Turn A Gundam

Posted on October 21, 2009 by DarkMirage

Turn A Gundam
OMG it’s three dee

I find it infinitely difficult to quantify Turn A Gundam (∀ Gundam) as a narrative. After watching it on and off over the course of a few years, I finally finished all fifty episodes this week. This is probably the longest I’ve ever taken to finish a show of any length, a dubious record usually held by titles I deemed to be mostly unfit for consumption. And yet having watched most of what the Gundam metaseries has to offer, I have to say in retrospect that, in spite of all its glaring flaws, Turn A Gundam offers a special ineffable something that lands the title a spot in my heart.

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Posted in Anime, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Anime Festivial Asia 09 – Preview

Posted on October 10, 2009 by DarkMirage

K-ON!

So all the cards are finally on the proverbial table. In addition to whatever was announced during the first press conference, the final details for Anime Festival Asia 09 was released this Wednesday (or last Wednesday depending on your preferred usage) during a blogging conference (hurray new media?). Being really short on free time these days, it naturally took me three whole days to write this post. You know you are getting old when you no longer care about first post.

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Posted in Otaku | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Animation Nation 2009

Posted on September 29, 2009 by DarkMirage

Animation Nation 2009

My last post turned out a lot heavier than I intended. Rest assure that while it is probably not an isolated incident, it will be some time before I recharge my energy enough to churn out a similar piece.

So anyway, Animation Nation is upon us once again. An annual event organized by the Singapore Film Society, Animation Nation showcases animation (duh) from around the world to a local audience who only watches Bleach and Naruto. I kid, I kid.

Of course, Japanese animations, the elephant in the metaphorical room, are always a stable for the event and this year is no different.

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Posted in Anime | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Dreams are not for Asia

Posted on September 19, 2009 by DarkMirage

Dreams

There’s a pretty good essay on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong‘s call for young Singaporeans to “dare to dream” over at The Online Citizen. The gist of it is that this statement is highly ironic when interpreted against the realities on the ground, much of them the results of government policy. Predictably, the comment section is filled with comments that miss the bigger picture of the issue and see this as another scheduled anti-government ranting session, with the few thoughtful comments voted down.

The government is no doubt a part of the problem, but it is the mentality of Singaporeans at large that has created a hostile environment for socially deviant dreams to take hold, and the same can be said for many Asian societies.

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Posted in Rant, World | Tagged , , , , , | 59 Comments

Spider Attack

Posted on September 13, 2009 by DarkMirage

I was told that this is the last part of whatever this thing is. This city seems to be constantly under attack from campy sci-fi monsters.

The monsters ought to get together and plan out their attacks so that they don’t overlap. It’s just so uneconomical for the giant robots and spiders to come rampage in a city that was already destroyed by Godzilla. It’s like a loan shark hiring three different people to spraypaint the same house. Unless it’s a really huge house that requires more coverage.

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Posted in Blog | Tagged , | 11 Comments

Spice and Wolf

Posted on September 5, 2009 by DarkMirage

Spice and Wolf

Once in a while, a rare gem tumbles down from the monstrously huge pile of worthless pebbles sitting on your front lawn and against all odds lands itself next to your foot, carrying with it a much welcomed reminder of why you chose to intentionally clutter your expensive landed property with unsightly stones instead of just getting some pink flamingos or garden gnomes like your less eccentric neighbours.

Spice and Wolf (狼と香辛料), is one of those rare gems. I’ll leave it to you to sort out the rest of that winding metaphor.

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Posted in Anime, Reviews | Tagged , , | 33 Comments

Anime Festival Asia 09 – Press Conference

Posted on September 1, 2009 by DarkMirage

AFA09

I just got home from the press conference for the second Anime Festival Asia and got a feel of what this year’s AFA09 will feel like.What feels like not too many daybreaks ago, a young innocent boy travelled through time all the way from 1989 to witness history unfold one fateful September day yesteryear with the birth of Singapore’s first anime convention. Now we are all grown up. *Sniff* It’s all so beautiful — a quintessential coming-of-age story.

But I digress.

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Posted in Otaku | Tagged , , , , | 26 Comments

Plants vs. Zombies in Japanese

Posted on August 23, 2009 by DarkMirage

Plants vs. Zombies

Plants vs. Zombies is a great game, possibly one of the best works from casual-game maker PopCap Games. You can check out the tons of positive reviews online if you don’t believe me. For those who have played the game, you have to agree with me that the end credits roll (YouTube link) was pretty damn awesome, somewhat reminiscent of GLaDOS’ solo performance from Valve’s Portal.

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Posted in Games | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth

Posted on August 18, 2009 by DarkMirage

Gyakuten Kenji

The fifth entry in the Ace Attorney (Gyakuten Saiban) series of GBA and NDS games has the player take on the role of Miles Edgeworth (Reiji Mitsurugi), the public prosecutor with an ice-cold exterior and a boyish heart.

Ace Attorney has always been one of the sole reasons why my DS Lite is not yet lost forever in the jungle death trap that is my storeroom. But having played through Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, which I shall refer to as Gyakuten Kenji because its Japanese title is so much shorter and more sensible, I am starting to question the future of this franchise. This is indeed foreshadowing.

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Posted in Games, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Identify this song!

Posted on August 9, 2009 by DarkMirage

This song is Sayonara wo Kikasete by Nanase Aikawa, a veteran female J-rock singer. It’s the B-side of one of her earlier singles from the late 90s and it is one of my favourite songs from her. This is not the song I am looking for.

[audio:sayonara_wo_kikasete.mp3]

However, I know for a fact that there is an 80s song with English lyrics and a male vocal out there somewhere that has the exact same tune as this song for its chorus. The rest of the song sounds rather different but the chorus is an almost perfect copy. I used to know the song’s title but not any more. (Getting old…)

I’m not sure if Nanase lifted the (rather catchy) tune subconsciously via osmosis or whether Sayonara was meant to be a tribute, and I can’t find any information about this online, whether in English or Japanese. So, please leave a comment if you know the title of this elusive song. It’s driving me crazy.

Incidentally, I just found out today that Angela Aki‘s Kiss From A Rose — another song I love — is actually a cover: the original Kiss From A Rose is by Seal. My whole life is a lie.

Posted in Music | Tagged , | 10 Comments