Top 10 Anime

The  Seto  Compendium



Terminal Sarcasm: It's all in the Mind.

01.08.05 17:17 EST

SD Gundam Force
Well, to be fair, I watched a couple of eps of SD Gundam Force. At 3:30am, on YTV (Hey, I'm in CS. It's not unusual for one of us to be up that late, or early, depending on your perspective). First of all, I HATE CELL SHADING. It's like the cheap man's animation technique. It just doens't work out well. Second, I have to salute the voice actors; it's nowhere as cheesy as I expected it to be, but then it's not imported, no voiceovers. Cheesy morals still persist, but they can be easily ignored. Third, there doens't appear to be any recognisable storyline besides strange gundam wackiness. Which brings us to the singular conclusion:

WHAT THE HELL IS WITH THE "ZAKO"?? IT'S A 'ZAKU', and it will always be a ZAKU, and they will always rock, even when getting their asses kicked by overpowered Gundams (in EVERY series).

That just about sums it up.

MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM
Finally had the opportunity to....acquire Mobile Suit Gundam (the three-part movie version). And it ROCKS. There's a friggin reason why Gundam did so well to get this far, and this is IT. It talks about the more humanistic side of war, particularly for civilians (without heavy emphasis on cool robots, which are ugly by today's standards, so it doesn't get distracting). Hey, it's a space (or sci-fi) drama. You get what you pay for. The storyline is something that you have to just experience for yourself, it's just that good (plus you can get the synopsis from any gundam fansite). A couple of beefs tho:

1) Amuro Ray is a whiny brat at the beginning. That gets REALLY annoying. His parents may explain it, since...

2) Amuro's mother is retarded. She watches him shoot a Zeon in a "him-or-me" situation, and then starts whining about how he's a cold-blooded killer, and how he used to be such a "nice boy". Apparently she'd rather have a dead son. Thank god you only see her once, and then never.
3) Amuro's father is a terminal geek. I will say nothing more, since I have no need. Just think of me, except MUCH worse.

Thankfully, it also shows the boring and nervous side of war: stuck on a warship, waiting for it to take you places, after which you fight and probably die, and repeat. Not all war is fighting...most of it is waiting for shit to happen.
     Ooh. New Naruto episode out. I'm out.

Gundam SEED Destiny
First, I hated Gundam SEED to begin with. So with this prejudice in mind, I summarize:
"Ho-hum. Yet another excuse to showcase ugly mechs with a forgettable storyline".
There, I said it.

05.28.04 01:16 EST
     Bandai America has brought over the newest gundam: Superior Defender
     *deep breath*
     WHAT THE HELL IS THIS??
     First, let me call it by its proper name: Super Deformed Gundam, or SD Gundam. Of course, for political correctness reasons by annoying, complaining, "it's everyone's fault but my own" mothers of America, we can't have that, since "deformed" is too close to "retarded", and "retarded" people are called "special needs" and "gifted" and whatnot.
     Hence, we have Superior Defenders Gundam.
     I would take a gun to their heads, but they'll likely yank it out of my hands to shoot themselves in the foot.
    SD Gundam was not created as an action series (whoa, some white kid somewhere is probably in shock right now upon reading this). It was a tongue-in-cheek comedy series of Gundam as a whole. For example, in Mobile Suit Gundam, a Zaku team tries to infiltrate Side 5, but can't get in. Turns out that they can't reach the hatch because they have no knees. Of course, not enough kids know what Zakus are, much less Side 5. 
     Thus we have bad guys against good guys and righteousness and justice and whatever the political justification is.
     There is only one main reason why Asians buy SD Gundam: they're CUTE. That's all.
     I wonder what "Skill Level" these sets get? 

12.11.03 09:31 EST
     Well, my RX-79[G] has been repaired by...super glue. It can hold the backpack, but I probably wont move the upper mount, but since I won't take off the backpack and close the mounts (since it looks damn nice with it on) so it's no big loss. 
     Next, I've decided to call Gundam Wing by a new name: Go! Go! Power Ranger Gundam! C'mon. You know it's true. There are, like, 5 Gundams, virtually indestructible, all colourful and shit. And here's another thing that I thought about: how can mentally unstable teenagers in 50ft walking towers of destruction razing down whole legions of disposable "evil bad guys" be in any position to say "Let's stop fighting!"?? Say, if I were a Gundam Wing pilot:
     Me: Please, stop fighting!
     Bad guy: Die, Gundam! (or some equally lame line)
     Me: Bitch. *hacks off arms with beam saber, beats at Bad Guy with fists*
     Me: PLEASE *whack* STOP *crunch* FIGHTING *crash*
     Bad guy: (dies)
     Me: You should have surrendered, f00b. *kick*

11.27.03 14:47 EST
    In a single act of carelessness I managed to snap a very small piece off my RX-79[G] *sob* and now I'm looking at fixing the piece with modelling cement...(hmmm....maybe Derek has some, he's the one working on that hugeass Yamato super dreadnaught) or just buy replacement parts from Bandai at $5.00 USD a sheet so I'd probably spend about $15 CDN to get the sheets I need (since fixing it would probably involve snapping off another piece). Or maybe, maybe, cement might work.

11.24.03 10.22 EST
    I finally got all of Gundam Evolve, which is composed of 5 short sequences from a couple of Gundams across the ages. Sweet-looking like hell, the budget for these things must have been the assets of the company. Basically, think of all the pre-Gundam Wing series' best MS completely redone with CG. Hell yeah.

1: RX-78 Gundam
     Amuro Ray waits in his cockpit, reflecting on past battles and the loss of his friends throughout the war. Retouched '80s-quality anime, not full CG, yet. But then I suppose they'd be damned by those hardcore Japanese fans if they tried to redo it. But then that's kind of what I'd expect from them. Anyway, the RX-78-2 does a lot of crazy stuff, almost kenshin-style stuff with his beam sabers.

2: RX-178 Gundam Mk II
     Perhaps the best-looking of all of them, a Gundam MKII runs through an AEUG test sequence/computer simulation against drones and Rick Doms. Graphically amazing, as later Sunrise decides to show off the Gundam Mk II without the skin, showing all the mechanics of the suit in crisp CG. We first watched this one on my P4 1.6 hooked up to my TV, so this one looked DAMN nice.

3: GF 13-017 NJ II
     Shining Gundam practices tai chi atop a derelict skyscraper, only to attacked by Rose Gundam. Done against a sunset/sunrise, the light effects playing off the mobile fighter is simply gorgeous. Too bad the mech looks like a toy rather than a mobile suit.

4. RX-78 GP03 Dendrobium Stamen, Orchis
     The GP03 engages a mess of Gelgoogs and Zakus, then attaches itself into the Dendrobium Orchis and launches all of its missile and cluster missile pods in a single volley, creating an zone of exploding pretty blue death.

5. RX-93 v Gundam vs NZ-333 α-Azieru
     Amuro Ray in the kickass nu Gundam against the incredibly annoying Quess Paraya and her ridiculously powerful mobile armor. Kind of an "alternate ending" for Char's Counterattack, where Quess abandons the fight against Amuro to save Hathaway. The Alpha looks so much better with its moveable (and detachable) parts. Cell shaded, but heavy on the CG and great music. A personal favourite.
       
Yes, I still hate Gundam Seed and the stupid little white kids that love it.

09.20.03 10:00 EST
     I've decided to get the 1:144 version of Ex-S Gundam, since I thought I've spent WAY too much money on models, so I gotta tone it down. Besides, the price tag on that sucker is just crazy, even if it does look damn good.
     Second is that I want to get my RX-79[G] painted in an alternate color scheme, I'm thinking of a blue-gray and white two-tone, but first I gotta find someone who knows what he's doing before I do something stupid.
     And, yes, I still think SEED sucks.

08.26.03 14:14 EST
     Okay, I watched first episode of Gundam SEED, and goddamn, it pretty much mirrors the original Gundam: neutral colony gets attacked by evil forces, good guy hops into some mobile suit prototype and saves the galaxy, peon takes command of a spaceship that (always) doubles for a mobile mobile suit launching platform (no mistakes in the sentence) and is loaded with civilians, mostly kids. Yay. So it's alright, with one considerable exception: I can't tell the guys from the girls. No, seriously. The obviously-girls I can tell (they have breasts, big ones) and the obviously-guys I can tell (they're old, or actually sound like a guy, and seem to have proverbial balls). That leaves the majority of characters. Is it a guy with long hair? Girl with short hair? Manly girl sounding like guy? Gay guy sounding like girl? No, seriously. If I ever go to Japan, I'm hoping girls will wear skirts so I can tell the damn difference and not piss off half the friggin' country...        

06.05.03 14:11 EST
     Curious as to what American gundam markets were up to, I ventured a trip to my local Zellers, and lo and behold, there are Gundam models. But let's look at this carefully: They are HG models, and there were three of them, priced at $14.99. They were, obviously, the ORIGINAL models straight from Japan, with American-ized "Skill Level" bullshit written on the box. I suppose that most white kids would be happy to get quality gundam models at a decent price...except for one, small, and rather insignificant detail...
     The box was copyright 1989.
     This model is probably older than the kids buying it.
For the white kid, there's Zellers and Toys R Us.
For the rest of us, there's Smart Maple. = )

02.28.03 00:00 EST
      I have, on occasion, questioned the sanity of those in power and with cash. Of all the Gundam possibilities open to the fat cats of corporations, they have, after lengthy consideration, decided on....G Gundam. Restraining myself from expletives that would shock many religious groups, I am...simply stunned. Street Fighter Gundam. Sure, you may think they look cool, and so may SEED, but their fancy-smancy tin cans wouldn't last five minutes in a Fed-Zeon fight. But they look nice. Nice? Amuro's Nu- Gundam looks nice. Char's Sazabi looks nice. Kou Uraki's GP01Fb/03 looks nice. Ex-S Gundam looks nice. G Gundam, to me, is nothing but origami: looks nice, but fold easily. Ha-ha!

02.25.03 00:29 EST
       Well, Bandai has finally got it right. They have finally released the model that is arguably the best-looking mobile suit out there. Yes, they have released the MG (1/100) Ex-S Gundam after many years of staring (and drooling) at the 1/144 version and knowing that sometime in the undetermined future, they would finally have the sense to release it. Unfortuneately, it carries a hefty price tag of $110 CDN and is very, I repeat, very new. Hobby Japan has only released it last month, and Asian model stores such as Smart Maple has yet to carry. So far, the only store that carries it is the store that used to be Kitts and the theatre at Market Village. This is definitely a must-get, as it is likely to be very popular, and is sure to my my centrepiece of my 3-model gundam collection, between my GP02 and Serpent Custom, both unpainted and without stickers. Why? you ask? Because there will be a time that I will meet someone who knows how to do it rite, and only then will I paint it to make it look kicky cool! That will be all for now, cultural poster child.

Quote of the Month

Weblogs

01.08.05 16:40 EST
Finally had the time to update this site, after an absence of a REAL long time (since frosh week, maybe longer). Anyway, starting this term at Scotiabank, network security dept. This term oughta be fun.

Updates: Anime, Gundam, Mind

08.19.04 00:33 EST
Normal updates, nothing spectacular. Hey, I'm bored this term.

Updates: Anime, The Mind, Old News

06.11.04 23:49 EST
Minor cosmetic changes to the site, just to give it somewhat of a visual kick. I did it mainly just to make the page stand out a bit more.

05.27.04 00:00 EST
Finally, an update! Got some time now, but since I get home fairly late, I have to make the best of my time (yes, this qualifies). I dropped the Rant, since I'm losing my cynical viciousness. Also, read the disclaimer in Profile. It's worth reading.
Updates: Anime, Gundam, Mind

03.17.04 22:49 EST
Limited, if very rare, update, since I'm in the middle of my study term. Expect slow updates of the rest of my site as time progresses. Of course, this study term might kill me, so no guarantees. Oh yes, if I die, PS2 goes to Kelvin. Nice try, Derek. Btw, some interesting stuff in The Mind recently. Might be worth a look-see. I intend to (hopefully) throw up another Rant.

11.26.03 23:18 EST
Major revamp of the black-styled site to a refreshing stylish white. Background to follow since I need to modify the cool GP03D wallpaper, but right now it's conflicting with the page (ie you can't read my stuff). I've added "Old News" section since my main page is getting pretty damn big, so that's to minimize that. The usual update to everything else...or pretty much everything else.

10.27.03 08:57 EST
Updates will likely be scarce, since I'm likely wasting my time playing SkyGunner or Raven Shield, now that I've got my PC configured correctly. Minor update to The Mind, decent update to Anime, somewhat bigger update to Archive, and a miniscule update to Gundam. And, as before, this website does not exist if you ask me. Main reason for small updates is simple: I haven't got any significant change in my sarcastic bastard-ness. This elegantly divides the masses between those who hate me, and those who love me; black and white. Clever, no?

09.18.03 22:48 EST
Behold, for I update! Well, this update will include minor changes to anime and a slightly updated anime and gundam, while hopefully a massive change to The Mind. Officially, I am no good at HTML and webpage design ( since teachers are going to be coming to me asking to update their sites). Unofficially, however, there's this. If asked, this page DOES NOT EXIST. And at that point, The Seto Compendium, Dakkar, RiCeKiNg! or whatever name I will be using for the month will disavow any knowledge of this site and of my skills. That is all.

08.13.03 23:05 EST
Well lookee here! An update! Alright...The Mind is seriously revamped to take advantage of my numerous rants and raves, rather than my rather silly and stupid one-liners. Trust me, it's better this way, and it'll be more fun. All sections are more or less updated. (more or LESS, keep that in mind). My excuse for the late update? University. School.  Dai Hok.  No, seriously I don't understand why you would be so interested in this site. No, really.  I'm flattered, but also astonished at your continuing perceived interest in this site...

06.05.03 12:59 EST
Yes, yes I know it's been over a month since I last updated. And with good reason: university. Too much work, assignments, and midterms. Hell, you should be lucky that I updated at all! Whew!  Well, midterms are comin' up, so it'll be longer still.

04.25.03 09:17 EST
A lot more updating done, and a good chunk of it. Gundam and The Mind updated. I have also created an Advanced Wars FAQ of my own (love the damn game) and my own compilation of Murphy's Laws of Combat.

04.14.03 11:46 EST
All the pages are fully up (no longer just "technically") Some are updated, others are not. And I'm in the process of updating. 

03.05.03 11:31 EST
Finally all the pages are up (some are still empty) but they are, technically up. Not many pictures and shit, but the simple and rather elegant design and atmosphere should more than make up for it. It will still be a while until Archives are filled since I will need to compile everything for it. Home, Profile, and Gundam pages are fully up, though. Anime, Archives, The Mind are up but more or less empty until further notice.

02.23.03 19:56 EST v2.0
Ah, the glory of HTML and Frontpage. This may finally earn the title of version2.0. Everything's been kicked up a notch, and if you've noticed, looks a lot better, doesn't it? Rejoice, and be glad, and may it see v3.0!!

02.22.03
Lo, and behold, Dakkar returns! Alrite, so this site heavily needed a revamp, and after three years, mainly offtime, here it is! Except for the frames, there's nothing else rite now.