One and done

First round exit. It's been a while...I think Marbury was still around the last time that happened. For better or worse, D'Antoni looks to be out as coach as well.



This one is disappointing, but not quite as painful as the last two seasons. I'll explain later.

Colt headed to Washington, the Hawks making some noise

The Redskins picked Brennan up in the 6th round, apparently seeing him as a project of sorts. Translation: they're going to stash him in the weight room for the next 2 seasons. Colt was the only Warrior to get drafted, but perhaps that's not all that surprising after the camps exposed the fact that our receiver corps weren't as freakishly fast as they sometimes appeared. I still figured that Davone Bess and Ryan Grice-Mullins would have gotten their numbers called, but at least most everyone ended up inking free agent deals.

I've got a bit of an unrelated sports confession to make. With the Hawks owing their 2008 draft pick to the Suns, I was naturally rooting against them all season long. Imagine my dismay when they eked into the playoffs with the worst record in the 16 team field, thus ensuring that the pick wouldn't be in the lottery. But now that the draft pick is no longer a factor, I can freely root for Joe Johnson, who along with Trix, is my favorite non-Sun in the league. You'd (still) have to be crazy to bet on the Hawks knocking out the Celtics, but it's just so, so sweet watching JJ take apart the league's top team. It simply would've been impossible financially, but sometimes I wonder what could have been had Phoenix kept that Nash, JJ, Trix, STAT core from 04-05 together.



JJ = $$$ Max Money

Still breathing

Welcome back, Boris. 20 points, 10 boards, 8 assists, and a couple of blocks, but perhaps more importantly, the distinction of being the dominant post presence in a game that featured Tim Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal. I remember when we thought we got the better of the Joe Johnson trade after Boris' first season with the squad, when he showcased a skill set that included Penny Hardaway's post-up game, the combination of size and speed to guard opposing point guards and centers, a penchant for filling up the stat sheet like Jason Kidd-lite, an unreliable but rapidly developing jumper, and an an affable, laid-back attitude that was incredibly coachable, almost to a fault. In hindsight, Atlanta clearly got the better of the deal, but every once in a while, we'll still get flashes of the Boris Diaw that we were sure was going to be a bona fide All-Star one day. It's clear that Nash can only do so much with Bowen draped all over him, so it was nice to see Boris and Raja really picking up the slack. As of right now, I'm just glad they didn't get swept. That's a pretty big step back for a fan of a team that had title aspirations, but that's professional sports for ya.

Eureka Seven and April splurge: the aftermath

Listening to:
Eureka Seven: Complete Best
track: 「虹」by 電気グルーヴ

Some quick Eureka Seven thoughts before I forget. I still like RahXephon a little better, mostly for reasons that are largely aesthetic in nature, but on a purely personal level, I have to stick Eureka Seven ahead of Evangelion on my list of all-time favorite titles. The highlight of the show? Denki Groove's (電気グルーヴ) "Niji" plays at the show's final climatic scene, and contextually, the song is just magic. I can't really go into it any more without coming off as totally cornball here, but the final 5 minutes of the show, coupled with the 50 episode buildup preceding it, is just something that's really quite poignant and incredibly rewarding. Overall, the characters are very deep, and much in the same way that I felt the cowardly protagonist was what made Eva so enigmatic and true to life, the type of self-doubt and the subsequent character growth displayed by Eureka Seven's main players are what really power the show. What's great here is that the character development is set at a slow boil over the course of 50 episodes, and aside from a filler ep. or two, the various tangents never stray particularly far from the main story arc. The thing about Eva was that it turned out to be, for lack of a better term, a tragedy piece, and given the mainstream following that the show eventually garnered, audiences weren't necessarily ready for that type of mindfuck at the time. It's interesting, because Gainax's penchant for terrible endings aside (Eva, KareKano, Mahoromatic, etc.), you don't see that type of tragic, apocalyptic ending with the giant robot shows so much anymore, because studios are afraid of receiving the kind of backlash that Eva initially did. In the end though, I don't really like comparing Eureka to Eva, because though the two shows certainly possess multiple similarities, Eva is truly a unique, groundbreaking beast of a show, while Eureka is a wonderful little love story with a really, really good sci-fi backdrop. Given that the lead character is 14, there's really no shortage of corny lines, and though there are a handful of characters that can get real irritating, most likely by design, the product as a whole is a masterpiece in my humble opinion. Not my favorite show of all time by any means, but it's certainly in the top 5.

April purchases, revisited:

4/1 Kimura Kaela - +1 (album + DVD)
4/1 1969 - Maya (CD)
4/5 Air Jordan XX3 stealth/gold (apparel/footwear)
4/15 Eureka Seven Vol. #12 (DVD)
4/15 Eureka Seven Music (DVD w/ bonus CD)
4/16 Morning Musume - Resonant Blue (single + DVD)
4/18 Bleach Vol. # 33 (manga)
4/22 Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES (PS2)
4/22 The World Ends With You (Nintendo DS)

I couldn't find a copy of the 1969 record anywhere, although I should have figured as much beforehand. That's really the one thing that sucks about not having Tower Records around anymore; if you're looking for anything even remotely obscure, you're going to have to find it on the web. I decided to pass on The World Ends With You for the time being, not because of any current monetary issue, but because I can't realistically play a DS game until I get my new glasses. So, although I did manage to save about 50 bones by cutting out a couple of items from the list, I unfortunately spent $200+ on the aforementioned prescription glasses, another chunk on a physical exam sans any medical insurance, and the usual sum on various impulse DVD (Rob & Big seasons 1&2), literature (Foer's Everything Is Illuminated), game (Arcana Heart), music (She & Him!), and clothing purchases (a pair of jackets to get ready for, uh, summer). That being said...

Projected damage: approx. $400
Actual damage: approx $1000

I'm a little afraid to see what happens when I add my car insurance, gas, food, and phone expenses to that. Of course, the best part is that there are still five days left in April. I'm not trying to shoot down any personal spending records by any means, but certain silly things happen to me when I have the money to throw around. Questionable? Perhaps. But irresponsible? Nah, I don't think so. I was weighing the various pros and cons of the PS3, the Wii, and the X-Box 360, when it occurred to me that I could conceivably afford to get all three if I so wanted to. But the reality is that I can still play the PS2 for days on end when I have the time to do so, and like it or not, I've got to pocket a couple of grand before I head to Japan. So that's me being somewhat levelheaded for a change.

Phoenix Suns down 2-0

This one hurts, but the Suns should have taken the 1st game. Nash and Shaq were busting their asses out there, but STAT and Boris only showed up for the first half, and Barbosa has yet to show up all series. We could really use Hill's length on Parker, but it looks like that groin injury is really limiting his mobility. I'm not one to give up on my squad, but things aren't looking too good right now. Winning all three of the home games is a must, plus one on the road in San Antonio. Impossible? Nah. Improbable? No doubt. But hey, that's why we watch. I'm actually starting to believe that the problem lies with those orange road jerseys.

On another note, I caught the Hornets/Mavs game, and Chris Paul is just scary good. I haven't seen a point guard put up these kinds of numbers since Steve Nash ripped Dallas during the 04-05 playoffs. Paul plays the passing lanes brilliantly, is an incredible finisher in the paint, keeps his dribble and probes as well as anyone in the league - yes, even as well as Nash - and has a natural basketball IQ and a killer instinct that is simply off the charts. As crazy as it sounds, this kid could very well be better than both Nash and Jason Kidd when it's all said and done. I mean, he'll probably never be the shooter that Nash is, nor will he be able to hit the glass and ignite breaks by himself like Kidd does, but Paul is only 22, and with Nash and Kidd on the downside of their respective careers, CP3 is clearly the top point guard in the game today. I'd still take Nash in his prime if I were a GM, but damn...Paul is going to be some kind of a superstar.

KING WILLIAM REGAL

ALL HAIL KING REGAL! ALL HAIL KING REGAL! ALL HAIL KING REGAL! ALL HAIL KING REGAL! ALL HAIL KING REGAL!



*ahem* Sorry. It's been a while since I marked out to that degree. Regal is such a sinister bastard - I love it.

(6) Suns vs. (3) Spurs, here we go...

Well, may as well get it out of the way first. I can't say that I'm still all that angry about the way last year's series turned out, but taking out the champs in the opening round would certainly make for some proper vindication. Revenge notwithstanding, I honestly feel that aside from the Lakers, these are the two best teams in the West, so it's definitely going to be a heck of a series. The game tips off on Saturday, 3:00 pm EDT, which sucks because I'm going to be at work.



One year removed from the scene, this picture is actually a little funny, if only because of Manu Ginobili's "Er, I really don't want to fight" expression. I'm fairly certain that he's waiting for a Suns player to brush against him, thus giving him the perfect opportunity to A) fly several yards back with arms flailing uncontrollably, or to B) inexplicably crumple to the floor in excruciating pain, most likely while clutching his eye and/or elbow. I'm not saying that Manu isn't an incredible basketball player, just that he's a much better actor.

Monday mornings, lower-echelon geekiness, and Arcana Heart

Playing:
Arcana Heart
(PS2)

In my aforementioned effort to try and muster the time to do more of the fun things in life, I did the unspeakable and woke up extra early on a Monday morning. I fought through the 7:00 a.m. traffic to get to the office and drop off some paperwork, went to the beach, shot some hoops by myself, went back to the beach to kill time until the mall opened, did a bit of unnecessary shopping, drove home to get a bite to eat, then went to work and remained there until the evening time. In effect, my plan to cut back on gratuitous driving lasted all of 48 hours, but on the other hand, I guess it ended up being a pretty good day. Sure, it's easy to convince yourself that you had a busy day by peppering your mornings with petty indulgences, but I also think that there's some consolation to be had whenever you throw a wrinkle into your daily routine.

The dudes at Gamestop got a little too excited when I purchased my copy of Arcana Heart. I just wanted to buy my merch and bounce, but the gentleman at the register felt it necessary to give me a full review of the game, complete with semi-disturbing sound effects and bad Street Fighter analogies. I suppose that there are many different levels of dork out there, so it's kind of nice to know that, at least outwardly, I'm a very low echelon nerd in the grand scheme of things. The game itself is indeed quite fun though. It plays like Guilty Gear at half speed - a bit jarring since I'd been playing a lot of KOF XI lately - and it's actually a deceptively deep fighter. The game's "homing cancel" feature functions much like GGXX's "roman cancel," effectively making stringing combos together a heck of a lot of fun. The roster is only 11 characters deep (all girls), but in an interesting twist, you equip your fighter with a backup Arcana before the bouts begin. In some cases, the Arcana can double the amount of special and super moves that your character has, and with the 11 fighters and 11 different Arcana, there's a fairly respectable 121 unique character combinations that you can play around with. Not quite Capcom vs SNK 2 here, but there are definitely enough gameplay nuances to keep the hardcore gamers engaged for a while. The soundtrack is a bit of a snoozer, but the fighting engine is smooth and loads of fun, so a definite thumbs up from me.

Foamposite One Boot Hybrid

I'm not really sure what to think of these. I guess Nike is getting tired of just doing throwbacks with new color schemes, so they've resorted to conjuring up bizarre Frankenstein kicks.




To be fair, the Foamposites always did have a futuristic boot feel to them, but these are...something else. I'll wait for more detailed pictures before I judge. If there's a Penny symbol on the heel, I think I might seriously consider buying a pair.

「リゾナント ブルー」

This song is crack.



lol @ Jun Jun & Lin Lin in the Chinese restaurant. We get it Tsunku, they're from China.

$4.00 gas on the horizon

Hawai'i gas prices hit record high. Bloody hell. We're looking at about $3.70 per gallon here on O'ahu, but the folks on the neighboring islands are well into the $4.00 range.



It really sucks to be a driver on Lana'i right now, but it's looking like we too should be prepared to give up $4.00 per gallon before summer comes around. Nothing like a perpetual upsurge in fuel prices to suck the fun out of your weekends.

チミに足りないもの

「余裕」が足りないのは一応合ってるけど、「体毛」！？　しかも二回も出てる！　ぎゃくにありすぎって感じなんだけどね。「武士道」も足りないらしい。うんん〜。この時代にそんなもん本当に必要なのかなぁ？

チミに足りないもの。

Jordan XX3 White/Stealth/Gold

I was initially going to pass on the Jordan XX3, but I couldn't resist buying a pair when images of the White/Stealth Black/Metallic Gold colorway showed up online. It's not a traditional Chicago Bulls scheme, but excluding the awesome (and ridiculously limited) Titanium Blue versions, I personally feel that these White/Stealths are the best, cleanest looking XX3s yet. Simply put, pictures don't do these shoes justice.



I'll go ahead and say that the XX3 is the most unique, cutting-edge basketball sneaker since the Foamposite One. I still think Jordans generally cost too much, but for the most part, you get what you pay for here. The quilted side panels, the precise embroidery, the fingerprint sole, the metallic gold autographs across the toe...it's simply an intricate and well-crafted sneaker. All that stuff I said about not being willing to drop $200 on these? Lies, unfortunately.

Off to Japan...somewhere...

I got an email today from JET, more or less letting me know that pending the results of an FBI background check and a physical examination, I'd been selected to participate in their program. Now, I wouldn't want to get ahead of myself, but it looks to be pretty close to official at this point. Unfortunately, we won't be getting our placement notifications until May, so I haven't a clue as to where exactly I'll be living in Japan. But, that doesn't detract from the fact that I will indeed be living somewhere in Japan, a certain dream come true on a personal level.



I'm not going to pretend that things will definitely work out for me overseas, but one thing for sure, I'm going to do my best to try and enjoy this summer in Hawaii to the fullest. Overall? I'm pretty damn stoked.

Some required viewing

Just a quick heads up. Best Buy has the Evangelion Platinum collection on sale for $28.99, a huge bargain by anyone's standards. It's not quite as spiffy as the anniversary tin that just came out, but these are the same remastered discs w/ 5.1 audio that ADV put out a few years back. I probably spent about $200 buying the singles as they were releasing. It's safe to assume that most people have seen Eva by now, probably several times over, but it's an important enough show to warrant a spot in everyone's library.



I imagine that the sale will end on Saturday, so pick it up while you still have the chance. Clicky.

Is it the shoes?

Always buying sneakers? It's the sign of a leader: poll

Mindset Media, a media company that examines personality traits of different consumers, found that people who buy more than three pairs of sneakers a year are 61 percent more likely to have the qualities of a modern leader.

These qualities were defined as having ideas and vision, and a style with others that is both inclusive and decisive.

The survey of 7,500 people, using market research group Nielsen's online panel, found multi-sneaker buyers were 50 percent more likely to be very assertive and 47 percent more likely to be spontaneous.

Lauren Arvonio, a spokeswoman for Mindset Media, said sneaker buyers were more likely to fly by the seat of their pants.

"It is often said you can tell a lot about a person by the shoes they wear, and now we have some hard data to back that up," Arvonio told Reuters.

*insert Barack Obama comment here*

椎名さんと東京事変ばっか聞いています

「丸の内サディスティック」、東京事変バージョン。



めちゃｘ２かっこいい〜。

April splurging (sorta)

Yes, it's come to this. I'd been pretty good about not spending inordinate amounts of money lately, but April might be a bit rough on the wallet.



4/1 Kimura Kaela - +1 (album + DVD)
4/1 1969 - Maya (CD)
4/5 Air Jordan XX3 stealth/gold (apparel/footwear)
4/15 Eureka Seven Vol. #12 (DVD)
4/15 Eureka Seven Music (DVD w/ bonus CD)
4/16 Morning Musume - Resonant Blue (single + DVD)
4/18 Bleach Vol. # 33 (manga)
4/22 Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES (PS2)
4/22 The World Ends With You (Nintendo DS)

Total damage: approx. $400

I suppose I could think of a worse way to spend my tax returns. But what's up with all the $40 DS games? Maybe I'm just old school, but doesn't portable gaming have so much appeal because it's A) compact, and B) affordable? For the $40 that it'd take me to get, say, FF: Ring of Fates, I could get Persona 3 FES and about 10 double cheeseburgers. Now, I'd have absolutely no discernible use for that sum of double cheeseburgers, but that's totally beside the point. I'd certainly like to play The World Ends With You, but it's probably the one item on the list that I can do without if the MSRP is what I'm thinking it'll be.

Kite Liberator thoughts

Watching:
カイト LIBERATOR

I got my copy of Kite Liberator this past Friday, and though I admittedly went in with pretty low expectations, I was pleasantly surprised as to how much I enjoyed the OVA. I was initially somewhat worried when previews and trailers showed the protagonist battling monsters of all things, a sizable genre step away from the gritty assassin piece that the original Kite was. While the sci-fi elements certainly felt jarring at first, they turned out to be integral cogs in the touching, albeit undeveloped storyline (but hey, there's only so much you can do with 60 minutes). The animation quality is pretty incredible, and Liberator is just as fiercely violent and bloody as the original. I'd go as far as to say that Liberator rivals the first Kite in terms of content, but the fact is that we're dealing with two entirely different animals here, given that Kite was, um, porn, and Liberator is not. A lot of the material is still uncomfortable and almost dangerously edgy - Monaka, our heroine, spends her evenings tracking down and brutally killing pedophiles - but again, sans the sex scenes, Umetsu's latest work simply won't command the type of controversy and infamy that the original Kite did. Overall, it's a pretty spectacular little OVA, but one that is simply begging for a sequel/prequel, whether it be another OVA or a 13 episode TV series ala Mezzo.



Swank packaging. After all these years, I'm still a sucker for slipcovers.

Air Jordan I - messin' with a classic

New conceptual drawings of the retro Air Jordan I have surfaced, and unfortunately, our good friends at Nike have decided that it would be a good idea to stick a strap onto the thing. It's still by all means a very good looking shoe, but why mess around with arguably the greatest and most important sneaker of all time? I thought that these types of modifications were why they were doing the Jordan Fusions.



Oh well. On the bright side, if the shoe is anything like the high top Vandal (which looks to be the case), the strap will be totally removable, thus reducing the severity of the crime somewhat. Either way, I'll still probably buy a pair when they drop in the winter, which I guess is what Nike was counting on.