does this leave us? What does this mean... does that mean the neo nazis in america are going to get behind Obama??? I mean what are we talking about people... and my family!! that is what I hate more than anything else that I can't talk to my mother in law an incredibly articulate and intelligent medical professional, about the health care reform bill so that she could really educate me on what is going on here.... welll I can't talk to her about it because obama is a hitler wanna be... In response I delete my facebook profile.... I think if we can't do this face to face we just can't do this...
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
In the beginning...
When I first started on anime, I thought it was just for fun... All the gateway anime's, Akira, Ninja Scroll, Vampire Hunter D, you know, harmless stuff. Sit down for two hours and then you are back. The characters intrigued me. These three anime are basically the beginning of and in many way the archetypes for all other anime. The anime gods have basically decided there are 10 major character types and beyond that you just kinda add on a different costume and hope for the best.
1) The Pure Hero - This is the easy one, Jubei Ninpucho, D, Kakashi sensei (from Naruto), you name it they are always there. These characters are often at the center of the stories but you only ever see a glimps of an emotional response from them. Maybe in some distant past where they screwed up once and after that all hint of emotion was wiped away or maybe it is that characteristic confrontation with their nemesis that brings it out but basically, they are a stoic sort unbeatable type.
2) The Nemesis - These guys are just complete dark. You don't know why but they are just jerks in every way. Rapists, killers, insatiable greed, a thirst for destruction you name it. Usually the pure hero's other brother, old friend, teacher, etc
3) The Gay Assassin - I have seen this for both sexes but generally it is a slightly effeminate to outright queeny guy who uses sharp small things and ends up being a masochist
4) The dumb bruiser - This character is generally a good guy but bears the brunt of getting his ass whooped. Very rarely he will also be a brainiac (i.e. cowboy bebop) He always is found in an apron cooking something throughout the series and plays a momentary role if not a significant one in nearly every episode (think Full Metal Alchemist and the big muscular dude who is always ripping off his shirt)
5) The Snake/Bitch - There is always some underhanded woman with absolutely no redeeming characteristics exempt a common pentient for nymphomania and black widow tendencies of killing her lovers. This one is easy to spot because she will always have those impossible lines (40- 10 -40). The snake is often seen for the first time in the movie in a sex scene or some similar attempt to seduce the hero.
6) The helpless woman - Has just enough power or some special significance that always gets her in trouble and thus in need ot saving. Is usually similar shape to the Bitch and has an opposing hair color.
7) The Woman Warrior - Loveless, untouchable, kinda tough but never as tough as the dude hero.
8) The tortured boy hero - we know this one.
9) The na - hero - This is one of the few flexible characters that does something worthwhile in anime genres. This guy and sometimes gal is a real fuckoff kinda bastard but he ends up doing OK things. Or things that aren't totally awful bur are somewhat interesting. That is what I liked about Shigurui, it was dark awful and everyone was a na-hero. Everyone had dark twisted fates.
10) Side kicks - there are always a bunch of these on either side. They are basically some kids doodlings of "what if you had the super power to..." and it isn't cool enough to be a main character but it will fit in as a side kick.
And you know what is s bad. After that first taste, I started watching more and more. I never saw anything new. I never experienced an epiphany from seeing these things. The characters kept repeating, the stories shifted a little, but only a little and literally thousands of hours of my life were spent vegging out in front of this crap. Ah.....
1) The Pure Hero - This is the easy one, Jubei Ninpucho, D, Kakashi sensei (from Naruto), you name it they are always there. These characters are often at the center of the stories but you only ever see a glimps of an emotional response from them. Maybe in some distant past where they screwed up once and after that all hint of emotion was wiped away or maybe it is that characteristic confrontation with their nemesis that brings it out but basically, they are a stoic sort unbeatable type.
2) The Nemesis - These guys are just complete dark. You don't know why but they are just jerks in every way. Rapists, killers, insatiable greed, a thirst for destruction you name it. Usually the pure hero's other brother, old friend, teacher, etc
3) The Gay Assassin - I have seen this for both sexes but generally it is a slightly effeminate to outright queeny guy who uses sharp small things and ends up being a masochist
4) The dumb bruiser - This character is generally a good guy but bears the brunt of getting his ass whooped. Very rarely he will also be a brainiac (i.e. cowboy bebop) He always is found in an apron cooking something throughout the series and plays a momentary role if not a significant one in nearly every episode (think Full Metal Alchemist and the big muscular dude who is always ripping off his shirt)
5) The Snake/Bitch - There is always some underhanded woman with absolutely no redeeming characteristics exempt a common pentient for nymphomania and black widow tendencies of killing her lovers. This one is easy to spot because she will always have those impossible lines (40- 10 -40). The snake is often seen for the first time in the movie in a sex scene or some similar attempt to seduce the hero.
6) The helpless woman - Has just enough power or some special significance that always gets her in trouble and thus in need ot saving. Is usually similar shape to the Bitch and has an opposing hair color.
7) The Woman Warrior - Loveless, untouchable, kinda tough but never as tough as the dude hero.
8) The tortured boy hero - we know this one.
9) The na - hero - This is one of the few flexible characters that does something worthwhile in anime genres. This guy and sometimes gal is a real fuckoff kinda bastard but he ends up doing OK things. Or things that aren't totally awful bur are somewhat interesting. That is what I liked about Shigurui, it was dark awful and everyone was a na-hero. Everyone had dark twisted fates.
10) Side kicks - there are always a bunch of these on either side. They are basically some kids doodlings of "what if you had the super power to..." and it isn't cool enough to be a main character but it will fit in as a side kick.
And you know what is s bad. After that first taste, I started watching more and more. I never saw anything new. I never experienced an epiphany from seeing these things. The characters kept repeating, the stories shifted a little, but only a little and literally thousands of hours of my life were spent vegging out in front of this crap. Ah.....
Sunday, May 31, 2009
As the title suggests..
I have a problem and it is called anime.... it gets in everything. I am seeing it when I am awake, I dream of it when I sleep. On lunch break I wath an episode then suddenly I am on my thrid and I have to cut myself off. There is no doubt, this is a drug. It's like Tek from TekWar. That visual stimulus by which you can escape the world. But I am a big proponent of owning up to your own addictions so I have accepted this. I am an anime addict and that is fine. But I am going to find some good in it now. I am going to own this and make it mine. I am hoping this blog will become another one of the mass of anime review pages. I am not trying to make any money off this just trying to vent about some of the more intense and addictive animes out there and there are a few.... naruto shippuuden, bleach, shigurui, cowboy bebop, samurai shamploo..... wow the list goes on. I will be going through these bit by bit as an attempt to purge myself of these anime dreams
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)