The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi S02 Episode 4

talk about major deja vu. the whole internet is going batshit over what the studio is pulling off, but that's just the internet for you.

as for me, i'll just wait patiently for the next episode (and hopefully the end of this arc) like a good fanboy. but still, you gotta hand it to the studio for not reusing old clips and voice recordings. in my opinion, this repetitiveness adds that much more awesomeness to this already awesome show.

The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi S02 Episode 3

last episode was a pretty mundane episode about activities the SOS-dan did during summer. little did i know that it would be a set-up for quite a twist in this episode. this episode started out with me having a very strong feeling of deja vu - and several minutes into the episode past the opening credits, i kinda had a strange feeling that i'd seen this episode before so i decided to pause the video and check if i've clicked on the correct episode.

this was episode 3.

then i had this fleeting moment of clarity slightly before the climax of the episode - how everything from the previous episode and the title of the two episodes, Endless Eight, was actually a precursor to a huge event the universe has ever seen (in the tv show's sense, anyway).

it was trippy. oh so trippy. and i give props to the studio for not reusing shots from the last episode. this is why i love this anime so much.

DaiCon 2009

DaiCon 2009

Date: 11-12th July 2009

Venue: The Grand Hall, Multimedia University, Cyberjaya

last few years back AXN organized an anime convention held in MidValley which was a total and utter disappointment - when i look back, i think i understand why such a huge event was a total disappointment. the anime industry had only taken off at that time - it hadn't quite developed into the niche it is today and i kind of feel lucky to be there when it all started to bloom and eventually become such a mainstream niche today.

fast forward 7 years later and here i am, still an anime fan (albeit not as much as back then) and i come across one anime convention i am genuinely excited for. it sounds like a convention that i can fully immerse myself into - it has everything that makes for a promising con - doujinshi booths, an anime figures showcase, a gundam figures showcase, a cosplay competition, a seiyuu exhibition, a J-Pop performance, and i recently read that there will be a maid cafe as well. to be honest, the former four exhibitions i mentioned have been done in that AXN convention 7 years ago - but what makes me excited about DaiCon's is that it is organized by real anime fans - the Emina Club of MMU. lets just say they are Gemilangland's answer to the Genshiken. and you know how otakus have real passion for their anime, so i'm banking on their enthusiasm for this con.

i'll definitely be there - not only to take photos of the cosplayers and the maids, but to finally fully appreciate an anime convention i have been so longing to experience back when i was so into the culture. who wants to come with?

The Amazing Changebots 2

trying to hold her puke

we drove into the basement parking lot and we were greeted with a traffic jam - it was probably other Gemilanglanders who were there to watch this movie. because of these douche bags we missed the first part of the movie. either way, we were still eager to catch the rest of the movie despite all the early bad press. i was poised to be entertained by Optimus and his crew of amazing changebots' heroicism.

we took a seat and we were greeted with that scene with a dog humping another dog on the couch. what followed was scene after scene of crappy unnecessary filler scenes involving Sam's VERY annoying parents and his EVEN MORE annoying roommate who i forgot what his name was because he was that useless, unfunny jokes that the moviegoers in the theater apparently seemed to enjoy so much, and the supposedly emotional scenes with Sam and Mikaela. okay, let's shelf the frustration for a bit. the Autobots haven't made their appearance yet.

and even when the Autobots did appear, we were greeted by the two most ANNOYING and racially stereotyped Autobots that could have been voiced by Lil' Wayne and Soulja Boy. they were not funny at all, but the audience kept laughing and laughing. i felt my intelligence evaporate into the theater atmosphere. fine. i'll try to tolerate these two douche bags. what about the other Autobots? let's not forget the Decepticons who can be quite cool as well.

every time a new Autobot or Decepticon makes his first appearance, he is then immediately destroyed. i can't seem to tell who is who. everyone looks the same - all metal.

and i couldn't make out what the fuck was going on on screen. it could've been a porn movie involving hot metal-on-metal action, but i honestly couldn't tell you. all i saw was metal smashing other pieces of metal and some bodily fluid the amazing changebots emitted once in a while. there were lots of groaning involved as well, though i'm not quite sure what they were for.

speaking of porn, did i forget to mention that the amazing changebots in this movie seemed to be sort of... sexual in some ways? how about that annoying small toy truck that started humping Mikaela's leg? or that kitchen appliance that had a gattling gun on his crotch? or the fact that Devastator had two nutsacks hanging out from his crotch for all the world to see? and the audience found that funny.

another thing i noticed was how the characters in this movie, human or amazing changebots alike, tend to fall down a lot. yes, they're falling down a lot. from the start to the end, they all fall down. and Tyrese's teeth. so white.

was there anything at all that i liked about the movie? the scene where Soundwave made his appearance, but that wasn't enough at all. oh, and Shia's Even Steven's scream. yes that was the highest point of the entire movie. i couldn't even care less about Optimus' death and revival.

oops. did i spoil that for you?

the credits rolled and the audience was applauding and cheering - as if they had just witnessed the greatest movie of the year. i facepalmed.

we walked out of the theater and we were greeted with a fight that broke out right in front of our faces. it was so much better than the movie.

amputechture

hell yeah! new toys! first up, the Revoltech Fraulein Bunny Haruhi.

nice gee-tar

i haven't had any ideas on how to pose her hence the cliched shots

she's almost impossible to pose - blame it on her high heels

and then we have the Figma Summer Uniform Haruhi.

she's one happy girl. i have no idea if she was

supposed to come with the bag

i love her cute ponytail - so moe XD

so so moe XD XD

and here's a Haruhi figure i forgotten that i had! the Metamo Bunny Haruhi.

her suit changes colour according to

the temperature

unfortunately it's never winter here so i'm

stuck with a white bunny suit

but it's ok i guess - you can say that it's

a variant to my black bunny suit Haruhi

for a cheap figure, she's very well made

yep. very well made

shot with flash. so sexy detailed

very well made indeed

yep

--

what with my ever-growing collection, i figured that i'd re-organize my toy shelf. turns out that clearing up and re-organizing the toy shelf only made things worse - i now have less space for incoming toys. oy vey.

but i admit that it's fun to take photos of my toys - its kinda like practice for portraiture photoshoots. i'm kind of basically training my composition skills, which i think has improved greatly from the first time i had my DSLR. asides that, i think i'm most happy when i see the results of my toil and labour of getting those goddamn toys to stand and pose without any tape.

s0 what if i collect toys? i have always been an otaku.

grand denial

Background Music: Isis - Hall of the Dead

i'm taking that one step outside but i am greeted by a torrent of fear. i'm scared. i'm very scared. why can't i find my own happiness my own way?

2009 Records: Heavy Rotation and Favourites So Far

Kylesa

Static Tensions

straight up sludge metal with chunky and infectious riffs that will guarantee you a great headbanging time for the entire duration of the record.

Super Furry Animals

Dark Days/Light Years

once again, the dudes of SFA have churned out a record that meshes pop and psychedelia to great effects - albeit a less poppy sound from their last effort, but still a damn good listen, nonetheless.

Wavves

Wavvves

it's hard to not hate this bastard - an overnight sensation just because of one particular hype machine, but i honestly enjoyed his blend of no-fi and pop tunes that despite sounding quite annoying, is actually quite worth the listen.

Metric

Fantasies

a purely pop-driven record with plenty of hooks and stadium rock moments. crafted and polished to a gleaming sound that may eventually put Metric on the map.

Cymbals Eat Guitars

Why There Are Mountains

loud, fast, soft, pretentious band name, annoying vocals, and so indie. if you need a definition for the term indie rock, look so further than Cymbals Eat Guitars.

Tinted Windows

Tinted Windows

there really isn't much to this record, but i genuinely dig the power pop tunes that is all sugary and no substance, really. maybe something simple is just good enough, sometimes.

Mastodon

Crack the Skye

on first listen, you'll notice that their chunky sludg-ey riffs are morphed into a more psychedelia sound. add in with some really psychedelic productions and a barragge of metal and you get one of this year's more interesting metal records.

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart

even though the band tries to sound like a cheap knock off of My Bloody Valentine, they come off as a more pop-sounding band. they have the killer hooks and lyrics that sound naive and innocent, but the end result is a fine faux noise pop record.

Mono

Hymn to the Immortal Wind

post-rock is dead, but Mono raises the genre from the dead and takes it to a higher level with a backing orchestra that redefines the term epic (in a post-rock sense). beautiful and intricately crafted - the band have expanded their sound beyond which any post-rock band have attempted and failed at trying to achieve.

Animal Collective

Merriweather Post Pavillion

this record has so much love (and hate) that it is clearly impossible to ignore. asides the awesome cover, the band have never sounded so cohesive and tight. where Strawberry Jam kind of failed at making that pop sound AC are so eager to do with each passing record, MPP is their most pop sounding record to date, and coupled with some really psychedelic moments, MPP is a landmark in 21st century music.