It’s been a little crazy here in my little ol’ weekend, I’m afraid, and I have to be at a job in 45 minutes, so hopefully I will have time this evening to expand on this, (Assuming that I get to leave this job after a normal workday. It might happen…)

Anyway, I came across this BBC article last week regarding the debate over the best way to regulate video games. There seems to be a proposal to have an official ratings body that will replace the industry’s self regulating rating methods. On the one hand, I feel kinda relieved to know that the US isn’t the only place that this argument is raging (I know, I know, it’s everywhere.) but on the other hand I have to weep a little that we as adult type persons raising children need to be told what to do all the time.

When Dentsu pulled Geneon out of the North American distribution channel last September, many predicted the collapse of the industry — yet here we are today, half a year later, still chugging along. Not only that, but in an announcement that snuck in under the radar, news was hidden in Media Blasters’ latest DVD release, Kite: Liberator, subtly mentioning their acquisition of distribution rights for Seirei no Moribito, or Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit, rescued from licensing limbo. It also turns out that Cartoon Network has rights to televise the series.

This is an excellent first title from Geneon’s library to see the light of day once again. It’s easy to get drawn in to the series right from the start of its opening animation. The theme song is the snappy tune “Shine,” by L’Arc en Ciel set to background imagery that portends to very promising animation to follow.

The art is simply breathtaking, and the camera takes its time to pan across every loving detail, with obvious care taken to properly deliver its gorgeous scenes and environments. The show also portrays compelling characters that are fluid in motion and design. I also found it unusual and noteworthy for the show to have such a mature and experienced protagonist (or perhaps it’s only because I’m getting so old myself).

Balsa is a 30-year old, spear-wielding, wandering female warrior who happens across an accident and subsequently saves a young boy from drowning (though other, more supernatural forces are also obviously involved). Balsa discovers that the boy, Chagumu, is a prince of the region, and because of the threat of a great conspiracy against him, the empress begs for Balsa to be his yojimbo, or bodyguard, and asks her take him away from the palace.

The predominantly orchestral background music presents the series with a very epic tone. Kudos to Kenji Kawai for wonderful compositions as always. The ending is a much more subdued pop ballad “Itoushi Hito E,” by Tainaka Sachi, with additional emphasis on the background CG. Production I.G. must have taken all of the technique and experience from Ghost in the Shell: SAC and Blood+ and translated it over to this series.

I strongly encourage people who may be interested in a fantasy action-adventure with a healthy dose of the supernatural; strong, prominent, characters that grow and mature through the series; edge-of-your-seat sword (and spear-) fighting combat; and an epic story with an orchestral score that helps immerse you into the world to give the show a try when it finally airs on Cartoon Network or when Media Blasters releases it on DVD.

Hopefully, this is only the beginning for the return of Geneon’s titles to the domestic market — there are several shows that I’d love to add to my collection!

As an aside, if you have not already heard, the SPJA (Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation — the group behind Anime Expo) has released the ballots for its annual Industry Awards. Check it out at http://www.spja.org/spja-industry-awards/ and let your voice be heard!

I will be attending the Vexille screening at the AFI Dallas Film Festival tomorrow. Hopefully, I’ll see some of you there!

A friend of mine recently broke of her engagement which, as bad as it sucks, is much better than a tedious divorce.  But it got me thinking.  Why is there so much divorce in this country?  Why aren’t more people smart like my friend and breaking things off before it gets messy?

When it comes time to get married, you better look before you leap.  If there is anything about your partner that you don’t think you can live with, don’t get married.  You may find that you get really riled up when your partner forgets your birthday or leaves the toilet seat up.  If you can live with that, you’re doing pretty good.  But if you find that repeat offenses piss you off more and more, there’s probably something under the surface that you’re not connecting with.  Your partner may not respect your family or your religious beliefs or maybe you just don’t communicate well with each other.  These are major issues that can really undermine a relationship.

Here’s the problem.  You can’t change your partner.

People don’t change unless they change themselves.  And if they can’t perceive what it is about themselves that annoys you so,  you’re out of luck.  Even if you tell them what annoys you so, they still may not understand.  So you can either choose to live with it or break it off.  For some reason, a lot of people seem to think they can live with whatever annoys them.  They may think that love conquers all and that eventually, their partner will change.  Sorry.  That’s just not how it works.

Marriage doesn’t fix things that are broken.  It just makes them break more.

A clarion call for fan works (and money!) has sounded for this columnist, so I share a few bits from some projects in progress!   This is from what hopefully will become a print collection; characters from the popular SRPG Disgaea below:

This is better than a rant, methinks.  See ya’ll next week!

First, my apologies for being really behind once again. If I get some spare time, I’ll try to catch up on the posts I’ve missed. 

So, a few weeks ago, a coalition of 12 environmental groups from New Mexico suggested that a tax be levied against video game and television entertainment, (link from Kotaku) so that the tax could be used to fund outdoor education programs. These programs would be aimed at getting children out of their homes and into the parks and such. 

I, for one, am both for and against such a tax.

I’m for it, because while I love video games and television, I do believe that education of all kinds is important. Even if I’m not personally a fan of the outdoors, I do think that it’s good for children to experience it for themselves, at least somewhat.

I’m against it because of the way it targets just video games and television, and not other forms of entertainment, like sporting events and movies. I’m against it because it’s trying to blame video games and television for the waning numbers of children visiting their parks and recreational areas, as opposed to themselves.

If they are going to levy a tax on entertainment, it should be on all entertainment, not just video games. That would be fairer, and get them even more funds.

What do you think? Should we tax our entertainment? Why? Why not? What would be fair if we did?

On a happier note, with the Writer’s Guild strike ended, some of favorite shows have come back. In my case, I’d been waiting for Big Bang Theory to come back, along with Heroes (sadly postponed until the next season) and How I Met Your Mother.

What show(s) did you miss the most, if any? Did the WGA strike affect you at all?

As a bonus for you fans living in the D/FW area, FUNimation will be holding a screening of their new feature film Vexille on March 31 at the AFI Dallas Film Festival, and again on April 4 at the Northpark 7 theatre. More information can be found at this FUNimation press release.

Apologies for the delay! After three days, I have finally risen from the grav… gravy and meat-induced stupor; and the friends who visited discovered my room empty, with the giant chocolate egg at the entrance eaten clean through. And so I am able to appear before you once again with a new article.

And if there weren’t enough heretical Western references in that last paragraph, this week’s Plugging In should have me crucified by anime purists for sure. I present to you Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Central to the show’s cosmology are the balance and flow of the four elements — Earth, Air, Water, Fire — and how these forces have shaped the development of society and civilization. Living within the world are those who are can manipulate their respective element, known as Benders. Only one being, the Avatar, has the power to control all four elements.

Katara, the last known Waterbender of the Southern Water tribes, and her brother Sokka, a young and highly resourceful warrior, discover the young monk, Aang, who turns out to be the last known surviving Airbender in the world, suspended in a sphere of ice. The three leave on a journey to fulfill the destiny of the Avatar and to bring balance back to the world by stopping the Fire Nation’s destructive expansionist war. At first, they are accompanied by Aang’s animal companions, Appa the flying bison and Momo the winged lemur, and later joined by Toph, a blind, but extraordinarily skilled Earthbender.

This award-winning series from creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Brian Konietzko has been widely acclaimed, and with good reason. With its rare, serialized story format (at least as far as American-produced animated series go) and quirkily compelling characters, though the series was originally targeted to younger viewers, the story quickly adapts itself to mature audiences as well. They don’t shirk from topics controversial to many other American cartoons, namely death and violence. The world of Avatar is heavily influenced by Asian art, philosophy, and culture, and for the purists, the creators were also inspired by various anime, including FLCL, Samurai Champloo, and many of Miyazaki’s works.

In addition to the excellent storytelling and character growth, Avatar features exciting martial arts combat enhanced with the elemental effects of Bending. Each Bending technique features its own martial arts style — Ba Kua for Airbending, Tai Chi for Waterbending, Hung Gar for Earthbending, and Northern Long Fist for Firebending — with some variants tossed in to mix things up a little. So for fans of action, epic adventure, and characters that develop and grow, I recommend Avatar: The Last Airbender, available from Nickolodeon.

I do hope that you don’t mind if I take some time in my column to reminisce a bit. I’ve been telling this story all weekend and I just can’t get it out of my head, so I’ve decided to bother you all with it.

It starts out at the Maryland Renaissance Festival, which if you’ve never been to a ren faire, is across between a themed Halloween party and an arts festival, with a little bit of county fair thrown in for good measure. You will find all types there from people wearing street clothes and boggling at the crazies in costumes, to girls with fairy wings, to pirates (and yes, I’ve seen a ninja.) For many people it’s like LARPing, without the need to think up rules for monsters or magic users. I tend to go on Pirate Weekend, so I can wear my fabulous hat (It’s wide brimmed, black velour, with two rather amazing feathers coming out where the brim is turned up Crocodile Dundee style,) but I don’t get too overwrought about costume details. Black jeans and my leather corset-top-thingie are more than good enough of an excuse to wear the hat. I love the hat. (Hey, if I want to play dress up at 26 I am perfectly well allowed to, thanks.)

Well on this particular Pirate Weekend a couple of my friends and I were heading to the food stalls and try to choose between the many bad for you but oh so tasty options for lunch when I caught sight of a pair of reenactors. They were an olderish couple, decked out in full period accurate garb, and the man had the most fantastic beard. I knew full well that I knew them from somewhere, but thanks to my amazing memory I was drawing a complete blank. Worse still, they’d seen me and were heading over. As I slowly made my way towards them (not wanting to be rude and all, I mean, it doesn’t hurt to say ‘hey how ya doing?’) I kept trying to think where I’d seen them before. Must have been a theatre somewhere. Maybe the summerstock I did a few years ago? Oh man, I HAVE to come up with some NAMES or something!!

As we drew near to each other I glanced at the beard again and it dawned on me suddenly. A ray of light pierced the clouds in my brain and I knew. I knew that beard. I knew it perfectly well and I was apparently a bit of a dimwit not to have recognized it instantly, or the couple, for that matter. I said the only thing I could in the situation. “Aunt Wendy! Uncle Skip! How are you guys?!”

I felt a bit relieved as my aunt (who I’ve only known my whole life and see all the time,) looked at me with startled recognition, glanced down at my costume, and said, “Katy!! You’ve got BOOBS!”

That’s pretty much the whole story. My aunt and uncle were indeed there with the pirate camp, so I got to have a tour of it and meet everyone which was pretty cool. My uncle had to go off and give a cannon demonstration and I lost track of them both as my friends wanted to do something on the other side of the fairgrounds, but it was a pretty cool day to be able to spend with some relatives in a completely different environment. My uncle passed away last week, but I’ll always remember that he had the best beard I’ve ever met.

So you’re out to dinner with your lady or your man and the bill comes. Who pays?

Chivalry typically dictates that the man pay.  Always.  But this isn’t the middle ages.  And there’s a generation of women who are offended if a man holds open a door for them.

So how does the geek community feel about who pays?  Are geeks more old school and expect the men to always pay?  Or are geeks more enlightened and demand equality in absolutely everything?  Or is it a combination, the man is expected to pay in the beginning but things even out once the relationship starts?

All things that burn must turn to ash some day, and it is with a measure of regret that I tell you loyal Spwug readers that I will no longer be able to keep up a weekly schedule writing for this blog.

While I was able to juggle a weekly column, review responsibilities for the now-defunct NewType USA and my full-time day job relatively well, PiQ magazine has asked me to write an extensive monthly column that will eat up a much larger chunk of my time than the old reviews for NTUSA. So, while I’ll still work on the occasional Burning and Sprouting column, I won’t be able to do it with the same regularity I did before.

I just wanted to let you know that this is my last regular column, and to thank you – it’s been a lot of fun, and I’ll still be around, but it’s time to move on.