Token Asian’s Anime Blog

I just bought this poster today on eBay. Very cute and perfect for the bedroom wall. It’s very Belldandy and thus very appropriate for Token Asian’s bedroom. And I mean nothing perverted by that.

Also got that diecast Battlestar Galactica ship I wanted. It’s the Battlestar Pegasus. Its ice cream inventory was depleted by Lee Adama in under a month.

Star Ocean 2 is being remade for the PSP. Only issue I have is that Rena looks a little too loli in this version. No, Japan, BAD! Lusting after underage girls is dirty and wrong! Otherwise, it was a solid game in the past and I don’t think the developers can do much to make it terrible. The original Star Ocean game is also getting ported to the PSP, apparently updated with the second installment’s battle system and updated graphics just about everywhere else (if you played the fan-translated version, that was clearly needed for any port of this game).

At least Star Ocean 4 sounds like a sure thing. For those of you that went the Xbox 360 route, it’s unfortunately exclusive to the PS3, along with Metal Gear Solid 4 and Final Fantasy 13. On the other hand, I was unlucky as well as it seems that Ace Combat 6 is to be exclusive to Microsoft’s console. Regardless of the console wars, SO4 had better retcon the ridiculous second half of SO3.

In other news, apparently Tobey Maguire has gone completely insane and is planning to produce a live action Robotech film and star in it himself. Anyone remember the Wing Commander fiasco? BAD HOLLYWOOD, BAD!

Perfect, he’ll make a great whiny Rick Hunter.

Back from Otakon 2007. It’s the second-largest anime convention in the United States with an attendance of at least 22,000 with attendees ranging in age from newborn to elderly. If memory serves me correct I think we bring about a $125 million revenue to the city of Baltimore, vendors, etc. during the four-day weekend.

There will be major updates on my primary and secondary blogs as soon as I can find a USB cable for my camera. It’ll have to wait as I’m heading out to western Pennsylvania with the Minority Interns.

In the meantime, I can recommend two anime films with historical themes:

-Millenium Actress — A contender during the 2003 Academy Awards, this movie deals with the fictional story of a Japanese actress that lives through the turmoil of the Second World War and the sins of the era and their effects on her career.
-Grave of the Fireflies — From Studio Ghibli, comparable to movies like Black Rain and Schindler’s List, it follows the tragic story of what happens to civilians in war, but goes further to discuss what happens to children who must survive in a society where the need to survive has turned their fellow citizens into callous and uncaring survivors. Possibly the most powerful anti-war movie I have seen to date.

Just for the sake of keeping score, here’s a list of the stuff I bought this weekend:

-framed Belldandy watercolor print
-Studio Ghibli character watercolor
-Belldandy fanart print
-Valkyrie Profile fanart print
-two trading figures from Macross of Minmay
-two Macross mecha trading figs
-Catbus keychain
-Belldandy pencil board
-Totoro pencil board
-Totoro stickers
-Belldandy makeup kit/pencil box (it’s PINK)
-Robotech: Shadow Chronicles (autographed)
-Robotech: Southern Cross novel (autographed)
-Alpha Shade webcomic vol. 2 (autographed)
-Rurouni Kenshin novel
-MBT vehicle trading figs (2)
-Totoro keychain

Otakon 2008 August 8-10 CONFIRM/DENY?!! I think I’ll have to go reserve hotel rooms… oh within the next 24 hours?

The scene: A police interrogation room. Token Asian sits at the table, looking extremely confused.

Stabler: Where were you at 9:00 this morning?
Token Asian: Uhhh… I… I… I was in… a… a… a… a store. In Chinatown.
Stabler: Which shop?
Token Asian: Uhhh… it was called… uhhh… Mei Jie.
Stabler: Did you see any pretty little girls on your way there?
Benson: A little girl named Jane Smith was found dead behind the Tai Ping store early this afternoon. Know anything about it?
Token Asian: What? No! Nothing!
Stabler: Hmmm, that’s strange. Considering we have you on security tape talking to Janie a few minutes before you raped and strangled her!
Token Asian: WHAT? No! I didn’t do that!
Stabler: *leans in and looks mad* Of course you did. You like little girls, eh?
Token Asian: No!
Stabler: Oh come on. What were you doing at the Tai Ping store? Don’t you dare lie to my face!
Token Asian: *breathes heavily, then calms down and looks at Benson*
Token Asian: *wrings hands* Okay, okay, I’ll tell you. But I’m not a child molester, I swear!
Benson: *gives Stabler the WTF eyebrow*
Stabler: Okay, let’s hear it.
Token Asian: Uhhh… I did go to Tai Ping… but I didn’t kill anybody…
Stabler: Well, tell us what you did, because it’s looking awful bad for you right now.
Token Asian: Uhhh… uhhhh… I… I… I… b-b-bought something from the girl… and…. and…. she’s dead now, and it’s m-m-my fault!
Benson: *gives Stabler the “here comes the confession” look* Why is it your fault? Why is it your fault?
Token Asian: B-b-because I bought something from her and wanted to leave as soon as possible and I didn’t stay long enough to save her! *wrings hands*
Benson: Why were you in such a hurry?
Token Asian: I… I didn’t want anybody to see what I bought.
Benson: What did you buy?
Token Asian: *pauses and fidgets*
Stabler: *loses temper* You’re facing murder charges if you don’t give us an explanation for your whereabouts this morning!
Token Asian: Okay… okay… I bought a… a… a…. *chokes*
Token Asian: *puts his hand in his pocket and pulls out a Belldandy figurine*

*camera zooms in to Belldandy*

*fade to black*

*cut to commercial*

Haha, okay, besides Ciou Noi’s dramatic version of my latest trip to New York City, it was a pretty uneventful trip anime-wise. I went to the NYC branch of Kinokuniya Bookstores near Rockefeller Plaza. It’s pretty well-stocked with lots of anime stuff and other Japanese books but not nearly as nice as the one in San Jose. I wanted the really expensive (like $40) Totoro plush with suction cups for my car window, but I decided to save my money for important things (like…. rent and textbooks… *sobs*). I definitely recommend this store for anyone who stops in that area if you’re really into official imported goods. The Elizabeth Center has a lot more stuff in the way of serious otaku business, but for legit Japanese language manga and DVDs, this store is your first stop.

Kid Robot was my only other stop today. This store is in SoHo, which I guess is supposed to mean “stores here are really trendy and expensive.” People refer to it as a “boutique,” which translates to “people who shop here dress really expensively bordering on metrosexual.” Haha, I’m kidding…. uh, sort of. There’s not much anime merchandise here. I have no idea what kind of clientèle this store is supposed to be catering to. I’m skipping this store in the future.

Alright, I lied, it’s not all anime stuff. I need to get rid of a lot of my entertainment items. I’m really poor after all the stuff I had to get this month (for once, not a ridiculous anime binge) and I need to start saving up for my Christmas shopping. So I guess it’s time to have an anime blogger garage sale!

Items of note are the Gundam SEED Destiny figurines for $6 each, Genshiken box set for $70, complete Scrapped Princess manga collection for $20, Rurouni Kenshin wallscroll for $10, Kingdom Hearts 2 for $40, Halo graphic novel for $15, Final Fantasy strategy guide for $5, and some kooky Japanese language t-shirts from J-List!

I ship anywhere in the continental United States. If you want me to ship overseas, we’ll have to talk. My preferred form of payment are checks and money orders, but if you want to use Paypal, there will be a small fee and I have to pre-approve you for it. Cash is always accepted, but I don’t trust the USPS to get it to me. Oh, and if I’m a constant reader of YOUR anime blog, I might be inclined to offer discounts to you.

There are more pictures of my stuff, please contact me at my email :

tokenasian.anime[at]gmail[dot]com

ALL PRICES ARE NEGOTIABLE.

FEEL FREE TO OFFER ANY REASONABLE PRICE.

Anyway, onwards to the list of available items! As of now, nothing has been sold. If you don’t see anything you like, don’t forget to shop at TRSI and support Animeblogger.net!

Anime:

Genshiken box set - $70 (really near mint, opened only once)
Appleseed (widescreen, 2004 version) - $15 (new, sealed in box)
Robotech vol. 1 - $1 (opened, near mint)
Robotech vol. 6 - $1 (opened, near mint)
Samurai Champloo UMD vol. 4 - $10 (opened, near mint)

Manga:

Scrapped Princess (complete three volumes) - $8 each, $20 for complete set (near mint, like new)
Fruits Basket vol. 1 - $8 (near mint, like new)
Oh My Goddess: Love Potion No. 9 - $5 (very good condition)
Gunsmith Cats: Bonnie and Clyde - $5 (very good condition)
Full Metal Panic Overload vol. 1 - $8 (near mint, like new)
Onegai Teacher novel - $5 (near mint, like new)
Comic Party: Party Time! -$2 (used, good condition)
Happy Lesson vol. 1 - $2 (near mint, like new)
Kare Kano vol. 2 - $2 (used, good condition)
Kare Kano vol. 3 - $2 (used, good condition)

Anime Collectibles:

Gundam SEED Destiny Heroines figurines - $6 each (2 opened but still sealed in wrap, 2 new, please ask for more specific details if you are a collector looking for specific figures)
Rurouni Kenshin wallscroll - $10 (good condition, needs a new string for wall mounting)
“Looking for a Japanese Girlfriend” XL shirt - $12 (washed once, like new)
“Respect the Emperor, Expel the Foreign Barbarians” XL shirt (Sonno Joi) - $12 (washed once, like new)
Ah! My Goddess mousepad - $5 (new)
Ah! My Goddess pins - $5 (new)
Martian Successor Nadesico XL shirt - $5 (new, never worn)
NERV (Evangelion) shirt - $5 XL (washed once, like new)

PS2 Games:

Kingdom Hearts II - $40 (opened, played for about ten minutes)
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - $10 (opened, near mint)
Final Fantasy X-2 - $10 (opened, near mint)
Soul Calibur II - $8 (new, sealed in box)
Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain (Greatest Hits) - $5 (new, sealed in box)
Conflict: Desert Storm (Greatest Hits) - $5 (opened, near mint)
XIII - $5 (new, sealed in box)
Rainbow Six: Lockdown - $5 (opened, near mint)
Rainbow Six 3 - $10 (opened, near mint)
James Bond 007: From Russia With Love - $10 (opened, near mint)
Xenosaga I - $10 (opened, near mint)

PC Games:

Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds - $10 (opened, original box and manuals included)

DVDs:

Daredevil (Widescreen edition of director’s cut) - $10 (new)
Mission Impossible 2 (Widescreen Collection) - $1 (opened, pretty new)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (2-disc Collector’s Edition) - $10 (new, sealed in box)

Books:

Halo Graphic Novel - $15 (near mint, like new)
Final Fantasy X strategy guide - $5 (near mint, like new)
Star Wars: Vector Prime (New Jedi Order) - $5 (near mint, like new)

Even though the goddess I like the least out of the original three is Skuld, I must say that this little freeware game is a nice way to take a short game break between long periods of work. That and it’s a good way to feed your AMG addiction now that the television run of season 2 is over. Ah, the plight of a goddess fan!

It’s a very solid game with good production values and decent gameplay. There’s not much to it. You play as Skuld smashing those pesky “bugs” from Yggdrasil. And being Skuld, your weapon of choice is a mallet. Press the space bar to use the mallet and arrow keys to move and jump. Each stage has progressively more intense waves of bugs and a “boss fight” where you fight a blue-ish bug that takes multiple hits to kill (and it can turn invisible and thus invulnerable). You can also chain kills for higher points. The longest killing spree I managed was 32 bugs. Pick up ice cream cones (that magically float down from the ceiling) for extra lives.

The only downside to this game is that you’re restricted to only one arena (Skuld’s room). At least it is well-decorated with all the things you would associate with Skuld’s personal domain. It’s still a good game for something originally released in the late 1990s. Geez, I feel old now! Anyway, I think the game could have been easily upgraded with the use of more goddess characters (perhaps Urd with thunder spells) and powerups (Skuld bombs!). Overall, this game is a treat for any AMG fanatic.

Download available here! I am 99% sure that this is a legal download despite the supposed shady business practices of the site in question. At least this link should be reliable enough to guarantee yourself some nice bug-bashing!

In America, the corporal punishment of children is legal with many vocal supporters. The foremost practitioners of this ancient ritual in the United States are the Asians. While many European immigrants came to this country with less of a cultural basis for beating one’s children, many Asian parents had no such discouragement. In fact, it was considered culturally necessary to give a good beating in order not to lose face. It’s not a case by case thing, it’s an entire society that supports the parent in using corporal punishment. While the practice is declining among Asians, most consider it acceptable except in cases of permanent harm or beatings from people not in the immediate family.

Anyway, on to the list of things used on the backsides of my generation. Oh, the memories of being Asian…

-Rice Paddle

This is what we scoop rice with. It often has “ribs” on one side to grip the rice easier. Unfortunately, this also causes red marks that don’t go away easily if your mom pulls your pants down for a spanking.

-Rolling Pin

Of course, the Chinese version of a rolling pin is about a quarter of the diameter of an American rolling pin. Still hurts like hell. It’s only about three centimeters in diameter, but holy goddess almighty is it intimidating.

-Metal Ruler

Crap, this hurts like nothing else on earth. The thing is that most parents used it sparingly because it tends to hurt the hand holding it if you smack the kid hard enough. Some moms thought that the more their hand hurt, the more justice they were dealing out.

-Wooden Ruler

This doesn’t hurt as much as a metal ruler, but it’s easier on the parents’ hands.

-Cleaver

Yeah, this is one of those butcher knives that every Chinese house has. I don’t think anyone was actually hit with one of these, it was just a constant threat. Didn’t help that sometimes there was fresh blood on it from the evening meal prep.

-FedEx Tube

It was just handy around the house. Chinese people never throw packaging away. Don’t tell my dad that USPS tubes are cheaper and even thicker.

-Chopsticks

They may look small but it’s essentially a very thin stick so it concentrates more force on one area of your hand or butt. And it leaves welts.

-Sandals

There’s no negative connotation with whacking someone with a sandal in China (compared to the Middle East). They’re also fairly clean objects since all Asians have separate outdoor shoes and indoor sandals (therefore, easily accessible). I think most Asian kids have kept the secret that it doesn’t hurt as much if you have your pants on. Shhhhhh!

-Phone

If you were smart enough to discard your sandals, you probably got thwacked with this on the head.

-Back Scratcher

Every elderly Asian grandmother has one of these to get those hard to reach places. It’s essentially a long bamboo stick with a CLAW on the end.

-Bamboo Cane

I was never beaten with one of these, although it’s a traditional beating implement. American health insurance helps provide grandparents with METAL canes and crutches now.

-Rolled-Up Newspaper/Magazine

Chinese magazines are typically a lot longer (length-wise) so this is really effective. That and the fact that nobody throws these things away so you could be beaten with some news magazine from the late 1970s. Now you know what the family dog feels.

-Double-Fisted

Instead of being beaten with only one hand, the parent switches hands when the other one turns red from multiple thwackings.

-Car Keys

Handiest thing in dad’s hand when he comes home after a hard day’s work and sees that you’ve been misbehaving.

-”Bush Stick”

Another traditional tool. The parent goes outside and pulls a branch off a tree or shrub. However, this can rapidly deplete the foliage in the yard.

-Broken Chair Leg

What can I say? Chinese people are really resourceful. That and the fact that you were the one that broke the chair in the first place…

-Extension Cable

You roll it up and it makes something vaguely like a short whip. I think many of my friends have repressed this from their childhood memories.

-Flyswatter

Besides being left with dead insect residue on your posterior, this thing SNAPS as it hits you.

-Broken Support from Flower Rack

Probably only my mother used this one. I guess she considered it wasteful to throw away a broken garden display. Might as well use it to beat her son.

In conclusion, I am sure that the practice of angry Chinese-American parents giving their children a severe spanking will continue onwards through the 21st century. I can also say with certainty that it will continue into the 22nd century with little intervention unless there is a significant shift in immigration patterns and the amount of Asians raised on American soil outnumber the “old guard” from the Far East.

For those of you wondering if the second season of Ah! My Goddess is over or not… well, it’s definitely not over. The problem is that there are some varying camps of opinion on interpreting the “insider” information and other sources. We can divide this into two primary schools of thought.

The “1-22, 23 & 24″ Group
-the series will have a 22 episode run on television.
-the DVDs include in the extras section two special OVA episodes (similar to episodes 25 and 26 last season), numbering episodes 23 and 24.
-therefore, all episodes in the second season that were made for television have been aired.
-the last DVD with the OVAs will be released in late spring 2007.

The “1-24, 25 & 26″ Group
-the series will have a 24 episode run on television.
-the DVDs therefore will include the two extra OVA episodes, numbering episodes 25 and 26.
-meaning the made for television episodes are on a brief hiatus for some unknown reason.
-the last DVD with the OVAs will be released at a presently unknown date.

If you ask me, both scenarios work fine. Personally, I’m all for more made for television episodes as long as this brief hiatus business is for the sake of making a better ending arc. And here’s to hoping that the special OVA episodes are as great as the last batch. I’d like seeing more of those zany out of character episodes. In any case, there’s no need to worry as there’s plenty more AMG stuff on the horizon.

I’m bored.

Not much in the way of new goddess stuff this month. Already got myself the new PVC statue, the tote bag, and a couple of those tiny AMG coffee mugs. Apparently the Japanese aren’t that big on mega-mugs of coffee. I guess Asians are bigger on tiny cups of tea or something (don’t ask me, I’m a Ghiradelli cocoa drinker… despite being Asian).

At least chapter 216 of the manga was fun. Skuld ditches television and fighting with Urd for a date with mini-K1 (Sentaro). Here’s to hoping that Fujishima continues on this story in chapter 217. Anyway, it was a manga chapter that didn’t suck for once.

Oh yeah, so there was some updates on the AMG PS2 game. Geez, every single time I look at this site, the graphics look crappier and crappier. I hope it’s just low quality screenshots and that the game is still “in development.”

Anyway, it appears that Keiichi and his harem of divine beauties end up on some deserted island with a crapload of puzzles to solve and SOMEONE has lost their memory (if it’s Bell AGAIN I’m going to tell someone to perform an anatomically impossible action). And then there’s this silver-haired lady who everybody thinks is “Freya,” theorized to be Belldandy’s mother. Well, at least all the fanboys are associating a sexy lady with Bell’s ancestry (fair enough).

However, I see no goddess markings on her face. We should be able see the emblems on the lower cheeks at the least. Even Hild, the highest of the demons had markings, so therefore a high-level goddess such as Bell’s mother should have SOMETHING. Hmmm, I would lean on the side that argues this is NOT Bell’s mother. And I doubt that Fujishima would take such an important plot development and use a PS2 game to reveal it.

A more likely theory is that this woman is the villain, in league with Marller (also in one of site’s updates) and causing havoc with the goddesses’ memories. Or perhaps Marller is causing this silver-haired woman to suffer memory loss and the entire goddess gang has to solve puzzles to get it back. Hey, for all I know, Marller could be cloning an army of Belldandys (Belldandies? Belldandii?) to take over the world and this silver-haired female is the first of a line of cybernetically enhanced ninja goddesses with laser beams for eyes.

Remember that one really crappy Tenchi Muyo movie where the entire gang goes back in time to save Tenchi’s mom from being assassinated by an escaped criminal? All I really remember is the unusual ending song during the credits roll… anyway, I’m digressing. ANYWAY, remember how AMG fans are always complaining that Tenchi Muyo was a blatant ripoff of Fujishima’s work? Well, I guess is the original idea ripping off of the ripoff… okay, headache.

It appears that this rather non-manga inspired story begins with Hild chilling in the house with everyone. Obviously, this is out of the ordinary but the thing most of the ordinary is that Keiichi takes it all in stride and is coming on to Hild. This is normal behavior for K-1? Apparently something has changed the Keiichi they knew, which becomes clear when they find a photo of Keiichi in high school with Hild. And of course, now the entire gang has to travel back in time to prevent Keiichi from being seduced by Urd’s mom (not that most men would object to having Hild around).

Have you ever gotten your driver’s license revoked? Or even worse, found yourself with the wrong license altogether? Aiiya, well, Belldandy finds herself with a license to terrorize as a demon. Too bad she absolutely sucks at being evil. The worst thing she can probably do is get herself totally bombed on Coca-Cola (not Diet Pepsi, to Burnskvi’s sadness).

Of course, this is a happy anime and we have to get this issue resolved before the end of the episode. Much happiness came into this Token Asian’s heart as Peorth comes along in a cute outfit to make things all better… right? Are things really going to be 100% again? Or are things going to go to Hell once again (pun intended)?

WTF is that Hild in bed with Keiichi? RAPERAPERAPERAPERAPE! AGH! Is this time for a jealousy storm? The final showdown between Bell and Hild? An action-packed final episode with magic flying back and forth? Actually, none of the above. We’re finally getting Bell in a schoolgirl outfit.