Get drunk; write about bullshit. (A drunken love-letter to Valkyria Chronicles)

Fairly intoxicated. Such an event usually requires thorough analysis of relevant obsessions that I indulge in. Around tax season this year I finally decided to buy a Playstation 3, with my sights centered on a select few games, with those being: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (1 & 2, respectively), Heavy Rain, Demons' Souls, The Lost Guardian (still awaiting it's TBA release), and Valkyria Chronicles. To be honest, I don't know why I wanted a PS3 in the first place. I followed Heavy Rain from it's conception, birth, and finally it's release, but have thus played it. I've now aptly name it Shenmue 3 (unofficial edition), and while it still piques my interest, my desire to play it is fairly antiquated at this point for a number of reasons (I will play it; other games are a more pressing matter).

I could write about the other games, but since that last paragraph the alcohol is fairly stabilized in my system. I'd rather Eidos to keep making Tomb Raider games than play the macho Uncharted. Demons' Souls is a welcome third-person throwback to the hardcore days of the now obsolete dungeon-crawler like Wizardry, Ultima and even Phantasy Star, but I'm fairly pissed at that game at the moment--but for good reasons! The Lost Guardian I'm still fairly ecstatic for, but I consistently lose interest with the elapse of time. I still need to fucking play Ico. Something tells me Diablo III will be out by that time (doubt it), and any time that is considered luxurious will be spent probably playing Blizzard's latest abomination to an already stale catalog of repugnant 3D graphic accelerated games that accustom the market of Wal-mart DELL desktop users. Every Blizzard game looks like an updated version of Sim Theme Park--a game that originally looked like absolute piss in the prime of 3D computer gaming evolution. Look up Sim Theme Park and Warcraft III. Compare the two. I dare you. Certainly most games have surpassed the graphical prowess that was Warcraft III, but my observation still holds some relevancy to Blizzard's shit-excuse for "accessibility" and their departure from the morose and stygian graphics that encompassed the absolutely dire world that was both (especially) Diablo and Diablo II.

I forgot what I was talking about. I guess that was quite the tangent, and per usual, I digress from such. Anyway, the last thought I had was the prevalence of alcohol and the Playstation 3--oh, but that brings me to the main subject: Valkyria Chronicles! I have a hard time typing 'chronicles'. Oddly enough, the letters flow like the finest lepidopteran when I am intoxicated! How superb. Oh, where was I? Valkyria Chronicles has subdued my infernal hatred for modern gaming; or, at least to an extent. I'm a huge fan of tactical gaming, and obviously an anime influenced water-color art style (see Nausicaa tattoo), and Valkyria Chronicles has (surprisingly) surpassed many of my modern gaming qualms and expectations. Surely this blog could have been more of a convincing adulation for a game that I obviously admire, but I must admit the computer monitor is becoming quite transposed and queasy at the moment with my steady consumption of cheap rum and generic cola.

What am I getting at? Oh! It's a fantastic game! Aesthetics are highly prevalent, yes! Alicia has become quite the, er...character to admire and fancy. I like this game a lot. I like the narrative. I like the art style. I like the diverse lot of characters and the pseudo-steam punk WWII themed world. I am too drunk. I am glad I am still slightly coherent.

Deconstructing Shirow Masamune: A Blog of Ambivalence

I finally finished Shirow Masamune's cyberpunk manga Appleseed. It was started in '85 and ended in '89, and while it received an OVA and a Super Famicom game, it wasn't until 2004 when they released a bullshit CGI film that everyone started giving a shit. If anything, my exasperation is obviously nerd rage--but goddamn, the film is bloody ugly as sin. ANYWAY, I started to bitch and moan and write a huge whiny rant, but yeah, I digress, and that sort of thing.

I'm still trying to figure out in my head which of Masamune's works I prefer: either Ghost in the Shell, or Appleseed (regarding the respective manga, only). Both stories are full of intricately drawn tactical action; have lusciously drawn, yet physically strong and toned leading ladies; and each plot delves into politics, philosophy, and insanely elaborate techno-babble, which is one quality of Masamune's writing that I consider simultaneously a weak point, as well as a strong point. This is something entirely different that I will cover on it's own later in this post in more detail, hopefully making some sense of my accusation.

I view Ghost in the Shell and Appleseed in an odd manner: I see them as a wonderfully drawn, thought-provoking, cyber-punk masterpiece for manga, but at the same time I can't help but think that a portion of it is a wonderfully drawn, esoteric mess that is hard to follow--not for content, but simply because it is poorly constructed and too detailed for it's own good at times. I absolutely adore the idea of the complexity of exploring rational possibilities of a technologically advanced society, where cybernetic augmentations are common practice and artificial intelligence is not only prevalent, but also imperative for daily living--be it large corporate establishments, law enforcement, or simply for pleasure, but I also believe there is a point when such a setting can become convoluted, especially at the point when asterisks much be placed every page or so-or an entire index has been implemented at the back of the book-just so you can "keep up", rather than be explained via dialogue or narration. I dunno; I think if anything such an abrupt addendum every page or so describing why this Class-A 0093 Mech can deflect these .009 Caliber Gauss Rifle rounds at 15° Celsius because of the fucking angle the antagonist shot the gun takes away from the story, rather than add to it. Like I said: I love technical details, but why wouldn't you just implement these into the story, or simply let the reader think for themselves? Why have some omnipresent force interrupt every couple of pages to add in some nonsensical information only to confuse you further? Want an example? This is a word-for-word note in the index of Ghost in the Shell to compliment a particular panel on page 338:


Concerning the fissioning pyramid indicated with protons (yangerons): this is a diagram of a system, so it ignores the actual numbers at each different leve.. As with powers of ten, in terms of size, the progression would be [microscopic constructions -> human size -> heavenly body size], but in terms of structural complexity it would instead be [microscopic constructions -> heavenly body size ->human size], which is also the order which they were actually created.

...And it goes on for another few sentences. To be fair, GitS (I'll begin to abbreviate it; it should be quite obvious) has an index. It's been a few years since I've read the original manga in it's entirety, but I do not recall the constant barrage of asterisks and side notes that is so commonplace in Appleseed.  What bothers me even more is the fact that there is a book entitled Appleseed ID, which is sort of an appendix comprised of schematics, notes, explanations, sketches and the like. Something like that I can appreciate--BUT that's not it! No, there also exists Appleseed Hypernotes: another book explaining everything you ever wanted to know about Appleseed, but thankfully another story is included showcasing the events after the original story arc. I greatly enjoy supplemental material like most fans, but if the extra information isn't introduced in the story itself, I feel like I should either A.) Use my imagination; or B.) Seek it out for myself. Shit, sometimes I just like things to not be explained at all. What makes David Lynch's Eraserhead still so interesting and enigmatic today? If Lynch had a disclaimer at the end of the movie that explained everything, wouldn't that certainly take away from the film? Hell, since this blog is focused on the otaku sub-culture, what if during Neon Genesis Evangelion an asterisk appeared at random points explaining what the Angels were, or why 13 year old children are used to pilots the EVAs? Maybe this is a personal grievance, but if such details aren't implemented in the story itself, shouldn't it be up for interpretation, or at least an addition further along in the story line? Wow. Didn't realize I felt so strongly on the subject.

To end this rather side-tracked note, I'd first like to establish that I am a huge Shirow Masamune fan. I absolutely adore his work--be it writing, art, or the world he creates. Certainly, most writers do have their flaws, but as I make out my grievances with Masamune's works, I can't help but express that although I write with passion regarding the aforementioned grievances, they still remain very minor, and if anything, the strong points of his work greatly out shadow his faults. I wholeheartedly recommend both Ghost in the Shell and Appleseed to fans of science-fiction, manga, or both. It's a shame he has pretty much stopped writing comics now, for he primarily focuses on drawing calendars, art books, and hentai. Still, if anything, his artwork shines the brightest of his attributes. Masamune draws absolutely stunning females (to which I have hanging in multiple spots on my walls), as well as intricately designed mechs and robots.

Too bad he can't draw men for shit.

The Ultimate Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Tribute (ink your favorite shit)

About goddamn time. I've been bitching for I don't know how many years about getting a tattoo--and especially a Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind one, at that. I received an estimate and paid a deposit about a month ago, and today was the much anticipated day that I would have the lovely lady herself inked eternally on my arm; Teto and all. Due to other "real life" circumstances I couldn't get the job finished today, so for now I simply just have the outline. My next scheduled appointment is just a small bit over a month, to which I will then have the art filled in, with a possible chance of maybe some background work at some point in the future.

The picture itself was actually a watercolor print Miyazaki did for a calendar that showcased the manga back in the 80's, which later received a full content publishing in his Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind: Watercolor Impressions book, a collection of concept sketches, promotional art, and animation cells for both the manga and film adaptation, respectively. It's a lovely hardcover book with an abundance of rarely seen photos and character designs, although Hayao Miyazaki's comments on his own work are often self-deprecating and somewhat un-fulfilled, but such a thing is only a minor deterrent to an otherwise exceptional collection that showcases Hayao Miyazaki's masterful storytelling and spectacular art of the world of Nausicaä. If anything, this is just a brief memo to an immeasurable love letter; one that I shall finish another day-or, when I get my damned tattoo colored in.

Oh, Snatcher is the best game ever.