Haruhi Itasha Model

Posted on November 27, 2007 by DarkMirage

For some inexplicable reason, plamo maker Aoshima is releasing a series of itasha scaled models. I really don’t understand the logic behind this. This meta-merchandising is about as relevant as writing a blog about people blogging. But I guess some people do that too.

Haruhi Itasha
Picture stolen from Hobby Blog (possible stolen from elsewhere)

I can see the appeal of covering your real car with decals of your favourite anime goddess, and I can see the appeal of building plastic models. But good things aren’t always better when mixed together, like ice-cream and curry. Also, that thing is covered with way too many decals. I think just having one decal on the front hood would’ve been in better taste. More pictures here.

[ Source: Hobby Blog via Kotaku ]

It seems that some business executives are trying too hard to bring in otaku money. Just two days ago, reports surfaced that there’s a (unconfirmed) plan to start off this year’s Kouhaku Uta Gassen with an akiba-kei performance by AKB48, Shouko Nakagawa (famous girl gamer cum cosplay idol often seen promoting new games) and Leah Dizon.

I’m still trying to figure out why Leah Dizon is in there. For Haruhi’s sake, NHK! At least find some decent singers if you’re aiming for the otaku-friendly image. Like KOTOKO or Yui Horie. Jeez.

Posted in Anime, Otaku | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

Gundam 00 — Episode 8

Posted on November 25, 2007 by DarkMirage

I’ve been busy with various things since Saturday morning and only just managed to watch episode 8. Off topic, but everyone should watch Freedom. Jiyuu wo tsukame!

Gundam 00
Fanservice dissemination at maximum output

I like this episode. It keeps everything I hate to a minimum. Namely: Saji’s ignorance and Setsuna’s angst.

Continue reading →

Posted in Anime | Tagged , , | 49 Comments

Maaya Sakamoto – Saigo no Kajitsu

Posted on November 23, 2007 by DarkMirage

As you may know, I am a huge Maaya Sakamoto fanboy. So you can believe me when I say that her recent songs had been quite disappointing ever since she parted ways with her composer and mentor Yoko Kanno.

Saigo no Kajitsu

Which is why Saigo no Kajitsu (The Last Fruit) is such a pleasant surprise for me. Not since Shounen Alice (2003) has there been any Maaya releases that excited me quite as much as this new single, which also happens to be the ending theme for Tsubasa Chronicles OVA, Tsubasa Tokyo Revelations.

And the best part? The postman finally brought me my copy today!

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Posted in Money, Music | Tagged , , | 23 Comments

Screencaps from Kira Star (SFW)

Posted on November 22, 2007 by DarkMirage

Hey guys, it’s time for some hilarious screencaps from yet another quality production from our good friends at TMA! In case you haven’t heard of them before, TMA is a company that likes to create live-action AV based on popular anime titles, such as Suzumiya “Hahiru”.

Kira Star

Their latest work is Kira Star　（きら☆すた), an oh-so-clever word play on Lucky Star (らき☆すた). The fun thing about TMA releases is that they like to reenact scenes from the original, often inducing a great deal of unintended hilarity.

Now obviously no self-respecting (lol, I kid) AV actress would star in such a production, so don’t expect too much. (Or rather, don’t expect anything at all. Please.)

Obliterating your source of moé in 3…2…1…

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Posted in Otaku, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 30 Comments

Odex has been hacked!

Posted on November 22, 2007 by DarkMirage

UPDATE 22/11/2007: Ops, it seems that the DNS wasn’t the one that’s compromised. The page wasn’t working for some people so I assumed it was due to slow DNS propagation, but apparently Odex has always been hosted on PacNet (ironic). The hacker gained access to the web server itself, which probably means the SQL database too. I hope whoever designed the website for Odex had the common sense to salt the md5 hashes of the user passwords.

The domain odex.com.sg was replaced with a message from an unknown hacker. The page has since been taken down. I have mirrored a copy of the page here.

Continue reading →

Posted in Blog | Tagged , , | 62 Comments

Japan Fingerprinting Commences

Posted on November 20, 2007 by DarkMirage

Japan’s new amended immigration laws (改正入管法) kicked in today, making it the second country in the world after USA to implement a compulsory fingerprinting system for foreign visitors.

Fingerprint
Image shamelessly stolen from Stippy.com

This is a particularly unpleasant development in my opinion, not because I am a strong advocate of individual privacy (I am not), but because it really brings out the uglier, nationalistic, racist and ignorant side of Japan.

Continue reading →

Posted in Rant, World | Tagged , , , , | 54 Comments

Odex goes International!

Posted on November 19, 2007 by DarkMirage

UPDATE 20/11/2007: I have confirmations from an Odex employee that the whole thing was a mistake made by BayTSP. LOL. Show’s over, guys. Expect damage control to kick in soon.

UPDATE AGAIN: It seems that I wasn’t too clear. I have independent confirmation from a current Odex employee that the whole thing was a mistake. This is not based on any comments left in this entry, but rather first hand information from the employee himself.

UPDATE 21/11/2007: Read The New Paper’s article. LOL.

Okay, now the shit really hits the fan. After months of silence, Odex has resumed its attack, this time on an international scale. If you’ve been living under a rock for the past year or so and don’t know who Odex is, please refer to Wikipedia.

Odex
Godwin’s Law be damned

Reports are emerging that people from USA, France, Japan and probably various other countries are receiving warnings from their ISPs about illegal anime downloads.

In particular, the French ISP Club Internet and the Japanese ISP USEN attached logs from BayTSP, sent on behalf of Odex, with their warning e-mails. This clearly identifies Odex/AVPAS as the source of the infringement complaints. USA’s Comcast did not identify the right holder, but the timing of this whole thing and the similar format of the logs indicate that this is probably not a coincidence.

Odex is definitely responsible for the warnings.

Some important paragraphs from the e-mails included after the break.

Continue reading →

Posted in Blog | Tagged , , | 107 Comments

Gundam 00 — Episode 7

Posted on November 18, 2007 by DarkMirage

This whole episode was bullshit. HD bullshit with pretty beam weapons and better animation than episode 6, but still bullshit. Anyway, the final line by Amuro Ray the narrator did manage to catch my attention for about five seconds. Which is amazing because the line doesn’t even last that long.

Gundam 00
「刹那、運命の人と出会う。」

Gundam 00
“Setsuna meets the person of his destiny.”

Oh Amuro, how you have fallen… But that aside.

Marina is finally going to do something beyond her current sad-girl-in-snow-desert role! Oh wow! Shokku desu! Also, Setsuna looks like he’s about to plant a knife into her abdomen.

Okay, you got me. I am just lazy to make a full post on an episode that’s pretty much one part well-budgeted fighting scenes and one part teenage angst. Also, it’s 3:50am in the morning and I need to get some sleep.

P.S. Season 2 of G00 is confirmed for October 2008, leaving the half-year slot from April free for a still-unconfirmed Code Geass season 2.

Posted in Anime | Tagged , , | 47 Comments

Why save dolphins?

Posted on November 16, 2007 by DarkMirage

I love dolphins as much as the next guy, but I really don’t see why they deserve the special attention that the feel-good self-proclaimed activists like to give them.

Dolphin Attack!
Red Alert 2 nostalgia

I am sure you have all heard of Hayden Panettiere‘s (Claire Bennett in Heroes) recent involvement in an attempt to disrupt a dolphin hunt in Taiji, Wakayama. After failing to save the cute cuddly tuna-killers, Hayden and her friends drove their way to Osaka International Airport and fled the country before the ink on their arrest warrants dries.

Apparently, “risking” their lives (because we all know that Japanese fishing trawlers are heavily armed) is deemed a worthy sacrifice, but getting arrested for their expressed beliefs is a big no-no. What dedicated convictions! Mahatma Ghandi would’ve been so proud.

Continue reading →

Posted in Rant, World | Tagged , , | 71 Comments

The most awesome YouTube video ever

Posted on November 14, 2007 by DarkMirage

It’s official. This whole YouTube experiment is over, guys. The most awesome video ever has already been made. The rest of us can just pack up and find something better to do now.

Excerpts from 33 songs sang by 14 people and Hatsune Miku mixed into 10 minutes of back to back pure concentrated awesomeness. Truly epic. Tokachitsukuchite!

Posted in Otaku | Tagged , , | 50 Comments