Ode to Desudes Brigade

There comes a time in every person's life where we say farewell. Where there's a beginning, there will eventually be an end to everything. However, it's the time spent that will be cherished the most. Those precious moments where you shared, laughed, cried, and enjoyed that time together is the memory that will live on.

As I recently heard, one of my go to places, the Desudes Brigade announced that they will be disbanding the site and the 4 del-facto leaders are parting ways. It's rather sad to hear that because they have been my new home since I left the hollowed halls of Anime Academy.

It was during those last 3 years that you have kept me sane as I went through some dark times with guilt, redemption, reflection, to now. Those were happy times and I wished we could have met in person so I may share those con memories. However, it is understandable that we all have our own lives to deal with.

Yeah, real life can be very detrimental sometimes when we pour our hearts into something only for it to end. However, it is with those lives that we have that we shape ourselves into what we truly desire. And besides, should you come back after completing your quest, that is up to you, fate, and when you eventually accomplish whatever you have been seeking.

Professor Otaku, Arkada, JesuOtaku, Vixen, you have my deepest condolences and I'm regretful that this happened. Though we never met in person and I've only worked with 1 or 2 of you as clients, I will continue to serve you as the friendly neighborhood rare game hunter.

Whatever you seek for either yourself or to entertain with for others, you are always welcome to ask Rarefindit for anything you need.

There is also a light in this silver lining: the forums and community. Without them, and the communication that you bring and share, D2 wouldn't be as a family as it would have. It is through everyone on the forums and fan blogs that you brought inspiration to for they wouldn't have accomplished alot without your support. The streams shalt shant be forgotten too as they are also an intricate part of this community. For it is with they who brought and continues to bring joy in some of our (me) boring lives.

Those streams who I mention include and not limited to Spaceman Hardy's Manime Monday who put the word man in tea, Wazaraku's random W Plan, Noahclue's 10 Frame Theater, Itchinader's Late Night Anime, Durga's Sentai Sunday, Sneebs, Sahoni at seldom time, many many more who does stream, and to no less extent, my pathetic attempt at Jrock Jukebox. (I may do it again)

Though the body perishes, the spirit lives on in all of us and those memories will keep us intact, until the dreaded Alzeimer's takes a swing at my brain. Either that or someone in this digital age masters alchemy and makes a revival potion that revives the body but not the soul of the site. (Obscure Koudelka reference ftw).

So to you, Professor Otaku, Arkada, JesuOtaku, Vixen, Malakye, and as well as Hitch who I think is still recovering from that noodle incident involving his balls and some jumper cables, Kagami, Rabbit, and many others... it's been real. Stay Gold y'all

Bang.

P.S. I am still washing my eyes with chlorine on a daily basis thanks to MC Bigman. It won't never not go unaway unseen. (Edit: That sentence error was on purpose)

Consejos de Rare Sage: Murciélago y Segunda Etapa

Today I will invoke a certain trope just for the sake of this message: Gratuitous Spanish. For those who don't know, gratuitous language is something we all do to think we are speaking a certain language that we do not understand. There are many kinds such as Taglish (tagolog/english), engrish (not limited to japanese/english), and spanglish (whatever you see on a taco bell menu).

The reason why I'm doing this is I have a special message for a certain reader that I can only do using this trope. May sound silly, but it's also important. Before I do that I will invoke it here: Empanada. With that said...

Normalmente no me involucran a mí mismo cuando se trata de otro tipo de relaciones, por lo general es mi regla de honor de no meterse con la que ha tomado. Sin embargo, esta excepción es una especie de importante porque, como un amigo, quiero ver que todo el mundo es feliz y con menos conflictividad. Piensa en mí como el luchador equilibrado y sanador del grupo. Al igual que Youmu que tiene una espada y algunas curaciones.

En base a lo que me dijiste, que parecen ser miserable en su relación. Cosas como la religión, y el dominio puede realmente matar la llama de la vela. Mi consejo, seguir siendo amigos con esta persona.

Si no se quiere comprometer con usted, entonces no está destinado a ser. Es mejor ser libre de elección que controla más de una persona que no está de acuerdo con usted. Una relación sana se trata de la igualdad de oportunidades. Si uno no le gusta el otro, entonces ¿qué sentido tiene?

La verdad sea dicha, aunque era una cosa menor, pero yo tenía un poco de interés en que en aquel entonces. Sin embargo, mi creencia es que lleva un montón de la formación del carácter con el fin de conocer a una persona más y en estos últimos meses, tengo que saber más de lo que pensaba. Llámame loco, pero la razón por la que no persue algo más que un perdedor con el sabio consejo es porque yo lo dejo a usted que usted elige a ser amigos, compañeros, o incluso que los que decide ser un signifigant otro.

Lo que estoy tratando de decir que no se puede decir con palabras, ya que la imagenserá mejor en lo que respecta a su situación o no te quedas con esa persona. Gracias, Minori Kushieda.

Además, son ustedes y lo preparará para el enganche? Quiero decir que es el anillo por su parte, los documentos legales, la boda, y conocer a los familiares en todos los lugares, además ¿estás listo mental, física y financieramente a asumir ese compromiso cuando tiene sus propios objetivos para pensar?

Francamente, no puedo decir nada más sobre él. Es realmente depende de ti. Sin embargo, hay alguien que usted sabe que tiene un interés en lo que comparte tanto la nostalgia y la fe, incluso si él cree que es sólo la mitad de la misma. Si sabes quién es esta persona, me gustaría tener interés en él su lugar.

Tenga cuidado, firmó un perdedor.

One final note, cuarta espada and habanero. That is all. Ulquiorra.

Rare's Random Thought: Yanderes are scary

There’s a certain aspect when considering a character for a story. They have to be interesting, likable, and have a backstory. However, there are also several elements in which a character becomes unlikable. It can be a tragic backstory that makes them completely rotten, emotionless or downright violent for the sake of drama. It is then that if a character is unusable for the story, they are, to put it mildly “put on a bus” in order to further the main plot along. In some cases, that can backfire.

Today I will be talking about a certain character trait that I’ve dreaded and probably the scariest (to me anyway) that could be known: The Yandere.

What is a Yandere you say? As you roll your eyes in patheticness to see why I asked that when you know the answer, reader. A Yandere is a character trait used in fiction to describe in laymen terms, cute, but creepy. They can be cute, shy and adorable to the point that you can feel something for this person. However, deep inside that fluffy exterior lies a rather unsettling persona that will manifest if a certain trigger is pulled off. In contrast to the good side of cute, the bad crappy and violent side merges to sometimes scare the viewer. It varies though if Yanderes are your thing.

The following story is based on false true events and every aspect of the not story is completely untrue.

Once upon a time in the sunny town of Joseph, Henry met up with some of his coworkers from college to have a little fun because it was his friend Nathan’s birthday. Nathan also invited his friend Charlotte. They all met up at the arcade and were having the time of their life.

When it was time to leave to eat at Frenchie’s, Nathan’s friends suddenly hit the jackpot and won lots of tickets. They decided to get a few cheap plastic toys and have a little fun in the parking lot. Charlotte however had to retreat because Sophia had to leave for work. So Charlotte took Sophia to work while Henry and the others were having a jolly good time with their newly acquired toys.

Charlotte came back as it was about time to go to the restaurant. Nathan thought it would have been fun to joke around and aim the toys at Charlotte. However, when she arrived to see a few toys aimed at her, she exploded. Now Nathan thought Charlotte was a nice girl, who enjoyed watching the same tv shows as he did. What Nathan and the others didn’t know is that Charlotte had a nasty side that came out of nowhere. Charlotte got out of her car and started pushing, choking and hurting Nathan’s friends. He dashed to his friend's rescue and started talking about how he and the others were just having fun.

Charlotte lashed out on Nathan and started crying because she saw something in Henry’s hand that caused her to be angry at him. Later on Nathan tried to reason with Charlotte as he was getting his bike from her house. Charlotte was thinking that Henry and the others were talking behind her back calling her names based on what she saw in his hand. Nathan assured that the boys were talking about card games and how much they like playing them on vespas. After the talk, Nathan left Charlotte’s house to go eat at Frenchie’s.

As puerile and stupid as that story was written, there was a key aspect to it: Charlotte was the Yandere. I explained how at first she was cute and friendly, but turned creepy and violent because of what happened to her in the past. I honestly don’t get how some people actually like Yanderes considering their antagonistic nature.

Yanderes are written to be either unlikable, or creepy. From the initial cute intro where they are shy, to further their madness to the point of obsession. They can be downright cruel to the things that they will do for their own selfish needs. Whether it’s choking a guy that did nothing at all than try to calm her down, or continue to search for someone who they want for not only money, but a little piece of ass.

I myself encountered a Yandere in the past. Long ago, Natalie claimed to be a magic user and said that they can mimic the personality of someone that is alive. Their tragic backstory is that they were to be engaged to someone, but he went missing so they went into mourning. I just happen to be around at the time. Sure it was fun hanging out with Natalie and meeting their friends, but someone came in, claiming to be famous and if this is a confusing term, it means feint, but They NTR’d in front of me while I cooked some food. NTR or Netorare is japanese slang for feint. So a couple of years later, I thought I could help Them by working. As soon as my own problems came I had to leave and move to a new place. However, Natalie started calling me leaving me incredibly long messages which round up to nothing. It was then I developed a case of Post Persistent Stalker Disorder. That condition does not exist, but it explains downright what I was going through. Seems they were looking for money and the only way was through me. So I ended up as I call it, “leaving no corpse behind” and ended up in a new place. The creepy late night messages that led to nothing are a Yandere’s inner most thoughts. Ironic seeing that happened near Halloween.

There are many examples of the Yandere, both fiction and non fiction.:

* Take the Stephen King novel Christine for example. It’s a demon car that becomes possessive and kills anyone that gets in the protagonist’s way.

*Anne Wilkes in Misery as well. I’ll leave it at that.

*Frollo from the Hunchback of Notre Dame. An elderly priest who is horny over a gypsy that he wants to punish her for being impure and have sex with her. Disney took that and made it an incredibly dark song for a kids film.

*You know that movie Beyonce Knowles starred in? What was it called that involved a crazy stalker blonde coworker that became “Obsessed” over the one nice guy who had a nice hot wife (Beyonce) and son? What was it called? Oh I remember, Big Wolf on Campus.

*Nina Einstein from Code Geass, who develops this obsession to Princess Euphemia who is half 11 and the former who hates them, starts masturbating on a table end to her picture. Oh and makes a giant nuke out of anger and trauma to wipe out all 11s. Yikes.

Ui from K-on, Yui’s younger sister. To be honest I’m stumped to why she is called a Yandere. Is it because her names means gloomy? Who knows?

*Amy Fisher, meet Joey Buttafucco’s and his wife. She got better I think.

*Legend has it that someone named Sada Abe killed her husband, chopped off his penis and ran away so she can have sex with it forever. The memento was later found and put in a museum.

*Finally there is Yuno from Mirai Nikki. She wants Yukiteru to stay with her and will do anything, anything for that to happen. Remember that thing about Natalie, and the Post Persistent Stalker Disorder? Yeah. Yuno is that.

The question now is, what do you do if you have encountered a Yandere? Easy. Run the hell away! These are beings that are not to be reasoned with. It seems near impossible to talk to yanderes when they merge. It’s more of a psychological thing that Yanderes stick to the obsessive part and focus on that, whatever it is. If you can talk to them and calm them down, good luck with that. I’ll keep my head on and avoid them at all costs. Who knows if you end up missing one of them.

Rhythm Heaven Fever

Rhythm, it’s a part of life whether we want to believe it or not. Without rhythm, we wouldn’t have beats and without beats we wouldn’t be able to live. Ever since we are born to the day we see ourselves saying farewell to everyone we hold dear, there is a bit of rhythm that is in everything. And what better way to enjoy rhythm by putting it in a video game.

Rhythm Heaven is a collection of musical mini games done in very catchy tunes that eat through our very soul. They started ironically at the end of the lifetime of the GBA as it was singing it’s last ballad while the DS was filling in the big shoes of it’s predecessor.. The major problem? Japan didn’t share the love. So finally Nintendo releases Rhythm Heaven or Rhythm Tengoku Gold on the DS a couple of years later. Just like the older step brother who we never see on those family get-togethers, the DS sequel shares the same personality, but with DS capabilities. You tap and flick to the beat of the tune and that’s it. Rhythm Gold.

Now recently Nintendo released it’s newest Heaven Rhythm opus with Minna no Rhythm Tengoku or Rhythm Heaven Fever. At first glance it looks silly just like the other 2, but in all honesty, it’s very addicting and fun. The initial negative feedback it got was not because of the core gameplay, but rather the localization. Some may claim that some mini games in English were going to suck because purists don’t like listening to English. To that I say, it isn’t bad. More on that later.

With every Rhythm Heaven game (even though there’s 3 in the series), you tap a certain button to the beat of the tune. The difference is more that it uses only 1 or 2 buttons compared to the DS where you tap and flick with the stylus. You use the A button mostly and B for the off beat tussles. It feels similar to the GBA version in that it takes only 2 or so to jingle along to the music. No need for special combos or complicated button presses or realistic graphics to make it look almost as uncanny valley as it almost achieves in some ways. Just 2 simple buttons and that’s all you need.

The music in Rhythm Heaven Fever, regardless of which version you prefer, are all the same on both fronts. Each song is chock full of personality and style that many few can pull off. Sure everything looks pretty simple, but simplicity brings out the best of one’s imagination and we interpret what we see the most. From the humble beginnings of golfing with monkeys to the beat of trumpets, to the adorable sounds of slapping hands with monkeys on a watch, to the silly moments where you accidentally press off key buttons to punch dolls which make fart sounds that tickle my childish side, to the somber Japanese style beat that tugs at my heart strings. Each song is different and unique which begs the question to why no one at Nintendo or the creator of these youthful tunes, Tsunku(male sign) don’t release a soundtrack like everyone else. The last thing to mention is how memetically catchy it is. Almost everyone has done a parody of Rhythm Tengoku mini game from different walks of life. From Rhythm Fortress to Touhou Tengoku, to My Little Pony, Rhythm is Magic. you just can't deny the cuteness of this.

The core aspect of rhythm heaven is the mini games, and quite an immense number of them on one single disc. Up to 50 main mini games as well as unlockable games that were in the GBA version remastered to give you a glimpse of what you missed. The best ones would include, golfing with monkeys, pigs spinning around in chairs (get it? They're at a "bored" meeting), a samurai chopping evil spirits to save a boy's stolen pinwheel, a boy kicking balls away from weasels during a date, a dog and a cat playing badminton in airplanes, to bookworm cheerleaders. Each mini game, including the unlockable ones are rich and full of personality that gives off a style not seen anywhere else.

I really don’t want to say anything bad about Rhythm Heaven Fever because it’s so good, but I must address a couple of minor quips. In one mini game, Karate Man/2, the tempo is lowered for some reason. The Japanese version is one octane higher. I can still enjoy the great music and for once the English translation is not bad at all, in fact I would even call it incredibly decent, but the lowered tempo was awkward at first glance. The other thing is in Love Rap you are rapping about “love”. The “rap” isn’t so bad (I normally don’t like rap and hip hop, not my thing), but the girl is rapping in what I hear is a southern accent. Think about that for a second while I also address the ridiculously outdated slang that is used as the translation. Comparing daisuki (like you) and into you (???) or crazy into you (suki nanda), it just sounds awkward and just gives me fits of giggles that make me get meh rating which is like the mediocrity of my score eats away at me bit by bit. I guess I could say that Love Rap’s “rap” is so bad it’s good, but that is just me.

Here is a better comparison:

And this:

The other awkwardly hilarious thing that needs to be mentioned is in Bossa Nova, you have two flower people who like to "bump" and volleying shapes while they turn and make weird noises? Oh and listen to the lyrics in the 3rd remix. It sounds like someone is excited to finally score. Was someone asleep at the radar or something? Not that that it's a bad thing.

The last minor gripe is more in the fact that some people may hate this game because it's too hard. It's only hard because rhythm takes some getting used to. If you don't have it, don't fret. There's a tutorial in the way beginning that tests you on your timing. You can access it in the cafe with the doggy bartender (what?), as well as demos with every mini game so you can learn the ropes on how each of them work. Except for the remixes. Good luck keeping up with the pace. The last remix is specifically there to make sure you don't screw up. Remember, don't blame the game for the lack of rhythm, it's all on you.

What I do like though is that the unlockables include remastered mini games from the GBA version. Only 5 are available, but each of them are perfect for the one button style pressing that the wiimote implicates. From the Clapping Trio, Sneaky Spirits, Power Calligraphy (how they get that past is beyond me), Tap Trial, and the finale is a remastering of Night Walk. Wish they could have added more like Space Dance, or Bon odori, or Toran and porin (Tram and Poline), or even that weird one with plucking hairs from vegetables. This game could have had more bang for the buck, but for 30 bucks at budget price there’s a lot of treats to go around with this game.

If you like rhythm games and I know you can’t deny them no matter how many unsold guitar peripherals you see like soulless plastic instruments, get Rhythm Heaven Fever. Plenty to do in this and well worth making new addictions for. I got a fever and the only prescription is more rhythm.

SOPA and PIPA: Internet's Greatest Enemies

Censorship - the power in which to censor. This controversial word stands as one of the main antagonists in free speech and language period. To censor is to filter out what one thinks is offensive. If I were to say the word cat to a group of people who like dogs, they would find it offensive and thus censor me (Doesn't make sense I know, but that's just an example).

Currently at this time there are a couple of bills that Congress is trying to pass that would essentially "kill the Internet". SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act) are two bills that were introduced last year to fight against pirates. There was live coverage of Congress pretty much trying to the bills get rushed out so at the time everyone can go on holiday. The arguments for and against this new "phenomenon" were so exaggerated that the debate escalated down to simple playground taunts and "racial slurs" to nerds and geeks.

Now what does this have to do with a common Internet dweller and self proclaimed Rare Game Hunter? Quite a lot actually. Just like everyone else, we search on the information super highway for knowledge, entertainment, and inspiration. The knowledge part is in part of every human mind who seeks answers. Entertainment helps us wind down after a hard days work. Inspiration gives us hope to create and innovate on something that only we as humans can do. As well, I visit certain websites for entertainment such as That Guy With The Glasses, Screwattack, etc. Those are the entertainment element that partially makes the Internet.

However, like all us drifters on this highway of information, we stumble upon websites that give us the freedom to express ourselves that we can't do in reality. Though our opinions are somewhat... "harsh" it's still an opinion. If SOPA and PIPA pass, that "opinion" will be silenced thus making free speech not so free anymore. Most of what makes the Internet is the voice and opinions of users that pour their souls into making the entity in which we have adapted to in the last 17 years. This is similar to what is happening to the Internet in China and to think that the US would be following pursuit that same exact thing is chilling. To bluntly censor the Internet in the US is disgusting.

As of this time and date (1/18/12 at 5:00am PST) many websites are shutting down for a full day to see what it's like if SOPA and PIPA were to pass. Sites such as Wikipedia, Google, and many more like Reddit in which we seek out knowledge are out of commission to simulate what these bills would do to those places. Pretty much SOPA and PIPA would render this Internet in which I pay hard earned money for would be rendered useless. I would be damned if this were to happen.

Now who do you think supports SOPA and PIPA? Major corporations really. They complained to congress because pirates are taking their stuff and making it available to the people. First off Pirates are last year, we have had 4 movies of them, and blaming the people isn't the way to fight against them. We fight pirates with ninjas! It's like a Rule of Honor (in fact it is, #27.). If you want to know my opinion which will eventually get censored if SOPA and PIPA pass, this legislative is bullshit! Who is it that supports these major corporations? The people. We buy your products, your cheap ass piece of shit products that you oversaturate and sell to the least common denominator. Who is it that watches your films and play your games and invest in your company? The people. Who is it that pays for the Internet that is provided by companies like Comcast, AT&T, etc? I don't know who, but I sure as hell am. And it is those corporations who support these bills. This needs to stop and be prevented. And if they were to pass, a lot can change.

There is light amidst this darkness. Petitions galore are being signed right now to prevent the current SOPA and PIPA from passing. Billions of people are fighting back to keep this freedom in which this "Land of The Free" is supposed to be about. I don't normally ask for anything, I would like to ask if you would do a few things for me:

1. Contact your Congressmen that represents your state and tell them about SOPA and PIPA and that they should veto them.

2. Whatever petitions are available (mostly on major search engines) sign them and let your voice be heard.

3. Let your voice be heard no matter how dense the house and congress can be. (The same congress that slurred the nerds and geeks of all shapes and sizes).

4. Call the White House and tell them about SOPA and PIPA. Tell them that it will kill the Internet that we as the people have adapted to in the last decade or so.

5. Go to these sites and sign the petitions available.

* http://sopastrike.com/strike

* https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/

* https://wfc2.wiredforchange.com/o/9042/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=8173

6. Watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHOZcHkvkvs&feature=g-u&context=G238cdecFUAAAAAAABAA

7. Desperate measures, use the Ganz technique. Play really really bad music until they give in. It can be as bad as Ke(dollar sign)ha, Justin Beiber, LMFAO, or anything else that can drive them to madness (Yeah, listen to the instrumental part of Sexy and I know It and raise the volume. Soundboarding as I call it.) That is protesting at it's finest.

You are the greatest fighters that I have ever seen and with your actions and voice, we can stop this legislature from happening. Remember, contact your congressmen, protest and you can stop this evil from forming a Twisted evil lock on the Internet and free speech as a whole.

P.S That last sentence was a The 3rd Birthday reference. It's not bad.

Retaliation to the stupid

Ignorance is sometimes a beauty and a curse. One wonders to the brilliance and thoughts of what is incoherent, the other is dumbfounded to the grace and intelligent details of the more gifted. Then there is this....

http://www.screwattack.com/news/exclusive-peta-allegedly-just-pretending-care-about-tanooki-suit#

Seriously Peta? I like your chips with a little bit of honey mustard cheese, but this just reeks of stupid.

Tanukis are fictional entities quite known in Japanese folklore for shapeshifting and mischief. A FICTIONAL ENTITY. Mario finds a suit that lets him transform into a statue. How does skinning raccoon dogs let you turn into a stone statue? Wrap your vegan brains around that one.

If you want to be taken seriously as an animal rights organization that consist of HUMANS trying to secretly create human animal hybrids to procreate, then stop making asses..... uh.... stop being stupid. The gamers gave you Super Tofu Boy and Tofu Man can be found in the upcoming non existent Mega Man 11. What more do you need!? Just eat your vegetables and shut the hell up!

Seriously, WTF?!

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.