Shameful Otaku Secret!

Gone to cartoons, every one

For those of you who commented when Oi, Hayaku! launched, saying that you hoped I wouldn’t slow down here… sorry, I guess I’ve done just that. It’s not really OH’s fault, though. Life, work, sickness, etc. gets in the way sometimes, and given the choice between taking a few spare minutes to watch anime or blog, WordPress doesn’t look nearly as good as Michiko.

However, I have been doing a lot of design and theming work with Riex, and that is looking sexy. I’m happy to say that the work has paid off in the form of a new front page and some theme modifications that really make this site suit us more than the out-of-the-box theme.

totally awesome and unrelated image (from Collection DX)

I’ve met some great bloggers as a result of OH! too. It goes without saying that the rest of our writers are cool people with good stuff to say. But even clicking commenters’ names has led me to folks like ghostlightning and mechafetish of We Remember Love, a fantastic giant robot worship blog and a great read. Whether you’re a fan of Gundam, Macross, or even Mazinger, I hereby demand you read this blog.

I’ve also started a very serious undertaking, one that I pretended to begin months ago and didn’t get anywhere with: Inspired by a new wave of folks who’ve actually finished the whole thing, I’m back on Legend of the Galactic Heroes. I find that I almost have to force myself to sit down in front of the TV and do all that reading, especially after a long day, but inexplicably I’m riveted once they start strategizing. So far, it’s just involved enough that you feel like you’re really chewing on something, but not so complicated that it hurts. I’m maybe 10% into it, though, so time will tell.

Today the Legend, tomorrow… shit, I dunno. Probably will be well past tomorrow before that’s done. Come back to me then.

(For now)

Well, it’s here. Oi, Hayaku!, in all its glory, has launched. The mastermind, or at least mind, behind it was revealed to be Riex, formerly of THAT, and he got a handsome fella to help write an intro post.

It’s still a little rough — in the biz we call it a “soft launch” — but over the next week it’ll fill out nicely, like that one skinny girl you went to school with. Authors will gradually reveal themselves, and then hopefully things will start barrelling like a freight train. There are some great writers on board of various levels of notoriety and handsomeness, and it’s been a lot of fun putting things together. It’s going to be work as well, but the great part is that you guys reap the benefits of that work.

So stop by, add it to your RSS feeds, and if you’re feeling especially nice give us a spot on your blogroll.

I have a blog!

Kind of forgot about that for a while. I was at Fantastic Fest all week, seeing mostly the Japanese stuff. If you’re into the splatter-crazy style of directors like Takashi Miike, check out Tokyo Gore Police. It’s written, directed, and edited by the guy responsible for special effects in everything from big budget horror (like Ju-On) to the wild mess of Miike. It also stars the girl from Audition. And it couldn’t have a more apt name.

Thai action flick Chocolate was another winner. It’s about an autistic girl who, instead of having Rain Man’s uncanny skill with numbers, can re-create kung fu maneuvers just by watching them in Bruce Lee movies — and uses her skills to get revenge for her bankrupt mother. I hardly think of Thailand as an action powerhouse, but this movie puts some of Hong Kong’s biggest-budget films to shame with jaw-dropping fight choreography. During the credits, a reel of cast injury footage played.

Best of all, perhaps, was Gachi Boy, which focused on an underdog pro-wrestling club in Hokkaido. I’m not a big sports movie fanatic, but Gachi Boy was hilarious, emotional, inspirational, and somehow not cheesy at all. One of the best sports movies I have ever seen, and a great movie period. And get this, there was a trace of ef: a tale of memories in there, I shit you not, but no spoilers.

In other news, I’ve been working closely with the people behind Oi, Hayaku! to help make it a one stop shop for awesomeness on the web. I’m happy to be a part of the process, and I hope it gets rolling soon.

In other other news, I’m waiting for Macross F subs so I can publish my scathing review and lend balance to the aniblogosphere which will probably collapse in a Ranka-love-fest after this week.