Board 8 > Jeff Zero & Leonhart in Different Houses: The Odyssey Continues [JZLF]

(+) Yeah! (+)

okay thankfully everything worked out at work so I am getting ready to head down to Georgia for Thanksgiving

I'm taking my 3DS and Vita with me, so I might finally get back to UDG or I might start the next Layton game. We'll see!
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vita?

what's that?
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some sort of portable PSTV doohickey, I think.
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The Mana Sword posted...

vita?

what's that?

one of the greatest handhelds ever made, right up there with the Game Gear (which I still own but I have no idea if it would actually turn on if I put new batteries in it)
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LeonhartFour posted...

which I still own but I have no idea if it would actually turn on if I put new batteries in it

even if it did turn on, it'd only stay on for like 5 minutes
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what a coincidence

I am about to leave Georgia for Thanksgiving
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Gantz has some incredible things in it, but it's also really offputting in many ways.
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pjbasis posted...

Gantz has some incredible things in it, but it's also really offputting in many ways.

I decided pretty much right away that, even if the main character became a better person or had some sort of redemption arc, I'd still despise him. I mean there were a lot of other problems too but this was the big reason why I gave up so fast.
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Oh, well that's not one of my reasons at all. But that would be a reason for others so I can see that.

I think survival stories are more interesting when it's about characters like that. Hero types are super boring when you want to get across the theme of keeping yourself alive (since they're going to be more concerned about doing the right thing or protecting others).
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The Gantz anime is usually considered a poor adaptation too
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It's also true that I only read it.

I have problems with the artstyle and paneling techniques too.
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Janus5k posted...

what a coincidence

I am about to leave Georgia for Thanksgiving

you and Dante both

I guess Maniac will be leaving too

what a conspiracy
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I signed up for the free trial of Crunchyroll premium for thirty days! Time to enjoy ad-free anime for...

Free Trial Ends:Dec 5, 2017 11:59PM PST

...Uh, for two weeks! This is probably because I joined in the middle of a billing cycle or something. But hey, two weeks is two weeks. I'll take it.

Anyway, I've watched up to episode seven of Toradora! Last time, I wasn't sure if I would grow to love Taiga or hate her. Well, that question has been resoundingly answered with 'love'. Taiga is the absolute best. Ryuji is great too, I'm really liking his clean-freak characterization for some reason. No one should be that excited to clean a public bathroom, and when Taiga attacked the stalker with a garbage can Ryuji sighed and cleaned up the spilled trash instead of just leaving it. That was such a small moment but it was great. Those two play off of each other so well.

My only real complaint is that I don't feel super connected to any of the other characters yet. Minori has had her moments and I appreciate the gimmick of working a bunch of different jobs but mostly she feels like a plot device for Ryuji so far. I'm not sure what the deal with Yusaka is, he responded to that love declaration from Taiga in a way I don't fully understand yet. These last few episodes have been pushing Ami really hard but I'm still not sold on her either. Right now I'm pretty sure Ryuji's mom is my third favorite character! I hope the other characters start coming into their own soon.
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Kitamura's not great. Minori and Ami are great. Ryuji's mom is pretty good, too.

Also, Kitamura knew exactly what Taiga was trying to do, so he obfuscated stupidity and tried to make it seem like he didn't actually understand what she was trying to tell him to spare her feelings. It was essentially rejecting her without rejecting her.
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Oh hey, Apollo Justice is out on 3DS now, and Brian Regan has a new special on Netflix out today!
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Woohoo! Should just buy it now but probably won't get to it till after this weekend.
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LeonhartFour posted...

Also, Kitamura knew exactly what Taiga was trying to do, so he obfuscated stupidity and tried to make it seem like he didn't actually understand what she was trying to tell him to spare her feelings. It was essentially rejecting her without rejecting her.

Yeah, that was what I figured. I guess I just have lingering questions about why he rejected her. Even Ryuji doesn't quite get it. Kitamura liked Taiga before, and he seemed to like actual aspects of her personality (such as her rage) so it wasn't some shallow 'I think you're cute' confession. The safest bet is probably that he saw Taiga/Ryuji as obvious, even if those two haven't realized it yet, but I'll have to wait and see if that's the direction Toradora ultimately goes, I guess!
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Well, there are layers to it.

the way some of the characters act toward Ryuji/Taiga kind of annoys me sometimes though
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i'm not in georgia at all dude
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X_Dante_X posted...

i'm not in georgia at all dude

eh whatever close enough
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Anyway, in Yu Yu Hakusho, Yusuke grieves, the clown dude gives his secret weapons to Kuwabara and Kurama, Sakyo wants to build a demon tunnel, Toguro likes orange juice, Koenma joins the team, and it's finally time for the finals. Looks like it'll be Kurama vs. the masked dude first. Since it takes three victories to win and there are four real competitors, I wonder if they'll make Kuwabara the sacrificial lamb who loses again so all four get to fight.
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Woohoo you finally made it. I'd consider this finals arc to be a bit of milestone for shonen jump, probably the most "classic" hype moments of the series.
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In Fate/Zero, we meet the last of the masters and get introduced to most of the servants. This Rider dude who is clearly Alexander the Great is pretty...well, great. Too bad his master is such a pansy. Assassin apparently fakes his death against Archer/Gilgamesh to help further the plot of Kyon and Edgeworth. Apparently, this Grail War is just open war in the city. I thought it would be set in an arena of some kind, but I guess not! Saber/Distaff King Arthur accepts a duel from Lancer at the end of the episode, although it doesn't show who his master is. I guess it would have to be the worms guy. Looks like we're going to get our first real fight next episode.

I'm not sure what's going on with the mage killer dude when he's using the mother of his child (not sure she's actually his wife?) as a decoy and gallivanting around with some other woman. They tried to make me like him by showing him being kind to his daughter, but now? I dunno, especially since I like the mother quite a bit so far (sorry, it takes me several episodes to get names down when they're all foreign like this). She seems to be okay with it though, but she also seems unerringly loyal and devoted to him. My feelings are rather conflicted.
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Rider is the best

Kiritsugu's (mage killer dude) wife's name is Irisviel (Iri)
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I've finished up to episode thirteen in Toradora now. I don't have anything substantial to say but there were some great moments in these episodes. Everyone else was excited about the beach but Ryuji was excited to clean the beach house! Minori getting a nosebleed while imagining a haunted house was also amazing. The five main characters are interacting with each other a lot more now so the other three have grown on me. That said, Taiga is still the best.
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i'll let you know theres a very big difference in a 6% income tax
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The beach episodes in Toradora are great, yeah.

X_Dante_X posted...

i'll let you know theres a very big difference in a 6% income tax

The sales tax is higher in Tennessee, too.

but yeah one of the annoying things about living in Georgia and working in Tennessee was that they had to take their income tax out of my tax return every year
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LordoftheMorons posted...

Rider is the best

think you mean Kiritsugu
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I don't mean that. I think I made it clear I'm not sure I like him at all.
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you did

edit: "oh"
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yeah I goofed on that one
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The wording in your post seems to suggest that you thought otherwise, but Irisviel is totally complicit in all of this. She knows exactly what Kiritsugu is doing. (Well not like, at a logistical level necessarily, but you know what I mean I hope)
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No, I know she is. I said she seems to be okay with all of this, but I'm not necessarily okay with it.
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Yeah that's fine. I just wasn't sure what you thought was the case.
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Just watched the new Brian Regan Netflix special. That was hilarious.
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In Yu Yu Hakusho, that's why Kurama's the best. They ended the fight with the announcer about to say something and the episode preview promises it'll be SHOCKING, so I'm assuming they'll do one of these dumb things again like before where Yusuke's team gets DQ'd on a technicality to create a false sense of drama while still allowing Kurama to win the fight. Eh, whatever, I guess it's fine.
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That's definitely one of the best endings to a fight in Dark Tournament, yeah.
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In Fate/Zero, Rider continues to be the best. Apparently, these servants aren't supposed to reveal their true names to people, but Rider doesn't care about that stuff. We get to see most of the servants in action. Looks like Lancer's master was that teacher from Rider's master's school who humiliated him, and worm guy is the master of Berserker. We get to see a bunch of flashy moves, and it all ends in essentially a stalemate. I guess it's still too early to be eliminating people yet.
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Rider probably my favorite character from the Fate/ franchise and easily one of my favorite anime characters period. He is so good.

There is competition from one character in Fate/Stay Night admittedly, but if forced to choose a series favorite I'm probably going with Rider at the end of the day.
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They've been playing episodes of Sherlock on BBC America tonight, so I've sort of had them on in the background for the last little while as I've been doing other things. The very first one I caught was the season 2 finale, which seemed like a pretty big episode to jump in on. Oh well, my background in the books made it easy to keep up. Now they're on the very first episode, and they're recreating the battle of wits from The Princess Bride.
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Today, instead of watching more Toradora, I randomly decided to start another anime that'd caught my eye when I was browsing Funimation. I've now watched eight episodes of Sankarea! It's about a guy who likes zombies and a girl who has become a zombie. As of right now it isn't on track to be my new favorite or anything (there are several elements that I find... uncomfortable, to say the least) but I'm enjoying it well enough for the standard anime hijinks. It's certainly better than that awful restaurant one I randomly chose last time. For one thing, I actually plan to finish Sankarea.

The real problem is one I've discovered with Funimation's video player. I prefer subtitles and for some reason they keep turning them off after every ad.
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Yeah, Funimation's player (if you're watching on a computer) isn't great because it reverts to default settings whenever a video starts. Their player is better if you're watching it on an app on your PS4 or something.
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I've heard good stuff about Sankarea
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I don't know what it is, but my teams have been falling apart as soon as I turn the game on the last couple weeks.
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Phew. Finally pulled it off. Hardest part of this Persona 5 Platinum has definitely been clearing that Power Intuition video game.
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BK_Sheikah00 posted...

Phew. Finally pulled it off. Hardest part of this Persona 5 Platinum has definitely been clearing that Power Intuition video game.

The worst.
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Anyway, in Yu Yu Hakusho, Kurama gets DQ'd on a technicality, as expected. Bui turns out to be a pretty hardcore dude whose armor acts as a power inhibitor. Gotta give him props for being able to tank Hiei's dark dragon flame thing, but watching Hiei completely no-sell all of his moves after absorbing the dragon into himself was pretty awesome, too. Seems like next up is Kuwabara against the other Toguro brother, and his sister seems to believe him screwing this up is inevitable. I expect he'll find a way to win because I don't expect them to subject us to something like Koenma vs. Sakyo, but who knows!
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i'll be that person and say it's not as bad as people say. >_>

annoying how precise you have to be with a d-pad but it's even more doable if you have the extra time from the guidebook.

the worst part of every Persona game is the fishing.

The atmosphere going into the finals is pretty great. The mood gets heavy just in time for when the stakes need to be higher.
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The extra time makes it bearable but it's still stupid, especially if you grew up playing fighting games and it doesn't work the way fighting game inputs normally do.

Fishing wasn't that bad in Persona 5 because the game let you cheese it by letting you gradually get the fish close to the bank before trying to catch it, and you don't have to jump through hoops or do any sidequests just to be able to catch it. Either way, it's a lot easier than trying to catch the biggest fish in FFXV, although it's not too bad once you understand how the mechanics work there.
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