Awww, Danni, thanx! How have you been? Oops, wait. Oh no, a new fabricated message! Damn, lol. Ah well, although Cherokee-Hawaiian adult-film actress Danni Cole never actually sent me this sunshiny and spectacled cheer, the beach-house fantasy sounds like a perfect summertime anime episode, doesn’t it? Hahaha… Well, my Tumbling Toyboxers, it’s that time of the week again. Another weekly mega-cast to keep the otaku-sensei aghast! So, to celebrate this 200th Blog of the Toybox, we’re gonna take a dive at not only revealing why we blog to express and connect, but also why we choose to Twitter or Toybox. Why? Not only that, we’re gonna take a splash at unraveling why anime can never really be stupid. Why not? On top of those, we’ll trickle under our friendly neighborhood Uzumaki and Minami, trample past a few real-world and random-worded antics, and tumble upon the bottomless fall and bubbling rise of this humble Toybox! Sounds edible? Cool. So let’s turn on the oven and get ready to heat your inner mayhem. It’s time to cook this tasty show…
Part 1 of 5 > Why Blog? Why Tiny Twitter? Why Titanic Toybox?
Before we dive into our first blog topic, let’s welcome Danni Cole (caution: link NSFW) to the Toybox! Hehe, not only did her exotic resemblance to Dutch-Chinese actress Kristin Kreuk stun and strike me, but also her fearlessness in wearing glasses! Brava! And also her birthday on 22 March, just 3 days after mine. Go Pisces! If we can believe the internet too, lol.
Okay-okay, enough about Danni. Do you remember two weeks ago when I featured Otaku Dan’s introspective “Why Do We Blog?” (16 April 2009) post? Coincidentally, Angry Mimi-chan also proposed the same question in her “Why Why Why Do You Blog?” (22 April 2009) post, lol.
To refresh your tumbling memories, here’s my condensed reply to Otaku Dan.
xJAYMANx@Dan-man: Ultimately, I think I came to the decision to go on, not only for myself, the love of writing or the love of anime, but also for others in the community who love anime too. Maybe not a million or even 100 others, but for those few who’ve become familiar names or faces. Like u or Blowfish or Panther or Mimi-chan. Those who make me think or laugh or yell “WTF?”, lol. Not only on my blog, but on theirs as well.
I think that’s the best form of self-promotion of all.
Now, keeping this in mind, do you also remember Angry Mimi-chan’s hilarious “Truth About Twitter” (23 March 2009) post? Haha, you can also check out the original YouTube “Twouble with Twitters: SuperNews!” (16 March 2009) video. When I saw that video for the first time, I literally laughed out loud!
Likewise, to refresh your trembling memories, here’s my brief reply to Angry Mimi-chan.
xJAYMANx@Mimi-chan: Nahhh, no need for Twitter, lol. Facebook already has the same “status” thingie. But even then, I hardly update on FB much. Blogging seems more worthy of our precious time. >_
Hey, so did you see it? Did you catch that? I wrote: “Blogging seems more worthy of our precious time.” While bloggers and surfers may do both, doesn’t this suggest that we may only have time for one or the other? To Twitter or not to Twitter? And if not to Twitter, to blog instead? In fact, in Jenn Kei’s recent “Star Trek Za Movie” (01 May 2009) post, our comments below seem to suggest exactly that, lol.
xJAYMANx@Jenn-chan: Heyyy, you’re back!
Jennkei@Jay-san: Haha, I’ve never been away — I’m still sporadically posting on my Twitter! (Yes, I’ve gone over to the dark side…I’m sowwy..XD)
xJAYMANx@Jenn-chan: Awww, no problem, lol. Actually, I’m gonna be talking about tiny twitters versus mega-posts soon, so that’ll be interesting…
So I began to think about that. About Twittering. About blogging. If time-and-trouble determine whether we blurb on Twitter or Facebook or MySpace, or blog on LiveJournal or Blogger or WordPress, then for bloggers, wouldn’t time-and-trouble also determine *how* we blog? Daily versus weekly? Short versus long? For example, on one end of the otaku spectrum, Otaku Dan has maintained his short daily posts for ages (I don’t even know how long). On the other end of that spectrum, I’ve maintained my weekly posts since Blog 168, but these didn’t evolve into *mega-posts* until the Blog 170s-180s. Then of course, there are otaku bloggers with random posts sprinkled every few days or weeks. Clearly, every blogger has his or her own unique schedule and style.
But here’s the insane thing. Why *mega-posts* or *mega-casts*? Why do I have this insane need to cook up and construct gigantic and titanic and thematic five-part posts on a weekly basis? Why worry about an interconnectable theme among the parts? Why not split them up into five smaller posts on a near-daily basis? Ahh, haha, great questions.
My probable answer: “For the art, my friends. For the insane pursuit of art.” Most probably, lol.
Here’s the best metaphor I can find. Food. Yup, food. While many otaku-blog posts taste like messy burgers and salty fries, others taste like crumbly cookies and cheesy crackers, while still others taste like spicy chips and sweet candy, lol. Mmm, definitely tasty! But why settle for fast foods, snacks and desserts? Over time, I think I began to develop a palate for larger more-artful combinations, lol. Lunches. Turned into dinners. Turned into full five-course meals! Interconnectable combinations of sweet and spicy and meaty and juicy. Food. Haha, in real life, unless it’s a pot of instant ramen or oven of fish sticks, I can’t cook anything without a microwave or toaster. But in terms of my Toybox *mega-posts*, one *might* compare these works of art to those of a master chef. Maybe. Maybe not. Nonetheless, one can’t deny the ingredients. Or the combinations. But above all, the patience. Sigh. The utmost patience. Although sometimes, my patience can come close to collapse. Utter collapse, haha.
In a nutshell: “Where’s the art in Twittering?” ^_^
Part 2 of 5 > Can Any Anime Really Be Stupid?
Finally! After four weeks of being fuzzily amused by the cute-and-cuddly high-school-girl comedy “K-On!”, the fifth week finally lifted the series to “Lucky Star” wonderment! And do you know what did it? Do you? The teacher! The hilariously passive-yet-powerful Jekyll-yet-Hyde character of Yamanaka Sawako-sensei! Sawako-sensei was the missing ingredient! Reminiscent of the powerful-yet-pitiful anime shop manager, Anizawa Meito-san in “Lucky Star”, haha. Yes, indeed. Episode 5 of “K-On!” finally redeemed the series, lol… But to be clear, the series was *never* stupid.
Then again, can any anime really be stupid?
Wait, hold on! Before you answer too quickly, listen to my nose-congested arguments below, lol.
Here are the summarized contents to guide you.
xJAYMANx_broadcast 002
“From Drunk to Punk Trooper”
Saturday, 1:15am, 25 Oct 2008
MP3 Length 16:27 Minutes
- OP – “Virgin’s High” by MELL from the anime “Sky Girls” [2007].
- Second broadcast, hope not as crackly and staticky
- Jackie Chan‘s and Woo Ping’s 1978 Hong Kong film Drunken Master
- Got 89th figure Queen’s Gate Alice; Potter-esque “Zero no Tsukaima”
- Anime in philosophical light: No art is stupid? Anime is art? So no anime is stupid?
- Hated Metropolis, disliked Amazing Nurse Nanako
- Sent in my absentee ballot, voted for NONE of the above candidates, liberating
- Japanese street fashion, funny stuff, lol
- “Punk Trooper”, Stormtrooper or Jedi drop-out, bounty hunter, jack of all trades
- Katana bokken, test for Halloween costume, damn helmet so hot to breathe
- Punk Trooper!
- ED – “Last Regrets” by Ayana from the anime “Kanon” [2006].
So, there you have it! Can any anime really be stupid?
Haha, actually, the reason why I brought up this profoundly philosophical question is due to the “One and Only” Jem-chan, lol. One of us mentioned Skype and this was how our discussion unfolded.
xJAYMANx@Jem-chan: Actually, I do have some goofy audio on Blog 171 (if u haven’t peeked already). I think my nose is stuffed up from allergies or something, haha. You were warned!
Jem@Jay: You definitely sound like you have a cold. I am listening to your podcast. Lol, you sound “white” which is a good thing because you don’t sound fobbish or have a fobbish accent. Maybe some people were frightened away with your voice. I dunno… LOL, is anime stupid then?
[Then a few days later in our blog comments.]
Jem@Jay: I am quite appeased by your remark in regards to the tag and category. Pleased I am, hmmmmm!!! HAHAHA. I remember your podcast when you were talking about art and made reference to Zero no Tsukaima. Mind you, I have never known how to correctly pronounce it. Is art stupid? No. Is anime like art? Yes. If that’s true then, no anime can really be stupid. I really like your if and conjecture. I thought about it and it was a refreshing perspective to keep in mind. When I was listening to you talk, I verbally answered “yes” to the anime being stupid question, lol.
xJAYMANx@Jem-chan: Hahaha, so you’re “pleased and appeased”, are ya? Then my life-long quest is complete! LOL, I don’t think I ever heard it pronounced until I actually said it myself! But that can’t be true. I mean, I must’ve heard someone pronounce it during the anime credits, right? I must have. Then I forgot it. Then when it came time to actually say it, my brain told my mouth to say it like that. The subconscious can be a *good* thing once in a while, lol… Haha, I just heard my broadcast again. “Can anime be stupid?” That’s still a simple yet philosophically profound question. Can’t believe I actually came up with it, hehe.
In another nutshell: “Is art stupid? No. Is anime like art? Yes. If that’s true then, no anime can really be stupid.”
Part 3 of 5 > Uzumaki & Minami Revisited
Yup, two more! Stupid anime or not, I’ve managed to complete 2 more anime titles-or-seasons in the last 2 weeks: “Naruto – Season 4″ [17] and “Minami-ke – Okaeri – Season 3″ [18]. Yes-yes, a total of 18 completed anime titles in just over 4 months so far! Definitely on my typical pace to hit 50 anime by the end of the year, lol.
Naruto – Season 4 [17]. On 01 May, I completed my 17th anime title-or-season of the year. Season 4 (2004) with 26 episodes. Haha, despite all of the adoring love and acidic hate for this title, Season 4 still packs a mindless-yet-riveting ninja-powered punch to your chakra. Especially while dashing on the treadmill, lol. A solid 4 of 5 stars! So here are 3 wallpapers to brighten your day in blinding blonde and orange, haha.
Hey, if you’re interested, here are my speed-reviews for the previous 3 “Naruto” seasons.
- Naruto – S3 (4 of 5 stars)
- Naruto – S2 (4 of 5 stars)
- Naruto – S1 (5 of 5 stars)
Damn, where’s my instant ramen? >_
Minami-ke – Okaeri – Season 3 [18]. On 02 May, I completed my 18th anime title-or-season of the year. Season 3 (2009) with 13 episodes. Hehe, despite the change in animation style in the past, Season 3 still offers a smilingly offbeat yet gently heart-warming slice of life. Awww, another maximum 4 of 5 stars for a half-season, lol. So here are 7 high-resolution (1920px) wallpapers to celebrate the three sisters, their classmates and their friends. Gotta adore Haruka, Kana and Chiaki!
Awww. Still kinda sad that “Minami-ke” had to end. At least, we have “K-On!”now, lol.
Part 4 of 5 > Hornsby, Foosball, Wordle & Random Ramblings
Let’s say it one more time: Awww.
But now, from tiny twitters and titanic toyboxes, to anime as an artistic-not-stupid form of expression, to ninja-enhanced and schoolgirl-powered anime stories, let’s rumble and ramble into the randomness of the real world, lol. For example, remember the company party back in February? Well, last week, I finally remembered to pick up a couple of cases of Hornsby’s Hard Cider, both “Amber Draft” and “Crisp Apple” flavors. Yummm. Especially with a roast-beef sandwich and a pile of mayo-drenched baby carrots!
A closer view.
And a closer view of the bottle, lol.
Then remember the set of six foosballs I bought last week? Well, forget those, lol. Because when I compared them to the foosballs at the office, these were the wrong size! Upon closer inspection, the 32mm-diameters were too small. What we really needed were the 35mm-diameters. So here are the new foosballs! Thank you, Amazon, lol.
A closer view. I just thought I’d add to the black-and-white motif with my chain-wallet and pair of dice.
Yeah, man, Linkin Park.
Leaping fluidly from Linkin Park word masters to linkable Wordle messes, ever created a “Wordle” cloud before? Man, I don’t even remember my first visit. Maybe last year? Two years ago? It’s been ages. But for whatever reason, the correlation networks and floorplans from last week reminded me of these curious clouds, lol.
LOL, Mimi-chan seems detached. And Minami-ke is about to break off!
Click the “Re-Layout” button. Another great big puddle.
Speaking of puddles, remember that Vietnamese noodle-soup place “Jenni Pho”? About five weeks ago? Well, Melanie (meh-LAH-nee) treated me to lunch there again last Thursday. And she asked me a curious question.
She asked me if I’d consider a single mother as a possible girlfriend (not her, she’s married, lol). Check out the “LOL” below!
So I wondered about her question. Actually, I wouldn’t rule it out.
But it definitely depends on the age of the child. I think.
A younger child is probably easier to grow up with than an older one. Notice how I’m saying “child” not “children”.
But Melanie agreed. Raising two kids is a gigantic difference from one kid. Gigantic.
Funny thing! After this question, she asked me, “You’re not married, right?” LOL, shouldn’t you ask this *before* the other question?
LOL, divorced since mid-2006… So did you enjoy the “Wordle” clouds? Quite amusing to see where the “LOL” landed. Okay, maybe not. You had to be there, hehe.
Part 5 of 5 > The Fall & Rise of the Toybox
A-ha! From twitters to toyboxes to anime to reality, let’s backflip into a reverse dive to refresh and reflect on how we reached this milestone 200th Blog of the Toybox. Yeah, why not? Like I mentioned in Part 1 above, “I’ve maintained my weekly posts since Blog 168, but these didn’t evolve into *mega-posts* until the Blog 170s-180s… Over time, I think I began to develop a palate for larger more-artful combinations, lol.” So let’s splash through 15 of the more memorable posts, between August 2008 and February 2009, marking the bumbling and bubbling rise of the Toybox, lol. Feel free to click an image to jump to its respective post.
First, here’s “Blog 148 > Lelouch Commands You” (August 2008). When I announced my blog upgrade and path change, this was the first real eye-opener at how many readers actually read my humble blog! Shocking!
A couple of weeks later, I posted “Blog 155 > Holy Crap, I Got Carded!” (August 2008). Not only was the story hilarious, but the photoshoot with Guiness the Menace was a blast, haha!
The following month, I posted “Blog 162 > Fumie From Edelweiss” (September 2008). Ahh, one of my finest figure photoshoots ever. Even created a YouTube music-slideshow video from it! And it’s also one of my final but most memorable “Danny Choo Member News” posts. Awww.
Shortly afterwards, I posted “Blog 164 > Mimi Says” (September 2008). Haha, pretty funny “Despair” de-motivational poster featuring a quote by the Angry Mimi-chan and the Tokyo Dance Trooper, Danny Choo himself! Let’s not forget his partner Tokyo Dance Lord, Hector Garcia, lol.
The following month, I posted “Blog 168 > Crows Zero & Clannad Two” (October 2008). A nice little mix of a Japanese live-action film and an anime series. This post marked the first time I held onto a weekly-weekend blog pattern. Why? Who knows? Too busy during the weekdays?
Yet another month later, I posted “Blog 174 > Wild Anime & Final Figures” (November 2008). Heyyy, this was around the time when my *mega-post* mentality began to take shape. And also around the time when the original “Mimi’s Rage” made its first appearance! Haha. “May Her Rage Consume You. Always.”
A few weeks after that, I posted “Blog 177 > Mimi’s Zazzle & iMac’s Dazzle” (November 2008). Haha, “Mimi’s Rage” continued to ripple outward. Meanwhile, I introduced my Website Outlook blog-value estimates for the first time!
The following month again, I posted “Blog 181 > Snowy Vegas & Shining Anime” (December 2008). Ah yes, the ridiculous Las Vegas blizzard! This was probably one of my first true *mega-posts* ever. Spanning across anime reviews, anime figures and real life.
Then the following week, I posted “Blog 182 > Year of Anime, Rock & Otaku” (December 2008). Not simply a full year-long list of anime, but also a Rock Band video, an Angry Mimi-chan video, and an Angry Mimi-chan sign! Can’t get any better than this, right? I think this was also the first time I uttered the term *mega-post* for my weekly masterpieces, lol.
For the new year, I posted “Blog 184 > Rewind in Anime, Myself & I” (January 2009). Yup, by this time, I was beginning to hit my stride in terms of posting weekly *mega-post*s. Including a YouTube video of my “Edelweiss Fumie” photoshoot!
The following week, I posted “Blog 185 > Wikis & Evangelion Gothlolis” (January 2009). Wow, another blog upgrade, more Danny Choo, and a massive 4-figure photoshoot of my “Evangelion Gothlolis” Rei and Asuka. Including my 92nd and final figure! Yup, incredible.
The following week again, I posted “Blog 186 > Sevens, Heavens & Harems” (January 2009). Haha, another Website Outlook assessment. I introduced Maria Ozawa for the first time with her fabricated message of congratulations. And I also introduced my “harem” gender-ratio structure, hehe.
Yet another week later, I posted “Blog 187 > Cops, Candy & Digital Sushi” (February 2009). Another full-course meal of Jackie Chan, Dairy Queen, Papa John, “Kiddy Grade”, and Digital Sushi! Yup, the lovely Digital Sushi, lol. As well as my experimental “Kamikaze Frozen” poem with self-portraits. This was also the first time my *mega-post* clearly featured 5 of 5 parts!
The following week again, I posted “Blog 188 > Kanons, Pirates & Bloodbaths” (February 2009). Hehe, another full-course meal of “Battle Royale”, “Pirates XXX”, and another massive 4-figure photoshoot. Yup, the “Kanon” girls! Oops, only 4 of 4 parts! But by featuring “Pirates XXX”, I also introduced a pornographic film for the first time, lol.
Yet another week later, I posted “Blog 189 > Hearts, Ninjas & Toyboxers” (February 2009). Hehe, yet another Website Outlook assessment, more Maria Ozawa, the new “Foosball Ninja”, and an unlocked “To Heart” photoshoot. Yup, definitely some crazy Toybox action!
Definitely, a wild and crazy ride! LOL, don’t you remember?
Well-well, my Tasty Toyboxers, that’s the end of Blog 200! The end of this week’s mega-cast! Did you enjoy delicious Danni’s fabricated-fantasy message? Did our mega-cast keep the otaku-sensei aghast? Hahaha. Yup, this week we took an artful dive at why we choose to Twitter or Toybox. Why? Not only that, we also took an artful splash at unraveling why anime can never really be stupid. Why not? How were the friendly neighborhood Uzumaki and Minami? The real-world and random-worded antics? The bottomless fall and bubbling rise of this humble Toybox? How were they? Were they edible? Cool. But before we forget, let’s thank Danni-chan, Mimi-chan, Jenn-chan, Jem-chan, the Minami sisters, Melanie-chan, Fumie-chan, Maria-chan, and Digital Sushi, lol. And anyone else I’m too burnt-out to mention! Did you properly cook your inner mayhem? Let’s hope so.
Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.
Final Flashback
From “Kamikaze Frozen“: “The crash of a thousand waves can be calmed in a single frame.”
