The year is almost ending and since I have no life I'll just blog about this year in particular. I think that, when comparing this year to the other years, its probably quite appropriate to write about it (in contrast to the other years, which just pass by without much of my notice) for one particular reason: I had nothing to do this year, although that's not quite accurate. But the main point is that I didn't have serious stress-inducing school projects for an entire year (I'm working on a research project but that's not nearly as frustrating as school can be, ironically) and so my entire year was relaxing, almost like a fun-trip (almost).
(Well, I suppose the main reason I never did end-of-the-year writeups for the other years is normally around this time I'd be playing Ragnarok Online :V)
That being said, it's not a lie that I feel a sense of apprehension for this upcoming year, when I (supposedly) am getting into graduate school. There are some worries that float around, such as what kind of strenuous events will come up when I get to grad school, or the possible bomb-drop of not getting into a (good) grad school at all. I'm pretty sure that 2009 will be one of the most relaxing years I've had and I'm going to have for a long long time. Possibly the only time I'd be more at ease in my past than this year would be something during my elementary school days.
Now that being said, just because this is the most relaxing year doesn't mean this is the most fun and exciting year I've had so far ( I probably don't remember my most exciting year anyway). But since we're supposed to be talking about 2009 we can talk about some of the main highlights for me, such as my obsession over GUMI WHICH CAME OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS YEAR... *ahem*
...
Ok yea that's probably the main event in 2009 that struck my interest. :V
Besides GUMI, I got a job and figured out (most of?) the differences between being a student and a worker without having any serious issues or culture shock; I learned I do better with in silico experiments than with in vitro experiments; I tried socializing more, not too sure it succeeded; and other various topics I forgot or failed to announce.
...
Doing these end-of-the-year things seems difficult, I think this is the last time I'll ever write anything up like this ever again. V:
31.12.09
30.12.09
K-On Second Season
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-12-30/k-on-anime-gets-2nd-season-green-lit
THIS TIME YUI WILL BE MORE POPULAR THAN MIO, RIGHT?
...RIGHT?
OR AT LEAST MORE SCREENTIME FOR UI??? D:
THIS TIME YUI WILL BE MORE POPULAR THAN MIO, RIGHT?
...RIGHT?
OR AT LEAST MORE SCREENTIME FOR UI??? D:
28.12.09
ef - tales of melodies
I've kept on putting this series back, and for a good reason: because I really liked the first season, I expected the second season to be just as good. I have to say, my expectations... were met pretty strongly.
Artwork, character design, music... much of that I've already written for Memories (I think), so I'm not going to repeat the same thing here because its basically the same. What I want to write, again, is the symbolism in the show, one of the things that made me like Memories so much, and one of the things that I like about Melodies as well.
To start I want to talk about a character most people probably ended up not liking too much, or would pass by as a side character merely used for a motivation of plot: The teacher that lost his sister in the earthquake, the one that "says" he's the same as the main character (for this series, that is). I think what's most intriguing, and what may leave some people behind asking "why?", is what exactly he saw in Yuu-kun's portrait when he saw it. After all, we can probably safely assume that Yuu-kun's sister is not his sister, yet the teacher is convinced he sees his sister in that portrait. Why is it that way?
We can probably make some inferences from the back story of the main heroine, Yuuko. Yuuko was adopted to supposedly fill the gap where the teacher's sister has left, yet was insufficient in doing so. Why? Well besides the obvious answer "she's not actually his sister", we can sort of see where she started deviating from being the "sister replacement" in the teacher's mind. First off, the physical reasons: Yuuko started to grow up. In the teacher's mind, the sister most likely has remained young forever, so when Yuuko was actually growing up, he started realizing she wasn't his sister, thus got extremely angry. Since we are mentioning this we can say the same situation can be explained with the watch that Yuu-kun was carrying in memoirs of his sister: While his sister was alive, the watch was clean, working, and ticking. When her sister died, the watch was no longer working, no longer "alive", and most importantly, no longer ticking. Time has stopped for the deceased, and when Yuu-kun looks at the watch, he sees his sister, deceased and stopped in time.
However I digressed with another symbolic object, we're asking, why the portrait. One thing that can probably be concluded is, with the "mask" that Yuuko put up not just towards Yuu-kun but to everyone else (I won't go into the whole "mask" symbolism since that's everywhere and probably pretty obvious), its very likely that Yuuko never showed her true smile to her foster brother, the teacher. For this particular reason, the teacher probably could not see his sister in her, because when his sister was alive, its inevitable that he must have seen his sister's true, innocent smile. And this is exactly what he saw in Yuu's portrait: The true, innocent smile of-- not the sister, but-- Yuuko. And this is why, he saw his sister, because Yuuko drew the innocent smile of Yuuko. It could be said, now, that he mistaken Yuuko in the portrait as his sister, and this is true, but for that particular reason the teacher, having been tortured for the many years of his life after his sister has died, can finally relieve himself after the portrait was finished.
In short, many people I believe would find him to be a despicable character, yet I think he was more meant to be pitied. You can especially see this in his smoke, while he smokes: the artistic design always portrays his smoke hovering around him, "binding" him almost, trapped in his own delusions and unable to move.
There's another symbolism that's been passed down from the first series to the second: the symbolism of the key. I think this is a fairly straightforward symbolic act, as a key represents opening a door. Of course when the door is closed, you can't move past it, or forward, so you're stuck in one place, but if you have a key, you can open the door and move forward. That's why in all these love stories the symbol is the key, and when they have recieved the key, they are able to move forward. They then pass the key to someone else so they can move forward.
I also like to say how interesting and smooth they refer back to past events from the first season. I find that prety neat, and I always like the whole "glimpse of what happens afterwards" feel that the second season certainly provides.
SO anyway, symbolism put aside, what do I think about the characters. From a purely superficial view I like the characters in this season better than last season. Superficial in that I like their character designs better... For the blonde girl Misaki (I think? I just remember her child name, Miki), I was a bit turned off I think in the first episode when she had twintails + her tsundere attitude, although I found it that didn't last too long. After a while I kind of liked her character appearance because it seemed like a good combination of Misuzu and this one girl from "Akane-iro" that I really like in terms of character design. Not to mention, Misaki(?)'s personality was really bright and cute despite her past, which really makes her nice.
The other girl, Yuuko-chan, is very much what she represents: an angel. There's not too much to say about her, except that, I think that its really nice how they tie things together: Mainly that, ef's storylines are all reasonably "logical" in that what can happen can happen with reason in life, EXCEPT for the angel appearance (in the logical sense). Something akin to Clannad, possibly, where the accumulation of happiness can lead to miracles? Or being rewarded for all the suffering one has been through? Its a nice ideal thought, in any case.
...I think I could probably go on and on, such as the possible heaven/hell symbolism that might be present as well (I'm getting the feeling that when the teacher burned down his house, the flames are representative of burning in hell), but I don't think I'll try delving in deeper for the time being.
Unless I rewatch this show with my sister and have an urge to write again. V:
Artwork, character design, music... much of that I've already written for Memories (I think), so I'm not going to repeat the same thing here because its basically the same. What I want to write, again, is the symbolism in the show, one of the things that made me like Memories so much, and one of the things that I like about Melodies as well.
To start I want to talk about a character most people probably ended up not liking too much, or would pass by as a side character merely used for a motivation of plot: The teacher that lost his sister in the earthquake, the one that "says" he's the same as the main character (for this series, that is). I think what's most intriguing, and what may leave some people behind asking "why?", is what exactly he saw in Yuu-kun's portrait when he saw it. After all, we can probably safely assume that Yuu-kun's sister is not his sister, yet the teacher is convinced he sees his sister in that portrait. Why is it that way?
We can probably make some inferences from the back story of the main heroine, Yuuko. Yuuko was adopted to supposedly fill the gap where the teacher's sister has left, yet was insufficient in doing so. Why? Well besides the obvious answer "she's not actually his sister", we can sort of see where she started deviating from being the "sister replacement" in the teacher's mind. First off, the physical reasons: Yuuko started to grow up. In the teacher's mind, the sister most likely has remained young forever, so when Yuuko was actually growing up, he started realizing she wasn't his sister, thus got extremely angry. Since we are mentioning this we can say the same situation can be explained with the watch that Yuu-kun was carrying in memoirs of his sister: While his sister was alive, the watch was clean, working, and ticking. When her sister died, the watch was no longer working, no longer "alive", and most importantly, no longer ticking. Time has stopped for the deceased, and when Yuu-kun looks at the watch, he sees his sister, deceased and stopped in time.
However I digressed with another symbolic object, we're asking, why the portrait. One thing that can probably be concluded is, with the "mask" that Yuuko put up not just towards Yuu-kun but to everyone else (I won't go into the whole "mask" symbolism since that's everywhere and probably pretty obvious), its very likely that Yuuko never showed her true smile to her foster brother, the teacher. For this particular reason, the teacher probably could not see his sister in her, because when his sister was alive, its inevitable that he must have seen his sister's true, innocent smile. And this is exactly what he saw in Yuu's portrait: The true, innocent smile of-- not the sister, but-- Yuuko. And this is why, he saw his sister, because Yuuko drew the innocent smile of Yuuko. It could be said, now, that he mistaken Yuuko in the portrait as his sister, and this is true, but for that particular reason the teacher, having been tortured for the many years of his life after his sister has died, can finally relieve himself after the portrait was finished.
In short, many people I believe would find him to be a despicable character, yet I think he was more meant to be pitied. You can especially see this in his smoke, while he smokes: the artistic design always portrays his smoke hovering around him, "binding" him almost, trapped in his own delusions and unable to move.
There's another symbolism that's been passed down from the first series to the second: the symbolism of the key. I think this is a fairly straightforward symbolic act, as a key represents opening a door. Of course when the door is closed, you can't move past it, or forward, so you're stuck in one place, but if you have a key, you can open the door and move forward. That's why in all these love stories the symbol is the key, and when they have recieved the key, they are able to move forward. They then pass the key to someone else so they can move forward.
I also like to say how interesting and smooth they refer back to past events from the first season. I find that prety neat, and I always like the whole "glimpse of what happens afterwards" feel that the second season certainly provides.
SO anyway, symbolism put aside, what do I think about the characters. From a purely superficial view I like the characters in this season better than last season. Superficial in that I like their character designs better... For the blonde girl Misaki (I think? I just remember her child name, Miki), I was a bit turned off I think in the first episode when she had twintails + her tsundere attitude, although I found it that didn't last too long. After a while I kind of liked her character appearance because it seemed like a good combination of Misuzu and this one girl from "Akane-iro" that I really like in terms of character design. Not to mention, Misaki(?)'s personality was really bright and cute despite her past, which really makes her nice.
The other girl, Yuuko-chan, is very much what she represents: an angel. There's not too much to say about her, except that, I think that its really nice how they tie things together: Mainly that, ef's storylines are all reasonably "logical" in that what can happen can happen with reason in life, EXCEPT for the angel appearance (in the logical sense). Something akin to Clannad, possibly, where the accumulation of happiness can lead to miracles? Or being rewarded for all the suffering one has been through? Its a nice ideal thought, in any case.
...I think I could probably go on and on, such as the possible heaven/hell symbolism that might be present as well (I'm getting the feeling that when the teacher burned down his house, the flames are representative of burning in hell), but I don't think I'll try delving in deeper for the time being.
Unless I rewatch this show with my sister and have an urge to write again. V:
27.12.09
Sherlock Holmes
Having read 500+ chapters of Conan in the last week or so, plus the fact that I read the (supposed) Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection quite some time ago, I'm of course obliged to watch the new movie that came out. Although truth be told I never remembered any Irene Adler or Prof. Molarity (Possible err in spelling the names) even though they appear to be famous Sherlock Holmes characters (even Conan mentions this!).
Of course, I couldn't forget Holmes and Watson though. :V
The movie all in all was entertaining, and I suppose that's all that is needed. The difficult part is that, because they are British, they sometimes speak so fast with their accent in a mumbling format that a lot of us have trouble figuring out what the hell they were saying in the first place. I figured sometime in the middle of the movie that I'd need to watch it again, with subtitles, to understand what they said. :V Well I think I got like 80%-90% of what they said (I think it might have helped, staying in England for a while) so it wasn't too much of a detriment. Was a bit of a nuisance though.
The movie, overall, was more comedy than it was action or suspense, I think. Comedy and Mystery, which I think should be good enough since I didn't go and watch Sherlock Holmes excepting superhero fights. Although the action might be part of it since they think most of the audience won't be amused by having a detective just walk into a room looking at minute details for most of the movie. Well, at least the fights had Holmes's train of thought so that was amusing to listen to.
Characterwise I thought most of them were entertaining but nothing out of the ordinary. In particular I liked Irene's character at the start, but then thought she was getting a little too sappy and weepy by the end of the movie. The Governess that Watson is supposed to marry is a token moe character, although I was half expecting to reveal herself as being an antagonist (which never happened).
(Spoilers possibly follow)
Most of the mysteries and "mysterious circumstances" that Holmes was trying to solve were pretty simple that I didn't really need Holmes to tell me how it was done. Of course I didn't know exact names of the drugs and stuff that they used but I had a good idea of what the mechanics were (ex. drugged in this part, combustion in that part). The main mystery parts I didn't get was the antidote for the fellow magic members (I didn't even think about that) and how the coffin was broken open and replaced with the dead body of another (I think he spoke too fast and I couldn't figure out the exact mechanics of what happened).
All in all Sherlock Holmes was amusing enough to watch, though no blockbuster hit. I highly doubt this was a script from Doyle's archives but its fun to watch. Its not everyday you can listen to deduction schemes especially in movies like these, so its pretty fun. It's one of the few movies I've watched in recent years so its good that its worth the watch. V:
18.12.09
Random thought.
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm1754685
Really? The second most favorited group singing is... this, really??? ....:V o_O...orz.
Really? The second most favorited group singing is... this, really??? ....:V o_O...orz.
miki's "Milky Milky"
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/nm9121230
I've stated before that I didn't really like miki's voice becaus it was too much like Miku's voice, but this video I think proves me wrong. I think there's still reminants of Miku's voice lying in there, but either the producer of this song did a REALLY good job at changing miki's settings, or did a very nice job of using the music to cover up her bad parts. I get the sense its mostly the latter, because I believe the strength of the beat and the other "accessory" sounds around miki's voice actually helps suppress some of her less desirable voice traits. I'd have to listen to a version with her voice only to be absolutely sure, though. Still nevertheless, cheers! Looks like I was too quick to judge you, miki.
I've stated before that I didn't really like miki's voice becaus it was too much like Miku's voice, but this video I think proves me wrong. I think there's still reminants of Miku's voice lying in there, but either the producer of this song did a REALLY good job at changing miki's settings, or did a very nice job of using the music to cover up her bad parts. I get the sense its mostly the latter, because I believe the strength of the beat and the other "accessory" sounds around miki's voice actually helps suppress some of her less desirable voice traits. I'd have to listen to a version with her voice only to be absolutely sure, though. Still nevertheless, cheers! Looks like I was too quick to judge you, miki.
17.12.09
Modelling the Outbreak of Wars
http://www.nature.com/news/2009/091216/full/462836a.html?s=news_rss
People are now modelling and predicting the times when humanity goes to war.
BEHOLD THE POWER OF THE MODEL
...or this may just make us look silly.
...nah BEHOLD THE POWER OF THE MODEL!!! WE CAN PREDICT WHEN HUMANITY GOES TO WAR... AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT!!!
People are now modelling and predicting the times when humanity goes to war.
BEHOLD THE POWER OF THE MODEL
...or this may just make us look silly.
...nah BEHOLD THE POWER OF THE MODEL!!! WE CAN PREDICT WHEN HUMANITY GOES TO WAR... AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT!!!
16.12.09
Manga Guides
Me and my sister went to Fry's today to buy my advisor a birthday present, and to do some price checking on things I've been interested in.
Then while we were waiting in line, looking at one of those paid-commercial cheesey products, my sister pointed out, "Hey look at that!"
http://www.edumanga.me/mg_mbiology.htm
omg this is epic beyond belief. (there were other versions too, as shown on the website)
Then while we were waiting in line, looking at one of those paid-commercial cheesey products, my sister pointed out, "Hey look at that!"
http://www.edumanga.me/mg_mbiology.htm
omg this is epic beyond belief. (there were other versions too, as shown on the website)
7.12.09
Eternal Snow
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm8990537
by Luka.
After hearing a few of her good songs more recently, I think Luka is indeed much better than just a lower-keyed version of Miku. I think she still has her areas (especially seen in this Luka version of the ending to "Full Moon wo Sagashite") where her "artificiality" comes out, but she really is a good vocaloid. I still think she's one step (maybe a small step) behind GUMI in that GUMI has something in all of her voices that adds to her realism (except in parts where they purposely remove it), but right now I think that can be up in the air in terms of whether that's just my personal preference rather than an actual fact.
Regardless, cheers for reminding me of my past early days when I first got into anime! And did a significant commentary about FMWS because I thought it was so good... >.>
by Luka.
After hearing a few of her good songs more recently, I think Luka is indeed much better than just a lower-keyed version of Miku. I think she still has her areas (especially seen in this Luka version of the ending to "Full Moon wo Sagashite") where her "artificiality" comes out, but she really is a good vocaloid. I still think she's one step (maybe a small step) behind GUMI in that GUMI has something in all of her voices that adds to her realism (except in parts where they purposely remove it), but right now I think that can be up in the air in terms of whether that's just my personal preference rather than an actual fact.
Regardless, cheers for reminding me of my past early days when I first got into anime! And did a significant commentary about FMWS because I thought it was so good... >.>
Why I want to buy FFXIII
http://kotaku.com/5420199/dress-as-this-final-fantasy-xiii-lady-for-100
...ok so actual content of this post is not relevent but oh so moe~
...ok so actual content of this post is not relevent but oh so moe~
Cell Bio, the video game
http://kotaku.com/5420691/video-game-makes-cell-biology-cool
Needs better graphics...
Still think the one video from Harvard released 3 or so years ago was the best Cell Biology/Modern Entertainment combo out there.
(I wonder if "Modern Entertainment" is the right phrase...)
Needs better graphics...
Still think the one video from Harvard released 3 or so years ago was the best Cell Biology/Modern Entertainment combo out there.
(I wonder if "Modern Entertainment" is the right phrase...)
4.12.09
New Vocaloids
General overview/opinion:
miki: Sounds a lot like Miku. Maybe too much like Miku. There is a VERY slight difference... I can't quite describe it, I think its like miki maybe has more of a sore throat than Miku...? o_O Well she IS a robot so perhaps the artificial sound is supposed to be her appeal. I don't quite like it though, I'm rather disappointed.
Sample: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsVv_fWJF64
(I like this miki song actually its pretty fun, but doesn't this seem REMARKABLY FAMILIAR TO ANOTHER GUMI SONG I'VE SEEN BEFORE...????)
Yuki: Excellent, she pretty much sounds like a younger version of GUMI. Her voice is very cute, and she can even do normal speech rather well (hence her currently most popular song, a upbeat rap-like song). I'm quite impressed with her, even her character design is pretty awesome. I believe she has a lot of potential.
I don't really like this song too much since its more rap-style but it definitely shows her potential.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEAn01oNxRA
Kiyo: Eeeeh... well, I THINK he's better than the other Vocaloids, but... still not up to par with the girls. Except that I think the way he sings makes him sound like a girl, his voice range seems too high. Well, I guess its progress, but IMHO the male vocaloids still need a lot of work. I think though, in terms of quality of voice, Kiyo is to the rest of the male vocaloids (so far) in how Miku was to the previous vocaloids of her generation: more higher pitched, but noticably better quality, even if its still not quite there yet. I doubt Kiyo will be getting as much popularity as Miku though. :V
At least I think his char design is cool!
EDIT2: For Kiyo, since I didn't have a sample for him I liked at first, I have this one. His voice again isn't the best but I like this song. :V
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm8998660
EDIT: FOR MY OWN FUTURE REFERENCE THE JAPANESE NAME FOR YUKI: 歌愛ユキ
miki: Sounds a lot like Miku. Maybe too much like Miku. There is a VERY slight difference... I can't quite describe it, I think its like miki maybe has more of a sore throat than Miku...? o_O Well she IS a robot so perhaps the artificial sound is supposed to be her appeal. I don't quite like it though, I'm rather disappointed.
Sample: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsVv_fWJF64
(I like this miki song actually its pretty fun, but doesn't this seem REMARKABLY FAMILIAR TO ANOTHER GUMI SONG I'VE SEEN BEFORE...????)
Yuki: Excellent, she pretty much sounds like a younger version of GUMI. Her voice is very cute, and she can even do normal speech rather well (hence her currently most popular song, a upbeat rap-like song). I'm quite impressed with her, even her character design is pretty awesome. I believe she has a lot of potential.
I don't really like this song too much since its more rap-style but it definitely shows her potential.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEAn01oNxRA
Kiyo: Eeeeh... well, I THINK he's better than the other Vocaloids, but... still not up to par with the girls. Except that I think the way he sings makes him sound like a girl, his voice range seems too high. Well, I guess its progress, but IMHO the male vocaloids still need a lot of work. I think though, in terms of quality of voice, Kiyo is to the rest of the male vocaloids (so far) in how Miku was to the previous vocaloids of her generation: more higher pitched, but noticably better quality, even if its still not quite there yet. I doubt Kiyo will be getting as much popularity as Miku though. :V
At least I think his char design is cool!
EDIT2: For Kiyo, since I didn't have a sample for him I liked at first, I have this one. His voice again isn't the best but I like this song. :V
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm8998660
EDIT: FOR MY OWN FUTURE REFERENCE THE JAPANESE NAME FOR YUKI: 歌愛ユキ
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