Writers’ meeting to discuss Iroha finale
It’s been a few months now, but the ridiculousness of the Iroha finale has caused it to cycle back into the limelight as we try to imagine just what was going through the writers’ heads as they plotted out the last few episodes.
Head Writer: Okay guys, we’ve got to finish up this series about the Lord’s Head- any ideas?
Writer 1: Well, why don’t we stall for time by including cameos of lots of historical characters?
Writer 2: Yeah, that’ll give those history buffs a real kick- seeing their heroes flash on and off screen for about two seconds.
Head Writer: Well, that will stall for time, but we still need to plot a finale.
Writer: Sir, shouldn’t we use the dango before that?
Head Writer: Oh yes, of course.
All the writers sniff some sweet potato dango powder.
Head Writer: Right, I’m starting to see something- a giant final boss castle!
Writer 1: Where does it come from?
Head Writer: Soutetsu summons it- with switches!
Writer 2: Switches?
Head Writer: Yeah- we can’t just have a huge castle appearing out of nowhere- that would be stupid! Instead, he’ll press switches to make it appear!
Writer 2: Okay, but what should happen in the castle?
Writer 1: Boss battles, of course! Soutetsu, Enomoto, Kakunojo…
Head Writer: Not so fast! We don’t really need a fight with Enomoto, so we’ll just have him collapsing on his desk, and as for Kakunojo- well, we’ll let Akidzuki strip her clothes off.
Writer 3: Well, I guess that will work…but what about Soutetsu?
Writer 1: We have to have a boss battle for him, right?
Head Writer: Of course! We’ll have him activate a boss area through switches and then he can fight Akidzuki!
Writer 2: Hey, the dango just gave me a great idea! Why don’t we include some random old men with giant cups?
Writer 1: I see it too! Then they can make a lightning attack that randomly destroys different parts of Japan!
Head Writer: That’s the spirit! Then at the end, the whole thing dissolves into butterflies! It’s the perfect way to get rid of the castle and let everyone live happily ever after.
Writer 1: Sounds good to me. So, is that it?
Head Writer: Yep, that’s a wrap.
Xtreme Harvest Moon: dangerous farming in extreme conditions
Ever found that Harvest Moon is just a bit too mundane and boring for your Extreme Tastes? Want to farm, but need that extra spice to really get the adrenaline flowing? The our new Xtreme series of Harvest Moon games is just what you’ve been searching for! Here are a few examples of what you can expect from this exciting new product line.
- Natural Disaster Mayhem: Every day, there is a high probability that a tidal wave, volcanic eruption, earthquake, heavy snowfall or lightning strike will completely wreck your farm, forcing you to desperately rebuild before the next disaster occurs.
- Washed Away: In this erosion nightmare, your farm is slowly falling into the sea, and you must strive to save your crops and animals each time their fields start slowly slipping away.
- Stampede: Wild animals regularly devastate your farm, forcing you to recruit villagers to shoot them. Dogs can also be raised to savage attacking creatures.
- Political Problems: your farm is in the middle of a war zone! Beware of minefields, air strikes and getting caught in the crossfire.
New Fist of the North Star OVA 3
The generic crowd brush in GIMP was used to create this scene.
“And that, my friends, is how you turn an old curtain into a fully functioning robe!”
“Is this the right way to have Axe?”
2Excuse me whilst I get undressed for HARD GAY.”
“Excellent- and now I shall take you like a man!”
“Oh yeah!”
“Man that feels good!”
“Watching HARD GAY gets me horny!”
“Come on, go a few rounds with me!”
“Don’t you know it’s rude to interrupt other people’s HARD GAY?”
“With abs like these, I can do what I want!”
Short parody: Gundam Seed Destiny
Shinn: Hello, I’m Shinn- I’m the new hero, but I’m upset and angsty because my generic family died.
Athrun: Shut up, Shinn, and let’s make the most of our screen time before Kira shows up.
Shinn: Don’t tell me to shut up! I’m the new hero!
Rey: Shinn, come and service me tonight!
Shinn: Yes, Master.
Rey: I told you to only call me that when we’re alone.
(Rey: I must persuade Shinn that Athrun is evil, lest he leave me for a new partner.)
Shinn: You know, that Athrun guy is pretty hot.
Rey: I don’t know how to break this to you, but Athrun is evil.
Shinn: He is? I hate him!
Lunamaria: Hello, I’m Lunamaria- I’d like to be useful and a good pilot, but I’m a female in a Gundam series, so that can’t happen.
Rey: Stay away from my Shinn, bitch!
Durandal: I must rid the world of anyone less bishie than I. Meer, come and dress up as Lacus for me again.
Heine: I’m Heine- I have no purpose but to tragically die shortly after meeting me!
Athrun: Heine, your HARD GAY was the best! Better than even Miguel! Let’s have a Flashback Mode to remind everyone who Miguel is!
Kira: Everyone, God Mode Kira is here! Bow to my superior skills! Justice! Freedom! Destiny!
(Athrun: Damn, Kira is here to ruin everything again.)
Kira: Special Attack! Bore Viewers With Endless Flashbacks!
The audience is defeated.
This Week in Anime
Alternate futures need alternate fruit.
One is selected for slicing.
“Now, let us bite into it and enjoy its sweetness.”
“Damn, it was bitter! Hated fruit!”
A HARD GAY symbol is outlined against the Moon (Moon!~).
Fruit that doesn’t cooperate is hung out to dry.
Let’s not even ask what this guy is doing.
Monthly Awards
The “I didn’t think it could get better but it did award” for Sheer Brilliance is awarded to Dennou Coil, to be added to its trophy cabinet of plaudits and praise.
The “Back on Track” Award for a Solid Arc Finish goes to Saiunkoku Monogatari, for recovering from its ER phase to give some good character moments.
The Dark Side of Humour for More Unstable Characters than you can shake a stick at goes to Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, which is still proving darkly funny whenever it gets subbed.
The Mikoto Award for Lots of Cat Shots and Not Much Else goes to the “not bad, but not what it could have been” Darker than Black.
The “I don’t understand it but I like it anyway” award for confusing plot would once have gone to Mushi-Uta, but is now awarded to Baccano!
The Stylishly Supernatural Award for Slow-Paced but Intriguing Stories goes to Mononoke.
The “Finally making sense” award is at long awarded to Mushi-Uta.
The All-New Ultimate Boredom Beyond Any Boredom Experienced Before is shared between Seirei no Moribito and El Cazador, although Romeo X Juliet and selected episodes of Higurashi made a good effort at dullness.
The Mozarella Award for Pure Cheese goes to the laughably ridiculous Koutetsu Sangokushi.
The Mildly Entertaining Award for Middle of the Road series is shared between Doujin Work, Sisters of Wellber and slow-slow Shounen Onmyouji.
The Shameless Repetition Award for Repeating Events goes to Higurashi, for making us sit through slightly different versions of the same events over and over- how’s that for moneymaking?
Anime World Tour: El Cazador de la Bruja
Welcome to Central America as you’ve never seen it before! Ever since Mexico was taken over by the Amigo Taco confederacy, the place has become even more desert-like than ever before, not to mention filled with diners and dull characters of the week! Highlights include an abandoned hot spring, a collapsed mine, an old industrial site, a dilapidated inn and various other ruins! Remember though, touring these sites of interest can be very draining on the stamina, so be sure to stop by Amigo Tacos for a nutritious meal before you go!
This announcement was brought to you by Amigo Tacos- for a taco you can rely on.
OST spotlight: Asatte no Houkou
Mitsumune Shinkichi is often quoted for his work on Rozen Maiden, but he does an equally good job with Asatte no Houkou, offering a soundtrack that blends the light, breezy feel of summer with more poignant and melancholy elements. From skilled piano themes covering a range of emotions, to his trademark wind synths, each track may be short, but overall it builds a quietly magical atmosphere with some memorable highlights.
Notable tracks: Kumikyoku, Hikari no Kisetsu (TV size), Magokoro, Negai Ishi, Gikochinai Fun”iki, Sabishisa, Totsuzen no Wakare, Kokuhaku, Summer Fantasy I
Mini-editorial: Are there titles everyone should see? Are we better off for having seen them?
There seems to be an expectation that once reaches a certain level of anime fanhood, there are elementary titles that one should definitely have seen- such titles including the likes of Akira, Cowboy Bebop, Evangelion and Ghost in the Shell in its various incarnations. Not seeing them is regarded as something of a crime and perhaps even requires a lessening of one’s status- you may have seen four hundred other anime series, but without those core ones, are you truly qualified?
The question is, then- are there certain titles that everyone absolutely must see? Does it really make that much of a difference if you haven’t spent two hours of your life watching a particular movie? Does Evangelion give us an unmatched perspective on all mecha? Does the original Gundam help us see everything as it is, instead of the way our deluded minds wanted to? And, more than that, are these core titles so important by way of quality or message that not to see them would simply be criminal?
Of course, personally I am known for not including the “everyone loves them” series amongst my ultimate favourites, and whilst it can be helpful to use series that “everyone” has seen to get an idea of another fan’s relative tastes and opinions, at the end of the day, there is no anime that is going to appeal to everyone. I can, in principle, recommend the “classics” or my personal favourites, but having watched a particular handful of series or not should not be taken as the be-all and end-all of someone’s “anime fan level”. No one will suffer a grievous loss from not watching Eva or Akira, and indeed, if such things do not even run to their tastes, their time could be better spent elsewhere.
Harem of the week: Manshiro (Mai-Otome manga)
He may have had to dress as a woman, but apparently that just turned some people on.
Harem
Arika: the cheerful bumpkin, liked “innocently” sleeping in the same bed with Manshiro and became his first Otome.
Nina: Manshiro’s second Otome, the intelligent and accomplished one.
Erstin: Third in the year as far as abilities, and first in terms of breasts- Manshiro’s third Otome.
Nao: Enjoying playing in the shower with Manshiro.
Mikoto: “Investigated” Manshiro’s body on the orders of Sergey.
Rivals
Sergey: The villain of the piece; once threatened to castrate Manshiro if he stepped out of line.
Mashiro: The real Mashiro, also villainous.
Amusing Search Terms
romance of the three kingdoms hard gay: Once again, it is indeed.
mai hime manga sex: What manga were you reading?
doujin events for october 2007: Do I look like I even know these things?
sex 23: What is it with the number 23? Is it because Ritsuka’s teacher still has her ears at age 23?
who is antonio in Romeo X Juliet: I laughed at this one.
Amusing Spam
“gay anime…
I”m new to this…”
I wasn’t sure if this one was actually genuine.
“organic toothpaste, natural toothpaste, organic mouthwash, natural mouthwash, organic dental care, natural dental care…
The vital thing to remember is that you will need to be long-suffering….”
Why, are organic dental products especially painful?
“Incest Young Gay Porn…
Sorry, it just sounds like a crazy idea for me :)…”
Then don’t do it.
