A blog that will cure your apathy and inspire your dreams...
Warning: All who watch anime, play video games, like J-music and K-music, and the like... ARE OTAKU!
Have you guys ever wondered if anime villians were the real deal? Would a real life villian act like one of the baddies seen on your favorite show or in your favorite manga?
The bad guys in anime almost always have an insatiable ego to go with that thirst for power and/or bloodshed.
They are calm, collected, and almost surreal. Would any real life villian go about causing destruction in that egotistical surreal pompousness?
Well according to "Psychology Today" magazine, the answer is yes. According to their findings "violent criminals typically think more highly of themselves than most other people do. Aggression often occurs when someone challenges these favorable self views" (Psychology Today March/April 2010)
I'm not saying that a villian or bully in anime or in real life won't have a low self esteem because there are many that do. But the point is that those elite genius' that anime calls villians are as much the real deal psychologically as the villians that make our world the sucky place it is.
AN EVEN BETTER REASON FOR US TO BE LIKE OUR FAVORITE HERO IN ANIME, BECAUSE IN RETROSPECT THEY HAVE QUALITIES OF REAL LIFE HEROES.
Just don't bitch like Ichigo and please don't be like Renji, he is not even pictured...
A subject of popular debate between me and Chansu is the coolness factor of One Piece Opening 12: Kaze Wo Sagashite by the Hexagon Family.
I believe that it's a great opening and that the song matches the mood of the arc, not by the sound of it but by the lyrics and meaning behind the song which serve to boost the coolness of the arc. Chansu thinks that this song does not match the mood of the arc. That there was something cooler that could have been used. Probably also that the coolness of the arc itself is what's carrying the opening.
I, RPGHero, will be going to the casino this weekend. Chansu may come along for moral support, Chansu better come along for moral support.
But lets take a minute to look at some gamblers in the world of anime... They usually have bad luck but I think that's due to their awesome luck in their other areas of life..
This dude has very bad luck...
Talk about betting an arm or a leg, or just an ear haha.
This fine female has bad luck that turns to good luck when something bad is happening...
Don't hurt me Tsunade!
It's 10:10 do you know where your children are!!
Don't let Orochimaru abduct your children...
Back from our service announcement...
This dude gambles but he's just a worthless old man so he never wins...
Gintoki is pretty cool but his luck isn't so good on the slots...
These guys once bet thier lives, and money, on a fight... wait was it just once..
Anyway if you know anymore anime gamblers let me know!!
As of late I have been watching much less anime. Though it's because I'm always busy with college, as an otaku that can be very unforgivable. But if we take a step back and examine Otaku culture (henceforth referred to as "otakulture"), we can note that there is much more to the lifestyle of an otaku than just anime. Sure, you've had to at least heard of Naruto and One Piece, seen a full series in Japanese, and maybe ventured to an anime con to even think "otaku", but there's much more to otakulture than meets the untrained eye.
And for that reason, I will use this ongoing section to tell ya'll about what bits of prominent otakulture I have discovered and fallen in love with. For all you wakai kenshitachi (young swordsmen) out there, this will give you new insight on what the world of otaku has to provide for you.
Otakulture 1 - Hatsune Miku & Vocaloid
You may have, during a late night on YouTube, (or if you're actually on top of things, Niconico Douga) discovered a stunning green-hair, leek carrying, singing goddess with a somewhat synthetic voice. Well, that about sums up Hatsune Miku, Vocaloid's first and most popular voice.
Vocaloid is a program developed my Yamaha that enables any freelance composer to create vocalized music without a real singer. The voice is instead precatalouged, so that the composer can type in the lyrics (with the proper pitch) and make a vocal track. Imagine a future of songs sung by Miku, the persona given to the voice - a stunning anime girl.
"Nonsense da!", you may be thinking. "How can people get into music without a real singer?" Well, they have. There are countless songs "by" Miku, many of which are purchasable on iTunes and featured on YouTube and NND. Who needs the ditsy celebrities, coked up slutty pop singers, and over-hyped hip-hop sensations? If this catches on to the United States, a new revolution in the music game could show itself. Of course this will never happen though. I can dream though... I can dream.
Hatsune Miku has siblings too! Well, more like rivals and friends in the form of other characters for the next generations of Vocaloids. Twins Kagamine Rin and Ren, once-backup-singers-for-Miku Kasane Teto and Akita Neru, Gackt-inspired Kamui Gakupo, the mysterious Megurine Luka, and many others have risen to popularity. Their personalities are incredibly entertaining, and are probably their most crucial selling point. Who would like to hear a robotic voice belt out songs no one knows? Wait, let me rephrase that. Who would like to hear the cute trio of Miku, Teto, and Neru sing "Triple Baka" while entertaining you with their hilarious antics? ... I thought so.
Vocaloid isn't for everyone. But most otaku (like myself) have come to love the distinct voices and personalities of the Vocaloids. And to top it off, the composers are (usually.) extremely talented. I would be surprised if these guys were really amateur musicians; their tracks sound like they'll be in the next hit anime. So if you're a budding J-pop composer, I would highly recommend Vocaloid software.
Here ends the first edition of Spontaneous Otakulture. Hopefully you learned something new, or were able to relate with a smile. Keep walking the path of the otaku, and the rewards will be plentiful. Probably.
Here it is folks, inspiration for your night! Or day, today!
RPGHero is an old samurai who needs to get off his ass... hahaha. Remember what I said before about young samurai's takin notes and old samurai's gettin out there and makin stuff happen...
For those of us who already watch One Piece almost religiously, this is the perfect opportunity for you to become a skilled adept in Taoism.
The captain of the Strawhat Pirates is himself a grand master of Taoism.
Taoism involves a few basic traits in a master: Tao: Tao is spontaneous, indescribable, and natural. It is the harmonious flow of the universe. Te: Is power, virtue, and integrity. It is the way Tao can be performed. Wu wei: This is akin to being like water, yielding and and soft yet it can carve stone. It is said that one should not impose their will against the universe. Pu: Translated to uncarved block. It symbolizes the potential one has. It also refers to perception without prejudice.
Luffy exemplifies all of these in the way he acts toward others and toward his goals.
We already know Luffy is the MASTER so I'll try to cover what a would try to call him out on.
1. He may eat way too much but he doesn't really have any real vices, like a temper or an addiction to power. He also spars with whales in his spare time so he needs the energy.
~Just like Pooh likes his honey~
2. He always wants to fight, he never tries to talk things out, one might say. But if you think about it, in his world power is the only answer, alot like ours. Luffy has what it takes to fight for what's right so he does not back down. Powerful use of Te. Also Luffy never starts an unnecessary fight unless he's just playing.
3. He's got a one-sided goal the average hater would say. But Luffy never said what he was gonna do with One Piece or as the King of Pirates. He just knows that the Pirate King would have "the most freedom on the seas".
It's ok if we can't be as perfect as Luffy, just being in his crew can increase your tao. All of his crew at least signifies Te, just look at their determination. Even Usopp grew in his determination. But for those of us not in his crew just do your homework!
Here's your homework. Go watch a lesson from the master himself, Eiichiro Oda, I mean Luffy! Take some notes and apply it to your life!
You are about to read a very biased, uninformed review of two MMORPGs. I may be way off-base, or you may strongly disagree with what I've got to say, but cut me some slack. You're free to comment, but let's keep it to a small ember at most over here.
Ahem... Okay kiddies, if you like playing social RPGs and enjoy an anime-inspired adventure, then you've probably hit a couple anime-styled MMORPGs. Sure there's the point-and-click clones of WoW all over the place, but I believe what makes online games shine is live action. And the closest we've gotten to that is summed up in side-scrolling MMORPGs.
The Challenger
Wonderking Online is a fairly new MMORPG that has begun testing it's waters with the North American audience late January. Extremely similar to MapleStory on first glance, Wonderking boasts many of the same features: basic character classes that branch out to specializations i.e. the two-hand sword wielding Warrior to the swift, stealthy ninja (whose weapon of choice is ninja stars). Players complete quests in luscious, intricate pixelated areas, killing cute-but-deadly monsters.
The Reigning Champion
MapleStory has run the side-scrolling MMORPG game forever. If you were adept these past few years you may have noticed various commercials, online ads, and even tons of memorabilia. You start off throwing snail shells, but if you put in the endless hours of killing monsters you can look as intense as the gigantic boss monsters (but of course much smaller). MapleStory has a huge fanbase and is arguably a figurehead in the MMORPG universe.
The Debate:
MapleStory has grown to somewhat epic proportions, but it had earnest beginnings like the rest of them. Including Wonderking. It has been adapted to the North American audience in an attempt to give MapleStory a run for it's money. Wonderking has even finessed ad placement onto Crunchyroll and MMORPG.com (where there's even a WonderKing dev blog for those who want to know more about the Mods and the game).
To be honest I haven't reached endgame in either game, but I've given each a chance. MapleStory obviously has more content, but that is only because Wonderking had a late(r) start. I would definitely bet on old Sea Bird (Wonderking) to pull into the lead in the future. Let's be honest folks: no matter how good MapleStory is, too much of a good thing will either put you off or rot your teeth. I'm not telling you to go delete (or sell, whatever you game is) your account and run over to play a game that needs expansion in many areas. I'm only saying that we shouldn't stubbornly stay with the old forever.
And if you've never played or heard of either games, or even MMORPGs for that matter, give them both a shot!
Where are all of my old samurai out there? Do you recognize this game?
That's right, it's a game for the original game boy!
Boy that sure does take us back to the good old days...
What quality!
I'm sure we all remember winning this game hundreds of times over. And even on the hundredth time playing it still manages to get your heart beating fast when you're chased by a goomba off of a chasm to nowhere!
I'm going to give the first video game review on our website and what better game than the one that ignited our handheld gaming world as we know it!
I'm RPGHero and my reviews may be different from those of Chansu. I'll review by five categories, each having a 20 point max score, and give the game a score out of 100. I think that this way is better than out of 10 because it gives more room to recognize awesome, hand out epic fails, and separate the mediocore games from the champs.
My categories are: Storyline, Music, Graphics, Playability, and Innovation.
Super Mario Land for Gameboy
Storyline: The storyline is simple. The princess is kidnapped by a villian named.... Tatanga. You were thinking Bowser right? Well this game takes place in Egyptian lands. You must save the princess. For an old game that's 18pts of goodness.
Music: The soundtrack to this game is not the well known and well loved mario soundtrack. Many of the tracks and riffs are Egyptian themed. None of the tunes get you sock hopping when you put the headphones on though but for an old game that's 17pts.
See why the scores that high
Graphics: The graphics are great for a game that debuted in 1989 on the original game boy system. Alot of people give this game crap for its graphics but they weren't even in high school in 89, let alone out of diapers for most. The computers back then were bigger than your tv... At least in America. The graphics however could have been better as we all know some games for gameboy have outdone themselves. Awarded 15pts.
Playability: This game is a great game to play. It gets your adrenaline flowing when you're being chased by a koopa off of a chasm that seems to lead to your end. When you're bored on a car trip take this baby out and win it at least five times before you get there, old samurai know what I'm talking about! It is challenging but very winable. Some people have won it in under 13 minutes but for most of us it takes a bit more than that. Anyone can play it, young and old. The only drawback is it's shortness. This game deserves 19pts.
This phenom beat the game in under 13 minutes, WARNING SPOILER!
Innovation: This is a harder category to judge because it measures or tries to predict how this game will or has innovated the world of video games. What has it brought that is new and cool to the table. Well Super Mario Land had furthered the domination of side scrolling Super Mario games as the first ones had already came out by 1989. It had also boosted the success of Nintendo's game boy as one of its signature games, up there with Tetris. For that this game gets 20pts.
Total: 89/100 A- Do you think this grade was fair, post your own review under this one and give Super Mario Land a grade! Depending on your responses Super Mario Land can get extra credit or negative credit!
This blog, "The Otaku Reviewers", was started in February of 2010 on this very same platform, Blogger. At first, it was a venture into the informational and informal world of comics, anime, video games, and Japanese culture. In other words, just a random blog.
Over time, the founder of the blog credited with the pseudonym "RPGhero" was joined by two fellow bloggers and friends with the names "Chansu" and "Deretsun". Together the three bloggers looked up interesting Japanese culture facts, recommended new anime, talked about their own "otaku" interests, and traveled across the United States to various anime conventions.
There have been off periods when the blog ceased production of content and there have been times when there would be dozens of blog posts per week. The schedule varies depending on the lives of the people behind the alias'. However the pattern is that we always get back into the game with even newer information about Japanese culture, anime, video games, and other nerdy hobbies.
The motto of our blog is:
"A cure for your apathy and an inspiration for your dreams. ...Applies to Otaku, anime fans, J-pop junkies, and the like"
The purpose is to blog about cool stuff related solely to anime and otaku stuff. There's no other reason we're doing this.
If you like our blog, please support us in however small a way that you would like. We appreciate our readers!
