Billy Herrington (born 14 July 1969, Long Island, New York) is a heterosexual, or “gay-for-pay,” American pornographic actor who appeared in gay pornography.

Herrington has also become an internet meme among the Japanese community after a clip from one of his videos ‘Workout’ was posted on Nico Nico Douga, a Japanese video sharing website. Over 1000 parody videos of him have been made, many of which utilizes deliberate mishearings of his lines in the porn flick. He is affectionately called “Brother” (兄貴 aniki) among the Nico Nico Douga community, and most of his videos are deliberately tagged with “Forest Fairy” (森の妖精 mori no yousei), “Philosophy”, or both.

So, I was like “Damn you Nico Nico Douga! Not only you announced you are going to remove anime MADs, you also deprive me of lolis and stuffs I watch, and then force me to watch all these, err…, MADs I don’t watch?”

ARRGGGHHHH!!!!! NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, seems like I have to put up with this today. It’s Aniki’s birthday after all. It’s good to see that denizens of Nico Nico Douga are having fun, which means that the community is still very much alive.

On another note, it’s almost two weeks from the MAD-wiping-out annoucement, but I still see plenty of Lucky Star, Haruhi, and Code Geass MADs in the ranklist. So the announcement was just an empty threat or something? I’m not sure about what’s going on any more, but I hope the situation continues like this, with fewer gachimuchi videos, of course.

The death of Shirley is shocking, but not that I didn’t this coming from last week’s development. I thought she was going to die in the crossfire between Jeremiah and Lelouch. BUT WHY ROLO?!?!?!??!!! Just because he’s jealous of Nunnally?!?!!! Shirley totally doesn’t deserve this silly death!

SO YANDERE

And Orange-kun is soooooo anti-climatic. Hinting his grand appearance 2 episodes beforehand, kicking ass for 5 minutes… only just to get his ass kicked by Lelouch again and then swear allegiance to him?!!?? Come on!

Orange-kun, crying the anti-climatic tear since 2018 a.t.b.

Time for random screencaps and comments.

Sayoko’s Beat Blades Haruka Ninja getup.

The character designer must have played too much Tales of the Abyss…

Come to think of it, the emperor must have Geassed everyone in Ashford Academy.
That’s quite some hard work.

Just a flesh wound.

Or not? Youtube is doing the same thing, but there are still tons of copyrighted stuffs there. Can Nico Nico Douga best effort keeps up with the rate of users’ uploading? Probably not. The thing I’m afraid of the most is that Nico Nido Douga would pay the most of their deleting effort to videos in the Top 100 list, and videos with derived content that are left would all be crappy.

Okay, time for some conspiracy theory. Kadokawa is allowing Youtube to host user videos with its content, and they will share ads profit with one another and the makers of those videos. Plus, Gonzo is hosting its anime channel on Youtube. Could this be an attempt from these three companies to curb competition from Nico Nico Douga?

… was the most recent anime I marathoned. Oh, wait, it’s not an anime isn’t it? Well, but my mode of experiencing it totally was that of an anime. I watched a fellow named rrw32 played the game from start to finish at Nico Nico Douga. The list of movies he uploaded contains 78 episodes of about 20 minutes of gameplay, cut scenes, and skits. Took me about 3 days to finish the whole thing.

While I cannot say whether ToSR, as the Japanese abbreviate it, is a good game or not, I can say that it’s quite entertaining as an anime. Here are some reasons:

The old crew: With the exception of Kratos, the whole ToS crew and their idiosyncracies are back. Colette’s naivity and lucky clumsiness. Refill’s ruin mania mode. Genius’s going gaa gaa over Presea. Zelos’s sexual harassing Sheena and getting beaten to a pulp. It felt almost like watching the Prince of Darkness where the good old characters poped up one by one and reminded you how fun the original series was.

Tenebrae: The most hilarious character of them all. He’s good at making fun of people and situation; for example, when Emil says Sheena looks like a mother, he adds that Emil must be thinking about Sheena’s breasts, the assets that pronounce her motherhood. But the more hilarious moments are those when he gets picked on like getting call “wan-chan” by Collette or being called “elderly” by the rest of the cast.

Marta: The tsundere female protagonist though I have to say that she’s a lot more dere than tsun. Marta is awesome because she’s voiced by Kugimiya Rie, who makes her moe beyond description. While the typical tsundere lines like “this doesn’t mean I like you or anything” are getting old for me, saccharine dere lines like “will you come save me when I’m in danger again?” made me went all kugyuuuuuuuuuu.

Alice and Decus: They start out as comedic reliefs, turn out to be unforgivably cruel and misleading, and meet their ends in a tragic way. God, Decus is a REAL MAN. Alice is an example of people who love themselves way too much and deserves to be hated, but the way she professes her love for Decus in the end makes it so sad they have to die.

Jokes: In the skits, there are a lot of jokes about ages, which I enjoy quite a lot; for examples, Regal’s getting offended when Emil tells him he looks like a father, word plays on ”kareru” (to wither, to age) and “kareruu” (curry roux), and a research note that claims that there is a Centurian that acts like an old guy. The situation comedy ones are great as well. The one I like the most is when Colette tells the gang that she thinks Richter is a good guy because, when he tried to take the Cruxius Sphere from her and caused her to run away, stumbled, and made a big hole on somebody’s house’s wall, he ended up apologizing the house owner with Colette, paying for the repair cost, and letting her go. Colette finishes the conversation theorizing that Richter must be a “miko-mania.”

References: These skits made my day.

Zelos: What about this office building? It’s more like a fort to me. Don’t tell me Lezareno make all these dangerous things?
Colette: There’s no way Regal would make something dangerous. It must be something fun.
Zelos: What? Isn’t this intruder prevention system way too extreme?
Colette: Hmm… I got it! It’s for spy training.
Emil: Spy?
Colette: Yes. Regal would train a lot of industry spies who would hide under cardboard boxes and steal confidential information from other companies.
Marta: Wh, why cardboard boxes?

(FIY, Regal is voiced by Akio Otsuka, the voice of MGS’s Snake.)

Emil: What other good luck charms did you made?
Presea: Podekonchou, Fusafusaekisu, Kokuraresou, Kekkongambou…
Emil: Ah, that’s the one Aunt Furoru bought…! What else?
Presea: A silk shirt that reveals your belly, but when you wear it your stomach will never get hurt and enemies will never hit your belly: the Loni-Kyle-Luke costume.
Emil: Ah, I have heard about that. The one that became very popular and the boom died down in just a blink of an eye, right?
Presea: Unfortunately, it would seem that it was quite hard to get the good quality across.
Emil: What else? What else?
Presea: The mysterious mask that seems to hide your face but actually does not, but nobody knows your identity nonetheless: the Judas Mask.
Emil: I don’t know that one.
Presea: It was stolen while in development. So the project was cancelled… It was one of my better products, so that was quite a pity…
Emil: Wow, this many… Presea, you’re amazing.

So, all in all, I was quite happy with this anime. While the plot is not stellar and the execution is not superb like games in the Final Fantasy series, the characters and the skits make up for them in my opinion. Tales of Symphonia: Ratatosk no Kishi is a solid, good waste of time to watch.

Shiki: I found him first!!! He’s mine!!! Die, bitch!!!
Kirie: NOOOO!!! He’s mine!!! Die, bitch!!!
Shiki: *Activate robotic arm hax*
Kirie: T_T Guess I’ll drop myself dead from a building.

Give my honey back, bitch!

In other words, a supernatural catfight. Not that I have complaints about this. It’s wonderfully rendered and animated. I’m also quite fixated with Shiki. She’s quite and cool, but very much a tsundere, and a cute one at that. It’s the way she uses the Haagen-Dazs as the excuse to keep Mikiya with her, and the “urusai.” Ufotable adds the scene where Shiki walks alone in the rain while Mikiya’s telephone message plays in the background, showing just how much she loves him. Aww…

Urusai! Urusai! Urusai!

How do I live without you…

Hey, but isn’t Kara no Kyoukai supposed to be heavy and intellectual? It has the psychological observation about the impact of vision on the mind and the I-can-feel-so-alive-when-I-am-about-to-die logic of Fujou Kirie. But, unlike when I read the translation at Baka-Tsuki before watching the movie, these stuffs didn’t catch my attention like the scene where Shiki reveals her pantsu while eating strawberry Haagen-Dazs.

み、見えた！

Why? I guess it’s because the movie’s visualization doesn’t agree with mine. When Touko talks about vision of the large world, I think about the view you see from Tokyo Tower, but what the movie shows is pretty cramped: the rooftop occupies more thant 60% of the screen, and the glowing of the sky destroys the sense of expansiveness.

This shot below doesn’t do a good job either: it does not represent an overlooking view. Everybody feels natural seeing the vast sky because he knows he’s still grounded. 

I think this one is close to what I have in mind, but we only have 5 seconds of it.

When Fujou Kirie talks about “the flash she felt when she was pierced in the heart,” we see her calmly pushes the elevator button instead of a flashback. We hear her calm, melancholic voice accompanied by a sleep inducing background music instead of heartbeats
or more menacing music.

In conclusion, the visuals do not help pronounce the text. It’s as if the director is trying to have the visuals tell other stories when the seiyuus read those long passages. The result was that I paid more attention to the beautiful images than to the tedious monologues. It’s a shame, really, because the explanation of how things happen, not the description of what happens, makes the novel interesting.

But, yeah, I still like the movie ‘coz it lets me see how cute Shiki is. The shot below speaks it all.

Yaho! I finally came out of my blogging hiatus. Real life has taken me pretty hard. It was summer vacation in Thailand from April to May, but I had more work than I have had before. *sigh*

So I decided to watch s-CRY-ed basically because people say Yuta Kanami is one of the quintessential lolis out there. Plus, she’s also one of Tamura Yukari’s first leading roles, and Yukarin is awesome.

Too bad, the first 8 episodes do not have much Kanami to show. In each of these episodes, she just dreams about being Kazuma at the beginning and at the end. She’s cute when she scolds Kazuma. (Yes, I have a soft spot for little-sister characters that act mature.) But that’s it. Not enough of her so far.

s-CRY-ed has an interesting premise: the struggle between order and chaos. The Japanese government tries to put Lost Ground under the rule of law. Having lived their lives ungoverned for some 20 years, people of Lost Ground and especially the Altered resist. The two main characters, Kazuma and Ryuho, represents the opposing side: Kazuma tries to fight to maintain his freedom in the lawless land, and Ryuho tries to stop the possibility of the Altered using their power to hurt ordinary human.

However, it doesn’t seem that the anime uses the conflict to explore the question of how much people should be governed. It is said quite explicitly in Episode 8 that government and civilization would make life easier. Instead, the bad is the means the government uses to subjugate dissenting minority. They treat the Altered as abnormal subjects who need to be “conditioned” in order to live peacefully in society, and punish those that do not comply unfairly. Episode 8 also reveals that the Altered captured from lost ground are sent to the mainland for some unknown reasons (which must be sinister for sure).

Kazuma is not interesting as a character. I have seen a lot of characters like him in many manga and anime: he’s naive yet his naivity and single-mindedness makes him charismatic and inspirational to other characters. Ryuho, though, is more complex and interesting. The death of his mother gives him the grand mission of eliminating the threat of the Altered. At the same time, his psyche becomes distorted and petty that he becomes obsessed with fighting Kazuma. The dictionary of anime cliche dictates that he will realize what he has been doing is wrong and shade manly tears for it. I hope the anime does not follow this formula. By the way, Ryuho is also a tsundere for Mimori. You can tell it in when he tells Mimori that he might have to kill Kazuma, whom he thinks Mimori might have a feeling for.

Seiyuu-wise, I like the voice of Scheris Adjani. (Aren’t the Altered supposed to be Japanese and have Japanese names?) A trip to wikipedia informs me that she is voiced by Kurata Masayo, a veteran yet unpopular seiyuu. Her portfolio includes Shinobu from Love Hina, Koyomi from Girls Bravo, Tomoe from Rozen Maiden, and Rashata from Code Geass. This is quite impressive and she sure has got the range. Speaking of Code Geass, Ryuho is voiced by Hikaru Midorikawa, the voice of Li Xingke. In fact, these two characters sound exactly like each other.

I’m going to continue watching the series. I hope that it will become better and better and, of course, that it will have more Kanami.

Moetan brings us again how Engrish is supposed to be used! This new lesson is updated with the latest events and fads in the Engrish-speaking(?) world.

Here are the phrases as they appear in the video. How many can you identify the sources?

「親父にもぶたれてたことないのに」
But, I was never even beaten by my dad!
Amuro Ray says this in Episode 9 of Kidou Senshi Gundam after Bright Noa hit him.

「海賊王に俺はなる」
I’m the one who will be the King of Pirates.
Monkey D. Luffy says this at the beginning of One Piece.

「良いボートですね。」
It’s a Nice Boat.
TV Kanagawa replaced the bloody last episode of School Days with a documentary with a boat in a lake. The incident was identified as “Nice Boat” since.

「にぱー☆可哀想可哀想なのです」
Nipa-☆ That’s too bad.
Furude Rika from Higurashi no Naku Koro ni.

「ただの人間には興味ありません。この中にもしメイドさん、小学生、魔法少女がいたら、私のところに来なさい」
I have no interest in ordinary people. If there are any maids, elementary school students, or magical girls around, come to me.
A modified version of Suzumiya Haruhi’s self introduction in her first day of high school.

「ホモが嫌いな女性がいません」
There’s not a woman out there who hates gay.
Oono Kanako from Genshiken.

「私の言ってること、何か間違っているかな？ちょっと頭冷そうか？」
Did I say something wrong? Maybe you should cool off a bit.
Takamachi Nanoha before she beats the crap out of insubordinate Teana in Mahou Shoujo Nanoha StrikerS

「貧乳はステータスだ。希少価値だ」
A flat chest is a sign of status. It has scarcity value.
Izumi Konata from Lucky Star.

「絶望した！小学生にみられる貧相な体に絶望した！」
It’s hopeless. I’m depressed over my scrony body, looking like that of an elementary school student.
A spoof of Itoshiki Nozomu’s routine in Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei

「奴はとんでもない物盗んでいきましたよ。貴方の心です」
He has stolen the unthinkable: your heart.
Hakurei Reimu says this in the famous IOSYS video: Marisa ga Taihen na Mono wo Nusunde Ikimashita.

「貴方と合体したい」
I want to become one with you.
Sousei no Aquarion’s slogan

「愛知県版なんて存在しません」
There’s no Aichi version.
TV Aichi aired Moetan uncut, so Aichi version refers to uncut anime with possibly risque content.

「肘でもいいから目に入れろ」
Just give the guy an elbow.
Advice given by his brother to professional boxer Kameda Daiki when it was apparent that he was losing.

「インクインクにしてあげる」
I’m going to ink-ink you.
A spoof of “Mikku Miku ni Shiteageru,” a very popular song rendered by Hatsune Miku.

「私の職業は自宅の警備員です」
My job is to guard my house.
The job of a NEET.

「今日が三次元から特立記念日だ」
Today marks the day of independence from 3D.
Err… I don’t know this. Probably just a random Otaku utterance.

「連邦の白いパンツは化け物か」
Are the white panties of the Federation a monster?
A bastardization of “Is the Federation’s white mobile suit a monster?” which refers to Amuro Ray’s Gundam.

「これを呼んだ貴方、どうか真相暴いてください。それだけが私の望みです」
To those who read this, expose the truth somehow. That is all I hope for.
Written in Maebara Keiichi’s letter at the end of Higurashi’s Onikakushi-hen.

「別に貴方のためにしてあげたんじゃないだからね」
It’s not like I did it for you.
Typical tsundere line.

「いいかげん、ツンデレには飽きました」
I’m tired of tsundere.
Either random Otaku utterance or the creator’s poking fun at himself.

「観賞用、保存用、布教用」
For viewing purposes, for archival purposes, for diseminating purposes.
They say Otaku would buy three copies of the same item: one to look at, one to keep, and one to distribute.

「働いたら負けだと思います」
I think if you work, you’ve lost.
An excuse of a NEET not to work.

「お兄ちゃん、どうして働かないの？」
Hey, mister. Why don’t you work?
Don’t know this. Probably the creator just want poke fun at NEETs.

「そうしろと囁くのよ、私のゴーストが」
It whispers to me what to do; my ghost does.
Kusanagi Motoko from Ghost in the Shell.

「中の人などいない」
There’s no one inside or anything.
Momoi Haruko said this every time she did “Nakahara Komugi no Magical Nurse Station” radio program.

「私は、魔物を討つ者だから」
That’s ’cause I’m a guy who slays demons.
Kawasumi Mai from Kanon.

「もうゴールしていいよね？」
So I can make a goal now, right?
Kamio Misuzu in the last episode of Air.

My head exploded multiple times already… Arrggghhhh… Kugyuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!

Let us look at one family at a time:

The Ibukis: Fuuko’s story revolves around Kouko’s indecision to get married: she doesn’t want to leave Fuuko behind and be the only one to have a happy life. This baseless thinking leaves Kouko in a status quo for three years. Her judgment is clouded because she has a family.

The Ichinoses: Kotomi’s story reminds me that raising a child requires a lot of patient. Break a promise you made to your kid and she will throw you a tantrum. Of course, it’s not the child’s fault. She doesn’t mean it when she says she hates you. But getting her to understand can be a pain in the ass.

On another note, I find Kotomi’s story trite. A character has a fight with his parent, and the parents are caught up in an accident right after. How many times have you heard this type of stories?

The Furukawas: It’s the tale of stupid sacrifice. Normally, after child is born, one parent would quit his/her day job to raise the child full-time. Akio and Sanae both decided to both quit their jobs while one of them would be enough to take care of Nagisa. Both throw away their dreams instead of just one. This can be seen as quintessential parental love, but I think it’s just plain stupid. Sanae’s being a middle school teacher can get the family a steady income, or Akio might earn a lot more if he makes it big as an actor. Both alternatives make more economic sense than starting a bakery, a job they were totally unfamiliar with, and getting themselves into a lot of debt.

Nagisa’s story reminds me that one has to sacrifice something for the family. Be it his/her dream or his/her freedom. The story presents an extreme of parents’ sacrificing their dreams for their children. One needs plan their child baring carefully or ends up losing both of their dreams like Sanae and Akio.

The Sakagamis: Tomoyo’s story is different. It’s the only story that makes me think having a family is a good thing. Tomoyo changed for the better because she has a family. Her parents became more responsible because they have a family. Your family can stop you from going out of control. I can personally relate to this.

Still, like all stories involving divorce, Tomoyo’s story reminds me that the familial bonds can also be fragile. Small misunderstandings can break a relationship, and it’s always the children who suffer most. Parents have to pull themselves together and be together as they are supposed to be, until their children can understand the situation, that is.

I don’t have comments on the Okazakis or the Fujibayashis yet.

By the way, I’m a 20ish single man who has no plan whatsoever to have a family now. I still have lots of dreams to achieve, and am enjoying my freedom as a bachelor. Of course, I would feel that having a family is a drag. This will change some day, I hope.

A is for Arche Klain.

B is for Becky Miyamoto.

C is for Coquelicot.

D is for Daidouji Tomoyo.

E is for Evangeline A.K. McDowell

F is for Fate Testarossa.

G is for Golden Darkness.

H is for Hazuki.

I is for Illyaviels von Einzbern.

J is for Jigoku Shoujo.

K is for Kokonoe Rin.

L is for Limone.

M is for Mei Sunohara.

N is for Nanoha Takamachi.

O is for Oyashiro-sama.

P is for Primula.

Q is for Queen Lymsleia.

R is for Ruri Hoshino

S is for Sakura Kinomoto

T is for Tamaki Kawazoe.

U is for Uma.

V is for Vanilla H.

W is for Wendy Garret.

X is for Emelenzia BeatriX Rudiger.

Y is for Yurie Hitotsubashi.

Z is for Zero.