Year in Review: She’s Going the Distance, a Great Feat of Strength
Going to mention a list of 12 lists of 12 items each. So a nested list. All 144 items. Annotated for the most part. Don’t ask me why I use these pronouns the way I do…
The Crossroad of Politics and Fandom
I went and voted today. In the US customarily state and federal governmental elections take place the first Tuesday after the first Monday of each November. Federal elections take place on even years (2006, 2008, etc), so today I only voted on state stuff…some propositions and some state legislature seats, plus some county and township nonsense.
Why did I vote? Because the day before I thought to myself: “So I spent a couple hours a day the past three months, bothering foreign proxies and internet denizens just so I can have my say about some retarded Higurashi bitch. Oh hey is down syndrome the new moe or what? Oh right, yeah, maybe I should go vote down those ludicrous tax proposals tomorrow. That actually makes a real difference. And for crying out loud it’s easier to vote for that than to cast a vote for Saimoe.”
So 2ch, thank you for making this young adult care about politics.
And as I said before; sure, to compare Gundam 00 with a Tom Clancy’s average work (like…Rainbow Six…) is probably comparing the lint in your pocket to… the change in your pocket, but at least Gundam 00 tries. I know there are some people who don’t want “real life” in their escapism. Trust me, I feel that way sometimes too. But variety is the spice of life, or some nonsense. I can imagine why some high power politician would read Rozen Maiden. Who’s the puppet in the Alice Game, now?
We don’t need a liberation front or anything like that. There can be identity in unity, but a loose coalition of ordinary rebels united through their beliefs rather through superficial labels is more genuine. Sure, the former might give you tax exempt status… but the latter is something people can really get behind with because it’s honest. Friends and families, for example. Plenty of otaku-ish people are at the right age to mate and raise families. That’s a good start. Reaching out to other folks around you? That is also good stuff. Go vote. Save money. Buy more anime. Watch more anime. Join the fandom. Win at life, not run from it.
Better than Cons - Save the World with Rock & Roll
Wow, I just came back from the best live show I’ve attended ever. It’s so good, I don’t think it’s fair to call it a concert. And it probably isn’t fair to call it that for some other reasons.
It had the best crowd, the best venue and acoustics, the best arrangement. Flow was gripped with iron strength, but not with an iron fist; much akin a masterful grandmother, making tortilla with her favorite, worn stone metate. The live went on; tired but with purpose and guided by experience disguised as serendipity. Or maybe it was the other way around?
It’s a lot more than I can say about the instrumentation, actually. But that didn’t matter when the one rocking out is not just the band, and not just the audience, but the space in between. That zone of holiness cried out to the Heavens. What came and connected us was, well, Jesus.
The bass player was a little kid. Well, little is understating it but he looks no older than 16 and a half. Honest. Everyone filled in their roles well, though. I was most impressed by the drummer but even then he had a rough start. Brooke Fraser was pretty awesome live, too.
But if we’re going to lay all the blame up front, that might be all there is to it. Hillsong United, after all, is a worship ministry and they write songs to minister, not to sell silver or gold or platinum (although that’s a nice way to raise money). God was there, and he can pack a sell-out crowd.
But man, just the day before I watched Nodame 19, and having that kind of reaction after listening to a good live is…a big understatement. Granted Hillsong United is mostly a “kiddy” affair, there was a lot more to it than an auditorium pack full of young people. It’s that gap that was filled. Caricatures, caricatures.
One regrettable thing: now I have a new AMV idea. UGH. I blame this entirely on hearing Hosanna live. If you still have no idea what I’m talking about, Hillsong United’s latest CD made its US debut this past week and is a scorcher on Billboard.
Manabi Strikes Back
Unfulfilled, overbearing desire breeds moments of idiocy. But sometimes, it can be confused with the muffled cries of the Muse, opening doors you were too afraid to open for one reason or another.
This post has turned from vision to creation. Hosanna (work in progress preview, 39.5mb Xvid). My first AMV EVAR zomg.
Manabi Straight Banzai!
Hosanna - Manabi Straight Version
Taken from this. The below is just something that struck me like a bad AMV idea. I had to get it out of my system. (To be honest this happens on a regular basis and I have a secret stash of things like this somewhere.) [edit: catch the full song on youtube]
