Don't You Know Blackmail Is Waaaaay Uncool?
25 December 2007
Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas! Or is that Happy Christmas? I'm not so sure any more. I always thought it was 'Merry' since it's 'Happy New Year' but all I've heard this year is 'Happy Christmas' from everyone. It's probably another casualty of Political Correctness gone mad. In any case, it's not been a bad Christmas Day this year. I spent a lot of it at home watching TV, the best way. 'Finding Nemo' and 'Shrek 2' were on this afternoon, and then we had 'Doctor Who' on in the evening. Right now I'm chilling out playing Shenmue. I've timed it so that it's also Christmas Day in the game as well. It was a white Christmas in Yokosuka. Shame it didn't snow in real life though, it never seems to these days. In fact it's actually quite warm today. Must be that pesky global warming we keep hearing about. I should move to Finland, I'd get lots of snow then. Christmas Eve was pretty good too. I watched all three 'Bourne' films in one sitting; a total of just under six hours. I'd always wanted to watch these films, they're the type of action I like. They didn't disappoint. I think 'Bourne Supremacy' is my favourite. It has a nice balance of action and story with some great stunts. 'Identity' had a nice, low budget action-espionage feel about it while 'Ultimatum' was a political thriller with a very similar story to the 'Hitman' series. I've heard people complaining about the shaky camera work but I didn't really notice it. It's more common theses days to use hand-held cameras. I think it gives the film a more gritty, real life feel about it. People just need to get better hand-eye coordination! They're superb films, nuff said. Innit!
With the passing of Christmas it's almost the end of 2007. I'm looking forward to the new year. There's the New Year episode of Haromoni@, which looks really funny from what I've seen from the preview, the new Horie Yui album at the end of January, loads of new dramas, and of course, university in September. There's also the Olympics in China, Euro 2008 in Switzerland/Austria and it's also a leap year so we'll see 29th February again. It's going to be a good one, I can feel it in my bones. I've got to start thinking about some resolutions soon. I've managed to fulfil one of them this year. Onwards and upwards I say!
Posted byHocchan at 10:31 pm 5 comments
And Thus, The Saga...Begins.
21 December 2007
Every year around this time I get the urge to play a certain game. That game is probably the most famous RPG released for the Sega Dreamcast. If you've never heard of Shenmue then shame on you! It was the most creative game of it's kind when it was released (on my birthday no less, the sequel too) and brought forth a plethora of new and exciting ideas. But it didn't forget to include a compelling plot that had you hooked from start to finish. The only regrettable thing is that they never actually finished the story. Suzuki Yu (producer) had planned to make it into a multi-chapter story spanning several games. Unfortunately, due to the poor sales of both the sequel and the Dreamcast, they never released any other parts. This travesty is on the same scale as the Shining Force III series in the UK. I'm still praying for Sega to come to their senses and let Suzuki make one last game to finish the story off. It's not looking very likely at the moment, but there's always hope. After all, they brought back NiGHTs after a decade so it's not an impossibility. Hope was raised when the released the games on the XBOX a few years ago but alas, more poor sales meant Shenmue III was a no go. There were even plans for an online game but I'm not sure what's happened to that. Only time will tell if we'll ever see the final chapter of Ryo's adventures...
In spite of all this, I'm still having a lot of fun playing through the games again. Yes, the controls do feel very clunky and yes, the English dubbing is horrible (seriously, who wrote the translation and hired the actors?!) but it's still one hell of an experience. The sheer amount of freedom you have is amazing. You don't even have to progress the main story at all if you don't feel like it. You could visit the arcades and play Hang On all day, and spend all your allowance on toys if you really wanted. But to do so would deny the joy of tracking down the villain, Lan Di, and avenging your father. The best thing to do is take your time and play some of the mini-games available. Then, when you've grown slightly bored of playing Darts for the 1,289th time, go talk to some town folk (though they tend to be a bit gormless) and continue the plot. It's brilliant. I couldn't recommend it more, if only for the amazing quotes like this one:
"Huh!? Shut the hell up! Who in the hell are you, eh? If you don't shut the hell up, I'll make you wish you had".
Shakespeare eat your heart out.
Posted byHocchan at 3:25 am 0 comments
Mata Au Hi Made, Saraba
19 December 2007
Congratulations! 2007 will go down as one of the worse years of my life. Hope you're happy with yourself, whoever the crap decided to make my life hell. Pretty much anything that can go wrong has gone wrong, and done it with a vengeance. That includes this piece of shit wireless connection I have right now. It's been pissing me off for the past few days by constantly dropping my signal. It's doing it right now as a matter of fact. Sometimes it'll refuse to connect to the router for hours. It's really made my blood boil. I don't know if it's a problem with the network card or the router. At the next available opportunity I'm going back to a wired Ethernet connection because, quite frankly, wireless connections are total and utter bullshit. Screw radio waves! Give me my copper wires back, you bastards.
As of a few minutes ago I also decided to leave Guardians Reborn for awhile. I've left several times before so it probably won't be a permanent departure but I can't rule it out. It's partly to do with the whole situation with one of the members that arose weeks ago. I don't really want to deal with it right now so I'm going to run away from the problem like I always do. I've gone back to Kuroneko Doumei for the time being. Shame things had to come to this but I just don't want to be around them anymore.
Sigh... another depressing post. Only 12 days until 2008 at least. I can't wait to get this goddamn year over with...
Posted byHocchan at 1:27 am 8 comments
Lovely New Desktop
17 December 2007
Posted byHocchan at 1:08 am 0 comments
23-sai Ni Narimashita!
15 December 2007
(^_^)/ Greetings from the latest year in my life. This is the first blog entry since I turned 23 years old. Hurrah!... I think. To be honest birthdays haven't really been a big deal for me in most of my life. It's mainly just another day in the year. I'm simply another year closer to the horrible end. Perhaps that's quite a morbid way of looking at it. But there'll be many more birthdays to come (touch wood) so it's not too big a deal. When I do finally come to celebrate on properly, I'm going to make sure it's worth celebrating. Right now, I don't really feel like that... But no matter! It's now only 10 days until the day they call Christmas. I'm quickly running out of time to finish my play list. Salvation has come in the form of a Christmas song collection that I downloaded via torrent. All I have to do now is go through them and pick the best songs. There are quite a few of them in there so I've got a lot of listening to do in the next few nights. It's a joy to hear all the festive tunes. I'm even looking forward to the annual Christmas shopping bonanza. It'll be cold, it'll be packed, but damn, it'll be some fun! "Bah! Humbug"? I don't think so. More like, "Bah! Shut your face Scrooge!"
Not much else to write for this post so I'll leave you with some fun facts about the number 23:
- 23 is the ninth prime number, the smallest prime which is not a twin prime;
- There are 23 letters in the Latin alphabet;
- William Shakespeare was born and died on 23rd April;
- It takes 23 seconds for blood to circulate through the human body;
- Roman Emperor Julius Caesar was stabbed 23 times;
- 23 is the atomic number of Vanadium;
- And finally, 23 is how old I am!
Posted byHocchan at 4:57 pm 2 comments
Kurisumasu Nante Daikirai!! Nanchatte
14 December 2007
Hmm... perhaps I was lying when I said that I didn't enjoy winter anymore. I'm getting into the festive spirit a little more now it's closer to the big day. I still have other things on my mind which detracts a little from the enjoyment factor but hopefully they won't spoil it too much. In order to enhance the experience this year, I'm borrowing a friend's idea of creating a Christmas play list, only with a twist. It's going to be composed of entirely Japanese tracks rather than the traditional English pop affair. I've been having fun hunting down songs to put on this custom album. I'm not sure how many songs I'm going to limit it to but so far I have six definite tracks. It's a bit of a race against time at the moment but I think it'll become a lot easier after this torrent has finished downloading. It's not that there aren't plenty of Japanese songs released at this time of the year, it's that half of them don't really 'feel' like winter songs. I like to hear lots of bells and twinkly sound effects in my Christmas song, cheesy as they are. I don't want some damn Mariah Carey or R'n'B crap ruining everything. So I've kept it quite traditional in regards to the overall feel. One thing's for sure, if this play list doesn't put me in the mood for Christmas then nothing will!
One thing I saw recently was a programme done by Horikita Maki for Japanese TV. In it she did a 200KM bicycle tour of Europe going through Switzerland, Germany and France. It looked a lot of fun and she met some really cool people along the way. There were some brilliant sights and nice places that she visited along the way. It kind of reminded me of 'Long Way Round' but a much shorter version, bit like 'Mini Way Round'. The programme got me thinking. I wouldn't mind doing something similar sometime next year when it gets a bit warmer. I'm not sure how I'd cope with the language barrier (I've forgotten all the two years of French that I've learned) but I wouldn't think it'd be too big a problem. It's something I'll think about in the coming months.
Posted byHocchan at 1:15 pm 0 comments
This Will Be An Angry Post: The Revenge
11 December 2007
I guess the title is a little misleading. I'm not so much angry (actually I am, it's just bubbling below the surface) but rather despondent. It's all about that KSNM incident again on FFXI. It was weeks ago but I still haven't been able to let it go. It's been getting on my nerves every time I log into the game. No one seems to give a damn about how I'm feeling lately. I haven't been able to talk properly to anyone since then. I've been reduced to some rather one-sided conversations with a friend who's listened to my grievances. I feel sorry for him. It can't be much fun talking to someone who's as enthusiastic as a mouldy sponge. I'm beginning to develop a grudge against someone who used to be a friend. This incident has messed that relationship up though. I no longer feel that I can talk freely to them again. I haven't got the guts to confront them about it because it'll probably end up with an argument where I'll be made to feel it's all my own fault. The whole thing makes me wonder if I really made the right choice to leave my end game linkshell. Not sure if I wrote about that on here but I was basically asked to choose between linkshells. I made the choice to stick with Guardians Reborn rather than ditch it in the pursuit of items. Now I'm coming to regret my decision...
Posted byHocchan at 3:27 pm 2 comments
Mugon Iroppoi
08 December 2007
I used to really love Winter. There were many great memories of previous Winters where I enjoyed myself a lot. I loved the way it got dark really early and how the lights would all be lit up as people did their shopping in the town centre. I loved the fact that both Shenmue games were released on my birthday and I spent so much of December playing it. I loved all the festive films that were shown on television. But those things are so far away now. Recently, all that Winter reminds me of is misery and despair. It all feels very different from years ago. Now I long for Spring to arrive as quickly as possible, and then for Summer to swiftly follow. The joyous sunshine, the warmth of a Summer day. It's fair to say that I've now switched my season of preference. I also wish September would roll round quicker. I'm eager to start university and get my life out of this pit of misery. All I can do for now is to endure it and hope for the best. I guess it's up to me to make the best of things in the current situation. I just don't know if I've got the ability or willpower to do so. I'll try my best...
I've started watching 'Nodame Cantabile' again recently whilst I wait for new episodes of 'Galileo' and 'Mop Girl'. I should never have dropped this series. It gets really good after only a few episodes. The plot is really funny and the cast works really well together. It's filled with lots of classical music which I've always admired but never really delved into. Just from watching this my knowledge and appreciation of classical music has increased tenfold. There's something about an orchestral piece that touches your soul. It's going to be a great series to watch.
Posted byHocchan at 7:27 pm 0 comments
Always San-Choume No Yuuhi
05 December 2007
Wow... just wow, is all I can say. Spent the last two hours watching 'Always San-Choume No Yuuhi'. If ever something could be called truly beautiful then this film would surely be it. You would have to have a heart of stone and the darkest of souls to not be moved by the storyline. The ending in particular is perhaps the purest and most magnificent closing to a film I've ever seen. The framing is so perfect and the colours just fit so well. A truly exquisite piece of film making. The story centres around a small neighbourhood in post-war Tokyo. In the background there is the construction of Tokyo Tower which symbolises the hopes of the people for a brighter future. During this time there is an influx of people from all parts of the country hoping to find a better life in Tokyo. Amongst them is Hoshino Mutsuko (played by Horikita Maki) who comes to serve as an apprentice at Suzuki Auto. Things aren't quite as grand as she'd hope though, as she discovers that Suzuki Auto is simply a small auto repair shop as opposed to a large automotive company. However, after a massive argument over a small misunderstanding, she begins to enjoy her time at Suzuki Auto. She soon becomes part of the family and experiences all the new delights of the era, such as a black-and-white television and refrigerator. This is probably my favourite story arc within the film (I'm a bit biased though /laugh).
Also within the story is the amateur novelist, Chagawa Ryunosuke, who gets coerced into looking after a young boy whose mother has abandoned him. At first their relationship is strained but after finding out the boy idolises the stories he writes, Ryunosuke slowly grows to like him, even treating him like his own son eventually. There's also the doctor who is regarded as a demon by all who are on the receiving end of one of his injections, but is in fact a kind and caring person who lost a lot during the war. All the minor characters contribute to the feeling of a community trying its best to rebuild. The feeling of nostalgia throughout is strong and makes you yearn for years gone by. There are many light-hearted moments throughout that prevent the film from ever being too heavy and dark. Though that's not to say there aren't some moments that'll have you reaching for the tissues to dry your eyes with. It's certainly very sad in places. By the end, however, it all works out for the best - just how happy endings are meant to be.
I would urge anyone and everyone to watch this film. Nostalgia always makes you feel as though everything was better back then, but I do believe that we could learn a thing or two from the people who lived in those times. I also believe there's a sequel to the film which was released in November. I'm going to have to try and get a hold of it. It would bring me great pleasure to be reunited with the residents of San-Choume once again.
Posted byHocchan at 6:06 am 0 comments
This Will Be An Angry Post: Part II
03 December 2007
This has been driving me insane for the whole of Saturday night and most of Sunday. I was absolutely livid at the time, now I'm not quite so angry but I'm still fairly pissed off about it. The whole thing started on Saturday when there was a KSNM run organised by a friend of the linkshell. This had been announced days prior and I'd specifically asked if there were any restrictions on orbs you could bring. I know some groups only do certain ones. The answer I got was, no there wouldn't be any restrictions, you can bring whatever orb you like. Great, I thought, I'll go get a Clotho orb. I've tried Lachesis in the past and it always gets me rubbish drop items. Clotho tends to have a more consistent treasure drop rate. I traded my 30 Kindred Seals to the NPC and got my Clotho orb. I was ready for the KSNM. Then at 1 hour before the run, it's suddenly decided that the Clotho orb KSNM would be too risky. I couldn't use this job or that job. No, in fact, here's a better idea; we'll not do that run at all! I mentioned I'd already gotten a Clotho orb but nothing, no reaction. Nooooooooo. It's too dangerous with four Black Mages... Despite the fact that I've done this KSNM with other groups of four Black Mages and even gone as Samurai. There have never ever been any problems. It shouldn't be any problem for a group of competent players. But no, I wasn't allowed. So I'd wasted my 30 seals on an orb I couldn't use or exchange. Great. Fantastic.
But here's the best bit. I logged off for awhile, not wanting to sit around hearing what great drops everyone was getting on their other orbs while I sat there like a prat. When I came back, my friend mentioned he'd got some great items from the KSNM. I asked what orb he used. Guess what? CLOTHO! The same pissing orb that I'd been told I wasn't going to be able to use. What the fuck is that all about? They were intentionally trying to exclude me from the group? What the hell is the problem? I'm not important enough for them? I'm not allowed to make any money for myself? WHAT?! I feel betrayed. Most of all I feel really, really goddamn ANGRY!!
Posted byHocchan at 7:03 am 0 comments
Joukyou Monogatari
02 December 2007
Osu. Had another lazy month in November. A grand total of three posts! Don't think I'll be breaking any records with that pitiful effort... But no matter! December is a new month. Plenty of time to get this blog back on track before the year ends. It's really flown by quite fast. I'll probably do a proper end of year review in a January post but for now I think 2007 has been a turbulent year, that's for sure. November wasn't bad though. Despite a total mess up by GAME in delivering my copy of 'Wings of the Goddess' it's been quite a fun month. I spent a lot of the latter half playing the new expansion. I've been levelling Dancer a lot and I'm currently up to level 37. I'm having a lot of fun with the job. It's everything I was expecting and a lot more besides. There's a lot of depth to the job and it's very adaptable in a variety of different situations. Everyday I discover something new to Dancer that makes me even more impressed with it. I'm hoping they'll release the Artefact armour for it soon. I can't wait to see my character wearing that. The rest of the expansion is a lot of fun despite there being a slight lack of overall content. The campaign mode is good for casual play and it doesn't require massive amounts of time to achieve things. I'm sure it'll get a lot better as the game is updates in the coming months.
Also in November I started to watch a couple of new dramas. The first is 'Mop Girl' starring Kitagawa Keiko as Hasegawa Momoko. Also in it is Tanihara Shosuke from 'Deru Toko Demasho'. The drama is about Momoko who has special powers which enable her to go back and change the past by touching the belongings of a deceased person. This is made all the easier by the fact that she gets transferred to the funeral services department of her company. It's a very unbelievable plot but it doesn't matter as this is primarily a humorous drama. I especially like Tanihara Shosuke's acting. He has a brilliant comic timing which works well with the script. I'm only up to the second episode so far but I can't wait for the rest to be subbed.
The second new drama is 'Galileo'. This one is a more serious affair but it doesn't mean there aren't plenty of funny moments in it. It stars Shibasaki Kou of 'Battle Royale' fame, and Fukuyama Masaharu, who is apparently an extremely popular singer songwriter. The plot is about Kou's character, Utsumi Kaoru, who's a young rookie detective that enlists the help of a genius professor to solve various intriguing crimes. It's a bit like CSI in a way, but not quite so serious. The cases in each episode are very cleverly worked out by the professor and I've enjoyed watching as clues are uncovered. This is probably -the- drama to be watching this season and it's not hard to see why. It has some major stars as guest actors in each episode and has attracted large viewing figures. Definitely a drama you don't want to miss.
I think that's about it for this update. Just have time to say a Happy Birthday to my friend Tamara. O-tanjoubi Omedetou!Posted byHocchan at 10:40 am 0 comments
This Will Be An Angry Post
22 November 2007
VERY ANGRY!! Grrrrrrr!! The reason for my rage? It's all down to a certain company that sells computer games. Most people in the UK would know them as 'GAME Stores Group' but I like to refer to them as the 'Stupid Piece Of Crap Company That Loves To Screw You Over At Any And Every Opportunity Group'. Here's what happened. The new FFXI expansion pack 'Wings of the Goddess' was due for released today, 22nd November. I had pre-ordered it from Play.com since the beginning of this month. I had received the previous expansion late so I didn't want to repeat the same mistake again with this one. Last week, whilst browsing the forums, I noticed that someone had said GAME were selling the expansion for cheaper than Play.com. I went to check it out and indeed they were. It even said that they'd dispatch it to arrive in time for the release date. I cancelled my order with Play.com and pre-ordered it from GAME instead. Everything was going well. With one day before release they began to process my order at 9AM. Debit card was authorised and it was sent for packing at 10AM. Then... nothing. Absolutely sod all happened for the rest of that day. They could have easily packed it up and sent it by 5PM that day. At least if they weren't such incompetent morons that is. The expansion content went live at 3AM this morning and I have not been able to play it.
I received an e-mail this morning informing me that they'd now despatched my game to me. FAT LOT OF GODDAMN USE DISPATCHING IT NOW ISN'T IT, YOU BASTARDS! I've had to sit here for a whole day while everyone is enjoying the new content. All thanks to the gits at GAME who sat on their arses, picking their piece of crap noses instead of despatching my game. A game I'd PRE-ORDERED several days prior to release. What the hell was the point of me doing that if you're not going to send the facking thing?! "Dispatched in time for deliver on day on release"? That's the biggest crock of stinking bullcrap I've ever heard. Gah!! This is the final straw. I've been screwed over by GAME so many times in the past. I'm never trusting those stupid arseholes ever again. They can all go commit mass suicide for all I care. SCREW THE LOT OF YOU!! No wait, scratch that. Screw the lot of you to hell!!
Posted byHocchan at 7:57 pm 1 comments
Tsukiatte Iru No Ni Kataomoi
10 November 2007
Breaking news! Much as I hate to use this frightfully horrid expression; ZOMG!!! I've only been and offered a place at university! It's an unconditional offer which means that as long as I can prove my qualifications, I've got a place on the course. It's the course I was most hoping for too. Four year Asia Pacific Studies at University of Central Lancashire. I'll be specialising in Japanese (obviously) and get to spend a year in Japan on my third year of the course. I'm so happy right now. I never expected them to just give me a place like that without an interview. My grades were a little short of what was required on the prospectus so I didn't expect it to be an easy course to get into. This really gives me a confidence boost. I feel like I'm actually worth something now. I can finally get my life on track and make my existence on this planet useful. Touch wood, there'll be no problems and I'll be in university next September. I can't believe it. This is too good to be true. Oh please, God, please let this be real. I just couldn't stand it if my dreams were quashed after this. I'M GOING TO UNI! YATTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Posted byHocchan at 6:11 pm 1 comments
Long Way Down
09 November 2007
So many things to report but I've been too busy/lazy to update lately. I'm not really sure where to start. Well, I'll go with the biggest piece of news and work down. And what a piece of news this is! My prayers have finally been answered. Horie Yui will be releasing her 6th solo album next year! Hurrah! It's been a long time coming but on 30th January 2008 the album entitled 'Darling' will be released. It will feature her four latest singles (Hikari, Days, Say Cheese! and Koisuru Tenkizu) along with ten brand new songs. I'm wondering what the style of the album is going to be like. If the new songs are anything like the singles then it'll be very different from the previous albums. They may put some sample tracks on the website closer to release date and I'll be able to get a taster of it. This really has been the best piece of news this year. I was grinning from ear-to-ear when I read the announcement on the website. I was probably too worried to admit it but I was beginning to think we wouldn't see another solo album from Yui ever again. But thankfully this wasn't the case. Thank you Starchild. Thank you Yui. Thank you God! Screw you 2007, bring on 2008 now.
But wait! 2007 isn't going to be all bad. Because on 22nd November we're going to get the 4th expansion pack to Final Fantasy XI and it's looking like it'll be the best one yet. So far there have been two new jobs announced - Dancer and Scholar. They both look really interesting but the one I'm really excited about is Dancer. The AF looks absolutely brilliant and the new dance animations are a joy to behold. Not to mention the new play style that's completely different to any job in FFXI so far. It's just over a week away now and I'm preparing myself for a massive FFXI binge when it arrives. All the new areas to explore, new missions, new quests, new battles. It's going to be soooooo good.
Posted byHocchan at 5:37 pm 0 comments
Mikan
31 October 2007
WoOoOoOoOoh! It's a scary ghost... GIVE ME A BREAK! That's right, the most loathsome event of the year is here once again. I really cannot stand Halloween. It wouldn't be so bad if it was firmly rooted in its pagan origins, but it's nothing like that now. It's become so overly commercialised (mainly due to the Americanisation of it) that it just stinks of tackiness. Every year it gets worse. Pumpkins, scary masks, fake blood and, God forbid, Trick or Treaters... It's all very tiresome. I know some people like it (I have no idea why) but it's really not for me. I rather prefer the fireworks in November. They're a lot more enjoyable than Halloween. I just can't wait until today is over. Then I'll be another 364 days until the next one /laugh. Still, kind of hard to believe it's November tomorrow. Didn't seem so long ago that the year had started with several Hello Project upsets. I remember thinking, it's so long until the end of the year, I wonder if we can get through it without too many incidents. Unfortunately, it hasn't happened. A few days ago it was announced that Gotou Maki (the third generation member who really boosted Morning Musume into the hearts of Japan) would be leaving Hello Project completely. It's another blow to the fans. Maki was a very likeable person and possibly one of the most famous members of the group. After she left Morning Musume she hasn't quite had the solo career she deserved though. I hope this new start will signal a new, more successful era for her.
I recently had a chance listen to the new Morning Musume single due to be released soon. It's called 'Mikan' and I quite like it. Once again the tempo is fairly high and it's got an anime theme song feel about it. I'll admit I wasn't that keen on it at first (unlike the previous single) but it's growing on me the more I listen to it. It remains to be seen whether it'll be as successful as the previous singles but I'm hopeful it'll do well in the charts.
Posted byHocchan at 3:32 pm 0 comments
Arienee Ttsuuno!
27 October 2007
Before we begin, the title may look a bit odd but I didn't just mash the keys and hope for the best. It is Japanese for 'that's unbelievable/impossible!' or something along those lines. It's a line from 'Hana Yori Dango' which the main character says a lot when she's shocked or angry. It's kind of addictive to say so I've picked it up and started to use it. Arienee ttsuuno! Speaking of 'Hana Yori Dango', I finished watching the first season and I'm now a few episodes into the second. I'm not too keen on the new season so far. It lacks some of that magic from the first one. I was surprised to see a cameo appearance by Ikuta Toma (from 'Hanazakari') in the 2-hour first episode. He didn't play such a nice guy though this time. The make up artists also made him look quite odd, almost kind of creepy. Maybe that's what they were aiming for since his character was like that but I think they over did it. The plot of this season continues straight on from the end of the first and introduces another, rather annoying character to get in the way of Tsukasa and Tsukushi. Tsukasa's mother remains, as ever, an interfering old cow. The whole thing doesn't seem to fit, I don't know why. I think the problem is that it's all been done before in the first season. Maybe it'll get better as it goes on. We shall see how it pans out.
I had a massive levelling session on Final Fantasy XI yesterday. Pretty much played the whole day. I got three different merit parties and clocked up a grand total of over 100,000 limit points. I'm very nearly done capping my Store TP trait on Samurai. Once that's done I think I'll get a few other bits and pieces done before continuing down the STR merit route. It does seem a lot easier to get parties now compared to a few months ago. I even had one party which got up to chain #113 shortly before I had to AFK for a couple of minutes. I could never have dreamed of getting such a good party not long ago but it seems more common now. The new expansion pack is out soon and I'm looking forward to playing the new Dancer job. I've already pre-ordered it from Play.com so all I got to do it wait until 22nd November for it to get released. Can't wait!
Posted byHocchan at 5:01 pm 0 comments
Full Throttle
24 October 2007
Sigh... I've been feeling rather despondent lately. I'm having trouble getting a good night's rest. It's not unusual for me to wake up more tired than when I went to sleep. The fatigue isn't helping my concentration levels either and I find myself constantly forgetting things. I haven't been very helpful to my friend Siraji on FFXI lately due to this and I feel pretty bad about it. I keep apologising and hoping for a chance to make amends but I just end up messing up even more. If only I could just get my act together. Both in the game and in real life. My life has no meaning right now. I'm just aimlessly drifting through it without any real purpose. Even now I haven't got a clue what I want to do as a career. If only I could be one of those people who are so set on their dreams and know exactly what to do to achieve them. Perhaps I'm just too lazy or scared, or both. I've probably written something similar to this in an earlier post but that's no surprise. It's just one of those things that seems to come around every year. I wonder when I can finally put this to rest? I need to stop dithering and sort my life out!
Enough depressing talk. Something that's more preferable to talk about is the return of 'Taihou Shichauzo'. This is an anime that is one of my all time favourite series. It's been years since the second season and film were released so I was shocked to learn that a new series had started earlier this month. I was especially pleased to learn that the original voice actors had returned to voice the characters, in particular Hiramatsu Akiko who plays Kobayakawa Miyuki. She's probably my second favourite voice actress behind Horie Yui. The anime retains that mix of humour, romance and action that made the previous seasons so successful. It's been a long time since I've watched any anime so this is a nice way to return to it. Excellent stuff.
Posted byHocchan at 7:07 pm 1 comments
Namida No Furusato
20 October 2007
Is it just me or has it got really cold in the evenings lately? Feels like autumn has crept up without warning this year. It's already mid-October and soon it'll be the season of pumpkins and fireworks. Usually I look forward to the winter months but this year I wish it wouldn't arrive so quickly. I wish I could have enjoyed the sunshine a bit more. Oh well, since it's so cold outside what better way to warm up than sitting in bed watching lots of great Japanese dramas? I've just started 'Hana Yori Dango', a series I'll always remember for being parodied by Hard Gay (really funny Japanese comedian from a few years ago). I've never quite had the urge to watch it though, don't know why. When I finally watched the first episode though it instantly changed my mind about the series. It's another school drama (I seem to like those a lot /laugh) about a highly prestigious school that's controlled by the 'Flower Four', F4 for short. These are four sons of extremely rich parents who pretty much have the run of the place. If you get on the wrong side of the F4 you are served with a red notice and are instantly bullied by the rest of the school.
Makino Tsukushi hopes to get through her days at the school without incident but that wish is shattered when she goes against the F4 whilst trying to protect a transfer student. She is served a notice and starts to get harassed by every pupil in the school. At first she takes the punishment but finally snaps and punches the leader of the F4 in the dining hall. From then on it's a war against the group and the story of how she slowly changes them. It's a really fun series to watch. Perhaps not as much as 'Hanazakari No Kimitachi E' but it's still quite light hearted. There are quite a few famous young actors in the cast such as Oguri Shun and Matsumoto Jun. It's the first time I've seen Inoue Mao, who plays Tsukushi, in a drama but she does a good job. It's going to be a fun few days while I watch the rest of it.
Posted byHocchan at 5:58 pm 0 comments
Maido Ari
13 October 2007
Despite the determination of Royal Mail workers trying to ruin everyone's lives, I received my Seagate 250GB external hard drive yesterday. It was delivered only one day after it was dispatched from Amazon. Suck on that, you lazy, striking dipsticks! You should be thankful that I'm not the CEO of Royal Mail. You'd be out on your arse, begging on the street faster than you can say 'P45'! Ahem... rant over. It came in a massive box with some futuristic packing material I'd never seen before. There wasn't much in the box, just the drive, a USB cable, a power adapter and a quick set up guide. The hard drive looks pretty cool. It stands vertically like a PS2 and has a nice amber strip that lights up. It's very nice looking. The set up was as simple as you could possible hope for; just plug it in and you're off. Thankfully, it came pre-formatted to NTFS so I didn't have to wait around. I've transferred all my Japanese drama to the new drive and it has eased the strain on my laptop hard drive. It had a whopping 19.73% fragmentation before I moved all the files. Now it's down to less than 1% which is a relief. Now I can download to my heart's content and not have to worry about how much space I have left (for a while anyway). I'll also have a massive store of all my favourite drama series to watch whenever I want. Superb!
Speaking of dramas, I've finished watching 'Kurosagi'. While it was a pretty enjoyable series I wasn't that convinced about the ending. It wasn't that it felt rushed or anything, rather it didn't seem to know what it wanted to do. That's sort of what happened with most of the main story too. They didn't develop the relationship between Tsurara and Kurosaki as much as I would have hoped. Probably thanks in part to Tsurara's 'friend' who suddenly became a stuck up bitch for no reason. From about episode five onwards she began to act like a selfish spoilt brat. It got seriously annoying after awhile. I'm hoping the upcoming 'Kurosagi' film will give a better conclusion to the story. If it doesn't it would be a real shame.
Posted byHocchan at 7:24 pm 3 comments
Daite Senorita
10 October 2007
Started to watch 'Kurosagi' last night after I downloaded the first few episodes. It's about a guy named Kurosaki (played by Yamashita Tomohisa) who is a 'Kurosagi' or a 'Black Swindler'. He goes around hunting other swindlers and brings them down. The reason he does this is because his father was deceived by a swindler six years ago. As a result his father murdered the whole family before committing suicide. Kurosaki survived the incident though and vowed to destroy all swindlers. He does this by buying information off a man called Katsuragi Toshio who himself is a master swindler. Even though Kurosaki is aware of Toshio's involvement in his father's deception he continues to get information off him. In the first episode Kurosaki comes across Yoshikawa Tsurara (played by Horikita Maki), a university student who's studying to become a public prosecutor. Because of her career aspirations she is resolutely against Kurosaki's actions. However, once she begins to learn the details of the incident six years ago she slowly develops an understanding of him. It will be interesting to see how their relationship develops in the future episodes.
This drama is a nice change of pace from the previous ones. It's more of a boys drama in effect. It's all about being a cool, sophisticated con-artist who rids the world of evil tricksters. There is the possible romantic side story between Kurosaki and Tsurara but that hasn't fully developed yet. I do like the disguises that Kurosaki adopts in each episode. Some of the outfits I wouldn't mind having as part of my wardrobe /laugh. The theme song to the series is also unbelievably funky. Sung by Yamashita Tomohisa himself it's goes very nicely with the overall feel of the drama. It reminds me very much of late 80s Hong Kong pop music. I like it a lot. So much so I've made it the title of the post!
Posted byHocchan at 9:13 pm 0 comments
Nobuta Power Chuunyuu!
09 October 2007
I finished watching 'Nobuta Wo Produce' last night. It was quite a bittersweet ending. On the one hand it was nice to finally see Nobuko have the confidence and ability to interact and make friends with people in the school. I was expecting a drastic change to her character throughout the series but in truth very little changed. She's still the same Nobuko we grew to know and love, except now she hasn't closed herself off to the world anymore. It was really great seeing her finally beginning to enjoy her life. On the other hand, however, she no longer has her two first and greatest friends by her side. They really had some great times together, despite the hardships they faced. It's a bit of shame that they won't be together any longer. However, the fact that Nobuko herself suggested Akira go join Shuji just shows how much strength she has now. And that's probably the best result you could get. I really grew to love Nobuko (and not just because Horikita Maki plays her). She's one of my favourite characters from any drama I've watched.
I don't know why I didn't notice how good this drama was for so long. It can be very difficult to watch at times because of the subject matter, but it eases off towards the end. It does have one of those really infuriating characters in it though. The sort of person you wish you could slap seven shades of crap out of them every time you see their face. The type of person you wouldn't help if you saw them being mauled by a pack of wolves in the street. Thankfully, they don't ruin the series much. And it was a great pleasure seeing their plan fail. I would say the only thing wrong with this drama is its length. At only ten episodes long it feels way too short. I don't think there's much scope for a special any time soon. Still, it was highly enjoyable to watch this drama. I'm already downloading my next series - Kurosagi. Even more Horikita Maki goodness. Yatta!
Posted byHocchan at 6:34 am 0 comments
Tokaikko Junjou
07 October 2007
I started watching 'Nobuta Wo Produce' last night. It wasn't what I was expecting. From the description given on the DramaWiki site I thought it would be a light-hearted affair similar to 'Hanazakari No Kimi-tachi E'. While it does still have its comic elements it's very much a serious drama. It centres around an extremely shy and introverted girl called Kotani Nobuko who transfers to a new school. She is immediately picked on and bullied by a group of troublemaking girls due to her appearance and inability to stand up for herself. They play cruel tricks on her such as vandalising her school blazer and pouring water over her in the girls toilets. Her pain doesn't go unnoticed, however, Kiritani Shuji, an extremely popular guy, and Kusano Akira, a strange individual who considers Shuji a friend (the feeling isn't mutual though), feel sympathy for her. They decide to help her out by changing her image in order to make her more popular within the school. They become her 'producers' and set about trying to make Nobuko's life easier.
The cast is very good, with very few people looking like they're overacting. Yamashita Tomohisa (who played the lead in 'Proposal Daisakusen') comes across as very odd at first. His character looks like he's constantly drunk. You do see another more composed side to him at times though. I'm quite astounded by how well Horikita Maki plays the shy Nobuko. It's a massive change to her previous characters. In actual fact she won an award for the best supporting actress in the 47th Television Drama Academy Awards. I'm quite eager to see her transformation into a more confident and outgoing individual as the series progresses. You can already see some change from just the first few episodes. It will be interesting to watch.
As I said earlier, this drama is a lot more serious than I first thought. The bullying scenes can be quite hard to watch. You know it's all faked but I'm sure there have been similar cruel acts carried out in schools across the world. Whilst I was never seriously bullied in school, I do know how horrible and lonely it can feel. There are also some very thought provoking moments in the episodes that question what's really important in life. There seems to be a very dark side to this drama in places. An interesting point is that Shuji appears to be narrating the story from a time in the future. So all the current episodes have been in the past. He seems to speak of some troubling times ahead. I'm wondering what they could be and why they are so serious. Only time will tell. I'm eagerly awaiting the rest of the series.
Posted byHocchan at 10:08 pm 0 comments
Reset
06 October 2007
Okami on the PlayStation 2 will surely go down in history as one of the major classics on the machine. Up there with the likes of Panzer Dragoon and Shining Force for the Sega Saturn, Shenmue for the Dreamcast, and Super Mario World for the SNES. It's a brilliantly conceived game that enthrals all who play it. Taking control of the legendary wolf, Amaterasu, you must rescue ancient Japan from the clutches of an evil power threatening to destroy the world. It's packed full of references to Japanese folklore and will have you in awe at the style of its presentation. The beautiful watercolour graphics are a sight to behold. There isn't a single thing in this game that doesn't look stunning. Then you have its unique Celestial Brush game play. Using your analogue sticks you must draw various patterns on the screen in order to solve puzzles and fight enemies. It's a touch of genius. Add to all this its excellent soundtrack, full of soothing oriental instruments and arrangements, and you have one of the most magnificent games ever released. It's just such a shame that so few people experienced its splendour. Sales of Okami were well below what the game deserved. Even more tragic is that the studio that developed the game, Clover Studios (a subsidiary of Capcom), was closed shortly after the game's release. That this game didn't achieve worldwide recognition is blasphemy. So do yourself a favour, buy a copy of Okami and prepare to have your mind well and truly blown. The gods will thank you for it.
Posted byHocchan at 9:40 pm 0 comments
Deru Toko Demasho!
05 October 2007
Time for a new look to my Windows XP desktop. I changed the wallpaper, the XP theme and Firefox's theme. Since we're coming up to the winter months I thought a moody black and orange would suit the season very well. Well, the actual reason for the change came about because I've been having some problems with the XP theme after I dismantled my laptop. It would regularly develop a fault and revert back to the absolutely horrid looking Windows Classic theme for no apparent reason. I haven't been able to find the source of the problem. I've scanned for viruses, spyware, adware, defragmented my hard disk and cleaned up my registry but it's still doing it. It does appear to be doing it less now though. Perhaps it'll fix itself in time. Won't stop me from enjoying my new look. Horikita Maki has taken over from Horie Yui as desktop wallpaper for the time being. I think this particular picture of her suits the theme very well. But I'm sure it won't be long before Yui comes back!
Thankfully, D-Addicts came back on-line last night and I was able to download 'Deru Toko Demasho!'. It's about a girl called Kamei Shizuka (Horikita Maki) whose father has run away, leaving the family with 6.3 billion Yen worth of debt. The debt collectors start harassing the family for their money and as a result Shizuka has to drop out of school. Fortunately, a lawyer by the name of Nonaka Hiromu comes to the family's aid. He completes bankruptcy proceedings for Shizuka's father and clears the family's debt completely. Unfortunately this still leaves the family short of money so Shizuka ends up trying to get a part time job. After many failed jobs she begs Nonaka for a job in his office. He accepts, on one condition: she must always wear a school uniform (in particular a blazer uniform) everyday. Turns out the lawyer is a... connoisseur of school uniforms /laugh. What follows are several cases which Shizuka convinces Nonaka to take up, despite him only liking cases that bring in lots of money.
Overall this was a nice one-off drama. Maki was exceptional in this role, and the school uniforms suited her very well /laugh. It was nice to see Tanihara Shosuke play the perverted lawyer. He pulls it off superbly. I particularly liked his "HATARAKI!" line he shouted at Maki. Brilliant stuff.
Posted byHocchan at 8:06 pm 0 comments
Why?!
This really hasn't been my week. From almost breaking my laptop to not being able to get a party on Final Fantasy XI, everything seems to be trying to make my life as difficult as possible. Now my CD rewriter drive has well and truly died. It's had a tough old life. Sometimes it wouldn't be recognised by the computer even though there was clearly power going to it. Other times it would screw up my blank CDs for no apparent reason. Today it decided to commit suicide. I had planned on transferring some episodes of 'Hanazakari No Kimi-tachi E' onto CDs today so I went out and bought a stack of 25 blank discs. I inserted the first one into the drive and tried to write the data to disc. A message came up saying that there was no disc in the drive. Oh dear. I tried to eject the disc but for some reason it wouldn't come out. Pressed the button a few more times and got the same result - a lot of whirring noises and then silence. I unscrewed the drive and removed it from the laptop. Opened it up and found the cause of the problem. There was some stupid piece of metal right in the way of where the disc normally goes in or out. It looked like it was meant to be there, but for some reason I'd never noticed it before. It definitely should not be stopping me inserting/ejecting CDs though. I tried several times to push it down but the bastard thing was spring-loaded. Frustrated I tried the brute force method and ended up tearing one of the data cables. Bugger it all to hell! Now I've got no CD drive and several gigabytes worth of data taking up hard disk space.
To solve my dilemma I've decided to purchase an external hard disk drive. I chose a Seagate Free Agent 250GB USB drive from Amazon for £43.99 including delivery. That should be ample space for a long time. The only problem is that Royal Mail have just decided to go on strike for the next few days... ARSE-MONKEY-MUNCHERS! Stop f-ing striking and sort the bloody mail! What the crap do you think we pay our postage charges for?! For you to sod around, eating caviar and doing sod-all work?! For whores sake! Get your act together. The end result of all this naffness is that I won't get my drive until mid-October. I just hope my paltry 5GB remaining space will suffice until then. Stupid Monkey-nut-sucker Royal Mail workers!
Posted byHocchan at 1:41 am 2 comments
Get Down On It
03 October 2007
Bah... Bah! I wanted to watch 'Deru Toko Demasho!" tonight but the D-Addicts website is down. That means no forum, no torrents and no tracker. The only thing that still works is the DramaWiki but that's not really any help. Goddamn it. I hope it's back up soon. I really want to watch this new drama. I saw the first 5 mins on Veoh and it looks really interesting. The audio and video quality wasn't very good though, and it kept pausing every now and again to load so I gave up. I'll have nothing to watch tonight /cry. Guess I could play Final Fantasy XI. The only problem with that is there haven't been many people on lately. The main reason for this is none other than the Master Chief. A lot of people have disappeared to play Halo 3 all day, causing the population of the server to drop by almost 40%. Bloody thing. I'm hoping people will get bored of it soon and come back. It's not that I'm against Halo, I enjoyed the first game (not so much the second), but it's frustrating to not be able to level because the Americans are too busy blasting chunks out of each other. As usual, the USA state of affairs interferes with everything else on this planet. It's such a damn pain!
Posted byHocchan at 9:58 pm 0 comments
IKEMEN Boogie
Just finished watching the 2-hour final episode of 'Hanazakari No Kimi-tachi E'. Wow, is all I can say. It surely went out with a bang! I don't think there's been an ending with such impact for a long time. This drama has always been very humorous and slapstick in places, but the final episode really turned on the waterworks. It really did bring a tear or two to the eye seeing the final scenes. The ending was pretty satisfactory, though as always, it left scope for another season or at the very least, a special. I think I liked this series even more than 'Proposal Daisakusen'. At first the huge cast was rather overwhelming, but slowly you begin to recognise each of the characters and their personalities. I don't think I could ever get tired of the antics the members of each dormitory get up to in each episode. The main cast was exceptional in their performance, especially Horikita Maki, who I've become a big fan of. Her prettiness coupled with her brilliant comic timing makes it a joy to watch her act. When I found out she was in a new one-off drama called 'Deru Toko Demasho', I knew I definitely had to watch it. I'm also going to hunt down the other episodes of 'Teppan Shoujo Akane' and maybe even download 'Kurosagi' and 'Nobuta Wo Produce'. Ah, I've got a lot of watching to do over the next couple of months! /joy
Posted byHocchan at 4:01 am 0 comments
Save Me
02 October 2007
I've had a rather disastrous 24 hours. It all started at 2:00 AM on Monday morning. After logging out of Final Fantasy XI for the night, I decided to watch some Bleach on Veoh before bed. For some reason though, whenever I tried to play the video, there would be no audio. Odd, I thought, perhaps it's something wrong with the website? I took a look at my installed hardware and the sound card appeared to be working correctly. However, when I went to the sound set up menu it refused to recognise it was even there. Stupid thing, I thought, there must be a loose connection somewhere, I'll open the laptop up and take a look... bad idea. This laptop case is the most retarded thing I've ever seen. Firstly, in order to get to five of the screws you have to dismantle the monitor. Once that's done, you've got to unscrew a billion other screws to get into the case. Even then, there are three very crucial screws that for some ungodly reason, are attached to the case and cannot be reached. I got so frustrated I just forced the bloody case until it broke away. The damage wasn't too major, nothing you'd notice without taking a really close look. Anyway, with the case off I could take a look at the motherboard and installed components. There was five years worth of dust inside the machine so I had to get rid of that first. Actually it looked more like soot, very odd. After cleaning it up I had a quick look around and couldn't see any loose connections or anything. I didn't want to unscrew the motherboard in case I broke it so I gave up and put everything back together. Put the final screws back in and tried to start it up. But, damn, the monitor doesn't work now. I dismantle it and recheck the wiring about 5-6 times but no luck. It was 7:00 AM by this point so I decided to give up and go to bed. I was sure I'd need to buy a new computer at this point.
Woke up in the afternoon and tried again to fix my laptop. It was all or nothing this time. I took the monitor off, detached the main case and set about removing the motherboard. Did I mention this case was retarded in its design? Well, I'm going to mention it again. The heat sink was trapped by a bit of plastic with no discernible way to get it out. Sod that, I've not got time to waste. I took out a pair of pliers and ripped the obstructing piece of plastic away, thus freeing the motherboard. Another ton of soot/dust on the underside which I had to clean up. Then I noticed a connector that I'd not disconnected when removing the motherboard. Could this be the elusive wire that makes the monitor work? Took me awhile to re-attach all the wiring and fit everything back into the case. Put the monitor back on, plugged in the power supply, and prayed. Pushed the power button and... WE HAVE VISION!! It works! Hallelujah! I was so relieved. Overjoyed, I logged in and was expecting everything to be all right again. Except it wasn't... damn. There was still no sound. I checked the Internet for solutions and found something about running services.msc. I did that and found the bit that handled all the audio on the computer: Windows Audio. Guess what? Damn thing was turned off!! I didn't do that, who the crap turned it off?! I restarted it and started and episode of Hanazakari No Kimi-tachi E to test it. You can't imagine the pure ecstasy I felt when the sound of the title sequence flowed out from the speakers. It was pure heaven. The sense of relief was immense. I never, ever want to go through that turmoil again. I wasted all that time trying to fix a hardware problem when it was a simple case of a software setting... GODDAMN YOU!!!
Posted byHocchan at 5:04 pm 0 comments
Ikenai Taiyou
29 September 2007
Success! At long last I've finally completed Chains of Promathia! I've just got to wait until 4pm tomorrow, finish my cut-scenes, and then I'll get the Rajas Ring I've been longing for for over two years. I can't believe we've actually done it. It's been a very long, hard and occasionally frustrating road but we've done it. I didn't even know we were attempting the last mission again tonight. Friday night is usually for Assault but everyone must have agreed to do CoP instead. Probably a good idea since we got everyone through the mission except for one person. We'll redo 8-3 and 8-4 later when they've got time. The fight itself went more smoothly than previous attempts. It still didn't quite go exactly to plan though. Zansho and I had planned on opening the fight with a Darkness skillchain but as luck would have it, I missed my Gekko. Then when Zansho used Hundred Fists, half of it was cancelled out by Promathia's stupid physical damage nullifying shield. I tried to use my Meikyo Shisui to make a Light skillchain but for some reason I didn't connect Yukikaze and Gekko. Ended up with a Fusion skillchain from Gekko to Kasha. Still, everyone did good and we ended up winning with only me dead at the end. It's going to be very nice to pick up my Rajas tomorrow! Yatta!
Posted byHocchan at 5:49 am 0 comments
Anata Ga Watashi Ni Kureta Mono
25 September 2007
I've been feeling absolutely crappy today. I think I've caught a cold from all the wind and rain in the mornings. I've been suffering from a headache, dizzy spells and muscle cramps. It's been rather horrible. I hope it doesn't last too long. I can't stand being ill. It's not all bad though. Since I'm staying home for a couple of days I decided to download a new drama to watch. We're getting on towards the end of the current season of dramas in Japan so now is a good time to start watching one. Most of the fan subs should have been done by now so there's no waiting between episodes. That's good because the drama I've started watching is extremely enjoyable. It's called 'Hanazakari No Kimi-tachi E' and it's about Ashiya Mizuki who pretends to be a boy in order to enter a school that Sano Izumi (a high jumper she admires) attends. The plot is highly improbable and totally unbelievable but it doesn't stop this drama from being superbly entertaining.
It stars Horikita Maki of 'Teppan Shoujo Akane' fame (a series I really should finish watching). Quite amazingly it also features a cameo by Matsuda Seiko as the school principal! In case you didn't know she's only the most famous female idol of the 80s and 90s. She held the record for the most number one singles (25) in Japan until very recently. I didn't realise it was her at first. I only knew that I'd seen that face somewhere before. It wasn't until 40 mins in that it finally clicked /laugh. She doesn't feature much in the plot but it's still a nice surprise. The rest of the cast performs admirably. I still haven't put names to faces yet but there are a few people I recognise. Oguri Shun as Sano Izumi and Ishigaki Yuma as Tennouji Megumi are a couple I can mention. The first episode is an enjoyable affair that introduces everyone and sets up what looks to be an interesting series. It's packed full of funny moments, very much like Proposal Daisakusen and Gokusen. I'm seriously looking forward to the rest of this drama. Perhaps this cold was a blessing in disguise /laugh.
Posted byHocchan at 9:00 pm 0 comments
I'm So Sorry! Please Forgive Me!
23 September 2007
I've only just gone and committed the biggest sin of mankind! I can't believe I was so stupid. Someone should come and slap me around the face with a fish. What mistake did I make? Well, like a typical male I went forgot the birthday of my most favourite person in the whole world. That's right, you guessed it. Horie Yui's 32nd birthday was on the 20th September and it totally slipped my mind. Some fan I am!! I should be ashamed. Gomen nasai Horie Yui-san! Yurushite onegai shimasu! I hope she had a brilliant day and received some nice presents (like maybe a new contract for another five solo albums). I definitely won't be forgetting it next year. I may even attempt to send a card to her via the fan club /laugh. I'm surprised there hasn't been anything about it on her official website though. I think that was the case last year too. Very odd... Still, I can't make excuses. I know it's a few days late but...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY YUI!!! O-TANJOUBI OMEDETOU GOZAIMASHITA!!!
Posted byHocchan at 8:54 pm 1 comments
Jajauma Paradise
A few days ago I received the copy of Magna Carta that I bought from eBay. The delivery was amazingly quick and it was packaged in a proper Jiffy bag. This isn't your average, cheap and tacky padded envelope, no. This thing is built like a tank! An African Lion would have trouble tearing this thing apart. But enough about the envelope. The game that was contained within was in excellent condition. There was hardly a scratch on the case's plastic cover, the manual was as new and the disc was perfect. Now that's what you call mint condition. I've played about an hour of the story so far. At first I wasn't very keen on the game. The graphics are fairly average and the character animations are a little on the amateur side. I was also very displeased with the English voice acting. The opening song was also re-dubbed in English which sounds terrible and doesn't fit with the opening sequence at all. The biggest blasphemy they've committed is removing Horie Yui's voice from Rith (or Reith as they've incorrectly called her in the game). That I will never forgive. However, after playing it a bit more and getting used to the odd battle system, it's starting to grow on me. I'm determined not to pass judgement until I'm at least 10 hours into the story. It might turn out to be a decent game, you never know.
Posted byHocchan at 8:30 pm 0 comments
Ima Sugu Kiss Me
17 September 2007
Gomen gomen! It seems like I've fallen back into the terrible habit of irregular and infrequent updating. It's largely because I haven't had much energy to write any new posts lately. There are various reasons for this but mainly it's to do with Final Fantasy XI. Since the last post I've managed to get my Ochimusha Kote from Mee Deggi. It took me whopping twenty-two attempts in the end. I'm just glad that ordeal is finally over. I even managed to get an Empress Hairpin a few days ago so my Monk is really well equipped now. It's just a shame that I don't really have the time to level it right now /laugh. Been too busy with Chains of Promathia missions. Speaking of those, they're progressing really well. It was really frustrating to try and get past 6-4 (people not honouring their commitments really pissed me off), but we managed it in the end. We even defeated Tenzen with relative ease and was rewarded with access to Lumoria, otherwise known as 'Sea'. This area is really cool and reminds me of Panzer Dragoon a lot. The landscape is largely made up of vast plains of water which you can walk on. We've only got one more chapter to complete before we reach the end of CoP and the legendary Rajas Ring. I never thought I'd ever get chance to receive one of those. It really can't come soon enough.
In other news, I've bought a couple of new games for the Playstation 2. Yes, I know I still have Valkyrie Profile to complete but I couldn't help myself. The first game is the Japanese version of Ar Tonelico. It's a really nice looking RPG that sounds like it'll be a lot of fun to play. It was released in the USA earlier this year. Unfortunately, for some retarded reason, it's out of print already. That's why I've had to buy the Japanese language version. I also bought Magna Carta from eBay. This RPG I had known about for a long time simply because Horie Yui voiced the female lead character in the original release. As luck would have it though, the US and UK versions have some crappy English dubbing (I SERIOUSLY wish they would put both vocal tracks in games) so I won't get to hear Yui. "Come on you bar-stard!". What the hell is with English localisations? The dubbing almost always sucks big piles of crap compared to the original. Listen to me, LEAVE THE DUBBING ALONE!!! Bloody people...
I've been sent on another work placement by Jobcentre Plus, only this time it will be for 13 weeks. Well, they haven't actually sent me anywhere yet. Today was my first day and I largely sat around doing nothing for the whole day. The group I'm in this time is also largely made up of people I really would not like to mix with. I really hope training centre will sort out an employer for me soon. I don't want to be there any longer than is necessary.
Posted byHocchan at 8:33 pm 1 comments
Ai No Fune
06 September 2007
Frustrating and also potentially exciting times right now in Final Fantasy XI. First of all, I've been camping a lot of Notorious Monsters to try and get some good pieces of equipment for my Monk. That's easier said than done, however, as most of the NMs are heavily contested by other people. As a result it's been a lot of hard work and wasted hours spent staring at the screen. It started off with the quest for Brown Belt which I completed a couple of days ago. This involved camping an NM that only spawned once every 21-24 hours in real time. The only way to claim this NM is to either get very lucky and arrive when it's spawning (highly unlikely), or find out when it last died. By finding it's 'Time of Death' you've got a rough idea of when it'll next appear. This is exactly what I did and it worked pretty well. I still lost the claim the first time I was there, but the next day there wasn't any competition so the NM was all mine. Took the items back to the NPC and was awarded with my Brown Belt. It's a nice piece of equipment for Monk, even at level 75. I doubt I'll ever sell it after all the work and time that's gone into getting it. As for the Black Belt... I don't think so! /laugh
Once that had been completed it was onto the next set of NMs at Castle Oztroja. Those being Quu Domi the Gallant (for Sarutobi Kyahan) and Mee Deggi the Punisher (for Ochimusha Kote). Both of these NMs have notoriously bad drop rates (no pun intended). I must have got very lucky with the Kyahan because I only needed to kill the NM twice before they dropped. The Kote, however, I still haven't managed to get after 18 tries. Considering this NM only spawns every 1-2 hours, that's a lot of time wasted. Some of my friends have very kindly offered to help me camp Mee Deggi which has kept my resolve intact. It'll be a very frustrating time until I get those Kote, so I'm hoping it won't be too long until they finally drop.
On 11th September there'll be another FFXI update arriving. This one will introduce 'The Pit' into the game. The premise is very similar to that of Pokemon. You 'catch' various monsters from around Vana'diel and use them to battle other players' in an arena. I'm very excited at the prospect of this. Tuesday can't come soon enough!
Posted byHocchan at 9:38 pm 1 comments
Test The (Dumb) Nation
31 August 2007
Since there's only one day left of August, and I'm well in the lead for posts this month, I thought I'd take some time off and relax. Didn't even work up a sweat. I expect there will be a parcel arriving for me soon. It should contain the crown that was so unceremoniously snatched from me last month /laugh. This is going to be a sweet victory. Anyway, onto the main news. The reason I've not posted anything for a week is because I've been playing Final Fantasy XI a lot since the update. They've changed the damage calculations for two-handed weapons, added grips, and changed several weapon skills (not least Yukikaze/Gekko/Kasha for Great Katana). This has made being a two-hand weapon user much less underpowered compared to the millions of dual-wielders and Monks. I'm doing a bit more damage in terms of regular melee attacks but it's the weapon skills that have had their damage upped. Where as before I'd be doing around 600-700 damage to Very Toughs, I'm now doing 1,000-1,100 damage (even going as high as 1,900). This has been the same for Dragoons and Warriors using Great Axes. It's really levelled the playing field. Lots of people are complaining that it's too much and it should be changed (mainly the whining dual-wielders) but I hope it stays. This has been one of the best updates they've done in a while. Square Enix have done well this time.
Last Monday was a Bank Holiday and so the BBC decided to put Test the Nation - National IQ test on. My friend and I have taken every single one of their tests since they started some years ago. We made a pact that if we ever got over a score of 130 we'd both take the Mensa test. So far we haven't achieved this, the closest I ever got was 126. This year they made the test harder by reducing the thinking time and changing the questions. It really made it tougher and as a result we both got hideously low scores. I got a measly 110 which I wasn't very pleased with. I do feel that I was cheated by the BBC though. They said that because of the increase in difficulty the same amount of correct questions from this test would equate to a higher score than previous years. Bullcrap! I only got a few questions less than my last one but I'm a whopping 16 points lower?! That's rubbish! I demand retribution for their insolence! /fume
Wow! A new record on Valkyrie Profile Silmeria. A massive 105 hits on some enemy in the Seraphic Gate. I've since completed the game and saved over the file so I won't be beating that score in a while. I've got to get through Valkyrie Profile first before I start it again.
Posted byHocchan at 12:53 am 2 comments
Narihajimeta Koi No Bell
24 August 2007
Success! I managed to get Valkyrie Profile working at last. I had to buy something called Breaker Pro from a dodgy online shop but it was worth it. I guess it's an investment since I can now play other PSX import games on my PS2/PSX. As for Valkyrie Profile, I haven't had chance to play much of it yet. I'm going to wait until I've completed Silmeria first before I start it properly (might be awhile, the last boss is a bastard). The beginning narrative is pretty long and you have to get through a lot of it before you explore your first dungeon. This is different to Silmeria where it only takes about 30 minutes until you're into your first fight. The battles themselves are practically the same, though it does feel a bit odd how you can't jump around the enemy. The timing of the attacks is also a little different, feels more rigid in a way. The menus are a daunting affair to navigate due to the complicated terminology used. Still, I shouldn't have too much of a problem adjusting. I can't wait to get started on it! One thing that did surprise me about this game was that it was developed by Enix and not Squaresoft as I first thought. Enix is the developer that produced the rival to the Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest. I guess it makes no difference since they merged a few years ago. It's one big, happy family now!
My Horie Yui CD arrived today! Possibly the most expensive single I've ever bought (final cost of over £15/$30 including postage) but it was worth it. I got the first press, limited edition version that comes with a DVD of the promotional video. As it was a first press it comes housed in a digipack rather than the usual plastic casing. The saturation on the pictures seems a bit odd at first glance but you get used to it. Being able to watch the video in full resolution makes it even better than when I first saw it. I'm thinking of doing some screen shots when I get chance. The only problem is that the plastic wrapping makes it a bit difficult to get the case out (yes, I've kept the outer wrapping). I'll see if I'm brave enough to expose it to the atmosphere again at a later date /laugh. I've already copied the songs to my hard drive so I can listen to them at my heart's content. I absolutely love the new single. I'm going to have it on repeat for the whole day I think. All right!
Posted byHocchan at 5:15 pm 0 comments
Koisuru Tenkizu
19 August 2007
Since I've received complaints from a disgruntled reader about the picture for the previous post, I'm going to revert back to Horie Yui for this one. It's highly relevant to the content of this update though since I've just ordered Horie Yui's new single "Koisuru Tenkizu" from CD Japan. The picture to the left is a magazine advert for it. The song is better than I was expecting it to be. It's the ending theme for a new anime called "Nagasarete Airantou" that Yui voices. It's got a feeling of being in the sunshine, looking out onto the clear blue skies and enjoying life. The promotional video for it is up on YouTube. I was only meant to take a quick look and see what it was like but I've had it looping several times already. There are two outfits that Yui wears in the video. One is a white dress that makes her look absolutely divine, especially with her long, slightly curled hair, and white sandals. The other outfit consists of a black top coupled with a white, half-length skirt and black sandals. I don't think Yui's ever looked better than she does now. That smile of hers still makes my heart skip a beat. And I doubt I'll ever get tired of hearing her sweet voice. I'm desperately praying that she'll release a new album soon. It's almost been two years since her last one. Just one more and I'll be happy for the rest of my life. I'll keep checking my usual sources for any news in the meantime.
I wanted to add this picture to this update because I'm quite pleased with what it shows. I've been playing Valkyrie Profile Silmeria pretty much non-stop for the last few days now and I've clocked up some nice combos. The one in the picture though is currently my best effort. I know the photo is a little blurry (that's because I was rushing to get it taken before the numbers disappeared) but you can clearly see "97 hits" in the bottom left of the screen. That's ninety-seven hits! I'll be damned if I can repeat that again. I usually average around 40-50 hits which isn't bad. I have three characters who can do special attacks with their weapons. I've not managed to get four in one attack round yet as I can't quite fill up the gauge after the third one. I'm pretty sure it's possible so I'm going to keep trying.
Posted byHocchan at 2:02 am 2 comments
Houston We Have A Problem
17 August 2007
A rather serious problem in fact. You know how I said I was going to try Valkyrie Profile out earlier? Well that plan's run into a slight hitch. My Swap Magic 3.3 that I use to play import PS2 games isn't designed to play PSone games. I could have sworn that was what the CD disc was for. Turns out that it's for playing those old PS2 games that still came on CDs (those translucent purple discs). What this means is that I currently have no way of playing Valkyrie Profile /cry. I have a friend who owns a chipped PSone. I'm going to ask if I can borrow that for awhile until I sort out a method of playing it on mine. I hope he still has it and it still works. I was looking forward to playing my game today ; ;.
Posted byHocchan at 9:28 pm 0 comments
Nibelung Valesti
I've been playing lots of Valkyrie Profile Silmeria the last couple of days. It's really getting good now that I'm getting into the swing of things. The thrill of performing combos and special attacks hasn't worn off yet. My record so far stands at 83 hits on a scorpion thing in the ruins. I got lucky with a Break mode early on and finished it with two Whirling Rippers and a Nibelung Valesti. It was a thing of beauty /laugh. I think the storyline is one of the game's strong points. It really draws you into the world, very much like the Final Fantasy games. The graphics are still impressive. Each area is beautifully rendered and lit in an astonishing way. It's just a pity that some of the character animations aren't quite up to scratch. Neither are the voices that crop up in each battle. There are also some minor niggles that affect the enjoyment of the game (like when one of your characters gets separated from the group by getting stuck on a wall) but these are thankfully uncommon. Despite the minor irritations, I think Silmeria is deserving enough to be named Valkyrie Profile. It's just a damned shame that I seem to have bought a copy that's been handled by a hyper-active three year old armed with a penknife...
As you may have guessed from the picture, I received the first Valkyrie Profile game this morning. With this copy I don't have to worry about the condition as it's brand new and never opened. And it remains that way for the moment. I've not broken the seal yet, I was planning on doing that after writing this post. From the back of the box it doesn't look too different from Silmeria. I wonder if this Ultimate Hits version has any extra bits that the original game didn't have? That is something I shall have to look into. I won't be playing it properly until I've completed Silmeria which begs the question, how will that affect my experience of it? Usually if you play a sequel first and then go backwards to the original it feels less refined. Sequels (for the most part) take the best bits from the original and make them better. Does this mean that I'm not going to enjoy it as much as if I'd played this one first? Only time will tell I guess. I also believe that Valkyrie Profile didn't gain it's legendary status for no reason. It's probably considered a better game than Silmeria by many loyal fans. With that in mind, I'm now going to load it up and see what all the fuss is about. Mata ne!
Posted byHocchan at 4:12 pm 2 comments
Valkyrie Profile Silmeria
15 August 2007
Valkyrie Profile Silmeria arrived in the post this morning. I've played a little bit of it and it's as good as I was expecting it to be. I like the combat system and the way each button controls a different member of the team. The combo system is very enjoyable and I find myself getting into fights just to see what number I can get. The graphics look really nice, not surprising considering it's a Square-Enix game, and even the voice acting which I was dreading isn't as bad as I thought (it's still rather average though). The only thing that I'm disappointed in is the condition of the game itself. As you may know, I'm a very picky person when it comes to things. If someone describes an item as 'mint' then my definition of that is next to perfect. It would maybe have one or two tiny scratches, or perhaps a slight crease in the instructions book. The copy that I received, however, was far from mint. The surface of the CD is covered with small scratches, and there are a couple of serious creases in the manual. The description also said that it would be sealed. I knew it wouldn't be the original Sony seal, but there wasn't any sealing of any sort on the case. Considering I paid quite a lot for this item I was expecting a lot better. I've e-mailed the seller and taken it up with them. I'll have to wait and see what they'll do about this. For now I guess I'll just play the game and enjoy that aspect of it.
Posted byHocchan at 5:31 pm 0 comments
My Friend
13 August 2007
I'm still waiting for my Valkyrie Profile games. They've both been shipped out now so it's just a matter of waiting for them to arrive. One's coming from Hong Kong and the other from the USA. The American one got sent last Wednesday but I wouldn't be surprised if it was the last to arrive. In the meantime, I'm playing Final Fantasy XI. I've been levelling Monk a little bit (DEAR LORD! You did hear it right. MONK!). It's almost level 40 which means I'll be able to use dual Sniper's Rings and Jujitsu Gi. Wonder if I could pull off using attack food? I'll have to see when I get there. If I can then it'll help my damage no end at that level. I'm very grateful to Zansho for lending me his Sniper's Rings and Ochiudo's Kote. They've been a big help as I've not got the money to buy them myself. Other than levelling Monk, I've been taking part in some more Chains of Promathia missions. We completed Promyvion-Vahzl last night. Now it's onto 5-3 and the three paths. I'm really getting into the storyline of these missions. I can see why it's considered the best expansion pack. I just can't believe that I'm actually progressing along it after all this time. I never thought I'd get the chance again.
I've discovered a new singer I like. It's actually a band called ZARD but since 1993 there's only been 1 member: Sakai Izumi. She sang and wrote all the lyrics for the songs herself. And the stuff she produced was pure gold. All the songs I've heard so far have that quality feel to them. Izumi's singing is top class too. It's just a massive shame that she died in May of this year. If only I'd discovered her music sooner. Even though I'm a new fan I can still feel the sense of loss. She was a truly gifted singer songwriter and world is a less interesting place without her.
Posted byHocchan at 9:11 pm 0 comments
Stand Up Against Myself
10 August 2007
I was supposed to get this post done about two hours ago but I got a little sidetracked with my new desktop sidebar. I'd been wanting to get some sort of calendar for my desktop so I did a search for one. Just so happened that I saw the link come up for Google Desktop. It seemed like the sort of thing I was looking for so I downloaded it. It's pretty nifty. I have a clock, calendar, weather report and picture viewer installed on it. I never used to like clutter on my desktop as it seemed to distract from the wallpaper. However, now it seems a little bland when there's nothing else on there except a recycle bin. I really like it looks now. Especially with Horie Yui on my wallpaper!
I forgot to mention in the last post that I went against my will and decided to open that Morning Musume CD. I'm glad I did because the songs on it are very good. I'd never paid much attention to this album. I always thought it to be the weakest of the eight that they've released. I was sorely wrong. The classic tracks are on there, along with some great songs I'd never heard before. The song "Haru No Uta" is a particular delight. I think the best song on the album has got to be "Koe". I've loved ever since I heard Niigaki Risa sing an acoustic version of it on Hello Pro Hour. This album was definitely worth getting, just a shame I didn't realise that sooner.
My friend and I went on an epic walk along the local coastline yesterday. You see, there are five piers along the Fylde coast. Our mission was to set off from the most northern pier and walk all the way down to the most southern one. That's about 16 miles from start to finish. We set off early to make sure we had plenty of time to complete the journey. Arrived at the first pier at 9:00am, took some pictures and had a quick look around. We set off for the second pier at around 9:30am. This would be the longest part of the trek. From first to second is almost halfway along the entire coast. We made a pretty good pace and got to the town centre at midday and went for lunch at Subway. I didn't get to have breakfast so that sandwich tasted so damn good it was unbelievable. With stomachs filled we resumed the mission. The second, third and fourth piers were nice and close together so it was not quite so arduous. The only problem was that it was a really sunny day and the crowds were out. Each bit of the beach and promenade was filled with people. Some more pictures and we were onto the final leg. By this point the feet were really hurting and the pace dropped. We got some refreshments from local shop and set off for the last pier. The sun beat down constantly and the pain became quite tough to bear. But by 4:00pm we finally reached our destination. I doubt many people have done what we've done. Total time clocked in at 6 hours and 30 mins. I'm quite proud of our achievement. Just don't ask me to go repeating it any time soon... my feet would drop off.
Final bit of news, I bought the original Valkyrie Profile from Play-Asia. It's not an original copy but a re-release. It's a Japanese copy but that shouldn't be too much of a problem. After all, I completed Final Fantasy XII in Japanese so this shouldn't lessen my enjoyment of the game. It's just a question of whether this will arrive first or Silmeria. I was considering buying a Japanese copy of that too if I like it. I've heard some of the American voice acting and it's damned awful!
Posted byHocchan at 11:33 pm 1 comments
Hallelujah Chance!
08 August 2007
Yet another post goes by without a response from the others. Maybe they're too frightened to take up my challenge? I bet they're having trouble sleeping due to the stress of my insurmountable power? Who knows, but one thing is for sure: no mercy! What did I want to write about today? I wanted to say a few things about Haromoni@. I've found that the last few episodes have been very good, almost up to the standard of the old Haromoni. I know quite a few people didn't like this show when it first started. I had faith in the show though, I had a feeling that it would slowly get better as the producers got a better idea of what they wanted to do. And it looks like I'm right. Last Sunday's episode was great. We had an eight year old kid who was a genius at completing Rubik's Cubes. He demonstrated his ability in front of everyone and completed a cube in just 22 seconds. This kid is quite scary /laugh. I used to know someone in school who could do them in around a minute but this was something else. They went on to set a challenge for him and the girls. The kid had to complete 5 cubes as fast as possible, and the girls had to complete one face of a cube before him. Needless to say, the girls had no chance, although Takahashi Ai got pretty close to a getting all nine cubes the same colour. This segment was pretty cool. Just seeing how fast that kid could complete each cube was entertainment in itself.
The next section had Mitsui and Kusumi with JunJun and LinLin at a eraser factory. While this may sound rather boring at first, it was totally the opposite. You see, this factory made those funky erasers that look like different objects. For example they had various sushi-shaped eraser, some scissor-shaped ones, and a spinning top eraser. They showed how they had to put each one together from the parts that came out of the machine. After this came the challenge. Mitsui and Kusumi on one team and JunJun and LinLin on the other. The task was to put together the pizza-shaped one as fast as possible from the pile of random parts in front of them. Mitsui and Kusumi managed to win pretty easily. It was good to see how the Chinese girls were bonding with the rest of the members though. They seem to be settling in very well. I think they're going to be fine.
I bought Valkyrie Profile Silmeria from eBay. It's the NTSC version. They're going to be releasing it in the UK in September but I couldn't wait that long. I doubt there'll be much difference in the releases anyway. The reason I bought it was because I'm looking for another RPG to play and this seemed like a good choice. My friend Michael recommended this to me awhile ago when it came out over in the US. Almost a full year later I've finally got the chance to play it. I knew about the original game's legendary status and was pretty interested in this sequel. I'm expecting some good stuff from it. I can't wait for it to arrive, it got shipped out today. If Royal Mail don't decide to mess about with strikes again I should get it next week.
Posted byHocchan at 9:22 pm 2 comments
Motomeyo Saraba Ataeraren
05 August 2007
An opening to warfare: part two! This post is going to be about the CDs I received last Wednesday. I mentioned a little while ago that I'd bought some Hello! Project CDs from eBay, well they arrived a little later than I expected (thanks to Royal Mail's bloody strike no doubt). I bought Petit Best 1, 2 and 3, Tanpopo's 1st album (Tanpopo), and Morning Musume's 6th album (Ai no Dai 6-Kan). I was really surprised to find that Ai no Dai 6-Kan was still brand new! The resealable plastic outer wrapping was there and the CD still had its factory wrapping on. The poster hadn't been touched, it was pristine, without so much as a single crease on it. I still haven't opened the CD yet. I'm still debating whether I should or not /laugh. It seems such a shame to break the seal. I might look for another copy of it just so I don't have to open a new copy. Yes, I have a bad case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder /sigh.
Thankfully, someone had already opened the rest of the CDs so I was free to listen to them without moral dilemmas cropping up. Tanpopo's album really surprised me. I wasn't expecting much and had only bought it because it was so cheap. But what I found was enough quality songs to warrant its purchase price three times over. It's such a shame that this sub-group didn't release more stuff. I think they only have a best of album that came out before they broke up. They were definitely one of the more successful sub-groups to emerge from Hello! Project. They have a mature feel to their music. "Tanjoubi No Asa" is a beautiful ballad which is probably my favourite songs of theirs right now. If I see their best of album for sale I might have to put a bid in for it.
The Petit Best albums were also pleasantly surprising. Being a compilation of all acts from Hello! Project, it gave me an opportunity to listen to groups that I would not normally consider. I found Melon Kinenbi's songs to be a refreshing change to the usual Hello! Project sound. In particular their song, "This is Unmei" is addictive because it's so odd sounding at first. Heike Michiyo's songs have more of a J-Rock feel to them. Her songs sound much 'cooler' than most of the other stuff on the albums. I enjoyed the summer shuffle songs a lot. They really suit the season, though it'd be even better if I was in Japan to experience it. "Dancing! Natsu Matsuri" is everything I love about Japanese festivals - the beat of the Taiko drums with the constant chanting - it's just awesome to listen to. I could go on for ages about different songs I found enjoyable from the three albums but that'd take forever and it'd probably make for boring reading. I'll just say that I'm very happy with my purchases and will be hunting down the rest of the Petit Best albums. They're well worth it.
Posted byHocchan at 12:43 pm 0 comments
