Nakama Britannica Portal

Tuesday, May 13th 2008

14:00 GMT – Cadbury White Chocolate Freddo » Preview » » Doberman Pharaoh

We don’t get enough Freddo varieities here in England, just milk chocolate and caramel. Australia and New Zealand though get a whole bunch, and this is one of them, the white chocolate Freddo. Now long term readers will know I’m a fan of white chocolate, so I’m not put off at all. This 40g Freddo (that’s [...] Read the full post.

00:00 GMT – Great Artwork, Clear Storytelling, An Involving Cast of Characters… » Preview » Nakama Britannica » Nakama Britannica

Great Artwork, Clear Storytelling, An Involving Cast of Characters… Del Rey Manga Round-Up Spring 2008 I really love the classy Del Rey manga format, especially their in-depth ‘Translator’s Notes’ and previews of the next volume, but sometimes, of late, I’ve felt that all their loving presentation has been wasted some less than distinguished series. The winning formula [...] Read the full post.

Monday, May 12th 2008

14:00 GMT – Nestlé After Eight Straws » Preview » » Doberman Pharaoh

A rather odd After Eight product here, these have been around for a couple of years now, and I’ve never been tempted to buy them, I keep expecting them to disappear soon though, and so here we are. These come in a cylindrical tub, about 15cm tall. It’s fairly plain to look at, and I’m surprised [...] Read the full post.

12:00 GMT – Kaiba – I Am a Pretentious Wank; Sorry About That [Ep. 3] » Preview » Hige vs. Otaku » Hige

Hige reviews episode three of Kaiba and, surprisingly, isn't too much of a pretentious fanny about it. Read the full post.

03:00 GMT – A vaguely clever idea to do with a quiz. » Preview » Cultural Observations of Alexander Nisbet » Espy

It's a little-known fact that I kept a blog when I was 16 for around a year. It can be quite embarrassing (though there are some moments of unintentional literary gold), so I don't show too many people. But I suppose I've embarrassed myself enough in this blog, so here it is.Why am I telling you this? I was browsing it today, and came across an old quiz I posted. Then I had the vaguely clever.. Read the full post.

02:00 GMT – Observation Made While Brushing Teeth » Preview » Cultural Observations of Alexander Nisbet » Espy

My mum never buys the same type of toothpaste twice.Now,I understand that it's fair enough that she doesn't have a favourite, but she bought three tubes today - each a different type. Would it not be easier for her to just grab three of the same and think "That'll do"? No, apparently she needed to buy three different types. Why did she feel the need to? Does she love variety? Does she have some st.. Read the full post.

Sunday, May 11th 2008

18:00 GMT – Hear the truth I used to overlook » Preview » Afterimage » Paul

Until I’ve caught up with some of the other spring anime, I’m stalling on watching more of Kaiba, but for the sake of curiosity, I can’t stop myself from streaming an occasional clip on YouTube too. This one excerpt from episode 3 is wonderful. You don’t need to understand the dialogue to feel what’s happening, [...] Read the full post.

13:00 GMT – Kurenai: here’s to the child and all she has to teach us » Preview » The End of the World » Martin

It seems that the lolicon dabacle is mercifully dead and buried so we can now all concentrate on what Kurenai is and does rather than what the misguided individuals think it is. It’s certainly an unusual series, both in terms of aesthetics and storytelling - this is to me a shining example of well-made seinen [...] Read the full post.

Saturday, May 10th 2008

22:00 GMT – Cyline - Lust of another kind » deviantART: by:chaz-anime » Chaz

20:00 GMT – When the sky turned blue » Preview » Bateszi Anime Blog » Paul

Gone a bit quiet around here, ain’t it? Last update was a couple of weeks ago, so I figured I’d pop-in a quick “Hello, not dead yet”. The truth is that, since finishing Ghost Hound, I’ve not been watching nearly enough (good) anime, so, aside from a few sarcastic paragraphs, I don’t have much to [...] Read the full post.

16:00 GMT – ePiSoDe 50: Shiro's guide to attracting women....... » Preview » Pravada & Other Stories » Shiro 'Baka Gaijin' Yui

Be a total bastard – women admire a total jerk who has no genuine feelings for her.Lie at every opportunity – women can’t tell when you are lying, use this as your advantage.Be a complete pussy – if you can’t stand up for what you believe in and wuss out at every opportunity, she’ll take pity on you, thus access you to her pussy.Be unfunny. Women hate funny guys, they love those monoto.. Read the full post.

13:00 GMT – I can’t be arsed to write a proper post so read these blogs instead » Preview » The End of the World » Martin

There are a number of things I could do as a reaction to burn-out (if that’s what I have) but I think recommending new additions to my own feedreader is the most constructive. My answer to everything at the moment is “I can’t be arsed.” Do that post on Kurenai I promised to write? Can’t [...] Read the full post.

10:00 GMT – Late to the party: Golgo 13, Himitsu - The Revelation » Preview » Afterimage » Paul

If manliness were a disease, it couldn’t get much worse than Golgo 13. The aptly named Duke Togo doesn’t do emotion, he does big guns, and his legendary aim is as precise with the hearts’ of fine ladies as when trained on the “meat-filled football” (Golgo’s words, not mine) of a terrorist. Being billed as [...] Read the full post.

Friday, May 9th 2008

21:00 GMT – Alundra 2 » Preview » Cultural Observations of Alexander Nisbet » Espy

You may remember my ramble about how much I loved Alundra. Well, that went on to find a home at the site Zelda Elements. I always said I wanted to write about the sequel, and I just so happen to have done that. Consider this an advanced preview, as it won't appear on the site for a while yet.  Ah, Alundra. It’s no secret that Alundra is a game I love - more than some Zelda games, in fact. T.. Read the full post.

16:00 GMT – Late to the party: Amatsuki, Allison and Lillia » Preview » Afterimage » Paul

Much like The Daughter of Twenty Faces, I went into Amatsuki with low expectations. It looks mediocre in the way that it’s overflowing with cliche bishonen character designs and therefore, blatant (almost Get Backers-esque) homo eroticism. The animation isn’t especially good, but again, the overall feeling wasn’t bad at all. Story is basically that modern, [...] Read the full post.

16:00 GMT – I'd like to thank my momma and Elvis. » Preview » Cultural Observations of Alexander Nisbet » Espy

Just a quick update to let you all know that, in all my years of making bacon, today, for the first time, I successfully set fire to a slice.Accidentally, of course. Read the full post.

13:00 GMT – Suspension Mechanic Girl » deviantART: by:kyokohunter » Cheeky

12:00 GMT – Hershey’s Milk Chocolate with Almonds » Preview » » Doberman Pharaoh

Ah Hershey’s, that old American classic that hardly anyone outside America likes, and yet will still get defended to the death. I generally stay away from it wherever possible, but I figure that eventually I’d have to review their stuff, and this has the potential to actually be good, methinks. I can only see this being [...] Read the full post.

Thursday, May 8th 2008

23:00 GMT – Not Elevens, Allusions » Preview » The Animanachronism » IKnight

The funny thing is, wildarmsheero is right: Code Geass doesn’t have a pretentious bone in its body. It’s the fans who are the pretentious ones. The show is just noise and pictures, and it’s the fans who shove the meaning on it. We’ve been here before, and we don’t need to say anything about Code [...] Read the full post.

21:00 GMT – Game Time. » deviantART: by:outlawstar8489 » Outlawstar

18:00 GMT – Bristol Comic Expo this weekend » Preview » Sonia's Journal » sonia_leong

http://www.comicexpo.net/I will be around from late morning Saturday onwards ^_^ most probably signing at the SelfMadeHero stand for Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet. Otherwise, I may be seen hanging around the bar XDBut first, Paris for the L'Arc~en~Ciel concert... Read the full post.

14:00 GMT – Galaxy Roasted & Caramelised Hazelnuts Bar » Preview » » Doberman Pharaoh

So I picked this bar up a little while ago in Asda and it’s been sitting in my mini-fridge for about 2 weeks now, and I haven’t really been that tempted to eat it. Maybe I’m getting bored of chocolate, I hope not. Angst aside, this is a 120g bar, which makes it pretty huge, though [...] Read the full post.

12:00 GMT – Would you throw away £10bn a year? » Preview » Bollywood Girl's Guide To Life » Manga Girls

Amazingly, that's what us Brits do! According to a Government report, British households throw away £10bn worth of food every year. An average household wastes £420 whilst those with kids throw away £610 a year. Which is a heck of a lot of money if you ask me!So here are my tips on how not to throw away good money:1) Write and stick to your shopping list - Now that we know how much food goes in.. Read the full post.

05:00 GMT – This is how I picture my death. » Preview » Cultural Observations of Alexander Nisbet » Espy

In a warm-coloured room I'll lie. Black-and-white photos will surround me - full of memories. The first time I rode a bike, my first day at school, a particularly memorable holiday, my wedding... all placed there by the concerned onlooking family members. The photos make little difference to the solemn atmosphere in the room as the colour slowly drains from my wrinkled face."Son..." I call ou.. Read the full post.

Wednesday, May 7th 2008

21:00 GMT – Tips to beat the credit crisis » Preview » Bollywood Girl's Guide To Life » Manga Girls

As consumers start to feel the impact of the credit crunch, the financial sections of newspapers and websites are brimming with tips on how to survive the credit crisis, so today's blog is all about the practical steps you can take to stay on top of your finances:1) Budget wisely - If you've never stuck to a budget, now's the time to start. All it takes is a little discipline to live on an allocat.. Read the full post.

18:00 GMT – A Very Brief Examination of Japanese Science Fiction. » Preview » Nakama Britannica » Nakama Britannica

Kenji Kamiyama said in an interview talking about ‘Ghost in the Shell’ that the greatest science fiction is that which touches on important issues within today’s society. What Kamiyama is trying to illustrate is that his version of ‘Ghost in the Shell’ is at the cutting edge of science fiction. Indeed some of the greatest science [...] Read the full post.

13:00 GMT – Galaxy Minstrels » Preview » » Doberman Pharaoh

“Smooth, creamy Galaxy milk chocolate in a crispy chocolate shell”, that sums these up pretty darn well. I realised awhile back I still hadn’t reviewed these and I finally remembered again yesterday, so better late than never, methinks. So, these minstrels have no relation to actual minstrels, but that’s going way off topic. As part of [...] Read the full post.

01:00 GMT – Midnight Amusement Park of Delight » Preview » Afterimage » Paul

Earlier this evening, after battling to a hard-fought 2-1 win over Burton Albion, mine beloved Cambridge United qualified for the Blue Square Premier play-off final, to be played in glorious surroundings at the new Wembley Stadium. Considering three years of strife in football purgatory and flirting with financial ruin, the hopes and dreams of the [...] Read the full post.

00:00 GMT – Freelancer: Expanded Universe » deviantART: by:kyokohunter » Cheeky

Tuesday, May 6th 2008

21:00 GMT – Rebuild of Evangelion 1.0: you are (not) alone » Preview » The End of the World » Martin

I was initially very sceptical of an NGE remake due to the cash cow-milking that the show has suffered from during the past thirteen years already; as much as the original series and cinematic alternate ending have been instrumental (pun intended >_<) in my interest in anime, it’s always felt like an exercise in taking [...] Read the full post.

19:00 GMT – What is kindness? » Preview » Bollywood Girl's Guide To Life » Manga Girls

Earlier today, I was on a bus on my way into university and I saw a lady who was shaking as she got off. I asked her if she was okay and she didn't respond. As the bus doors closed she collapsed on a grassy area by the bus stop. I yelled to the driver to stop the bus and jumped off to help her.She assured me she didn't need an ambulance and I helped her to where she worked. After a while she calme.. Read the full post.

17:00 GMT – Cheerio, Shigofumi [Eps. 4 - 12] » Preview » Hige vs. Otaku » Hige

Hige says goodbye to Shigofumi with measured indifference. Read the full post.

11:00 GMT – Nabisco Oreos (Revisited) » Preview » » Doberman Pharaoh

I like revisiting things I’ve reviewed every so often, usually when they’ve been repackaged, to see if anything has changed. With Oreos recently launched officially by Nabisco in Britain, I figured this would be a perfect chance to check them out again. First off, I’m not sure if this will be a good idea. Oreos sell [...] Read the full post.

Monday, May 5th 2008

23:00 GMT – Sounding Foreign in My Mouth » Preview » The Animanachronism » IKnight

Meandering exposition on the use of non-Japanese words in anime, and my relationship with them. Read the full post.

22:00 GMT – The beautiful wings of death; Devilman » Preview » Afterimage » Paul

Aside from being a rather perverted little bastard, there is something quite alluring about the works of Go Nagai. Though he’s infamous for creating stories as morally abhorrent as Violence Jack, I’ve always loved his Devilman. It might be vulgar, violent and edge towards illogic, but it’s fun too. Up until yesterday, I’d only seen [...] Read the full post.

20:00 GMT – The beautiful wings of death » Preview » Afterimage » Paul

Aside from being a rather perverted little bastard, there is something quite alluring about the works of Go Nagai. Though he’s infamous for creating stories as morally abhorrent as Violence Jack, I’ve always loved his Devilman. It might be vulgar, violent and edge towards illogic, but it’s fun too. Up until yesterday, I’d only seen [...] Read the full post.

15:00 GMT – Cheese and Macros » Preview » Full Metal Pen » Maxon

This is just a short update type of post. I got Call of Duty 4 the other day and have had a jolly good time so far. The single player leaves something to be desired since the way to progress is move forward, as opposed to actually completing a task. However, I have been rather enjoying [...] Read the full post.

13:00 GMT – Brits waste £314 in unspent loyalty points » Preview » Bollywood Girl's Guide To Life » Manga Girls

Supermarkets and stores are constantly reminding us about their loyalty card schemes but I recently learnt that us Brits waste £314 on unspent loyalty points, vouchers and credit notes.The article went on to say that eight in ten of us don't bother to use up these points which can account for £4.3bn worth of freebies every year. Many of us have a loyalty card, some of us even having three or fo.. Read the full post.

12:00 GMT – Total Raw Food’s Real Red Bar » Preview » » Doberman Pharaoh

The final Total Raw Food bar, though there are more in the range, I definitely won’t be paying £2.85 each for the rest (editor’s note: They’ve been reduced to £1.90 each for all of May, typical, eh). Same old situation: 58% cocoa solids bar, all organic, dairy-free, ethically sourced ingredients. This bar though has whole [...] Read the full post.

00:00 GMT – And then you intellectualized my emotion; The Daughter of Twenty Faces » Preview » Afterimage » Paul

I’m going through one of these phases at the moment where, no matter how much I want to write something (anything) productive, I’m just feeling low on inspiration. ‘Jaded and in need of a rest’ is a cliche I’m used to reading in Football Manager, but it’s a spot-on description of my current state. In [...] Read the full post.

Sunday, May 4th 2008

20:00 GMT – And then you intellectualized my emotion » Preview » Afterimage » Paul

I’m going through one of these phases at the moment where, no matter how much I want to write something (anything) productive, I’m just feeling low on inspiration. ‘Jaded and in need of a rest’ is a cliche I’m used to reading in Football Manager, but it’s a spot-on description of my current state. In [...] Read the full post.

19:00 GMT – Sci-fi London anime all-nighter 2008 » Preview » The End of the World » Martin

How hardcore am I? Apparently hardcore enough to sit for over eight hours between midnight and the break of dawn in the name of cinematic entertainment…my head aches, I’m sore all over and badly in need of a shave and a proper night’s kip and my eyes look like bloodshot piss-holes in the snow. This [...] Read the full post.

19:00 GMT – Notes on Ocelot I: Identifying Themes & Visualising Fairy Tales » Preview » Waiting for Kalki » Turtleheart

Now I've decided that the dissertation I will be starting to write this summer will at least majorly involve Ocelot, I have an excuse to start recording my thoughts on his creations. To start us off, what themes, topic or preoccupations come to mind when we think of Ocelot?Fairy tales The Golden Age The fetish of the long shot The theatre The honesty of the theatre in being fake Morals which are Read the full post.

18:00 GMT – Lost for words » Preview » Nakama Britannica » Nakama Britannica

After a couple months off from writing, I guess its time to return to this time consuming hobby. As you may have notice activity on Nakama has trickled to a halt, I guess the main reason is everyone is busy living their lives. I was the same, and unfortunately writing sat on the back burner. [...] Read the full post.

09:00 GMT – Hana Kimi: A journey in manga » Preview » Bollywood Girl's Guide To Life » Manga Girls

For the last two and a half years I have been reading the Hana Kimi manga and yesterday I read the very last volume with both feelings of joy and a tinge of sadness.Hana Kimi was the first manga series that I started following and has had a rather bigger impact on my life than even I could have imagined.It introduced me to J-rockers Hyde and Gackt, started my fascination with all things Harajuku a.. Read the full post.

02:00 GMT – Like brother, like... brother? » Preview » Cultural Observations of Alexander Nisbet » Espy

My little brother, Cameron, now listens to Megadeth. And he's considering buying his first ever Japanese RPG. Happy Sandy is happy.  Read the full post.

00:00 GMT – Shigofumi - Fumika Fan Art » deviantART: by:kyokohunter » Cheeky

Saturday, May 3rd 2008

08:00 GMT – How to save money on food as prices go up » Preview » Bollywood Girl's Guide To Life » Manga Girls

Many newspapers have recently been talking about food inflation and the rising costs of food, so today's blog is all about how to save money on the weekly food bill:1) Go for own brands - Often cheaper than more famous brands, start swapping food to a cheaper brand every week and see if you notice the difference in taste.You don't need to swap everything, but build in swaps along the way, taking a.. Read the full post.

Friday, May 2nd 2008

09:00 GMT – Total Raw Food’s Real Purple Bar » Preview » » Doberman Pharaoh

The second of three reviews of these unique bars from Total Raw Food. The Real Purple bar is another 58% minimum cocoa solids, 40g raw cacao bar, except this time, it has this purple corn added to the mix. Now, I don’t even know what purple corn is, so once again I have no idea [...] Read the full post.

09:00 GMT – London Votes: Boris or Ken? » Preview » Bollywood Girl's Guide To Life » Manga Girls

Yesterday, I returned tired from two weeks up in Scotland, only to be dragged out of the house to go and vote in the London Mayor election. Apparently my family were waiting for me to come home, before they all go and vote. Enquiring as to why they were waiting for me, my mum said that its because I studied politics so local politics would be of interest to me.Great. I knew that one day doing poli.. Read the full post.

02:00 GMT – That's yer uni over. » Preview » Cultural Observations of Alexander Nisbet » Espy

Well, I technically finished first year of uni today.  Which is strange, because it still hasn't sunk in that I'm at uni. Last time I blinked, I was still getting started. Now, that either means uni has went by far too quickly, or I have very red eyes.Oh, Iron Man's alright. Not as great as everyone says, but good. Though it needed more sections of Iron Man being awesome and killing peop.. Read the full post.

Thursday, May 1st 2008

23:00 GMT – Military reporting in Scotland » Preview » Bollywood Girl's Guide To Life » Manga Girls

For the last two weeks I have been up at a Navy base in Helensburgh, taking part in Joint Warrior, a major multinational military exercise involving 17 NATO countries with 70 aircraft and 36 warships.I wrote news, features and commentary pieces about a made up ‘international crisis’ writing copy for broadsheets, tabloid, propaganda publications and the web as the crisis escalated. It was an am.. Read the full post.

23:00 GMT – Spring 2008 first impressions #3: Kaiba, Kamen no Maid Guy, Kanokon » Preview » The End of the World » Martin

The fact that the next three in line, Kaiba, Kamen no Maid Guy and Kanokon, all begin with the same letter is pure coincidence by the way - I’m not trying to be clever or anything here. It’s the ‘Experimental Edition’ of my Spring 2008 first impressions: the first is itself experimental while the other [...] Read the full post.

17:00 GMT – Kaiba – Uncanny Marxist Fantasy [Eps. 1 & 2] » Preview » Hige vs. Otaku » Hige

Hige looks at the first two episodes of Kaiba and is somewhat enamored (mouse-over images for additional observations). Read the full post.

13:00 GMT – Total Raw Food’s Real Blue Bar » Preview » » Doberman Pharaoh

I picked up three of these bars from Total Raw Food: Real Blue, Purple, and Red. The Real Blue bar is a 58% minimum cocoa solids, 40g bar, with cyanobacteria (commonly known as blue-green algae) mixed into it. Yeah, no kidding. So these bars have “no wheat, no dairy, no gluten, no refined sugar, no destructive [...] Read the full post.

12:00 GMT – Review: Wii Fit (WII) » Preview » RewiredMind.com » One Gamer’s Blog. No Restraints. » Nemphtis

So, after spending a couple of weeks with the adorable Wii Fit balance board, I can safely say that it rocks. However, it could have rocked much, much harder. Sure, the skiing and tightrope walking are awesome diversions, but they aren’t really going to turn you into Mr. Buff overnight. Extended play of these games isn’t impossible [...] Read the full post.

12:00 GMT – Pro Evolution Rankings now online… » Preview » RewiredMind.com » One Gamer’s Blog. No Restraints. » Nemphtis

…a nice and surprising piece of news to find during my daily (well, it hasn’t been daily for a while) lookie-lou. Konami have put the oft-lauded Pro Evolution Soccer online rankings um…online. You can view them at http://www.pesrankings.com and see exactly how much I suck in comparison to the rest of the online world. With that [...] Read the full post.

12:00 GMT – A New Beginning » Preview » RewiredMind.com » One Gamer’s Blog. No Restraints. » Nemphtis

Don’t you just hate commercial game sites? I do. So why in the name of all that is good and pure was I trying to run one? No idea. I haven’t got the science on that, but I do know why I originally launched RewiredMind. The reason was simple - as most reasons are - in that [...] Read the full post.

12:00 GMT – NBA Ballers: Chosen One (X360) » Preview » RewiredMind.com » One Gamer’s Blog. No Restraints. » Nemphtis

Ah, Midway. The company that seemed to dominate the US arcades (and in some cases, home consoles) in the 90s with the likes of NBA Jam, Hydro Thunder and the WWF(E) titles, suffered a bit of a fall from grace when running into money problems. For me, even with the decent performance put in by [...] Read the full post.

12:00 GMT – Atari gets absolutely confused with Family Trainer » Preview » RewiredMind.com » One Gamer’s Blog. No Restraints. » Nemphtis

Astounding! Amazing! This brand new piece of software is like NOTHING YOU’VE EVER SEEN BEFORE! Just read the press release put out by Atari and you’ll see what I’m getting at. Atari today announced the forthcoming European release of NAMCO BANDAI Games’ Family Trainer exclusively for Wii. Family Trainer lets all the family and [...] Read the full post.

12:00 GMT – So, what’s on your wishlist? » Preview » RewiredMind.com » One Gamer’s Blog. No Restraints. » Nemphtis

Now that Grand Theft Auto 4 has hit, there doesn’t seem to be a great deal to be looking forward to. Am I wrong? Some will be going crazy for Super Smash Bros. Brawl in June, but I genuinely don’t think I’ll be getting the midnight oil burning to play that one. Maybe HAZE could [...] Read the full post.

00:00 GMT – Master Asia’s Last Breath » Preview » The Animanachronism » IKnight

This blog of mine glows with some awesome DICTION! It's burning prose tells me to convince you! Take THIS! My text, my pictures and all of my theses! SHINING BLOGGER'S WORRRRD! Go! GO! GO!! Read the full post.

Wednesday, April 30th 2008

17:00 GMT – Death Note and Light’s character » Preview » Nakama Britannica » Nakama Britannica

A few months ago, I was sat in my living room with my sister and my mother, a typical lazy winter evening. They were watching some terrible reality-tv show, whilst I was minding my own business, engrossed in a volume of Death Note. ‘What are you doing?’ enquired my Mum. I explained that I was reading [...] Read the full post.

11:00 GMT – Charlemagne Green Tea Organic Bar » Preview » » Doberman Pharaoh

A gourmet, organic bar, this. These long, thin bars come in a few different flavours, though green tea was the only one in stock, so now I get to see a Western view of how Belgian chocolate and green tea should go. There’s a bit of blurb, and here it is: “The Charlemagne Belgian chocolates are [...] Read the full post.

03:00 GMT – A thought » Preview » Cultural Observations of Alexander Nisbet » Espy

 Don't you just hate mediocre days? Vanilla, lukewarm days where nothing really interesting happens, and you're up until 2AM doing nothing, because you can't help feeling you should do something, but you just have no idea what? There's a big fat zero people on MSN. You can't even ramble on yer blog, because there's nothing to type about.Summer's here.>_>.. Read the full post.

Tuesday, April 29th 2008

23:00 GMT – Ghost Hound final thoughts: everyone is connected here too » Preview » The End of the World » Martin

I’ll admit up-front that I loved Ghost Hound right from the outset, even during those tentative episodes when it wasn’t clear whether there was method in the madness (SE: Lain) or whether it was a monumental misfire in which Konaka and Nakamura lost sight of their goal of entertaining the audience (Malice@Doll). As it turns [...] Read the full post.

12:00 GMT – Meybona Organic Milk Chocolate » Preview » » Doberman Pharaoh

Nice, ordinary milk chocolate. It’s been awhile since I’ve reviewed a normal chocolate bar, but here we are. This is in fact a bar produced and sold in Germany, that was imported here. There’s also a certain Oliver Kuhl’s name listed on the back, a chocolatier maybe? I have no idea. Anyway, organic chocolate, not something [...] Read the full post.

01:00 GMT – A Queschin Faw Yoo » Preview » Cultural Observations of Alexander Nisbet » Espy

So, I have another "question". The last time I had one of these on my blog, it had a total of zero replies. I'm more hopeful for this one, though, as it isn't merely an excuse for a bad pun. Anyway, here we go.I was just finishing my Marmite on toast, and I started wanting chocolate. Not because I secretly have feminine cravings, Marmite makes you want chocolate. Perhaps it's because its brow.. Read the full post.

Monday, April 28th 2008

12:00 GMT – Cadbury launches Creme Egg Twisted » Preview » » Doberman Pharaoh

Cadbury Trebor Bassett (CTB), the UK’s No.1 confectionery manufacturer, will be providing the Creme Egg experience all year round with the launch of Cadbury Creme Egg Twisted. The new product has Creme Egg “goo” twisted in a chocolate tube and has an RRP of £0.46. Launching on 19th May, Cadbury Creme Egg Twisted is CTB’s biggest chocolate [...] Read the full post.

12:00 GMT – Auctions and cleaning houses » Preview » Sonia's Journal » sonia_leong

On Saturday I went to my local auction house:http://www.willinghamauctions.comWe met Emma and Pud there too ^.^ They couldn't stay for my lots, but we all enjoyed having drinks at the cafe and soaking up the atmosphere (lovely weather on Saturday too).I love real life auctions - being able to really touch and examine all those lovely antique furniture, jewellery and militaria before deciding to bi.. Read the full post.

Sunday, April 27th 2008

20:00 GMT – US TV vs. anime vs. realism » Preview » Nakama Britannica » Nakama Britannica

As an anime fan, it's not often that I say this, but lately, I've been watching a lot of live action US TV. My current favourite is The Wire, and at the moment, I'd much rather watch that than, say, Macross Frontier, Soul Eater or Code Geass. The funny thing is, four, maybe even five, years ago; my opinion was almost polar opposite. I was absolutely sick of US TV and about ready to claim anime as .. Read the full post.

00:00 GMT – Timewaster of the Day » Preview » Cultural Observations of Alexander Nisbet » Espy

I always knew 20q was an overpriced sphere that could tell you if you were thinking of an apple or an orange, but I didn't know that it was inspired by a free online website that you can waste a lot of time on. And it can actually scarily good at guessing. Providing what you are thinking of isn't thay obscure (e.g. Bruce Dickinson), it often gets it first time. Which is sometimes qu.. Read the full post.

Saturday, April 26th 2008

02:00 GMT – Colonial Code Geass and Narnian Nerve Gas » Preview » The Animanachronism » IKnight

You may recall that in the first episode of the first season of Code Geass, one of the resistance fighters, having been wounded, reaches out towards a button next to a picture of his family, mutters 'Nippon banzai!' and blows up the truck he's driving. Now I am not Japanese, and in fact I have my doubts about the act of suicide, but I nevertheless found this moment rather stirring. The scene as a .. Read the full post.

Friday, April 25th 2008

13:00 GMT – Maths Jokes » Preview » Cultural Observations of Alexander Nisbet » Espy

I'm sitting in the Livi Tower computer labs, wasting a few hours, and laughing at mathematical jokes. Which probably looks really weird to everyone around me. But I'm going to share some for those who are like-minded. Some of them are so awful they're good!http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematical_jokePerson 1: What's the integral of 1/cabin?Person 2: A natural log cabin. Person 1: No, a hous.. Read the full post.

11:00 GMT – Divine Coffee Milk Chocolate » Preview » » Doberman Pharaoh

The Divine brand is something I haven’t really touched before. They describe themselves as “Heavenly Chocolate with a heart”, why? Because this is Fairtrade chocolate. Now there’s a lot of blurb on the back, but this can be summarised by going onto their website, basically all their ingredients are Fairtrade when possible, with their cocoa beans [...] Read the full post.

Thursday, April 24th 2008

23:00 GMT – Kaiji: the tissue box raffle » Preview » The End of the World » Martin

There’s a good reason why, at the end of the series, I’m not doing one of my customary ‘Final Thoughts’ posts on Kaiji. It is indeed the end of the series run without an official announcement regarding any sequel TV shows or OAVs but I can’t bring myself to view this as the end. The [...] Read the full post.

20:00 GMT – No post title » Preview » Waiting for Kalki » Turtleheart

Persepolis arrives in UK cinemas tomorrow (24 April 2008). See my page on the film and the new UK official site. The subtitled version is being made available, but only as a digital projection. Current music: Alela Diane – The Pirate's Gospelhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif Read the full post.

18:00 GMT – Pet Hate #7 » Preview » Cultural Observations of Alexander Nisbet » Espy

When you make a big LJ post, only to lose it all, right before posting, to the incapacity of web browsers. What you missed: me rambling about how Iron Man doesn't look very good, but Indiana Jones IV does. I am feeling very bitter right now. Read the full post.

17:00 GMT – Niederegger Filled Chocolate Eggs Selection » Preview » » Doberman Pharaoh

Yeah, it’s a bit lame these have the same name as the other filled chocolate eggs (as in, the exact same title is printed on the box), so I added “selection” to the end and was happy with that. As you can see we have a pretty little box here with three different eggs inside, [...] Read the full post.

09:00 GMT – Chimp » deviantART: by:outlawstar8489 » Outlawstar

03:00 GMT – In a land far away, there was a monster without a name » Preview » Bateszi Anime Blog » Paul

Around this time of year, I suppose many of us are guilty of watching a lot of mediocre and predictable anime because it's new and shiny, but for me, that's a waste of time; Monster might have aired in the spring of 2004, but it will always be great. If you haven't seen it, drop everything else and have a look-see. Read the full post.

Wednesday, April 23rd 2008

21:00 GMT – Spring 2008 first impressions #2: Golgo 13, Macross Frontier, Soul Eater » Preview » The End of the World » Martin

Yes, I know I haven’t posted my thoughts on Kaiba yet, nor have I watched Kanokon (before you ask: in regards to the former, I’m waiting for ep #2 to be subbed. In regards to the latter, “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it,” still applies so I’ll watch the first two before allowing myself [...] Read the full post.

17:00 GMT – ePiSoDe 49: Fission Mailed » Preview » Pravada & Other Stories » Shiro 'Baka Gaijin' Yui

How hard is it to anticipate that one of the flagship titles on your system is going to be very popular? Huh Sony/Kojima San? I know how ‘online’ on consoles is ‘alien’ to you in Japan, and the idea of emulating the successful Xbox Live service is similar to ‘welcoming the reds through New York’, but surely providing a (free) open beta to represent your forthcoming product that is less.. Read the full post.

16:00 GMT – Niederegger Chocolate Covered Marzipan » Preview » » Doberman Pharaoh

Another beautiful looking Niederegger product here. This is an egg shaped box with ten individually wrapped chocolate coated marzipan loaves. As you can see, the egg is really pretty to look at. On the little card attached to the ribbon it says “Nostalgie-Ei”, perhaps meaning that this is meant to be a nostalgic product, hence the [...] Read the full post.

14:00 GMT – The government fail at choosing dates. » Preview » Cultural Observations of Alexander Nisbet » Espy

So I've been chosen for jury duty beginning the 19th of May. Fun, right? Wrong. My exams start on the 20th. Grarghl.I'm currently trying to work out if having exams makes me exempt from attending. I really hope so, otherwise I will fail all my exams because I would be fined if I attended them. Which is convenient, and all. Read the full post.

Tuesday, April 22nd 2008

23:00 GMT – Clannad’s Nagisa arc: the bishoujo cake isn’t a lie after all » Preview » The End of the World » Martin

Perhaps predictably or perhaps not, Clannad ends on an “Awww…” rather than a “Wow!”, which ironically was the resolution I was hoping for. It makes me all the more interested in the ‘after-story’ that’s promised since the final scenes are less of an ending and more of…a new beginning? It’s certainly not any sort of [...] Read the full post.

17:00 GMT – Strange Conversations With 15-year-olds » Preview » Cultural Observations of Alexander Nisbet » Espy

I don't  really know how to introduce this, I just have this strong urge that I need to share it.(21:39) Michael:you stole your pm from adam! :O(21:39) Michael:.........i think(21:39) Sandy:I did(21:39) Sandy:I thought it was awesome(21:39) Sandy:So I borrowed it.(21:40) Michael:i shall tell adam that the almightly sandy found something of his "awesome" *naughty face*(21:40) Michael:he will b.. Read the full post.

15:00 GMT – Niederegger Filled Chocolate Eggs » Preview » »