See article title.

Yeah, instead I was treated to an amped up version of some of my own experiences with surreal fight scenes interspersed. I could spell that out, but the people who know me probably get it, and the people who don’t know me aren’t owed details. A lot of the plot points and best lines might as have been shuriken or piano wire. When they hadn’t been said/done to me, I’m the one who had said/done them. It almost violated the film’s sanctity. I figured that at worst, my critical side would’ve been picking apart the special effects, and best I would’ve just been enjoying the story. Instead, I was pretty much just indexing actions and lines against my own experiences past a certain point. It was unnatural.

I wish I’d read the comic. I might have saved a lot of good people some trouble since my life isn’t as warm as the film’s end. The things I can take from it are lessons I was already taking from the rest of this week’s self-inflicted emotional roller-coaster. The good endings come from doing things for me while still being considerate of the perspective and feelings of others, even when I can’t fully fathom that viewpoint. It’s a pretty odd set things to take to heart in someways.

Might as well watch Ano Natsu’s second episode and see if that’s a kick in the ribs too.

Back on topic, I’ve gradually stumbled through some more of Katawa Shoujo. I’ve been playing it honestly, and rather than aim for a character, I’ve let the chips fall where they may and answered everything honestly. The result actually has surprised me. I completed the path for Emi Ibarazaki with the good ending, and that alone kind of felt unexpected. I am not an athletic person by nature, but I made the decision I would’ve made if in the same situation – if it’s run or die, I’ll get up and run.

The more richly surprising part is the extent that certain aspects of the Emi path have mimicked my own relationship history. I didn’t expect my responses in game to lead to a progression with parallels to my real world habits. I almost feel like I’m gaining new insight into my own behavior and choices. I’m not sure exactly what that says about the writing in a quantitative sense. If nothing else though, it has me suckered in. I want to play through another route, and see whether it’s just the nature of the game, or something deeper.

In fact, maybe the game isn’t good at all, and I’m just having too much fun thinking about the Lacanian aspects of the visual novel medium for the first time as I play. Is a visual novel only good so long as you see yourself reflected the visual novel’s Other? Does the player only feel like they been reflected because they want to believe their choices impact the Other? Does this mean the player will enjoy the game without regard to it’s objective qualities because of the very structure of the game? I mean, is it only good because it’s fitting what I’ve been led to believe are the patterns I’d fall into naturally? I don’t know because I’ve never thought about it before. I do think there is a certain rose tinting that comes into play here, but that’s the human condition to some extent. Where does one’s limited perception end, and the manipulation of that limited perception begin?

Of all the things I would’ve thought could engage my contemplative side, Katawa Shoujo should’ve been at the bottom of the list. Maybe that’s the best I can expect since the game probably wasn’t intended to spark these questions. I guess that constitutes quality.

On the flip side, it breaks up my over-intellectualizing up with some genuine humor in between the odd and possibly imagined parallels. Laughs are laughs, and even if some of them are a bit morose or surreal, they are there. How bad can a smile be?

After all, countless internet forums have had their goofy ideas for projects created by forum members, but usually you’re lucky if you get passed the idea and concept art stage. If that it doesn’t stop there, you’ll maybe see a very mediocre first level or some very rough animation at best. In fact, I can think of at least 2 or 3 I’ve been involved with myself in some small way. Usually, creative projects on the internet are most productive when one or two people do something with little-to-no external input.

Yet, here we are with a full visual novel game with good art and good music, all inspired by single page joke from a decade-old doujinshi. It’s a miracle that it exists at all. However, that won’t stop me from nitpicking.

While a lot of the aesthetic aspects of the game are remarkable for an independent, no-budget project, the writing starts off very, very slow. It’s vastly too wordy (perhaps like these blog posts?,) and the tone is a little too inwardly focused on the protagonist. To make matters worse, that inner focus is a bland self-loathing, the kind that you’d think an otaku-made project would avoid considering how commonplace that complaint is in regards to anime and manga. It’s also a bit inauthentic. One gets the feeling sometimes that the writers lack the life experience to communicate the right feeling in some of these scenarios. Maybe that’s to be expected a bit as well, but while it may make for an interesting meta-commentary, it’s a hassle to sit through walls of text that don’t really engage the player. To make matters worse, there are a lot of different dialogue options, especially early on, and that feels off for a game like this. Being able to take some ownership of the protagonist is critical in visual novels, and I wouldn’t have minded a bit more in Katawa Shoujo at all.

Troubles aside, I can’t seem to really let it go now that I’m into it. It’s clearly a little undercooked, but I still can’t help but marvel that it was served at all. There are also a few sharp bits of characterization and humorous dialogue that manage to string the player along in spite of themselves, and that’s quite impressive since those pieces have to override the drawbacks. I’m certainly glad that I did a little tribute track to the game which will turn up on my next record because, if nothing else, it’s a nod to the efforts of people who beat the odds for fan projects on web forums.

Good show.

Speaking of reviews, it looks like one of mine has been quoted on the front page of FUNimation’s site for Princess Jellyfish (screencap here.) I really do hope the title does well for them. It’s a bit of a risk since it’s a fairly offbeat title. I suspect if it doesn’t payoff, I may not be quoted on another FUNimation webpage anytime soon, as I seem to have a habit of latching on to the offbeat lately, and they did post my review of Princess Jellyfish to their facebook page as a means of gauging whether a DVD/Blu-Ray release should be done.

This isn’t a political statement either (Baha’is are banned from participating in partisan politics after all,) it’s a simple application of the categorical imperative. If you can ban one type of speech from the internet because it threatens the livelihood or comfort of one group that is otherwise fully capable of protecting themselves, there is no philosophical reason that shouldn’t be applicable in any similar instance, and that seems intrinsically broken. The lack of due process in these laws only makes that worse as it’d be up to the accused to prove their innocence rather than the accuser to prove the guilt of the accused. The possibility for abuse seems close to limitless, and the odd splits between foreign and national websites seems entirely ignorant of how websites are hosted in the modern world. Thus, regardless of any ideology beyond reason and functionality, these seem like objectively negative and ill-conceived laws.

I should mention I say all of this in spite of the fact that people pirate my music constantly (and when no money changes hands, I don’t care much because I doubt I really lost a sale in that instance,) including for-profit Russian pay download sites that sell my music without paying me royalties. I would benefit in that one instance, even as an independent artist, from SOPA/PIPA/OPEN passing. Justice would be served if that site was shut down, and/or they were ordered to turn over any proceeds from selling music without my permission.

Unfortunately, much of the rest of the internet would likely be so paranoid about linking to any content without explicit permission it’d grind to a halt. Getting my name out to people is difficult if the sites I post content to have to dramatically alter their operations to comply with these laws. Without a reliable way to promote myself across the internet, my ability to find my niche audience is dramatically injured.

Oh, and I know all the legislation acts in different ways, and there might even be enough exemptions that someone like me wouldn’t be affected in regards to my outward business. Alas, none of these laws can ever truly stop those who want to pirate media or counterfeit brand names, or rather, for them do so effectively might damage free speech in most instances. It’s a digital, democratized society, and we all have computers on our desk whose potential is effectively infinite in regards to creation and distribution, or at the very least, the only limit is the person behind the keyboard. It’s only going to be more intense as 3D printing gets cheaper and more precise. Want that that designer bracelet? Print it. Shoot, innovate on the existing design to make it more personal, cooler, better fitting and generally more useful. You can’t tell me that doesn’t sound radical yet exciting, and this is a world we are about to enter. Maybe there is even a market for selling branded designs for home recreation, but if there isn’t, that doesn’t mean the technology should be banned nor should it be ham-stringed by some kind of DRM-system that gets in the way of honest use.

To put it another way, I know the idea that I can sell music and perhaps one day even merchandise is a bit dated as we near an era of home replicators. However, I would never risk free expression on the off chance I make a buck off of it, and I certainly wouldn’t want such a thing to be law. Free expression is why I can write music, write blog posts, have interesting things to read online and so on.

Anyway, check in on Thursday for a decidedly fluffier and less weighty blog post.

There are some key differences: in Ano Natsu the high school boy’s parents are dead instead of his sister, the uncontrolled decent of the spaceship’s arrival on Earth kills the high school boy in the opening minute of the show, and now only the alien girl’s kiss can keep him alive. Additionally, the alien girl is only an upperclassman this time, not his school teacher, and it seems that the childhood friend is let in on the alien girl’s secret identity from the start. Those little changes amongst others may have a dramatic impact on the flow of the show, even if many of the other characters in Ano Natsu are near facsimiles of the characters in Onegai Teacher.

That said, while seeing an author who had previously breathed new life into the shonen romantic comedy genre simply phone should’ve left me bored, it’s actually really worked so far. The few bread crumbs that are different are so radically different that I genuinely wonder where they might lead. It doesn’t feel setup to reach the same finale either, at least in any obvious sense.

Besides, the series had sold me in it’s first minute before they killed the lead. Much like Onegai Teacher, Ano Natsu’s first episode opens with a monologue from the male lead, and those monologues sold me then and now. It was so simple, so eloquent and clear that from those words that the creative staff have set the show up for a very poignant yet sweet journey. Well, with any luck they should’ve; Onegai Teacher maybe a timeless anime, but Onegai Twins was slightly mediocre. Perhaps that risk makes it compelling as well – it’s a romantic comedy fused with NASCAR.

Anyway, I’m quite glad it’s been pre-licensed by Sentai Filmworks – I’ll probably be catching it on DVD or Blu Ray by the time CrunchyRoll finishes streaming it.

The Mixtape:
Ultraklystron – Storyboard [The Animatic Mixtape]

Also on Bandcamp and coming soon to Google Music.

Enjoy.

As I listen to Solved, I think the best way to think of it is that Solved doesn’t have a ton of immediate gratification. It’s consistent and no question the cleanest production on a Front album to date for the most part, but it’s also not as out of the gate punchy as previous releases. This is in part because the theme songs aren’t quite as snarky as some of his previous releases (barring perhaps the perfectly honed “Nerd vs. Jock” and the cosplayer-watching to self-commentary anthem “Victorian Space Slut”,) and in general it’s a little more sedate. The pace is literally less frenetic most of the time, and it doesn’t substitute in crazier production choices to make up the gap.

In a sense, it’s a victory lap record, released ten years after the first rumblings of Nerdcore as genre started to come together, but it’s one coming off two (Final Boss and Zero Day) albums that had a surprising immediacy and intensity in retrospect, and that certainly had songs that were no question natural singles and plenty of them. In a sense, that’s the concept of the record – everything is solved, no problems, no “the man is ruining your life/you are the man ruining some one’s life” dark notes – but part of what I think some people came to Front for were the more charged moments. The jabs at power and privilege were ultimately a much defining characteristic of Front than I think anyone was conscious of, and even if it’d be weird to write like that when you have the band with the 4th biggest rock song of the past decade guesting on your record, it’s part of people’s perception I think, and perhaps where some find issue with the album. There is a bit of that flavor in the skits, but it’s much inwardly focused. It’s funny because really, he could make that conflict and self-deprecation the center piece of a song or album these days and people would love it. Well, maybe that’d be too far in the other direction.

That said though, while it’s a different, relatively happier Frontalot, it’s not a bad Frontalot, and perhaps better than if he had tried to keep up doing songs about voter fraud and protesting without feeling it or coaching it in a more themed/comedic song about a military computer taking over. Even if the album doesn’t have much of that kind of punch, it’s still a really fun, enjoyable LP that gets better with every listen, and the production is just stellar the more I think about it. At a listen it’s not an obvious album, but it’s better with each spin. You should give it a listen or three, if not a purchase. You may not find the Front you expected, but you’ll find something great nonetheless.

However, since one of the many hats I wear is critic, I figure I’ll do a sentence or two on each of the contributions… after the break.

01. Beefy – [Nerdcore Now Volume 1 #01] Nerdcore Now
Klopfenpop’s mix isn’t perfect, but Beefy’s penchant for storytelling and surprisingly humble and honest perspective makes for a rousing start/short history of post-forum Nerdcore Hip Hop. Of course, Beefy’s an IRL friend, so I am quite biased, but still, this is objectively good music.

02. Supercommuter – [Nerdcore Now Volume 1 #02] Robot Party
While the production is a little dry even for 8-bit standards, you just can’t go wrong with Supercommuter; you’ll be tapping your toes and bobbing your head before the minute mark. It’s like a rap version of the Rentals.

03. The ThoughtCriminals – [Nerdcore Now Volume 1 #03] Warp Zone (1-2)
The dirty, almost early Wu-like beats get a light NES underpinning, while the lyrics deliver a nice blend of rap bravado and nerd cred.

04. The Future – [Nerdcore Now Volume 1 #04] Teleport
I’d love a less monophonic mix, but much like their live show, The Future throw down hard here. The sci-fi themes are deftly woven into a party anthem, some being smart while getting “dumb”.

05. Soup or Villainz – [Nerdcore Now Volume 1 #05] Live In The Arcade Ft. Danyeal McIntosh
Intensely clean production, and while the rhymes start a little chill, it all builds into a tribute to arcades that manages to hold it’s own in a genre with more than a few great love letters to arcades already.

06. Milk-Plus & Lady DKX – [Nerdcore Now Volume 1 #06] I Can Be Your Supervillain
Definitely feels like a rocked early MC Frontalot, and the mix be a hair wider to let the vox take center stage, but it’s definitely fun.

07. Adam Warrock – [Nerdcore Now Volume 1 #07] Nightcrawlin’
The vox are a little dry, but once the full mix drops in, it’s quite professional, and frankly, it’s a plain solid track. This is the kind of nerdcore that pulls nerds into Rap, and with good reason as it turns a classic piece of nerd pop-culture into a smooth rap jam.

08. Death*Star – [Nerdcore Now Volume 1 #08] Social Apothecary
I am terribly biased, as these guys are basically some of the tightest connects I’ve got into nerdcore, and they are in fact responsible for most of the live performance I’ve done in the past year or two. However, this means I’ve seen them level up hard. The track here is proof that – it’s not perfect, but it’s better than most anything on their album, which itself was a big jump over their CD-R EPs. However, fresh tracks like this demonstrate they are built to level up with every step.

09. Random – [Nerdcore Now Volume 1 #09] Sweeter Ft. Dale Chase
Plain awesome. Again, can’t say I’m not biased – I think the second you hang with an artist at a con, you lose objectivity. Seriously though, this track wouldn’t be out of place on HipHopNation or Shade45 or BCC1xtra every college radio Rap show on earth. It’s just that dope.

10. PovertyMan – [Nerdcore Now Volume 1 #10] Rap Cliche
This does border dangerous close to straight parody or satire, but the mix is solid, and evocative of early Jay-Z and NaS. Hard to not respect that quality.

11. Jake-bit – [Nerdcore Now Volume 1 #11] Redundant Me
Not sure if I feel the beat, the vox are little low in the mix, and it’s definitely Frontalot-style flow, but it’s solid. It’s some how catchy and well-produced; if this the low point in the compilation, Nerdcore has come a long way.

12. Illbotz – [Nerdcore Now Volume 1 #12] Give A Little Love
Smooth production, though I’d love a little extra vocal volume, especially since there some nice double speed turns of phrase.

13. XoC – [Nerdcore Now Volume 1 #13] A Seed Grows In Brooklyn
The vocals seem a little dark/dry, but it’s very conceptual and emotional. Calls to mind some of the darker work artists like Beefy and Frontalot. Actually, let me take a moment to note just how surprised I am to keep listing that Front comparison – that’s not tossed out lightly by me, and it may be a sign that were about have a wave of talent hit. This is good news.

14. Emergency Pizza Party – [Nerdcore Now Volume 1 #14] Never Going Back Ft. Rappy McRapperson & Shinobi Onibocho
EPP. Always doing something weird and different. I which the production was a bit hotter to let the excellent sample shine a little more. Still, they’ve kept to comedic approach, and they still hit that mark tightly. I’ve got say Rebel punch in a nicely Minaj-esque verse on top of it all.

15. Bizarro X-Men – [Nerdcore Now Volume 1 #15] Character Select
Oh, this is almost Dre-ish in the beat, until it becomes obvious that it sounds a bit like the LazyTown/LilJon remix. However, it displays such a nice line of hot rappers going hard that you can’t nit pick that much.

16. Ultraklystron – [Nerdcore Now Volume 1 #16] Bromance Dance
HORRIBLE. Wait NVM best song on the compilation in all ways. Truthfully, I had fun stacking the references and punchlines on this, and doing my best DMX on the hook, inspite of the fact it’s clearly an homage to Cash Money sonically, down to the Drakedown at the start of the second verse. Since I had fun, I call it a success.

17. Torrentz – [Nerdcore Now Volume 1 #17] Nerdcore International
Their is some serious compression distortion on this mix, but it’s pretty fresh. Certainly in it’s own lane with the funky, almost Chili Peppers-like/Beck-ish funk elements.

18. Klopfenpop – [Nerdcore Now Volume 1 #18] Don’t Panic Ft. MC 117, Milk-Plus & Diabeats
While this is dope, and pretty well done on the whole with solid rapping and reversioning of a great theme, it’s ultimately still up against the fact that Baddd Spellah did it first, and well, amazingly. Still, sans that data, it’s fun, and again, this is this kind of nerdcore that gets traction where it counts.

19. MC 117 – [Nerdcore Now Volume 1 #19] Bulbasaur
O hai there beat from “Flobots – Handlebars”. As fun as this track is, it’s definitely a parody. It’s not bad, but since the original is pretty geeky in it’s own right, it’s hard to get into. The original gets in the way of getting into it.

20. Untested Methods – [Nerdcore Now Volume 1 #20] Little Crow
Very evocative of Beck circa the Information/Guero, and that’s not at all bad thing. It’s probably the most unique track on the whole compilation, and it’s pretty rad as such.

21. Random – [Nerdcore Now Volume 1 #21] Fly (Klopfenpop Mix)
Random and 8-bit beats? Obvious quality.

TL;DR: This is a considerable improvement, especially taken on average, and it will hopefully encourage a baseline of quality control inside the scene. If nothing else, it’s a reality check for the genre – if this is the best we can do, and that’s impressive, great. If this is the best we can do and it’s still garbage, then there are some systemic problems. Truthfully, it’s not me who needs to be talking about this – we need more external ears, both in the nerd media and the hiphop media, to give this some attention and feedback, so we know where we stand.

Alas, I still get to be the first artist to drag the film to a halt with my artist spotlight section, where I look fatter, nerdier and younger than I do now. As always, I don’t belong on TV, though really, either the documentary got a lot of spit and polish on it, or I forgot a lot of little bits that even made my section of the film somewhat faster feeling (this is a very good thing.) The other artists sections also feel a lot faster paced as well. I think some of that is that there is footage shot even after the docs originally did the festival circuit now in the film, allowing for some faster cuts and more visual info to complement the narrative. The narrative also feels, well more complete. It feels like there is a lot more performance footage in it, especially for MC Frontalot, and even without an explicit interview of him in the film, it feels like he is, as is proper, fully depicted as the godfather of the genre now. Maybe the chance to go back and tweak the film after letting that era of nerdcore fall into the background was a good thing. Oddly enough, just as all of us in the film have honed our skills and flows, some how the film has become more sharp yet smooth as well. It’s a much, much better film than what was screened at STIFF and PAX, and I also have to say, I can’t help but smile whenever I see Nursehella and I on the screen at the same time in the documentary. I will show this film to our future children.

Still, watching this film for what I would like to be the last time for a very long while, I can’t help but feel as though I’m looking back on a past life. There was this bizarre time when I was a young otaku rapper/producer, and I had suddenly had many friends and acquaintances who were on a similar track. My recent trip to this year’s PAX reminded me that I clearly still have all those friends (well, at the very least, they don’t mind humoring me,) but yet, the era where I was really on the same path as them might as well be as distant as elementary school. while I’m sure the life I’m leading now (computer science student) will ultimately feel similarly distant to me once I graduate and work for a few years, Nerdcore For Life (and to a lesser extent Nerdcore Rising,) are the only external documentation of my life, and it only feels weirder to look back on the farther away I get from it. Don’t get me wrong, NC4L is a great documentary, and you should atleast NetFlix if you’re the kind of person who reads my blog and you’ve not seen it already. For everyone who still does it and love it, you should watch it and remember your roots. For everyone who wants to do it, you should watch it and know who built the bridge you now stand upon.

For people like me, who can’t even sell an mp3 when it’s half off, well, your time is better spent studying probably. Or producing for other people. I try to do both. Except for rewatching the right bits.

Beefy leads off with some guitar heavy stuff – a break with most of his prior work, and with a lot of nerdcore in general. However, “Olly Olly Oxen Free” and “You Can Call Me Beef” certainly have the swagger that I’ve come to expect from Mr. Moore. “Tilt” is a beautiful example of the progression Beefy’s shown as an artist – the lyrics are coded with all sorts of smart alek plays on words and references, but the flows show both greater tightness and some nice nods to his influences and favs as well. His penchant for smart alek breakdowns mid song works to wonderful effect in “Table Top,” while the new mix of “Play With Me” could get college radio traction with a little promotion. Also on the college radio tip, “Ball Pit” manages to bring the sentimentality and instrumentation of acts like The Postal Service into Nerdcore, and the result’s great and almost moving with it’s nostalgic flavor.

Beefy speeds things back up with “Disconnect” where he’s arguably outshined by the guest MCs, but it’s still a catchy track, and he easily delivers some of the biggest laughs of the album on this track. Besides, everyone can relate to such a situation. Speaking of relatable content, it really takes a musician to fully appreciate “Last Minute Gig” but as someone who has basically lived it, it’s funny if not a bit of a bittersweet reminder of why I wanted to get out of music. “Clueless” manages to take another dig at his detractors while managing to serve as a comedy skit and rap interlude. Demonstrating some of his rarely displayed double speed flow and coming with some truly caustic albeit not particular controversial slams on mainstream rap, “Turn Your Radio Off” is some of the rawest Beef since “Diss Missed.”

Back on the accessibility point, “Minimum Wage Slave,” is definitely something the average joe can get, but it’s also the most repetitive track on the disc, though the hook ends up with a surprisingly Stone Temple Pilots-flavor thanks to Shael Riley. “Dork Date” is fun, and an almost too accurate when it comes to the world of dork dating. Beefy closes out the main disc with his last moment of braggadocio with “1337ology” and “Story Time,” where Beefy manages to deliver, well, straight-up rap. It’s rap with the same personal flavor that put Eminem on the top of Billboard, and it’s something almost entirely absent in Nerdcore. If anything, it’s almost a taunt to have this at the end of the album, because almost suggests that the next album could be darker and heavier if he chose to go there, and I personally think that’d be interesting to see.

The CD is filled out with a couple remixes – a pretty cool rock version of “Table Top” by tanner4105, and radio ready and outright sick awesome remix of “Play With Me” by DJ John. Good stuff, and certainly welcome.

In conclusion, it’s not the best showing in the genre (MC Frontalot will have that secured with his upcoming album Final Boss – just heads up on that,) but it’s much better than people want to give him credit for. It brings the flavor that people expect from Beefy – comedy, ego and modesty, while uncovering a much more personal and human side as well. It certainly puts him at the head of the class when it comes to second-gen nerdcore artists, and really, it puts him in the same league as the first gen artists. The disc reaffirms why he gigs with people like Optimus, Front and YT and why producers like Tanner, DJ John and Baddd Spellah work with him: he delivers at that level, and he puts in the work to make sure that shows on the album, regardless of the time it takes and regardless of what his detractors would like to claim.

tl;dr: Beefy’s new CD is 8.5/10 minimum, this is a fact.

Fail: McDonald’s Cafe Mocha. Too much chocolate (and the wrong kind of chocolate at that,) and not nearly enough coffee. Plus, the cost wasn’t particularly lower than the Starbucks down the street, so it’s not even a decent value buy. In fact, the Mochas from the nearby Costco are vastly superior, and they are only a buck.

Oh, and this:

So far it’s on schedule.

Meanwhile, during my journeys today, I also happened upon a new beverage… or did I?

You see, a billion years ago (or rather 5 years ago,) back when I fashioned myself as a young Matt Caracappa, I took it upon myself to review Pepsi Blue, back when my website was similarly colored to this outfit. Needless to say, between laziness and shame, I’ve never bothered reupload that version of the site archive and its associated content, even as an archive (even though it’d be very simple to do.) The short of the review was, I really disliked it, just like the majority of the internet did at the time. What does this have to do with the here and now?

Turns out that Pepsi has come out with a special tropical version for summer. Now, one would think this would be a very, very different beast to Pepsi Blue, starting with the fact that it’s at least Cola-colored. However, it smells like Pepsi Blue. I mean, exactly the same. Disgustingly so even. But how does it taste….

It tastes sorta like Pepsi Blue. Not quite the same – there is a little citrus tinge that makes it relatively palette-able, and it lacks the nausea-inducing after-taste. Oh, there is still quite an after-taste, but it’s not gross or particularly annoying. However, much like with Pepsi Blue, it’s absolutely intolerable warm, and it tastes a lot more like Pepsi Blue at that point too. I’m talking almost exactly the same, unfortunately, even down to the after-taste. As such, I personally think Pepsi Blue fans are probably better served by the Vault Red Blitz, as its berry taste is exactly like Pepsi Blue, while lacking that gross cola-berry after-taste, even when warm.

Unless you like that sort of thing, in which case, good on ya. You have a stronger stomach than I. ^_^

All in all, I’d say Wii Play is like 7.7/10 (and not a review magazine/website 7.7, but a real, “this game is a C+” 7.7.) as it could be a bit user friendly or at least a bit more instantly gratifying, but it’s worth picking up if you have the console and you have friends. I hope more of these party games have online play in the future as well. That’d be a blast.

Now, on the way over to my friends’ apartment, we stopped by a 7-11, and what should have there but Hyphy Juice. For those of you not in the know, Hyphy is a sub-genre of rap from the Bay Area that popularized the concept and term “Ghost Riding the Whip.” As I enjoy Hyphy, atleast from a production/music perspective (the lyrics are pretty much about partying and getting Hyphy, which is cool and all, but necessarily notable except for things like Mistah Fab’s ingenious “Ghost Ride It”,) I was compelled to buy Hyphy Juice, and much to my surprise, it tastes pretty good. It’s like Grape and Apple Jolly Ranchers, with no gross energy drink taste or after-taste. A little over sweetened maybe, but still very good. If I drank energy drinks regularly, Hyphy Juice would be my weapon of choice.

But really, it’s an excellent show – like I said, maybe even my new number 1. I mean, the series is loaded with visual cheats, and I can break down the direction easily at points, but yet, I could still get lost in it, I could still be swept up in it. Only a handful of series can grab me so entirely that I can ignore, nay, embrace it’s flaws and formulas. Honey & Clover joins that club. All of it. There are prettier series, their are more directly metaphysical and intellectual series, but ultimately Honey & Clover does what a great show should do first and foremost – it connects with you. Or atleast it connected with me, and deeply. Maybe I won’t say that when I’m 30 or 40 or whatever, maybe it’s just tapping a different issue than earlier top favorites of mine did, but I know that either way I hope some one licences this so I can buy it. I haven’t wanted to buy a series this bad for a while.

Nursehella – Nursehellamentary – Absolutely off the hook. With lines like “I’m super evil dead / so won’t you hail to the queen,” combined with her ODB meets Mia delivery and Baddd Spellah’s intensionally raw but excellent production, and it’s got indie radio classic written all over it. It just explodes with personality, and it’s one heck of a track to step on the scene with.

Beefy – Tub of Tabasco – Easily the best rapper in all of Pasco. On a more serious note, he leveled up his game yet again, and the result is just awesome. Funny, energetic and generally great in a party rap way, though there is certainly plenty of wit in their as well.

Monzy – Kill Dash Nine – If you get the reference in the title, you’re already pretty darn nerdy, and after the smart alek 50 cent reference at the very opening of the song (“G STUDENT”,) from there it’s a non-stop barrage of computer references, all in the context of furthering the CS geeksta feud between Monzy and MC Plus+, and with lines like “You thought the seven-layer model /referred to a burrito,” I think there will continue to be “drama in the Ph.D.”

Lil Nix – Off the Markov – Speaking of Comp Sci feuds, Lil Nix swoops in and makes her own claim to be the best Comp Sci mc. The production is a bit plain, but her delightfully jazzy and ambient flow combined with lines like “Homeboy couldn’t program a TI-82,” and “I dream in assembly” result in pretty cool little track.

MC Frontalot vs. Baddd Spellah – Nerdcore Hip Hop 2006 – Absolutely sick. The word “crunk” even applies here – I’m almost expecting Lil Jon to pop out at any minute and be like “NEEEEEEERDCOOOOOOOOORE.” Baddd Spellah just recontextualizes the song excellently, and the additional elements recorded for this new mix are awesome (“In the dos double O six! Uhhh, that’s what year it is, currently.”)

Shael Riley feat Beefy – Miss Information – Filthy, smart alek and insane, but the flows are excellent and the misinformation on various nerdcore mcs is witty and sharp (their jab at me “What’s the problem my son? It seems that you met my friend Ultraklystron! He’s a werewolf, by gum / and he can’t stand Japanese Animation.” The production is pretty pretty solid too.

Oh yeah, my contribution and Rai’s track are the best. Totally

/yes, I will be doing this for each disc as they are released.
//or not.

Whisper, on the other hand, really connected with me in ways I’m not even sure I can properly describe. The characters in that film, particularly Shizuku and Seiji, resonate really solidly with me. I can completely understand the mindset that drives them, that holds them back, that gives pause to doubt themselves, that makes cry and that makes them smile. This is not only as a creative person striving to hone craft like the characters I mentioned, but also as a person who has been through that feeling of having to better oneself for the sake of another. Further still, the musical elements of the film hit me on multiple levels, and the advice Nishi gave to Shizuka hit me in the same way. The overall ability of the film to wordlessly capture both mono no aware (the pathos of things) and the genuine connections that can form between human beings was simply stunning. Unless Only Yesterday manages to ring even more exactingly with me, Whisper of the Heart is probably my favorite Ghibli film ever.

“Country Road, tomorrow, I’ll be the same, you know
I want to go home but I can’t, farewell, Country Road.”
-from the Japanese lyrics of Country Road.

To put it another way, I’m really really looking forward to the next episode, and I already wish it was licenced so I could look forward to DVDs with high-rez video. Haven’t had that feeling since… well, Beck.

PS: My thoughts on the Boondocks here.

-Someday’s Dreamers Vol.1 – Still agree with this review.
-Astro Boy – I retract my positive review of this since they didn’t release an uncut or even fully air the show.
-Harvey Birdman – SPF – Still agree with this review.
-Grrl Power – Still agree with this review.
-Gravitation Vol.1 – Still agree with this review, and I love the tagline for it to this day.
-Koge Donbo Interview – Ok, this is actually an interview, but I figure I’d include it anyway.
-Kino’s Journey AniMini – Still agree with this review.
-Brandy and Mr. Whiskers – Still agree with this review.
-Sentimental Journey Complete Series – Still agree with this review.
-Gravitation Vol 2. and 3 – Still agree with this review.
-Drawn Together – I can’t believe it got renewed.
-Cyberteam in Akihabara vol.1 – Still agree with this review. I mean, DOS Burger. That’s just awesome.
-HiHiPuffyAmiYumi Pilot – Still agree with this review, but the show never went anywhere, so ultimately, I kinda retract. I mean, even the show itself metareferenced the fact they never do rock star stuff.
-DNAngel Vol.1 – Still agree with this review.
-Stellvia Foundation I – Still agree with this review.
-Gantz Screener – Still agree with this review.
-Fighting Spirit vol.2 – After falling asleep during volume 3, maybe I was too nice. It really only works if you like boxing.
-Stellvia Foundation I – Still agree with this review.
-Petite Princess Yucie vol.1 – Still agree. Someday I’m gonna have to buy the rest of it.
-Cromartie High School Screener – Still agree. I really enjoy the finalized disc too.
-Spiral vol.1 and 2 – Still agree. I hope Funimation sends the rest, though push comes to shove, I’ll buy it.
-Stellvia Foundation II – Still agree with this review.
-Madlax Subtitled Screener – No, it’s worse than I thought cause another two episodes didn’t help it.
-Koi Kaze vol.1 – Still agree with this review.
-Clone Wars Screener – Still agree with this review.
-Stellvia Foundation III – Still agree with this review.
-Princess Tutu vol.1 – Still agree with this review, and I hope that ADV sticks with it.
-Tsukihime Complete Series – Still agree with this review.
-E’s Otherwise vol.1 – Still agree with this review.
-Travis Willingham Interview – Another interview, but that was fun stuff.
-Elfen Lied Screener – Still agree with this review.
-Madlax vol.1 – This is why I don’t agree with my prior review: it doesn’t improve.
-Gunslinger Girl vol.1 – Still agree with this review. 1000%.
-Juniper Lee Screener – Still agree with this review, though half way into the season, I’m still wishing they’d farther.
-Ultramaniac vol.1 – Still agree with this review.

New:
-Kyo Kara Maoh vol.1 – Still agree cause it’s so new. We’ll see whether later volumes hold up.