https://pandakon.wordpress.com/category/pandakon-2014/
Hey everyone,remember last years Pandakon?
Well Pandakon is an anime conference in Croatia which had its first go last year and it was an instant success.
This year we will have it again,and it will be even bigger.Instead of last years one day,this year it will last 2 days!
Yeah,thats right you heard me right,it's 2 days(two days).
It will be held on the 21.06.2014 and 22.06.2014.
It will be held in the same place as last year,Zagreb,Klub Močvara.On the 21-th it will start at 13:00.And on the 22-th it will start at 14:00.
There will be pop collage.A go workshop.Anime quizzes,projections.A workshop about the lolita culture.A playstation tournament,karaoke,dj party.Also boardgames,a soccer tournament,let's plays,a workshop about Japan,Origami,a fashion review and especially lots of cosplay,calligraphy and MANY MANY more things.
Too bad I am not able to go.But I hope you will because if it is going to be like last year then it is going to be awesome.
Showing posts with label Anime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anime. Show all posts
Friday, 20 June 2014
Wednesday, 25 December 2013
Best anime programmers and hackers...
So since most of the stuff I talk about on this blog are either computer techy things and anime related things this blog post seems like a good idea.Anyhow let's start from the weakest to the strongest ones.I will split them into programmers and security hackers.Also those here are only from the anime I have watched,and the ones I bothered to remember.
18)
Baggis[Madlax]:
Bought a super computer he helped build with his students.Hacked the worlds strongest supercomputer with it and partly succeded.
17)
Yoriko Yunoki[Battle programmer Shirase]:
Got pwned by the 2 bad guys so she had to call for Shirase's help.Still apparently she is a child prodigy security hacker.
16)
Saitou Hideki[Battle programmer Shirase]:
Nothing but a comic relief sidekick to the bad guy.
15)
Ose Rintarou[Battle programmer Shirase]:
The big bad of that anime.He was beaten so hard that dropped him down here.
14)
Kona Furugoori[Robotics;notes]:
She leans more towards a programmer but she has latent potential for security hacking.Her masterpiece was a world popular video game that was used to bring down the big bad.The only reason she was not higher on the list was because her competitors in the anime were just ridiculously too overpowered.However she still managed to leak a video feed behind the big bad's back which was crucial to reunite the good guys.
13)
Friday Monday[Madlax]:
The big bad that outhacked Baggis.Generally he observes the whole world from his worlds strongest supercomputer.
12)
Alice[Kamisama no memochou]:
A security hacker.She is able to hack every camera,bankpretty much whatever possible in the world.In fact she can hack those to such detail that she is able to solve actual crime cases with that information alone.She is also actively trying to supress wars,end the poverty in africa etc...
11)
Mimi[Mnemosyne no musume]:
Her hacking abilities have proven to be very useful.No facility was safe from her.
10)
Katsuyuki Kamiyama[Mnemosyne no musume]:
A developer.Called the modern Von Neumann.Revolutionised computer science.Outsmarted Mimi.
9)
Itaru Hashida[Steins;gate]:
Definitely more a security hacker than a programmer.He did develop drivers for his and his friends inventions but that is probably all.However hacking one of the most secure computer environments in the world?A day of work,for him.Hacking it even further so they could use the Large Hadron Collider,even easier.
8)
Motoko Kusanagi[Ghost in the shell]:
A security hacker.One of her specialties is hacking into other people(as far as I remember,still she was pretty awesome but my memories of her are kind of cloudy).
7)
The laughing man[Ghost in the shell]:
Another security hacker.He does everything Motoko Kusanagi does except he does it twice as good as she does.No wonder she had trouble identifying him.
6)
Masami Eiri[Serial experiments Lain]:
With him the guys that are seriously overpowered start.He is a programmer.He developed the internet protocole version 7.In it he also developed a way to transfer a human soul into the internet.He was the big bad in that anime and could hack people with the blink of an eye.
5)
Lain Iwakura[Serial experiments Lain]:
A security hacker.She transferred her soul onto the internet.Took root privileges from Masami Eiri and did rm rf /home/Masami Eiri(to translate to non geeks she deleted him).
4)
Kou Kimijima[Robotics;notes]:
A developer who could as well be a hacker.He developed a augmented reality application which became a de facto standard(this is why you should not use closed source de facto standard programs :P )which he used to manipulate the world around himself.He also programmed his soul onto the internet.He hacked enough people to start creating a new world order.The reason why he is in front of the pair from Serial experiments Lain is that he even knew how to do a proper backup of himself on the internet :P .
3)
Shirase Akira[Battle programmer Shirase]:
Although it is implied he is a do it all he is a security hacker.Once he touches anything electronic the bad guy is stopped.He once blew up the worlds strongest supercomputer with a cell phone.The only reason he is not higher up is because he is from a humor oriented anime.However there are not many more places higher up than him.Kudos to him.
2)
Toshiyuki Sawada[Robotics;notes]
A hacker who spent several years undetected or at least unharmed right by the side of Kimijima Kou and his superhuman mind puppet.However his reat al masterpiece was the fact that he developed an antivirus against Kimijima Kou,and all that is even more impressive if you consider the fact that he did not have to hook his soul to the internet to do so.
1)
Yuuki Nagato[Suzumiya Haruhi series]:
Yep,a hacker.Or to be more precise an actual alien humanoid interface computer.She is very able to hack actual reality,time and space are her root privileges.
Keep in mind tha this is just made for entertainment and is in no way accurate,just my personal opinion.
[Update]Honorable mentions go to Kirito and Kayaba Akihiko,since I forgot to mention them.
18)
Baggis[Madlax]:
Bought a super computer he helped build with his students.Hacked the worlds strongest supercomputer with it and partly succeded.
17)
Yoriko Yunoki[Battle programmer Shirase]:
Got pwned by the 2 bad guys so she had to call for Shirase's help.Still apparently she is a child prodigy security hacker.
16)
Saitou Hideki[Battle programmer Shirase]:
Nothing but a comic relief sidekick to the bad guy.
15)
Ose Rintarou[Battle programmer Shirase]:
The big bad of that anime.He was beaten so hard that dropped him down here.
14)
Kona Furugoori[Robotics;notes]:
She leans more towards a programmer but she has latent potential for security hacking.Her masterpiece was a world popular video game that was used to bring down the big bad.The only reason she was not higher on the list was because her competitors in the anime were just ridiculously too overpowered.However she still managed to leak a video feed behind the big bad's back which was crucial to reunite the good guys.
13)
Friday Monday[Madlax]:
The big bad that outhacked Baggis.Generally he observes the whole world from his worlds strongest supercomputer.
12)
Alice[Kamisama no memochou]:
A security hacker.She is able to hack every camera,bankpretty much whatever possible in the world.In fact she can hack those to such detail that she is able to solve actual crime cases with that information alone.She is also actively trying to supress wars,end the poverty in africa etc...
11)
Mimi[Mnemosyne no musume]:
Her hacking abilities have proven to be very useful.No facility was safe from her.
10)
Katsuyuki Kamiyama[Mnemosyne no musume]:
A developer.Called the modern Von Neumann.Revolutionised computer science.Outsmarted Mimi.
9)
Itaru Hashida[Steins;gate]:
Definitely more a security hacker than a programmer.He did develop drivers for his and his friends inventions but that is probably all.However hacking one of the most secure computer environments in the world?A day of work,for him.Hacking it even further so they could use the Large Hadron Collider,even easier.
8)
Motoko Kusanagi[Ghost in the shell]:
A security hacker.One of her specialties is hacking into other people(as far as I remember,still she was pretty awesome but my memories of her are kind of cloudy).
7)
The laughing man[Ghost in the shell]:
Another security hacker.He does everything Motoko Kusanagi does except he does it twice as good as she does.No wonder she had trouble identifying him.
6)
Masami Eiri[Serial experiments Lain]:
With him the guys that are seriously overpowered start.He is a programmer.He developed the internet protocole version 7.In it he also developed a way to transfer a human soul into the internet.He was the big bad in that anime and could hack people with the blink of an eye.
5)
Lain Iwakura[Serial experiments Lain]:
A security hacker.She transferred her soul onto the internet.Took root privileges from Masami Eiri and did rm rf /home/Masami Eiri(to translate to non geeks she deleted him).
4)
Kou Kimijima[Robotics;notes]:
A developer who could as well be a hacker.He developed a augmented reality application which became a de facto standard(this is why you should not use closed source de facto standard programs :P )which he used to manipulate the world around himself.He also programmed his soul onto the internet.He hacked enough people to start creating a new world order.The reason why he is in front of the pair from Serial experiments Lain is that he even knew how to do a proper backup of himself on the internet :P .
3)
Shirase Akira[Battle programmer Shirase]:
Although it is implied he is a do it all he is a security hacker.Once he touches anything electronic the bad guy is stopped.He once blew up the worlds strongest supercomputer with a cell phone.The only reason he is not higher up is because he is from a humor oriented anime.However there are not many more places higher up than him.Kudos to him.
2)
Toshiyuki Sawada[Robotics;notes]
A hacker who spent several years undetected or at least unharmed right by the side of Kimijima Kou and his superhuman mind puppet.However his reat al masterpiece was the fact that he developed an antivirus against Kimijima Kou,and all that is even more impressive if you consider the fact that he did not have to hook his soul to the internet to do so.
1)
Yuuki Nagato[Suzumiya Haruhi series]:
Yep,a hacker.Or to be more precise an actual alien humanoid interface computer.She is very able to hack actual reality,time and space are her root privileges.
Keep in mind tha this is just made for entertainment and is in no way accurate,just my personal opinion.
[Update]Honorable mentions go to Kirito and Kayaba Akihiko,since I forgot to mention them.
Sunday, 27 October 2013
Pandakon 2013-good,good memories!
The attendance was much higher than it was anticipated. Ofc. this convention is still very very new so it wasn't like 10000 people,but still It was pretty crowded from the very beginning.There were enough cosplayers and they were all willing to take photographs.
Well at the beginning of the convention there were origami workshops.These were interesting,however I failed at my first try to make a origami swan.Then there was a lecture about japan its culture and it contained many pictures from Japan.There was also a lecture about the lolita subculture.There was a workshop about draing in the Japanese manga style.Also there was a workshop about the lolita style of clothing and a lecture about how to make bento lunchboxes.There were anime projections as well.
However I would say that the highpoint of the convention were the cosplay and outfit competitions.During that time the hall was full of people and it was sweaty...you know.But the weird thing is that after the cosplay competition a set of completely new cosplayers arrived.
After that there were karaoke.At that time I took the chance to go to the local student caffeteria to eat some dinner.When I came back karaoke was still on so I got out and chatted with my mates for a while.After the karaoke they announced the winners of the cosplay competition.One winner was decided by the jury,the other was decided by voting.Both of the winners totally deserved to win the competition.
After the winners of the competitions were announced all that was left was a j-pop/j
Also during the whole time of the convention you could buy,sell or exchange mangas and collectible items(from now on known as "loot").And I didn't get out empty handed.
So here are the photos from Pandakon:
So this is the loot i got from Pandakon.I exchanged my Negima volumes 1,2,3,4 for volumes 5,6,7,8.I sold 3 of my Death note volumes(4,5,6) and bought Pandora hearts volumes 1 and 3.I am especially fond of the fate/stay night excalibur key-ring,it has both the sword and the scabbard.
Here I took some photos with the most impressive cosplayer.Notice the gun?I wonder how many hours did it take to prepare this cosplay.Anyhow,she deservedly won the cosplay competition by vote of the public.She cosplayed as Seras Victoria from Hellsing and Hellsing ultimate.
This one is hard to see,but this is a Mikasa cosplay from Shingeki no kyojin(Attack on titan).
And here is a Suigintou(Rozen maiden) cosplay which I liked a lot.Too bad it didn't even get 2nd or 3rd place in the competition.
And here is me posing with the one and only L from death note!
A picture from the manga drawing workshop.
Two almost identical pictures of a Christa cosplay from Shingeki no Kyojin(Attack on titan).In the cosplay competition she was the jury's favorite and she won first place.She totally deserved it.
This is a group photo of all the cosplayers after the actual cosplay competiotion.
This one is very blurry,anyhow,this was from a stall selling homemade pixel art merchandise.
A stall from an active anime community in Croatia.
A stall selling voodoo dolls huh,huh :| :(.I am not sure what to think of it.
Those were nominated as the best cosplays.
And here is a group photo of all the cosplayers and outfit competition competitors.
Wow,lengthwise this is probably my longest post yet XD.
Written by:Mario Kamenjak
Sunday, 29 September 2013
End of summer 2013-report
Right now I am sitting in a train traveling to my right now favorite place in the world(Zagreb) and counting the last hours of my almost 3 month long summer vacation.It was a pretty average summer.
In June/early July I still had some exams left to finish.At the beginning of that exam period I was pretty pessimistic about it.I almost screwed up some things,so I was expecting a possible catastrophe like last summer.However in the end I actually even increased my total average,with some surprisingly good grades.Somewhere at this point I switched from Ubuntu 12.04 to Ubuntu 13.04.
In early July I finished all my exams so this is when my vacation actually began.I was afraid I could fail the last exam but I actually aced it.It was still a close call though because I did not have time to answer all the questions.Soon I started looking for a part time job.Because at 21 that was my next step towards independence.I did not really do it for the money(alright,maybe a little for the money),what I actually wanted was the experience.But while I was waiting to get a job I did not just wait while doing nothing,I tried to get some skills.At first I wanted to familiarize myself with the basics of the python programming language.I think I did learn enough that If I would ever want/need to get serious about it I would have a good starting point.I also tried to learn myself some Linux terminal commands.I had the same result as with python,a good starting point.This might have been the best period of my vacation.
I think I finished multiple dozens of Anime movies and series during July XD.Bakuman was great at that time.
August...I was still searching for a new job.I already had several job interviews under my belt and I already kind of knew what to expect.I still continued to slowly gain some skills.I think that that month I watched loads of computer security related tutorials and "how to" videos on Youtube.And at the end of August it finally happened :I found a job!!!!It's true that I quit after 4 days(because it simply was not going right,most of my coworkers quit as well),but I have to look at the positives.I gained that initial experience that I wanted so much and I learned that I can survive an 8 hour working day.So that was for me another step into adulthood.
In August,just like I did in July I finished loads of anime.Puella magi Madoka magica and Steins gate were great at that time.August was also very good.
September...Was kind of,well I spent most of my time helping out my parents.Sure nothing wrong with that,but yeah,I am not really a family person.I tried learning some Japanese Hiragana.Well I could have done better.I really did not have a lot of free time during September :( .I was hoping to spend 5 days in Zagreb but unfortunately I had to cancel that,because I was just too busy.So September left a bad aftertaste.
And here I am now counting the last hours of my vacation.Ultimately it was better than last summer which was mostly spent for learning for my HTML/CSS exam because I needed to take it a third time,but it was worse than expected.
I spent most of my time in a small town in my parents house. Unfortunately that small town is boring as fuck,so I spent most of my free time doing nothing specific and just being in my room. Occasionally I went to Zagreb for college stuff or for job hunting,those days were fun...
So what will I do with the remaining few hours of vacation?I guess watch some anime,sleep,wake up,experiment if I can jam my wifi signal with Kali Linux,paint,go shopping,eat...and then my first class of the semester will start so the vacation will be officially over.
Well that's just it.
Though I hope I won't stop blogging. I still have some blog post ideas in my mind.Maybe I won't post as frequently as I did during vacation,but hey I will try...
Monday, 16 September 2013
Anime conference in Zagreb:Pandakon 2013!
A few months ago I was asking myself if there are any anime related conferences in Zagreb,or at least in the vicinity of Croatia.The answer was of course,no more than 0!However,that changed,now there is one,but I will write about that one a few paragraphs later.
Back then a few months ago I even found a list of anime conferences in Europe.It seemed that the closest anime convention was in Belgium.Lol,no way,that's too far.
Ok,on that list were probably only some of the biggest and most succesful conventions in Europe,so I can probably guess there were conventions closer to Croatia.However we live in a hit or miss kind of world.Going out of the country just to visit some small conferences seems like too much.
However again,things have changed.Just a few days ago I was informed that some enthusiasts are trying to establish their own anime convention right here in Zagreb.I immediately started thinking,has the world finally come to its senses and started to bend at my own will?(lol,probably not)
Here is the official facebook page(unfortunately in Croatian,but you are still welcome even if you are not from Croatia):
https://www.facebook.com/events/504336189651664/
First of course the entrance fee:it's free :)(free as in free beer I guess XD).The conference will be held on the 27/28th october 2013,and it will be open from 12:00 until 03:00 the next day.
Now,what can you expect there...one word:
-movie projections
-karaoke
-cosplay
-outfit competitions with rich prizes
-j-pop
-j-rock
-anime soundtracks
-anime beauty salons
-creative booths
-manga trading
-merchandise trading
-and more...
And if that isn't enough I will be there.This might be your once in a lifetime chance to meet me.I mean,what else could you want?(ok that's enough joking).
But seriously now,this convention promises to be AWESOME!If you have the time you should definitely go there.I mean,this sort of thing rarely happens in Zagreb,or even in Croatia,and if enough people come,there will be another convention next year.And if even more people start coming this convention might grow and become even more AWESOME!
Back then a few months ago I even found a list of anime conferences in Europe.It seemed that the closest anime convention was in Belgium.Lol,no way,that's too far.
Ok,on that list were probably only some of the biggest and most succesful conventions in Europe,so I can probably guess there were conventions closer to Croatia.However we live in a hit or miss kind of world.Going out of the country just to visit some small conferences seems like too much.
However again,things have changed.Just a few days ago I was informed that some enthusiasts are trying to establish their own anime convention right here in Zagreb.I immediately started thinking,has the world finally come to its senses and started to bend at my own will?(lol,probably not)
Here is the official facebook page(unfortunately in Croatian,but you are still welcome even if you are not from Croatia):
https://www.facebook.com/events/504336189651664/
First of course the entrance fee:it's free :)(free as in free beer I guess XD).The conference will be held on the 27/28th october 2013,and it will be open from 12:00 until 03:00 the next day.
Now,what can you expect there...one word:
Awesomeness!!!!
There will be:-movie projections
-karaoke
-cosplay
-outfit competitions with rich prizes
-j-pop
-j-rock
-anime soundtracks
-anime beauty salons
-creative booths
-manga trading
-merchandise trading
-and more...
And if that isn't enough I will be there.This might be your once in a lifetime chance to meet me.I mean,what else could you want?(ok that's enough joking).
But seriously now,this convention promises to be AWESOME!If you have the time you should definitely go there.I mean,this sort of thing rarely happens in Zagreb,or even in Croatia,and if enough people come,there will be another convention next year.And if even more people start coming this convention might grow and become even more AWESOME!
Sunday, 8 September 2013
Why anime is not for kids only!
So the worst misconception and stereotype about anime is that just like 95% of western animation(cartoons) it is for kids only.That could not be farther away from the truth.How many times have people told you that anime is only for children?Well good news,it is not only for children.
Don't think I hate cartoons,as a child I loved them.Even now some spongebob,simpsons,south park jokes still crack me up.Btw. in this post most of the things that are animated but are not anime will be included into "cartoons".
Back to anime though.Modern anime even has separate genres for adults,like josei,seinen and well stuff like ecchi and hentai.
A year ago I also found this article on tvtropes(a great website btw.):
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AnimationageGhetto
The problem is that this article has been changed a lot since then,or I would rather say it was destroyed.It is missing the information I was looking four.Luckily I can still remember most of it.The next link is proof that the article was changed,because if you will read everything there carefully,it will not make sense:
http://www.animeforum.com/showthread.php?116207-Animation-Age-Ghetto&s=cfafb97fbd15dc00a942f122d99c30f5
So now I will try to remember what was written there and retell it in my own way.We have to go to the past a bit.The history of anime and cartoons between the 1940's and the 1970's.
In the 1940's/1950's anime and cartoons were both basically carbon copies of each other.Unlike todays cartoons which are aimed only at children,1940's cartoons were aimed to adults as well.Just like anime today they had adult themes.In fact cartoons were mostly considered to be a form of art,so you could win academy awards,without investing a lot of money.Back then you could make cartoons or anime without investing a huge amount of money into production.That is not really childlike,is it?
So what changed both the anime and cartoon industry?When did they split up into two diverse entities?
To understand that we need to mention the difference in tastes between adults and children.
Adults want/need:good animation quality,realistic animation,a good story,character development,good sound...
Children:don't care about any quality as long as they can spend some time.
So in 1953 color TV was introduced.For anime and cartoon producers this meant that in order to attract grown up audiences they had to invest more money into production.BAM,that is when things started to change and the so called "animation age ghetto" was created.
The cartoon industry decided to take the easy road.Children don't care about good animation quality,a good story and stuff like that.So by the beginning of the 1960's most cartoons were oriented towards children.This was done in order to cut production costs.Because with the introduction of color tv adults started to demand more and more quality.
The anime industry did not do the same mistake.They continued to improve the story.They continued to improve the animation quality.The anime industry instead continued to try to appeal to the more mature audiences.
In the 1970's the cartoon industry continued the trend that started in the 1950's.The 1970's were even worse because the first "30 minute toy commercials" have started at that time.
In fact we had to wait for the 1990's (The Simpsons to be more precise) to see the first signs of this trend slowing down.
This of course created the stereotype in western culture that everything that is animated is for children.
Meanwhile what was happening in Japan?
In the 1960's the traditional anime style of animation was established.That is when the anime industry became its own entity.That is when anime became what it is today.In the 1970's many modern animation studios like madhouse and sunrise were founded.This allowed a whole new generation of authors to enter the anime industry.The mecha subgenre was established.And then came the 1980's...
Here are some more sources.I found those while I was searching for the original text of the first source I mentioned in this blog post:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheDarkAgeOfAnimation
http://sdfeitherway.blogspot.com/2011/11/animation-age-ghetto-discussion.html?showComment=1378639522730#c2363120502267166652
http://storify.com/Mike_Jagger92/animation-age-ghetto
Don't think I hate cartoons,as a child I loved them.Even now some spongebob,simpsons,south park jokes still crack me up.Btw. in this post most of the things that are animated but are not anime will be included into "cartoons".
Back to anime though.Modern anime even has separate genres for adults,like josei,seinen and well stuff like ecchi and hentai.
A year ago I also found this article on tvtropes(a great website btw.):
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AnimationageGhetto
The problem is that this article has been changed a lot since then,or I would rather say it was destroyed.It is missing the information I was looking four.Luckily I can still remember most of it.The next link is proof that the article was changed,because if you will read everything there carefully,it will not make sense:
http://www.animeforum.com/showthread.php?116207-Animation-Age-Ghetto&s=cfafb97fbd15dc00a942f122d99c30f5
This is a quote from the old article before it was edited:
With standards lowered and budgets tightened, cartoons became little more than a drawn series of humorous gags devoid or blunted of emotional impact. Soon, it became unavoidable that the children's demographic became its target market. Although they were often funny and creative, their lack of concern for depth or strong characterization lent little room for adults to enjoy them. Furthermore in the West, animation was pigeonholed into a stereotype that they could only be successful if they were humorous.
In the 1940's/1950's anime and cartoons were both basically carbon copies of each other.Unlike todays cartoons which are aimed only at children,1940's cartoons were aimed to adults as well.Just like anime today they had adult themes.In fact cartoons were mostly considered to be a form of art,so you could win academy awards,without investing a lot of money.Back then you could make cartoons or anime without investing a huge amount of money into production.That is not really childlike,is it?
So what changed both the anime and cartoon industry?When did they split up into two diverse entities?
To understand that we need to mention the difference in tastes between adults and children.
Adults want/need:good animation quality,realistic animation,a good story,character development,good sound...
Children:don't care about any quality as long as they can spend some time.
So in 1953 color TV was introduced.For anime and cartoon producers this meant that in order to attract grown up audiences they had to invest more money into production.BAM,that is when things started to change and the so called "animation age ghetto" was created.
The cartoon industry decided to take the easy road.Children don't care about good animation quality,a good story and stuff like that.So by the beginning of the 1960's most cartoons were oriented towards children.This was done in order to cut production costs.Because with the introduction of color tv adults started to demand more and more quality.
The anime industry did not do the same mistake.They continued to improve the story.They continued to improve the animation quality.The anime industry instead continued to try to appeal to the more mature audiences.
In the 1970's the cartoon industry continued the trend that started in the 1950's.The 1970's were even worse because the first "30 minute toy commercials" have started at that time.
In fact we had to wait for the 1990's (The Simpsons to be more precise) to see the first signs of this trend slowing down.
This of course created the stereotype in western culture that everything that is animated is for children.
Meanwhile what was happening in Japan?
In the 1960's the traditional anime style of animation was established.That is when the anime industry became its own entity.That is when anime became what it is today.In the 1970's many modern animation studios like madhouse and sunrise were founded.This allowed a whole new generation of authors to enter the anime industry.The mecha subgenre was established.And then came the 1980's...
Here are some more sources.I found those while I was searching for the original text of the first source I mentioned in this blog post:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheDarkAgeOfAnimation
http://sdfeitherway.blogspot.com/2011/11/animation-age-ghetto-discussion.html?showComment=1378639522730#c2363120502267166652
http://storify.com/Mike_Jagger92/animation-age-ghetto
Sunday, 18 August 2013
Once read can (not) be unread :P
This is an early morning post,which is quite rare for me.Lately I have become a night being.Well that is what happens when you are a college student during the winter/summer vacation
Last week of course there were many anime that I have watched.But the I will just give short reviews of four of them that were the best.Those were:Neon genesis evangelion,Puella magi Madoka magica,Mangirl(no it's nothing perverted) and Denpa teki na kanojo.
First Neon genesis evangelion.It is a classic from 1995.Of course since it is too old it would be unfair to criticise the graphics and sound quality.But for 1995 they seemed quite good,since obviously my eyes did not bleed out.The real strong point and perhaps the only weak point was the story.The story started greatly as it really pulled me in in the beginning,now spoiler warning.After that the story kind of started having 'monsters of the week' and at that point I was already waiting for the finale which...wasn't that good.It wanted to push the story towards some kind of existentialism but it failed in doing that.
The story is about a boy with a destroyed family who was tasked with saving the world against his will.
But still NGE was a good watch and now I know why many people consider it a classic.
Now about Puella magi Madoka magica.Since I have already watched quite many anime,I found myself puzzled why I did not watch that many magical girl anime?I mean seriously there are so many of them and yet I have almost completely ignored that genre up until now.So I tasked this anime with hooking me up with that genre.And I was expecting something colorful and happy.I was also hoping it would not be too girly for a manly man like myself.And yes it did hook me up.And no,it was not colorful(except the animation which was colorful) and happy,rather the story was quite delightfully dark.And no it was not too girly.The animation was splendid,except the characters heads looked a little bit like boxes(I don't know if that was supposed to be cute,but it failed).
The sound was great,especially the background music.
The story was the strong point here,really it was more dark and serious than I expected it to be.I liked the characters,all of them were so elegant,especially Mami.
As you can expect the story is about girls being magical girls.
This anime might be the best one of those 4.
Mangirl is nothing perverted.It is a story about 4 girls starting their own manga publishing magazine.Manga+girl.It is a comedy slice of life show with each episode lasting 4 minutes(intro included).Despite that they showed some of the processes of creating manga.It is maybe a little similar to Bakuman.
The animation quality was actually quite good.I did not notice anything bad in the sound.
Even though it was a slice of life comedy the story was actually progressing.The characters were likable.
Denpa teki na kanojo is mystery anime,that is one of my favourite genres,and of course it did not disappoint.The story is about a cute weird girl falling in a really weird love with the toughest delinquent in town and the two of them solving crimes.The girl has the brainpower and the guy has the manpower(meaning I could replace the both of them hahahaha :) ).It is a OVA with 2 episodes lasting about 45 minutes.In the first episode they are trying to solve a serial murder case,and in the second they are trying to solve a case which could turn into a murder case.The animation and sound were good but nothing spectacular.
Last week of course there were many anime that I have watched.But the I will just give short reviews of four of them that were the best.Those were:Neon genesis evangelion,Puella magi Madoka magica,Mangirl(no it's nothing perverted) and Denpa teki na kanojo.
First Neon genesis evangelion.It is a classic from 1995.Of course since it is too old it would be unfair to criticise the graphics and sound quality.But for 1995 they seemed quite good,since obviously my eyes did not bleed out.The real strong point and perhaps the only weak point was the story.The story started greatly as it really pulled me in in the beginning,now spoiler warning.After that the story kind of started having 'monsters of the week' and at that point I was already waiting for the finale which...wasn't that good.It wanted to push the story towards some kind of existentialism but it failed in doing that.
The story is about a boy with a destroyed family who was tasked with saving the world against his will.
But still NGE was a good watch and now I know why many people consider it a classic.
Now about Puella magi Madoka magica.Since I have already watched quite many anime,I found myself puzzled why I did not watch that many magical girl anime?I mean seriously there are so many of them and yet I have almost completely ignored that genre up until now.So I tasked this anime with hooking me up with that genre.And I was expecting something colorful and happy.I was also hoping it would not be too girly for a manly man like myself.And yes it did hook me up.And no,it was not colorful(except the animation which was colorful) and happy,rather the story was quite delightfully dark.And no it was not too girly.The animation was splendid,except the characters heads looked a little bit like boxes(I don't know if that was supposed to be cute,but it failed).
The sound was great,especially the background music.
The story was the strong point here,really it was more dark and serious than I expected it to be.I liked the characters,all of them were so elegant,especially Mami.
As you can expect the story is about girls being magical girls.
This anime might be the best one of those 4.
Mangirl is nothing perverted.It is a story about 4 girls starting their own manga publishing magazine.Manga+girl.It is a comedy slice of life show with each episode lasting 4 minutes(intro included).Despite that they showed some of the processes of creating manga.It is maybe a little similar to Bakuman.
The animation quality was actually quite good.I did not notice anything bad in the sound.
Even though it was a slice of life comedy the story was actually progressing.The characters were likable.
Denpa teki na kanojo is mystery anime,that is one of my favourite genres,and of course it did not disappoint.The story is about a cute weird girl falling in a really weird love with the toughest delinquent in town and the two of them solving crimes.The girl has the brainpower and the guy has the manpower(meaning I could replace the both of them hahahaha :) ).It is a OVA with 2 episodes lasting about 45 minutes.In the first episode they are trying to solve a serial murder case,and in the second they are trying to solve a case which could turn into a murder case.The animation and sound were good but nothing spectacular.
Wednesday, 31 July 2013
And yet another one...Horror anime...
Hhm after a 2 month long pause,well 2 posts in a row so far are kind of...well fast.This post is all about horror anime.Basically I will make mini review's of 4 horror anime.
1)Another:
Another is an anime about a class of middle school students.The students themselves are as normal as middle schoolers can be,but...Their class is under a horrible 26 year old curse which caused the deaths of hundreds of previous students of their class.
To be honest this might as well be the best horror anime out there right now.It has a thrilling story with a final plot twist nobody ever expected.
The visuals are some of the best I have ever seen.They are very realistic,and they fit the overall atmosphere of the story like a glove.Will they find a way to remove the curse?
The voice acting was exactly like it should have been for a horror anime.Perhaps the weakest link in the series was the opening song.The song is not bad but it just did not fit into the series.
http://myanimelist.net/anime/11111/Another
2)Cossette no Shouzou:
It is a story about art student Eiri Kurahashi who met the ghost of Cossette.A young girl who was murdered in the 18th century.Later it is revealed that he fell in love with Cossette and that he is the reincarnation of her murderer.Will eiri be able to erase the sins of his predecessors?
Cossette no shouzou is a great horror / romance anime.The main romance is between Cossette and Eiri.The visuals and the sound were certainly good but they were not the highlight of the series.
http://myanimelist.net/anime/514/Cossette_no_Shouzou
3)Mnemosyne no Musume-tachi:
Hmm how to start this one...Basically there is this invisible tree called Yggdrasil,the tree of all life.When women eat its fruit they become immortal.When men eat it they get super strength but loose their mind,and they are the only ones able to kill the immortal women.Is immortality a too long time to live?
Immortals are an excuse for well...lots of blood and gore.The best thing about this anime is that it is one of those horror stories that have a private detective twist.
I remember I loved the visuals.
http://myanimelist.net/anime/3342/Mnemosyne:_Mnemosyne_no_Musume-tachi
4)Hellsing Ultimate
A story about the vampire Alucard,vampire hunters and a war against nazi vampires.A bloody war with millions of dead people.Can the war be stopped?
An intense action/horror story about vampires.It has great raw visuals befitting of a horror story.As for voice casting,it has probably the best voice cast I have ever heard(including Norio Wakamoto and Jouji Nakata in the Japanese version and Crispin Freeman in the english version).
http://myanimelist.net/anime/777/Hellsing_Ultimate
Some other great horror anime include:
http://myanimelist.net/anime/4896/Umineko_no_Naku_Koro_ni
http://myanimelist.net/anime/150/Blood+
http://myanimelist.net/anime/1556/Kikoushi_Enma
http://myanimelist.net/anime/1571/Ghost_Hunt
http://myanimelist.net/anime/228/Jigoku_Shoujo
http://myanimelist.net/anime/7079/Ookami_Kakushi
http://myanimelist.net/anime/934/Higurashi_no_Naku_Koro_ni
Btw.how do you like the new design?
1)Another:
Another is an anime about a class of middle school students.The students themselves are as normal as middle schoolers can be,but...Their class is under a horrible 26 year old curse which caused the deaths of hundreds of previous students of their class.
To be honest this might as well be the best horror anime out there right now.It has a thrilling story with a final plot twist nobody ever expected.
The visuals are some of the best I have ever seen.They are very realistic,and they fit the overall atmosphere of the story like a glove.Will they find a way to remove the curse?
The voice acting was exactly like it should have been for a horror anime.Perhaps the weakest link in the series was the opening song.The song is not bad but it just did not fit into the series.
http://myanimelist.net/anime/11111/Another
2)Cossette no Shouzou:
It is a story about art student Eiri Kurahashi who met the ghost of Cossette.A young girl who was murdered in the 18th century.Later it is revealed that he fell in love with Cossette and that he is the reincarnation of her murderer.Will eiri be able to erase the sins of his predecessors?
Cossette no shouzou is a great horror / romance anime.The main romance is between Cossette and Eiri.The visuals and the sound were certainly good but they were not the highlight of the series.
http://myanimelist.net/anime/514/Cossette_no_Shouzou
3)Mnemosyne no Musume-tachi:
Hmm how to start this one...Basically there is this invisible tree called Yggdrasil,the tree of all life.When women eat its fruit they become immortal.When men eat it they get super strength but loose their mind,and they are the only ones able to kill the immortal women.Is immortality a too long time to live?
Immortals are an excuse for well...lots of blood and gore.The best thing about this anime is that it is one of those horror stories that have a private detective twist.
I remember I loved the visuals.
http://myanimelist.net/anime/3342/Mnemosyne:_Mnemosyne_no_Musume-tachi
4)Hellsing Ultimate
A story about the vampire Alucard,vampire hunters and a war against nazi vampires.A bloody war with millions of dead people.Can the war be stopped?
An intense action/horror story about vampires.It has great raw visuals befitting of a horror story.As for voice casting,it has probably the best voice cast I have ever heard(including Norio Wakamoto and Jouji Nakata in the Japanese version and Crispin Freeman in the english version).
http://myanimelist.net/anime/777/Hellsing_Ultimate
Some other great horror anime include:
http://myanimelist.net/anime/4896/Umineko_no_Naku_Koro_ni
http://myanimelist.net/anime/150/Blood+
http://myanimelist.net/anime/1556/Kikoushi_Enma
http://myanimelist.net/anime/1571/Ghost_Hunt
http://myanimelist.net/anime/228/Jigoku_Shoujo
http://myanimelist.net/anime/7079/Ookami_Kakushi
http://myanimelist.net/anime/934/Higurashi_no_Naku_Koro_ni
Btw.how do you like the new design?
Tuesday, 23 July 2013
Newsflash...
...Well I know I am not a super popular blog author but well...I haven't posted in a while.And I have wanted to post something for a while,I have waited at least for a month and a half.The reason why I did not do so was,well I did not have any ideas what to write about and I was busy with college.And I still have no idea what to write about.But at least I am done with college.I finished all my exams and even had a nice average score.
That is why I am writing this sort of 'newsflash' about what I am doing right now.
So anyhow I am looking for a summer job.If you are looking for a semi decent programmer or a bit more decent system administrator/IT student contact me at:mkamenjak@tvz.hr
Recently I have had a lot of time to watch anime.So I have completed Monster,Bakuman(season 1),Fate/zero(Season 1 & 2),Kanamemo,Higurashi no naku koro ni(whole series) and many more...but right now only those are coming to mind.The best out of those are probably Bakuman and Higurashi no naku koro ni.Bakuman was made by the same authors that made Death note.It definitely feels a little bit like death note except it has added romance,slice of life and comedy.It is a story about two teenagers who want to become pro mangaka and how they rise to the top.Right now I am watching season 2 of Bakuman and it seems to be promising.Higurashi on the other hand is kind of a harem,action,horror combination in the first season,but in the second season [spoiler warning] another character becomes the "main main" character[end spoiler] and it becomes more of a mistery,action,slice of life combination.The horror and harem elements are still there but now they are barely noticeable.
As for what else I have been doing.Well I finally switched to Ubuntu 13.04 for good.Basically I found a way to solve the problems I have had.I have also programmed a very interesting application,it is a multimedia suite for well,multimedia.You can find more info about it here: http://bdsoftware.co.nf/
I have began to relearn myself the python and C programming languages.I already know Java more or less.The application I mentioned above is made in Java.
Anyhow,Since I now have more free time I hope I will find a job and write more on this blog.
That is why I am writing this sort of 'newsflash' about what I am doing right now.
So anyhow I am looking for a summer job.If you are looking for a semi decent programmer or a bit more decent system administrator/IT student contact me at:mkamenjak@tvz.hr
Recently I have had a lot of time to watch anime.So I have completed Monster,Bakuman(season 1),Fate/zero(Season 1 & 2),Kanamemo,Higurashi no naku koro ni(whole series) and many more...but right now only those are coming to mind.The best out of those are probably Bakuman and Higurashi no naku koro ni.Bakuman was made by the same authors that made Death note.It definitely feels a little bit like death note except it has added romance,slice of life and comedy.It is a story about two teenagers who want to become pro mangaka and how they rise to the top.Right now I am watching season 2 of Bakuman and it seems to be promising.Higurashi on the other hand is kind of a harem,action,horror combination in the first season,but in the second season [spoiler warning] another character becomes the "main main" character[end spoiler] and it becomes more of a mistery,action,slice of life combination.The horror and harem elements are still there but now they are barely noticeable.
As for what else I have been doing.Well I finally switched to Ubuntu 13.04 for good.Basically I found a way to solve the problems I have had.I have also programmed a very interesting application,it is a multimedia suite for well,multimedia.You can find more info about it here: http://bdsoftware.co.nf/
I have began to relearn myself the python and C programming languages.I already know Java more or less.The application I mentioned above is made in Java.
Anyhow,Since I now have more free time I hope I will find a job and write more on this blog.
Thursday, 7 February 2013
The must watch anime
Before we begin: Keep in mind that my personal is mixed into this post. Probably a lot of people will not agree with me and that is fine. You also might think that I sould have added more diversity, but then I also should have made a longer list which is a problem(time and effort). I was thinking of adding animes like Elfen lied, Kara no kyoukai(best visuals ever), Fate/Zero, Fate/night, Haruhi Suzumiya...And those are all great anime but for various reasons they just did not make it onto this list.
If you like anime, even the tiniest bit then you have to watch all 5 of those animes.This is not my top 5 list.Those are the classics of modern day anime(from 2000 until today,but yeah I did mix in just a tiny bit of subjectivity).Anyway here goes the list:
1.)Fullmetal alchemist brotherhood
A rewrite of the original Fullmetal alchemist.It is a fantastic story about how two brothers lost their family,how they learned to deal with it,how they have grown up and how they saved the world. The anime contains great visuals, interesting characters, lots of action, many lessons about life, an evil plot and many plot twists. And although Brotherhood is better than the original,after you are finished with brotherhood you will want to watch the original which is also a good anime.If you want to watch something similar but that is not part of the same franchise try watching Pandora hearts.
2.)Death note
After you watch this anime nothing will be the same for you, ever, I promise. The best detective/mystery story ever. Period. Dozens of plot twists, an epic epic storyline, great art and lots of drama. A story about the clash of evil vs good. And the great characterization, especially of the 2 main characters. If you like magnificent bastards then this is absolutely for you. A psychological thriller where multiple geniuses fight a battle of minds. Nothing is as it seems, or is it?After you watch this you will want to find similar animes and you may find animes which are more or less similar,but in general everyone who loves death note also loves this anime next on the list...
3.)Code geass
This anime just might make you a better person.Everything I have said about Death note so far is the same for this anime, because those 2 are just that similar. Except Code geass is not a detective story.It is a story about world domination and rebellion. A story about destruction and creation. A story about how to move on to the future. You will learn many valuable lessons about life in this anime.Also if you liked this anime and have not watched Death note yet, go watch Death note immediately.
4.)Devil may cry
If you like action animes,this is a definite must.It also has some horror elements. Expect tons and tons of blood, action and gore.Loads of gun and sword fights.But the real strengths of this anime are the atmosphere, the main character, the visuals and the music. I loved the bloodthirsty and yet cool headed personality of the main character. The badassery in this anime simply does not stop, ever. We will be shown both the badass and the leisure time sides of the main character. The atmosphere is of course dark and gothic. And fits the MC perfectly. In case you liked this anime you might want to check out no. 5. Also the anime is made after the games Devil may cry(1-4).
5.)Hellsing ultimate
This anime takes all the best things from Devil may cry and adds some of its own. Those 2 are pretty similar. The biggest difference is perhaps that instead of being an action anime with some horror parts this anime is kind of fifty-fity with the action and horror. And it has a much grander evil plot.If you liked this anime You must definitely watch Devil may cry.In fact watch both of those regardless.
Wednesday, 6 February 2013
The introduction
First,please turn off your grammar nazi mod, I do not care.
Second, Why left alignment? Because I am special!
Third if I can I want to do everything... LIKE A BOSS:
Fourth I have a very ecclectic taste for almost everything.
Anyway, this is the part where I start introducing myself. My nickname is "The blue dragon". My high school colleagues gave it to me,and at first I hated it. However one day I noticed that it sounds like a badass epic nickname from something like lord of the rings or something like that and gradually I started to like it. My real name is Mario Kamenjak. I am an IT student at the polytechnic of Zagreb. And I am a relatively good student there, unfortunately not one of the top 5 yet, but give it time. Among others my skills include html/css(including html5 and css3), C programming, C++ programming(but I prefer C for various reasons which I will tell you in a later blog post), e-commerce(including a little bit of marketing strategies), computer science in general(including electronics and software), English, German...
What are my interests? My three main interests among others...
Well obviously computer science... Also there is Metal music which plays a big part in my life and anime. Oh yeah and occasionally I try and do some art... in the physical or virtual world. To me there is simply no other genre of music that is so great and that has that much "raw energy" inside of it. And basically I need that raw energy a lot. It is the only music that gets me 100% excited. Metal is just that,it basically says: "Good is never good enough for music,music has to be awesome!". Anime is my anti drug. I am intrigued by the Japanese culture,I love the interesting stories and the intriguing characters and their back stories and the overall epicness that occurs very often in anime. Thanks to anime we have many many great imaginary characters like L, Roy Mustang, Light Yagami, Lelouch vi Britannia ,Son Goku, the Elric brothers, Dante, Alucard... And nothing is as cute as anime characters, when they are supposed to be cute... I like most sub-genres of anime be it Yuri, Horror, Action, Slice of life as long as the anime itself is any good.As for art... I guess I am just artistic.
What interests me the most in computer science?
Linux(and the whole FOSS community) and Computer security. Linux,well it really was love at first sight.I tried it the first time somewhere around 2010. At that time I was already a Windows user for 11 years and Windows really became became pale and unexciting to me. And with it I was almost getting bored of computers. In fact almost all I did was just play games,nothing productive.I was even a Windows Vista fanboy. Then I booted my first Linux distro(Mandriva Linux 2010) and suddenly a whole new world of software,free software opened up to me.Computing became once again exciting,kind of like "the wild west" for me.I became an obsessed geek again. A fast,nice and sleek OS that just worked and that was customizable to the last byte. And as a social-libertarian/social-anarchist I LOVE the FOSS ideology.
Now about "Computer security". It is also very exciting for me,mainly because I like this spy/detective stuff. I would even go as far as to say that I would like to become a kind of "IT detective". Basically I would love to have something like the most secure PC in the country,just for bragging rights. And the feeling of superiority when you know that you could hack almost every pc in your perimeter. I am sure that is a great feeling. Really I consider security people to be very close to the top of the industry, because security work is really for those "Jack of all trades" kind of people. My dream job is to become a penetration tester. Those guys really have to be at the top of their game. A penetration tester basically does the same thing a cracker would do except he is paid for it and does it for improving the computer security of the customer. I am also a bit interested into programming.Mostly in the hopes to develop FOSS applications and to contribute to the Linux kernel.
What skills do I hope to gain one day?
Of course all the skills I need to become a Linux wizard and all the skills I need to become a succesful penetration tester or "IT detective". I would also like to further improve my skill in C programming. Also I would like to learn python and assembly one day. Among other things of course.
What skills do I hope to gain one day?
Of course all the skills I need to become a Linux wizard and all the skills I need to become a succesful penetration tester or "IT detective". I would also like to further improve my skill in C programming. Also I would like to learn python and assembly one day. Among other things of course.
Now you have a general overview of what I will be writing on my blog. I do not promise regular updates because... because. But please do check out this blog occasionally.
+David Macan +Mario Novoselec +Ivan Juratovac +Alen Huskanovic +Hrvoje Kovačićek +Linus Torvalds
+David Macan +Mario Novoselec +Ivan Juratovac +Alen Huskanovic +Hrvoje Kovačićek +Linus Torvalds
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