夢の翼　「Ｗｉｎｇｓ　ｏｆ　Ｄｒｅａｍｓ」

Darker than Black S2 OP Cover 「ツキアカリのミチシルベ」

2009-11-26T23:37:00.002+08:00

'Tsukiakari no Michishirube' by Stereopony, also the OP Song for Season II of Darker than Black. Not a good cover, but thought I'd at least attempt it since it's one of my current fave songs :D

ステレオポニー「スマイライフ」 (Semi-Failed Cover)

2009-10-24T19:58:00.002+08:00

More AIMI goodness ... in the small screen! 'Smilife' by Stereopony's one of the rare happy-ish songs that I actually listen to, so here's a (failed) attempt to cover it. Just stare at the small screen :D

Again （少しだけ弾いてみた）

2009-10-22T17:10:00.003+08:00

鋼の錬金術師のOPでYuiの曲を簡単に弾いてみました。20分くらい練習したのに、超下手だｗ

君の知らない物語（少しだけ弾いてみた）

2009-09-27T11:58:00.003+08:00

この歌が大好きなので、少し弾いてみようかと思った。初心者で練習時間もあまりないから間違いだらけですまん！

Test

2009-09-18T12:10:00.001+08:00

Short intro test XD

Saber Lily

2009-02-21T17:16:00.004+08:00

While I am not really a fan of figurines, an upcoming one did catch my eye. It is none other than an alternate form of Saber, Saber Lily! A pleasant change from the blue outfit that we usually see, this is from Fate/Unlimited Codes and if I'm not wrong, is a limited edition. Enjoy the pics!

DaeJangGeum and the Ninja Diary

2009-01-08T22:00:00.016+08:00

The village set for the drama series is an open set built at Yangjoo city Gyunggido, inside the MBC cultural valley. The drama series is based on a real historic character that was borin a lowly untouchable class who rises to the position of court doctor. Let us take a look at the set (Not that I've watched the drama)!

(DaeJangGeum and I)

(Entrance area, Palace doorway and Grand Hall)

(TweSunGan, or kitchen area, attached to the room of court lady Han and young JangGeum)

The drama series is set in the Chosun Dynasty with emphasis on court culture, food depiction, costume, medical practices and games of the period.

(I think this was the Royal Kitchen or SuRaGan)

On this somewhat cold day, I was left with a lot of time to kill and wandered towards the backyard or village, I'm not too sure which. Being part of a film set, it was indeed a fitting location for my ninja diary :)

The whole place gave off a tranquil vibe and coupled with the cold and refreshing air away from traffic pollution, it provided a temporary respite from city life.

The Ninja Diaries
(Do not attempt some of these at home)

Objective : To reach the scenic endpoint without being detected

(Room clear, no sign of any enemy)

(Stealthily breaking and entering the room)

(Out at the corridor, the coast seems clear)

(Approaching Objective, final check to look out for security forces)

(All clear! Time to scale the building! I repeat, do NOT try this at home)

(Mission accomplished!)

(Nice view of the village/backyard from the top isn't it ? Worth the trouble!)

The thing that I am holding, I've no idea what it's called, is something like roti-prata, just that green tea powder or flour of sorts is used for the skin and it has a filling which tastes like cinnammon (it probably is). I think its usually sold during winter. Delicious and warm!

メリークリスマス (Merry Christmas) !

2008-12-24T19:37:00.002+08:00

Noise . . . Pure Noise . . .

2008-12-06T18:26:00.007+08:00

Here's me starting to try and learn how to play the solo to Sound Horizon's 'Asa to Yoru no Monogatari', when I really should be studying for JLPT instead. It's pretty horrendous playing by any standard and a lot of the notes are wrong, but . . . well . . . everyone has to start somewhere right ? :)

Distant Worlds : Music From FINAL FANTASY Asia Tour

2008-12-05T15:21:00.008+08:00

According to the official site, the Distant Worlds concert will be making its asian premiere in Taiwan before staging 2 concerts in Singapore as part of the Singapore Arts Festival 2009. To find out more about the concert and the tracks covered, do visit their site. How nice it would be to hear a live rendition of "Memoro de la Stono ~ Distant Worlds" from FFXI . . . :)

Anime Festival Asia 2008 Mini-Gallery (Day 2)

2008-11-24T11:12:00.029+08:00

Picking up from where I ended off in the last post, I shall start with more pictures of the exhibits from the anime booths.

Particularly interesting was the showcase exhibition of Genius Party Beyond from Studio 4°C. Below, you can see some of the stills and pre-renders from what is presumably part of the storyboard used by the various titles. Look at the attention to detail! Koji Morimoto, founder of the studio, was also on stage to talk about his works, the latest being 'Dimension Bomb' (which was visually stunning by the way, albeit a little abstract).

(The train station gives me 5 Centimeters per second vibes)

Following that, we have more figurines! First up, we have chibi Death Note characters, the same Vocaloids (かわいい！） as taken on Day 1 and Chun Li.

Up next is non-chibi Death Note characters and some ecchi thingy based on a certain someone's request. (Thanks for the Lenalee poster by the way!)

Last but not least, Mickey and Minnie! (Sadly, I did not see any Kingdom Hearts versions)

Unfortunately, due to class and lunch, I missed the cosplay competition and only arrived in time to take the last shot of them on stage. Nevertheless, many of them stayed on and hence, I actually have some pictures for show. Would probably have more if I wasn't so darn lazy with the camera XD

In the first picture, you can see Ichirou Mizuki, guest singer and one of the judges for the competition. I was not around for his concert on the first day, but I heard that it went pretty well.

There were characters from popular anime such as Macross Frontier, Bleach, Naruto, Gintama, Code Geass and too many others to name. If I am not mistaken, the obliging Ranka Lee cosplayer in the first picture below is the same one that I will be mentioning later. Interestingly enough, some actually cosplayed as a Menos Grande from Bleach instead of the more humanoid-looking characters :)

Finally, the main event for Day 2 would undoubtedly be May'n 'Live'. If you don't know who she is, she's the one who sang the songs for Sheryl Nome in the popular anime entitled Macross Frontier. If you are still clueless, wiki's yet another good friend. Since photo-taking and recording were technically not allowed, I'm contemplating removing the next few pictures after a while so enjoy them while you can. The quality of the pictures are really horrible though, so I doubt anything can be seen anyway. (I need a new cam!)

Anyway, she did mention that similar to her anime counterpart, she hopes that her voice can reach out to the real world and save it through her music.

Here's the tracklist of songs that she sang at the concert, in the order that she sang :

1. Welcome to My Fanclub's Night! (Sheryl on Stage)
2. What bout' My Star (Sheryl on Stage)
3. Infinity
4. Yousei ('Fairy')
5. Diamond Crevasse
6. Northern Cross
7. Iteza - Gogo 9ji - Don't be late (Sheryl On Stage)

Nakabayashi's voice 'live' was really good, with my only complain being that the backing track was not loud enough at times resulting in her voice drowning it out occasionally. I was hoping so much for a solo rendition of Lion, but alas, it was not to be. There was hardly any time for shouts of 'Encore!' to go around before she disappeared from stage.

[Northern Cross]

[Diamond Crevasse]

Post-concert, it was time for those who had purchased the VIP Diamond Pass to her concert to receive their pre-signed autographs and handshake. It was really amusing when the Ranka Lee cosplayer went on stage for her turn as May'n had this cute, surprised face upon seeing her! (I think there was a Sheryl Nome cosplayer who went up as well, but since I wasn't there at that time, I can't describe May'n's reaction then)

By the way, if anyone's interested, May'n has been blogging about her time here as well as some of her thoughts about the 'Live', so head over to her blog and take a look :)

Anyway, that's all the coverage for AFA08 and hopefully they'll be able to organize it again next year!

(さよなら！)

Anime Festival Asia 2008 Mini-Gallery (Day 1)

2008-11-22T12:29:00.020+08:00

Here are a couple of pictures of the random (or not so random) stuff that I took during the first morning of AFA 08 . . . I apologize if they are too blur to be seen clearly. On a side note, I did not take pictures of any retails booths or the arcade on either day, so they would not be appearing here =p

Greeting everyone near the entrance is the huge figure of Gundam Exia : エクシア、目標を駆逐する！ The next thing that caught my attention was the long line of people queuing up to purchase Gundam Model Kits, presumably the limited editions of Exia ?

Yup, you can feel Bandai's large presence . . . many different Gundam Models were put on display.

Next up, a whole ton of figurines were being displayed, such as Hatsune Miku, EVA, Fate/Stay Night etc. (The Tamagotchi booth banner does not count as a picture of a retail booth!)

Not many of the figurines exhibited were available for sale . . . a pity. Still, I probably can't afford those that were in the retail booths anyway, such as Bunny Suzumiya Haruhi with her guitar, Bunny Nagato Yuki with her guitar, Code Geass Knightmare Frames, Maid Rider from FSN, EVA Asuka, EVA Rei so on and so forth, but I digress.

I am pretty sure most people would recognize the following few figurines from Square Enix. We have Cloud, Tidus, Cloud, Yuffie, Cloud, Sephiroth . . . Ok, I don't exactly favor Cloud, it's just that they had more figures of him on display compared to the rest! (And that's not counting another 2 of him on his motorbike that I did not upload)

Holy utility belt, Batman! I sneaked a glance at someone else taking a picture of this same Batman model using a more professional camera, and it turned out almost like some movie still with a sepia tone added! The wonders of having a better camera -.-

Also on display were several art pieces from individuals and studios, probably from a local competition ? They were all pretty interesting and worth a look. Even pieces from current-season anime, such as Kannagi, were on display. The renders/art from Imaginary Friends Studio were particularly impressive! (The last 3 pics from the set below)

Following that, we have a showcase from Shonen Jump's 40th Anniversary Exhibition. I didn't take all of them though, so stuff like DragonBall is absent.

Last but not least are several images taken from the anime booths, organized by everyone's good friend. *cough*O...EX*cough*. Basically, these anime booths provide information and character profiles from the various anime that they represent. These range from older favorites such as Shakugan no Shana, D.Gray-Man and Code Geass, to current season ones such as Casshern Sins and Toradora. Each booth also has a TV screening clips from their respective DVDs.

Spot the odd one out!

Also, there was an exhibition booth providing information about the anime film, The Sky Crawlers. Although I did not take many shots of it, you can watch it in GV Cinemas from the 27th of November.

I did not stay for long on Day 1, so hopefully there'll be more to write about when Day 2 comes round! Can't wait for the mini-concert, heh.

[Live] Shimokawa Mikuni - Bird

2008-11-14T16:27:00.001+08:00

Came across this after listening to the song a long while . . . wow, has she grown! A pretty nice performance in all, especially the expression :)

[PV] AKB48 - 大声ダイヤモンド (ogoe diamond)

2008-11-07T12:48:00.004+08:00

Having been a long while since I last listened to/watched a mass-member group (No, Sound Horizon does not count as one), I decided to check out AKB48's latest single and here is the PV for it. Surely they give Morning Musume a run for their money ?

[PV] 雨が降る - 坂本真綾

2008-11-01T19:18:00.002+08:00

Maaya Sakamoto is back with a new single after 'Triangler', the OP to Macross Frontier. This time, 'Ame ga Furu' is used as the ED to Linebarrels of Iron. Being ignorant, I had only known that she is a seiyuu/singer and for some reason, this song led me to read up more about her and I found out that she writes her own lyrics too, which makes me appreciate this song even more. ^^

AFA08: May'n Mini-Concert Details

2008-10-29T15:54:00.005+08:00

Her first 'Live' concert outside of Japan will be held at 7pm on the 23rd of November, at the Suntec Convention Hall in Singapore. Ticketing details have been released here. The limited VIP passes do not come cheap, so for those who want her autograph and stuff, be prepared to pay! You can also watch her video message and read an interview with her at the AFA08 site.

TGS 2008 SE Leaked Trailer - Kingdom Hearts Galore

2008-10-16T21:36:00.002+08:00

A good bit of the leaked trailer shows both cutscenes and gameplay for Kingdom Hearts 358/2 and Birth By Sleep. Finally, we get to see more of Aqua :)

Jigoku Shoujo Mitsuganae - Episode 1 Screencaps

2008-10-10T15:20:00.007+08:00

Since I'm too lazy to post a synopsis of the episode, I'll just put up a couple of screens from the first episode of Mitsuganae without too much spoilers of the 'main' story. Suffice to say, the artwork and quality is even better than Futakomori.

Here are the newcomers, Mikage Yuzuki and Yamawaro (A new yellow straw doll).

Most of the old cast are back, namely Wanyuudo, Ren, and Honne-Onna. I wonder if Tsugumi will make an appearance in this season. Kikuri is goofing off as usual as you can see from the sceens.

As expected, the first episode is more a statement of 'We're back!' than explaining how Ai is able to return, with the usual plot of someone getting sent to Hell after the Hell Hotline is utilized. A hint is given though, when Ai tells Yuzuki 'I exist within you' and the scene that takes place prior to that should have some significance. Note the vibrant colors!

Enma Ai returns as the Jigoku Shoujo. I was expecting Yamawaro and Kikuri to be working together, but this does not seem to be the case as Ai used Yamawaro in this episode.

A point of interest lies in the ED . . . are the whole bunch of Hell Girls Ai's predecessors or are there more than one existing currently ? The shadow in the screencap on the left is probably Yuzuki's, showing a link between her and Ai.

May'n 'LIVE' @ Anime Festival Asia 08

2008-10-09T15:08:00.005+08:00

Touted as her first 'Live' performance outside of Japan, this might actually drive me on to checking AFA out if I have the time, though I might not be the greatest fan of her voice. May'n, or Nakabayashi May, sings for Sheryl Nome in the popular anime Macross Frontier. While my favourite song from the series at the moment is Lion, a duet with Nakajima Megumi (Ranka Lee), her other tracks aren't too bad. Check them out!

Macross Frontier OP3 - Lion (May'n and Megumi)

Macross Frontier ED2 - Diamond Crevasse Live (May'n)

Macross Frontier ED5 - Northern Cross Live (May'n)

Noto Mamiko PV - Karinui and Aizome

2008-10-08T23:35:00.003+08:00

I really like Noto Mamiko's gentle voice in these 2 ending themes for Jigoku Shoujo Season I and II, where she also voiced the main character, Enma Ai. Hopefully, there'll also be a PV for the ED to the 3rd season . . .

地獄少女三鼎 (Jigoku Shoujo Mitsuganae) Update

2008-10-04T18:26:00.006+08:00

The following PV is Tsukihana 月華, by Kitade Nana. It is the opening theme to Jigoku Shoujo Mitsuganae. Not exactly sure how one would describe this PV, but the song is growing on me XD

The ending theme is called いちぬけ Ichinuke, and similar to the previous 2 seasons, is sung by Mamiko Noto aka Enma Ai's seiyuu. Pretty awesome as always :)

初音ミク - shiningray

2008-10-04T11:27:00.002+08:00

Another Hatsune Miku song that was released recently, I like this one because it sounds somewhat less robotic than 99% of her other songs. The tune and music isn't all that bad either!

Sound Horizon : 冥王－Θανατος－ Translation

2008-09-30T20:46:00.011+08:00

I initially wanted to do the translation for 死せる英雄達の戦い which I wrote about in an earlier post, but have yet to decide how best to translate 死せる, hence it will have to wait. As such, I have decided to translate the first song of Moira, a track that has been growing on me steadily no thanks in part to the sopranos.

Thank goodness I set about doing it! It sets the tone for the album really well, not to mention that those morbid-like lyrics enthrall me. Do give it a read, and should you notice any mistakes or have any suggestions pertaining to the phrasing, please leave a comment!

冥王－Θανατος－

時を運ぶ縦糸 Chronos, the vertical bearer of time
命を灯す横糸 Bios, the horizontal flame of life
其を統べる紡ぎ手 . . . 其の理を運命と呼ぶのは ……
The weaver of the universe uses both strings . . .
if this is the reason we call it destiny ……

Moira

冥王－Θανατος－

Θανατος――（Thanatos――）
其レハ冥府ノ支配者ニシテ亡者達ノ王
（The Lord of Hades and the dead man's king）
地上ノ者達ガ【死神】ト呼ビ畏レテイル存在
（The living are terrified by the real god of Death）

「ソウ、我コソガ死ダ…」
「Yes, I am DEATH …」

彼女モ同ジヨゥニ　愛シテル　彼氏モ同ジヨゥニ　愛シテル
He loves her as much as he loves him
王者モ奴隷モ　聖者モ娼婦モ　等シク愛デヨゥ
Kings and Slaves, Saints and Prostitutes, he loves them all equally

生者（アナタ）モ同ジヨゥニ　愛シテル　死者（ワレラ）ト同ジヨゥニ　愛シテル
He loves you, the living, as much as he loves us, the dead
老人（オィ）モ若者（ワカキ）モ　詩人モ勇者モ等シク散ラソゥ*
The Aged and the Young, the Poets and Heroes, they will all fall without exception

母上（Moira）. . . 貴柱(アナタ)ガ命ヲ運ビ続ケルノナラバ
Mother (Moira), should you continue to bring forth life . . .

Θハ（Thanatos）――

生キトシ生ケル全テヲ
I will continue to seize them all
殺メ続ケルコトデ　奪イ続ケヨゥ
by killing all the creatures that live

「冥府ヘヨゥコソ!」 (Καλωσορισατε στην Αδης!)**
「Welcome to Hades!」

貴方ハ逝ッタ　唯　逝ッタノダ（Πήγε μόνο πήγε）***
You have died, simply just died
貴方ハ逝ッタ　唯　逝ッタノダ（Πήγε μόνο πήγε）
You have died, simply just died

訳モ解ラズ　遣ッテ来テ　運命ニ弄バレ
Toyed with by the hands of fate, you have been sent here without even knowing the reason why
貴方ハ逝ッタ　唯　逝ッタノダ（Πήγε μόνο πήγε）
You have died, simply just died

不運ナ姫君　迎エニ往コゥ　血濡レタ花嫁　迎ェニ往コゥ
Setting out to welcome the ill-fated princess, and the bloodstained bride
シヲ抱ク瞳　彼ハΘ（ワレ）ノ器（モノ）
He whose eyes encompasses death is my vessel
母ヲ殺メル夜　迎エニ往コゥ　双（フタ）ツハヒトツ
Moving to greet the mother on the night she was killed, two shall be brought together as one

【黙したまま死を告げる冥王の瞳】
（The everlasting silence of Thanatos . . . His stare conveys Death）

アナタ方モイズレ　知ルダロゥ
You will come to realize someday
コノ世界ニ　平等ナド　ナィノダト　Θ（カレ）以外
that this world is devoid of fairness and such, apart from him
無慈悲ナ　女神ガ統べる
Ruled over by the merciless goddesses
コノ世界ニ　平等ナド　ナィノダト　Θ（カレ）以外
this world is devoid of fairness and such, apart from him

遅カレ　早カレ　避ケラレヌ　別離（ワカレ）
The inevitable separation will come sooner or later
ソゥ . . .　Θ（ワレ／カレ）コソガ死ダ（Thanatos）
Yes . . . For I am (he is) Thanatos

母上（Moira） . . . 貴柱（アナタ）ガ命ヲ運ビ続ケ
Mother (Moira), should you continue to bring forth life
怯エル仔等ニ痛ミオ与エ続ケルノナラバ
and torment the frightened young ones with pain . . .

Θハ（Thanatos）――

生キトシ生ケル全テヲ
I shall bequeath salvation upon all of the living
殺メ続ケルコトデ　救イ続ケヨゥ
by claiming their lives

* 命を花にたとえて「命を散らす」の形で）元気な若い人が、戦いなどで命を落とす。
** Kalosorisate sto Hades!
*** dies mono dies

Sound Horizon . . . Piano ?!?!

2008-09-30T10:01:00.003+08:00

This guy on NicoNico is pretty amazing on the piano, especially with his covers of Sound Horizon songs . . . including one of the latest 冥王(Thanatos)! I really envy those with such musical talent :)

【ニコニコ動画】Sound Horizonの冥王をピアノで演奏してみた

【ニコニコ動画】Sound Horizonの１１文字の伝言（終盤）をピアノで演奏してみた

宿題：外見と中身とどちらが大切だと思いますか。

2008-09-29T19:16:00.003+08:00

外見も中身もどちらも同じように大切だと思います。人に初めて会う時、外見で判断するのは当然です。相手のことを知らずに、自分の目で判断するしかないからです。だからこそ、「第一印象」の大切さが見えます。外見が良ければ、「この人は立派なあ」と他の人に思わせることができます。

しかし、「立派な衣服が紳士をつくるのではない」とか「見た目より心」とかもよく耳にします。人は本当に立派かどうか、外見より心と性格で決めると信じています。外見は悪くても見慣れるはずですが、中身がなければ何もならなくて、信頼できません。

現在の社会は外見だけで見ている人がたくさんいるので、外見は無視してはいけません。理想的には中身を良くすると同時に、外見にも気を配ります。

Sound Horizon - 死せる英雄達の戦い

2008-09-26T00:03:00.008+08:00

One of the tracks that really caught my attention from Moira would be 死せる英雄達の戦い, the finale of the album.

The song starts off with the Queen of Arcadia pleading with her son, Leontius, not to fight against Elef. Unbeknownst to him, Elef was actually his brother but Leontius set off before she could reveal the truth to him. The battle begins in earnest with the City of Ilion eventually falling to Elef. At last . . . the path of the two beasts have crossed. The song then shifts into its climax with the backing of a choral (which sends shivers down my spine in a good way), having Leontius and Elef/Amethystos face off against each other.

The Queen then attempts to intervene but ends up being dealt a fatal blow. Subsequently, Leontius is also mortally wounded (can't really tell since the lyrics dosen't seem to say explicitly whether he dies). Queen Alexandra (the Amazon Queen), angered at seeing Leontius's fate, rushes at Elef but is killed by him as well.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons I like Sound Horizon so much . . . their songs transcend the plain pop/rock genre that is so widespread these days. In the case of Moira, characters are brought to life and have their fates interwined with one other. A whole myriad of emotions are conveyed to the listener and they are never simple. Take Love for example. It might exist as sibling love between the twins (Elef and Artemisia), motherly love (Queen of Arcadia), obsessive love (Alexandra towards Leon) and perhaps even Thanatos's sympathy towards those whose lives are taken by Moira. In other words, the listener is free to interpret with the music itself an instrument to aid in the story-telling. When you are able to appreciate them altogether . . . *wham* ecstasy.

Anyway, I digress. What I like about this song is the perfect mix of vocals (especially the choral again), sound effects, narration and voice acting (Revo plays both Thanatos and Elef). Oh, and how could I forget the awesome music and tunes that set the mood ? From the initial suspense, moving on towards the build-up to the battle, the climax and eventual tragedy . . . it feels like the story is unfolding before your very eyes.

I really hope that the concert would be able to reveal the story behind each song visually . . . can't wait to get some facts confirmed, such as whether the queen's intervention resulted in Leontius being distracted and killed or whether Elef was really that powerful!

Small trivia : Seiyuu for Queen Alexandra is Houko Kuwashima, who has voiced characters such as Clare from Claymore and Tomoyo from Clannad.

Ievan Polkka (Sound Horizon 冥王 ver.)

2008-09-25T00:20:00.001+08:00

これかわいい！！

黒石ひとみ - Innocent Days

2008-09-19T14:49:00.002+08:00

泉が湧き立ち　川はうねり行く
あなたはあの深い海　どうか見守ってください
神秘の翼で　宙を舞い上がる
あなたはあの暗い空　どうか導いてください

夜明けの雨は自由に
私の頬を濡らす
子供抱くように
優しく包んでほしい

焼けるような眼差し
美しい夢を追う力
その心と魂を掛けて
罪なき時代へ連れて行って

神秘の翼で　宙を舞い上がる
あなたはあの暗い空　どうか導いてください
アーメン

コードギアス反逆のルルーシュR2第２３話に聞いた歌、悲しそうなメロディーだけど、希望も持つんだ。歌詞は確か日本語だが、歌うのは一体どんな言葉か知らなかった。。。

鏡音リン・レンと初音ミクのカノン

2008-09-17T11:37:00.006+08:00

久しぶりにVOCALOIDのビデオを見ると、なかなか面白いビデオがたくさん出て来た。以下のカノンはすごい気がして、聞きやすそう！

Also, in case anyone's interested, the download link for 'Respect for Sound Horizon ver 城内 feat.Nico Horizon' can be found at http://www1.axfc.net/uploader/O/so/61694 , password: moira . Really interesting how the Japanese fans love to cover the songs, even playing their own instruments and all!

My Moira 冥王 CD!

2008-09-16T17:07:00.010+08:00

Finally . . . my first CD in recent years. The last one that I bought was probably 'Love Cook' by Otsuka Ai. In commemoration, I shall compile a few pics of the CD case, booklet, as well as pics of the bonus goodies that only those lucky peeps in SH Land can obtain. AND . . . back it with my horrible playing since well, unfortunately, I AM that lousy (Though I shall throw some blame on the laptop microphone XD). No points for guessing what songs I was trying to play . . .

The artwork inside actually looks better close up than the pictures show. The front of the case also has a cloth-like texture, with the Moira logo possibly embroidered on.

Sound Horizon 冥王 PV (Low Quality)

2008-09-15T18:18:00.001+08:00

A recording from Nicovideo, with the cute twin/twins once more!

Sound Horizon - Making of 冥王 -Θανατος- PV

2008-09-13T17:44:00.002+08:00

Have I mentioned before that the twins are cute ? And I like the sopranos here as well . . .

Sound Horizon Moira - Hidden Track

2008-09-11T12:44:00.002+08:00

Found out that there is a hidden track available for Moira! You can obtain it by solving the riddle here and inputting the password!

英国人考古学者【Arthur Michel Renfrew】は、懇意にしていた露
西亜人より【或る石版】を譲り受けた。其の古びた石版は示す─―

「冥王の瞳で夜空を見上げよ
　死に染まる世界で浮かび上がる星々
　其れを結べ」　

　その意味を解読した彼は、秘められた【問】に惑いはしたが、
ひとつの【解】を導きだすに至った……。やがて考古学会を巻
き込んだ悲しい出来事があり、その【累】は彼にも及んだ。信じ
る者が全て救われるとは限らない。神の【愛】とは何なのだろ
うか？　彼の【生】は奪われ、その真実は【灰】燼に帰したかの
ように思われたが、彼の死後6年目、妻【Elys】が書斎にて一枚
のメモを発見した……。

メモ

「私の人生、その短い焔を激しく燃やしたのは
　紛れもない古代への憧れであった
　或る友人の言葉を借りるならば【ロマン】である
　私は遂に運命に対する解を手にした
　例えその解を違えていようと我人生に悔いはない
　此れが私の『物語』なのである

　私は母国への誇りを忘れぬ生粋の英国人だ
　解の意図、その響きは捏造しない
　ただ、私が愛した言語でここに綴る……。」

[ 去り逝く男の最期のメモ、彼は一体何と綴ったのだろうか？ ]

password : d-i-d-y-m-o-i

Sound Horizon Fan Medley and Moira Update

2008-09-05T13:38:00.001+08:00

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm4416228"&amp;gt;【ニコニコ動画】【自作オリジナルメドレー】Respect for Sound Horizon ver 城内 feat.Nico Horizon&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

On a side note, you can find some of the songs from Moira @ godraziert's Youtube Channel!

Sound Horizon : Moira Tracklisting and Preview

2008-08-26T21:41:00.004+08:00

Tracklist :

1. 冥王 (8:08)
2. 人生は入れ子人形 (7:19)
3. 神話 (4:44)
4. 運命の双子 (5:00)
5. 奴隷市場 (4:11)
6. 雷神域の英雄 (4:24)
7. 死と嘆きの風の都 (7:33)
8. 聖なる詩人の島 (5:19)
9. 遥か地平線の彼方へ (5:05)
10. 死せる者達の物語 (5:42)
11. 星女神の巫女 (4:30)
12. 死せる乙女その手には水月 (5:27)
13. 奴隷達の英雄 (5:08)
14. 死せる英雄達の戦い (5:16)
15. 神話の終焉 (2:05)

翼の折れた天使たち II

2008-08-19T14:42:00.002+08:00

第一夜　「Impulse」

生きる意味など、誰にもわからない。
だから、人はもがき苦しんでしまう。
でも、それはむきあうことでしか見えてこない。
だから、苦しくとも、立ち向かって欲しい。
それこそが、生きるということなのだから。

第二夜　「Sakura」

時に人は、自分を守るために、
知らぬ間に、悲しい嘘をついてしまう。
でも、人をだますということは、
本当は、自分を傷つけてしまうこと。
だから、自分の心だけは、裏切らないで欲しい。

第三夜　「Time」

今の時代、みな何かに追い立てられている。
まるで、振り返るのが怖いように。
でも、迷った時は、立ち止まって欲しい。
その時にしか、気づけないことがあるから。
そして、また、ゆっくり歩きだせばいい。

最終夜　「Merchandise」

今の時代、まるで自分を商品のように、
飾り立てなければ、生きていけない。
でも、気づいて欲しい。
自分の中に、変えてはいけないものがあることを。
それこそが、あなたらしさなのだから。

翼の折れた天使たち I

2008-08-15T00:17:00.002+08:00

第一夜　「セレブ」

人は目に映る分かりやすいモノを信じてしまう。
それが、価值あるモノかも確かめずに . . .
でも、本当に大切なものは身近にある。
空気のように見えないけれど、そこにある。

第二夜　「LIVE CHAT」

人には、必ず二つの顏がある。
醜い面だけが、あなたのすべてじゃない。
大事なのは、目をそむけずに自分と向き合うこと。
その二つの面があってこそ、人なのだから。

第三夜　「Actress」

人の生きる道に教科書などない。
自分で決断したなら、その道は正しいと思う。
でも、大事なのは、引き返す勇気を持つこと。
人は、何度でも、やり直すことができるのだから。

最終夜　「Slot」

人は、他人に何かを求め続けるもの。
でも、かなわないとき、つい相手を責めてしまう。
そんなときは、自ら何かを与えてみてほしい。
求めるだけでは気づかないことが見えてくるから。

Sound Horizon 6th Story CD : Moira (3/9)

2008-08-08T11:47:00.003+08:00

The release date for Moira has been pushed back to 3rd of September, which means more waiting to go. In the meanwhile, time to enjoy the cover art and chapters from volume 1 of the Roman Manga!

Limited Edition Cover

Regular Edition Cover

For those who would like to know more about the stories in Roman, ongoing translations from volume 1 of the Roman Manga can be obtained from Eternal Bunny. The raw version of Volume 1 can be found here.

Crisis Core : Loveless Poem

2008-08-01T21:14:00.004+08:00

Here's the english script for Loveless as well as the famous CGI video of Genesis, Angeal and Sephiroth all from the english version of Crisis Core. Enjoy!

Prologue

When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end
The goddess descends from the sky
Wings of light and dark spread afar
She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting

Act I

Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess
We seek it thus, and take to the sky
Ripples form on the water's surface
The wandering soul knows no rest.

Act II

There is no hate, only joy
For you are beloved by the goddess
Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds

Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul
Pride is lost
Wings stripped away, the end is nigh

Act III

My friend, do you fly away now ?
To a world that abhors you and I ?
All that awaits you is a somber morrow
No matter where the winds may blow

My friend, your desire
Is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess

Even if the morrow is barren of promises
Nothing shall forestall my return

Act IV

My friend, the fates are cruel
There are no dreams, no honor remains
The arrow has left the bow of the goddess

My soul, corrupted by vengeance
Hath endured torment, to find the end of the journey
In my own salvation
And your eternal slumber

Legend shall speak
Of sacrifice at world's end
The wind sails over the water's surface
Quietly, but surely

Act V

Even if the morrow is barren of promises
Nothing shall forestall my return
To become the dew that quenches the land
To spare the sands, the seas, the skies
I offer thee this silent sacrifice

New D.Gray-Man Insert Song

2008-07-25T16:04:00.002+08:00

Episode 93 brings us a new song, sung during the restoration of the White Ark. Despite the fact that Allen's friends were being brought back from 'dead', it would've been more touching if the melody wasn't repeated like 5 times in 2 episodes. Still, I can't wait for a new OST to be released just to get this song and the piano piece.

そして坊やは眠りについて　
息づく灰の中の炎　
一つ　二つと　浮かぶ　ふくらみ　愛しい横顔　
大地に垂るる　幾千の夢　夢　
銀の瞳の揺らぐ夜に　
生れ落ちた　輝くお前　
幾億の年月が　
いくつ　祈りを　土へ　返しても　
私は祈り続ける　どうかこの子に愛を　つないだ手にキスを

Random Anime/GameTrailers and Updates

2008-07-19T12:43:00.006+08:00

First up, we have a short teaser for the 2nd Season of Gundam 00, set to my favorite BGM piece from Season 1 :

Next, an english-subbed trailer for Star Ocean : Second Evolution from E3 2008 :

Next, according to Moonphase :

[タレコミ]広江礼威「ブラック・ラグーン」アニメ第3期制作決定！
今月18日刊行予定のガガガ文庫「ブラック・ラグーンシェイターネ・バーディ」店頭告知POPより。

It seems that a 3rd Season of Black Lagoon has been confirmed, meaning more kick-ass Revy action! Say Say Say! In addition, I've updated the previous post with more information about the characters for Jigoku Shoujo : Mitsuganae.

「地獄少女　三鼎」　10月放送スタート!

2008-07-17T00:09:00.006+08:00

Studio Deen :

人を呪わば穴二つ . . . . . . アニメ「地獄少女」の第3シリーズ「地獄少女三鼎（みつがなえ）」の放送枠が遂に決定！

毎日放送
毎週土曜日　26：25～

TOKYO MX
毎週土曜日　17：00～　※リピート放送　毎週水曜　23：30～

登場人物 :
閻魔あい
一目連
骨女
輪入道
きくり
御影ゆずき
山童

BLASSREITER

2008-07-09T14:30:00.007+08:00

An anime by GONZO and Nitro+ that is currently airing, Blassreiter is officially broadcast with english subtitles (read LEGAL) on Youtube, Crunchyroll and BOST TV on the same day that it airs in Japan.

Synopsis from the Blassreiter Site :

As the dark cloud of apocalypse shadows over the world, stigmatized heroes arise . . . . for reasons yet unknown . . .

The story takes place in a city in Germany sometime in the near future.
A puzzling incident occurs where a corpse rises up in the form of a strange creature and attacks people.
The appearance of the monstrous undead shakes the nation as horrified people look on the incident as a sign of "the coming of demons."

The city also witnesses the rise of those that can incarnate into demons at will. Each and every bearer of this special ability, while being condemned as demons, uses his/her power for different ends . . .

Some use the power for what they believe as justice.
Some lose themselves in the immensity of their powers and abuse them.
Some use their power to realize their ambitions.
Some use it for the purpose of revenge.

However, all are eventually burdened with the same overpowering fate: to fight in a Battle Royale in which the lives of all "demons" are ultimately jeopardized . . .

Each uses their powers to survive, and to fulfill their individual purposes.
However, using the special power comes with a price: their human minds gradually begin to debilitate . . .

An unrelenting and devastating story of young men and women racked with solitude and agony.

Blassreiter seems to be one of the more unappreciated shows of the season. Admittedly, I thought that I would not like it initially as it utilizes a fair amount of CGI, but it was pretty well done after all. The story started well enough but my favorite episode so far has got to be Episode 12, where the pride and courage demonstrated was almost touching enough to shed a tear.

All that talk aside, you can view the episodes (subbed) legally via the following links :

YouTube Blassreiter : http://www.youtube.com/user/animeBLASSREITER
Crunchyroll : http://www.crunchyroll.com/group/CRSeries_-_BLASSREITER

Dream Port 2008 : Sajin no Kanata e

2008-06-21T10:34:00.002+08:00

A collaboration event featuring composers Revo from Sound Horizon and Kajiura Yuki (Tsubasa Chronicles, .hack//, noir etc), this has got to be one of the concerts I am looking forward to viewing. Without further ado, here's a clip of the concert's main theme, Sajin no Kanata e. Enjoy!

Random Surprise

2008-05-30T23:25:00.003+08:00

When I first started watching Vampire Knight, I remembered thinking to myself that Yuuki's uniform would look pretty good in real life. Slightly different from the usual sailor schoolgirl uniforms, its design seemed more intricate and easier to carry off as well.

Lo' and behold, look what I found whilst out browsing randomly!

The design of the uniform looks to be pretty accurate, and I think people might actually look good in this. >_<

ココロVer.なまこにゅる粉

2008-05-03T16:37:00.007+08:00

ココロ or kokoro (meaning heart) is an original song from one of the Vocaloids, Kagamine Rin. The version used in this video is by 粉. I think it is about a scientist having created a robot but unable to program a 'heart' for it. Only after a few hundred years have past, being left all alone, does the robot begin to experience emotions and understand why it was born, realizing that it must have been painful being alone. The song then ends with Rin giving thanks to the professor. Enjoy! :)

「ココロ」
詞/曲：トラボルタ

孤独な科学者に作られたロボット
出来栄えを言うなら"奇跡"

だけどまだ足りない　一つだけ出来ない
それは「心」と言うプログラム

幾百年が過ぎ
独りで残された
奇跡のロボットは願う

知リタイ　アノ人ガ
命ノ　終リマデ
私ニ　作ッテタ
「ココロ」

今　動き始めた　加速する奇跡
ナゼか　ナミダが　止まらナい・・・
ナぜ　私　震える？　加速する鼓動
こレが私の望んだ「ココロ」？

フシギ　ココロ　ココロ　フシギ
私は知った　喜ぶ事を
フシギ　ココロ　ココロ　フシギ
私は知った　悲しむ事を
フシギ　ココロ　ココロ　ムゲン
なんて深く切ない・・・

今　気付き始めた　生まれた理由を
きっと独りは寂しい
そう、あの日、あの時
全ての記憶に宿る「ココロ」が溢れ出す

今　言える　本当の言葉
捧げるあなたに

アリガトウ・・・　この世に私を生んでくれて
アリガトウ・・・　一緒に過ごせた日々を
アリガトウ・・・　あなたが私にくれた全て
アリガトウ・・・　永遠に歌う

MP3 Download
Kagamine Rin Version (Original)
粉 Version

[PV] Still Doll - Kanon Wakeshima

2008-05-02T21:43:00.003+08:00

Described by some as somewhat haunting (though it does not sound all that haunting to me), this is the debut single of singer and cellist , Kanon Wakeshima. It is also used as the ending theme for the anime, Vampire Knight.

Sound Horizon Triumph DVD Preview

2008-04-30T21:15:00.002+08:00

I seem to be having a fascination with Sound Horizon at the moment . . . and while I'm at it, here's a preview of their DVD Triumph, a concert which I think looks visually awesome!

空の境界 Movie DVD Trailer

2008-04-26T12:32:00.002+08:00

A novel written and illustrated by the team that formed TYPE-MOON, the artwork and design of Kara no Kyoukai bears resemblance to other TYPE-MOON productions such as Fate/Stay Night and Tsukihime, especially the latter as they are regarded to be set in the same world. It has been recently adapted into a movie series with 7 chapters, featuring music by Kajiura Yuki (Tsubasa Chronicles, Noir etc.) and well known VAs such as Sakamoto Maaya (Haruhi in Ouran Host Club), Suzumura Kenichi (Lavi in D.Gray-Man), Tanaka Rie (Lacus Clyne in Gundam SEED) as well as Noto Mamiko (Enma Ai in Jigoku Shoujo).

As I'm too lazy to do a synopsis, I shall let the trailers below do the talking! If only they could bring it into theaters here . . .

Sound Horizon - Sacrifice

2008-04-10T20:15:00.006+08:00

Deviating from the ordinary jpop/rock songs, the live performance of Sacrifice brings a sort of artistic touch to the song, reminiscent of a musical. Although I was less than impressed by the high pitch of the vocalist initially, her performance eventually grew on me and I especially like the build-up to the climax of the story. Do give it a watch if you want to hear/watch something different!

Another song I like from them is called 'Asa to yoru no monogatari', featuring Revo, Kaori and Yuuki if I'm not wrong. Hard to tell with the wigs XD

And yet another song with dramatic acting, 'Ark'. Aramary's voice seems pretty high pitched as always, thankfully it does not seem that bad in the album version.

[MAD] Allen X Lenalee

2008-03-22T10:52:00.000+08:00

【ニコニコ動画】D.Gray-man　アレリナMAD　「Baby's Tears／小坂りゆ」

Orbital Elevators

2008-03-11T22:06:00.004+08:00

Wikipedia has an interesting read on the viability of Orbital Elevators and the general theory involved should such a project ever take shape. The idea itself is not new, having appeared in many works of fiction albeit in various conceptual interpretations. A recent fictional example would be the space elevator in the anime Gundam 00.

Without further ado, click here to access the article.

Kimikiss Pure Rouge Promo

2008-03-06T18:28:00.006+08:00

DVD Promo for Kimikiss Pure Rouge. Having yet to watch an anime that seems focused on love, it might be painful to start with Kimikiss judging by all the sad scenes portrayed in the promo. Then again, what is a romance anime should there be no drama or sorrow involved ?

If, for some reason, you should be feeling down after viewing the promo, perhaps the following videos might get you smiling again!

An Cafe ~ Cherry Saku Yuuki ~

Archmed - The Dead Terrorist

Yay! New Wallpaper!

2008-03-01T10:27:00.007+08:00

After a pretty long hiatus from creating wallpapers, I am finally back with one yet again. This time, the characters featured are Sakura and Shaoran from Tsubasa Tokyo Revelations. It is entitled '君を守りたい' or 'I Wish to Protect You' (A little sappy I know, but if you have watched the OVA, it should seem in context).

Once more, do full view and I hope you'll like it! Comments/critique would also be appreciated. Also, if you have any suggestions for things that I can add in since it is a little plain at the moment, do tell! ^^

[ Desktop Resolution : 1280 X 960 ]

[ Desktop Resolution : 1024 X 768 ]

Kurutto Odotte Hatsune Miku and Friends

2008-02-19T09:14:00.002+08:00

A really cute CG video of Miku and Friends dancing, complete with the CaramellDansen craze at the end!

Nani's (Manchester United) Seal Dribble Versus Arsenal

2008-02-17T18:08:00.003+08:00

Given United's dismal run in the past 2 matches prior to their FA Cup clash with Arsenal, I was initially apprehensive about the match. Thankfully, the team played unusually well and managed a 4 - 0 victory over their closest rivals.

A highlight of the match that I enjoyed was Nani's dribbling at one point in time, which was dubbed as showboating by some, but I personally felt that it was alright given that he had a marker closing in on him, and thus he did it in an attempt to retain possession.

Chrno Crusade : Saddest Anime ?

2008-02-10T00:12:00.000+08:00

Having just finished Chrno Crusade, I am inclined to name it the saddest anime that I have seen so far. Although it is relatively old (2003), I found the ending pretty sad and touching.

Of course, others who do not understand the symbolism behind the finale or simply dislike the characters probably would not feel anything, yet being able to empathize with both Rosette and Chrno (especially Rosette), I have to admit that I actually teared. Thankfully, it appears that the manga version has a slightly better ending. (Spoilers below: Highlight to read at your own risk)

Firstly, Satella having to kill her sister whom she had been searching for over 10 years along with herself was slightly depressing, setting the tone for what was to come.

The last episode portrayed a really beautiful and touching death scene for both Rosette and Chrno . . . I think what really got to me was Rosette crying about wanting to live.

Of course, she had known throughout that she would die at some point, but realizing that the time was near would probably be enough to make anyone feel sad, especially one as young as Rosette who could have had so many things that she wanted to do, such as spending time with her brother whom she had been searching for almost all her life, as well as living together with Azmaria and the other sisters.

Yet towards the end of her final moments, she calms down and thanks Chrno, showing that she finally accepts her fate. I feel that this is pretty much still in line with her strong character personality that has been displayed throughout the series.

Yet another touching scene would be when Azmaria and the others found the bodies of Rosette and Chrno and cried. When Azmaria seemed almost on the verge of breaking down, she realized that both Rosette and Chrno probably spent the last few months living together knowing what was in store for them, yet able to go through each day with their usual happy selves and this perhaps brought her some form of courage and happiness too, enabling her to better accept their deaths.

Yes, I realized that it seems easier for me to tear during certain anime scenes compared to real life ones, considering the last time that I remember tearing during a life-action show would be during One Litre of Tears , whereas in anime it would be the conclusion of the Fuuko arc in Clannad, Loss of Going Merry in One Piece and Chidori's Death in Ayashi no Ceres. I probably felt sad during Elfen Lied too, though I can't remember if I did tear then.

Pretty strange huh ? Or perhaps, I am simply not watching enough live shows to find any that makes me feel sad enough to tear.

Happy Lunar New Year!

2008-02-08T00:37:00.000+08:00

Happy Lunar New Year to all Chinese out there celebrating the occasion! Personally, I haven't experienced any deviations from past CNY celebrations except for one of the Red Packets that I received due to its fairly unsual design compared to normal Red Packets.

Yes, it featured the anime Sousei no Aquarion! Perhaps it was only a matter of time before such packets started appearing, but since it was the first time that I've received one, it indeed felt slightly more special.

D.Gray-Man : Lala's Lullaby

2008-01-21T13:37:00.000+08:00

A short recap about Lala taken from wiki:

A doll that was created to sing and dance for the citizens of Mateel, Italy. After the citizens had abandoned the city, Lala still continued to move after 500 years due to her heart being made from Innocence. She was then called the "Ghost of Mateel" due to her frightening appearance and because she had killed five travelers that had wandered into the city.

She accompanied Guzol after he met her when he was a child; him being the only one who was not frightened of her. Her heart was taken when she was attacked by an Akuma, but was then put back after the Akuma was destroyed. However, she was reverted back to a doll like state with no memories of Guzol or her love for him. The Innocence remained in her heart until she "broke" after Guzol's death, and it was then returned to Hevlaska by Allen.

Lyrics * :

Lacrimosa dies illa,
qua resurget ex favilla
judicandus homo reus.
Huic ergo parce, Deus:

Pie Jesu Domine
(dona eis requiem. Amen.) **

Ah! that day of tears and mourning!
From the dust of earth returning
man for judgment must prepare him;
Spare, O God, in mercy spare him!

Lord, all pitying, Jesus blest,
(grant them thine eternal rest. Amen)

* Translation taken from wiki
** The last lines aren't included in the song, but are part of the original poem/hymn

Gundam 00 OP 2

2008-01-19T20:26:00.000+08:00

Since it's been some time (a little more than a week) since I last saw an anime opening that I liked, I was pleasantly surprised by the new OP of Gundam 00. In contrast to the slow, ballad-like opening used for Spice and Wolf, this was a faster-paced, energetic treat. Compared to the first Gundam 00 OP, I find that the visuals fit the music better this time round, especially during the lead up to the chorus.

ひぐらしのなく頃に:　Frederica Bernkastelの詩

2008-01-14T21:52:00.000+08:00

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Poems by Frederica Bernkastel
(Translations taken from the AnimeSuki forum)

鬼隠し編 Spirited Away by the Demon Chapter

[ Game ]

どうか嘆かないで。
世界があなたを許さなくても、私はあなたを許します。

どうか嘆かないで。
あなたが世界を許さなくても、私はあなたを許します。

だから教えてください。
あなたはどうしたら、私を許してくれますか？

Please do not deplore yourself.
Even if the world does not forgive, I will forgive you.

Please do not deplore yourself.
Even if you do not forgive the world, I will forgive you.

So please tell me.
What will it take for you, to forgive me ?

Frederica Bernkastel
Sugokuiiya tsu nimieru youni egaketano wa ookiikoituwo dokitanai
akutou ni saidoni dekinakyane.

[ Postcard ]

何が罪かわかりますか。
知恵の実を口にしたからではありません。
何が罪かわかりますか。
蛇の甘言に耳を貸したからではありません。
まだ罪がわかりませんか。
それこそがあなたの罪なのです。

Do you know what is the sin?
It isn't because you ate the forbidden fruit.

Do you know what is the sin?
It isn't because you listened to the serpent.

You still don't know what is the sin?
Then, that itself is your sin.

Frederica Bernkastel

綿流し編 Cotton Drifting Chapter

[ Game ]

あなたの乾きを癒せない。
真実を欲するあなたがそれを認めないから。

あなたの乾きを癒せない。
あなたの期待する真実が存在しないから。

それでもあなたの渇きを癒したい。
あなたを砂漠に放り出したのはわたしなのだから。

I cannot quench your thirst
Because even if you yearn for the truth, you refuse to believe in it.

I cannot quench your thirst
Because no such truth exists that you are in anticipation for.

But I still want to quench your thirst.
Because I am the one the that put you into the desert.

Frederica Bernkastel
Sugokuiiya tsu nimieru youni egaketano wa ookiikoituwo dokitanai
akutou ni saidoni dekinakyane.

[ Postcard ]

この世でもっとも見つけ難いもの。
砂漠に落とした針一本？

この世でもっとも見つけ難いもの。
闇夜に落とした鴉の羽？

この世でもっとも見つけ難いのは。
自分自身の思い違い。

The most intricate thing to find in this world.
Is it a needle that you lost in the desert?

The most intricate thing to find in this world.
Is it a crow's feather that you lost in the darkness of the night?

The most intricate thing to find in this world is,
Realizing your own erroneous contemplation.

Frederica Bernkastel

祟殺し編 Curse Killing Chapter

[ Game ]

井の中の蛙は幸せでした。
井戸の外に何も興味がなかったから。

井の中の蛙は幸せでした。
井戸の外で何があっても関係なかったから。

そしてあなたも幸せでした。
井戸の外で何があったか知らなかったから。

The frog in the well was happy.
It wasn't interested what was outside the well.

The frog in the well was happy.
It was recluse to anything that happened outside the well.

And you were happy.
Because you didn't know what occurred outside the well.

Frederica Bernkastel
Sugokuiiya tsu nimieru youni egaketano wa ookiikoituwo dokitanai
akutou ni saidoni dekinakyane.

[ Postcard ]

私が一番不幸だった。
この迷路に出口がないことを知っていたから。

次に彼が不幸だった。
この迷路に出口がないことを知らなかったから。

その他大勢は不幸ではなかった。
自分たちが迷路の中にいることすら知らなかったから。

I was the most unfortunate.
I knew that there was no exit out of this maze.

Then, he was the next unfortunate.
He did not know that there was no exit out of this maze.

But all the rest weren't so unfortunate.
They didn't know that they were in the maze in the first place.

Frederica Bernkastel

暇潰し編 Time Wasting Chapter

[ Game ]

誰が犯人かって？
それを探す物語に決まってるでしょ？

誰が犯人かって？
そもそも「何の」犯人かわかってる？

誰が犯人なの？
私をこれから殺す犯人は誰？！

So who is the culprit, you ask?
Finding that out is part of the story, right?

So who is the culprit, you ask?
Do you even know what is the culprit in the first place?

So who is the culprit?
Who is the culprit that's gonna kill me?!

Frederica Bernkastel
Sugokuiiya tsu nimieru youni egaketano wa ookiikoituwo dokitanai
akutou ni saidoni dekinakyane.

[ shitakiji from GanGan March 2006 Issue ]

私が求めるものは何？
遠い異郷からやって来る騎士かもしれない。

私が求めるものは何？
永遠の沼から這い出せる岸かもしれない。

私が求めるものはたったひとつ。
得るのはキシか、それともシキ（死期）か。

What is it that I seek ?
Perhaps it is a knight from a far away land.

What is it that I seek ?
Perhaps it is a shore that will save me from this eternal swamp.

There is only one thing that I seek.
What I would obtain will either be the kishi (shore), or shiki (my death).

Frederica Bernkastel

目明し編 Eye Opening Chapter

砂漠にビーズを落としたと少女は泣いた。
少女は百年かけて砂漠を探す。

砂漠でなく海かもしれないと少女は泣いた。
少女は百年かけて海底を探す。

海でなくて山かもしれないと少女は泣いた。
本当に落としたのか、疑うのにあと何年？

The little girl cried when she lost her marbles in the desert.
She searched the desert for one hundred years.

The little girl cried when she thought she might've lost them in the sea rather than the desert.
She searched the depths of the sea for one hundred years.

The little girl cried when she thought she might've lost them in the mountains than the sea.
How long will it take till she begins to doubt whether or not she actually lost them to begin with?

Frederica Bernkastel
Sugokuiiya tsu nimieru youni egaketano wa ookiikoituwo dokitanai
akutou ni saidoni dekinakyane.

罪滅し編 Atonement Chapter

一度目なら、今度こそはと私も思う。
避けられなかった惨劇に。

二度目なら、またもかと私は呆れる。
避けられなかった惨劇に。

三度目なら、呆れを越えて苦痛となる。
七度目を数えるとそろそろ喜劇になる。

At the first time, I do my best to try again
against the inevitable tragedy.

In the second time, I become disgusted
towards the inevitable tragedy.

The third time, disgust is overwhelmed into painfulness.
But by the seventh time, this all becomes a farce comedy.

Frederica Bernkastel
Sugokuiiya tsu nimieru youni egaketano wa ookiikoituwo dokitanai
akutou ni saidoni dekinakyane.

[ Production Diary @ 7th Expansion ]

運命に泣かず、挫けることを知らない。
そんな彼女は美しかった。

誰にも媚びず、最後まで1人で戦った。
そんな彼女は気高かった。

彼女は眩しくて、ただただ神々しくて。
私には、そんな彼女が必要だった。

She wasn't discouraged nor did she cry at her fate.
She was beautiful.

She didn't fawn anyone and fought them all by herself.
She was noble.

She shined brightly, like a divine figure.
I needed someone like her.

Frederica Bernkastel

皆殺し編 Massacre Chapter

[ Prologue ]

井戸の外の世界が知りたくて。
私は井戸の底から這い上がろうとしました。

井戸の外の世界が知りたくて。
何度、滑り落ちて全身を打ち付けても上り続けました。

でも気付きました。
上れば上るほどに落ちる時の高さと痛みは増すのです。

外の世界への興味と全身の痛みが同じくらいになった時、
私は初めて蛙の王さまの言葉の意味がわかりました。

I wanted to know the world that was outside of the well.
So I tried hard to get out from the bottom of the well.

I wanted to know the world that was outside of the well.
So I climbed up numerous of times despite falling down over and over again.

But then I realized it.
The higher and higher I climb, the pain increases when I fall down again.

When my interest in the world outside of the well began to equal the amount of pain,
That was when I finally realized the meaning of the story to Der Froschkönig.

Frederica Bernkastel
Sugokuiiya tsu nimieru youni egaketano wa ookiikoituwo dokitanai
akutou ni saidoni dekinakyane.

[ After Watanagashi ]

どうかこの夜に何があったか教えてください。
それは例えるなら猫を詰めた箱。

どうかこの夜に何があったか教えてください。
箱の中の猫は、生か死かすらもわからない。

どうかあの夜に何があったか教えてください。
箱の中の猫は、死んでいたのです。

Please tell me what happened in this night.
It's like the cat inside the box.

Please tell me what happened in this night.
You don't know if the cat in the box is dead or alive.

Please tell me what happened in this night.
The cat in the box was dead.

Frederica Bernkastel
Sugokuiiya tsu nimieru youni egaketano wa ookiikoituwo dokitanai
akutou ni saidoni dekinakyane.

[ Staff Credits Roll ]

井戸の外にはどんな世界が？
それは、知るために支払う苦労に見合うもの？

井戸の外にはどんな世界が？
それは、何度も墜落しても試すほどに魅力的？

井戸の外にはどんな世界が？
それを知ろうと努力して、落ちる痛みを楽しもう。

その末に至った世界なら、そこはきっと素敵な世界。
例えそこが井戸の底であったとしても。

井戸の外へ出ようとする決意が、新しい世界への鍵。
出られたって出られなくったって、
きっと新しい世界へ至れる … 。

What kind of world lies outside of the well?
Is it something that is worth struggling for?

What kind of world lies outside of the well?
Is it something so attractive enough to fall and try over and over again?

What kind of world lies outside of the well?
Let's enjoy taking the pains of finding that out.

If I reach the world that yearn for, it must be a spectacular world.
Even if that world was another pit inside a well.

The key to the new world is the resolve to get out of the well.
Being able to get out or not,
A new world surely awaits . . .

祭囃し編 Festival Accompanying Chapter

[ Prologue and Ending Credit Roll Part A ]

誰だって幸せになる権利がある。
難しいのはその享受。

誰だって幸せになる権利がある。
難しいのはその履行。

私だって幸せになる権利がある。
難しいのはその妥協。

Everyone has a right to pursue a happy life.
The difficult part is to be given that right.

Everyone has a right to pursue a happy life.
The difficult part is to fulfill that right.

I too have a right to pursue a happy life.
The difficult part is to work out a compromise for that right.

Frederica Bernkastel
Sugokuiiya tsu nimieru youni egaketano wa ookiikoituwo dokitanai
akutou ni saidoni dekinakyane.

[ Ending Credit Roll Part B ]

だって、これから
もっともっと幸せになるんだもの。

これくらいじゃ、妥協なんてしないんだから。
私たちは、これまでの幸せを全部取り戻すよ。

私は百年分を。
あなたは千年分を、ね。

That's because
I'm gonna become much much more happy from now on.

I'm not gonna compromise with just this.
We are gonna take back all of our happiness that we lost.

For me, that's about a hundred year's worth.
For you, a thousand year's worth.

Frederica Bernkastel
Sugokuiiya tsu nimieru youni egaketano wa ookiikoituwo dokitanai
akutou ni saidoni dekinakyane.

Last but not least, a message/comment from Frederica :

私は私よ。フレデリカ・ベルンカステル。
古手梨花とフレデリカは全然別よ、そう信じてた人はご愁傷様ね。
年齢は、もう数えるのをやめちゃったわ。面倒くさいし。

え？　オヤシロさまの正体は私だろうって？
くすくす、馬鹿、失礼ね。
オヤシロさまはオヤシロさまよ。この子にも挨拶させる？　人見知りするのよこの子。
怖がりなんだから、あまり脅かさないであげてね？
… まぁもっとも、あなたの方が怖がり屋さんみたいだけどね。
くすくすくすくす …。

I am who I am; Frederica Bernkastel.
Furude Rika and Frederica are different. Shame on you if you thought so.
My age? I've gotten bored with it, so I've quit counting.

Huh ? Are you speculating that the real identity of the Oyashiro-sama is me ?
Giggle giggle. You are so insolent.
The Oyashiro-sama is the Oyashiro-sama. You want me to introduce it to you? It's rather shy.
It gets frightened easily so don't scare it, okay ? However, it seems that you are the one that's scared. Giggle giggle giggle . . .

Current favourite anime OP : Spice and Wolf

2008-01-10T14:52:00.000+08:00

Starting it's broadcast only recently, this OP caught my attention due to the melancholic melody of the song and certain scenes which seem like they could be dramatic / depressing. Of course, it helps that the setting of the show seems to be in the middle ages or medieval times, which just might pique my interest.

Random Quote

2008-01-04T13:07:00.000+08:00

如何なる刃をもってしてもきる事能わず
我の内なる荒野に咲ける一輪の薔薇を。

No matter what blade you may possess, tis' but impossible to cut
The single rose that blooms in the wilderness within me

(BLUE DROP ～天使達の戯曲～)

Hokkaido Trip Report 5 (Final)

2008-01-02T15:32:00.000+08:00

The day started with a visit to the Sapporo Nijo fresh seafood market. It was snowing heavily and I couldn't resist taking a shot of a school blanketed by snow before leaving the hotel. But I digress. Back to the market, there was pretty much a wide variety of seafood, albeit a little expensive. The only other people I remember seeing there were a group of schoolgirls, some teens and several businessmen . . . a somewhat strange bunch of people to be at that market.

Next up on the list was the Asahi Beer Factory, where we gathered to view some video on Asahi Beer and following that, got to sample the beer in a large dining hall. A mug of beer was provided together with some small snacks to go along, and if you managed to finish the initial mug, you can bring the empty mug to the counter and swap it for a mug containing a different type of their beer, possibly the Asahi Gold. Upon finishing that, you can swap once more for an Asahi Stout, I think. For those that don't drink, they also provided cans of milk tea and coffee.

Following that was a visit to the Sapporo Station Shopping Arcade, which includes Daimaru. Unfortunately, we were given very little time to walk and thus missed out on a good amount of shops. The amount of foodstuff in the basement of Daimaru alone would probably put the local Takashimaya branch to shame. From bento sets to snacks and desserts, there was a whole myriad of colors and understandably, it was one of the more packed areas. Unfortunately, I didn't really think to take photos of the Sapporo Train Station and/or Trains at this point in time.

Lunch today was a more interesting affair compared to previous days. Apart from the hotpot, there was also DIY tempura, as you can see from the picture. What you do is to dip the item in the batter provided and then place it in the oil for roughly 2 minutes. You can choose to make the batter thicker or thinner depending on your preference. This was also the first time that I had ever tasted Crab tempura, which was pretty delicious.

After lunch was a stop at the Chitose Factory Outlet Mall, Rera. It had a large number of familiar shops such as Adidas, Nike, ABC Mart, Levis, Guess, Tommy Hilfiger and many more. Since it was a factory outlet mall, I guess the prices were reasonable. Although you might not see it from the pictures, there were far more people then shown, perhaps all browsing within the various shops.

Dinner was scheduled pretty early at around 4.15pm due to our flight to Tokyo being at 7pm. It was chinese food this time at a restaurant located at the mall. Simple but tasty, though the restaurants here such as Crystal Jade would probably have better fare.

Below is an ad featuring Kimura Takuya at the airport. Another thing I didn't mention was that you did not need passports for domestic flights, just the air ticket. Might be common information elsewhere, but not here since we have no domestic flights locally.

Proceeded to the Garden Hotel Narita for the night, as our flight home was not due until the next morning. Visited the nearby convenience store in search of food owing to the early dinner and settled on bowl noodles as well as an Ichigo Daifuku (The very same Ichigo Daifuku as the one I bought in a previous trip). One thing I don't understand is why we seem to be lacking those bowl noodles with meat included over here, when they seem to be common in Japan and Taiwan. There wasn't much left to do after this, as the hotel was in an area without a shopping street of sorts, hence the report ends here.

It was an enjoyable trip overall.

Hokkaido Trip Report 4

2007-12-29T18:13:00.000+08:00

First up on today's itinerary was a trip to Otaru, a sort of port town. As you can see from the picture, the temperature then was 5.9 degrees, one of the warmer days.

We visited one of the orgel/music box museums in the city, along a street filled with several other shops selling glassware, different types of snacks and food.

Some of the tunes were pretty up to date with a wide selection. Songs ranged from well-known artists such as Mr.Children and Hamasaki Ayumi to those from the Ghibli films as well as some disney films. Due to time constraints, I didn't really get to visit much of the other shops as I had lingered in the orgel place for quite a long while.

Before returning to the coach, I bought a lavender-flavored soft cream which tasted pretty good. It had just the right amount of sweetness that I liked, flavorful but not too sweet. There were other flavors available of course, such as one with a combination of milk, lavender and yubari melon flavors.

Next up was lunch which consisted of a hotpot (Remember me mentioning in the first post when I said that meal provided a preview of things to come ?), fish flakes which you're supposed to pour onto the rice, as well as a grilled hokke fish (at least I think it's called hokke). It was delicious and tasted slightly sweet. In case you can't see clearly from the picture, the dessert was a yubari melon- flavored jelly.

After lunch was a visit to the Ishiya Chocolate Factory. We only got to wander around outside as they weren't prepared to take in visitors at the moment after re-opening for business only recently. If you are unaware of the scandal which previously surrounded it, good for you :D

As you can see, it hardly looks like a factory from its exterior. From its European theme complete with luxurious patios, it could certainly have passed off as a hotel or some themed resort, at least from the outside. There is even a mechanical performance every hour, which begins at the clocktower and partially involves the patio and part of the main building. Shiroi Koibito was already sold out for the day over there even though we arrived around 1.15pm.

Next on the itinerary was a stop at the Tanukikoji Shopping Street, which had many stores above ground as well as underground. There was even a Daiso nearby which had around 7 levels if I remember correctly.

We then proceeded to Odori Park and though it was raining, there was still a festive mood in the air with all the christmas lights and decorations. Many of the stores sold food and sweet sake.

Just opposite the section of the park I visited was the Sapporo TV Tower, but I didn't get to go up to the observation deck.

That was because our next stop was the JR TOWER Observatory T38, which stands for Tower Three Eight and the observatory deck is on the 38th floor. The Tower was linked to a shopping mall called Stellar Place, which was crowded with festive shoppers.

The view was pretty spectacular, at least to me. There were also 2 live musicians on the observatory deck playing classical pieces to add to the mood. If you go there during the day, you might even be able to see all the way to Otaru if the weather is clear.

A barbecue/grill dinner was next on the list which consists of those stuff you see in the picture as well as beef, pork or chicken. We decided to order special kobe beef to sample, which turned out to be pretty expensive. It cost more than 10k Yen for that plate in the picture on the top right. Granted it was probably the best beef I had ever tasted, but the price was really high.

After dinner, we proceeded to the hotel.

There was an onsen in this hotel as well, which included a small outdoor pool. Once again, it was nice being in the outdoor pool as it was snowing at the time that I visited. If I recall correctly, the temperature of the hot spring this time was not as high as the others, so it merely felt warm instead of hot.

Hokkaido Trip Report 3

2007-12-21T17:27:00.000+08:00

Our first stop of the day was the Ainu Museum.

For those curious, here's some information taken from the brochure of the Ainu Museum :

What does Ainu mean ?

"This large island of Hokkaido was once a land of freedom for our ancestors." (From the preface of "Ainu Mythology" by Yukie Chiri)
"Ainu" is originally an Ainu word meaning "human." The Ainu, the indigenous people of Hokkaido with their own culture and language, had lived in Hokkaido, the northern part of Japan's Tohoku region, southern Sakhalin and Chishima Island before those areas were developed by Japanese and Russian settlers. Several tens of thousands of Ainu still live in Hokkaido and other areas.

The Ainu Museum (Porotokotan)

The Ainu settlement, which was originally in Shiraoi's urban district, was moved and restored at the shores of Lake Poroto in 1965 to form this outdoor museum to preserve and exhibit the Ainu's cultural assets. The facilities included five cises (a thatched house), a museum, a botanical garden and an animal barn. This museum is popularly known as Porotokotan, which means a large lakeside village.

In one of the huts, we were treated to several performances, but I only managed to record one of the Ainu traditional dances, which you may view in the video below. Interestingly, I found out that there was an Ainu word 'Wakka' which meant 'Water'. Perhaps that was the basis for naming Wakka in Final Fantasy X.

Caught sight of this ad featuring Toda Erika (Misa in Death Note) on the way out, couldn't resist taking a shot.

Next up, we headed for lunch. It started snowing pretty heavily on the way. On the first floor of our lunch venue, there was a sort of seafood market, where you can purchase stuff and request it be turned into Sashimi then and there, or served to your table for those that needed longer preparation. The stuff were pretty expensive though, with my large Hotate costing 1500 Yen each and 100g of Toro costing 4500Yen. The crab cost about 13000 Yen, thus I decided against purchasing it.

Here are more pictures of lunch. From clockwise below : Hotate sashimi, hotpot, salmon sashimi and toro sashimi. Ingredients in the hotpot consisted of salmon, vegetables and small hotate. Enough to make a decent meal without purchasing extra stuff. The hotate sashimi was pretty good, though there was several overly chewy strands. The salmon and toro sashimi tasted fresh, though I guess 4500 Yen for toro probably isn't really worth it, heh.

Next up on the itinerary was the Edo Wonderland (Jidai Mura), a sort of Feudal-era theme park. We were greeted by a sword-wielding "Samurai" at the entrance, and he posed for shots with people after offering them another sword. As you can see from the pictures below, stepping into the village was like taking a step back into the past, with all the olden architecture and landscape. There were restaurants inside too, with modern food. Unfortunately, it was raining throughout my entire time here, so it did get pretty cold and wet. I kinda' liked the atmosphere there, somewhat reminiscent of Kyoto.

One of the attractions I enjoyed was the Ninja Maze. It was filled with interesting areas, such as slanting rooms whereby it was hard to keep your balance (It might perhaps even be moving slightly, since you might feel like falling even whilst standing still) and revolving doors. One of the areas was also built such that you couldn't proceed unless you found a sliding panel, though it was pretty obvious as it had a white rope attached to the pulley.

(One of those slanting rooms mentioned above. You might want to full view to get a better perspective.)

(Shall we proceed to the next floor ? No, it's actually a fake stairway. You can't ascend at all)

(Hmm, what's behind this door ?)

(Ooops! Should've locked the door next time!)

Here's a shaky cam vid of my brother transversing the maze. Can't catch much of the ambience from it, but at least you'll get a rough idea.

Next up, we visited the Haunted House, but it was pretty disappointing as you viewed exhibits rather than take part in any action.

Surprisingly, the Cat Temple provided more of a scare than the Haunted House. From a giant paw that descended from the ceiling as you walked past to trees that swayed and rustled, it definitely made for a better haunted house.

(The last picture reminds me of the small oden Kitsune from xxxHOLiC)

Next up was a short Ninja performance indoors. Before the show started, we were entertained by a Jester cum Announcer who was singing some sort of song/rhyme and playing about with a wooden contraption which seemed like a row of chopsticks stringed together, but could form tons of shapes. The main show was rather entertaining, with a lot of fighting and action. In the bottom left picture, you have a shot of the stage. There was a ton of hidden doors all around, such as part of the ceiling detaching to form a ladder, an altar concealing a secret passage, a trap door at the end of the wooden walkway and several others. Prior to the start of the show, you were given a small piece of white paper. This is for you to emulate the olden days whereby you use the paper to wrap coins and throw them onto the stage after the performance if you enjoyed it. From what little bit I could make out from the announcer earlier, he didn't mind if you wrapped even 5 yen, chocolates or sweets and threw them.

I was further impressed by the Jester after the show. Apparently, someone had left their beanie behind and he chased after all the different departing groups until the Entrance/Exit of the park, asking around to see whom it belonged too. *Round of Applause*

We departed the Jidai Mura shortly after the performance and headed to our next stop, Jigokudani Valley or Hell Valley. It was dark by this time and still raining, hence I didn't take a lot of pictures. The gas being emitted smelt like sulphur.

We proceeded to our hotel after that, and got ready for dinner which was served in a traditional styled room, somewhat like the Inn at Lake Kawaguchi.

There were a lot of dishes and I was hard pressed to finish everything. Note the hotate and amaebi, which was present in many of the meals. The katsu was delicious too, a very satisfying dinner indeed. Afterwards, I went back to my room and switched on the TV, catching an interesting show whereby several people were tasting Ramen from different shops in order to find the most spicy ramen. I only recognized one of the people as a V6 member. Following that, I went out to walk a little. The rain had turned to snow by now, so it was a nice sight outside.

For some reason, I really like these small streets littered with brightly lit shops. They give me a somewhat comforting feel. There were 3-4 convenience stores along this stretch, which couldn't have been more than a few hundred meters in length. I saw several girls strolling in those light, hotel yukata on this snowy night, so their probably either nuts or have just emerged recently from an onsen bath. From personal experience, the cold does not get to you for a short period of time after you have been soaked in the hot spring.

Speaking of hot springs, the hotel here had one too. After my walk, I had a little soak in the onsen. The water this time was cloudy, possibly due to sulphur and other minerals in it. There was a small open air bath as well, and the feeling of being in an onsen with snow falling around you was indeed enjoyable, though perhaps a good way to catch a cold.

Hokkaido Trip Report 2

2007-12-19T09:12:00.000+08:00

Woke up at 5.15am to visit the onsen once more. This time, the men's and women's bath had been swapped so that you get to experience both sides. Had the hotel buffet for breakfast before departing. Below are shots of Lake Toya which I took that morning, as it was too dark to capture the previous night.

We proceeded to some Snowmobile place, where it cost a whopping 10k Yen to ride on one. Donning a helmet, we had to take their bus to an open snowfield where their snowmobiles were located. Unfortunately, we had to travel in a single file and stay behind the instructors as we maneuvered through a standard trail, hence my greatest speed was only about 40km/h for a few seconds before having to slow down to avoid smashing into the person ahead. It was pretty fun though, apart from the strong fuel smell.

(Clockwise : A little snowman near the snowmobiles area, The snowmobile I used together with my gloves thrown on it, A Mt.Fuji lookalike seen from the turning point of the trail, a little shed found at the turning point of the trail)

Next up was lunch at a small place (Top left) which offered a pretty good view of Lake Toya.

A hotpot with vegetables, corn, slices of beef (I think), prawns, ika, hotate and salmon. Might seem ordinary, but this particular hotpot left an impression on me. I think butter was added in, which together with the fragrance of the corn, really served to enhance the taste of everything.　とてもおいしかった！

Following lunch, we made the trip to the Rusutsu Resort, a somewhat western themed resort.

Included in the tour package was a single round of Snow Tubing and Snow Rafting. The former merely involves plonking yourself down on a rubber tube and sliding down the slope whereas for the latter, you sit yourself in a rubber 'raft' and get dragged around by a snowmobile. Of course, neither seemed as fun as the other skiers and snowboarders zooming around us.

(Clockwise : Picture of the ski slopes, Students having winter ski classes, The designated tubing slope, Me getting up from the tube)

An interesting fact was that some schools there even send their students for winter ski classes . . . such luxury! I decided to rent a snowboard and boots at around 4pm (From 4pm onwards until 9pm, you would be eligible for a half day rental pass, which set me back around 3700 Yen) and the shop assistants were quite helpful, speaking in a little English as I didn't really know how to rent the stuff in Japanese. This being my first time, they also helped me to select an appropriate board, put on the boots as well as showed me how to attach the board.

It was pretty fun, though I spent more time on the floor than on the board. Fell countless times and ached for days after. Stopped around 7.15pm to proceed for dinner and found out that the rental shop was already closed at 7pm, with a sign outside saying that those who had borrowed the equipment for the night should return it by 9am the following morning. Hence, I spent about 300 Yen renting a locker to keep the equipment overnight.

After dinner, I took a short 5 min walk from the hotel to the Seico Mart outside, where I bought a carton of Hokkaido milk and a can of Sapporo beer. Only managed to finish half of the beer, further affirming the fact that I really do prefer sweet drinks compared to alcoholic stuff. Looked out for ichigo daifuku in the mart but couldn't find it. Went back to my room and switched on the TV, hoping for more variety shows. I wasn't disappointed, with one featuring Tsuchiya Anna and 2 other girls. One of the other girls seemed to be portrayed as being a little 'silly', with funny comments appearing on the screen whenever she talked and at a point in the show, looked like she was about to fall asleep. A thing which I neglected to mention in the previous report was that another variety show I watched the previous day had Hard Gay included, so it seems that he's still somewhat active. Moving on, there was also an artificial man-made bath in the hotel, but I didn't visit it as it was some distance away from my room.

Hokkaido Trip Report 1

2007-12-18T13:02:00.000+08:00

Upon arrival at Narita Airport after a flight lasting roughly 6 hours and 15 minutes, we proceeded to cross the customs. For those who might be unaware, there have been new immigration rules set in place since 20th November, 2007. This involves the visitor being fingerprinted and photographed at the immigration counter before you're allowed to pass through. The process is automated, and what you do is place two index fingers on the designated sensors and press down, while a camera takes a shot of you almost simultaneously after counting down from 3. The whole process takes slightly longer than usual, which might have accounted for the 45 minute wait I spent in the queue, apart from a decent number of other people.

After meeting the tour guide, we proceeded to take a coach over to Haneda Airport for a domestic flight to the New Chitose Airport, Hokkaido. Apparently, Haneda Airport is even busier than Narita, as it caters to almost all of Tokyo's domestic air traffic as well as a very small portion of international flights. The flight took about 1 and a quarter hour, and we then boarded the coach to commence the tour proper.

Our first stop was for lunch, which consisted of some hotpot thingy, amaebi and ika sashimi together with other stuff. It provided a little preview of meals to come, as you may note from future reports.

Our next stop was Mount Showa and a nearby Bear Ranch. You can purchase biscuits or apples to feed them with and they seemed trained to do actions, such as waving, to entice people to throw them food.

Following that, we proceeded to our hotel at Lake Toya to rest for the night. A thing to note is that the sun sets pretty early during winter, so it was already dark around 4.30pm to 5pm. Our hotel was one of those with Japanese style rooms aka tatami floor and futon. Dinner was a buffet in the hotel restaurant, with a mix of both japanese and western food. You could also queue up for grilled Hotate (Scallop) and plain Ramen. Unfortunately, I neglected to take pictures of most of the food. There was also a drum performance lasting roughly 15 to 20 minutes for entertainment.

After dinner, I browsed through the shops in the hotel and walked around a little. Returning to my room and switching on the television, I managed to catch part of a J-Drama called Kekkon Dekinai Otoko. It was pretty interesting, although I hardly knew what they were talking about. I was also pleasantly surprised to see that they were showing a concert called Best Artist 2007 at the Yokohama Arena, if I'm not wrong. Performers included TOKIO, B'Z, Nakashima Mika, Hamasaki Ayumi, Koda Kumi and tons more. Otsuka Ai looked really sweet this time round too.

After watching most of the remaining performances in the concert, I decided to visit the Onsen. It was pretty big, with about 5-7 different pools, including an outdoor one. However, the outdoor pool was already closed at the time I went as a result of being engrossed in the concert XD. That aside, the Onsen was technically open 24 hours a day, hence the rest of the pools were still accessible.

For those who haven't been to an onsen, there are some standard procedures to be followed. Before entering the changing room, there'll be a rack for you to place your footwear (Some of the hotels/inns provide a yukata and slippers for you to change into during your stay). In the changing room, there'll be baskets or lockers for you to disrobe completely and place your stuff. Yes, no underwear or swimming attire of sorts are allowed in, though there are probably exceptions such as mixed gender pools which weren't included in this trip. Also, you might have to bring the face and bath towels from your own room to the onsen, as was the case throughout this time.

After disrobing, you then proceed into the main onsen/shower area, where you should grab a stool and proceed to sit at one of the shower areas. Be sure to wash yourself thoroughly before entering the onsen. After enjoying the experience, you can shower again before leaving. Some onsen have a cold water dispenser outside for you to drink from, should you be feeling slightly dehydrated or thirsty after the bath. In my case, I purchased a packet of hokkaido milk from the vending machine in order to cool down. It was pretty good . . .

Apart from the onsen, the hotel also had a wave pool for children to play in, and you could rent swimsuits and trunks from a nearby shop if you didn't have your own. That basically concludes day 1.

Trans Siberian Orchestra - Christmas Canon Rock

2007-11-26T15:24:00.000+08:00

With the holiday season drawing closer, here's a little video of TSO performing their X'mas version of Canon! Do take a look! :)

1 Litre of Tears Special Episode

2007-11-21T13:00:00.000+08:00

Taken from wiki :

On April 5, 2007, Fuji Television aired a three hour special of the series set half a year after Aya's death and focuses on Haruto Asō, who has now become a doctor at the same hospital Aya was treated in and Ako Ikeuchi, Aya's younger sister who is a training nurse. Haruto meets a 14-year-old female patient, who was bullied in school and injured herself to end up in hospital just to avoid school, as well as losing her will of living. It reminds Haruto of how Aya fought her illness and lived her life with her condition and he supports the patient. Aya reappears in the episode using a number of flashbacks from the series and in new scenes.

That's basically the synopsis for it. Having been aired for some time now . . . why is it that I've only chosen to do this post now ? Well, that's because Kioku Konseki has finally released their subbed version of it! *pachi pachi* You can obtain the links from their site or get it from Jpopsuki.

There have also been translations of the actual diary by fans, so if anyone's interested in reading it, click on the image below to access one of the links.

Edit (25/11) :

Saw the book @ Kinokuniya today at the ベストセラー (Best Seller) section, going at SGD 13.70. Should be worth a read for anyone who's interested, though of course, it's in jp :)

JP Game Show ?

2007-11-05T12:25:00.000+08:00

A clip where the guys in class are not allowed to laugh, or they get spanked XD

Final Fantasy Tactics : War of The Lions Artwork

2007-10-28T22:03:00.000+08:00

Final Fantasy XI : Distant Worlds

2007-10-15T22:27:00.000+08:00

Seas invite in the evening sun
To light the somber abyss
Clouds dance up with the heavens' stars
Chanting an air of joyous bliss

Water fades back from blue to jade
Guiding young rainbows high
Flowers bloom into red and whites
Quenching our hearts when they run dry

Angels chained by a beast locked in slumber
Sin washed away by the swift flow of time

I may know the answers
Journeys over snow and sand
What twist in fate has brought us
To tread upon this land?

Blessed by light and the burden of shadow
Souls abide to an endless desire

I may know the answers
Though one question I still hear
What twist in fate has brought us
To roads that run so near?

Distant worlds together
Miracles from realms beyond
The lifelight burns inside me
To sing to you this song
To sing with you this song
To sing to you your song

初音ミク

2007-10-11T19:33:00.000+08:00

Meet one of Japan's newest idols . . . Hatsune Miku!

She is the mascot character of Crypton Future Media's singing synthesizer, which is based on Yamaha's VOCALOID2 program. The quality of the remixes are apparently all up to the user, hence more effort put into synthesizing would probably produce better results.

Here are a couple of clips :

levan polkka - A popular Finnish song written in the 1930s

Theme from Princess Mononoke

Opening of AIR - 'Tori no Uta'

Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 (Kinda' cute, haha)

Negima?! Opening - '1000% Sparking'

Celluloid (Original Song)

Hare Hare Yukai - Voice is a little deep here, but still not bad

Record of Lodoss Wars Opening - 'Kiseki no Umi' (I like this song here, seems to show good pitch control and it's hard to tell that's its not real XD)

Final Fantasy VI - Celes

Shakugan no Shana II

2007-10-09T17:19:00.000+08:00

All Tomogoras beware! Everyone's favorite Flame Haze is back! The 2nd season of Shakugan no Shana has already started being broadcasted . . . be prepared for a whole new round of melon-pan munching goodness! For those who've never tried the bread before, I've included a small guide of what to do during your first time! (Incidentally, you can find Melon-pan at the Sun Moulin Bakery @ Isetan Scotts)

The Shana Guide to Melon Bread Appreciation

Step 1 : Look at your Melon-pan in longing anticipation . . .

Step 2 : Take a small nibble . . . like you're eating the most delicious thing on Earth (You are!)

Step 3 : Chew slowly, savor each bite and give a happy little smile full of moeness*!

* Cuteness, innocence etc.

One Piece Scene

2007-10-06T13:03:00.000+08:00

One Piece Movie 8 : Episode of Alabaster - 'Sabaku no Ojou to Kaizoku Tachi' brings back a powerful scene which I had almost all but forgotten. While people with no knowledge of One Piece may find the following pictures meaningless, they actually embody a deep and pretty emotional significance in the anime and movie, a symbol of everlasting friendship between Princess Vivi and the StrawHat Crew.

Crisis Core Wallpaper

2007-10-02T22:26:00.000+08:00

Finally . . . a new wallpaper done. With all the hype going around about Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, I decided to create a wall on it.

Since it's kind of like a prequel game, I decided to do a photo collage type of wallpaper to depict that the event was in the past. Initially, I wanted to focus on Zack since his was a tragic character, but I felt that other characters were too good to pass on as well. Still, I've left in references pertaining to Zack's cruel fate such as the blood stain, and I've also translated part of a quote from LOVELESS and placed it in the bottom left, as a parallel to a promise that Zack couldn't fulfill to Aerith.

Please full view and Enjoy! (Comments and critique are most welcome)

[1280 X 960]

[1024 X 768]

[Light Version : 1024 X 768]

Crisis Core Minigame : Zack's Training

2007-09-30T15:26:00.000+08:00

Have fun!

Anime Rating Update

2007-09-17T22:28:00.000+08:00

Quite some time back, I had a post on anime which I had been following . . . and with most of the series coming to a close soon, I've decided to release my top 3 picks.

One of the more highly rated anime of the season, Claymore has a pretty decent storyline with some good action scenes thrown into the mix and backed by appropriate music tracks. People have been complaining that the deviations of the anime from the manga have been unbearable, but not having read the manga yet, I've enjoyed the show thus far.

An underrated show together with Seirei, Darker than BLACK is more of a mystery/drama type of anime rather than action, even though there are action scenes almost every other episode. With an interesting storyline and few hints as to how the story would eventually end, it has been an interesting watch. (Read more about it under Anime Synopsis)

Guardian of the Spirit, or Seirei no Moribito, is a tale of a female bodyguard being tasked to protect the Prince of the New Yogo Empire, who has the egg of a Water Spirit placed in him. A drama type anime with good quality animation for almost every episode, nice music as well as interesting storyline. Also, when action scenes are included, they're usually pretty awesome and not as exaggerated as certain other shows *cough* Bleach *cough* Here's a little snippet of my favorite scene from Episode 3 which impressed me in the way it was handled in the anime :

Also deserving of special mention for originality of sorts is Dennou Coil, which fuses elements of advanced computer technology and virtual stuff together with the real world.

Other shows which I've enjoyed are Hayate no Gotoku!, Seto no Hanayome! and Romeo X Juliet, but I would place those marginally below the few mentioned above. Of course, if I were in the mood for a light-hearted comedy, the former two would be good bets.

Final Fantasy VII : Voices of The Lifestream

2007-09-14T14:10:00.001+08:00

Quoted from the Project Site :

" Final Fantasy VII: Voices of the Lifestream is an OverClocked Remix Album featuring free fan arrangements from the soundtrack to Square's legendary Final Fantasy VII for the Sony Playstation.

From jazz to techno to rock to classical, it features over forty five tracks from over forty artists, each interpreting composer Nobuo Uematsu's works in their own unique style. "

Just released today, it should be worth a listen with all that effort put into it. Please proceed to the Voices of The Lifestream Site to obtain the download as well as information about the project.

On a side note, here's the PV of 'Hello', a debut song by the group THYME. Seems like one of the better debut singles to me, and not to mention that the lead singer's sweet :)

Final Fantasy Versus XIII Trailer

2007-09-12T00:30:00.000+08:00

From the staff of Kingdom Hearts and Advent Children, Final Fantasy Versus XIII is part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis compilation, and is a wholly independent story with different characters and visuals, although they take place in the same universe.

Vincent Wallpaper

2007-09-11T14:22:00.000+08:00

Here's a new wallie of Vincent Valentine from FFVII/Dirge of Cerberus . . . a little darker than my other works, but enjoy!

[ Resolution : 1024 x 768 ]

Final Fantasy VII : Crisis Core Trailer

2007-09-06T18:17:00.000+08:00

A preview for the upcoming Crisis Core for the PSP . . .

Loop Demo :

Trailer :

FFVII Signatures I made :

Silent Hill Inspiration ?

2007-09-04T10:35:00.000+08:00

1962 Centralia, Pennsylvania - An exposed vein of coal was ignited accidentally during the practice of trash burning, with the fire eventually spreading throughout the mines beneath the borough. Attempts to put out the fire were unsuccessful, and to this day, smoldering mists still shroud areas of the town. The severity of the problem was brought to light after a series of accidents in the 70s and 80s, most notably an incident where a 12 year old boy almost fell to his death into a hot, deep subsidence as the ground collapsed beneath him.

In 1984, Congress allocated more than 42 million for relocation efforts, and while most residents have agreed to move, a handful chose to remain. With its abundance of underground fuel, some say that the fire will continue to burn a 1000 years from now.

Suzumiya Haruhi no Gekisou

2007-08-25T18:47:00.000+08:00

Hmm, this would be the 3rd time that the topic of Haruhi has popped up on this blog . . . you can view the previous posts here and here.

「Suzumiya Haruhi no Gekisou」 was the name of the concert event held back on 18th March. Pretty entertaining performances by the seiyuus, though of course, the CD versions still sound way better.

Kentai Life Returns! - Tomokazu Sugita (Kyon)
Wow, he actually somewhat resembles Kyon! Pretty fun and lively song with Aya prancing around as well.

God Knows - Hirano Aya (Suzumiya Haruhi)
Sadly, it dosen't sound anywhere near as good as the non-live version, but still pretty decent overall. Perhaps her voice wasn't steady due to her playing the guitar as well, or because she was the one performing the most number of songs with very few breaks.

Lost My Music - Hirano Aya (Suzumiya Haruhi)
Same verdict as 'God Knows'

Yuki, Muon, Madobe Nite - Chihara Minori (Nagato Yuki)
Some mess up at the beginning, but definitely one of the better live songs, since her voice didn't seem strained at all.

Hare Hare Yukai - SOS Brigade
Probably the best Hare Hare Yukai performance around XD

Final Fantasy Vocal Collections I : Pray

2007-08-20T14:50:00.000+08:00

Final Fantasy Pray is a vocal remix of several tracks from FFI - FFVI, inclusive of the Prelude and Final Fantasy Theme. It features the vocal and lyrical talent of Risa Ohki set to the ingenuity of Nobuo Uematsu's music. The songs are sung mainly in English, Japanese, Portuguese and French.

Having never heard the music from all those earlier Final Fantasy titles, I was pleasantly surprised by the album. From the melancholic tune of The Promised Land and the hauntingly beautiful Toki no Hourousha to the more upbeat Esperanca do Amor and soothing Au Palais de Verre . . . listeners can expect a diverse range of songs, a real aural treat.

As always, opinions would differ from people to people. Fans of mainstream types of songs would probably be unable to appreciate Pray. Some others have found the album to be pretty boring or lacklustre, especially if compared to its successor Final Fantasy Vocal Collections II : Love Will Grow. Personally, I like most of the tracks, especially since they somehow seem to transport me to a different world. The only way to judge the album yourself is to give it a listen.

Here are the lyrics to one of my favourite tracks, with translations taken from one of many available out there.

Toki no Hourousha - The Wanderer of Time (Terra's Theme FFVI)

はるか遠く夜を越えて
砂漠の海をさまよう

神を声はしんきろう
忘れられた人々

影は白く揺らめき立つ
今一たびの幻

青く燃える勇者の夢
永久に眠る人々

はるか遠く夜を越えて

Crossing the distant night,
Wandering the desert sea . . .

The gods' voices are mirages;
The forgotten people.

Shadows flicker palely, then stand;
For one moment, an illusion.

A hero's dream, burning blue,
The people, sleeping forever.

Crossing the distant night . . .

Samhain

2007-08-19T17:48:00.000+08:00

Samhain is generally referred to as the day marking the end of Summer and the Harvest Season in the beliefs of the ancient Celts, a transition between the Light and Dark halves of the Gaulish calender.

As the people were traditionally pastoral, this also marked the period where the livestock to be slaughtered in preparation for the coming winter was decided. It was said that on the night of Samhain, the boundaries between the world of the living and the dead became blurred, allowing spirits to wander the Earth. To the Celts who were dependent on the natural world, the presence of these spirits were believed to aid their Druids in making more accurate prophecies to tide them through the long, harsh winter.

Festivities, feasts and rituals have usually been associated with Samhain, with the Celts supposedly donning costumes as part of the celebrations. Bonfires were also lit in order for purification rituals to be conducted as well as to ward off malicious spirits, perhaps even for the sacrifice of animals to certain deities. Certain customs also dictated that specific areas be set aside for the dead at the Samhain Feast.

Perhaps unknown to most people is the fact that Samhain seems to be the basis of what is better known today as Halloween.

クレイモアNo.47クレアのフィギュア

2007-08-16T22:49:00.000+08:00

For starters, web Newtype has spoilers for the upcoming episodes of Claymore, so take a peek if you're interested. (In Japanese only)

Next up, a preview of an Excellent-Grade model of Clare to be released in the future . . . it even seems to come with an Irene arm XD

ワンダーフェスティバル 2007夏のメガハウスブースにて展示されていた、「エクセレントモデルクレイモア　NO.47 クレア」のフィギュアです。

The Face on Mars

2007-08-14T16:18:00.000+08:00

The Face on Mars is one of numerous mesas located in the Cydonia region of the red planet. In a photo taken by NASA's Viking 1 on July 25, 1976, the formation was observed to resemble a human face, stirring up a relatively large amount of interest at that time. Several people believed that it was evidence of another civilization or some sort of ruined city.

( Can you spot the Face ? )

However, a much higher resolution image taken by the Mars Global Surveyor in 2001 reveals a natural looking Martian Hill, similar to the many other mesas present in that region. This suggests that the face-like illusion observed is dependent on both the viewing angle and the angle of illumination, since the facial features are largely created by shadows.

Another interesting feature on Mars is the crater named Galle, located on the impact basin Argyre Planitia. Also first observed from photos taken by the Viking 1, it took a backseat due to all the interest generated by the more humanoid Face in Cydonia.

Galle is also known as the 'happy face crater' as the illusion of a smiley is created by the mountain range and 2 smaller craters located within it.

It can't be put into words.

2007-08-12T00:48:00.001+08:00

「運命なんて言葉ではかたづけられないよ」

綿流し編 II

2007-08-12T00:42:00.000+08:00

この世でもっとも見つけ難いもの。
砂漠に落とした針一本？

この世でもっとも見つけ難いもの。
闇夜に落とした鴉の羽？

この世でもっとも見つけ難いのは。
自分自身の思い違い。

Darker than BLACK AMVs

2007-08-06T15:06:00.000+08:00

A Darker than Black AMV by DecodingDoom, set to "Escape" by Craig Armstrong. It's the epic type of music that appeals to some and not others, but I liked it. A pity the vid was made with the subtitles intact, might've been better without. (Note: Spoilers Included)

~ Cloak and Dagger ~

Next up is a AMV focused on the Yin arc, set to the piano piece which she played in the anime itself.

Darker Than BLACK

2007-08-03T10:45:00.000+08:00

So, at long last . . . the synoposis on the right has been changed to Darker Than BLACK. The show is animated by BONES, with music done by Yoko Kanno (Cowboy Bebop, Wolf's Rain, Vision of Escaflowne, Ghost in The Shell etc.)

The overall animation quality up til' now is impressive, perhaps due to it being broadcast in HD, though I may be wrong about that. Thus far, the show has been following a 2 episodes/arc trend, and my favourites as yet were those with focus on Havoc, Yin and Amber.

Below are the the OPs for the show. Of course, due to it being YouTube, there's a compromise in the quality. Personally, I prefer the 2nd OP over the first.

Darker Than BLACK OP 1 - Howling (Abingdon Boys School) :

Darker Than BLACK OP 2 - Kakusei Heroism ~ The Hero Without A Name ~ (Antic Cafe)

The Price of Power Abused . . .

2007-08-01T12:23:00.000+08:00

"If you continued killing people, if you had the power of life and death over other humans, no matter what your purpose in killing them was, you would inexorably sink into self-centeredness. You'd always put yourself first. As though you'd become a god. And ultimately you'd begin to believe your thoughts and judgements superseded all others." - Crossfire

ひぐらしのなく頃に: 綿流し編

2007-08-01T12:21:00.000+08:00

あなたの乾きを癒せない。
真実を欲するあなたがそれを認めないから。

あなたの乾きを癒せない。
あなたの期待する真実が存在しないから。

それでもあなたの渇きを癒したい。
あなたを砂漠に放り出したのはわたしなのだから。

Afraid of sleeping alone ?

2007-07-31T21:59:00.000+08:00

Just found out that posts can have labels tagged on them, so I decided to try it out first with the Anime Pic Series as well as the Higurashi Poems. Wanted to add translations for the poems, but I decided to be evil . . . meanwhile, just enjoy the shots of Hinagiku and Yin so far. =p

ひぐらしのなく頃に: 鬼隠し編 II

2007-07-31T21:56:00.000+08:00

何が罪かわかりますか。
知恵の実を口にしたからではありません。

何が罪かわかりますか。
蛇の甘言に耳を貸したからではありません。

まだ罪がわかりませんか。
それこそがあなたの罪なのです。

El Cazador de la Bruja Insert Song

2007-07-27T13:40:00.000+08:00

Included in the soundtrack of El Cazador is the insert song first heard in Episode 14, another typical, sweet collaboration between Emily Bindiger (vocals) and Yuki Kajiura (composer). They've worked together on several other OSTs previously, such as .hack//Sign and noir.

Unfortunately, I couldn't fully make out the words sung during the bridge portion, and since that part isn't included in the booklet either, I'll update it if I ever find out.

forest

Summer rain falls on the apple branches
Lights from heaven dancing with the shadows

Come take my hand
Let me be in your forest

Sometimes you think loneliness is better than pain
and you sink deeper in your valley

Is this the place to be, in your memory ?

No, I never wanna lose you in the forest of the night
In vanity's lair
Yearning for the angel calling
Hear the lonely prayer ringing through the land of rain
Across the thin air
They sing voice to voice
The ancient melodies
Calling you

Autumn goes by
Combing twilight into my hair
I look back on the passing tenderness

Let me stay by your side
In your memory

No, you're never gonna find me in the forest of the night
In vanity's lair
No more holy angel calling
Hear my lonely prayer ringing through the land of rain
Across the thin air
We sing voice to voice
The ancient melodies
I'm calling you

No, I never wanna lose you in the forest of the night
In vanity's lair
Yearning for the angel calling
Hear the lonely prayer ringing through the land of rain
Across the thin air
They sing voice to voice
The ancient melodies
I'm calling you

夢の翼 「Ｗｉｎｇｓ ｏｆ Ｄｒｅａｍｓ」