Two VERY Wrong Things
I’ve learned of two things today that are just WRONG. Even if id has good, logical, smart reasons . . . it’s just WRONG for Q3Test to be out for the Mac, and not for linux or Windows. *sniff* The second wrong thing is something I saw at sCary’s Shugashack. It’s perversely wrong, and for that, it’s kind of cool . . . ttyquake. If any of the linux devotees that read this site (all uhm, 7 or so of you) try this, please let me know what it’s like, and I’d love to see some screenshots other than the two they have on the ttyquake page.
Mailbag/Response Sort of Dealy: Anime
This in from Dissident (in italics) with my response I e-mailed to him following:
Can you PLEASE fill me in on whats so great about anime? Cause personally, I cant stand it. Its just a cheap version of american animation, and it looks soo bad! The characters look de-formed with their massive eyes/mouths and small noses. Not to mention the cheap sound effects that they probably took from some old NES game.
Like anything, there is good anime, and there is bad anime. There are bad american cartoons as well as good cartoons, good movies and bad movies. From your comments, it sounds like you haven’t been exposed to any of the GOOD Anime. There are several different Anime styles and techniques, including “super-deformed” which admittedly makes things look VERY silly. Another one of the problems with Anime is that a lot of what is widely available, and almost all that is broadcast in the U.S., is dubbed (the original Japanese dialogue is removed and English dialogue is recorded in its place). Dubbing often has two nasty effects of 1) Making the characters sound like hick idiots and 2) Altering the dialogue. In MY opinion, Subbed (subtitled) Anime is the better choice between sub and dub, as the meaning is generally closer to the actual Japanese dialogue than dubs are (and the characters don’t tend to sound like ignorant hicks).
To check out some of what makes me love Anime, try to find and watch something like Neon Genesis Evangelion, Oh! My Goddess, Record of Lodoss Wars, El Hazard, Battle Angel Alita, Ghost in the Shell, Princess Mononoke, or possibly even Vampire Hunter D or Devil Hunter Yohko. If you’re judging Anime from things like Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, Pokemon or the ilk . . . those are crap. Another series/title you might want to look for is Space Battleship Yamato – which was broadcast in America as Star Blazers. At least one or two of the above titles ought to be available at a major video rental store, such as a Blockbuster Video or Hollywood Video, though they’re likely to be dubbed (and in all fairness, some people DO prefer dub . . . I’m not one of those). Larger cities and even mid-sized college towns often have Anime film/fan clubs that sometimes have screenings of different Anime, and often Anime video libraries that members can check out items from or rent, so that might be an option.
I sense that I’m straying from your original question somewhat . . . I’ve always loved cartoons, since I was a kid, and even now as an adult. Anime is a higher art form of cartoons to me, with more interesting and detailed stories and plot lines, and in most cases vastly more detailed animation. Your typical Anime has a really amazing level of attention to detail and background stuff, when they’re not invoking the laws of Anime physics for battle sequences. Oh, and the sound effects . . . it’s more like the old NES games blatantly “borrowed” ideas and sound effects from Anime, rather than Anime ripping off NES games. This is particularly true when you consider that a great deal of NES, SNES, and PSX games are from Japanese makers.