Since the last podcast I listened to a interview of the folks at Ninja Consultants.  You can listen to as well by subscribing to the Ninja Consultants podcast.  I do recommend the show but be aware that like AWO they put out episodes rather sporadically.

In this interview there was a rat hole explored where Noah asked the question and I am paraphrasing “Where is the market coming from in America?”.  I haven’t done any research as to why it exists but the joking response is that it was something people jerk off too.  While I don’t disagree that there are some that do in fact yank it madly anytime they see a goth loli girls skirt fly up, I myself don’t fall into that camp.

I would say Moe for me is something that show cases lost innocence that we can’t see in our every day lives.  In America due to the advent of the information age and the current politically correct climate, you have all kinds of walks of life thrown into your face.  The end result is that children are exposed to far more sophisticated ideas and ideals at increasingly younger ages.    Nowadays there isn’t a case of pure innocence left at least around these kids hit puberty.  When you hear a episode of Loveline and your hearing a twelve year old girl asking about potential physically harming effects of double penetration it’s a pretty good indicator that the only case of Innocence left is just a thinly veiled cloak over willful ignorance.  By this I mean the only way to remain innocent is to be a shut in or really thickheaded, neither of which I would say is a case of pure innocence.

I would say that in some way people either yearn for their childhood lost or the childhood never allowed.  The fact that it is sexualized isn’t too surprising.  Every male on earth feels like he was promised a virgin sometime in his life whether he will admit it or not.  In America Virginity is practically a myth beyond age 14.  I would argue the nerd crowd was probably the late bloomers so they had no shot in hell at 14 and therefore never got their virgin and Moe is the virgin that was promised to them no matter how guilty it makes them feel.

As for me, Moe to me (Air, Kanon, Clannad being the examples) represent a throwback to a simpler time when friendship is simple and everything is exciting no matter how stupid.  Things no matter how trivial over the longhaul truly mean something to this crowd.  I myself have been dealing with a visual impairment most of my life (since I was 6) and I felt like permanent consequence crashed down around me far too young.  Moe is a way to recapture some of that youth and lessen the cynicism for just a little while.

Moe as a general doesn’t bother me and I have enjoyed quite a few of the programs although I would agree it’s been overdone and maybe not so many titles should be making their way across the sea.  For example, STRIKE WITCHES!!  This show goes a little beyond Moe into something rather deviant.  It’s Japan and maybe they can dig on that stuff but I don’t like being pandered too quite so blatantly.  It was even kind of a disappointment to me to find out that the original visual novels for the Key animation stuff had hentai material in them.  I prefer my moe character driven and not my characters driven into the headboard at the end of their arc.  Just me,  Maybe there are some that need to know what every character in their favorite show looks like naked, but if it’s done just for the sake of doing it I find it kind of annoying.  Could I at least get a little more subtle pandering so I don’t feel like the animators not handing me a baby wipe while throwing me a thumbs up.  That’s all I ask.

I’m out I doubt this would answer Noah’s question properly but I thought with the recent show with me and Misugi throwing ideas back and forth this might be appropriate.

Peace

Here’s the anime progress for the last couple weeks.

Finnished:

Onegai Teacher/Please Teacher

Clanad dub version

Happy Lesson

Strawberry Marshmellow

Ghost in the Shell 2.0

Coyote Ragtime show

Finnishing:

Boogipop Phantom 1disc remaining in my posession but not watched yet.

In Progress:

D- Gray man Part II Disc 1

Sgt Frog Part Two disc2

Kennichi History’s Mightiest Disciple Part 2 Disc1

Nana Volume 2 Disc 2

Kodocha Disc 3

Bleach Disc 28

Soul Eater Part 3 Disc 1

Dragon Destiny Volume 3

Monster Volume 2 (waiting on Netflix.)

Shows I would like to see dubbed

Tora Dora

To Love Ru

Shows eagerly awaiting

Initial D Season 3 Mobie

Initial D Season 4

Spice and Wolf Season 2

Genre Specific Recomendations for the moment

(try not to pick the ovcious and pick something a little more obscure)

Romantic Comedy: School Rumble (not too much fan service to distract)

Slice of Life/Coming of Age: Honey and Clover

Something a little different: Mushishi

Fighting Series: Shura no Toki

Shameless (to be watched in the dark when no one is home) Girls Bravo

Mecha: Vandread

Tried to pick stuff that might have flown below the radar.  Have Fun!!

Hey guys,

Not that anyone reads this but I will update what I have been watching so you can hear what it is that I might be reviewing in the near future.  I will let you know what the last Volume I have watched of each series so you know how far I am into the series.

Godannar Volume3

Genshiken2 Volume2

D-Grayman Part1 Volume2

Kemichi History’s Greatest Disciple Part1 Volume2

Blaee of the Immortal Volume 3

Monster Volume2

Soul Eater Part 1 Volume2

I responsible Captain Tylor Volume2 I think LoL

Vleach Volume 25

Honey and CLover Set2 Disc 3 (next season is coming out now)

Kodocha Volume 3

Ikkitousen Dragon Destiny Volume1

Upcoming releases I am looking forward to:

Spice and Wolf

I know there’s more but I am drawning a blank

Shows I would like to be released with a dub that are currently running without one.

CLannad

Clannad After Story

To Love Ru

Tora Dora

Shows I have yet to review but finnished already

Bamboo Blade

Dragonaut

Kino’s Journey

Eden’s Bowy

Moribito

CLaymore?  I can’t remember

Big Windup Season 1

Kiba? still can’t remember

Murder Princess

Those are the ones I can pick up off the top of my head

Why these are being released without a dub I can’t possibly understand.

Well there’s your update Pretty short and sweet for the likes of me.

Well I hit the con kind of early so I could get the lay of the land and since I had a con virgin with me we hit the “what not to do at a con” panel.  It was pretty standard but allowed for some good crowd feedback.  Thus far it looks like this whole midwest anime con thing is pretty Cosplay centric.  I don’t really mind but it isn’t really my thing but I do kind of enjoy seeing what people have done.  There are some really good cosplayers with some pretty cool costumes.  Some are better than others of course like any other con, but it was really refreshing since Slunker and I went to A-kon a few years back which should have been renamed Narucon.   There seems to be a little more of a mix this year.  I saw some good ol’ stuff mixed with the brand new stuff that made it pretty cool.  It ranged from a guy doing the first four panels in Sid via Final Fantasy to ugh yes Naruto but also some new stuff like Code Geas, Lucky Star, Full Metal Alchemist and one duo hanging in Lupin II with Zinigata excorting him around the con in handcuffs.  I even encountered someone in Digimon cosplay mixed with a bunch of furries.  So far my favorite panel was the “What do zombies do when their not eating people panel”.  We discussed the origins of zombies and the many incarnations that they took.  They kept asking the question over and over again and there were many answers ranging from the serious to the stupid but funny.  The answer I thought was simple which was “hunting”.  I never really voiced it because every one seemed more interested in making the silly answers and it was far more entertaining besides.  The answer the host gave was that Zombies spent their time trying to figure out what they were doing when they weren’t eating people which was kind of snarky but passible.  The host imparted that he was running a panel called ” Fun with duct tape” that sounded interesting but frightening.  He hinted that he duct tapes the crap out of people together with complete strangers and they are forced to roam the con together.  This sounds way to close to a BDSM sex crime waiting to happen to me and being as though I am tipping the scales at 30 years of age and all the jailbate walking around I think I might obstain for a couple other events that are going on.  The con virgin would like to go and see the DragonballZ fandom panel which sounds more excrusiating but I will suffer it out of friendship.  Much like the oragami panel we will be attending later.  I will also attend the Chris Patton panel later on and am at least a little excied to hear what he has to say.  As of when I left they were still having trouble with the tech in the Main Events area that also houses the video room.  Honestly all the vedeo they plan on showing looks to be stuff that has been released already and has been for the last couple years.  I am surprised at some of the choices including Shuffle! which is kind of riske and I can only assume that it will be shown toward the eveining.  The con does have a good looking schedule with most of the good events happening toward the evening.  They do have a free pancake breakfast every morning which is pretty nice.  The guys running the con seem pretty competant and very friendly but it is the first day of course and we will see how they fair after a couple nights without sleep.  Thus far it seems like it will be a lot of fun and my only bitch if I could say there is one would be that the dealer room is really small and they don’t have many vendors and the ones they do have don’t seem too terribly focused on true otaku nonsene but have a lot of cult movie posters and MMO stuff and video game tie ins.  The artist alley was crammed into the same room but the quality of the work looked pretty good from what I have gleamed so far.  They have all of one anime dealer that also had soundtracks and manga but that was it.  It wasn’t a drop in the bucket as far as other cons I have gone too but if I had to describe it.  It was just the bare essentials and some other fluff that a American Otaku might be into.  I saw a total of 20 wall scrolls rolled up in a bucket and none on display.  The poster dude had more non anime related stuff than anything.  The funniest thing was there wasn’t the token sword and knife guy that usually shows up at every single con I have ever been too.  It is a small con but I think it’s kind of weird that the panels are all good from what I can tell the veido seems pretty good as far as set up.  The guest is pretty decent and of all the things to fail I didn’t think it would be the dealers room because usually that’s the one thing at a con that usually gets the biggest room and the most benefits as far as booths since they help pay for the entire space.  I guess in a way it’s what a con should be but at the same time it really speaks to the absence of local vendors that are willing to support the local anime community.  I had a feeling it was bad but I didn’t realize it was that bad.  The guys who put on the con do cons from CO all the way to OH and seasoned veterans so there are plenty of benefits of professionalism and organization.  The only thing lacking was industry panels and since Rightstuf.com is based like two hours away I kind of thought they would be there with their merchandise and really fuel the con but I saw on their website that they are at Anime Expo which makes perfect sense but I thought they might pull at least some double duty.  I know the head of right stuf was gonna be in LA for the expo and making announcments but I thought at least their would be a appearnce from right stuf in the dealers room.  Ah well them not being there I thought would be a huge impact on the con but it doesn’t appear so.  If we are still rolling next year I might try to come up with a panel idea or two and see if they will throw me into the mix.  We’ll see.  More to come as the weekend come full circle.  Have a rockin time this fourth of July weekend dear listeners.  Blow some shit up for me.

I have been watching a ton of anime of late here.  Most of these I have reviewed on the cast so check them out to hear my reactions.  I am currently viewing “Ah my Buddah” thinking it would have the same lighthearted slapstick humor .  To a degree I think that’s the case but with a far more fan service centered appeal.  I haven’t seen the original Japanease release but it does look like there has been some additions to obscure nidity just enough so that it’s not completely evil.  I think there is a scale of teasing nudity that is kind of unwritten to me.  It goes from surprise fan service with a token hot spring or beach episode and get to “Let’s see how many explicit but not quite obscene pictures can we cram into 22 minutes.  I myself prefer the former rather than the latter.  This show is kind of irritating and it’s pndering so bad to the fan service crowd that it’s almost insulting.  The show is completely episodic and could be viewed pretty much anywhere in the series and it wouldn’t detract from anything and if you never watch it you would probably be better off.  In any case,  I also am trying desperately trying to find something to finnish for the next episode and I have plenty of things to choose from so hopefully I can nail down what else I am going to see.  Anyways that’s my update for this time.  Hope you like the new episode.

Well I finally received my new laptopl  I am pretty excited about the whole thing and hope that aI can use it for the podcast.  If there are a lot of typoes because I am still getting used to the condensed keyboard.  I am hoping to use this new laptop for recording the show so hopefulloy I can get things squared away for the next show.  I have also gotten a hold of the second disk of Negima and hopefully it won’t be long before I get the third.  I am also watching Death Note.  I am up to episode 22 .  I am also getting used to Windows Vista of which I dragging my heels kicking and screaming.  Wish me luck during the laptop period of adjustment.

Take Care

Peg

Well I finally got my hands on the final disc of Magikano and the final three discs of Burst Angel.  I also marathoned Lucky Star and have started Death Note and I am about 6 opeisodes in right now.  I have been a bit distracted by some audio books I have been listening to.  I am currently listening to Phantom which is the next to the last novel printed in the “Sword of Truth” series written by Terry Goodkind.  You may or may not have heard it has been adapted into a tv series of which us 2lazy2botaku guys have mixed reactions on.  Still pushing on and hoping one of these days I will get to finnish the final two discs of Ergo Proxy.  If you guys out there have anything you would like me to review please send us a email and I will give it a shot.  Well that’s all for now,  I myself right now am listening to the Anime Roundtable podcast.  Those guys always stray from the topic of anime but I enjoy the cast every time I listen to them.  I also would like to say that “Dr.” Adam Grant the hentai lawyer really helps keep things interesting.

Peg

Hey guys I got a lot of anime watching done this week and I am not quite sure which one I am going to review.  I finnished off Tenchi Muyo, Eureka Seven, Aquarion, Origin, and the Air Movie.  This all comes despite my very busy work schedule that didn’t seem to end this last couple weeks.  I spent last week with company over for the most part upstairs banging around and keeping me from sleeping.  Meanwhile I have been sick with a cold.  I spent last night sitting in a H&R Block trying to get my taxes done.  I had an appointment set for 7:30.  My account lady was with someone so I sat and waited for an hour and a half and they finally told me to come back another time.  I was so pissed I just left so I wouldn’t scream at them.  I also have a sick friend in the hospital that I haven’t been able to see since I have been sick so much.  With that all being said I think I will review Tenchi Muyo here as opposed to on the podcast.

Tenchi Muyo:

Overall rating: Just like March came in like a lion and went out like a lamb.

I was down right pleaded with by many individuals to watch this anime.  I think a lot that Tenchi has going for it is the fact that it was the first of it’s kind that a lot of people saw.  It kind of falls in the Dragonball Z/ Cowboy Bebop range.  That being said, as a person who has watched many anime series now and is kind of looking back at Tenchi Muyo I gotta say it does hold up pretty well.  I did notice that the first half of the series was a tad more interesting than the last half.  There towards the end it turned into more of a hereim show.  Both aspects have merit but I think I would have enjoyed it more had I seen what they started with go all the way to the end and then they could do the whole hereim crap with the other series that they have spawned afterwards.  I did like the characters and generally enjoyed it.  I think for me personally I avoided watching this series because I knew it wouldn’t live up to the hype that people had put on it for me.  There are some series you can do that with and some you just can’t.  I think we as anime viewers need to work on being a hair more subtle when recommending shows for others to watch.  It’s always best to take into consideration who your talking to first.  I have a friend who could care less about anime but I at least was able to get him to watch Hellsing and Beserk just because of the adult violence.  I think if you keep this stuff in mind you’ll find that you’ll get people sucked in a lot easierthan if you start them off with something like a Neon Genesis Evangelion for which they may never talk to you again until you apoligize.  Anyways I think I might review Air the moie or Aquarion this week I haven’t decided yet.  I also actually purchased the Box sets of Yukikazee and preordered the Shuffle thin pack.  I know that might make some of you roll your eyes but one of these days I will give you a full review of Shuffle.  Podcast should record on Friday whether or not anyone else got some anime watching done cause I think I could do a review show all on my own.  See you guys then.

Howdy,

Little bit of an update here.  I did in fact get Darker than Black Vol 3 and Aquarion season1 part2 disc1.  I am about up to date with Aquarion and I would say it’s a standard giant robo but I wouldn’t say that is very fair.  I will put out a full review as I continue to get the final discs that are coming out.  I have gotten some other series and will attempt to get them finnished before the next show that I hope will appear before our next taping.  Slunker has felt a little under the gun which isn’t very fair to him so when he finnishes it will come out and I will do my best not to preasure him.  I will try to calm down doing my research on web building long enough to finnish a few series since it’s already beginning to be a problem to get some of the folks on the show to get some anime watching done.  Doing a weekly swhow might be a tad ambitious so I wouldn’t be surprised if we switch to a biweekly show just so we can get some of these long running series watched on time for the recording.  We all love anime but we are all gainfully employed so time constraints can be kind of steep to get a 24 hour series watched in the span of 7 days.  I have been able to keep up since I don’t much in the American vein.  I only watch a few regular shows and usually that is when they hit hulu.  I sit over here with cable and I barely use it.  Anywho.  Hopefully you guys will like the show and that there will be enough people who can even find the show.  Hit us with some feedback and give us your ideas for the sho9w.  Thanks

Well this week I was able to catch up a little bit with Code Geas.  I also unwittingly asked for the first volume of 0091.  Code Geas is actually one of the best anime I have watched in a while that actually got me excited to see what was gonna happen next.  I kind of dig a guy who relates all major world events to chess and creates some serious havoc in the process.  I can’t wait to see how it ends even though I accidentally heard how it ends I kind of want to know how it gets to that point.  I watched the first volume of 0091 which just seems like a adaptation of 007 James Bond with a cyberpunk twist.  Not a terrible idea.  It blends some pretty good animation with a seemingly simplistic art style.  The character designs themselves don’t really pop and I have never really been to been a big fan of the over exaggerated features and big rounded noses that they have on the Russians.  All the girls have lovely large breasts but they are so round that they loose any feeling of being real due to the fact that they seem like perfect circles.  I am still not completely convinces that they aren’t drawings of the robotic women in the Austin Powers movies.  It is a interesting throwback kind of style though and definitely has a hand drawn look to it with more frames per second than a standard anime but the style kind of ruins it for me.  They do some clever things with the action and add some of the over the top things you would expect from a James Bond movie.  So far this is just a first volume review so I will keep watching it and see if I can’t amerce myself a little better so maybe the art style won’t bug me so much.  I also watched another series to it’s fullest last week but since we didn’t even record a beta for it yet I will just tell you the title and save my review for Fridays recording.  I watched Shingetsutan Tsukihime which made no sense at first and slowly caused my brain a little less pain.  Details will follow with our first real show.  Any who that’s my blogging for now hope you guys like the show but if not I am sorry but I am far too lackadaisical to make too much improve mt in a big hurry.  If it bothers you that much I put a good ol’ hate mail section so you can bash us and let everyone know how much you hate us.  I said I was lazy not inconsiderate.