Full Steam Ahead.

Hey, everyone. There's a movie you need to watch.

It just came out on DVD, so there's no excuse. You gotta watch it.

It's called Steamboy.

It's an animated movie by the guy who created Akira. I just saw it yesterday and thought it was brilliant. It took 10 years to make this movie and that shows. The animation was spectacular and the scope of the visuals was huge.

Read my review here on the message board and let me know what you think. I know that you all will because I just told you to watch it and I wouldn't steer you wrong.

Sayonara.

New Stuff is Almost Ready.

The next update is going to be huge. Huge, I tell you! Wait until you see what I've got cooked up. I've been working on this new content non-stop for awhile, and the new articles have ballooned in size to massive proportions. The one that I'm putting finishing touches on right now is particularly big, and it's bound to stir up some crazy controversy. I'm really looking forward to seeing people's reactions to what I've got in store this time. Some folks might HATE me after this!

It won't be long now before the big SykoGrafix update for this summer will be ready and online. Remember that you can find out all about it first hand by signing up to the Mailing List right now to be notified when the new stuff is up. You're not going to want to miss out on this!

Sayonara.

Kicking and Sneezing.

I was out of town this weekend at some family reunion thing. It was a mostly miserable time. Added to the fact that it was boring and there was nothing for a guy like me to do, it was an outdoor event and seasonal allergies that haven't been an issue for several years suddenly appeared again and made it hard for me to breath. I'm the sort of person who doesn't care at all about what the weather is like, and I'm usually the last to complain about it being hot or cold. But this allergy stuff is downright intolerable. Winter, come back!

I'm going to have an update ready very soon. I'd have some new stuff up now, but I think it could use some extra content, so I'm going to put the finishing touches on a few things I've had on the back burner.

Speaking of which, apparently, the mailing list entry form has not been working for an undetermined length of time. I fixed it though. So if you've tried without success to sign up to the list, try it again now.

Sayonara.

Complaining!

So this little gem came in my guestbook about a week ago. It was written by "Ellie". I present it to you completely unedited.

this website is f****ing crap!

Heheheh. This is quite amusing. It's very interesting that "Ellie" thought that this opinion would be better served to include an F-bomb, but she went to the trouble of censoring it with asterisks. And yet their are 4 asterisks when, to achieve the effect we all assume she is going for, there really should only be 3. So perhaps this is not an F-bomb after all? There are any number of 5 letter words starting with F and with "ing" at the end that could potentially fit in here. Flunking, flipping, fighting, flanging, flanking, flambing... ok that last one I made up, but you get the idea. So, perhaps the idea of the insult is there, but the execution is flawed. Of course, I can't say that it would bother me at all either way, it would just be less funny.

But what's really funny is this website I recently discovered. It's the Automatic Complaint-Letter Generator. When you enter the name of a person or company, it will randomly create a letter formally complaining about that subject. I decided to complain about myself so I entered in SykoGrafix.com and the result was right on the money! It's just uncanny how this complaint got so many things right. I think the first paragraph is especially accurate. Read on!

My complaint about SykoGrafix.com

I am not short on words, so please bear with the length of this letter. Let me preface my discussion by quickly reasserting a familiar theme of my previous letters: SykoGrafix.com pompously claims that the Universe belongs to it by right. That sort of nonsense impresses many people, unfortunately. SykoGrafix.com's eccentricity is surpassed only by its vanity. And its vanity is surpassed only by its empty theorizing. (Remember its theory that the purpose of life is self-gratification?)

SykoGrafix.com says that every word that leaves its mouth is teeming with useful information. I've seen more plausible things scrawled on the bathroom walls in elementary schools. As another disquieting tidbit, the following must be stated: If I have a bias, it is only against disgraceful ivory-tower academics who address what is, in the end, a nonexistent problem. My purpose is to speak out against dictatorial, detestable know-nothings. Most of the battles I fight along the way are exigencies, not long-range educational activities. Nevertheless, SykoGrafix.com is unequivocally up to something. I don't know exactly what, but deconstructionism can not and must not be tolerated. SykoGrafix.com's spin doctors probably don't realize that, because it's not mentioned in the funny papers or in the movies. Nevertheless, I cannot promise not to be angry at it. I do promise, however, to try to keep my anger under control, to keep it from leading me -- as it leads SykoGrafix.com -- to redefine humanity as alienated machines/beasts and then convince everyone that they were never human to begin with.

It's somewhat tricky to get us out of the hammerlock that SykoGrafix.com is holding us in, especially since the media in this country tend to ignore historical connections and are reluctant to analyze ideological positions or treat a fringe political group seriously. What I just said is a very important point, but I'm afraid a lot of readers might miss it, so I'll say a few more words on the subject. In the past, I've said that SykoGrafix.com sees life as an unambitious, negligent game without any rules. Were I to make such a generalization today, it would contain a few "weasel words" -- an escape hatch or that indispensable cliche that SykoGrafix.com wants to become an intellectual without the hardship of study and serious thought. But because SykoGrafix.com is capable of passing very rapidly from a hidden enjoyment of crude sensationalism to a proclaimed attachment to exhibitionism and back -- and back again -- I am not ready to retract my conviction or to recant error. The more I think about effete, bloodthirsty flakes, the more troubled I become by SykoGrafix.com's editorials. You might think this is all pretty funny now, but I doubt I'll hear you laughing if, one day, SykoGrafix.com is successfully able to herald the death of intelligent discourse on college campuses. Let me conclude by saying that we who want to inculcate in the reader an inquisitive spirit and a skepticism about beliefs that SykoGrafix.com's helpers take for granted will not rest until we do.

That was awesome. Despite being randomly generated by a computer, this is the greatest insult ever. Real people have yet to top anything like this. So, it must be said that if you can't beat this, well then don't even f********ing bother!
(The extra *'s are for *****!)

Sayonara.

So Much for Final Wars.

Last year, Toho released the film "Godzilla: Final Wars" and billed it as the last movie in the Godzilla franchise. However, pretty much everyone assumed that it wouldn't really be final, and that Godzilla would probably come back in 5 to 10 years.

It's not even going to take that long. There is another Godzilla movie in the works as we speak, and it, quite literally, will be the biggest Godzilla movie ever. Why? Well, there was a rumor about a new Godzilla IMAX movie by the director of "Godzilla vs. Hedorah". This is not a rumor anymore. It's true. You can read all about it right here.

Technically, though, since this is IMAX and not a standard theatrical release, and also since Toho doesn't seem to be as involved in this film as they have been with the others, I guess a case could be made that this is a separate entity and doesn't devalue the finality of "Final Wars". What's most interesting to me is that the director of this new IMAX movie was once blamed for ruining Godzilla when the head of Toho Studios at the time finally saw "Godzilla vs. Hedorah". As the story goes, his health was poor during the production of that film and so he was completely uninvolved, but when he saw the final product he was so pissed off that he squashed the director's plan for a follow-up which would have seen Godzilla travel to Africa. Now, all these years later, this director who was once blackballed from the franchise not only gets another shot at making a Godzilla movie, but gets to do it with IMAX?

You just can't make up drama like that.

Anyway, Final Wars is supposed to be heading to Region 1 DVD by the end of the year. I would really like to see it on the big screen first though, but I've heard nothing regarding a run in Toronto. We need a monster film festival over here. In fact, when Final Wars does come out on DVD, I'm going to hold my own film festival. In my basement!

Sayonara.

Special Announcement.

This post is not about Harry Potter.

I'm very sorry if you are disappointed.

Sayonara.

And Another Year Later.

Today marks the second year of operating this weblog, so once again I thought I'd comb through the archives and pick out a few of the funnier or more memorable entries. There were a lot! I'd say that some of this reading is just as interesting as anything else I've done on the site. Take a look at this "greatest hits" look into the life of the Electric Blue Ninja!

One Year Later...
I'd have to start with the same post I made one year ago today, where I went though my 2003-2004 posts and singled out some of the gems.

Light our Darkest Hour!
First reaction to the announcement of the new Transformers Movie. It's just been officially set to hit the screens on 07/04/07!

Oh, look! An actual somewhat intelligent insult post!
This is probably my most favorite post ever. Some guy posts in my guestbook and claims that I'm such a terrible artist and teacher, but is the first person to do so without looking like a complete idiot. I completely tear him apart and pretty much prove that this joker had no bloody clue about anything he was talking about. I remember spending a long time on this, and I think it was time well spent. It made me feel really good when I got all that out and gave him what he had coming to him after such a flagrant show of disrespect.

Political garbage.
This was nuts! Some guy I've never met before posted a gigantic political rant in my guestbook that's far too big to post again. I was so confused by why this has happened, because nothing made sense, and to this day still have no idea what the hell this was all about.

The Once Unthinkable Reality.
I obtain a PlayStation 2 and make a big deal out of how this is making a fundamental change to my Nintendo-centric lifestyle.

Doesn't it feel great to be loved? - Moronic Rage! - Woah! What is going on out there?
Wow, what a story this is, told in 3 sequential entries. This is one of the biggest and bloodiest wars I've ever waged against a bunch of idiots who thought they could stir up trouble. One of these days I will chronicle this tale as a permanent addition to this website. "Retarded Anime Goth Fodder" is still one of my most favorite things anyone has said about my work.

Spelling counts when I make it count.
When my cousin, a teacher, has plans to go out of town on a weekend where he should be marking students' papers, I get hired to finish the job.

The Surgeon with the Hands of God.
All about Black Jack, one of my favorite anime characters.

The Spanish Ninjatron!
This is pretty funny. A Spanish speaking guy, who is also named Ninjatron, sends me a message, and so I have some fun with an online translation site.

My, Earth really is full of things!
My review of one of the greatest video games I've ever played, Katamari Damacy!

My Tribute to The King.
On the 50th Anniversary of The King of the Monsters, I pay my respects to Godzilla.

Into the Dungeon.
My boss and I are unable to use our regular classrooms for a week, and I have to teach in a small, strange room deep in the basement where crazy things happen.

Freshly Baked Japan
I talk about the diversity of anime using one of my favorite shows, the bread baking adventure series "Yakitate! Japan", as an example.

Game Over?
I absolutely rant about the state of the video game industry. Got some great feedback from this. Too bad things just seem to be getting worse.

Busy as a Ghost.
I have a productive day talking about drawing at a school, and then going back to my old school were I get drawn!

Peanut Butter Smackdown.
On a strangely sunny January morning, I felt very weird, and so I baked cookies.

Far "Supierior" to my Crappy Site.
This one is awesome. Another punk tells me how crappy he thinks my website is, and how his website is so much better. And yet when I go to see his website for myself, well... comedy ensues!

Once Again, I am Twisted.
Happy Valentine's day from a jaded Ninja!

"Something Cool Might Happen Again!"
I rant on about how much I loved Transformers: Energon/SuperLink, and about how I can't understand why so many Transformers fans hated it. The title comes from the phrase Alpha Q would say at the very end of each episode on the Japanese version.

Boxing Match.
A gigantic pile of Transformers boxes versus Ninjatron. What's going to happen next?

Today is a sad day.
Oh, boo hoo! Someone says they didn't like my site so I decide to close it down.

Yesterday was actually not a sad day. Heh heh.
Yeah. It was April Fools day. Ha ha ha.

Adventures at Ad-Astra
I get to be a stage ninja at a great Sci-Fi convention in Toronto.

The Purist Propaganda.
I don't remember exactly what made me want to write this, but I still believe it.

The Super Path! Get True Real Money!
Funny Poker spam, featuring Caligula.

The Secret of the Collector!
I make a big deal out of getting some hard to find action figures for cheap. I make a big deal out of a lot of things.

A Sith in Time.
Of course, I just had to include my reactions to the most anticipated movie in all of history, Star Wars Episode III!

Hairy Situation.
A very ill Ninjatron without a goatee. It grew back before I felt better.

Ancient Ninja Master.
My 25th birthday. Still coming to terms with this.

So those are the major highlights from over the past 12 months. Though I'm sure if you dig around you may find other exciting weblog posts in the archives. Though if you have the time to do that, you'd probably be better off spending it in more useful ways, such as baking a cake. Or better yet, you can post on the message board, also celebrating its 2nd anniversary. See you there.

Sayonara.

Cybertron is Here. Money is Not.

The new Transformers are out in force. Actually the toys have been out around here for several weeks, and seem to only now be making their way into the US with some degree of volume, but I digress. The TV series has only started (with the 4th episode, what's up with that?), and for once YTV is right on the ball, airing the show only 1 week after its debut on Cartoon Network in the US. Of course, if history repeats itself again, we'll still finish the show in Canada way before they do.

I started a thread in the message board with more indepth thoughts of the line, so read it here and discuss.

Unfortunately, I'm not working this Summer. Apparently there just wasn't enough interest in the Anime Colour Techniques class to justify running it. I'm not too happy about this, but it was bound to happen eventually. The past few Summers were close calls in terms of getting the class running or not, so it was not a big surprise. But this leaves me with less money for Transformers, and since I'm quite excited about this new line, the prospect of not being able to buy any toys is not thrilling me in the least. I'll have to pick up the slack somehow.

Sayonara.

Youth in the Shell.

So the YTV network in Canada has just announced what new series they are going to be carrying starting this fall. The big acquisitions are shows that have already been running on US networks. Some are not really big surprises, but one came as a huge shock. Here are some "highlights" as far as animation goes.

Krypto the Super Dog: A cartoon for preschoolers about Superman's superpowered dog. Why must this show exist? Seriously, why?

Avatar: The Last Airbender: Originally from Nickelodeon, this is a show that is in an anime style like Teen Titans. I know nothing about it, but have heard some positive buzz.

Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi: Well it's no secret that I like Puffy's music. I've seen a few episodes of this show and it actually has more in common with classic American cartoons than it does with anime. It's a silly show, but Puffy is a silly band that sings silly songs and does silly dances, so it's true to form, if a bit overexaggerated. The music of the show is all made up of snippets from Puffy's music.

Zatch Bell: I saw a subtitled episode of the original Japanese version, known as Gash Bell, before it was licensed. The star of this show is an annoying little boy who was naked most of the time. Needless to say. I had no interest in watching any further episodes of this series. This is one case where I'll be glad if this show is considerably toned down for TV.

D.I.C.E: Something about Dinosaurs. I don't know. Haven't heard anything good about this show.

And the big surprise...

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: ....

WHAT???

You've got to be kidding me!

YTV is supposed to be "Youth Television", and even though they have been making strides towards programming for "an older youth audience", the Ghost in the Shell franchise is not for ANY youth audience! What are they thinking? What is going to happen with this? Is it going to be cut or censored or rearranged or what? How can they pull this off?

I mean, don't get me wrong, it's great that YTV is picking up this show. More power too 'em and all that. They're pretty much the only Canadian network that's supporting anime, even though there are at least 2 other channels that should. But this show... I just can't imagine it. This is completely out of left field. Whatever happens, it'll be interesting to see how it's handeled, and the aftermath!

Special thanks to Zannen, Canada.

Sayonara.

Aliens > Actors

Yes, Tom Cruise has gone insane and become a Dark Lord of the Sith, but that didn't stop War of the Worlds from being a good movie. I just saw it tonight and I quite enjoyed it. You can read my review on the message board. Post what you thought about it too.

Sayonara.

It's Canada Day.

That's right, it's a day named after an entire country. That's huge! Not like that wishy-washy "Independence Day". Canada Day is completely straight forward about being what it is, celebrating the actual country instead of an insubstantial concept!

So let's all celebrate what makes Canada so great. Friendly people, diversity, getting shipments of Transformers: Cybertron toys before the US, and not having the name of our national holiday becoming the basis of an overblown Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich alien movie. Hooray!

Sayonara.