Welcome to Thoughts on Things, the World where I review various things! From anime and manga, to live action films and music, this is the place where I cover anything that I feel like reviewing!
Now you may wonder what my interests are to see if we like the same things, well here are a few of my favorite anime:
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Haruhi Suzumiya no Yuutsu, Burst Angel, The Miyazaki Films, Ranma 1/2, Magical Play, Witch Hunter Robin, Azumanga Daioh, Comic Party, Samurai Champloo, and many many more!
I could go on and on, but I think that selection shows the large variety that I like!
Now, if you don't mind, I'm off to intake a large amount of media, so I can bring my thoughts on it back to you!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope that I introduced you to something new!
First off I would like to thank GBAtemp and the Acekard Team for giving me a wonderful new flashcart, I am having a lot of fun with it!
Now on to the review!
Contents
Review Set-up
Settings/Options Used while Reviewing
Package Contents/Cart Build Quality
Games Tested
Homebrew Tested
Other Features
Final Opinion/Conclusion
Settings/Options:
For this review I am using the following options/settings:
• a SanDisk 1GB MicroSD manufactured in Taiwan
• running firmware v4.07a13
• All Roms were trimmed using Tokyo Trim (Newest Release)
• Soft-Reset was enabled while reviewing
Package Contents/Cart Build Quality
When opening the package literally what you see is what you get. Included is the Acekard2 itself and also a MicroSD reader. There is an insert included that contains a set of short instructions telling the basics of setting up your new cart.
While other reviews have said that the cart itself isn’t very sturdy, I found mine to be very sturdy. It seems to me like it could survive quite a couple drops if it had to. Compared to my M3 Real, this cart has not only a much sturdier feel, but the plastic used seems sturdier as well. As for the MicroSD reader, my opinion is once again different. Having tried it three times, I have not gotten it to work yet. While it seems to be sturdy, I found it very hard to insert it in my computer’s USB slot. After inserting nothing happened. On the other hand though, inserting the MicroSD into the reader itself wasn’t too bad, it fit almost perfectly.
From the outside of the cart its chip can be felt, but despite this it slides in and out of my DS Lite quite smoothly (In comparison my M3 Real which has to be pressed in on its right side, otherwise it won’t go in to be read.). After inserting the cart there is about 1 millimeter of it left sticking out of the slot, not very noticeable, but some people are picky about these things so I thought I should include it.
Games Tested
As to be expected all games that were tested worked perfectly. The games that I tested included: Castlevania (bot PoR and DoS), Transformers: Decepticons, Clubhouse Games, Pokemon Diamond (With the 493 Hack in place), Taiko no Tatsujin DS, Nintendogs Dachshund & Friends, Pokemon Trozei, Space Invaders Extreme, Soul Bubbles and Tetris DS.
As for WFC compatibility, all games tested worked flawlessly. These games include Clubhouse Games, Pokemon Diamond, Space Invaders Extreme and Tetris DS.
As for the speed test, with the microSD I was using Castlevania DoS’s opening video lagged quite a bit, but ironically the more troublesome PoR opening played at full speed.
The cart’s cheat support includes ARDS cheats and they work as they should, though it is important to note that each game has to have its cheats compiled by its user. Also many others have been experiencing problems with this feature resulting in an unusable cart. This so called bad batch was said to have been fixed, but there are still issues coming up from even the newest supply of carts.
Homebrew Support
The homebrew support is also very good, all programs that I have tried worked flawlessly. They include the very troublesome Visual Novel DS, Bunjalloo, Flight from the Dark, and Tetris the Grand Master.
Other Options
Though the Acekard2 lacks on features as result of being a budget card, the Acekard team was nice enough to release a skin editor/maker. While the interface looks simple and easy to use, for beginners the program needs to be tinkered around with before you can actually create your own skin. This is a result of there being little to know labels as to which entry field controls what. Aside from the learning curve, the editor is overall easier to use than other methods where you have to create, resize and reformat like on other cards. Also it is important to note that the editor works well on Vista, so no worries there.
Final Opinion
Thus far I can say that I have been very pleased with my Acekard2. Despite minor issues like the card sticking out and the odd skin editor, I can say that the card is definitely worth its budget price. Of course if you are seriously thinking about getting this card please note that there has been a bad batch recently and check with your supplier to make sure that their stock is up to date and they have had no recent issues. Otherwise I would recommend it to anyone looking for an easy to use card that is not feature heavy or someone who would like a cheap cart who doesn’t mind using the more feature heavy Bliss loader. If the bad batch issue is solved and the Acekard team can keep us up to date with loaders I believe this thing has the potential of becoming the next R4.
I recently had the enjoyment on watching the entire series of Azumanga Daioh and reading it (again) as well. This series is a simple yet fun slice of life comedy that tells the story of a group of high school girls and the things they go through over their three years in high school. Included in the group are all of the various personality types, from Sakaki, the shy/sporty one, to Chiyo-chan, the innocent one, everyone will find at least one character to relate to.* The other characters are great as well, even the creepy Lolicon obsessed teacher has his good moments!
The series begins when the girls first meet on the first day of class. Things start off with a bang and the series stays true to itself throughout.
So now, on to the review! First off let me say that despite the series simple style, I truly have to say that I love it. It's not everyday that you see a manga that is as simply drawn as this one. But don't get me wrong, despite the simple style, the drawings are high quality, in other words you can tell that time was taken to draw it, but many after effects are left out (which is a good thing for this series)!
Next the anime stays true to the manga quite well. Sometimes you could actually find the same dialogue in both! Also the series doesn't take itself too seriously, characters are constantly poking fun at each other's character flaws which leads to quite some interesting moments!
I also like how the series portrays a fairly genuine view into the life of a Japanese high school girl. The series occurs over three years and in those three years the girls do all sorts of things, from the familiar to the quite obscure. This aspect is interesting on multiple levels to me (because I love studying cultures), and it may interest you as well!
I must say that the comedy is equally dispersed throughout the series and it ranges from the "Heh heh" to LOLOMGROFL, if you know what I mean. Even in the anime (where some of the jokes would be rather hard to pull off) this funny factor is portrayed quite well!
Thus I have to say that this series ranks in my top ten series list. From the lovable characters to the memorable storylines, the series does what it sets out to do quite well!
Rating: 5/5, for being hilarious, fun and memorable! I highly recommend both the manga and anime!
Also the dub is not that bad! I watched it about half in original and half in English. Though I think some of the Japanese voices are better fits, the English dub is very high quality, and as another plus, the original jokes are still retained (excepts the couple of instances where they are just way too obscure).
*In case you are wondering, I relate to Sakaki's attraction to cuteness, and Chiyo-chan's lack of sports skills.
And for those wondering, my next review will be of Lucky Star. Since I was on the slice of life kick, I thought I would continue it with this series! So far I have finished the anime and have completed volume one of the manga. If anyone knows where I can find the rest of the scanlations please leave me a comment or PM me. (On another note, if anyone hears that it is being licensed (I'm referring to the manga here.) do the same. I really really want to read it!)
I went and saw Speed Racer yesterday, and let me just say that it was simply, AWESOME! I had not been as excited about a movie since Transformers, of last year. Speed Racer is everything that a live action anime movie should be. From the highly stylized environments and special effects to the storyline, Speed Racer is a great attempt at adapting an anime.
Before going to see the film, many reviews that I had read were about 50/50. Some praised it for being exactly what it should have been, others criticized it for being hyper stylized; personally I think that some of the people chosen to review it simply hate the type of movie that it is, while others simply adore it... Personally I think that the story was somewhat weak when it came to details, not weak enough in the sense that it was hard to follow thus causing problems, but sometimes I noticed that there were things that could have been better explained.
On the other hand though, the visuals and the style were very much so great! From the filming style that allowed both the cars and the track to appear in the foreground (as mentioned by Emile Hirsch in a recent interview) to the overall "retro future" style, the cinematics are indeed awesome!
I think is is also important to note, that the acting is not as over-the-top as you may think it to be. I believe all of the actors did a great job. From Emile Hirsch's portrayal of the demon on wheels, to Rain's portrayal as a fellow racer, all of the actors who participated did a wonderful job of bringing the characters from the series to the big screen!
I must also mentioned that I liked how "worldly" the movie felt. The film included a cast of people from all over the world and did not make their characters into silly stereotypes. I like how the Wachowskis included dialogue and images from other languages, instead of going for the "English is the best and other cultures must be unfairly portrayed" kinda style that I believe we see too much in our American made media.
(The "Go Speed Racer Go" music video, which includes English, Japanese, Spanish, German and other languages in its lyrics.)
Overall I really cannot recommend this film enough, it is a great attempt at making something that is purely awesome! I cannot wait for the DVD release because I simply cannot wait to see it over and over again! I hope that you all will give this a try at least once, it doesn't have to be now, just remember that it is pretty awesome!
Score: 4.5/5
Please note that I do not consider myself a "fanboy" of the orginal Speed Racer cartoon/anime. I have never actually seen a full episode of the show. I make this note because I try to keep my reviews unbiased.
Yeah... My title refers to the Earth and the Space Colonies in case you were wondering. So I just finished what is known as one of the most popular anime in America, and I hate to say it, but it was a little boring...
I know, don't hate me, but the first half of the series rambles on with incoherent military jargon all the while not much really happens. The second half of the series is where it gets good, or at least, as good as it could get. I believe that the second half was better because much of the budget was spent on it. With all of the action scenes and the rapidly advancing plot, I could easily say that if you want to watch this series, watch the first five episodes, read the Wikipedia synopses of episodes six through thirty and then continue watching the series.
While you may say that you have to be a fan of Gundam to enjoy the series, so please realize that I liked the little bit of G Gundam that I have watched (~ 10 eps) and I am interested in both Gundam SEED and Gundam 00.
Overall I think that the cast of characters that you meet in Gundam Wing is where the majority of my interest lies. Along with the cool mechs, the deep and interesting characters are the series greatest feature. From Heero to Lady Une all of them have a rich backstory that clearly makes them act the way they do. Overall I have to admit that Quatre and Sally Po are my definite favorites. I like Quatre because he reminds me of, well, me and Sally reminds me of the friend you can always count on, sort of a person who will help you when times get rough. On the opposite end, I absolutely CANNOT STAND Relena... I mean, I understand that she wants peace and all, but she is just too smart to be so naive... I mean c'mon... Also, I think she is a he, if you don't believe me watch the ending. When it goes to pan up you think, well who is that, it must be Heero and then WHAM it turns out to be Relena... Poor girl, er boy, or whatever "she" is...
Though it was probably not meant by the creators, there strong sense of gay-ness shared between all of the five lead characters... This leads to a whole different reason to watch the series if you like that kind of stuff. And just so you know, while I don't read fanfics, I do enjoy a translated doujin every now and then, thus the best pairings that I decided on were Quatre/Trowa, Heero/Duo and Sally Po/Noin.
So if you are into Gundam, and I mean like WAY into Gundam, like have to import all the toys into Gundam, then I suggest this series to you. If you like interesting characters and can stand to watch all the boring parts, then I recommend this series to you... Otherwise, read the Wiki page and then read the episode summaries, it will be about the same as watching it.
Score: 3/5 For a boring first half and an action filled second half that equals average overall. Thanks for reading, I hope I helped!
Oh yeah, many of the characters names related to numbers, I found that kinda interesting...
Hi everyone! It seems that it has been a long time since my last post... Please forgive me!
In this post I am going to review the Burst Angel OVA, known as Burst Angel: Infinity. But to start things off I will repost my review of the series itself. I watched back in August/September of last year and reviewed it then.
The weekend before last I did something that I have never done before: marathoned an Anime as if my life depended on it! That anime turned out to be the ever popular (and constantly re-released) Burst Angel (Bakuretsu Tenshi). This series has to be the greatest girls with guns with mechs with patiseer (a pastry chef) Anime EVER!! Believe it or not, this Anime is not a "Hot Body Girls With Guns (Even though it does have them!) Anime That Lacks A Story," but an AWESOME tale that has been considered a "Spaghetti Western" (I know, right!?). The main characters are interesting and the many ordeals they face are interesting and action-filled! It even has subtle shojo-ai undertones! (And those are always fun!) Thus I must recommend this anime to anyone who wants an action-filled series!
Score: *****/***** (Five outta Five!!)
PS!
The English Voice Actors are awesome for this series!! So English listening isn't such a pain!
Now on to the OVA review! Oh yeah, I still feel the same way about the series. It is absolutely wonderful and I suggest it to any action anime lover!
So yesterday I watched the Burst Angel: Infinity OVA. After a lot of tracking down, I finally found it and got around to watching it. Overall it is another good piece of the Burst Angel series, that focuses on an adventure that Jo and Meg had before joining up with the two other gals in the main series. I find Jo and Meg's relationship quite cute and this OVA shows us how much they actually care for each other. Overall I really liked it and I only have one quibble... Why does Meg's hair change colors so oddly...? In the flashback during the actual series she has brown hair, then in the "present day" she has brownish-red hair... Sorta a burnt umber if you know what I mean. Yet in the OVA which is supposed to take place between the two series her hair is orange as a basketball! I understand the idea of dying hair, yet I think that the animation studio lost the color combo for her hair that they used in the series and instead said, "We'll just color it orange... Cuz we like orange...! Yeah!" So besides that (which isn't at all a big deal, it is mainly something I find funny), the OVA is good and anyone who watched the series should see it!
Score: ****/***** (Four out of Five... It was good, not GREAT like the series itself!)
Oh yeah, I'm still wondering why there is no Burst Angel category on theO... I mean, Funimation advertised it on here when the OVA originally came out, so why the lack of love??
Thanks for stopping by, and I hope that I have introduced you to something you may like!
