You can add special effects, use epic-sounding music, control the mood (sad, funny, etc), and basically make a true work of art.

One of my favorite artists is “Raven” - she makes remarkably good AMVs for Avatar. I honestly don’t expect many people beside Charlene and David to appreciate this, but these are pretty cool to watch and they have great music. Hope you like them too. =)

Katara - Mojave / Great focus on character

Avatar - Into the Fire / Good display of character emotions

Avatar - Cells / Epic finale

More of Raven’s videos can be found at her YouTube account:
http://www.youtube.com/user/ravenhpltc242.

The “mecha” genre in anime has long been a criticized one.

It’s not because giant robots are impractical or childish (as if anime ever obeyed realistic physics), but because they usually follow a rehashed formula… child finds giant robot, discovers he has some hidden power inside him, meets terrifying enemy (aliens, military, etc), and becomes a better fighter using his mecha until he single-handedly defeats said enemy.

And in this overdone genre, Eureka Seven stands out. Why? Because it tries to be different. That’s not to say it doesn’t contain elements from its genre roots… yes, there’s a mecha, and yes there’s a child with some overpowered abilities… but Eureka Seven goes far beyond that. This isn’t a plot of “travel from point A to B” or “go from zero to hero” – it’s a tale of a boy who needs more from life, who needs to know what he’s supposed to do in this world, and mainly how everyday events keep changing not just him but the people around him. From dealing with his first serious crush, to deciding whether it’s alright to kill an army through a weapon of mass-destruction, Eureka Seven wants to flesh out its characters and story far beyond the typical mecha show.

However, just having a grand scope isn’t enough to make a good show.  Fleshing out your characters isn’t worth it if they aren’t likable, and fleshing out your story isn’t worthwhile if it becomes too complicated or confusing. *cough EVANGELION cough* It’s not enough to have a strong idea for a foundation if its parts aren’t put together well. So let’s just find out for ourselves how entertaining this modern mecha is, and whether it will be as memorable as it promises or not…

~ Synopsis

Renton Thorston is a 14-year-old boy with an uncommon passion for “reffing”, a fantastical type of air surfing that involves riding transparent light particles through the sky. But to Renton, his love for reffing is more than just a hobby — it’s the only way to escape the oppressive boredom of his life in Bellforest, where he lives alone with his mechanic grandfather.

His life takes a turn when a hulking mech called Nirvash crashes into his house one day and he meets the mysterious young girl Eureka, a fellow reffer who seeks Renton’s help in getting her machine back off the ground. When the military gets involved and attempts to attack them, Renton is invited to join Gekkostate - a rebel group of reffers that is against the military. However, he soon realizes that behind the facade of a traveling group of carefree rebels is a very dark reality.

As Renton travels with Gekkostate, he watches them take on missions as hired-guns or be targeted themselves by other forces. He also slowly grows closer to its members and starts to learn the grim history of why they left the military. As conflicts escalate and secrets become known, He, Eureka, and his friends will be facing hard choices that will greatly affect each other, if not the entire world.

~ Thoughts and Impressions

After watching the two full seasons of Eureka Seven, I can safely say that this is one of the best examples of anime storytelling. The story starts off simple enough, but it unfolds and develops piece-by-piece so that almost every episode is interesting. Considering its complex story, this show could easily have been a confusing convoluted anime. But thankfully it handles the execution fairly well (except for one episode that I’ll discuss later).

You may have noticed I said “almost every episode is interesting”. Well Eureka Seven has both pros and cons. I believe its high-points ultimately make it a recommended watch. And although its complex nature and slowly-developed plot may put off some audiences, most viewers will find a remarkably good tale in this.

But now we’ve come to the only serious problem with this 50-episode series… it has a very slow beginning, and a rushed ending.

The beginning, though gorgeous to look at, was so average (and in one particular episode, stupid) that I actually dropped it at episode 8. After reading a review from another anime blog, I discovered that Eureka Seven starts taking a different direction by episode 9. Ironic. I picked it up again, and sure enough, the first 8 episodes were no representation of the awesomeness that was the rest of the series. So a warning… it’s not a terrible opening arc… but it is average and can feel slow. Once you get past that misleading opening, you’ll discover a very special tale.

And then there’s the ending. It was definitely a great wrap-up to the show, but it was far FAR too rushed. They had so much important conversation in the first 20 seconds alone that I had to pause, rewind, play the conversation again, and think about what I just heard. Once it made sense (and it did, seems I just think slower than characters can talk) I kept playing. And when the finale completely ended, I had to take another 20 seconds to think about what I just saw. And then it all made sense and I felt satisfied about the conclusion.

It was as if the writers were making their episodes happily, and then someone told them “You have one more episode left in the series”, and in a surprised frenzy they tried to conclude all the stories as fast and effectively as they could in that one episode. Again, they succeeded in wrapping it up well, but I honestly feel that adding another 2 to 6 episodes was in order.

The ending also left a few minor questions up in the air… what is the Despair virus and why did its victims act that way during the exodus? What is the Amita drive? In fact, what is a Compaq drive? What is that book Holland and Novak are frequently reading with the woman on the cover?

Again, these are all really minor questions that are not essential to the plot. Just about every other major detail was concluded thoughtfully. However, I have to deduct some points for story. These were some glaring flaws that could’ve been easily avoided.

I’m really surprised at how many reviewers on the internet didn’t understand the ending at all. Perhaps they didn’t take the time to rewind and think like my brother and I did. Regardless, in the hopes of helping those people, I’ll post an epic spoiler-filled summary at a later date.

You may have noticed I just wrote 7 paragraphs of negative talk for this show. Despite its faults with pacing, I actually loved Eureka Seven. Remember that the flawed beginning and rushed ending make up only a fraction of the episode count. Just about every single episode had something interesting to say, and though it wasn’t always epic or superb, it was storytelling just done right.

Also, entertainment isn’t just about plot! If that was the case, nobody would’ve watched Pirates of the Caribbean or Transformers (they’re not well written, but they’re fun!). Thankfully, all the other good points of Eureka Seven work together nicely.

One aspect I noticed is that most of the show’s characters are likeable, or at least very interesting. I’ll go over the list of characters briefly later.

It was also interesting to me that Eureka Seven had outright great character development. All the main characters end up as completely different people from when they started out. And it’s not because some calamity or huge defining event changes them suddenly… like real life, the challenges and choices of each day is what shapes them. Each one asks the hard questions and wonders what kind of person he/she really wants to be. What do they really want from life? Basically, I wasn’t given a standard lesson of “determination” or “we learned the value of friendship” – it was nice, if not inspiring, to see characters that can actually mature.

The animation is also very well done. There wasn’t a single episode that seemed to be lacking in quality. Every scene was detailed, smooth, and well colored. That includes the fight scenes. Granted, it wasn’t superb enough to stand out from the crowd, but the art in this show did the job well.

~ Characters

Renton starts off in this series as a child who doesn’t know what he really wants to do.  His blatant weaknesses and childish thinking made it difficult for me to even like him… at first.  The events of every day slowly shape him from a boy into a caring young man. By the second half of the show, I ended up rather liking him and was eagerly rooting for him in his adventures.

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Eureka is the name of a nearly emotionless girl who fights for her friends and beliefs. She starts off as a very mysterious character… unknown past, she “talks” with machinery, and has a remarkable knack for fighting using Nirvash. She basically seems like one very cool girl. And sure enough, from the moment the series begins to when it ends, she is the shining star of this series. As she deals with people more and more (and every emotion that comes with that), she does have a rough time adapting to it all, but she’s usually willing to learn from her mistakes and move forward.

Holland, the leader of Gekkostate, was a very interesting but confused character. At first I couldn’t figure him out. What he was aiming for. What he wanted. Eventually, I realized… he didn’t know what he really wanted either. As the series progresses and he is bottlenecked into some hard choices, I really started to appreciate him as a character and as a strong leader.

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Even dear Talho grew on me. A fellow Gekkostate member, she starts off as a bit of a jerk towards Renton, and seems to nag on Holland often. Then I realized she pays so much attention to Renton because he’s one of the few people that pays attention to her. And she’s bothered by Holland so much because he’s always taking the hard road and demands he shoulder it alone. He basically tortures himself and he doesn’t have to, and it frustrates her that the one she cares about most is taking the hard way to learn such basic life lessons.

The other members of the Gekkostate crew were all special and memorable in some way. There’s too many to list, but these wacky characters added even more life to the show. They bring a huge (and sometimes funny) variety of personalities and visual designs.

The only members of the cast that I disliked were Eureka’s children. They started off as self-centered brats - and normally I can forgive that, you run into such kids in life - but these three got way too much screentime! Eventually they become more considerate of others, but considering how little they affected the story, they struck me as more of a distracting annoyance than anything. Thankfully, the large (more interesting) cast steals just as much screentime to give this show’s “characters” section a very good rating.

I’m not listing the “villain” characters here to avoid some major spoilers. However, all left a favorable impression on me (most were not cliché), and I won’t ever forget them.

~ Conclusion

Eureka Seven is a unique adventure story that is definitely worth watching. However, it stumbles in its beginning and ending with pacing issues. If you’re willing to overlook that, you’ll discover this is a rare gem of a show.

Storyline: 8 – Very Good
Characters: 8 – Very Good
Animation: 8 – Very Good

Enjoyment Rating: 8 / 10 Stars (Very Good)

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Watch a short clip of the Eureka Seven opening below:

~ Recommended Audience

Appropriate for the 16-up crowd for bloody violence and some nudity.

Violence: The show takes place during a period of military uprising and frequent conflict, so there is going to be occasional fighting. And a few battles do have blood spilling, though it’s never gratuitous; it’s mainly to remind us that the realism of war is not all pretty explosions. The most graphic scene is a bloody dismembered arm falling off a mecha. But if you can handle that, it doesn’t get any worse.

Language: There is some cursing issues (after all, almost the entire cast is military or ex-military). Unfortunately, I can’t recall how strong the language was, but it was never excessively spoken.

Sexual Content: With the exception of Talho flaunting her too-short tank top for attention and a couple moments of mild innuendo, there is no sexual content in this show.

Nudity: One completely unnecessary spa episode has rear nudity. There are two or three scenes in the entire series with frontal nudity, though they are completely undetailed (like a Barbie doll). Also, one of the books in this show (the one not explained in the rushed ending) has a cover with a detailed naked woman on the front; thankfully, these scenes go by fairly quickly.

Religious Material: There is an alternate religion in this show, though it’s peaceful for the most part and frequently persecuted. Unless you consider the existence of another religion offensive, there’s nothing in this section to worry about.

~ Show Details

Episode Count: 50
Version Reviewed: Subtitled by Nanashi and Bizarro-Nanashi
Aired: 2005-04-17 to 2006-04-02
Genre: Mecha / Adventure
Studio: BONES
Other Reviews: AniDB - Anime Academy - Anime Nfo - Anime Source - Meta Anime - MyAnimeList - Star Crossed - vissiOne

Top wallpaper from theAnimeGallery.com; This wallpaper from Ningen.Nattoli.net

And the question came, do I have to? Since I already spent prayer and study time earlier? I know God isn’t bothered by our usual entertainment time; it’s the condition of our heart that matters. So what’s a good balance between time with the Lord, and everything else?

Then I thought… Heck with it. I want to spend some time with God. =) I want to love Him more than anything else. So I started praying. And almost immediately, I could feel His presence in the room and this sensation of… He loves me and wants me to know it. I thought, this is what it feels like, to feel loved. And I started thinking about the words in this song by Dennis Jernigan, so I played it… and afterwards, decided to blog on it…

Please press the Play button below and hear it for yourself. Just listen to the words, don’t even finish reading until it’s finished. The song is simple, but Holy Spirit inspired:

Sometimes we approach life and perceive God as a set of rules we must abide by, in order to live a full and blessed life. But that’s not what our connection to God is about. It’s not what we were made for. We were made for something much more personal.

And as I listen to this song, I’m reminded… my Father loves me. I can feel loved. He’s actually interested in me… me, as an individual. I’ve seen his favor and forgiveness countless times. And it wasn’t because I earned it, it was because He outright loved me as I am.

It’s such a basic lesson, I know. But sometimes it’s nice to be reminded of the basics. It’s all about love. It’s all about God’s love. And in this daily life… where it feels like I’m not enough, or one slip-up or breaking of the rules and it could all topple over (though that’s a deception)… it’s a comforting thought that I’m loved that much. I don’t live to follow the rules or have a good life. I live this road because I love God, and He loved me first.

Three days ago, I woke up at 9 o’clock sharp with a song verse in my head. I had heard this song at church once before… it was The New Breed by Vincent Vera… and this particular verse had stood out for me… and normally it was going to be all but forgotten from my mind over the next few days. But not this time.

I immediately started up the internet, looked up this song, and listened carefully to the words. Thinking back, I just felt strongly led to do it, there was no regular explanation for why I looked it up with such urgency. And then the word’s came, and I could feel the Holy Spirit asking me “how long…”

And now all that I see is a field that needs mowin’
An alley to clean and some people worth knowin’
And buying into all the world’s indigestion
Is wasted on me, for I’ve only one question
How long are you planning on saving yourself
‘Til you finally move on to somebody else
And deliver yourself from your spiritual greed
For to gather the spoils of nations….

When we rise as the new breed….

Perhaps this song won’t have quite the same impact on others as it did on me. But as with most people… the folks who meet me, at first glance, probably have no idea what turmoil rages inside my heart. How conflicted I feel at times, my soul torn in two directions. I want to do one thing, yet another part of me pulls the other way. I’ve always believed that the Lord God’s side would ultimately win, that it’s inevitable that His plan for my life will prevail. Yet I kept putting it off– wanting to enjoy my life as I see fit (though I hate myself for it) and not face the hardships His narrow path would bring me– almost like I’m waiting for him to wave a wand and all selfish problems go away. Or most likely, I was just waiting for him to break me and make me cry, straighten me out. No struggles on my part me if he does the changing that fast.

But no… He won’t hear of it. Instead He gives me Choice. He shows me both roads; reminds me how depressing the fleshly one is and how much I hate it, and that putting trust in His path always seems to make me happy and refreshed. He beckons me but won’t “fix me” right away.

And then that morning, he tells me “How long are you planning on saving yourself… until you finally move on to somebody else…”. How long am I planning on living for myself? How long until I live for others and love/bless as I actually really love to do? He tells me “How long are you planning on making Me wait?”.

When I think about it, I don’t really want to be broken. Mankind’s nature is like a young child: it can certainly listen but it can certainly turn stubborn, and the only thing that will get through to it in those times is discipline and some sort of pain. Whether it’s a slap or being grounded, we finally get the message and want to straighten out. But after everything I’ve been through… after seeing my Dad pass away and an adult level of pain… do I really want more? Do I want to find out what a slap from God feels like?

As Paul wrote, God forbid.

In fact, I know that God doesn’t even want that. He’s the perfect father, and no good father enjoys disciplining his children. He is, praise Him, very patient. Read the book of Jeremiah and the other biblical prophets to understand just how patient He is.

What I really want… no, that’s poor wording; it’s not a want or even close to everyday desires/lusts… what my heart really desires… what the deep part of me is really thirsty for… is life. A full life, a great life. And I want it to be orchestrated by God, because I believe His best for me is better than anything I could plan out. Because I have tried the world’s ways– my own ways– and they are not life. I’m finally understanding why the Bible calls this “death”. My everyday life feels: asleep.

So when I go to church on Sunday morning and praise and worship… and I feel more alive and joyful than ever… why is that? One moment has God in it, the rest does not. Having seen God do amazing things in my family and friend’s lives; having seen him refresh me and sooth me like nothing else does; having seen the wonderful works of God and loving it vs the sleepy works of myself… perhaps it’s time for me to change, and starting living for my Father. Because I just love Him.

What about that terribly loud voice that says “Stay away from all that… it’s not fun”? I’ve listened to it for over 9 years now. I don’t really want to listen to it anymore. I remember where it led me. And I know where God’s leading me. And I know I love Him, and He loved me first. He’s been there for me even when I haven’t been there for Him. So… you make a good point Lord… what am I waiting for?

I agree. Goodbye self, goodbye Satan, goodbye world and your conflicting ways. It’s been fun- in every sense of the word- but I have found somebody else. I’ve found somebody with life and joy, my heart’s desire, a love to fill my dying soul. And though you may try to scream at me, I am rather tired of your face and voice- I hate it, actually- I love my Father and will seek His face out with all my seeking- I choose Living Water. I choose a new life with Him.

Matthew 16:24  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Matthew 16:25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

Lord, I’m sorry I’ve been gone. Will you build me up again? I’m tired of saving myself, and so I give my life up. I’m putting all the cards on the table, entrusting everything to you. Abba, Father, I trust you.

And so I find great laughs when some wise-guy takes an opening (which probably took the creators’ hours of painstaking thought to make) and quickly animates it in a spoof-form. Anime has some of the best examples.

For instance, here’s the original to the show Bleach… WATCH THIS FIRST:

…it doesn’t have a lot of action, but I rather enjoy the music and how well it highlights all the main characters. Now the fan’s “remake”:

Only fans will understand my next few comments on this… but HAHAHAHA! Poor Rukia! And she’s so adorable! Ichigo is nasty, chopping limbs like that… Urahara is as weird as ever… I won’t even comment on Chad’s lips… and Kuchiki Byakua is cute after all!

But you thought that was awkward, no… it gets better:

I don’t have to describe what was wrong with that video. Here is the original intro that it’s based on:

And so on. It’s quite obvious that some of these genius flash-animation programmers have waaaaaay too much time on their hands.

I will stop about here with the silly spoof list before this blog loses all self-respect (I know, too late). Note that you can look up other such funny parodies on YouTube.

But here’s the links to original high-quality openings, enjoy!

Bleach Opening
DeviantArt link

Naruto Spoofs (let them load completely before playing please)
Part #1
Part #2
Part #3

The name: Capsule (though actually spelled with a lowercase C).

I’ve only really heard 2 of their songs so far, but if that’s any indication of their overall style then I look forward to hearing their other singles too.

1. Jumper. You should know that serious electronica is a love-it-or-hate-it thing. And this is electronica through-and-through, so you really have to like the genre to appreciate it. Fortunately, I love it. Ever since a friend suggested some foreign music and a few electronica tracks to me 3 years ago (yes, I’m looking at you Jill! xD), I’ve been hooked on these styles ever since.

“Ankles strapped our secrets slaved march breaking like a fruit just like you leaning bouncing feel the speed of landing stepping jumping jumper”

That line pretty much says the lyrics for the entire 7 minutes of song.

What I notice about it…
* 1) It’s really memorable.
* 2) The beat from 0:50 to 1:18 just feels so off , but its so “out” of place that it feels “in” - am I making any sense? - maybe it’s just been a while since I heard techno with good originality in their beat.
* 3) This music video is the most hypnotizing PV I’ve ever seen, in a good way.

Oh, make sure you play in HQ (High Quality button). And if you’re new to electronica, then like with any new song, I recommend hearing at least 2 minutes of the song before giving up on it.

2. Sugarless Girl. Unlike the former track, this is much “softer” techno. In fact, it’s not even the same genre, this is under the category “technopop”.

The mark of a good pop song? It sticks in your head loooong after the song ended.

Capsule is a Japanese electronic music group, comprised of vocalist Toshiko Koshijima and music producer Yasutaka Nakata. That’s right, 2 people ran this group: the singer/performer, and the music producer.

The music producer Nakata eventually dropped the project, I don’t know the full history yet. However, I quickly noticed that Sugarless Girl has a style that oddly resembles what I’ve heard in his latest technopop group, Perfume. Different voice and way more “serious” feel than Perfume - but the rythem of Nakata hasn’t changed apparently.

No arguments from me! I love Perfume’s style with a passion, and so far I’m enjoying his former project Capsule almost as much.

NOTE: You can read Part 1 of this article by clicking here.

There was a time when Israel (God’s chosen people) was acting like a rebellious child itself. The people basically turned rebellious and proud, so the Lord sent prophet upon prophet to beckon and warn them back, but they would not hear Him. Here’s an interesting piece written by the prophet Ezekiel in that period…

Ezekiel 3:4  And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.

Ezekiel 3:5 For thou [art] not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, [but] to the house of Israel;

Ezekiel 3:6 Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee.

Ezekiel 3:7 But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel [are] impudent and hardhearted.

As most Bible readers know, the Lord soon chastised Israel and broke them for a time. They were conquered by the Babylon empire and its people were literally scattered all across the globe. And though he worked many might deeds during that time (see the books of Daniel, Esther, and others), it wasn’t until many many generations later that the country was reformed.

Now God still hasn’t broken His promise with His chosen people Israel (seriously, this country from B.C. times is still alive? Don’t tell me no one’s watching out for them!), but he’s also chosen a second people: the Christian church, under Jesus Christ.

So what’s the relevance of Israel and the old warnings that God sent through the prophets? Because much of His church today is repeating Israel’s mistakes. They are so distracted by the immediate cares of this life that they lose sight of God and His kingdom. And as he sent watchmen to warn His children back then (the prophets), so history is repeating today.

I see His children walking in pride and thinking they’re perfect / in need of nothing, I see them walking in depression because they’re so focused on their inwards feelings (and on deceiving words that weren’t from God), and especially I see people that don’t take God seriously because they don’t think God’s coming soon anyway. Few really expect Him and even fewer are truly prepared.

I see Christians that are so focused on the everyday life—work, family, entertainment, etc—that they put off spending time with God and practically forget Him as part of their lives. Now that might not sound as bad as… say… a willful backslider, but truthfully, the result’s the same… they get so caught up in the immediate senses that they lose sight of their Lord, lose sight of what really matters.

All in all, God’s message to Ezekiel about ministering to the Old Testament church also applies to us about ministering in the New Testament one. The Lord asks us to be there for His hurting children, and not just ready ourselves or unbelievers. Many in the present day church are needy and hurting, and they need His watching people—children of God—to minister to them as well. They need someone to tell them how to prepare for the Lord’s arrival, and how to enjoy the everyday life of watching and living for the Lord to the fullest.

Keep in mind that “ministering” doesn’t always mean to preach by word, it also means to preach by example. It means to serve and love, whether in deed or word, so others can see the shining light of Jesus in you. In a blind world of darkness, you shine His light.

May the Lord give us the wisdom and direction to do so in every opportunity He gives us.

Ezekiel 3:8 Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads.

Ezekiel 3:9 As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they [be] a rebellious house.

Surely, not every person we minister to will happily receive us. In fact, it’s a sure thing that some people will be offended at what you say or stand for. And so the Lord encourages us time and time again in the Bible with this lesson… fear not, believe only (Luke 8:50). Neither be dismayed. Whether we walk in the calm or a storm, whether people accept us or reject us, we don’t have to worry! This is after all for His glory (as we sometimes forget that life isn’t all about us), this is by His design. The Lord tells us these hardships in advanced to… not discourage … but to prepare you, that you may be encouraged and know that you’ll have an expected end (Jeremiah 29:11). This is called WALKING IN FAITH, where even though you’re not in control, you literally trust everything to Jesus.

So never be offended or discouraged at that like they’ve personally rejected you; the Bible says it’s because they wouldn’t hear Him first (John 15:18, 24-25)! But according to His Word, God has made us (His children) strong so we can go out and successfully do His good will (glory to Him for that, for we have little strength ourselves).  And what God says always happens. He never gives us a task that is impossible for us. Therefore, even though we’re not able to save anyone by our own power, He can cultivate the seed from even the smallest ministering and He’ll take it the rest of the way.

The subject of preparing ourselves for the Lord’s return, everyday ministering, and walking in faith, are all very interesting topics with lots of Biblical foundation that can be seriously enlightening, and I suggest you study them with the Lord further so you can live the watchman’s life to the fullest. For the purpose of this blog post though (I believe I’m at 5 pages already), I won’t be delving into that.

In summary, this study’s purpose was to learn more about the assignment from our Lord about being a good watchman, that we (being newly adopted children) should not only keep ourselves ready for His arrival, but minister to His other children around us (unbeliever or otherwise) that they may be prepared too.

Ezekiel 3:10 Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears.

Ezekiel 3:17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

Lord, may we not only hear your word with our ears, but truly receive it in our hearts too. As you appointed us to be watchmen, we pray that you guide our thoughts, words, and actions everyday, so that we may be personally prepared to meet you, that we may warn and minister to the unsaved world for your arrival, and that we may warn and minister to the needful sheep that you may guide them into your rest.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

To think the Lord actually gives such creativity and talent out like this is wonderful to see. I’m surprised that so few people have heard about Sand Art before, though there’s a lot of other videos on YouTube if you look for it.

This particular video was sent from Mom to my inbox, thanks for the find!

The Secret to Learning Japanese! Amazing!

Learn Japanese from anime in 5 minutes

He’s 1/4 Japanese, 1/8 Korean, 1/8 Filipino, 1/4 Dutch, 1/4 Irish (with Chinese and Hawaiian in there somewhere). Lives in Portland, Oregon, and started learning Japanese from High School because he wanted to connect more with his heritage.

While his videos are great, there’s a totally unrelated humorous paper that I stumbled upon with it. It’s a joke to a large extent (I’m sure there’s some truth behind it though). I just found some of it hilarious and wanted to share for the sake of your amusement…

SO YOU WANT TO LEARN JAPANESE?

So you head down to the library, pick up some books with titles like “How To Teach Yourself Japanese In Just 5 Seconds A Day While Driving Your Car To And From The Post Office”. Hey, you already know a few words from your manga collection/anime. Excited and impressed with your new knowledge, you begin to think:  “Hey. Maybe, just maybe, i could do this for a living! Or even major in Japanese!” Great Idea, Right?

WRONG!

I don’t care how many anime shows you’ve watched, or books you’ve read, You don’t know Japanese. Not only that, majoring in the godforsaken language is NOT fun or even remotely sensible. Iraqi war prisoners are often forced to major in Japanese. The term “Holocaust” comes from the Latin roots “Holi” and “Causm”, meaning “to major in Japanese”. You get the idea.

This should be an obvious.
Despite what many language books, friends, or online tutorials may have told you, Japanese is NOT simple, easy, or even sensical (Japanese vocabulary is determined by throwing tiny pieces of sushi at a dart board with several random syllables attached to it). The Japanese spread rumors to draw foolish Gaijin(foreigners) into their clutches.
Not only is it not simple, it’s probably one of the hardest languages you could ever want to learn. With THREE completely different written languages (none of which make sense), multitude of useless, confusing politeness levels, and absolutely insane grammatical structure, Japanese has been crushing the souls of the pathetic Gaijin since it’s conception. Let’s go over some of these elements mentioned above so you can get a better idea of what I mean.

The Japanese Writing System

The Japanese writing system is broken down into three separate, complete, and insane, parts: Hiragana (”those squiggly letters”), Katakana (”those boxy letters”) and Kanji (”roughly 4 million embodiments of your worst nightmares”).The combination of thousands of Chinese characters, each with at least two and sometimes as many as thirty pronunciations, two syllabaries that combine in a variety of complex ways with the Chinese characters, and the occasional use of the Roman alphabet (just because things weren’t already messy enough), makes for an orthographic calamity.

Hiragana is used to spell out Japanese words using syllables. It consists of many letters, all of which look completely different and bear absolutely no resemblance to each other whatsoever. The prince who invented these characters, Yorimushi was promptly bludgeoned to death. But don’t worry, because you’ll hardly use Hiragana in “real life”.

Katakana are used only to spell out foreign words in a thick, crippling Japanese accent, so that you’ll have no idea what you’re saying even though it’s in English. However, if you remember one simple rule for Katakana, you’ll find reading Japanese much easier: Whenever something is written in Katakana, it’s an English word! (note: Katakana is also used for non-English foreign words. And sound effects, and Japanese words). Katakana all look exactly the same, and it’s impossible, even for Japanese people, to tell them apart. No need to worry, because you’ll hardly ever have to read Katakana in “real life”.

Kanji are letters that were stolen from China. Every time the Japanese invaded China (which was very often) they’d just take a few more letters, so now they have an estimated 400 gazillion of them. Kanji each consists of several “strokes”, which must be written in a specific order, and convey a specific meaning, like “horse”, or “girl”. Not only that, but Kanji can combined to form new words. For example, if you combine the Kanji for “small”, and “woman”, you get the word “carburetor”. Kanji also have different pronunciations depending on where they are in the word, how old you are, and what day it is. When European settlers first came upon Japan, the Japanese scholars suggested that Europe adopt the Japanese written language as a “universal” language understood by all parties. This was the cause of World War 2 several years later. Don’t worry, however, since you’ll never have to use kanji in “real life”, since most Japanese gave up on reading a long, long time ago, and now spend most of their time playing Pokemon.

Politeness Levels

Politeness Levels have their root in an ancient Japanese tradition of absolute obedience and conformity, a social caste system, and complete respect for arbitrary heirarchical authority, which many American companies believe will be very helpful when applied as managerial techniques. They’re right, of course, but no one is very happy about it.

Depending on who you are speaking to your politeness level will be very different. Politeness depends on many things, such as age of the speaker, age of the person being spoken to, time of day, zodiac sign, blood type, sex, whether they are Grass or Rock Pokemon type, color of pants, and so on. For an example of Politness Levels in action, see the example below.

Japanese Teacher: Good morning, Harry.
Harry: Good Morning.
Japanese Classmates: (gasps of horror and shock)

The bottom line is that Politeness Levels are completely beyond your understanding, so don’t even try. Just resign yourself to talking like a little girl for the rest of your life and hope to God that no one beats you up.

Grammatical Structure

The Japanese have what could be called an “interesting” grammatical structure, but could also be called “confusing”, “random”, “bogus” or “evil”. To truly understand this, let’s examine the differences between Japanese and English grammar.

English Sentence:
Nate went to the school.

Same Sentence In Japanese:
School Nate To Went

Japanese grammar is not for the faint of heart or weak of mind. What’s more, the Japanese also do not have any words for “me”, “them”, “him, or “her” that anyone could use without being incredibly insulting (the Japanese word for “you”, for example). Because of this, the sentence “He just killed her!” and “I just killed her!” sound exactly the same, meaning that most people in Japan have no idea what is going on around them at any given moment. You are supposed to figure these things out from the “context”, which is a German word meaning “you’re screwed”.

As if learning the language wasn’t hard enough, Japanese classes in America tend to attract the kind of student who makes you wish that a large comet would strike the earth. There are a few basic type of students that you’ll always find yourself running into. These include The Anime Freak, The Know It All, and the Deer Caught In Headlights.

The Anime Freak is probably the most common, and one of the most annoying. You can usually spot a few warning signs to let you identify them before it’s too late: they wear the same exact Evangelion shirt every day, they have more than one anime key chain on their person, they wear glasses, they say phrases in Japanese that they obviously don’t understand (such as “Yes! I will never forgive you!”), they refer to you as “-chan”, make obscure Japanese culture references during class, and usually fail class. You have to be extremely careful not to let them smell pity or fear on you, because if they do they will immeadiately latch onto you and suck up both your time and patience, leaving only a lifeless husk. Desperate for human companionship, they will invite you to club meetings, anime showings, conventions, and all other sorts of various things you don’t care about.

The Know It All typically has a Japanese girlfriend or boyfriend, and because of this “inside source” on Japanese culture, has suddenly become an academic expert on all things Japanese, without ever having read a single book on Japan in their entire lives. You can usually spot Know It All’s by keeping an eye out for these warning signs: a cocky smile, answering more than their share of questions, getting most questions wrong, questioning the teacher on various subjects and then arguing about the answers (a typical exchange:  Student: What does “ohayoo” mean?, Teacher: It means “good morning”,  Student: That’s not what my girlfriend said…), being wrong, talking a lot about Japanese food and being wrong, giving long, unnecessarily detailed answers which are wrong, and failing class.

The Deer Caught In headlights are those students who took Japanese because either a.) they thought it sounded like fun, b.) they thought it would be easy, or c.) they just need a couple more credits to graduate. These students wear a mask of terror and panic from the moment they walk into class till the moment they leave, because all they can hear inside their head is the high pitched scream their future is making as it is flushed down the toilet. They are usually failing.

Although many of Japanese-language students are smart, funny, hard working people, none of them will be in your class. If you can get past the difficulty, society, and classmates, you will probably find Japanese to be a fun, rewarding language to learn. We wouldn’t know, however, since no one has ever gotten that far. But hey, I’m sure you’re different.

Original Author’s Note:

This whole essay, although sprinkled with truisms here and there, is a joke and should be taken like one. I’m actually a Japanese major myself, and even if I’ve given it a bit of a hard time, I love the Japanese language, and I think everyone should give it a try. You should just be ready for a whole lot of pain.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is probably best described as an experimental anime. It is downright unpredictable and tries to fit in the comedy genre using that. If you’re not one to enjoy randomness in your stories then feel free to skip this anime, it’s simply not the comedy style for you; but for me who loves the randomness of life and can really laugh at that… this show caught my attention from episode 1.

It doesn’t nicely fit into any one genre, with comedic moments, musical moments, drama moments, action moments, mystery moments, and slice-of-life moments; in fact, this show is most simply described as… yes… “random”. It has become extremely popular in the anime industry to the point where some would call it an iconic classic. Whether it’s the all-perfect example of anime that it’s portrayed as, or simply overhyped, I was never looking to figure out. I find it difficult to be content with a show or anything if I have strange expectations for it. Let’s just see for ourselves what Haruhi is all about, and how much we’ll enjoy an experimental sci-fi comedy adventure…

~ Synopsis

Once upon a time, Kyon wanted to believe that aliens, time travelers, and espers were real. By the time he graduated from middle school, he realized these things were only to be found on television, and not in the realm of reality. So Kyon was fully prepared to live a normal, uneventful high school life … until the first day of school, when she came into his world.

Her name was Haruhi Suzumiya, who upon enrollment at school announced, “I have no interest in ordinary humans. If there are any aliens, beings from the future, or super-humans, come see me. That is all!”

Of course, nothing of the sort really exists, but Kyon made the mistake of humoring her - and became the first underling in her new club on campus, the SOS Brigade, devoted to discovering aliens, espers, and time travelers, and investigating every strange mystery that Haruhi can find.

NOTE: Esper means “ESPer” or one with ExtraSensory Perception. Basically an individual capable of telepathy and other paranormal abilities.

~ Thoughts and Impressions

Despite the title, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is anything but melancholic. Though it follows a very simple sci-fi idea, the storytelling is presented in such an unpredictable way that I can’t help but smile and laugh at its delightful strangeness.

First of all, I have to discuss the episode order. When Haruhi was first released on TV, the episode order was not arranged chronologically; the episodes were mixed up to add a more comedic and memorable presentation. When it was later released on DVD, the publishers rearranged the episodes into chronological order (unless you buy its more expensive Special Limited Edition).

I believe deviating from the creator’s original order was a bad choice. The final 3 episodes in the broadcast order *felt* like a good wrap-up to the show, while the chronological DVD order ends with “that’s it? You show all the mystery and character development early on, and stopped on the only slow episode with no plot at all?”

Also, the original broadcast order added some confusing “What the heck?” moments that really made me laugh. Showing full-blown flashbacks or lengthy discussions for episodes that haven’t even played yet … what the heck, who does that??? I’d like to give some examples, but that’s difficult without spoiling plot points; let’s just say I never knew a baseball game with Haruhi would determinate the fate of the world like that, and I had to laugh as they tried to save humanity via sports and I had no clue what was going on until the end.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not chaotic or unintelligibly silly, but it effectively tells that following the life of Haruhi will be organized chaos at best.

The first episode alone is very unusual (seriously, can someone explain to me what was up with that cat??) and it’s not until the second episode that you’ll even see the actual show opening and some actual plot. It’s a rather fun introduction though, in its over-the-top lame way, I rather enjoyed it. xD

Moving onto the story… looking back, it’s actually a remarkable simple tale. Almost too simple. It will probably disappoint anyone who needs a thoughtful plot or expects a lot from Haruhi with its high ratings. I finally understand why it’s so famous though. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is all about the characters and character interaction, as in most comedies. It doesn’t try to be exceptional in any category though, even comedy, It simply wants to present unique characters in a funny way that’s never been seen before. Something you’ll always remember and smile about. And for the most part, I believe it succeeds.

The story follows the activities of Kyon as he follows (willing or not!) the activities of Haruhi, as she seeks to experience a sci-fi adventure here on Earth. Eventually she forms the SOS Brigade, and dragging Kyon and a few other friends along, starts to investigate every paranormal or bizarre mystery she can find. It’s not all about supernatural moments though… in between investigations, there’s a lot of normal casual routine that she has to oversee too… club advertising (like making a feature film or running a sporting event), “acquiring” computer equipment for the clubroom (via gambling in an intensive video game battle), preparing for the annual school festival, etc. I was surprised to see some character development towards the end of the show. Some. But again, despite being devoid of serious plot and all those things that usually make up a “good” TV show, the characters here are just plain fun to get to know and watch.

I should also point out that the animation for this show is exceptionally good. This came from Kyoto Animation studios, which made the gorgeous shows Air (which I refuse to watch) and Kanon 2006 (which I sincerely enjoyed), so I’m not surprised. Every scene is crisp and clear, animation is perfectly smooth, vibrant colors, great backgrounds, the locations are actually alive with people and things moving… Haruhi is a fine example of anime production done right.

~ The Characters

Haruhi Suzumiya herself – well, you’ve probably already gotten an idea of what she’s like. Bored, unpredictable, bossy. But she doesn’t come off as a spoiled brat, but as someone who wants to find something bigger and more exciting in life and has the determination to get it. She might not care what people think about her but she’s never heartless or unsympathetic. Despite all that, I won’t lie, she is a little mean. But there’s still a lot more to this cast than Haruhi…

Kyon is the official narrator of this show and is very quick witted, very thoughtful, very sarcastic.  He might complain about how much Haruhi demands of him, but he really enjoys the randomness of the club and goes out of his way to help everyone there when something’s needed. But dang he can have a sharp tongue! I never saw so much ‘casual complaining’ in my life. Put him together in a room with Haruhi, no wonder randomness happens.

But these two aren’t the only main characters of the show. In fact, I’d say the next three characters contribute just as much laughs and story. Behold!

Mikuru Asahina is the blushing maid of the series. I never thought I’d write those words in my life, and I should probably stop right there to be safe. xD But suffice it to say she plays an over-the-top cute character who somehow gets involved in Haruhi’s plots.

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Itsuki Koizumi is the porter boy. That is, whatever Haruhi says, it’s “Yes Ma’am!” or “That was genius Ma’am!”, he’s quite the kiss-up. Nevertheless, he’s extremely intelligent, and combined with the constant smile on his face, he always looks like he’s secretly planning something. By the end, I loved his unique personality as much as the others. Well almost.

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Yuki Nagato is truthfully the one I loved the most. That’s not saying that the other 4 characters are awful, I enjoyed watching their stories very much, but it was Nagato that really caught my attention. She plays a geek… a constantly reading-a-book and wears-glasses geek. A very cool mysterious geek. Her face is typically emotionless (almost to the point of being scary), but she’s a great programmer, a great fighter, always watchful and seems to know more than she should, and she’s always there to help her friends.

And there we have the SOS Brigade member roster: the President, the Complainer, the Maid, the Porter, and the Geek.

What will happen when these 5 meet and investigate for the club? You seriously should consider watching this and find out.

The SOS Brigade

~ Conclusion

All in all, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya does an excellent job of portraying the random everyday life of the SOS Brigade in a charmingly strange and very funny way. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys comedy or sci-fi (or both!).

Storyline: 6 – Above Average
Characters: 8 – Very Good
Animation: 10 – Nearly Perfect

Enjoyment Rating: 8 / 10 Stars (Very Good)

~ Recommended Audience

Appropriate for about the 16-up crowd for its many suggestive “fanservice” moments and a scene of bloody violence.

Violence: While normally set in the peaceful (sort of) high school setting, a few scenes can quickly turn into all-out serious battles. In particular, there’s a rather bloody impaling of a person, though it’s not gratuitously graphic or traumatic.

Language: The usual mild language one finds in anime, though I hate to admit almost all TV shows suffer from that. Also some mild innuendo.

Sexual Content: Quite a few ‘suggestive’ moments. Haruhi is quite aware of the power of ‘sex appeal’ and is not afraid to use it in choosing clothes. And as they say in CAA’s review, Kyon is a healthy teenaged male and not afraid to comment on what he sees. It’s also a little disturbing how one character is outright groped or repeatedly pressured to strip down and dress up in suggestive outfits.

Nudity: Shown skin never goes past the bikini zone, though the show “threatens” nudity on several occasions, only to block the view at the last second with a conveniently placed prop.

Religious Material: The show does question who created the world and why, and sometimes comes up with very comical theories for an answer. However, this is a comedy, and any ideas given about God are so laughable and unrealistic that I don’t see how any mature viewer would really find it offensive.

~ Show Details

Episode Count: 14
Version Reviewed: Subtitled by a.f.k.
Aired: 2006-04-02 to 2006-06-25
Genre: Comedy / Experimental
Studio: Kyoto Animation
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