3 posts tagged “whocares”

I really should be updating my "real" blogs (I have some good stuff for both) but it's the end of a nice sunny day and I'll post those pieces shortly. For now, it's time for some good old fashioned nerdy anime chatter. My pimpslap of the Bay Guardian and a look at the latest plan to "save" MUNI will come later, in more formal forums....

Thanks to the anime reviewer at Memento I found out about what looks to be a very interesting anime from Japan, Dennou Coil . Although I am not watching this in HD (an 867 mhz G4 12" powerbook just can't do it without hiccups), it's been said that if you DO get an HD copy, it looks really good. Looks aside, what makes this series interesting is the world it posits, just a decade (or perhaps a decade and change) from our world . In the world of Dennou Coil, people (in this case kids) wear special visors that add a layer of the virtual world on top of the physical world.

Thus, in this series, a young girl has a pet "dog" that only exists in the virtual world, and without the clear visors, one cannot see nor interact with it. However, the "dog" interacts with the physical object of the world outside, walkign around obstacles and the like if he was real (although sometimes he gets clobbered with an object and the dog's "body" gets all  static-like).

This series just started in Japan a few weeks ago, and I'm getting the unlicensed version via BT for now. I don't know that this series will be imported into the US ever - for a US market that wants More and More Craptacular anime like "Naruto" and other similar teenage tripe, a "Family" show like this may not make it past the US importers.

Thus, it is up to the "fansub" folks at this website to give us a chance to see what is possible with animation these days.

Helpful Unrelated Hint: When you write a really long and involved posting with lots of links, for that blog everyone seems to like , whatever you do, temper your enthusiasm to get it done "fast" and bypass your Rule About Not Composing Online. You can avoid a MUNI Style Screw Up really easily that way!

To be honest, I really don't know why I have  this VOX blog...I signed up for it because I saw something about it at Six Apart's main page (every time I see that name I think of "A Band Apart" or alternately, Bande a Part , but I digress) and signed up. So here I am...

For now, I think I'm going to use it to post about nerdy weird stuff that doesn't fit on The N Judah Chronicles or my "other" blog no one reads as much anymore. It's weird - when  I started the NJC it was just something I did for laughs and suddenly people read it - now suddenly it's become more "serious" thanks to MUNI's bungling. (I'd rather get readers because of other reasons besides MUNI screwing up royally.)

It's nice to write something people like and that has some interest with the public and folks at City hall, but I've also noticed I post less of the fun posts I liked to do. It sometimes feels like I'm competing with certain other websites in an arms race on MUNI angst, and with less resources than "they" have. So maybe I just need a new outlet for geekiness and all will be well?

Anyway.

So for today's nerd link, I direct you to a Japanese "anime" series Gallery Fake. (Wiki entry here...) You will not find this on Netflix ,or pretty much anywhere in the USA. To be honest, I don't even remember how I found out about it, but it is actually kind of fun to watch.

It has a great jazz inspired soundtrack, and you get an art history lesson in every episode. The plot of the series is about a guy, Reiji, who runs an art gallery devoted to forgeries. He gets involved in all sorts of cons and whatnot around famous pieces of art, and the like. Like I said, you can't rent this one in the US, but you can find it via this link here. I'm not a huge fan of BitTorrenting things, but this series is NOT licensed in the USA, and most likely will NEVER make it because it's not as marketable as some anime about teenagers in giant robots with girlfriends with gravity-defying figures.

Check it out.

I missed a really great film at the SF Asian Film Festival - Toki Wo Kakeru Shoujo - which was reviewed by SFist Rita a while back . I finally got a chance to see it through the miracle of The Internets and the series of tubes therein.

Since it is unlikely to get any sort of "real" distro in the USA in theaters ,and an R1 DVD is about as likely as....oh I can't hink of some clever witticism....anyway....I got it and saw it. It was great!

So do a Google, geek out with Matroska containers, and enjoy....