2007-2008 Emails

Email announcements from school year 2007-2008.

Fall 2007

Minna no Manga Sept 20 2007

Hey everyone, it's that time again... Minna time! Woooo~! Minna no Manga is starting a week early this year, so we'll be having our first meeting tomorrow, the 20th. We will be meeting from 6-10pm in 21-235. If you came to MnM at the fall quarter of last year, I think we are in the same where we had our meetings then. You know, that tallish building near the construction.

No manga news/reviews/chatting today, I'll get that started next week.

~Annaliese

Minna no Anime: 22 Sept 2007

This week's schedule:

5:00 Fansub o' the Week
5:25 Dokkoida?! (1): Enter Dokkoida!
5:50 Break
5:55 The Law of Ueki (1): Kosuke Ueki - The Law of Justice
6:20 GUNxSWORD (1): Tuxedo Blowing in the Wind
6:45 Break
6:50 Master Keaton (1): Man in a Maze
7:15 Mushishi (1): Green Seat
7:40 Dinner Break: Announcements, Introductions, and the Yugioh Abridged Movie
8:10 Otogi Zoshi (1): Raikou
8:35 Noein - To Your Other Self (1): Blue Snow
9:00 Break
9:05 Le Chevalier D'Eon (1): D'Eon .:. Lia
9:30 Ergo Proxy (1): Awakening

Note: Dinner Break (and therefore the whole meeting) is likely to run late this weekend due to the sheer number of announcements and introductions and usual new year hooplah.

[random babbling]
Whoa. It's a new year. Not only is it a new year, it's my LAST year.

If all goes well.

How are everyone's classes going? Mine are okay so far. Actually, they're REALLY NICE. I get all my classes and work done Monday through Thursday, which means I have nothing to do on Fridays! Oh the joy! Oh the happiness! ...you're all going to lynch me on Saturday, aren't you? D:

Anyway, for those of you who don't know me, my name is Jennifer (Jenn for short) and I'm Minna no Anime's secretary. This is mainly for the sake of the Freshmen who, of course, don't know me yet. This is also for the sake of any returning members who are just as bad as I am with names. This is my third year as the club secretary, though last year I was vice president. Yes, I've been here for quite some time, though I'm not the only one. Our president is also an oldtimer. Don't worry about that just yet, you'll learn it all soon enough. We officers will all be introducing ourselves in the first meeting.

Hm. I'm having a little trouble concentrating. Mainly because I'm right in the middle of Minna no Manga right now and the people around me are loud. VERY loud. So I may be a little more random than I usually am. Quake in fear.

As a side note, because it's awesome, you should all know that this summer a group of people from our club competed and won (first prize, not quite grand prize) the Haruhi dance contest at this year's Anime Expo. They were awesome. For anyone interested, here's a link to our YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quYZ5rHTFY4

Eh. Anyway, I think I used up all my happy creative weird energy on the Freshman manga email. I only get so much of it per week. Gotta save some for the actual meeting on Saturday.

I'll need it to escape my lynching, after all.
[/random babbling]

Jenn, dancing.serpent@<removed>.com
Minna no Anime Secretary

"Is it over, Caim"?
"It's over. We're together now."

Minna no Manga Meeting: 27 Sept 2007

Minna no Manga meets Thursdays, 6-10pm in 21-235!

~Review of the Week: Detective Conan by Gosho Aoyama

When high school detective Shinichi Kudo runs across illegal dealings between a business man and two men in black he ends up being forced to take their new poison. Thankfully, the poison doesn't kill him, but instead reverts his body to that of a six-year-old! Now, in order to find the men in black and regain his regular form, he must secretly assist his childhood (girl) friend's father in his detective work under the guise of Conan Edogawa.

Have I talked about Conan before? Probably. But this series deserves another mention. Currently at 58 volumes (with 59 out in October), Detective Conan is one of the longest running series available. If you're new to the series, it can be quite daunting, but it's a task worth taking on.

Detective Conan has been a special series for me for a long time. I first discovered it when I was in high school after someone on a Pokémon forum I belonged to mentioned how good it was. I trusted her opinions in most other things, so I thought I would give this series a chance. I'm a big detective fan, a good portion of my manga collection is detective or mystery related, so this was right up my alley. The cases are generally realistic, so everything, save the mysterious drug that shrinks our hero, makes sense. It's fun and exciting to try to figure out whodunit for each case and how they did it. Basically, if you like detective stories, you'll like Conan.

The characters seem a little worn and plain at first, but they grow on you fast as you learn more about their personality and quirks. At first, I thought the bumbling detective Conan always helps, Mouri, was a fool, but he's really grown on me and I look forward to his parts in cases. The art isn't spectacular, but it isn't bad. Gosho, as all artists, improves as time goes on. His style is not super-detailed, but it is very polished. One of my favorite things about the art is that every one of his hundreds of characters looks different (unless they are supposed to look similar, of course). I find that extremely impressive.

I highly recommend this series to anyone who is looking for something fun to read. The cases are usually three to five chapters long, so it's really easy to get through a case or two in one sitting. Detective Conan has fun characters, nice polished art, and an interesting story that keeps getting more and more involved. This is good stuff.

As I said before, 58 volumes of the manga are available in Japanese. The first nineteen volumes are available in English from Viz Media under the title "Case Closed." One word of warning on the English volumes: the names have been changed to fit the English version of the anime. The anime is out to episode 486 in Japan. The first three or so seasons are available in the US from Funimation under the title "Case Closed." Again, beware of name changes in the dub. The subbed version keeps all original names.

~Enter Rant:

Whoa. I feel like that review went all over the place. Sorry.

I hope everyone enjoyed our lineup on Saturday! We've taken action to try to fix at least some of the video problems. I'm really happy with the lineup, I think it's fantastic.

This week in MnM, let's start talking about the Cosplay Game. I think the earlier we get started on it, the better it will be. If you are curious about the Cosplay Game and cannot make it to MnM, post something on our Cosplay Yahoo Group ( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MnACosplay/ ) and I'll post about it after Thursday.

Not much to say today. I hope everyone is still surviving classes!

~Annaliese
"...just howling in the shadows..."

Minna no Anime: 29 Sept 2007

This week's schedule:

5:00 Fansub o' the Week
5:25 Dokkoida?! (2): Purple Hair, How Hip Can Ya Get?
5:50 Break
5:55 The Law of Ueki (2): Law of "Battle Start!!"
6:20 GUNxSWORD (2): Funny Stream
6:45 Break
6:50 Master Keaton (2): Little Giant
7:15 Mushishi (2): Eyelids' Light
7:40 Dinner Break
8:10 Otogi Zoshi (2): Sadamitsu
8:35 Noein - To Your Other Self (2): Runaway
9:00 Break
9:05 Le Chevalier D'Eon (2): The Four Musketeers
9:30 Ergo Proxy (2): Confession

[random babbling]
I'm going to have to find a set time to actually sit down and write these things. The problem, really, is that I'm really busy from Monday morning to late Thursday night. Still, I don't think Friday afternoon is an acceptable time to get the weekly email out, so I'll see if I can find some time earlier next week.

Of course, even when I FIND the time, it's only when I'm surrounded by people and getting severely distracted. Case in point, last week I wrote the weekly email at Minna no Manga. This week, I'm in the living room with Annaliese and Nat. And they're talking about Baccano! at the moment...to the surprise of NO ONE. XD For those of you not yet acquainted with Baccano!, have no fear. Within a couple of weeks it'll be fansub o'. It and a lot of other totally awesome shows. We seriously have an awesome fansub lineup planned.

Let's see. In other news, those of you who were at MnM last night know all about Cosplay Game. If you're interested in joining our cosplay YahooGroup, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MnACosplay/ and request that you be allowed in. We're going to start seriously kicking off our preparations soon.

In other-other news, some of you may or may not know that my brother is a film major at Long Beach. He's made a lot of short films, most of which you can find here: http://www.youtube.com/user/NinjaRisu . His newest (and I think best) video is too long for YouTube and can be found here: http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=17597100 . Sorry guys, I just have to pimp my little bro's stuff. XD

Hm. I don't think I have other-other-other news. Also, I need to go get a shower so I can go into town with Annaliese and Nat and watch them take pictures of themselves doing things with nothing. This doesn't make much sense unless you've seen Dennou Coil and think Photoshop. See ya tomorrow!
[/random babbling]

Jenn, dancing.serpent@<removed>.com
Minna no Anime Secretary

"Boku Satcchi!"

Minna no Manga: 4 Oct 2007

Minna no Manga meets Thursdays, 6-10pm in 21-235.

~Review of the Week: Zelda ~Wind Waker - Link's Logbook~ by ???

Each Legend of Zelda game follows the same basic plot. Ganondorf=evil, and you as the hero have to defeat him and his minions to save the world. Wind Waker takes place in a sea-covered land where you sail around in your awesome talking boat and collect various items that will be used against Ganondorf.

Link's Logbook is a series of four-panel comics revolving around various parts of the story. The art is adorable, it looks like the game was pressed onto paper. The comic captures Link's wide variety of expressions with absolute perfection. Not all the comics are great, but each chapter has at least three comics that made me die with laughter. If you've played the game, I think it is easy to relate to the comics since they follow the story and touch on a number of things I wondered about or had trouble with.

Since the comics are four panels, it's really easy to whip through a chapter in five or ten minutes. I highly recommend this comic if you want a quick smile. =D

The first three chapters have been scanlated by Anime-Council. You can get it from their website (google it), or from me if you bring a flashdrive.

~Enter Rant

Oh! Edo Rocket and Dennou Coil are excellent anime series that do not get the love they deserve. I think you should go watch them and love them like I do. They are so very, very good.

Remember to request songs for karaoke! I can't promise I will be able to get the song unless you bring me an episode of the show or you rip it yourself. If you would like to bring an episode so I can rip the song off of it, just bring it to club on a flashdrive! I bring my laptop to both meetings, so I can do it right there!

I hope we have some Detective Conan fans in club... well other than the... three that I know about. I hope at least someone checked it out after that ginormous review I wrote about it last week. It seemed ginormous to me. Even if you're not a Conan fan, you may like this:
http://community.livejournal.com/detective_conan/271798.html

~Annaliese
"L button plus C-stick plus A = SIDESTEP!"

Minna no Anime: 6 Oct 2007

Minna no Anime meets this Saturday from 5-10pm in 3-213 (the Silo).

This week's schedule:

5:00 Fansub o' the Week
5:25 Dokkoida?! (3): Dokkoida vs. Edelweiss!
5:50 Break
5:55 The Law of Ueki (3): The Law of the Zai
6:20 GUNxSWORD (3): Heroes One More Time
6:45 Break
6:50 Master Keaton (3): Strange Tales of Lasagna
7:15 Mushishi (3): Tender Horns
7:40 Dinner Break
8:10 Otogi Zoshi (3): Tsuchigumo
8:35 Noein - To Your Other Self (3): Hunted
9:00 Break
9:05 Le Chevalier D'Eon (3): The Sword Of Resentment
9:30 Ergo Proxy (3): Mazecity

Notes: If you're at all interested in the Halloween party AMV contest, pumpkin carving contest, cosplay, or fanart contest, you had probably better get cracking on your submission(s). If you have any questions, check the YahooGroup or ask an officer!

[random babbling]
Look! It's Thursday morning and the email is being sent! Oh the joy! Oh the glee!

...okay, really the only reason it's going out this early is because I emailed my boss last night around 1am and said I wasn't coming into work until noon today and I'd make up the extra two hours tomorrow. But hey, my laziness works out well for you, so I don't expect any complaints.

You know that flu thing that's been going around? Yeah, I got that. Me and goodness knows how many dozens more people. Oddly enough, no one else I've talked to (besides Annaliese and the guy I share my office with) has been sick. Bah. This makes me feel like a weakling. XD

As for why I was up past 1am last night, I suddenly realized that I wanted to find a certain picture. And I could not find this image ANYWHERE. And then I thought to myself, some time around the middle of the night, "Where are there thousands of people who like really weird things and like to prove it?" It came to me then: 4chan! So off I went and, for the first time in my life, I made a request there. By the time I went to bed, there were no responses, but lo and behold I woke up this morning and checked and there was a reply with a SendSpace link!

You can imagine my delight, I'm sure. So now I have not only the picture I was looking for, but the entire CG set that it's from. Woot.

Of course, now you're all bored stiff, because I am a THRILLING storyteller (and for those of you who aren't so great at translating internet -> real life, that was sarcasm). So let's see if I can't find you a friendly little link to actually make all this reading worthwhile for you.

This article ( http://www.i-mockery.com/comics/longbox7/default.php ) is old, yes. It is also hilarious and I go and reread it every time I'm having a bad day. It might also be fun to browse around some of the more recent articles; every once in a while, I spot one that sets me snickering for several minutes. Hope you enjoy this site as much as I do!
[/random babbling]

Jenn, dancing.serpent@<removed>.com
Minna no Anime Secretary

"I'm the goddamn Batman!"

Minna no Manga: 11 Oct 2007

Minna no Manga meets Thursdays, 6-10pm in 21-235.

~Review of the Week: Historie by Hitoshi Iwaaki

"This story is about the boyhood of Eumenes, who would later become Alexander the Great's secretarial officer. Eumenes was present at countless famous battles found in the annals of history... he also planned many battle strategies. So why isn't his name found carved alongside those of Kings and Generals? Perhaps it's because this man was one of the "who recorded" the exploits of others? ...but one day he stopped recording things. At that moment the recorded became "one of those recorded," and stepped out onto the stage of history." (From the back and inside cover of the first volume)

I won't hide it, I love history. I also love manga. When I find a series that takes these two of my great passions, I get very excited. I'll admit that at first I was pretty weary. Some may recognize the style of the art since Hitoshi Iwaaki also created Parasyte, one of Tokyopop's early titles (now being published by Del Rey and very exciting read). I was pretty worried some of the fantasy elements may have snuck into a historical-based manga. It took a little while to separate Historie from Parasyte, but once I did, Historie began to really shine.

The art is really hit or miss. It's great if you like the style, but if you don't, you'll probably have a hard time reading the series. I like the art a lot, but I must confess that the cover scared me at first. Even looking at it now frightens me. Eumenes looks like he may beat the viewer with his globe. :(

Eumenes of Cardia was a real historical figure, and Wikipedia has a very interesting article on him. Is the manga an accurate telling of his life? Probably not. Does that effect the enjoyment of the series? Not one bit. Eumenes's exciting but simple adventures are very interesting and help build a fantastic character. He is a scholar whose brains are constantly used to get himself and others out of tough spots.

Historie began in 2004 and is currently at 4 volumes. The manga has been nominated for the Tezuka Cultural Awards twice and has made it to the finals both times. Kotohona has begun scanlating the series and has released the first 11 chapters.

~Enter Rant:

Historie is really good guys. Really, really good. Historical manga really gets no love. Give it some love. Parasyte is really good too. Del Rey's new release of it looks really nice. They are releasing the larger volumes, so instead of ten volumes, it will only be eight volumes. Maybe I'll talk more about Parasyte in the future.

So I finished lettering the latest volume of work, and I don't have either of the scripts I need to start the next volumes. I guess I'm so used to waking up and going straight to work, it just feels so strange to have extra time like this. Luckily, this is a really time to get a bit of a break from work... I have a website due in a couple weeks and I (like the majority of my class it seems) am completely feeling around in the dark for it. My site is about a company that sells robots. All sorts of robots. The concept is fun, but the coding is not.

I want to make historical manga now. =\

~Annaliese
"HISTORY HISTORY HISTORY HISTORY"

Minna no Anime: 13 Oct 2007

Minna no Anime meets this Saturday from 5-10pm in 3-213 (the Silo).

This week's schedule:

5:00 Fansub o' the Week
5:25 Dokkoida?! (4): The Strange Neighbor, Sayuri
5:50 Break
5:55 The Law of Ueki (4): The Law of Li Ho, the Flexible Man
6:20 GUNxSWORD (4): And the Rain Kept Falling
6:45 Break
6:50 Master Keaton (4): Immortal Man
7:15 Mushishi (4): Pillow Lane
7:40 Dinner Break
8:10 Otogi Zoshi (4): Rashomon
8:35 Noein - To Your Other Self (4): Friends
9:00 Break
9:05 Le Chevalier D'Eon (4): Followers Of The Revolution
9:30 Ergo Proxy (4): Futu-risk

Notes: If you're at all interested in the Halloween party AMV contest,
pumpkin carving contest, cosplay, or fanart contest, you had probably
better get cracking on your submission(s). If you have any questions,
check the YahooGroup or ask an officer!

[random babbling]
Look, it's Thursday morning again. I AM getting better at this.

Of course, it only occurred to me to send the email because I was desperately searching for something productive to do until it's time for me to leave for the job fair. Still, at least I thought of it.

The job fair seriously has me wondering what I've actually learned in the past four years I've been here, though. I mean, I know there's an awful lot of information in my head, but every time I try to think of something specific, it all just kind of floats away. This is not comforting, since I'll have to answer questions during my interviews.

I spent the last five or six days working on my resume, though, so at least that looks nice and professional. And I'm dressed up today, so at least *I* look nice and professional. Yeah, I know. Me in work clothes is a scary thought for me, too. Although of course, since I've been stressed, my face broke out into spots this week. *facepalm* It figures.

Hm, what shall I give you as an interesting link this week? How about the page that displays all of the top CSC471: Intro to Computer Graphics final projects?

http://www.csc.calpoly.edu/~zwood/teaching/csc471/top_final.html

The first one on the page, the Zen Garden, is mine from last year. Each of the projects should have a download available and most likely a README file in the download telling me what you need to do to run it and the controls. Makes for good fun if you're bored.

Wish me luck at the job fair!
[/random babbling]

Jenn, dancing.serpent@<removed>.com
Minna no Anime Secretary

"Please could you stop the noise I'm trying to get some rest
From all the unborn chicken voices in my head."

Minna no Manga: 18 Oct 2007

Minna no Manga meets Thursdays 6-10pm in 21-235.

~Review of the Week: Material Puzzle by Masahiro Totsuka

When Mikaze's village is threatened by a mountain-eating mushroom, it is up to him to retrieve a magician to destroy the dangerous fungus. After a grueling test, Mikaze is able to strike a deal with Agua, the magician he finds. As long as he protects her and returns her back to her home, she will go with him. To make sure he does not abandon his promise, she forces him to wear a mask that only she can take off. All is well until she ends up dying on the road back to Mikaze's village! What will happen to his hometown now? Will he ever get that ugly mask off?

Material Puzzle is a hideous series. Really hideous. But it's a great series at the same time. The characters are absolutely terrific. Mikaze grudgingly accepts his horrible fate to deal with Aqua and to wear all these horrible masks (they get drawn on often, so they get changed quite a bit). Tito has a great passion for art, but sucks at it. Everyone has strange little quirks and continue to get deeper and deeper as the story progresses. While the story may seem to be on Mikaze at first, it really focuses on the three magicians; Aqua, Tito, and Prisera. Each of them can use one specific type of magic, and so aren't really all that useful in many situations.

The series might not be eye-candy, but if you want something fun to check out, try Material Puzzle. The series runs in Shounen GanGan and is 13+ volumes long. AT-Translations has released the first 3 chapters (and chapter 0).

~Enter Rant:

You know, even though I said Material Puzzle is hideous, it's still a bajillion times better than anything I could ever draw. It makes me feel bad for calling it ugly. D=

Man, I hate it when I sleep poorly and wake up early whenever I don't have early class, but then I actually can sleep well but have to wake up early when I do have early class. What's up with that? I blame it on Murphy's Law.

~Annaliese
"If you eat cow, it's the same as eating grass and meat together!"

Minna no Anime: 20 Oct 2007

Minna no Anime meets this Saturday from 5-10pm in 3-213 (the Silo).

This week's schedule:

5:00 Fansub o' the Week
5:25 Dokkoida?! (5): Mission: Allowance Increase
5:50 Break
5:55 The Law of Ueki (5): The Law of Robert Haydn
6:20 GUNxSWORD (5): Twin's Guards
6:45 Break
6:50 Master Keaton (5): Paris Under the Roof
7:15 Mushishi (5): The Traveling Swamp
7:40 Dinner Break
8:10 Otogi Zoshi (5): Urabe
8:35 Noein - To Your Other Self (5): And Then...
9:00 Break
9:05 Le Chevalier D'Eon (5): Palais Royal
9:30 Ergo Proxy (5): TASOGARE

Notes: If you're at all interested in the Halloween party AMV contest,
pumpkin carving contest, cosplay, or fanart contest, you had probably
better get cracking on your submission(s). If you have any questions,
check the YahooGroup or ask an officer!

[random babbling]
Yay, Thursday! The end of my week! The end of my suffering!

...or is it?

Gah, I have no much crap to do this weekend. My jerk of a graphics professor just assigned us a new program with only one week to work on it. Normally, this wouldn't faze me much. However, when the instructor essentially uses all 1.5 hours of lecture to talk to himself and change his mind and contradict himself constantly, you tend to have to self-teach. Which is frustrating, not to mention time-consuming. This on top of all the books I have to read for architecture, the synopsis I have to write for English, and all the textbook reading I have to do for both of those classes.

Oh, and let's not forget the not-so-clearly-defined webmaster position I ended up taking for the CSC student fee committee. I'm more of a...liaison...to the webmaster? Gah. Curses. Confusion!

Also, it's sad that I've only been job hunting for a couple of weeks and I'm already utterly sick of it. I just want to know I'll be employed when I get out of here. And I want to know it now. Because I'm impatient and hate stressing over these things. D:

I should give you guys a link, shouldn't I? It's becoming a habit. And generally I like sharing. When I have things to share.

...well, I DO have this: http://ayumisaki.deviantart.com/art/Sleep-Cat-67627165

Can you feel the cavities forming as we speak? Okay, so that was kind of a cop-out I guess. Here, for those of you who don't already know about the awesomeness that is Jim Breen...

http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/wwwjdic.html

See you guys on Saturday.
[/random babbling]

Jenn, dancing.serpent@<removed>.com
Minna no Anime Secretary

"A drowning man knows not the vastness of the sea, only its depth."

Minna no Manga: 25 Oct 2007

Minna no Manga meets Thursdays 6-10pm in 21-235.

~Review of the Week: The Enchanted Spiritual Beast [Ga-Rei] by Hajime Segawa

"Boo! While many of us will probably scream at even the thought of a ghost being near us, Freshman Nimura Kensuke just thinks of it as a common everyday thing, seeing as how he has the uncanny ability to see so many of them on a daily basis. Things soon heat up for him when he meets a girl who changes his life from then on. Her name’s Kagura, and she has the power to summon a mighty “spirit devourer”–otherwise known as a “Ga-rei”–called Byakuei. So, what’s Nimura to do? Chase down the evil spirits and and have Kagura summon the Ga-rei to devour them, of course! Now, come feast on their adventures like some ravenous Ga-rei!"-Entropy's Ga-Rei project page

Ga-Rei is a fun story with fun characters. I really like the story and the characters, and the art is pretty dang awesome as well. I only have one complaint about the series. It's too light-hearted sometimes. For a series that eventually deals with world destruction and the destruction of a person's soul, it makes light of the whole situation far too often for my tastes. Don't get me wrong, I like the light hearted aspects, but it feels like the series wants to be serious and funny at the same time, and it doesn't quite work.

Otherwise, the series is great. I recommend it to anyone who likes series with demons and other big beasties!

Oh, I lied. There are two complaints. I don't like that ...there are only four volumes out so far. D=

The first four full volumes are available scanlated from Entropy.

~Enter Rant:

Arg, I've just had one of those days where everything just frustrates me! Man, sometimes life just angers me so much.

But otherwise, life is pretty cool. =D

Have a great week at club, everyone.

~Annaliese
"Cha-gi-ra-chi-cha!"

Minna no Anime: 27 Oct 2007

Minna no Anime meets this Saturday from 5-10pm in 3-213 (the Silo).

This week's schedule:

5:00 Fansub o' the Week
5:25 Dokkoida?! (6): The Pool Cycle Race
5:50 Break
5:55 The Law of Ueki (6): The Law of Farewell
6:20 GUNxSWORD (6): Light My Fire
6:45 Break
6:50 Master Keaton (6): White Goddess
7:15 Mushishi (6): Those Who Inhale the Dew
7:40 Dinner Break
8:10 Otogi Zoshi (6): Noroi-Jima
8:35 Noein - To Your Other Self (6): Dimension of Tears
9:00 Break
9:05 Ergo Proxy (5): TASOGARE
9:30 Ergo Proxy (6): Domecoming

There are two episodes of Ergo Proxy to make up for least week's two episodes of D'eon.

Notes: If you're at all interested in the Halloween party AMV contest,
pumpkin carving contest, cosplay, or fanart contest, you had probably
better get cracking on your submission(s). If you have any questions,
check the YahooGroup or ask an officer!

[random babbling]
Okay, so I'm sitting in the hallway waiting for manga club, and I realized a moment ago that the lady in the class in front of me is teaching French to a room full of girls...while the guy in the classroom behind me is lecturing about sex and power, presumably in literature, to a room full of men. For some reason, this tickles my funny bone. Perhaps I'm tired, or the sugar-filled coffee is starting to go to my head. Perhaps insanity finally has me in its grip. Perhaps...brace yourself, dear reader...the truth is a combination of ALL THREE.

And perhaps I enjoy being overdramatic for melodrama's sake. Anyone who's known me for any significant period of time is aware of THAT particular quirk. Sometimes I start to act like a stereotypical flaming gay drag queen...not in terms of wearing a dress or make-up, of course, but in the way I like to overact and carry on like the world's worst actor.

My mind is a little erratic at the moment, in case you couldn't tell. My most hated class got cancelled today, and my brain is enjoying a pleasant--if slightly inhibiting--half-coma. I'm probably going to stare and drool a lot in MnM (and won't THAT be a lovely sight) in between trying to think up more trivia questions for Halloween.

And by the way, almost all of the officers will be gone this week. Most of them are going to YaoiCon. I'M going to visit my dad for his birthday. I'm not terribly displeased about this. Conventions always stress me out, anyway.

Which, for some strange reason, brings me to the abrupt and rather precipitated end of my little "rant". I should give you a link to keep you happy, shouldn't I? Since I'm sure I've gone and spoiled you lot and if I DIDN'T include a link, someone would probably hunt me down and complain and perhaps cast rotten fruit (and possibly far less savory and sanitary things) in my direction. Here, and be grateful!

http://www.travian.com/
[/random babbling]

Jenn, dancing.serpent@<removed>.com
Minna no Anime Secretary

"Vampires in MY Vatican?"
"It's more likely than you think."

Minna no Manga: 1 Nov 2007

Minna no Manga meets Thursdays, 6-10pm in 21-235!

~Review of the Week: ....Spooky Recommendations!

In the holiday spirit, let's skip the usual review this week for recommendations of some Halloween-ish titles!

Pet Shop of Horrors by Matsuri Akino
This series is about Count D, the owner of a pet shop in San Francisco's Chinatown, the detective who suspects him of everything and anything, and the many customers that visit his shop. I was a bit weary of this series, but I have no idea why. The art is great and the story is highly addicting. I had to limit myself to reading a volume a day just so I wouldn't run out too quickly! All ten volumes are available in english from Tokyopop, and the sequel, Pet Shop of Horrors - Tokyo -, will be coming out stating in February.

Darren Shan by Takahiro Arai and Darren Shan
Darren Shan is about a young boy who becomes a vampire and must learn about becoming a creature of the night and dealing with the other creepy-crawlies of the world. The manga is based on a series of english novels. Each volume of the manga roughly equals one book, so it's nice and easy to compare the two. The manga isn't the best adaptation, but I like the art a lot and being able to go through an entire books worth of material in one volume of manga. The series is not available in the states yet, but there are five volumes out in Japan.

Vampire Knight by Matsuri Hino
Vampire Knight is a story about a school with two classes: a night class and a day class. The night class is made up of beautiful vampires, but very few know their secret. Yuki Cross is one of those people, and she acts as a guardian that protects the coexistence between the classes. I haven't read much of this series, but it's pretty popular. Viz Media has released the first two volumes in english.

~Enter Rant:

Sooooo, Halloween party this weekend! I hope you are all as excited as me!

Lord of V-Neck Sweaters,
~Annaliese
"Tonight, class, we'll be making snowflakes..."

Minna no Anime: 3 Nov 2007

This week is Minna no Anime's Halloween Party!

Minna no Anime meets this Saturday from 12:30pm-midnight in 3-213 (the Silo), 02-203, 02-204, and 02-210.

This week's schedule:

12:30pm - Anime Showings
03:00pm - Anime Eyes Initial Rounds
04:30pm - Trivia Initial Rounds
06:00pm - Anime Eyes Finals
06:30pm - Trivia Finals
07:30pm - SILO: Dinner, AMVs, Art Show
08:00pm - Karaoke until 10pm
10:00pm - Pumpkin Carving, Cosplay, Winner Announcements, then Karaoke until midnight or Anime Showings, depending on what people want

Note that this schedule isn't exactly set in stone...but we'll try to stick to it as closely as possible. Although most events don't start until 3:00pm due to lack of room, if you want to show up early we will be there and doing random awesome stuff!

[random babbling]
Oh man. So. Stuff.

Sadly, I have nothing intelligent, cool, or otherwise interesting to say. Mainly because I am completely scatterbrained at the moment.

However, I would like to point out that you should definitely come to the Halloween Party this weekend. Every event has prizes and even if you don't win anything, it's terribly fun! We'll have pizza and soda for dinner; $1.50 per slice of pizza and $.50 per soda. There will also be a Guilty Gear tournament and a room for Bemani gaming starting at 3:00pm.

Since I am tired and have nothing thrilling to add, I shall leave you with a link or two and shut up.

For anyone who wants to see Yugioh season 0, this person has most of the episodes, I think: http://www.youtube.com/user/nycaz10

And since the internet refuses to cooperate, that's all you get for the week. D:
[/random babbling]

Jennifer, dancing.serpent@<removed>.com
Minna no Anime Secretary

"Pinecone!"

Minna no Manga: 8 Nov 2007

Minna no Manga meets Thursdays, 6-10pm in 21-235. We have things to discuss this week. Yes. Things.

~Review of the Week: Space Traveler Robo and Usakichi by Kazue Katoh

Robo and Usakichi tells the story of a small robot named Robin and the adventures he has with a rabbit-like person named Usakichi. Robin is a sort of bio-robot who grows the more he eats, so it's interesting to see him grow up and watch his mannerisms change as he encounters new people.

I first found out about this series when Nur happened to pick up the magazine is ran in. It looked pretty interesting, but I didn't think much about it. This summer I found a couple chapters online that were simply blew me away, and was prompted to search for more. Unfortunately, the volumes aren't exactly easy to find.

Anyway, I was initially attracted to this series for the art, but the story is what really impresses me. Not many series make me spontaneously cry, but this is one of them. It's not that the series is sad, it's that I find it so emotionally powerful. Robin's blind faith in his friends and his struggle with himself brought me to tears on several cases. Now, I doubt this series is a tear-jerker for most people, I just cry over very strange things. Simply put, in my opinion, the story is very powerful and very moving. The characters are intensely interesting and it's fun to figure out the connections between everyone.

And if you really aren't moved by the story, there is the art! The first few volumes have a sketchy-look to them, which may make it difficult to focus on single panels, but as the series goes on, the art cleans up nicely. Especially impressive are the color pages, which are filled with vibrant contrasting colors that really set the mood of the chapters well.

Space Traveller Robo and Usakichi is complete in Japan at five volumes. There are currently no plans for an English release, and no groups have begun scanlating the series. A sequel, Star Gazers, started during the summer, but no volumes have been released yet.

~Enter Rant:

If you were wondering, the other series that make me spontaneously cry are Eyeshield 21 and Pluto.

Sorry to those people who didn't get the songs they wanted at the Halloween! I forgot to go through the list again to make sure I had the right songs and lyrics and everything. Please forgive me for not make sure that everything was in order for that.

Lord of Lack of Patience,
~Annaliese
"I'M TOO YOUNG TO BECOME A SCIENCE!"

Minna no Anime: 10 Nov 2007

Minna no Anime meets this Saturday from 5-10pm in 33-286 (in Fisher Science).

NOTE: This is different than normal! Don't show up at the Silo; we won't be there!

This week's schedule:

5:00 Fansub o' the Week
5:25 Dokkoida?! (7): Kurika's Dream
5:50 Break
5:55 The Law of Ueki (7): The Law of Mr. K
6:20 GUNxSWORD (7): Vengeance Within
6:45 Break
6:50 Master Keaton (7): Memories of Summer Pudding
7:15 Mushishi (7): The Rain Comes, A Rainbow Forms
7:40 Dinner Break
8:10 Otogi Zoshi (7): Mansairaku
8:35 Noein - To Your Other Self (7): Precious Person
9:00 Break
9:05 Le Chevalier D'eon (7): Gargoyle
9:30 Ergo Proxy (7): re-1124c41+

[random babbling]
First of all, no, the title to this week's Ergo Proxy episode is not a mistake. I'm sure it has some meaning. I'm sure if you're possessed of about two brain cells and a modicum of common sense, you can probably make a decent guess as to what that is. I know I have.

I'm a bit grumpy at the moment. For a lot of reasons. I'm a bit stressed out and disappointed and listening to Counting Crows. ...you know what, I'm gonna switch to some Moxy Fruvous or They Might Be Giants or OK Go or...something.

There we go. Nothing quite like "King of Spain" by Moxy Fruvous to make you feel a little better about life.

I discovered that being a computer scientist is ruining my enjoyment of certain songs. I was listening to "A Long December" and heard the line "All at once you look across a crowded room to see the way that light attaches to a girl". The first thing my brain did was go, "Wait a minute, light doesn't ATTACH to things. Based on the angle between the light and the normal vector...(etcetc long dissertation on physics that no one wants to hear me talk about)...so that line is stupid."

...I think I need help. >_o

Unfortunately, my knowledge of the workings of light didn't help my pictures last weekend. ~_~

http://www.mediafire.com/?9nlxtw2jimp
http://www.mediafire.com/?c9lsxemilea

And I have new YouTube videos up.

http://youtube.com/profile?user=TayledrasAdept

Anyway, here's a Korean MMO; see you guys on Saturday.

http://corum.gpotato.com/  (I'm on the Poseidon server.)
[/random babbling]

Jenn, dancing.serpent@<removed>.com
Minna no Anime Secretary

"Once I was the king of Spain!"

Minna no Manga: 15 Nov 2007

Minna no Manga meets Thursdays, 6-10pm in 21-235. Let's actually talk about the Cosplay Game this week, okay? Bring your character's information!

~Review of the Week: Angel Densetsu by Norihiro Yagi

"The story is of Kitano Seiichirou, a very kind and pure-hearted young man, with a horrifying, monstrous face. People being what they are, they think he's a terrifying delinquent, and there are plenty of chance misunderstandings (coupled with Kitano's convenient inability to understand what's happening around him) that propel him into the position of "school guardian", a.k.a. head thug on campus." (From Manga-Sketchbook's project page)

If you just glance at this series, it's really easy to throw in a corner and never look at again. The art is pretty crude and definitely could use some improvement (which definitely comes as the series goes on), and the characters all look sort of frightening. Luckily, you don't need pretty pictures to tell a good story.

I began reading this series because it was recommended by someone whose tastes I hold in high regard. The story starts out with a bang and keeps running until the end. I can't remember the last time a series made me laugh as much as Angel Densetsu does. Jokes generally come from the same small handful of situations, but somehow they are hilarious every time.

Like I said, the art does get better, so don't let it turn you off. If you're looking for a laugh, check this series out.

Angel Densetsu is 15 volumes long, and the first 14 are available scanlated from Manga-Sketchbook.

~Enter Rant:

Blah. Projects suck. Papers suck. Finals suck. But the vacation will be awesome.

Oh, the mangaka for Angel Densetsu went on to create Claymore. But Claymore isn't funny like Angel Densetsu. Actually, Claymore makes me sad. What a change between series!

Lord of Mail Delivery Madness,
~Annaliese
"I can't text with bread!"

Minna no Anime: 17 Nov 2007

Minna no Anime meets this Saturday from 5-10pm in 3-213 (the Silo).

This week's schedule:

5:00 Fansub o' the Week
5:25 Dokkoida?! (8): Little Sister Love
5:50 Break
5:55 The Law of Ueki (7): The Law of Mr. K
6:20 The Law of Ueki (8): The Law of Onimon
6:45 Break
6:50 Master Keaton (8): The Negotiator's Rule
7:15 Mushishi (8): From the Sea Border
7:40 Dinner Break
8:10 Otogi Zoshi (8): Red Demon
8:35 Noein - To Your Other Self (8): Secrets
9:00 Break
9:05 Le Chevalier D'eon (8): An Audience with the Empress
9:30 Ergo Proxy (8): Shining Sign

We watched two episodes of GUNxSWORD last week because the replacement disc for Ueki wasn't in yet. Hence, two episodes of Ueki this week.

[random babbling]
You know, I was typing "The Negotiator's Rule" right after typing those two Ueki titles and my fingers almost typed "The Law of Negotiator" without my consent.

Anyway, we're back in the Silo this week. So don't show up at Fisher Science, even if it IS more convenient for you dorm people. I hope everyone liked the episode of Ayakashi we watched last week. I'm terribly in love with it, myself. Oh, Medicine Seller. ...why don't you have a name? XD

So I finished my paper for Japanese Architecture. It is the most awful paper I've written in a long, long time. I am ashamed of it. Thank goodness I still have about three weeks to beat it into not-sucking. I only have until Monday to prepare my presentation for it, though. *sigh* I hate presenting. At least I get to talk about love hotels and capsule hotels and stuff like that, though. Could be worse. I could have chosen dry gardens. Pretty as they are, there aren't a lot of interesting things you can say about them.

Bleh. I register for classes at 7am tomorrow. And then I have a phone interview at noon. I'm going to have to decide if it's worth it to go back to sleep after registering. The answer is, of course, probably "yes", but that doesn't mean I'll do it. I have a terrible time trying to fall back asleep after I'm awake, especially if it's light out. Wish me luck on that interview, by the way. It's with my number one choice and I really, REALLY need to not blow it.

I don't know how many of you roleplay, but if you're looking for a good place to do so over forums, this place has almost any fandom you can think of. As long as it isn't, you know, Loom. But damn, a Loom roleplay would be so awesome. I would cry. And if you not only know what Loom is but have played it, you are my new Favorite Person for the week.

http://www.acornrack.com/
[/random babbling]

Jenn, dancing.serpent@<removed>.com
Minna no Anime Secretary

"Destiny shall draw the Lightning down from Heaven; roll its thunder far across the Sea, to where I wait upon the Shore of Wonder, on the day the Sky is Opened, and the Tree is split asunder."

Minna no Manga: 29 Nov 2007

Minna no Manga meets Thursdays, 6-10pm, in 21-235.

~Review of the Week: 07-Ghost by Yuki Amemiya and Yukino Ichihara

"An elite is being trained. The "zaiphon" ability is being developed. Everyone's capabilities are different, and in many cases, reflect their nature... Shrouded in darkness, seven ghosts wait." (From Baka-Updates Manga)

What do you look for in a manga? Good art? Good story? Interesting characters? 07-Ghost has all of those. The art is fantastic, the story is interesting, and the characters are fun and engaging. But... it still feels like it is lacking somewhere. I think the creators are so focused on telling this story that they try to cram so much into every page the reader can easily get lost. Explanations don't explain much, and actions are often confusing. Still, the series stays pretty strong and each chapter leaves me anxious for more.

Nine chapters have been scanlated by Timcanpi and Supreme Sugar. There are five volumes available in Japan, and the series is still going.

~Enter Rant:

Okay, first let me apologize for the messy Baccano character selecting stuff I put on the Yahoo group. The following list should be the complete list of reserved characters as of the moment I am writing this. By request, I'm including the names of the cosplayers with the character they have selected. Please forgive any name spelling errors!

(Character - Cosplayer)

Issac - Jesse

Miria - Erika

Jacuzzi - Annaliese

Nice - Audrey

Ladd - David

Eve - Shannon

Rachel - Jenn

Czeslaw - James

Young Conductor - Brandon

Chane - Daniella

Ennis - (tentative?) Nat

Firo - (tentative) Andrew

*phew* I hope that's everyone that has talked to me!

So, I hope everyone is surviving dead week! I'm doing alright myself! Two project down, two to go! Finals will (hopefully) be a cinch after the other two are in! We won't have a meeting during finals week, and our room is changing for next quarter, so remind me to give out that info at this week's meeting!

Lord of Paperclip Masterpieces,

~Annaliese

"I will never destroy the world that you have believed in." -Claire Stanfield

Minna no Anime: 1 Dec 2007

Minna no Anime meets this Saturday from 5-10pm in 3-213 (the Silo).

This week's schedule:

5:00 The Law of Ueki (9): The Law of Onimon's Training
5:25 GUNxSWORD (9): Carmen Goes Home
5:50 Break
5:55 Mushishi (9): The Heavy Seed
6:20 Otogi Zoshi (9): Darkness
6:45 Break
6:50 Noein - To Your Other Self (9): Beyond Time
7:15 Ergo Proxy (9): Angel's Share
7:40 Dinner Break
8:10 Quarterly Movie: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

[random babbling]
Argh, tired! I turned in my senior project proposal today and just now registered for the class. I have to say, I'm definitely looking forward to the end of this quarter. Mostly. I'm not looking forward to several weeks without MnA. I hate leaving shows hanging for a month. Let's hope there aren't too many cliffhanger episodes, shall we?

We have our quarterly movie this Saturday and our quarterly Tsurugi trip on Sunday. Both will be fun! You should show up. But if you're going to come on the Tsurugi trip, LET US KNOW IN ADVANCE. We have to alter the reservation and can't do that without a couple of days' notice.

Sadly, I have nothing interesting to say. I am a sad, sad human being, I know. Actually, I'm just a tired, tired human being. And so I leave you, and drag my tired self to MnM. After leaving you with a slice of pure awesome.

http://www.songstowearpantsto.com/
[/random babbling]

Jenn, dancing.serpent@<removed>.com
Minna no Anime Secretary

"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark."