It's been a while

It's been a while since I've posted.
Been posting mostly on facebook.
I'll try to post once in a while on books and anime that i've been getting into.

Ristorante Paradiso

It's been a while.
Just finished watching this.
Great, short anime.
An unexpected gem of a find.

Best New Anime This Year -- Cross Game

I watched this anime just on a whim. To be honest, I didn't really give a lot of attention to this anime with its old-style art. A lot more anime looked more interesting, like Shangri-la and Valkyria Chronicles. However, after episode 1, I was hooked.
I laughed, I cried. I can't recommend this anime enough to everyone, even those who don't like baseball.
GO WATCH IT!

Wolverine Movie; Summer Movies to Watch

Hello.
It's been a while. April to May is generally a very busy time for me at work, so please excuse my absence.
Anyways, I finally got to watch a movie after a couple of months. I can't even remember the last movie I watched.
My wife and I watched the Wolverine movie last Sunday.
Overall, the movie was OK to good. A lot of plot holes and inconsistencies, but it was good to watch. In fact, the P200/head I spent on watching the movie was cheaper than the P600/head people paid to watch the Pacquiao fight earlier in the day. (I mean, two rounds, seriously? It was like P300/round).
There are a lot of good (I hope) movies coming out in the next couple of months.
Here are some of them:
May
Star Trek
Angels and Demons
Terminator Salvation
June
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
July
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
August
GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra

I hope atleast some of them would be good.

What I'm Playing Right Now -- Lux Pain

Actually, this is more a visual novel than an actual game. That being said, the game is just ok.
What I don't like about this game is that they don't teach you how to play it. I had to play it via trial and error.
Still, it's a good enough game to while away the time. I'm not sure of the ending yet as I'm probably just halfway through.

Funeral for My Ipaq 1930 2001-2009

I got the iPaq 2001. It held up pretty well. It's not actually dead yet, but it's already dying. The battery doesn't last over a day with full use and now the charger just broke. So I'm just waiting for it to give up the ghost. I tried contacting the local HP service, but the replacement parts were way too expensive -- almost like buying a brand-new one.
My problem is that nobody sells cheap stand-alone PDAs anymore. Sure, HP has the iPaq 112, but I can't find it locally. What to do, oh, what to do...

Bleach 350 - The New ichigo

I say, finally, finally, finally. Finally, after getting beat up all the time, Ichigo gets a power up. And what a power up it is. Meet the new Ichigo!

Kurogane no LINEBARRELS

I've been following the series which just ended with its 24th episode. While I don't care much about the main character (who I think is pathetic), I like the other character designs especially Emi.
Also, I finally find out why that giant robot is called LINEBARRELS.
The ending song is also quite good.

Double Manga Cliffhangers!

Double cliffhangers this week in the world of manga!
In Naruto 439, the seal on Naruto is about to break as he reaches the 8-tailed form. Just as he's about to break the seal himself, the 4th Hokage appears! What's going to happen?
In Bleach 349, Ichigo lies dead with a giant hole in his chest. As he lies dead, his hair suddenly grows long! Is he still alive?

New Prince of Tennis

Just giving people the heads up.
There's a new Prince of Tennis manga series aptly titled "The New Prince of Tennis."
Scanslations are already on the Net.

ASUS EEE AIR?

Found this while trawling through Gizmodo. It's the Asus EEE 1008HA. It's 1 inch thick and 2.8 lbs light. That's all the info the have on it right now. Hopefully, it'll be much much cheaper than the MacBook Air.

100 Unbelievable iPhone photos

A lot of reviews out there are saying that the iPhone's camera is crap. I was the one of the few who didn't think so and even bought the CameraBag app for iPhone photography.
Anyways, this guy from photocritic.com assembled 100 unbelievable iPhone photos. Unbelievable because you'd never think they came from the iPhone.
To see his article, please click here.

Thundercats Movie?!

Not! But this "teaser" is hilarious.

What I'm Playing Right Now -- Dragon Quest V

Probably one of the strangest titles of a video game yet, Dragon Quest V:Hand of the Heavenly Bride, like all Dragon Quest titles, promises a lengthy gameplay. I'm currently about halfway in the game, I think.
The game is unique in that you play the main hero, his father, his wife, his son and his daughter and also his pets.
I've been missing a good RPG for the DS for a few months now. I recommend this game for any gamers who love RPGs.

Naruto -- Six-Tailed Form

Just this week in Naruto -- Naruto's six-tailed form.
Image from SleepyFans scanlation.

The Scott Pilgrim Series

There are already five volumes out for this quirky series.
I've just read books 1 and 2. What I've read is good enough for me to look for the other volumes of this series.
It's sort of a westernized manga, with the author trying to put in weird situations, kind of like what happens in Japanese mangas. However, it comes across as just that -- weird.
Also, I don't like the main character. He's a ***, but the other characters in the story are interesting and the author's writing is good.

Rorschach: Bird in Paint

While I was on my way home from a client call, I noticed this paint blot on a window at the client's building. I thought it looked like a little bird.

Auroras are the earth's dreams -- Pastel Chapter 92

"What are auroras?"
"They're the earth's dreams."

This is a page from Chapter 92 of Pastel by Toshihiko Kobayashi.
The chapter was one of the most touching stories I've read recently.
Pastel is basically a teenage love story manga. The art is great and so is the storytelling, though the pacing is a bit slow and relaxed. It took the characters way too long to admit their feelings to each other.
However, I think the relaxed pacing also gives character to the story, making it unique from all the other love story mangas.
And even though there's a lot of fan service in the manga, the author always manages to make the story pull your heartstrings.

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen -- Arcee

I found this while browsing through the net.
Apparently, this is the new Arcee for the movie, Transformers 2 : Revenge of the Fallen.
Pretty nice design, if you ask me.
I wish they had given her a more feminine face though.
I'm still on the lookout for the other new characters. I'll post them if and when I find them

Mysterious Girlfriend X

Also known as Nazo no Kanojo X, this manga caught my eye because of its mysterious title. :)

It's about this high school student Akira Tsubaki and this mysterious girl Mikoto Urabe who begin a strange romance between them when Akira tasted her drool.
Drool? Yup, her DROOL. Weird as the premise may sound, this manga is warm and funny at the same time as it shows the trials and joys of a couple as they learn about love and sex. There's some nudity so it is not for kids.
I'd recommend this manga and look forward to new chapters as only four volumes are out. This manga is very reminiscent of I's which is one of the best manga I've read.