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One of the central themes I intend to explore in my blogging is the concept of the guilty pleasure.

In the more common contexts, guilty pleasures are negatively valued/low-culture activities and pursuits relative to high-culture media. For example, a person with a ‘cultured’ self-image may feel guilty taking pleasure in a lot of reality TV programs as opposed to watching classical theater or the ballet.

I am not interested in this particular context. I don’t make value judgments, or subscribe to the high/low culture binary. It’s all deculture to me. But as should be clear in my first meditation on this, there is such a thing as a guilty pleasure. But taking pleasure in what things exactly?

In the aforementioned post I confessed to an attraction to and an appreciation for evil characters in anime. Here the guilty pleasure is thinking dirty thoughts about 2d females in fictional high school age. The freshman high school student in Japan is 16 years old. I will be 32 in less than 3 weeks.

Every year, it gets worse and worse. I get older and older, the girls stay the same age. I’m even attracted to a particular subset of 2d high school girl: the loli.

Like Izumi Sou, Konata’s dad, I too, am also a lolicon. However, according to the source of all that is good and true, there’s nothing wrong with me:

Some level of sexual attraction to late adolescents is common among adults of all sexual orientations.^[8] The term ephebophilia is used only to describe the preference for mid to late adolescent sexual partners, not the mere presence of some level of sexual attraction.

I’m actually married to an older woman (though I admit she looks younger than I am and is often described as more girly than womanly). But if there’s nothing clinically wrong with me (I am neither a pedophile nor an ephebophile), why do I feel guilt? A clinical psychosis would actually absolve me of guilt because it takes away my freedom. But I am well, and I am free. And I use this freedom to indulge my attraction through the consumption of media that allows for a certain level of wish-fulfillment: I get to pursue thinking dirty thoughts about these underage females.

While I get to see these characters in a large number of anime, and the experience is quite voyeuristic especially for slice-of-life shows watched in marathon sessions, I don’t feel as guilty as I do now. What’s different about now? I’ve discovered eroge, having started playing Fate/stay Night. The difference in the experience is that the eroge is so much more immersive.

I feel like I’m living with these girls. After hours and hours of play, which is weeks in ‘anime time’ is merely a day or two in the game. The frequent breaks the text-based medium allows also gives an added ‘lived-in’ impression. Mind you, at this point in the game, I have yet to encounter a hentai moment. So I’m really confronted with the guilt only freedom allows.

How so? It’s because I’m free to stop this at any point. I don’t have to pursue this pleasure. Only that I most probably will. It’s this exercise of freedom that makes me feel the guilt. Nobody’s forcing me to perform vile acts on these girls, as vile as the thoughts I have tell me I’m so ready to do.

I’ve theorized in the recent past that there are two broad categories of otaku behavior: the amassive, and the expressive. My immersion in Fate/stay Night has led me to some amassing activities:

These toys aren't cheap, hence some of the guilt.

Fraulein Revoltech Toshaka Rin (in previous photo, Revoltech Enoki Tomohide-sculpted Saber)

However, being the expressive person that I am, I put together the ff. images. Like I said, nobody’s forcing me to perform vile acts on these girls. I put these images here (NSFW) not because I underestimate your imagination of what I am capable of doing, only that I’m very fond of my own imagination thank you.

Click to Reveal [NSFW]

"Let's buy ALL Revoltech": Toshaka, Gurren-Lagann, Eva Unit-01 Test Type

Going beyond the impossible

The heavens are being pierced, WITH HIS DRILL!

Today I watched my two thousandth episode of anime, Simoun 26. The new season of Fall is commencing, the Strawberry Panic anime is finally dead and gone, Mai Otome Zwei has a website online, I got an A on my first AP US History essay, and things are generally looking up. I’d like to take a moment (or two hundred) to reflect upon what’s happened in the last year. I’ll mainly be focusing on the last three seasons, but (unless I’m grossly mistaken) Blood+ started in Fall 2005, and is thusly four seasons old.

I’m going to be looking at several shows in different ways with this post. I’ll be inspecting the good, the bad, the fun, the trash, and what implications there were for the future. I’ll finish the post off with some talk of the future (“my” Fall 2006). This post will be heavy in words and devoid of pictures. Oh, and I diss Jason a lot!!

Let’s start off with the end(ings of shows).

Conclusion of the Anime prior to Fall 2006

It seems to me like a lot is… ending. At the beginning of the summer season, I was a bit daunted by the number of shows I was to be watching. This is mainly because so many of the spring shows were still running, just about half over. Within days, I expect to see the final episodes of .hack//Roots, xxxHOLiC, and Higurashi no Naku Koro ni subbed on Tokyo Toshokan. The end of Summer 2006 marked the end of several shows that commenced before summer, and I’m going to start with the oldest of those.

Blood+

I took away from the first episode that the show would have beautiful animation, lesbian vampires, and be an excellent experience. It was clear by episode two that this was not going to be the case. At least not the entire case. For several episodes the show dragged, and was quite boring. By episode fourteen or so, it finally picked up. Interest renewed, I began following the show more closely. Since, it’s proved a pleasurable ride.

There’s almost nothing bad that I can say about Blood+. Almost. The last OP was absolute trash garbage and the person who wailed it should be shot repeatedly. The people who paid the person who wailed it to wail it should be shot repeatedly for polluting the show with the wailing of it. The people in charge of the TV channel(s) broadcasting Blood+ should be shot repeatedly for allowing the wailing of it to reach human ears.

But the show had what it needed to become memorable. A decent soundtrack, beautiful visuals, a propelling plot, and very, very strong characters make the show what it is. The ending is excellent, though sort of wtf in that Kai is suddenly the father of his adopted sister’s sister’s children who are also the children of his adopted brother. Who got raped by his adopted sister’s sister. But yeah, wtfness aside, it’s excellent how the characters who survive come to exist in a world that they can be a part of. Saya’s falling back to sleep was extremely well done, as well.

Strong point(s): characters
Weak point(s): slow start

Simoun

This was the biggest shock for me. When I was looking out for the spring season, I was like, “omg yuri yuri yuri Strawberry Panic’s going to be so good!!!” and at the same time, “meh, yuri, Simoun looks unhot”. Oh how wrong I was. I may be an expert in judging anime, but definitely not by their covers. Simoun played a Zegapain-type role for me, being hard to get into at first yet one of those shows after every episode of which I pause what I’m doing, take a moment and say to myself, “Damn, this show is good!”

What really did it for me is the episode where we first “learn” about Kaimu and Alti’s past “interactions”. The show wasn’t bad until that point, don’t get me wrong. But it was so strong, their interactions and the unforseen depth to their characters. Simoun really gets it right. By “it” I mean something that very few shows do correctly- emotion. I’m sorry, but the princess in Zero no Tsukaima crying about the Prince of Wales dying was not powerful. It held nothing. This is the difference between works of art and crap.

The end was strong, right up through the end. The dying of the music after the pan across the wall was exquisite. Almost made me cry. People may complain about excessive fanservice (which is nonexistent- the “plentiful unabashed yuri” complaint is complete bullshit and anyone making it is for sure a person who thinks too much about sexuality) or CG (wtf? stolen from Last Exile? Give me a break) but when it comes down to it, this show puts out. And it puts out high quality.

Strong point(s): characters, plot, “power”, OP and ED top-notch
Weak point(s): idiot watchers who bitch too much

Strawberry Panic

Been there, done that. The show is shit, and no matter the yuri fanaticism you’ve got to be a blooming idiot to enjoy this show.

Strong point(s): none
Weak point(s): being shit

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

The key point to this show was how stupid Keiichi was. Consistently throughout the show, he’s made just about the worst decision possible at any given point. RIP, Jackass.

Strong point(s): Shion slaughtering shit, OP song excellent and sequence wonderfully mood-setting
Weak point(s): idiot fanbase, Jason, WinD, parasites, stupidity, bad humor, shitty art, crappy non-plot, Satoko’s boobies

Ouran High School Host Club

Though Kannazuki no Miko lies at the top of my list of favorite anime, and though Interlude supercedes that, it’s a simple fact that there are four shows that break out of the bounds of “quality evaluation”. These are the four funniest shows ever made: Ichigo Mashimaro, Azumanga Daioh, Excel Saga, and Ouran. The last two share something in common: high-class parody. I’ll never forget you, Ouran. You’ll always crack me up.

Strong point(s): parody
Weak point(s): if taken seriously, this show might well be the worst show ever

Well, that’s enough of the wrap-up for now. There’s nothing else really note-worthy to mention.

The Good
Exceptionally good shows from the last year.

Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora

I feel like I don’t mention this enough (at all?)… it’s a stunningly beautiful short series, with an exquisitely lovely ED. It’s got “power”, it’s got characters, it’s got character, and it’s a very… hrm, cute? tale.

Strong point(s): best-done tsundere ever, “power”, characters
Weak point(s): laughable if looked at lightly.

Ergo Proxy

I don’t know how far it’s gone or where it’s going, but the 21 episodes I’ve seen sum up to be some of the most interesting anime I’ve ever watched. It has real style.

Strong point(s): characters, classiness, execution, setting
Weak point(s): hard to follow, seemingly non-linear

The Third

Like with Ergo Proxy, I don’t know where this is going. I don’t know how many episodes it’s expected to be. I don’t know if it’s done airing or whatnot. I do know that it has an awesome setting, swords, a kickass main character, great execution, powerful side characters, an endearing story, and the best vehicle CG I’ve yet to see in anime.

Strong point(s): execution, setting, characters, fight, great OP
Weak point(s): Milly holding a gun and smiling was pretty laughable.

xxxHOLiC

This series received a lot of hate for something so good. This confused me to the point of writing a post inquiring as to why it was so hated upon. With each progressing episode, I become more and more confused. It’s just good.

Strong point(s): set-up, black Mokona, Doumeki+Watanuki’s comedy act
Weak point(s): animation-style, “doesn’t live up to manga”

Zegapain

I never expected I’d like something by Sunrise so much. I mean, I drool over Mai-HiME, but that show’s certainly not good This series, mecha to boot, is a huge surprise. Sunrise’s second awesome show (after Infinite Ryvius). I want more to be released in XVID by Megami. It’s another one of those “Holy shit, this show is good!” animes.

Strong point(s): existentialism
Weak point(s): mecha, hard to get into

The Bad
Exceptionally crappy shows from the last year.

Joshikousei

High school girls are stupid.

Strong point(s): none
Weak point(s): High school girls are stupid.

Soul Link

Lolihaet.

Strong point(s): none
Weak point(s): animation, the loli, art, the loli, voices, the loli, songs, the loli, plot, the loli, and my fucking god that god damn loli who sucks so many dragonfly dicks she’s going to sprout a mutant insect-child out her collarbone.

Strawberry Panic

…

Strong point(s): none
Weak point(s): …

Shinigami no Ballad

I might not have been so dismayed with this show if its predecessor hadn’t been so god damn good. Sorry, SnB, but Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora owns you in the ass every morning before you even wake up.

Strong point(s): the first episode
Weak point(s): every other episode

Fate/Stay-night

I’m still alive.

Strong point(s): Ilya
Weak point(s): see the above link?

Chokotto Sister

Not worth my time.

Strong point(s): hawt Santa chick, Neko Nyan Dansu
Weak point(s): the imouto was actually pretty fugly

The Milestones
What the anime in the last year means in regards to the future.

Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu

A fun memory. A beautiful future.

I had a lot of fun bashing on this show, and most of what I said was true. Haruhi is naught but a psycho bitch. I hate her. She can go die. The show isn’t deep. It’s a shitload of fanservice. It’s not interesting. It can go die.

But… and I say but only because I feel that the show WAS majorly shitty in general… it had its good points. For one, it had Kyon, a construct I had never seen before. Having read over the novels briefly, I can see that it captured the essence of his narration beautifully. It did a good job at that. He was an excellent character. Quite possibly one of my favorite so far in 2000 episodes of anime. Too bad jerkoffs like Jason decided it was their job to quote him in poorly romanized Japanese.

The other thing SHnY had going for it was its incredible animation. AIR was beautiful. FMP TSR was beautiful. SHnY was revolutionary. Oh, there’s been prettier. Giniro no Kami no Agito is prettier. For sure. But when we talk about television anime, we’re talking a lot of ugly shit and then some. And then there’s Last Exile. And there’s Kyoto Animation. Now, Last Exile IS quite possible aesthetically nicer than SHnY, AIR, and co. It’s damn beautiful. But SHnY does something that has NEVER BEFORE BEEN DONE. In episode 12, it opens the door to something else entirely. Last Exile didn’t do that. This is why this show is a milestone to me- I can only guess at how beautiful KyoAni’s work will be in the future. I can only guess that Kanon 2006 will be fucking amazing.

Am I wrong?

I may be an asshole, caring too much about my own opinions and self-importance, but no. I’m not wrong, fuckers.

Strong point(s): If you accept this show, it’s amazing. If you’re a bitch, it’s amazing. If you’re intelligent, you’ll appreciate Kyon and the animation.
Weak point(s): The show is only truly amazing either if you accept it (stupidity) or are a bitch (stupidity). You know what Jason has a lot of? Stupidity.

The Future of this blog, lolikit, anime, the world, etc. etc.

And that’s it for milestones! The future? Kanon 2006. KGNE 2. Good anime. And less watching of shit. I’m cutting back steadily, and with the conclusion of many shows will soon be down to one or two. Naruto will soon be off filler, and I’ll be able to make the judgement call of whether to go back to it or to drop it for good. Note that if Kyoto Animation did Naruto and Tsukihime-mode Nasu wrote the script, it would be the best show ever.

So, this coming season, I’m going to be blogging Kanon 2006. In French, as promised by the topic in #Animenano. If Hung finds fault with this, I’ll post translations to Anime Na No and post the French as OT. It’ll be good practice and should be fun.

I don’t have high hopes for Kanon 2006. I do know it’ll be aesthetically awing.

… and that’s all, I guess. Here’s to never breaking 2500 episodes. I watched 2000 in 1.5 years. Do the math. The average is ridiculous.

So, I’m going to die an early death, eh? I have what, 7 days to watch all the anime I can before my life wears out as a result of FSN being my 100th completed anime title?

Well, we all know what they say about attack names in anime. The final battle boils down to that, effectively. Saber and Gilgamesh both scream their sword names and swing. It’s a race, you know? Whoever finishes saying theirs first wins the fight. I think Saber’d have a greater advantage if she said “excalibur!” instead of “ex… …. … CALIBUR!” but who am I to say? I’m no Nasu.

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Er… funny story that. Truth is, it’s just not worth my time to rewatch the episode and get screenshots. Summary: there’s a lot of blood, Saber gets owned once, Emiya gets owned twice, and there isn’t enough Ilya.

I don’t need to go into why I don’t think FSN is good. I believe I’ve done that enough. It’s gotten to a point where it’s time to stop bitching and stop reviewing. I’ll keep watching (I watch everything, even much worse -_-) and I might post some kind of reflection in two weeks, but until then don’t expect anything.

Ya let me down bad, FSN, ya let me down bad.

Yummy anime overdose!

.hack//Roots (8) :: I’m liking the BGM. I’m not liking much else. I should mention that I want to turn Tabby into puree.

Black Lagoon (5) :: I’m not exactly sure why, but I’m loving everything about the show. Shinsen should sub more episodes some time soon.

Blood+ (32) :: Kai is the coolest character since Shinji Ikari. Rock on.

Disgaea (6) :: dumbest show I’ve seen in a long time, but for some reason it’s not unintelligent in the same way as a lot of less dumb, more pretentious shows I’ve seen recently (Fate/Stay-night.) It makes me feel younger when I watch it, and that’s a nice feeling.

Ergo Proxy (9) :: predictable, unstable, and damn good.

Fate/Stay-night (21) :: disappointing. I’m tired of this show and need it to be over.

Good Witch of the West (5) :: the moral of the first story arc is that wtfyaoi solves everything. I should be disgusted, but Roux makes a damn cute girl.

Gundam 08th MS Team (6) :: this has been sitting on my HD for a few weeks/months now. I should just finish it some time.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (8) :: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 though episodes 1 and 5 blew, and 9 most likely will as well.

Himawari! (5) :: <3 <3 <3 though the “de arisu” girl can go die.

Infinite Ryvius (8) :: un-sucky Sunrise! Woot!

Joshikousei (6) :: why do I watch this? It sucks plain and simple.

Kyou no Go no Ni (1) :: I NEED MORE OF THIS.

Love Get CHU (1) :: I NEED MORE OF HER.

Naruto (a lot) :: get off filler, bitches. You have your plot.

Nana (7) :: it’s ok, but ep 6 was annoying as hell for me. I hope they don’t do full episode frame-for-frame recaps again.

Ouran High School Host Club (8) :: “And if you put earplugs in, you won’t hear the noise.” … brilliant. Tamaki is the new Warai no Kami.

Soul Link (8) :: it’s getting better. And it still sucks ass.

Strawberry Panic! (8) :: it’s getting less humorous. And it’s still hilariously bad.

Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu (8) :: it’s getting worse, and worse, and worse. :(

The Third (3) :: holy shit she’s awesome.

Tsubasa Chronicle (28) :: um, the OP and ED for the first season were better. ’nuff said.

Windy Tales (8) :: hmm. Interesting show. I like it, but it’s kind of boring at times.

Witchblade (3) :: sucky get-up in witchblade form. Take it all off, damn it.

xxxHOLiC (7) :: Watanuki sucks. Yuko is my new god.

Yume Tsukai (3) :: fun stuff, but is it good?

Zegapain (4) :: the angst is beginning already. Woot! I just need more subs now.

No, the answer is not that Arthur is a sweaty, bearded, sister-fucking pagan. No, the answer is in fact not that Ilya is hotter (though that is the case.) No, the answer is that this is the look Tohsaka will surely give you, as surely as Yahoo stole Hard Gay’s hoo:

HER EXPRESSION BEAT YUMI.

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Wow, this episode was depressingly bad. Not only was it not worth my time, but it’s not even worth the time to blog about it. This time around, the producers do every single thing they can to make the show as bad as possible.

Just a little note to the powers that be, my little aside on Noir’s overuse of flashbacks was not one of sincere admiration. We had the same flashback of dying Emiya-kun twelve times, and then Saber’s past took over. Now we’ve had Caster’s flashback three times. And of course, Gilgamesh’s very un-epic introduction during the first half of the episode had to be recycled in flashback form in the second half. This is beyond tying with Noir, this is beyond passing it. This is disgusting.

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