jACKEt's Fourth Dimension Pocket

 Once again, let me start off with a "Whoa~~~~  I haven't written in this blog in months!!!"  Life's been busy and i'm not the blogging type.  Anyone notice how there was a bug or glitch with my Map Spaces, so the whole system cleaned off all the records of all the visitor that has been here since i placed that widget in.  It's not fair, i lost all those tiny red dots *pout*

 

Anyways, less vent, and back to my main topic.  It's funny how i first went to Anime North back in 2003, but i never posted any of the photos i have taken in all these years since i started attending it.  But this year's different, i'm actually writing about it now!  i guess i should divide this entry into a Saturday and Sunday Section, and i guess easiest way is to start recalling my memories in chronological order.

 

12isn to 3ish:   Went to see the Halko Momoi concert.  Truth be told, i have never heard of her before, and i'm not a big fan of otaku idol singers.  But i dragged R-san with me any ways to see her.  I wanted to see for myself how these idols work.  after watching her performance, i figured it all depended on the fan particpation to make the show enjoyable.  Halko didn't have any back up dancers, band, or costume change.  AN really spoiled the convention attendees with KOTOKO and ZZ just the previous years ago TTATT.....  The only interesting thing about the concert was that free glowsticks were provided, i think, courtesy of her fan club.  And the best part about the glowsticks is that they are still glowing right now!!!!  They have been glowing 55 hours straight!!!  WHAT THE HELL KINDA GLOWSTICKS ARE THESE??!!!  mind you that their colours have faded, but they are still giving off light!!!  So R-san, S-san, and I are in our seats just chatting and playing with our glowsticks.  (hey~ that's not as dirty sounding as the printed slogans on the glowsticks themselves that read either "Don't Think.  Just Feel!!" or "A dream baton is in your hand.").  Beside S-san, it a big dude really a novel.  He was in front of us during the line up and read that novel non-stop.  Once the concert started, he leaps out of his chair and starts --over-enthustatically-- doing the cheers/calls.  I don't know why, but he just had to past his boundary and ended up blocking half of S-san's view for the entire concert!!  i mean, S-san only had half a chair to sit on just so she can avoid having her face being suffocated by that blub of fat that he calls an ass.  If you thought that was bad, there's worst.  Around mid-way through the concert, his glowstick starts leaking.  And instead of putting it away and not using it, because the chemical inside glowsticks are dangerous.  He keeps swinging that damn thing!  As you can imagine, the chemicals are probably flying through the air.  When there's dripping chemicals he wipes it at the top part of the chair in front of him.  And once can see glowing drips and spots on the chair.  Glad the guy that was sitting there didn't put his head back or else his hair would have been glowing neon yellow.  R-san finally couldn't take this anymore, so she gives one of her glowsticks to him.  It's kinda odd, but where R-san was sitting it reek of sweat more than my seat, which was beside her's.  And she had the loudest screaming guy sitting right behind her.  Poor eardrums.  Compared to S-san and R-san, i had it light.  I only had a "bak4" (That's what it said on his t-shirt) in front of me that blocked my view the whole time because he never sat down.

I should mention more about Halko here since it's not her fault that i had an okay time.  I mean as a singer, i am amazed at her ability to dance and sing pretty much non-stop for 2 hours straight.  And some of her songs do showcase her ability to sing.  i have to say, none of her songs were very memorable to me since they were all hyper pop that sounded similar.  I think she sung 2 rockish songs, i think those were better.  i heard from S-san that her CDs were sold out by Saturday, and on Sunday there were only her t-shirts left.

 

4ish until the end of Saturday:  Finally meet up with K-san who i've known since grade 1.  R-san and I were in the washroom, when she wandered in looking for us and called "jACKEt?  Are you there?"  in which i replied "Hey K-san!!!"  Kinda weird moment there, LOL!!  K-san was with her "current guy she's with", "current guy she's with's friend", and her brother.  We all went to the Dealer's Room, and in there we bumped into S-san, who K-san also haven't seen in a while.  All of us didn't really have anything better to do, so we first followed R-san to get volume 7 and 8 or Immortal Rain.  Then all those people, 6 in total, followed me around while i bought yaoi manga.  hahahaha~~~  Was it embarassing? NO!  But later, R-san did tell me that a male vendor was giving me a weird look when i was buying a whole whack of yaoi manga. hahah~~~ ehh....i didn't notice. 

Finally, i got the Elizabeth (from Gintama) cosplay that my dad made for me.  I was dressed as Zura, i mean Katsura!  R-san wore it at first.  Then later, i convinced K-san to wear it to, since it got really hot in that outfit.  Thank you so much both of you for wearing that costume!!! Much Love! R-san made an introverted Ely while she was so careful in that costume.  While K-san makde an extroverted Ely while she was running around in that costume.  I bought a sketchbook to be made into Ely's sign, but the wind kept flipping the pages, so the always-prepared S-san tapped it.  Thank you!!!  So we paraded around the convention grounds to show off our cosplays ^^;;;.  The five people around Ely eventually became her Secret Service.  Each person on either side of her and behind her, pushing obstacles and people away that got too close to Ely.  Must give a big thank you to K-san's "current squeeze", and "current squeeze's friend" for carrying my heavy heavy heavy yaoi mangas with them.  Seriously really thank you, A-san, and J-san.  (i hope i got A-san't name right ^^;;;;; orz....)

Just because Ely is a mascot costume, it attracts attention.  It doesnt' matter whether people know of that anime or not, they will stop and take pictures.  i have to admit, i think people took pictures because they saw a weird looking duck chicken thingy with a sign that either read "LOL", "I <3 Y'ALL" or "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?!  BASTARDS."  And i epsecially love the fact that a few girls misread "I <3 Y'ALL" into "I <3 YAOI"  hehehe~~ i was hearing from them "I LOVE YAOI TOO"

Maybe S-san will post the video of Ely and I "dancing" on youtube orz....  Then i guess i will show it here too.

 

Sundays at Anime North is so much more causal and relax than the intense Saturdays.  So i prefer Saturdays more.  i actually haven't gone to AN on Sunday since the first time i went back in 2003 when it was still held at the Regal Constellation hotel.  On Sunday, didn't buy much, not like compared to Saturday that i went plushie-crazy orz....  I bought 5 Gintama plushies in total, because they were a pretty good deal, and, as you may know, i'm obsessed with GINTAMAAAA!!!!! Got an Elizabeth, Katsura, Hijikata, Kagura in a yukata, and, of course, a Gin-san in a yukata!!!! *kyaaaa~~~~!!!! >///<*  i also got a Doraemon in a formal Japanese attire for $5 CDN, that's a pretty good deal there!  I was also sooo tempted to buy a Near and a Ryuk plushie.  R-san said i should get Ryuk (hey~ R-san and Ryuk both start with R!!!)  K-san said i should get Near.  In the end i got neither.  Take that you two!!! *shakes fist*  I had a tradition of buying ONE damnass  overly expensive yet so unresistably cute plushie every time i went to AN.  But R-san broke that rule for me last year, when she convinced me to buy Kakashi-sensei as an Anbu Black Op, when i had already bought L. <---that plushie is so adorable~!

So back to Sunday's happenings.  i got interviewed by some online radio show.  If my interview makes it in their broadcast, then i will mention it here.  The hardest question he asked was "What's Gintama about?"  i went blank.  it was so bad.........orz......  How can i limit Gintama's greatness with mortal speech!!! AHHHH!!!!!!

Again back to Sunday's happenings.  I joined S-san as she went to Halko Momoi's autograph session.  I didn't bring anything for her to sign since i didn't figure i would go to the autograph session.  But thankfully, S-san was nice enough to let me have her concert program so that i can get Halko's signature on that.  Before that i thought i might have to get Halko to sign my Saturday badge...orz......  Now that would have been majorly disrespectful.

Sunday ended without a bang, other than if you count the people at AN screaming

"HALF AN HOUR UNTIL THE DEALER ROOM CLOSES",

"15 MINTUES",

 "10 MINUTES",

"5 MINUTES",

"THE DEALER'S ROOM AND ARTIST ALLEY IS NOW CLOSE!!!!"

 

This year i am quite content that i got to see some other Gintama cosplayers too, but i lament the fact that i didn't see others that also went, and others that i didn't get a chance to take a photo of TT^TT  i'm guessing there were around 20 Gintama cosplayers in total (out of the 16 000 or so attendees) at AN08.  There was definitely more Gintama merchandise this year at both the Dealer's Room and Artist Alley.  I'm so glad, so happy, so proud.  Gintama's greatness is slowly starting to be recognize in North America!!!

 

 

 

I decide to do this little video of me in the Ely cosplay playing the piano. ^__^;;;  Enjoy!

 

whoa~~!!  it's been months since i wrote here!  I was planning to write about Anime North in May, but got lazy.  Was thinking of uploading those photos too.....  Then in mid-June i went to Japan again. This time i stayed in Osaka (The Swiss Otel is the BEST!!!!!), Sapporo, and a Tokyo apartment (sweet~).  The new places that i visited were a few cities/town in Hokkaido, and Nara.  Due to the fact that i didn't have internet access (ok the hotel made me paid for internet, but i refused, damn you!!!) in Osaka, i couldn't blog everyday like what i did in my last trip.  i know it sucks....orz....i feel like i missed such an opportunity....  Actually, the first day i stayed at a Tokyo hotel first, but somehow Windows Live Spaces wouldn't let me upload pictures.  The most recent picutres that i uploaded were meant to be uploaded that day ^^;  So i guess i'm too lazy to write anything about my trip anymore since it's been months ago.  But hopefully, if i'm not too damnass lazy, i will upload the rest of the pictures ^^.

 

So now on to the main point.  I'm posting this just as a test.  i know it's crappy, even thought i used a tablet for it O___o  Enjoy.

 

 

ok i must be bored and outraged because i am once again writing about the anime Koutetsu Sangokushi...-_-;

 

 

 The part that i am outraged by is that in the second episode that Koyasu-sama had only one line!!! >.<  (oh yeah i just remembered after writing my last entry that Koyasu Takehito did have a recent bishie role, and that was for Takasugi from Gintama [銀魂超好きですゥゥゥゥゥゥゥ！！！♪┏(・o･)┛♪┗ ( ･o･) ┓♪┏ ( ) ┛♪┗ (･o･ ) ┓♪┏(･o･)┛♪].  But he's hardly in it in the past 52 episodes, but i'm sure that's gonna all change in the upcoming story arc ^-^)

So that one line thing was a shock for me, but there were two other things too.  From watching the opening and the preview of the last episode, i thought that SONKEN Chuubo was a girl.  I still thought he was a girl when he was speaking since this character has a female seiyuu, which is NABATAME Hitomi (生天目 仁美).  The character looked like a girl, and even acted like a typical anime girl.  So i couldn't really tell, even though i at the very least knew that the original Romance of the Three Kingdoms is dominated by male characters.  I only realized later in the episode when other character refer to Sonken as 'he'.  -___-;

This same problem goes to RYOUTOU Kouseki, whose seiyuu, SAIGA Mitsuki (斎賀 みつき）, is also female.  But at the very least she sounds like a young man.  One of the first thing i noticed about Ryoutou was that he had short chunky slanted bangs, which i had sometime around last year too ^^;.  That was one fo the reason from just looking at the character that i thought he was a girl.  Also, my thought on Ryoutou's character design was that he's like Sango from Inuyasha.  His hair and clothing style already reminded me of Sango, but then when i saw his choice of weapon was a boomerang, that really hit the nail on the head! ^0^

Ok, now we move on to other things that caught my eye.  The Hail of Arrows, i think they (the anime production people) just stole that out of those Chinese wuxia/martial arts films.  And the way Rikuson becomes the "Light of Hope", let's just say he looks like an eraser in Paint cleaning after using the airbrush tool. XD

 

 

 

 

 

ok...so i usually don't blog about animes that i have watched as you may have noticed, but Koutetsu Sangokushi (鋼鉄三国志) deserves a mention because 1. KOYASU Takehito (子安 武人) plays a bishie role in it as KOUMEI Shoukatsuryou, and 2.  oh~ it's filled with too blantant BL/yaoi-ness for a shonen adventure show. (*kukuku*  p(-m-) )

 

oh yeah a little background info about Koutetsu Sangokushi is based on the famous Chinese novel The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which shamefully i do not know too much about since considering i'm Chinese ><.  and i'm guessing those of you that do know the premise and details of the story owe your knowledge to watching other animes based on it, or playing the many video games that's also based on it.

 

So yes, my fave seiyuu (voice actor) is Koyasu-sama.  He is the first voice i noticed/recognized in anime.  He apparently holds the record for having the most number of roles for a male seiyuu (sorry can't remember the exact number; this tidbit appeared in the Anime Insider magazine).  And his vocal range and ability never ceases to amaze me; just check him out in Yakitate Japan! as Kuroyanagi (plain crazy the sounds he makes XD)  What's so amazing about a guy that's doing another role in anime when he already have done so many anyways you may ask.  The answer is that he is playing a bishie role!  I was talking to Stef one time, and she mentioned that her mom (yes you read that right, her mom, which by the way is really cool and into animes, and Japanese and Korean media) noticed that Koyasu-sama hasn't done any bishie roles lately.  To us, it seemed that he was too busy playing roles like Kururu (Keroro Gunsou).  So you could have guessed that i was thrilled when i heard his voice in Koutetsu Sangokushi (what's the short form of this name by the way...?).  I was watching the show and i immediately recognized Koyasu-sama's distinct voice, and throughout the whole show i was hoping that it was really him and that my ears had not deceive me.  So i waited until the credits rolled...and then BAM! there was his name!  yes!!!! >.<  So okaeri (welcome back) Koyasu-sama to the world of bishonen roles!  YAY!

 

Unrelated note:  MIYANO Mamoru (宮野 真守) is also in this anime, and he is cute for a seiyuu~<3.

 

my second point is that considering this anime is a shonen adventure, it has some too obvious BL (Boy's Love) scenes in it.  Here see for yourself:

 

 

i have included some screenshots from the first episode.  As you can see from the first scene in the opening, i didn't need my BL radar on full power to see the too obvious  (yaoi) fangirl fanservice.

 

 

 

 

A flashback during this episode:

 

 

 

 

Koumei: "Take this with you."

Rikuson: "Master!  I do not wish to leave you."

Koumei: "Even after you leave, we will not be separated.  The stars bind us together."

 

 

I don't really know what to say, i mean i have never been a fan of way-too-obvious fanservice.  Sometimes somethings are just best left to the imaginations' of the fans.  On the other hand, i'm actually very glad that this isn't a BL-labeled anime since those tend to suck, as in it's boring and the plot's weak.  (with the exception of Fuyu no Semi OAV [Winter Cicada, 冬の蝉] which i'm patiently waiting for part 2 and 3 to come out!  i'm a sucker for historical fiction.  BL+ samurais + history = my fave!) (....cannot stand Gakuen Heaven and Princess Princess.  ....damn...at least the first two chapters of the Princess Princess manga seem better than the boring anime)

wow....O_O...another classic Chinese novel has been anime-bishified!  And this time it's even yaoified!  Remember Gensomaden Saiyuki? (ah~ Sanzo! those eyes, that gun, that attitude, and your black tight, sleeveless turlteneck...)  haha..now i'm just hoping for someone to bishify The Water Margin or The Plum in the Golden Vase (replace some of the women!), if it hasn't been done already....