Playing Sly Cooper Thieves in Time

I am playing Sly Cooper 4 as we speak, and although I am only on part one (Turning Japanese) I can say that it still has the flare, surprises, and fun as its three predecessors. This animated short is actually a prequel to the game, if anyone is interested (who wouldn't be?) :

• To tell you about it without ruining it. CLUE BOTTLES ARE BACK!!! I was highly disappointing when they took them out in sly 3, why would they do something like that? The clue bottles were a vital part of the game! but they are back! Yay!

• The faces are... awkward looking. Idk... I still like the character design, but the faces look weird. No offense Sly. 

• The text of the Thievious Raccoonus are disappearing before their very eyes, so Sly and the game has to go back in time to find out why and save Cooper history... somehow without breaking like, a billion laws of physics in the process, but hey, it's a game. 

• The game did not lose any of its appeal, and now, with more characters to play, the experience is even more exciting! Trying out new skills, and using many great costumes (Robin Hood Sly *drools*). 

I will add a more detailed review after I beat the game, so look forward to it!

Review: The Incredible Burt Wonderstein

Just watched this movie, not entirely sure I got my 9 bucks worth. But I'll give you a brief synopsis of what I did, and didn't, like of the movie.

Pro's.

1. They did good with some magic tricks, I was rather fascinated at watching them get to work. illusionment is something most people would find interesting.

2. It was funny! Kinda. It had parts that made me chuckle, and parts that made me cringe, gasp, and be bewildered.

Con's

1. Grotesque. It has a bit of gore, and pain in it. They show this, and amplify it tenfold for gasp-worthy responses. I personally don't mind grotesque, but the way it was portrayed was... SUPPOSED to be comedic... but I think it fell a little short of *chuckle+OMG!!!*

2. Predictable. You could see what was coming a mile away, not much of what happened was really a surprise besides the shock factor mentioned before.

Not a movie I would recommend, unless you want a first persons perspective. That said, the funny parts made it laughable, and the shock factor made you want to look away. Overall, I would say this movie was mildly entertaining. Giving it a 5 out of 10.

Raccoons are the Brightest People by Sterling North

I found this book to be wildly intriguing (pardon the pun). Although I should have read rascal before delving into this book, as this book is written to be a response to the correspondence that Sterling received from the many fans of his childhood autobiography. What I liked most was the way he added his and others observations clearly and detailed right beside many scientific studies, and his way of writing is not only descriptive, but easy enough to read that even a layman can do it. It is not everyday that I read a book so filled with a love of nature, and never before have I heard of someone so in touch with the natural world and all of its inhabitants.

This book also dispels some of the myths associated with wild animals being ferocious, to the point where it even mentions a quote by the late Carl Marty, and avid nature lover who has spent his life raising all sorts of animals in the wild, from raccoons to bears t even a wolf, said:

It is of great misfortune that the human race cannot be as gallant and gentle as are the so-called "wild" animals. (145)

and

I have yet to see unprovoked aggressive ferocity  in any animal [including bears], although defensive ferocity is fairly common. Given half a chance to be friendly, animals get along famously with other animals and also with kindly human beings. (151)

Acouple of the analogies mentioned in this book really fascinated me. Such as the story of Rusty the dog and Snoopy the raccoon, when Rusty wanted to come into the house, and went to seek the aid of Snoopy. How was the dog able to communicate with the raccoon his wants? The idea that animals are somehow able to communicate with each other has a very interesting topic that needs to be reviewed further.

A few of the other stories interested me as well, and I got depressed at the part where Moonlight supposedly died for the sake of her kits, protecting them from savage hunting dogs. And also the story of Old Jerry, who lived to the age of 22, and had a rather well life.

All my life, I have wanted to be in or near nature, and to befriend the various animals that live there. But although this dream has yet to come true, it encourages me to read stories of other people who have been able to live this dream life with nature.

The main point near the end really struck home. The notion that man and beast can live side by side in harmony is only denied due to the selfishness and bloodthirsty nature of man. Many people don't give a second though to animal well being and animal intelligence, because humans are innately thought to be better. There there is little difference between man and creature aside from mans tyranny and sadism. People need to realize, as Sterling did, that animals and people can live side by side.

i give this book a 9.5/10

Ao No Exorcist Review

This anime was fascinating, yet it had a certain quality about it that made it less. As if they should have tried harder at some points.

At first they didn't show scenes of previous episodes, but they automatically just added that in later on without warning, like the extra scenes after the credits that are crucial to the storyline that just appear half-way through the anime without an iota of foretelling. A little forewarning would have been pleasent.

Also, the anime went by too quickly. Everything just happened one-after-another without very little explanation. This became more and more obvious towards the end until it became cliche. Yukio (Rin's twin) wanted to learn about his family history, and all of a sudden, WHAM! His grandfather appears and tells him all about it. Also, Rin was defeated horribly in the first battle against the earth king, not too long afterwords was able to defete him, but barely, and then not too long after that was able to creme him easily, with little to no training in-between. And lastly, he seems to be able to have the power to control his flames as soon as he lights two separate candles. It is as if this anime should span on for longer, but didn't have the budget to do so.

Too many unanswered questions:

- why was Yukio's skin turning darker as he got his powers? It did not do so with Rin.
- What is the cause of the hatred between demons and exorcists? Is it simply a form of bias because the demons are known to be "troublemakers?"
- If Satan wanted a perfect vessel outside of Gehenna, and this was his plan all along, why did he try to drag Rin into Gehenna in the second episode?

Other than the glaring issues, this anime had a very good, captivating storyline, which made me think twice before thinking of the demons as bad guys. It also helps that the main character (Rin) is hot as hell (no pun intended). This anime should have been much longer, but did OK with the short amount of time it had. It captivated me, and the animation was good, but due to it's flaws the most I can give it is a 6.5 out of 10.

Book Review: Rascal Raccoon's Raging Revenge

It deeply saddens me that this book is not getting the popularity that it deserves. You'd expect with a plot-line so deep and art so nostalgic that this book would have been given raving reviews and there would be a myriad of fan-art dedicated to it. But alas, from browsing the internet, I cannot find much, if any, fan art at all.  But what about the book makes me say this?

Well, the story-line itself is a work of pure nostalgia, but also with a twist. This storyline focuses on what happens when the antagonist (nicknamed the "meanie") actually defeats the protagonist (the "merrie"). It also dives into why the meanie is angry at the merry, and how the meanie isn't necessarily a bad guy. This is rarely shown (except in passing in particular episodes) of older cartoons, such as Coyote and the Roadrunner, Sylvester and Tweety, as well as Tom and Jerry.

Also, the art is very similar to Looney Toons, which gives it that nostalgic feeling that I loved so much about the book. The book is only 135 pages long, so it is over rather quickly, which depressed me a little because I wanted it to go on for much longer, but to quote the book:

"...every cartoon ends eventually. Children's entertainment is a fickle mistress." Page 99

But this book needs more than a measly 150 likes on their Facebook page before it flickers out in my opinion. Bringing the classics back in such a new and exciting way deserves some recognition. I might just be too early though, as this book was only published in 2011. hopefully it just needs more time to gain recognition.

The only issue I have with this book, is why exactly did Jumpin' (the merrie) die? It is never quite explained in the book. They are still popular, hence the amusement park and the museum on page 40-57, so their popularity didn't die out. The animation company itself said they did not kill jumpin' in page 98. And on page 25 the doctor said that no toonie has ever died before. So why did Jumpin' die and how exactly did he come back to life in the end if the animator was (possibly) arrested on page 126? But I will let logic be because it's a comic.

Altogether this was a very nice read that I would recommend to everyone of all age groups. I give this book a 9.5 out of 10. 

Haribo

I am eating a packet of their gummi-bears right now. Totally worth the buck I spent on it. They are good and all, but what is the big deal? They are more flavorful? yes. That's about it. nothing very "original" IMO. But side from an increase in flavor, I don't see how this is any different than typical gummi-bears.

Also, these bears have a lot of protein, and 140 calories per serving (for those who give a shit), so a few servings can be a meal!

I just don't see why these bears have a commercial, they are not all that great... I ate them, but I won't go out of my way to spend another dollar on them.

I would give them a 6 out of 10. I mean, they are just gummi bears.

MM! anime review

I liked the show, MM! is an anime about masochism, sadism, androphobia (which I never knew existed) and  many other strange things. It is mainly about a masochist who wants to be cured of his masochism, and people who are trying to help by beating the dog snot out of him.

The anime didn't get much of a chance to get repetitive because of it's shortness, but a few things did pop out at me:

1. He decided to get cured of his masochism so he could talk to this girl he had a crush on. Lo and behold the girl he was infatuated with was his best friend crossdressing. So him still trying to be cured of his masochism loses the point after the second episode.

2. It ends off on a dumb point. Like it was not finished and the animation budget ran dry. He never gets cured of his masochism, and they say "happy birthday" to the sadist girl and that's the end of it. What the hell happens next? Does he get cured? It leaves much to be desired.

It was interesting, but outside of the animation it kinda sucked. So... 3 out of 10 for me.