Gym Leader Defeated

Dear Followers,

Weird how my best ideas come to me in the shower. From deciding to memorize "GRAVITY Ø" by Aqua Timez for Raphael's birthday to solving Skerbitz's proof problem, I can always think clearest in my magical shower. My wonderful poem for Samantha Meyer was composed in my shower as well. Maybe because showering provides me with some time to just relax and think during my chaotic day. Garnier Fructis is the bomb by the way. Well, in short, the idea for this post came from the shower. Maybe you can relate to some of these moments as well. Enjoy.

5 Defining Moments Of My Life

5. Vikings Lose Playoff Game (1/17/1999)

Some of you may be surprised. Many of you don't associate me with sports in the least. However, while growing up with Shray Jain, one of the world's most dedicated sports fanatics, I couldn't possibly not be a Vikings fan. Yes, back in kindergarten I used to snuggle up against my dad's stomach every Sunday to watch the Vikings play. Considering that under the spectacular arm of quarterback Randall Cunningham the Vikings advanced into the playoffs with a 15-1 record in 1998, I may have developed a surreal understanding of Minnesota sports. Needless to say, the loss to the Falcon's in the playoffs was a slap in the face. I was heartbroken. Unlike my brother who had weathered the torment of Minnesota sports for years, I was not so fortunate. I became so disillusioned with sports overall that I decided to drop them completely. I don't know to this day if I made the right decision back then. Maybe if Butler pulls through this year for March Madness I will jump back in.

4. "Spirited Away" Released (9/20/2002)

Yes, this is that one anime movie which won an Academy Award. I was in 3rd grade when this movie came out, a simple boy in Mrs. Myrtle's class. One day, I asked my mom to go rent "Gumby" at Hollywood Video. When she got there, she had no idea what I was talking about, so she grabbed what she could and brought home "Spirited Away." Me, being my usual self, was so mad that I through a tantrum for 10 minutes before wearing myself out. Before I knew what was going on, I was watching "Spirited Away" while my dad was taping the video using his primitive pirating techniques involving two VCRs. I had no idea what to expect. I thought the dragon was a BAMF and No-Face scared the crap out of me. I was hooked. Once my dad had taped it, I watched "Spirited Away" over and over again and even forced Avi Kumar to watch it with me. Even though I thought it was a Disney film for years, "Spirited Away" represented one of my fist baby steps into the world of Japanese animation.

3. Fufa Ji Passes Away (2006)

For those of you who do not know, Fufa Ji is how we Indians say Uncle. My Uncle was one of the most influential male relatives I had as a child. Because there exists a deep schism between my dad and several of his siblings due to financial events which I do not understand to this day, my family usually only associated with my dad's sister's family. One day, maybe, I will be able to get to know the other 3 siblings as well, but I don't know if that will every happen. My dad's sister's family was overloaded with estrogen and is run by three very particular females. I was subject to having my cheeks squeezed, my fingernails painted, my hair done, and my clothing swapped for dresses while I was visiting my cousins. Fufa Ji was my saving grace. Taking me aside, he would lead me into his smoke filled room and show me model airplanes and cars he had collected over the years. When he died due to brain cancer, I experienced death personally for the first time.

2. Pokemon Gold/Silver Released (10/14/2000)

I could write a whole post on Pokemon alone. When Pokemon Red and Blue came out, I hated everything Pokemon. You know why? For so many countless hours I would be forced to watch my brother have the time of his life playing on his new Gameboy while I could only watch. Only when he had moved on to N64 and 007 Golden Eye did I have my chance to play. But by then, Red and Blue were ancient history. I remember when my dad brought Gold version home for the first time. I could barely control myself. I stayed up until 11 playing with my new lime-green Gameboy Color under my bedsheets with a flashlight. I loved my Pokemon. My Cyndaquill was my baby. I cried the first time I beat the Elite Four. Gold and Silver was truly my Pokemon generation. I blame Pokemon for my obsession with RPG's like Final Fantasy and for pushing me towards mainstream anime. Sometimes, when I am feeling nostalgic, I will pop my Gold version into my DS and play away. 8-bit never sounded so good.

1. September 11 Attacks (9/11/2001)

Oh yes. I remember this day from 2nd grade vividly. I woke up late after a long night of playing lava tag with my brother on his bed (I slept with him when I was younger because I wasn't brave enough to sleep alone). As I stumbled downstairs and grabbed some cereal, my dad was watching the news and telling me to come over. I got up and walked over to see what was going on. On the television screen I could see a building on fire. Suddenly, a plane came onto the screen and hit the adjacent building. My dad was crying. Assuming that these two buildings were the towers in Minnetonka, I asked me dad to get ready so we could see them. He didn't answer. My mom had to take me to school that day. At school, everything was silent. Teachers were crying and everybody was watching the news. Only when Mrs. Scheef explained to our class what had happened did things become clear. Much of my opinion of America was shaped on that day. 9/11 is one of the few events in American history which make me want to protect this nation.

There we go. In unrelated news, I will be a sad snail this weekend as both Star Driver and Fractale come to an end. Maybe Spring Break can help cheer me up. Maybe.

Ecruteak City,
Noel

Dearly Beloved

Dear Followers,

My Conversation With Father X

Father X: Hello young man. What brings you to my church today?

Me: Just passing by.

Father X: Please do. Are you a Christian?

Me: Not exactly.

Father X: What religion do you follow then?

Me: Undecided.

Father X: That's unfortunate. You see, religion is our savior. Religion is the means by which we can achieve genuine peace. Religion is the light that guides us in the night. You must be lost.

Me: How so?

Father X: You have no guiding light.

Me: What do you recommend?

Father X: Search for Him. Once you have found Him, everything starts to make sense. I can help you search.

Me: Who is "He?"

Father X: Why, our Creator of course.

Me: You mean God?

Father X: Of course. Do you believe in God?

Me: I want to believe in God. I want to believe that somebody is looking over me and protecting me from harm. But I cannot. There is enough injustice in this world. I want to meet God, to ask her why she has turned her back on humanity, and to give her a good punch.

Father X: Oh my, you have lost your connection with Him haven't you? Are you familiar with the teachings of Christianity?

Me: Not quite. I have read a few scriptures here and there, but "The Bible" remains on my list of to-reads behind "Pride and Prejudice." I am afraid the Christianity I know is far removed from the teachings you describe.

Father X: How do you figure?

Me: The Christianity I know is injustice. The Christianity I know is the endless warfare in Her name waged across Europe, the colonization and subjugation of "foreign" peoples, the dehumanization of all which lies outside of Her reach.

Father X: Young man, you are mistaken. Please, do not equate the actions of the few with the actions of most. Christianity is love, respect, and humility. Just as with any belief, there will always be those who act wrongly in His name among us. Not everybody can be a believer.

Me: Then what about those who cannot believe?

Father X: Excuse me?

Me: Nevermind. You're right, I was generalizing unnecessarily. Not every Christian plunders towns and villages while waving the cross high. Not every Christian seeks to divide the good and evil. Not every Christian uses Her as a pretext for personal advancement. My mistake.

Father X: I am glad you are seeing more clearly now. What more do you have to ask?

Me: What about Christianity now? What does this church advocate?

Father X: We believe that those who have should give to those who do not. We believe that needless violence should be avoided. We believe our children should be educated and cherished. And we believe this nation should move forward with virtue and humility.

Me: What about homosexuality?

Father X: While I do not condone homosexuality, I cannot do much if somebody wishes to marry somebody else of the same gender.

Me: Why don't you "condone" homosexuality? What gives you that right?

Father X: Well, homosexuality is sin. The Genesis passage is very clear. The sin of Sodom that brought on the destruction of the city was indeed linked to homosexuality. As a priest, I must protect my fellow Christians. At the same time, I want God's gay and lesbian children to know of His unconditional love for them.

Me: Do you prescribe a literal interpretation of "The Bible" then?

Father X: In reality, there is no literal interpretation, only selective interpretations. By abolishing slavery and ordaining women, millions of Protestants have gone far beyond biblical literalism.

Me: What then can we take and use applicatively from "The Bible?"

Father X: I am always amazed at how "The Bible", that portrays my Lord embracing the outcasts, touching the lepers, welcoming the Samaritans, not judging the woman taken in the act of adultery, and inviting "all of ye," can, in the hands of a few distorted people be turned into a book of hatred, violence and judgment. We must, first and foremost, remember Christianity's teachings of love and respect.

Me: Why do so many forget these teachings?

Father X: You must remember what I mentioned before. Please do not equate the actions of few to the actions of many.

Me: I understand what you mean. But does that mean I simply ignore the actions of the few?

Father X: Well...

Me: How can you be content with Christianity in the modern world if you do nothing about the actions of the few? How can you be content when so many continue to preach hatred and ignorance instead of love and justice? How can you be content when so many continue to face discrimination and harassment in Her name?

Father X: The discrimination and harassment you speak of is not exclusive to Christianity.

Me: Hell no, but why not fix that discrimination which is a product of the misuse of Christianity? Why has religion fallen back into complacency, to serve nothing more than a back-burning social function?

Father X: Please do not swear in this church. I am only a simple priest. I must fight for the well being of my church members first. The world has changed, and people can devote less and less time to religion everyday. Yet, church is not as "social" as you may believe. The function of church, as always, remains to serve as a communion between God and His children. Please do not classify this church.

Me: You are right. I apologize. Yet, you cannot ignore the social nature of religion in the modern world. To the point where religion has been infested with forms of entertainment and the division between church and state has become blurred allowing for the formation of a bandwagon religious right, you cannot ignore the meta-religious function served by Christianity.

Father X: I cannot deny how religion has changed. However, Christianity only seeks to find new ways to keep believers in communion with God. What you describe is Christianity in a new form, evolving with society.

Me: Evolution?

Father X: Excuse me?

Me: Nevermind.

Father X: Do you have anything else you need from me? I have a meeting with the retreat organizers soon.

Me: No, you've answered everything I had to ask. I guess I have found a newfound respect for what you know as "Christianity." Perhaps morality would be a more appropriate word. Yeah, I like the sound of that.

Father X: Glad to hear that you are seeing more clearly now.

Me: I will be going then. I hope you know, I respect "Christianity" and hope I have done nothing to offend you. At the same time I will never respect Christianity. I will never respect a belief system which has allowed those who are quick to jump to conclusions to crusade, to discriminate, to hate. I will never respect a belief system which has so divided this world. I will never respect a belief system which kicks back and relaxes while the world crumbles, even in a world where "God is dead." I hope my linguistic use of "Christianity" and Christianity does not cloud my literal meaning.

Father X: Do not fret. One day you will find the light. I will pray for you.

Me: My thanks. You really should meet my friend someday.

Father X: What does he do?

Me: Experiments with stem cells.

Yoko Shimomura,
Noel

Lights

Dear Followers,


Today was remarkable. I got to add and check something off of my list of things to do before I die: creating an acoustic masterpiece with four laptops. On the balcony of cabana 225 of the Sheraton, Alec Spencer, Evan Chen, Rishi Sinha, and I awakened our inner music producers and conducted our own SRC-approved experiment. Using our laptops, we first played a single song in sync before spicing things up with some timed rounds. The result, with the help of an enclosed balcony overlooking two serene pools, was something remarkable indeed. When you get the timing just right, and three computers become one, you have reached genuine "soul resonance."

In case you are interested, we have been experimenting specifically with Ellie Goulding's "Lights" and "Starry Eyed." Today marks the end of this weekend's science fair, and as we all try to forget about school tomorrow we have resorted to various gimmicks as we savor the last moments of ecstasy. From cramming into Princesa's car for a late night DQ snacking, smacking Alec's big toe with Evan's purple water jug, cheering Hari on as he got his mac on, running on treadmills with nothing but boxers, and playing SC next to the pool, these past few days have felt like summer. Too bad this ship is going to be crashing in less than 24 hours.

Who would have thought Lady Gaga would have such good songs? I am loving "Summer Boy" and "Speechless." Oh by the way, we miss you Sibi. See, Sibi, who planned on observing projects for a couple projects with his brothers for an hour in preparation for his SciMent research next year, ended up staying progressively later until he finally just slept over in our room. After a night of watching "Friday" lyrical analyses and "Modern Warfare" from Community, we had to wave goodbye to Sibi in the middle of a drawn-out SC game (damn you Evan Chen and your cracklings... and for spoiling SD 24).

Today at the science fair, I received a major motivational boost. When I am conducting my research at the University of Minnesota, I often feel like I really am not doing anything important. Covered underneath a collection of bacterial cell plates and mini prep samples, I really feel like my work only has academic value. Seeing people who have dealt with cancer themselves or know others who have smile brightly even in the face of such adversity put things in perspective for me. Even my small high school experiment gives people hope. Hell, knowing that what I am working is doing something to help others move forward with hope makes me want to work harder than ever before (except your daughters don't need to acquire my phone numbers).

Well, tomorrow I need to start doing this homework which is piling up underneath the sheets in our disgruntled room. Honestly, we may be the only kids on the planet who don't require alcohol to come up with great ideas like using our lamp as an powerstrip while unplugging our alarm clock. Sigh. When I go back, I need to study for some biology junk, do this math rubbish, and finish that APUSH crap. But, for now, I will just relax knowing that when I get home, I am downlo... "purchasing" Ellie Goulding's discography and making some new playlists.


Starry Eyed,
Noel

Every Shirt Has A Story I

Dear Followers,


While my "Valentin" Spanish homework slowly decomposes in the messy confines of my "devil-may-care-Naveen" backpack, I have decided to do some posting. Every week I often have arbitrary bouts of laziness in which I cannot bring myself to do my homework. Some people deal with problems by eating chocolate, some people deal with problems by facing them, but for me, I deal with problems by being as unproductive as possible. Today was the epitome of unproductivity.


After playing shallow politician for 5 hours afterschool, I headed over to Taco Bell with Evan Chen, Oliver He (GOSU), and Luke Plutowski to collect my cheap Mexican food bounty. You would be amazed how quickly a 99 cent Beefy Five-Layer Burrito can suck your energy away. With my stomach full of Baja Blast, cinnamon twists, and refried beans, I planted myself in front of my computer and conducted a thorough study of "teddy bears" and "kawaii" on Wikipedia. Who would have thought evolution was behind the development of "kawaii?"

During my bout of unproductivity, I decided to come up with some fresh posts on my blog. Everybody on this planet has a story. Hell, I have been wanting to direct a Shojo following the lives of Cozy-Katz and Camy-Katz for years now. Today, when I was going to lunch with my freshly-printed March Madness bracket in hand, I suddenly just stopped and watched all of the people around me and concluded the following: Wayzata High School is filled with people I do not yet know, filled with people I will never know, and filled with people I will know forever. Maybe one day I'll expand on that.


Seeing everybody in the hallway, however, made me ponder about how unique and how synonymous we are. Many of you don't know much about me. I don't really blame you. I am not an open faucet. I am a no-good flip-flopping hypocrite. Hell, I don't even think my parents know who I really am. I am not even sure I do. Almost everybody in the school knows me in some shape or form, varying from the "smarty pants" to the "douche-bag" to the "weird kid." Today I decided to explain who I am in the best way I could think of: with shirts. I plan on covering a new side of the Naveen-die every week. Go ahead and take your pick.

CLOSET OTAKU


Who would have guessed that I would start off with something like this? Congratulations, if you are reading this you are one of the few people who know that I am a Japanophile. You probably never noticed. Ok, enough GOSU.


As many of you already do know, I love Japan. My love for Japan developed when I was a young child. My mom works for Medtronic. For her job, which I do not know the details of even today, she is constantly hopping from one place of the globe to another. From a young age I got used to being dependent with my mom out the house and my dad being, well, as needy as me. When I was younger, I would eagerly wait for my mom to come back home and show me something she had brought me from afar.

From Dutch clogs to Swiss chocolate, my mom always gave me the world. Today, I am far too conceited to acknowledge this fact. I wish I could show my mom how much I love her, even if I keep trying to convince myself I can do things on my own. I can't. Anyways, one day my mom brought me back a charm from Japan. Being the 6 year old I was, I could only identify my gift as an object from China until my mom enlightened me. She took me into her lap and explained a nation I knew nothing of, the nation which gave me Power Rangers and Pokemon. The rest is history.


This winter, I had the chance of going to Japan for the first time. In a coincidental mixture of events, my parents asked me if I wanted to go to China one evening and I jokingly explained to them how I wanted to go to Japan instead. The next day I had a ticket for Tokyo. As we boarded the plane for Tokyo from frosty Minnesota, I was bouncing up and down faster than the toddler to my right. After a surprisingly short plane ride (time flies when you are playing Fire Emblem), I was refreshed by the commonly foreign sound of Japanese ringing through the speakers of Narita International Airport. I had arrived in the holy city.

Maybe one day I will give my trip to Japan a proper post. For now, an explanation behind this shirt is in order. One day I convinced my parents to let my brother and I go to Akihabara by ourselves while they rested in a local cafe (next to a maid cafe which my mom mistook for a cleaning shop). I gave them a full explanation of how Akihabara was one of the foremost educational districts of Japan and my brother and I were off. In case you don't know, Akihabara is the otaku capital of the world. Jam-packed with building-sized anime characters and bright neon lights, I felt like Mrs. Cardona in a library.


My brother, taking my obsession in stride, was willing to follow me around as I popped into each store one by one to take in as much as I could, feigning interest and just allowing me to do as I please. When people can just accept you for who you are like my brother can, being yourself is easy. With my 50,000 yen in hand, I excitedly ran down Akihabara looking for anything to add to my collection. Surrounded by manga, figurines, anime DVDs, unreleased videogames, posters, original art, anime apparel, and Japanese citizens, I was lost in pleasure.

Finally, I found what I was looking for. In a store named Happy Jean (I kid you not), I found a myriad of anime shirts and I quickly scoured every aisle while my brother confusedly looked vacantly at the one way escalator trying to determine how he would go back to the first floor to use the bathroom. When I had found exactly what I was looking for, I turned over the price take and nearly fainted. Every shirt in this store was 60,000 yen and up. Heartbroken, I lethargically showed my brother the exit escalator and we descended to the first floor (in Japan, every store is built vertically versus horizontally).


On my way out, I passed by a clearance rack and the shirt above caught my eye. I couldn't believe my luck. For some reason, this energetic K-On! shirt was on clearance (I guess 40,000 yen is a clearance price in Japan). With my purchase in hand, I quickly headed back to where my parents were stationed and we headed back to our hotel for the last time on the Japanese subway. You wouldn't believe how much I wanted to break open that bag and sport my new K-On! shirt for every Japanese citizen to observe on the ride home.

LOLWUT?

I guess that will suffice as today's story. If I haven't completely freaked you out with my obsessive behavior concerning Japan, feel free to check back next week.


Ho-Kago Tea Time,
Noel

To Zanarkand

Dear Followers,


Sometimes, crap happens. As many of you know, Japan experienced a high magnitude earthquake and tsunami last week which devastated coastal and inland regions. Today, Japan continues to deal with a nuclear radiation emergency and is 8 feet closer to Uncle Sam. Aside from a few glances at new programs covering the event, I haven't looked much into this. From what I can tell, however, this crisis will be one of the defining moments of the decade. As the world looks on, paralyzed with sympathy to the point of inaction, Japan will have to show the world how to clean this mess up like only Japan can.

I have no idea whether or not the III MEF has moved in from Okinawa to help with the relief effort, but how the US responds in the coming weeks will shape the nature of our bilateral alliance with Japan and no doubt send a signal to our allies around the world. Japan, with the world's second highest GDP (I don't even know what gross domestic product means... Xun, where you at?), will no doubt experience economic malaise in the coming months as the nation was literally frozen for a few days. Indeed, we are far from done with hearing about this disaster.

But what does this disaster mean to me? I am not going to lie. I was not impacted greatly by this disaster. With Japan a few thousand miles away, I have no right to sit here and pretend that this was a great travesty for me when people in Japan are fighting for survival among the rubble. I have only been impacted indirectly. While dealing with anime delays is bothersome, I have no right to complain (although my Sunday-morning visit to the church of SD was missing). I am assuming, quite frankly, that Japan will be up and running in the coming weeks as demonstrated by http://satwcomic.com/ (provided by Ishmam Ahmed). But what do I know?

On a completely unrelated note, today JZ helped me rediscover my love for Final Fantasy. For those of you who don't know, Final Fantasy is a media franchise developed and owned by Square Enix which includes movies, anime, manga, and, most importantly, videogames. Final Fantasy games have evolved from simple 8-bit RPG's to high-definition masterpieces over the years. Final Fantasy is constantly pushing the envelope in terms of crafting a comprehensive and unrivaled gaming experience. Everything from the visuals to the characters to the background music is simply perfect in Final Fantasy (well, for my tastes).

Final Fantasy has some of the best musical pieces I have ever heard in my life. Here are some of my favorites (Yes, I really do love Final Fantasy).

Final Fantasy never stops amazing me. From the ground-breaking and iconic FFVII to JZ's closet obsession FFX, no two Final Fantasy games are really the same (except for the piece of garbage known as FFX-2). In one of the world's most mysterious play on words, Final Fantasy has survived over the years with so many installments because no one experience is the same. Every game comes with new environments, new characters, new stories, new fighting systems, new RPG elements, and new bosses. For those of you who enjoy RPGs that haven't played Final Fantasy, go pick up a copy now. Now.

Soon to come out, Final Fantasy XIII Versus, is a combination of Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts elements. Can somebody smell perfection?


One Winged-Angel,
Noel

Dazzling The Stage

Dear Followers,

I cannot handle having this much free time. This whole week has felt so unproductive. I can’t shake this feeling of unproductivity, even though I have constantly confirmed that there is legitimately nothing more that I need to work on. I feel like Oliver He minus the fact that I have already done all of my homework in school. I guess that’s why there is such an increase in blog posts this week. Maybe I should pick up bowling. Whatever.

Today, fresh from Spanish 3 (lo siento Profe Pfeffer), I a bringing you my review of the ongoing show Star Driver. This is only my second review on this blog, but I will try my best to give you a MyAnimeList-eque review.

As always, I picked up watching Star Driver through a messy combination of events. When I was in Japan, I picked up a NewType featuring the show. I recognized the character on the front page right away because JZ had shown me some images in the computer lab when we were researching blogs for APCOMP. I dismissed Star Driver then as another one of JZ’s moe-moe shows. A mixture of YouTube related videos and peer recommendation pushed me to watch the first opening video one day. I was instantly hooked (You can check out the video below).

Well, here we go.

STORY: 8.5

Stick with Star Driver and your libido will thank you.

“Star Driver takes place on the fictional Southern Cross Isle. One night, a boy named Takuto washes up on shore swimming from the mainland. He later enrolls in Southern Cross High School as a freshmen and makes new friends. However, beneath the school is a group of mysterious giants called Cybodies, which can be controlled by humans in an alternate dimension known as Zero Time. Takuto, The "Galactic Pretty Boy" (銀河美少年 Ginga Bishounen), finds himself dragged into opposition with the "Glittering Crux Brigade" (綺羅星十字団 Kiraboshi Juujidan), a mysterious group that intends to take possession of the island's Cybodies for their own purposes as well as break the seals of the island's four Shrine Maidens, whose powers prevent the Cybodies from functioning outside of Zero Time.” - Wikipedia

Yes, I know. Star Driver follows the classic high school students with the ability to operate giant robots formula (cough… Code Geass) which has become a staple in modern anime. All I can really say is that Star Driver takes every single cliché in the storytelling world, throws them into a blender, and then throws them at the wall to see what sticks.

Honestly, in the first episode we are introduced to a triangle-love relationship, a mysterious missing father, and island legend, and, of course, spontaneous robot appriovoisation. Unless you plan on spoiling the story with fanboy interweb speculations, you are going to be confused while watching this show.

However, this confusion was one of Star Driver’s saving graces, for me at least. I kept coming back for more because I was confused (damn you Studio BONES). While the introductory arch doesn’t stray much from a happy days-random dispute-new robot challenger-transformation sequence-moderate setback-overcoming moderate setback-explosion formula, the side story elements are more than enough to keep you going (Wako, make up your mind…).

If you manage to stick with Star Driver, things really begin to heat up (in more ways than one) around episode 15. As the bigger story comes more into play, the episodes become more complex and memorable. Star Driver, even while cliché and predictable, brings fresh new elements to spice up the classic mecha formula and I personally dig the tropical atmosphere. I am honestly down… “obtaining” Sunday’s new episodes immediately after release nowadays.

CHARACTERS: 9

In a world of endless Ginga Bishounens, Star Driver takes the prize.

The characters in Star Driver are one-dimensional and shallow (most of them anyways). Don’t expect any major character development here. However, Star Driver will occasionally throw you a curve ball when you least expect one. But, back to the characters. Star Driver has a plethora of “unique” (as in each one is a distinct cliché) characters. From the members of the GCB to just regular high school students, you could probably find all the high school student archetypes in the world in this show.

The weird thing about the characters in Star Driver is that they are all so darn likeable. I find myself cheering for the “bad” guys just as much as I was cheering for the “good” guys. All of the character interactions are very laid back in approach (I have a feeling these high school students are very sexually open) and there is never a rush to introducing characters and story elements. Through a slow series of events, the characters get to know one another one by one. Everyone in “reality” is fighting against one another, yet everything is just peachy outside of ”zero-time.” The only thing that really pisses me off is this vague triangle-relationship between Wako, Sugata, and Takuto.

ANIMATION/SOUND: 9.5

Star Driver genuinely dazzles the stage in every way.

We all know Studio Bones produces beautiful shows. Star Driver is no exception. Everything from character motion to the backgrounds are marvelously done in Star Driver. Studio Bones has really does a great job with choosing just the right environments to convey the right emotions for each scene. From the quiet dark blues during the night on the beach to the multicolored confusion of “zero-time,” everything just feels really natural allowing the show to flow at a casual pace. Star Driver is pure eye-candy most of the time, and Studio Bones did not shy away from bright and bold colors for this one.

The music, just like the visuals, are superbly done in Star Driver. Satoru Kousaki brings a good mix of island-styled music to the table. While I know some people cannot stand the monotone character of the 4 or 5 insert songs which have played during the show (Monochrome, Komorebi no Contact, Innocent Blue, Akiiro no Aria), I found them to be quite catchy and even energizing when combined with the repetitive yet youth-filled transformation sequence. During fight sequences, these insert songs generally fade into a much more majestic orchestral piece, and the combination helps build develop a sense of accomplishment in the viewer. Not to mention the OP and ED themes do work.

OP

“GRAVITY Ø” by Aqua Timez

"SHINING☆STAR" by 9 nine

ED

"Cross Over" by 9 nine

"Pride" by Scandal

SUMMARY: 9

Star Driver is a good show. While Star Driver isn’t redefining the mecha genre by any means, a collection of unique story elements, loveable characters, and beautiful animation come together for a good watch. Now, if only gg would stop trolling me with preview images of Samekh.

Your Galaxy Will Shine,

Noel

Following The Dream

Dear Followers,

Today marks day four of my hip hop conversion. Today I bring you, fresh from Japan, some DJ Okawari. DJ Okawari has been dubbed the new Nujabes, and for good reason. DJ Okawari combines a soft piano with rhythmic hip hop beats to synthesize genuinely relaxing music. If you need something to help you do your homework without becoming distracted, DJ Okawari is your man. What I particularly enjoy about DJ Okawari is how he mixes more traditional Japanese sounds with modern Western rhythyms. DJ Okawari produces "music for meditation," and his album art is prize-worthy (Check out his song, "Bluebird Story" above).

As many of you know, Pokemon Black and White recently came out in America. I have been pissed about this game for a while now for one reason: the new Pokemon are so ugly. Having played Pokemon from my early elementary schools days, I have grown up with handsome Pokemon. From majestic Dragonite to humble Oddish, Pokemon have always looked good. Once Pokemon went past Gold and Silver, I noticed a decline in Pokemon appearance quality, but this was minimal at most. The new Pokemon actually make me want to throw up. Enough said.

But enough of me ranting. Actually, this whole blog is me ranting. Well, moving on. The past few months have been an experience in standardization. I have had to fill out registration forms for various programs one after another, and I began to slowly wonder how important these forms actually are. Why do organizations need to know my address, social security number, and ethnicity in order for me to participate in events they hold? I began to think about how the overbearing registration process was such a hindrance to participation, how some kids would just never have the motivation to deal with crafting pages of horse crap meant to impress. Whatever.

Yesterday during my "productive" night hours, I crafted my concept t-shirt design for the "Brown Panthers," a play on the famous "Black Panthers" involved in the Civil Rights movement. The t-shirts are really just a joke, a combination of an unproductive AP Biology class and an APUSH running gag. You can check out the shirt here, http://www.customink.com/designs/bp/pjd0-000h-j34x/social?pc=FB-40779&cm_cat=facebook&cm_ite=bp&cm_pla=share&cm_ven=social. I didn't expect anybody to be interested in buy these, but so far I have around 10 people interested. If you are interested just email me or something. If we get 20 people, the price on these babies will drop to $14 a shirt. In other news, MS Paint sucks. I will be down... purchasing a new program in the near future.

Continuing the trend of unrelated stories, today our very own Samantha Meyer had a very candid moment. During the walk back to class from lunch, right as we were passing by the cafeteria doors, an amazing spectacle unfolded. An innocent girl was looking backwards, books in hand, excited for her lunch period, when her world was turned upside down. Samantha Meyer, in a bout of libido, decked this innocent girl back on the heels of her feet. Without another word, Samantha Meyer powered through the crowd, leaving the innocent girl in a state of confusion and awe. Such is the power of youth. Sami is proably legitimately mad at me for laughing at her the whole rest of the trip. I am sorry Sami.

Well, that raps up today. Maybe someday I will have coherent blog posts dedicated to one single topic. Or not. If you were as tantalized by the art and sounds of DJ Okawari as I was, feel free to visit his website here, http://www.djokawari.com/home.html (yeah, I know this is in Japanese).

Sound of Silence,
Noel

Every Song Has A Sequel

Dear Followers,


This weekend marked my conversion to hip hop. Weird how events play out sometimes. One day I was questioning my older brother’s musical tastes and the next I was singing Prof & St. Paul Slim songs in Alec Paulson’s car and downl… purchasing scores of hip hop albums. Related videos on YouTube, you have changed my life several times now. Once, you connected me from Jay Chou to Code Geass. Once, you connected me from Age of Empires to Starcraft. Now, you've connected me from Samurai Champloo to Nujabes.

What is hip hop? I don’t even know man. Wikipedia says hip hop is characterized by rhythmic beats formed by loop breaks and is often accompanied by the rhythmic style of chanting presented in 16 bar measures known as rap to imitate percussive elements of music and various technical effects of hip hop disc jockeys. What the hell does that even mean? I really believe music has no place to be classified nowadays. Good music is good music. Plain and simple.

Whatever I am listening to now, I guess hip hop would be the best description. From the refined beats of Nujabes to the electronic feel of Hocus Pocus, hip hop is extremely relaxing. Who would have thought Japan and France would have such big underground hip hop scenes? Speaking of Japan, as any of my 10 followers can tell by simply looking at my blog layout, I freaking love Japan. Hip hop is the cherry on top in my opinion. If you are down for some good Japanese beats, check out Nujabes (June Seba). If you can dig Nujabes, send him a prayer (yeah, I know Brad), because in the words of Derrick Comedy, he was a martyr for hip hop.

Hip hop and I didn’t really get off on the right foot. Back in my middle school days, I was infatuated with mainstream music. Like a teenage girl fresh from a group Cosmo session, I would flock to iTunes and “purchase” music from the billboard top 100 every week. I am not going to lie to you and get into all of this junk about how mainstream music sucks. Hell, I love some mainstream music. I can get my Gaga or Katy (IA/JZ approved) Perry on. The only thing is, as my eyes opened up to how much the world had to offer, my musical tastes adapted.

Well, this post was as carefully crafted as one of my AP European History prostitute cookies. Today was one of those days where I assumed I had a lot of work to do and ended up doing nothing. Whatever. Oliver He, finish your APUSH sections today or I will double your cookie debt. Never stop fighting kids.


Beat Laments The World,
Noel