Picture Perfect Paranoia

Back then, I used to pick and play every game with a burning passion. Come hell or high water, I would pick the game which I think is interesting to me, then play it for hours, even bypassing sleep and some snacks, just so that I could finish it to the end. I started to prefer, over any other genre out there, role-playing games, just because of features that catch and pique my interest, like searching for hidden items, strong weaponry that could aid me in my quest for world peace (…and stuff), as well as assembling a motley crew of unlikely heroes that could save the world one way or another in their own way. If I happen to come across a stumbling block, like repeatedly solving puzzles that require some ingenuity and/or luck, in any order, and fail hard, I would not stop going through that puzzle, even as the call from my maids (brush your teeth!) holler in the background.

I would get through this, no matter what, so shut up.

I was kind of an obsessive gamer back then. It’s different, when I am standing.

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So today is this blog’s 3rd anniversary, and… I don’t have much to say, due to the fact that I have accomplished almost nil, or so I thought, of what I was supposed to in the span of a year. Aside from the occasional newsclips and commentaries that I have posted from time to time, pretty much everyone else has already done them, thus they don’t feel like much of an accomplishment. (-o-)

I already killed time, though, by playing what I discovered by accident to be the conglomeration of two of my “greatest” fandoms: Megaman and anime. I may be able to come up with a post about it in future time. (^_^)

That aside, I could say that this was the only thing that satisfied my fandom. One more year, I guess. (-_-)

Remember how, back in the early 2000s, Japan tried to experiment with “women only” train cars in order to control the situations wherein there lies “an epidemic of men who can’t keep their hands to themselves”? Well it would seem that they missed the other side of the coin. That is, how about false accusations of groping by women towards men? Have you ever thought about it?

Recent disclosure of a spate of incidents where innocent men were accused of molesting female passengers has turned the national spotlight back toward commuter groping, a problem so bad most railroad companies have set up women’s only carriages during peak travel times in the mornings and late at night.

The recent arrest of an Osaka couple for trying to set up a middle-aged man by falsely accusing him of fondling a woman train traveler has large numbers of salarymen shaking in their boots at the thought of being blackmailed by crafty commuters looking for a quick buck. This has heightened calls on railroad companies to set up sanctuaries where men can travel in peace, safe in the knowledge that they won’t be accused of molestation.

Most railroad companies say they consider the issue a serious one.

…

Keio Electric Railway Co., which back in 2000 became Japan’s first railroad to introduce women’s only carriages, also has no current arrangements in place to correct the gender imbalance on its routes.

“We’re aware that there are these demands, but we have no concrete plans for men’s only carriages at this stage,” a company spokesman says.

Train experts say railroad companies are quite content to sit back and let men travel in fear of being falsely accused of groping.

The proposed short-term solution? Why, men should look after themselves from these “crafty commuters”.

Masaki Ikegami, author of “Chikan Enzai Saiban Otoko ni Banzai Tsukin Saseruki ka (Groping False Accusation Trials - You Gonna Make Men Commute Doing Banzai Cheers All the Way to Work?),” a book about false molestation claims, says the only way men can feel secure commuting is to look after themselves.

“It’s a sad situation that men have to do a banzai cheer (raise both arms skyward) while commuting (to avoid touching anyone else). Male commuters have got to look after themselves by taking such steps as avoiding standing close to carriage doors, staying well away from female commuters and never being directly behind a woman riding a train,” Ikegami tells Weekly Playboy. “There are loads of people out there who have been falsely accused of groping female train travelers. I have repeatedly called on train companies to set up carriages just for men so that we can offer relief to all those with worries.”

It’s rather sad, indeed, what with men who are innocently standing or sitting inside the train get tagged as a “molester” by commuters who want to make a big deal out of this and make some money.

Finally, my blogging software is updated to the latest version 2.5!

Kudos to Maestro for borrowing his spare time to make the upgrade.

As you all know, AnimeBlogger.Net is in dire financial straits, which started last month and is still ongoing. From Maestro:

.AnimeBlogger.net has always been supportive of new writers all over the world to establish their blog for free. As we continue to expand and include new bloggers to the anime blogosphere, we have reached a point where advertising dollars are not enough to pay for the hosting services.

Hence, we have decided to appeal for donations to cover the taxes and hosting fees of AnimeBlogger.net. The first goal is to raise US$1600 to cover three months of hosting and the taxes applicable to AnimeBlogger.net. When we have secured that amount, we are looking into adding another server in order to accommodate more writers, which is where the second goal comes in. If we reach our second goal of US$2200, we’ll be able to add another server.

If you are wondering how you can donate to us, there are various ways. First, you can directly donate to the site via Amazon or Paypal from our donations page. Second, you can buy AnimeBlogger.net merchandise. As an incentive to those who donate, everyone who donates more than $5 will be entered to win a prize.

Currently we have a sponsor that’s paying for two AnimeBlogger.net shirts for winners. You can also contribute any anime-related items as prizes for the lucky draw.

AnimeBlogger.net needs your help. Everyone is integral to the support of AnimeBlogger.net. Every little bit counts to hit our target, be it $1 or $100. You will make a difference. Thank you and please continue to explore our anime blogging community!

So go ahead and donate your share. Meanwhile I’ll ask Maestro’s assistance, again, for installing the donation plugin for this blog.

I’ll be mostly offline starting tomorrow, in preparation for the start of the Final Exams.

Here’s a rather humorous picture and supplemental serious post to think about.

Warning: Too Much Blogging is Dangerous to your Health - PinoyBloggero

Remember that yesterday was April Fools’ Day?

That was yesterday, April 1, you fools.

Apparently Momotato has got the scoop, that Key is not falling prey to the “holiday” concocted by those silly gaijins. Key has announced that they have a new game in their hands.

Loyalists rejoice!

Even more stories of Japanese anime antiquity.

Historic 91-year-old anime discovered in Osaka - HDRJapan

MOSAKA — Footage of an animation film dating back to the Taisho Period (1912-1926) has been discovered here, and has been confirmed as the oldest existing example of Japanese animation ever produced.
The 2-minute animation, directed by Junichi Kou’uchi and titled “Namakura Gatana,” was the second animation film ever made in Japan and was first shown at domestic theaters in 1917.
It was purchased at an antique fair in Osaka in July last year by film historian Natsuki Matsumoto. The film was found in nearly perfect condition.
The historic footage was unveiled during a press conference in Tokyo on Wednesday, following restoration work by the National Film Center in Tokyo’s Chuo-ku.

So this sets the timeline even further back to the Taisho period, which according to this here article from Wikipedia, is “considered the time of the liberal movement known as the ‘Taishō democracy’”.

Interesting find, isn’t it?

Remember this?

Well, I’d figured I’d chip in my nominations before the deadline, ’cause I have this tendency to beat the deadline and all.

It’s been nagging the back of my head the whole day. So now it’s back to the study room for me.

BTW, if you’re curious about the said nominations of mine, here they are:

http://www.minaidehazukashii.com/
http://anime.jefflawson.net/
http://animeotaku.animeblogger.net/

I’ve been keeping a relatively low profile in the anime blogosphere, since I’m busy with my thesis and all, but hey, there’s got to be some way to keep this blog relevant.

So there’s a blog awards of sorts going on. I got notified of this via an email from the AnimeBlogger.net Site Announcements.

Herein is the opening paragraph:

Given the exponential growth of the anime blogosphere, the number of quality blogs with insightful opinions and perspectives are ever increasing. Yet a majority of the blogs out there remain isolated, lacking a sense of community and meaningful interaction. The Anime Blog Awards was created in order to bridge that gap by recognizing worthy bloggers and their achievements in various fields.

So recognition, notoriety or social networking are involved, huh? This I have to ascertain.

As of now, the people behind this event (which was scheduled on April 1st, so no it’s no joke) decided to remain anonymous - on the site page that is. It’s rumored that a Singaporean animeblogger by the name of Impz is one of the few people who set up the event. This remains to be uncertain.

However one thing is. Thanks to the “super-sleuth” done by Pete Zaitcev of Ani-Nouto (though he’s been rather humble about it), it has been confirmed that fellow animeblogger Mellow Bunny is behind the event.

I’m not claiming to be an Internet super-sleuth (as “metantei” was translated in Haruhi), but they aren’t really hiding. It says right there in the footer: “Modified for The Anime Blog Awards by mellow_bunny 2008.” It has AB.net Donation Drive gauge. And the e-mail was sent from 116.14.79.112, which resolves to bb116-14-79-112.singnet.com.sg (it’s a /15 block, but you can fuzzy-search your own server logs).

After visiting the site, and sifting through the list of participants, I’ve noted that not a single animeblogger from the Philippines is participating. Well that’s kind of an odd one, since I’ve seen glances of anime fans waiting for their passion for the hobby to unfold. Oh well, at least it’s certain that I won’t be in, as you know.

So I know now what’s been happening.