Rare's Anime Streaming Recommendations

The flow of time slows to a normal pace and the cold harsh and gentle embrace of the season brings upon a special time where people bundle up on not just warmth, but savings as well. Which means it's that time again where Black Friday isn't until after Thanksgiving and it's only the beginning of the month. Say, would you like some recommendations on what to get for that special someone? Well, you aren't getting that. However, for the special anime aficionado Rare is here to give you his best recommendations to watch both past and present of this year.

Now, it's pretty simple. Either you like it, or you don't. Watch at your own risk, and if this isn't your bag, then disregard it. That said, here's what I thought was good. I'm going by what I saw this past year. There may have been some I passed, but I'm just going by what I saw. If you want to recommend something, go ahead and leave it in the comments.

Beelzebub - "Long long ago, in a certain place, there was a very very handsome, cool, respected, entirely angelic young man." (lie) This series, possibly shonen, is about the most dangerous high school freshmen delinquent in all of Ishyama High. One day while Oga Tatsumi was washing up at the river, and by that I mean dunking a thug into the river, he comes across a rather large man floating down the slow churning current. Like any civilized Samaritan, Oga lifts up the man and chops his head in half. However, the man splits in two to reveal a portal in which a baby with green hair appears and takes a liking to Oga. This turns sour as the green haired baby is the son of Satan. To put it in simple terms, delinquent becomes demon baby daddy. It's rather crass, but fun humor keeps me going as the story moves along to introduce many wacky characters. Including someone who reminds me of Freddy Mercury. If you don't like shonen drab or the constant dangling wang of Baby Beel, stay away. The rest of me will keep at this show.

Gosick - Basically it's like Encylopedia Brown was a little kuudere loli type girl with some mystical powers to "perceive" a la Apollo Justice. I only got halfway through, but it's pretty good. Bandai is planning to release it stateside.

Mitsudomoe Zoriyuchuu - The short second season to the first Mitsudomoe. If you like toilet humor, and are familiar with all the jokes and misunderstanding cliches that the first season charmingly introduced to you, this is a good after dinner mint to the otherwise crass humor. Oh I'm not talking toilet jokes like, as NintendoCapriSun would say, "IN THE BATHROOM!". It's more Rich Girl's mom likes it kinky with little girls type of crass. Pretty much, if you like toilet humor and everyone should have a balance of that, then this is the show to watch for all 8 episodes worth. Not a bad little screening.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica - The hit series that took the year by surprise. Shaft took a genre, the magical girl genre, and pulled a 180 deconstructing it to the point that it became extremely dark. QB, the main antagonist has become synonymous as the empathy lacking magical furball thing that people hate. A emotionless sociopath that makes "contracts" with the main characters but with a price. If Neon Genesis Evangelion was the hit of the 1990s, then Madoka Magica is this of the 2010, and that is saying something. Aniplex is releasing it in full with a dub, and an overpriced special edition.

Kore wa Zombie Desu Ka? - You ever had one of those discussions of pirates vs ninjas? Well take this, turn the main protagonist who's a boy, into a zombie and magical girl and add a necromancer knight, a chainsaw wielding girl with a kick which is more of a chainsaw slice, and a vampire ninja to it. Then sprinkle some heavy fanservice and some double standard yuri scene, and it's just a cluster phoque of silly and fun. Well, it's a gag manga first and those aren't supposed to be taken seriously. I'm talking about you Panty and Stocking! The last episode will piss you off if you are the kind of person who hates fanservice. Funimation has the rights to the show.

Suite Precure - Musical motif of the ongoing and popular Precure series. It didn't strike my fancy as Heartcatch Precure did with it's art style and action. Suite felt more like the other precures prior to Heartcatch (all shoujo ai). But hey, it's still good if you are into it.

Onii-chan no Koto nanka Zenzen Suki Janain Dakara ne (I Don't Like You at All, Big Brother)- Ochinko (penis) as it's called in some parts is stupid. Basically Nao has this brother who she loves, but that's forbidden, but they are not blood related so it's OK to hound over him. Don't watch it. I suffered through it, but not as much as I thought. It's just stupid.

IS - Infinite Stratos - It's shit. 'Nuff said. Sentai Filmworks has the right to them...may He have mercy on your soul.

Level E - "Currently, hundred of different alien species come and go, living their lives on the Earth. Species that come in peace, aggressive warlike species... Aliens with all kinds of personalities live among us, maintaining a precarious balance." Level E was a very very curved ball that hit me out of nowhere like a sack of potatoes. This show has quite a pedigree for being a bunch of short stories written by Yoshihiro Togashi, the same author who also did Yu Yu Hakusho and Hunter x Hunter. And it didn't disappoint. Level E is like Men in Black without the Men in Black. There is this alien prince known as Prince Baka. He lands on earth to basically play pranks for his own amusement. The unfortunate schmuck is freshmen transfer baseball player Yukitaka who is picked to "observe" the "wrath" of Baka. Think of him as an intergalactic Ashton Kutcher circa Punk'd era. The most color characters would have to be Captain Kraft (voiced by Takehito Koyasu) and his subordinates who also take the lash of Baka's "jokes". Level E sort of stalls a bit in the middle, but it brings an shocking twist in the end that it catches everyone off guard, even Prince Baka himself. So yeah, it's hilariously well written, undeniably clever, even very audacious and well worth checking out. It's on Crunchyroll. Watch it.

Nichijou (Everyday Life) - No words can describe this show. Nichijou is about everyday life. Ever see that cartoon called Regular Show where the most mundane things that happen in that show turn into life threatening epic moments that shatter time and space? Nichijou is like that. From the days when we go to school to see our aristocratic wannabe farm boy crush ride a goat to school, the girl who has a few hundred dozen weapons to load off on said crush just because she can't spit it out; the emotionless girl who likes to play pranks on her friends, the robot girl with a key in her back who yearns to have a normal life built by an 8 year old professor. Yeah, that kind of ordinary life. Nichijou is also freaking goregeous. The way the show used different animation techniques to even the most mundane moments such as Mio chasing down Yuuko because she stole her yaoi doodle of Sasahara. Or the most epic 3 second rule ever made. Anything mundane in that show can be turned into a off the wall epic moment and turn back to normal. Kinda like Regular Show. It's just leaps and bounds compared to everything else that I've seen animation wise. Some jokes or vignettes are hit and miss, but Azumanga was a love it or hate it show too. In fact, that's what Nichijou has been inspired by: Azumanga Daioh. This show has set the standard for what I call the Nichijou Factor in that the most mundane thing in the world can turn epic and Nichijou does that to it's full season end. In short, I love it. Bandai got the rights to it in the US, both DVD and manga. Bonus.

A Channel - Poor man's K-on. It's another one of those cute girls bonding and doing cute things. Some have fell asleep, but it's not horrible. Maybe Tooru has too much of a fascination to Yuko's breasts because they are huge, but eh. Sentai got it, for some reason.

Yuruyuri - Yet another one of those cute girls doing cute things slice of life show. Some may even call it a guilty pleasure. It's kinda weird though. It's got the yuri part down as a gimmick, but there were a few scenes that were kind of nightmare inducing. I'll give it a second look and give my own opinion about it. Crunchyroll is simulcasting it.

Usagi Drop - Although it is cut short at 11 episodes, Usagi Drop is Perfect. The visual style done by Production I.G of all people (It looks KyoAni good and it is glorious), the story is simplistic yet engaging, the characters are very likable, and it doesn't end on a bad note. Usagi Drop is about this 30 year old named Daikichi. While attending a funeral for his grandfather, he stumbles upon this little girl in the yard. Hearing that she is the daughter of Daikichi's grandfather, (his aunt) the family doesn't know what to do with her. However, Daikichi heads over to the girl and shouts, "Rin! Want to stay with me?" The moment those words are heard, Rin steps into a ray of light to show her true colors. Thus begins life as an adoptive father. Rin is THE most adorable child ever seen in fiction. Seriously, as a notfather who has observed lots of parents and their "quality" parenting which includes the baby brigade, the abusive folks, and the spoiled, Rin is perfect. She has both strengths and weaknesses as a child. As well as Daikichi. For a guy in his 30s, a steady job, and quite a hell of a looker, I'm surprised women wouldn't be going after a guy like him. Yes, I might even dare day she is as pure of heart as Yotsuba Koiwai. How can you say no to a face like this? Usagi Drop is the best of the year and if Austrailia gets a DVD release, the US is sure to follow. If it doesn't, then we have no souls. Someone, give Usagi Drop a US release, damn it!

Ro Kyu Bu! - Loli Basketball. Take away the loli and it's like any other sports anime. Ok maybe not Bamboo Blade, but you get my point. Sentai got it for simulcatsing, but that's it.

Shinryaku!? Ika Musume - Sequel to the first Ika Musume. If you never seen the show, it's like Sgt. Frog except with an anthropomorphic squid who wants to take over the world. Don't expect much from this. It's all episodic, but it's so charming to see everyone. Squid Girl, a girl from the sea who possesses squid-like tentacles, vows to conquer humanity as revenge for its pollution of the ocean. Her first task is to make the Lemon beach house, owned by the Aizawa sisters, her base of operations. However, when she accidentally breaks a hole in their wall, she is forced to work as a waitress to pay off the damages. It's quite charming really. Sure there's a bit of moe, but it's just there to entertain you. Plus, how can you say no to this? Media Blasters got the first season on DVD with a surprisingly decent dub and on a budget. Give both a shot. I think you can find season 2 on Crunchyroll (like almost everything else online).

Fate/Zero - Prequel to Fate/Stay Night. It's good. If you are a fan of TypeMoon and Fate/Stay Night, you'll enjoy this. Aniplex, Crunchyroll, or NicoNico has the right to it and you can catch it online at either of their sites.

Carnival Phantasm - Sticking with the whole TypeMoon seque, this ova is fun and refreshing. If you have no idea about the in jokes that is in this series, they will fly over your head. For example, Rin Tohsaka, a magus, has trouble setting up a recording using a blu-ray recorder. Magic vs Technology is the punchline, but it's fun seeing her struggle even at the amusement of Archer. There might be more, but I'm not sure and I don't know where you can find it.

Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni Kira - Direct to video. It's Higurashi, but the side stories that have nothing to do with the main murder mystery arcs that made it a hit. The first episode of Kira is fanservice, fanservice, fanservice and it is good. The second one has a magical girl theme with Rika as one. I need to watch and slug through it. Give it a shot.

WORKING'!! (The apostophe is important) - You ever see the movie Waiting with Ryan Renolds and Anna Faris? Well Working or Wagnaria is like that mixed with Azumanga Daioh. It's pretty funny for a workcom. Each of the characters are full of life and have different personalities that you can find in any workplace (minus Takanashi who likes little things). You have the slackass former delinquent manager that eats alot of things, the blackmailing sous chef, the chain smoking normal blonde, the short high school senior, the idiot attention whore, the person who is Hiding in plain sight or HIPS or has HIPS, the androphobe who punches men out of habit, and the lesbian wannabe waitress who carries a sword. You know, like in real life. You don't have to watch the first season to enjoy and have a good time. Finally, the opening and ending are so adorable. Where else will you find the cutest j-disco ending theme ever? Only in Japan, buddy. The first season is available from NIS America and season 2 is on Crunchyroll.

Ben-tou - The premise of this show is weird. A freshman high school student named Yō Satō sees some half-priced pre-packaged bento (lunchbox) in a nearby grocery store, and goes to grab one, only to end up unconscious on the floor of the store a brief moment later. He soon discovers that the half-priced bento are Serious Business in this neighborhood. A group of young punks referred to as "Wolves" fight each other to the death just to get one of the discounted packages, and Sato is warned to stay away from them if he values his life. To put it simply, this might best describe the show in a nutshell. So why should you be watching it? Because it's crazy, that's why! It has that how I call "Nichijou Factor" in which the most mundane thing such as trying to fight for a half priced lunch box is turned into a great epic war where the victor eats their spoils in sweet sweet savory rice and meat. Sure it's dumb, but it knows it's dumb, so it's fun. It starts from a so bad it's good premise, to all out balls to the wall maximum wolffist punching fun craziness! The only person that doesn't belong to this "lunch war" is the class rep Ume. She's there as the psycho lesbian who wants Oshiroi to herself and kicks the crap out of Yo for no reason. At least Yo has stride and endurance. Watch this damn show! Turn off your brain, and enjoy a bunch of crazy people in a supermarket kicking each other's asses over a half priced lunchbox. Get served an asskicking lunchbox with Ben-to, where ever you can find it (That should be the tagline if it ever gets licensed.).

And those are my picks for the year. Pretty damn good lineup. If I missed a few shows, or you have other suggestions. Go ahead and put them in the comments. I'll come back later for my holiday suggestions. You know, a guide you can use to pick out a gift for that special someone.

Rare's Top 7 Bizarre and Creepy

Fear. It is a human emotion that put us through a state of defenselessness. We feel helpless with no other alternative option at the dire situation. Some just crawl up in a ball and accept their fate, some fight on with no other thought. But what does that have to with this? The horror genre.

Now let me state for a fact that I am by no means a horror buff nor was I ever into the survival horror genre growing up. In fact as a kid, I used to take horror villains and try and see what stats they have and their weaknesses. At first I thought they were undead, but the more I looked into them they were all different from your dream killer tapirs, to your misunderstood giants with hockey masks and no other action in their body other than kill kill kill. Then different villains came out and try to cash in on the hardcore aspect of the horror genre and the goresplotation of seeing humans suffering for survival....which is weird why we as humans fascinate ourselves like it's a display at an art museum. Where was I going? Oh yeah, the survival horror genre.

I am partial to the survival horror genre, but I am not a fan of it. I don't have favorites, but seeing this is October where we talk about this sort of thing, I wanted to put in at least a top 5 something. What can it be? Survival horror games? No that's cliche. Horror villains? Like everybody else. Oh! I know.

Come along children of the Day/Night as Rarefindit counts down: Rare's Top 7 Bizarre and Creepy.

Here's the guideline. This top 7 will be of anything. Movie, game, show, song, what have you. It has to be creepy in it's own way yet bizarre. Also, no series in general. That means no Silent Hill is better than Resident Evil whatever. Just because it's October am I not narrowing it down to that. Remeber, it's gotta be bizarre. With that let's look within the bun of our minds and count up.

7. Incredible Crisis

For those young folk, back in 1997 ska was popular for like 5 seconds and this popped up 3 years later. Now I don't really want to tell the whole story of this, but you play as the Tanaka family who have to go through the day to see grandma because it's her birthday. Pretty tame right? Well, only if you count the random dancing number in your office or the fact that you have to give this girl a back massage in a Ferris wheel who's trying to kill you only to be riding on a gurney down the road dodging traffic. Or escaping from animal crooks that force you to steal an artifact and replace it with fruit with the equivalent weight to be on a jet plane escaping an exploding facility... oh just watch this.

It's a series of button mashing mini games set to the music of ska. It's bizarre, it's kooky, it's Incredibly fun, it's Incredible Crisis! And my fingers hurt now.

6. Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni

LOOK OUT! IT'S THE ATTACK OF THE KILLER LOLIS!! All kidding aside, this series of sound and/or visual novels are set in the mountainous village of Hinamizawa where a bizarre number of murders have been happening near the annual festival where they have to give an offering to the local Deity of the village Oyashiro-sama or be Spirited Away. Now I don't have to tell you how frickin scary this series is. Not just from a thrilling and chilling sort of way, but also in the fact that these characters are children. It may seem fluffy at the start, but once you get to the good part of the mystery, you get to see how f-ed up their psyches are. Meanwhile in the later side arcs the girls of the group are so obsessed with playing a "penalty game" with you that it's downright creepy. LOOK OUT! IT'S THE ATTACK OF THE HORNY LOLIS! RUUUUNNNN!!! There's also Umineko which is part of the series, but... what's that? There's no Umineko anime? huh. Wonder why? (it sucked).

5. Walter Sullivan/The Conjurer from Silent Hill 4 the Room

I put this low on the list because of it's reputation as the weakest of the series. But for a 5 spot, that's pretty good. When I was younger, I was terrified of the Victims in this game and didn't really have that many supplies. That itself is a good thing. This game is supposed to make you feel scared and creeped out by it's bizarre macabre. Walter however, made my blood curdle and my heart beat for real. I felt actual fear and that is something for someone who normally doesn't feel anything. The inventory system although limited in what you could carry actually felt legit as I didn't have many health items or purifying trinkets and only the spade. Not only that, but I was on a time limit to save Eileen from being a Sacrifice. Plus, there's what I think is called the Conjurer in which I had to shove spears picked from these fleshed out walls that made the flesh piercing sound every time I plucked them out. There was also Walter I had to deal with. So uh, no pressure. It's bizarre in the premise of the game itself and all this stuff you have to do in order to get the good ending. And to keep your own skin and room free from the hauntings that appear at one point. Like I said, no pressure.

4. The Witches from Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Good ol' Shaft, always ready to take something and twist it into something bizarre and head scratching to the point of creepy. They are like wine coolers. bitter at first, but aged well and has a bizarre yet smooth taste. What I found creepy about the show is the fact that the bad guys in which Madoka and the others had to fight were what they call Witches. Each of them creepy and bizarre to the next. One I found that almost got me scared was this one that Mami took on. Plus the worlds in which the Witches were hiding in are enough that even the most stoned out stoner will feel like this is real. The show itself is this decades Eva (flame shield) in that not only did it revolutionized something in the anime genre, but it got people discussing about the other bizarre and creepy character on the show QB. I'll add him here too because he's a sociopath with no empathy whatsoever. The show itself is worth a watch and definitely deserved all the praise it got from the fans.

3. Katamari Damacy

Hey, Namco. What the hell did you put in my drink? Cause uh. you got any more? This wacky PS2 game released in 2004 was innovative at the time as Americans were never really introduced to the other side of the Japanese. Sure we may have our differences, but do you know what they do when they get high? They make this (and Panty and Stocking). And this intro is by no means an understatement. Believe me, the story may not make a lot of sense, but it does to me. And I'm not even high...or am I? Pretty much the King of All Cosmos gets drunk and destroys the stars in the sky. He tells his own son the Prince of All Cosmos to make new ones. How does he do that? By rolling up a sticky ball like thing called a Klump or Katamari (See what I did there?) and sticks to things. Here is the creepy part. Everything you roll up; tacks, building blocks, pots, ants, shirts, cats, dogs, people, balls, trees, buildings, islands, gods, CLOUDS, CONTINENTS, all in one little Klump get sent into the sky to make a new star. Let me repeat that. The people in which they are screaming for their lives, trapped on this Klump that somehow stuck on a human gets sent up into space and gets turned into a star. First I'm all, ooh shiny, but then I'm all oh GOD I killed a human! Somebody spike the punch with more kush. Now!

2. The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask

3 days before the moon falls. Save 4 gods in 4 temples. Save Termina and it's people. Sound simple for a 10 year old boy in an alternative world right? Right? Well... No... Not really. A lot of people consider this to be a dark and scary point in the Zelda series and was crowned the best game of the 2000s. Why? Because of all the stuff you have to do in just 3 days. Also from my point of view. The Canyon is freakin scary.

Think about it. The swamp has deku people looking for a missing princess, the mountains have gorons freezing their ass off, the sea has Zora people preparing for a concert, but the canyon has nothing... NOTHING, but undead. And what happens if you let the moon fall? Well, I don't want to give it away if you really want to know what happens if the moon falls on Termina. But... Also THE MOON HAS A FACE!!!

1. Flowers by Terra

Now I know what you are thinking: Why is this on top? Well, take a look at this. This may look like a nice cheerful and harmless song in the Bemani series, but look closely. Do you see yourself perfecting every single note on the song? It's possible, but no. This song is the equivalent to those nice girls you meet at a theatre class who also are part of some bible study who start talking to you. But deep inside, they want to harm anyone who gets in the way of the person who they become obsessed with. That ladies and gents is called a Yandere. Flowers by Terra is a yandere and they creep the hell out of me.

I'll add this as a Runner up because the song is just crazy enough to be a country style intro, if not cheesy. It's Rising Zan the Samurai Gunman. No, I'm serious.

And that should fill you up as much as these kit-kats are filling me. Remember, just because it's Halloween doesn't mean you have to look at Tommy Wiseau's pasty white ass and look scared. Ok, maybe a blood curdling scream from that mental image, but I'm not putting that here. Look up The Room yourself at your own risk.

Tsunderes and their alleged sex appeal

"I don't understand for the life of me why on God's green earth people like Toradora other than the tsundere traits of Taiga and I sure as hell don't understand what the fuck the draws to that one. What is the hell is the draw to these moe tropes anyway? What is the draw to a girl who treats you like crap?" - Professor Otaku from his review of ToraDora.

There's a far too common theme in fiction that is easily exploitable: The tsundere. These bitchy yet soft personalities are considered to be in thing in fiction, but why are they appealing?

I'm getting ahead of myself though, let's backtrack to how this curiosity started.

Last fall I watched a show called Ore no Imouto Can't be This Cute (can't remember the whole title) and looking at all the comments on it people considered it to be the best M to A adaptation for the season... to a certain extent. So much so that it became widely popular. The story revolves around Kyousuke Kousaka, a normal plain high school student who is as average as Nami Hitou... Bazing! His life is turned upside down as he finds a DVD with a secret inside. It's a hentai game, and it's not his. The shocker here is that it's his sister's Kirino and shes a closet otaku! A rare female hentai otaku!

But that's not what I'm talking about here. There could be female otakus out there, but it's the person or their personality that we are glued to. And of course its Kirino who's the one they focused on. For you see, Kirino is called a Tsundere.

For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, and I know a few whom I asked this question to get a wtf answer, a tsundere is basically a person who has a brash yet sweet personality. Like a Sour Patch kid; Sour on the outside, but sweet in the inside. This bittersweet (no pun intended) trait has become a popular trope as it were called and a far too common theme for dominately female roles in anime. But what is it about their brambleberry-ish personality that makes them appealing?

From watching Ore no Imouto, I can see that Kirino is but a 14 year old who's a magazine model who earns money for her perverse and apparently abhorrent hobby of little sister hentai games (imouto), a grade A student and downright normal. It is when she encounters her brother where she treats him like a pile of shit. Their parents don't see it, but Kyousuke is being abused by his sister.

It is then that she sought help because having a hobby is nice, but if there's no one to share similar interests with, it would just be a dirty old man (teenager) collecting porn. So on top of keeping a normal relationship between his friends and helping his beyond selfish sister, Kyousuke has a lot on his plate.

Later on we meet Kirino's online buddies who are also otaku. Kuroneko, a goth loli wearing cosplayer who's surprisingly good at fighters and actually very pleasant if you take away the snark, and Saori a bespectacled giant who acts as a big sister figure to Kuro and Kirino who are at first bearing their fangs over their favorite anime. Ah, anime politics.

Over the course of the show, we see such laws of disbelief being shattered so much it brings a new meaning to the phrase, "whining like a little bitch till you get what you want." Not only does Kirino get a manga published for her sick little self fanfiction story, but also an anime to coincide with it. Normally it would take years and lots of money to even get it off the ground, but in this case, she gets excited, she "negotiates", she fails, she emos about it and it's up to her brother to bail her out. Towards the end, Kyousuke becomes emotionally attached to Kirino. After Kirino shows him her deep dark secret (a picture of her younger self), she starts kicking the shit out of Kyousuke to the point that she just lashes out for no reason. However regardless of the off beat sibling beat down and the "Life Lessons" he gave her for learning how to actually cope and socialize with her online friends, Kyousuke still has feelings for his sister even after trying to develop a relationship with Kuro who she thinks is a replacement for her. Why the hell doesn't he go after Manami who at this point friended the hell out of her zone or Saori because of... I don't know, tall otaku chicks need love to?

Back to the tsundere. What I (and a few I know) don't understand is why the tsundere as a personality is sexually attractive in fiction as a whole. What part of that personality brings us to our knees to the point we have to fawn and fap (in no particular order) over the bitch in sheep's clothing is the big question few ask. Like many mysteries in life, it's not easy to explain about tsundere. But I sure as hell will try.

The tsun and yans have become among the traits and tropes very popular to exploit and use as a character in fiction. For the tsuns people see potential in character development and try to help them break away from their default mood. Over the course of time as the tsun and the person whom they chose to stay with they then develop as characters in the story, the tsun becomes dere and starts to feel something for that person. At first it may seem like a bumpy road for the two, but pacing out the pavement is the reward in itself. Yan are different and opposite of the tsun. Yans feel shy and nice at first, but soon to develop violent tendencies to the point that the character they chose becomes an obsessed object. What yans do to the character are probably something you don't want to know about. Usually the dere part of the yan is shown and they are normally quiet and keep to themselves. As time goes on once they develop as a character with the person of choice, the yan becomes quietly violent and starts stalking and becomes obsessed. To put it simply, yandere is the hard mode. And for most fictional stories, the appeal of the characters are what sell the show.

The best examples of tsunderes off the top of my head would include Aisaka Taiga who is considered the queen of tsunderes. Her bitchy violent exterior lies a gentle soul in which she wishes to bring out. It takes a lot to break her out of her shell and Ryuji is the guy to do that. In her story, she likes Kitamura, and needs his help to hook up with him. Meanwhile, Ryuji likes Taiga's friend Minori who likes him to, but he's seeing Taiga for "life counseling". Then Kawashima comes in and throws a spanner as she develops something for our nice beady little eyed protagonist while egotistically still up her own asshole. It doesn't help for the fact that Voice actress Rie Kugimiya is the person to go to for tsundere roles. Kugimiya seems to always be pigeon holed to play the role. Tsun or otherwise.

Other Tsunderes include Misaka Mikoto, the Railgun from A Certain Scientific Railgun. She has the hots for Touma who is the guy who is always at the short end of the karma stick. Their relationship wouldn't be so bad if Misaka didn't have the POWER OF ELECTRICITY IN HER BODY!! And she has a comedic lesbian friend who is many ways creepy when she thinks dirty thought of Misaka. And yet again, Misaka tsuns over Touma when he's got like 30 other girls that are after his right hand (double entendre). And yes I count the clones of Misaka and the religious girls as well.

Even in real life there are tsundere cafes in which the hostesses treat their customers like shit and apologize for it. And that somehow makes money. If I wanted to be treated like shit and apologized for the food, I would go to Denny's. Tsundere cafes do exist, but are far and between in the states. Last I heard, there was a Chinese tsundere cafe in Vancouver. Lucky bastards.

And finally on the western side of the pond, we have Helga Pataki from Hey Arnold. To best describe her in a nutshell, think of Gollum from Lord of The Rings when he wants the ring of power, but with Arnold. "I hate you, I love you and yet I hate you." yadda yadda yadda, you get the point. There was even an episode that explained the origins about her obsession for the titular football head. The shrine of him that Helga made out of his abc gum that she hides in her closet however... uh... um... *points* What the hell is that?!

Maybe when all it's said and done, there really is no concrete answer to why people like being treated like shit and apologized afterwards for it. Maybe the men (otaku) like to have their balls crushed by over-powering women and feel sorry for them afterwards. As for me, tsunderes are uncommon in my world and the farther away I am from the yandere (except when I actually try and get something out of them with my head still intact), the better. If you know anything or would like to add to the appeal of the tsunderes or yanderes, feel free to email me @rarefindit@gmail.com, or post in the comments below. Now Yangires, I'm staying the crap away. I mean who the hell finds cute crazy and psycho appealing? If you say yes to that, you might want to look down before you do. Something might be missing if you mess with them.

In Memoriam: Borders

Sometimes a funeral is very emotional to see when you lose a loved one. Some say their fondest farewells and move on, some keep the memory alive by any means necessary. Some however may never take the truth for what it is and just live within a lie. It's in contrasts different when a funeral for a business dies. The memories are still there, but instead it's about sharing what you remember the most and how a certain place may change your life.

Borders was a chain of bookstores that were near and dear close to my heart. For as far as I can remember, they were the place I went to in to find all the books I needed. Many have done the same. Why, even by a chance I can guess some lucky guy met their bookworm of their dreams and spent some good time together. Many shared a book club with both child and adults to recommend a book of the week for all to read. I was there scoping out the manga mostly and have stumbled upon many folk and shared with friends the discoveries I've seen. Even back a couple of years ago, I could go to any of the 18 or more stores within the county range and find a book in case the other store didn't have it. It was convenient to in that way because no matter what store I go to, they are sure to see me purchasing when I can.

It was however somewhere between 2006 and till now that Borders was going through financial problems. It was revealed later that their profits were not up to par so they started closing stores. Later on after the wrath of the Great Recession or in between they started closing more stores because rent was too high. A great loss to be sure, but I have a conspiracy that squatters were the demon that killed thine savior. Every time I went to a store there were many a man, child, teen, or man child who sat down in front of a bookshelf, with a pile of books next to them as they read and read and ate flaming cheetos and drank crappacino and put it back when they were done. Not even once did they buy a single book. The other reason for their demise was the online competition and e-reader boom. I still stand by the squatters because it was them who I saw the most during my travels to the store. The most egregious of all is the narutard who had a backpack and the aforementioned pile. There were also thieves who would take the security tag off and end up leaving the store with a petty thieves' value in books.

After the Great Recession every store that was within distance were dropping like flies till now.. Upon reading I discovered that they were in serious debt and by this time they filed for bankruptcy. Within a few weeks of that announcement I saw various links stating they were looking for buyers and bidders, but sadly a group within Borders declined them and now their inevitable death awaits. The stores that are left are dying and will eventually leave this earth by September

What I find very very heart warming is seeing many many people offer condolences and incredibly sweet happy memories to their own store. It brings a tear to my eye to see such dedication and devotion to a company. So in honor of Borders, I'm placing a memorial in my backyard with Border's name on it. It will lay beside Media Play and the beginning years of G4. Borders, you will be missed by all, but one most of all and as humanity and god is my witness, I swear I and Rarefindit will revive you. Good night sweet prince. From thy cover read thee to thy rest.

Rare's Random Thoughts: Reflection of Trust

Trust. It is a word that is a double edged sword. Some may use it to form a bond with others, but it can also be used as a disadvantage. It can be best described as an entity in which we form a pact around. Whether it be trust in friends, or trust in yourself, it is used as what we can rely on. However, that trust is oftentimes broken. More often enough the trust we have in others can be broken when the realization is harsher than you know. Once that trust is broken, we lose a bit of ourselves into darkness, only to never use the word trust in our own species. If you're having a hard time understanding this intro, don't worry, there's something in it.

Lately during this Year of Reflection, there has been a lot of stuff happening that just doesn't seem to be on par with what the motif of this year is supposed to be. Riots over who lost, the supposed end of the world never not happening, and constant betrayal of what we hold dear. It's enough that we can't even begin to forgive what had happened. Not exactly a way, 6 1/2 months in do we reflect on that. Perhaps it's different from person to person. For some reflection is looking back on yourselves to remember what happened in your past life only to come to terms with it and move on. However, reflection can also reveal a side that should never have been shown. It's similar to a scene I remember. And is sort of related to it.

Deep in the mountains, one man who walked a path of darkness sought redemption for all he had done. He was a proud man who served his country only to be stripped of his rank and sent on a fool's errand to destroy a nearby village. Abandoning the principles in which he had been taught, he then sought a way to fight against the ones who he held a trust for. Especially his friend who eventually betrayed him. However, after all he had went through, he still sought to atone for what he had wrought for no fault of his own. He enters the shrine on the peak of the mountain only to see a shrine of crystal. He saw his reflection in the mirror only to see a sword of lustrous holy light appear. The sword stripped him of his bloodstained woes only to become a warrior of light. Suddenly, a dark shadowy figure appeared to destroy him. Though his companions were worried for his safety, he claimed that this was his fight and he must fight himself to seek redemption, and he engaged into battle with...himself. The shadowy figure then asked this, "Some fight for law, some fight for justice, what do you fight for? The answer lies within." The shadowy figure then vanished. Upon reflection of his past actions, he fully became a paladin. That is a form of atonement in the form of reflection of ones self.

One must remember this. Your past actions will reflect your future. The many trials and tribulations you go through to become who you seek are different from who you were in the past. However, if you wish to abandon what you were taught in the past to seek out more, then that shows you have the most spirit in yourself.

Someone told me once a story about someone who was brought up through a family of harsh intentions. Through no fault of their own, they were sheltered, brought down as an inferior being because of who they were, and eventually shunned by the ones who gave them birth. That person still seeks out something, however, that something will eventually come if she seeks it out for themselves. If I were to tell that person who seeks to improve themselves it's this:

Forget what they taught you. You are a tremendous person with a miraculous talent and what you seek more than attention for all your accomplishments, you should seek a way to share your experience with others who you have a bond with. Throw away the shackles of guilt and form a bond of trust to those who hold you dear. You, of this land of freedom, should seek out not just trust in one and yourself, but love. I know it sounds corny, but if love does not bloom on a battlefield, then it is a battlefield of woes and sadness. This world of which you live in, you, take what you can and work with it. If there are those who have lost themselves in their upbringing, it is too late for them. For what they were taught when they were younger is not what you should teach to who you will someday bring up to this world. Share your experience with those you trust, and love them for they are they who see you as the most human.

Through my self training, I have opened my mind to things that I've never took interest in before. I thought I could inspire someone who I knew to do the same. However, that itself was a foolish attempt. It did work out in the end for me. Not only have I sought out to see what this world, if not this region, if not the city to city villages in which we call towns, have I seen a lot compared to the one who I failed to inspire to open up. That person is called a hikikomori, or shut in. They are of societal shunning and limited. What I mean is, society seeks out many to join it's entity as a whole. However, through faults of their own are they shunned and considered to be not worthy of it's draconian ways. So these misfits as I were to call it stave off from the outside world only to be seen sitting at a computer or something doing the same routine over and over until they depart from the land in which they were told to take a hike. I, at one point, sought out to bring one hikikomori out of their element only to see them dig themselves deeper than before. It's a routine that they have formed through their own actions and I believe it is a destructive lifestyle that destroys not only their psyche, but their physical form as well.

If one were to say they want to break away from their routine, they must take action and seek out the grand treasure of which they seek. It doesn't matter of their weak will, or their physical condition. If you want something, you have to fight for it. And when you fight, you gain experience to share with others. It's kinda full circle really. And all it takes is little push on the swing of life to see if you can reach the sky a little more and beyond.

Save the Station and Future Donation Stream

In times of dire straights, one must band together to save another. Unfortunately none can be a worse time than this.

As many know or not, I used to work for a college radio station. I've kept the mantle of former college radio DJ until now. It was a fun time where my goal was to at first promote Video Games Live and then it came to promoting for Thatguywiththeglasses as well as showing VG Music awareness. However, due to unforeseen circumstance, I fell onto Darkness and had to leave of my own decision. I still have ties to the station that I basically learned more about myself and how to network with other people.

Now I hear that my beloved institution in which I've built upon some character, is going under. Not just because of "budget cuts", but because of "other things". For one, I can't stand idly as the station goes under even after all the hard work that it built up for more than 4 years. If one says they will take action and do something, then take action!

What I have in mind is this: this link will lead you to a page where you can donate money to help this radio station. What I plan to do is a donation stream to help raise money to keep the station afloat. I am taking suggestions on what you would like to see.

The link to the donation is right here https://www.wepay.com/donate/90697

The stream will be at either of these locations:

Ustream: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/rare-s-find-its

Justin.tv: http://www.justin.tv/rarefindit

Livestream: http://www.livestream.com/raresfindits

Stay tuned for more info on the upcoming stream on either of these channels.

If you want to just donate for the cause then 1000 thanks if you do, and 1000 thanks if you don't.

Let's band together for a cause and save the last form of good music from those nepotistic bastards!

Winter Beachland and A Special Announcement

There comes a time when the changing of the color guard is imminent. With that, a transition from dark disastrous rain comes the beginning of a new season... I said beginning of a new season! I'm not going to lie: It's raining like hell, but long overdue has the winter arc dragged on this long that I must bring up to speed the journey to where we must begin life anew.

tl:dr: Clip Show!

The Year of Redemption was drawing it's bated breath as it prompted me to spend time doing something different for the holidays. Usually at that time we think of spending time with family, to reflect on the year and what it brought to us, but I was spending it elsewhere! To explain, for the last 2 or so years, I've spent the days upon months training on bike to become stronger. All the while, the world was coming to an end. Earthquakes in the southern Americas, the US economy crashing and slowly licking it's wounds while politicians bitched and complained about who's right and who's wrong, Justin Beiber fangirls and mostly the 4 Horsemen of the music Apocalypse. Long story. While that was happening I was inside working on a project and self teaching some advanced editing software. Yeah I know, not exactly the way to spend all year when jobs are so plentiful during the crippling times. Anyway, I finally finished by the time the fall arc ended and rested on laurels and headed straight to the middle land college town of San Luis Obispo.

The journey to SLO was an arduous one, especially for one who had only a bike as a steed. Traveling by train was relaxing, but hectic. Not only did it arrive later, but the unexpected occurred. No, the Spanish Inquisition did not appear and were not unexpected, the train broke down in the middle of the journey. Not only were hundreds of people trapped in a stalled out train in the middle of nowhere near the summit of a mountain, but it was getting dark...and the food was short. Needless to say, some people were kinda pissed. Me, being a aspiring comic relief both conscious and unconscious, I donned some cheapass broken Chinese bike lights and a headlight and trolleyed up and down the corridors between the coach and the lounge cars. Satisfied and happy that I was able to give a laugh in time to slight panic, the pulley train came and pulled us back 10 miles to the nearest city where a backup train was ready to drive us disgruntled passengers to our destination...and then the backup train broke down too...half a mile from the destination. Karma is kinda a bitch sometimes huh?

Along the delayed journey I met up with a particularly amusing attendant whom I met before. His name was unknown, but he was the only person who brought a smile to my face when I first journeyed by train to San Luis Obispo. I donned him The Namaste Guy, because at around 2 or 3 was his Namaste time as he assumably practiced yoga and meditation during his lunch time. Out of all the people who I saw on Amtrak, and by that I only knew one, he was the one that had a upbeat personality... and a few flashlights handy. The Namaste Guy later revealed himself to be Aaron, a traveling snack attendant who was part of a theatre troupe. After slowly dragging the train to the ironically named SLO train station, I finally arrived...only 2 hours late. The mystery behind the 2 powered down trains will never be unveiled. Someone just forgot to charge their batteries. Quick lesson kids, always come prepared.

My time in SLO is not of a long one, but a short but developing time when snow falls down and the chill wind brings in a warm feeling of coming together in front of a warm fire to recall lives that we lived during the year. Instead I was 5 miles away in a decent hotel. No big deal, at least it wasn't a dive. During my time there I delivered the finished project on time with some extra samples. My time there wasn't for any conquest of a rock. No, it was a time to spend with family that I haven't really sat down with in a long time. Meeting new acquaintances and old acquaintances and enjoy a full course dinner instead of just rice in a bag. Truly a nice time indeed. My magic started to dwindle as belief in magic is becoming scarce, but I still believe in it. Instead of using that, I am now using logic and science. It makes sense that way because of change. Now instead of using belief and faith, people are using SCIENCE for all their solutions. Anyway, as the curtain closed on the time spent down south, I felt a heart grow ever so slightly as I was invited to come back down, to visit again and beyond.

Back up in the land of decrepit empty technology buildings, I spent almost a month in madness as my laptop perished. Now it could have been the potentially viral program that was installed by a relative kid without permission, or it could have been a faulty part on the manufacturer, either way I was powerless. Add salt to injury, I have a film making class that involves it.

Eventually it was revived, but for those 6 to 8 weeks boredom crept up it's ugly head and hung around like an annoying room spirit that causes you no harm, but bothers you and overstays it's welcome. Not only buying a puzzle, but playing the boring trivia games that I have collected in the past. Truly, a low for such as I.

Once the boredom past away, I was able to starve off the madness by the birthday. Mini golf and new friends from an old campus was to be had for fun and all. Which leads up to now.

Through the inspiration of many others I've decided to start up a stream of sorts. It will be a way to introduce new things that has never been seen before. For example, it could be music that's unfamiliar, it could also be a video. As a former college DJ, it's my duty to share music that I picked up in the past. From Jpop, to doujin music, to epic metal, or whatever sounds great. Think of it like listening to a radio, but with actual good music. Make sure to check out Rare's Find It's on Ustream.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/rare-s-find-its

Also, follow Rare on Twitter @Rarefindit

If your in the mood for a little different taste, just stop on by Fridays at 1700 to 1900.