Musings of the Obsessive Kind

I’ve started reading Fruits Basket again and I am at the point where I am literally crying and not from sadness but from rage of being unable to go into the manga and choke Akito. ( Cut for Haru and Rin spoilers )

Seriously. While I hate Akito the most for what he did to Kyo and Yuki (especially Kyo), hating him for what he did to Rin and Haru comes a close second. And Hatori third and Kureno fourth, and Kisa fifth. Oh whatever. I just hate Akito. Shigure is INSANE for having a thing for Akito. Seriously cuckoo nuts. I am very unhappy Akito got to live at the end without being murdered in a gruesome fashion.

I’ve also been looking for some Haru/Rin fanfic (and I found some decent ones! This is my favorite one. This one is also good. This one is an awesome collection of drabbles, some of which are AU because it was written before FB ended, but still super awesome). While Kyo/Tohru is THE otp for me in FB, Rin/Haru comes close. The only thing I like more than bubbly girl and messed up boy, is the strong, stubborn messed up girl, trying desperately to protect the awesome, good guy she is in love with and breaking his heart in the process. *stabs Akito in the face*

I also did find a Rin/Kagura femmeslash fic. Bwaaaah? I don't mind people writing UC pairing fics, even if the fic is against one of my fave OTPs but how do you get those characters to that point? Fine, Rin I can see doing anything if she thought she had to (hell, she offered to sleep with Shigure in exchange for breaking the curse info, so she could free Haru) but Kagura? Bwaaaaah?

I am nostalgic about GetBackers lately. (Is the manga completed btw?) It’s one of those awesome animes that is really a perfect combo of everything: fighting and ships, angst and humor. Complicated plots and silly side stories. And awesome awesome characters. Seriously, this is one of those animes which just crawls with characters I love. Snarky, cynical, yet deeply decent Ban is totally my favorite (main reason I want to get the manga is because it has a lot more of his backstory) and Shido and Kazuki are tied for second, Shido with his completely reserved demeanor and the genuinely awesome and sweet Kazuki. But I adore most of the main and seconday characters more or less (Ginji is the exception. I like him OK, but I never found him interesting per se. He is too sunny and Polyannaish for me. Ginji-Ban interaction is totally awesome though and while I don’t, myself, I can totally see why people slash them). And it has some awesome women: Himiko is tough as nails and sorta borderline anti-heroine antagonist (and was antagonist when the story started) and the gentle, unworldly Madoka who totally has uber-tough Shido wrapped around her finger. And Hevn who is pretty tough and clever herself and cheerful Natsumi.

And the ships are awesome too. Ban and Himiko pushes ALL my buttons. As in they grew up together for a bit, and now she hates him and wants to kill him for the death of her brother but he is all about protecting her, and he covers her with his shirt when her own is torn, and the thought of her in danger is enough to stop him in the middle of any fight and she is just so confused because she knows he killed her brother but every time she sees him, he is this awesome guy and…seriously. AWESOME. Actually, she might be the best fighter of the bunch, because even though her poisons might not be as effective as the powers of some of the others (though they are fearsome enough) her greatest power? Ban, arguably the best fighter of the bunch, will totally come and rip apart anyone who tries to harm her :D

And Shido/Madoka? *dies* He is taciturn and doesn’t know how to deal with people and is all alone and she is pure and good and innocent and he is wrapped around her little finger and she sees him as good and he’d die for her and…eeeee!

And Kazu/Juubei, one of my rare slash ships, but Kazu is so sweet and loyal and generous and Juubei is misguidedly loyal and thickheaded and they literally override reality to save each other. *sigh*

I really should do a list of my fave anime ships.

P.S. Oooh, this is a cute Shido/Madoka story with all the main GB cast thrown in.

I’ve also been looking for good Aoshi/Misao fic (from Rurouni Kenshin). Aoshi is my fave character in RK aside from Kenshin himself. Of course, according to Mr. Mousie, I remind him of Misao in the cheerful hyperactivity, so does that mean I want to read self-insertion fic? Hmmm…is Mr. Mousie like Aoshi? Wll, he’s reserved, and believes in doing one's duty and about 11 feet taller than me, but hopefully he isn’t rampaging around the city with short swords…Heh.

I’ve started reading Fruits Basket again and I am at the point where I am literally crying and not from sadness but from rage of being unable to go into the manga and choke Akito. ( Cut for Haru and Rin spoilers )

Seriously. While I hate Akito the most for what he did to Kyo and Yuki (especially Kyo), hating him for what he did to Rin and Haru comes a close second. And Hatori third and Kureno fourth, and Kisa fifth. Oh whatever. I just hate Akito. Shigure is INSANE for having a thing for Akito. Seriously cuckoo nuts. I am very unhappy Akito got to live at the end without being murdered in a gruesome fashion.

I’ve also been looking for some Haru/Rin fanfic (and I found some decent ones! This is my favorite one. This one is also good. This one is an awesome collection of drabbles, some of which are AU because it was written before FB ended, but still super awesome). While Kyo/Tohru is THE otp for me in FB, Rin/Haru comes close. The only thing I like more than bubbly girl and messed up boy, is the strong, stubborn messed up girl, trying desperately to protect the awesome, good guy she is in love with and breaking his heart in the process. *stabs Akito in the face*

I also did find a Rin/Kagura femmeslash fic. Bwaaaah? I don't mind people writing UC pairing fics, even if the fic is against one of my fave OTPs but how do you get those characters to that point? Fine, Rin I can see doing anything if she thought she had to (hell, she offered to sleep with Shigure in exchange for breaking the curse info, so she could free Haru) but Kagura? Bwaaaaah?

I am nostalgic about GetBackers lately. (Is the manga completed btw?) It’s one of those awesome animes that is really a perfect combo of everything: fighting and ships, angst and humor. Complicated plots and silly side stories. And awesome awesome characters. Seriously, this is one of those animes which just crawls with characters I love. Snarky, cynical, yet deeply decent Ban is totally my favorite (main reason I want to get the manga is because it has a lot more of his backstory) and Shido and Kazuki are tied for second, Shido with his completely reserved demeanor and the genuinely awesome and sweet Kazuki. But I adore most of the main and seconday characters more or less (Ginji is the exception. I like him OK, but I never found him interesting per se. He is too sunny and Polyannaish for me. Ginji-Ban interaction is totally awesome though and while I don’t, myself, I can totally see why people slash them). And it has some awesome women: Himiko is tough as nails and sorta borderline anti-heroine antagonist (and was antagonist when the story started) and the gentle, unworldly Madoka who totally has uber-tough Shido wrapped around her finger. And Hevn who is pretty tough and clever herself and cheerful Natsumi.

And the ships are awesome too. Ban and Himiko pushes ALL my buttons. As in they grew up together for a bit, and now she hates him and wants to kill him for the death of her brother but he is all about protecting her, and he covers her with his shirt when her own is torn, and the thought of her in danger is enough to stop him in the middle of any fight and she is just so confused because she knows he killed her brother but every time she sees him, he is this awesome guy and…seriously. AWESOME. Actually, she might be the best fighter of the bunch, because even though her poisons might not be as effective as the powers of some of the others (though they are fearsome enough) her greatest power? Ban, arguably the best fighter of the bunch, will totally come and rip apart anyone who tries to harm her :D

And Shido/Madoka? *dies* He is taciturn and doesn’t know how to deal with people and is all alone and she is pure and good and innocent and he is wrapped around her little finger and she sees him as good and he’d die for her and…eeeee!

And Kazu/Juubei, one of my rare slash ships, but Kazu is so sweet and loyal and generous and Juubei is misguidedly loyal and thickheaded and they literally override reality to save each other. *sigh*

I really should do a list of my fave anime ships.

P.S. Oooh, this is a cute Shido/Madoka story with all the main GB cast thrown in.

I’ve also been looking for good Aoshi/Misao fic (from Rurouni Kenshin). Aoshi is my fave character in RK aside from Kenshin himself. Of course, according to Mr. Mousie, I remind him of Misao in the cheerful hyperactivity, so does that mean I want to read self-insertion fic? Hmmm…is Mr. Mousie like Aoshi? Wll, he’s reserved, and believes in doing one's duty and about 11 feet taller than me, but hopefully he isn’t rampaging around the city with short swords…Heh.

I've finally watched all the episodes of Ouran High School Host Club. I stopped somewhere after 19 and then got the whole series but jumped straight to 26, the last one. But now I've caught them all.

I think it's certainly going into my Top 5 anime so far. Ouran is so cool, even Mr. Mousie enjoyed the off-the-wall humor. (For the record? Mr. Mousie loves anime. But shoujo? Not his bag). I've written about it beforehand, but still, does an extra pimp ever hurt? Nah.

Ouran (which is funny and adorable anyway but is a total trip if you've ever seen much anime or read manga, or heck, even been in a fandom of any sort) involves our heroine, Haruhi, a scholarship student at a glitsy, ritzy high school, who, through a hilarious set of circumstances, ends up working as a host with the Ouran Host Club to pay off a debt. Everyone in school with the exception of club members, thinks Haruhi is a guy and Haruhi is uber popular as a femmy, 'natural' type of boy. Most of the anime is centered around Haruhi's interactions with the club members, who the pragmatic, prosaic Haruhi views as a bunch of loons. It's really the hosts (the drama-queen Tamaki (ergo my current lj name tag), the Machiavellian Kyouya, the trouble-making twins Kaoru and Hikaru, Mori, the quiet reserved one and Honey, who is the oldest, but acts like a small kid) who make the anime for me, though Haruhi is a really cool heroine: very un-gender conscious, self-reliant, and utterly immune to the hosts' lunacy and charm.

The show mocks (but affectionately) so many fandom and shoujo stereotypes: the fangirl love for slash and pretty gay boys, school rivalry, even class and gender issues. There s a lot of humor and a bit of angst (some of the later episodes totally made me sniffle a bit because I am easy), a ship or two *waves Tamaki/Haruhi 4evah flag* and some amazing cleverness (there is an episode later in the show which is entirely a reimagining of Alice in Wonderland). It's chock-full of cool characters. It's rare for me to have more than one or two favorite characters in an anime, but here, while Tamaki is my favorite, most of the hosts are just irresistable and so is Haruhi. Oh, and there are tributes to things like Utena and RahXephon. How can one not love it?

( Thoughts on the later eps, with spoilers. Yup, I wrote sorta serious meta on Ouran. )

For once, this isn't just an anime post. Though to be fair, the other shows I normally like and write about are on a summer break.

Recent shippy BSG spoilers on thesecretcylon have certainly made me think ( Discussion of said spoilers )

In other news, I am severely amused by ( mild VM S3 casting spoiler )

And in anime news (yes, really). I've decided that I definitely want Tamaki/Haruhi in Ouran. Not just because for the rest of the guys it's entertaining or what not, and they like her, but Tamaki is the only one who is really desperate/serious about it, but because duty-bound prosaic Haruhi needs someone dramatic and fun. They will totally be Haruhi's parents Mark 2.

Also, I've been rewatching Fushigi Yuugi and rewatches are interesting experiences (I've rewatched certain scenes and episodes before ("I've found you" *swoon faint drool*) but never the whole FY). ( Thoughts on Nakago and social order )

I also foresee an anime buying binge: Tsubasa Chronicles, Bleach, Saiyuki Reload and Gunlock (I have them rented but I want to own), Trinity Blood, Samurai Champloo, Basilisk (when released) and Ouran (when season is complete).

And last but not least, the promised GetBackers picspam

( GetBackers picspam )

For once, this isn't just an anime post. Though to be fair, the other shows I normally like and write about are on a summer break.

Recent shippy BSG spoilers on thesecretcylon have certainly made me think ( Discussion of said spoilers )

In other news, I am severely amused by ( mild VM S3 casting spoiler )

And in anime news (yes, really). I've decided that I definitely want Tamaki/Haruhi in Ouran. Not just because for the rest of the guys it's entertaining or what not, and they like her, but Tamaki is the only one who is really desperate/serious about it, but because duty-bound prosaic Haruhi needs someone dramatic and fun. They will totally be Haruhi's parents Mark 2.

Also, I've been rewatching Fushigi Yuugi and rewatches are interesting experiences (I've rewatched certain scenes and episodes before ("I've found you" *swoon faint drool*) but never the whole FY). ( Thoughts on Nakago and social order )

I also foresee an anime buying binge: Tsubasa Chronicles, Bleach, Saiyuki Reload and Gunlock (I have them rented but I want to own), Trinity Blood, Samurai Champloo, Basilisk (when released) and Ouran (when season is complete).

And last but not least, the promised GetBackers picspam

( GetBackers picspam )

We finished GetBackers last night and I feel a bit bereft. I want to see more of Ban, Ginji and the gang. Also, since the ending, while a good stopping point, doesn't wrap everything up (since the manga is still running), I keep wanting to know. Do Ban and Ginji and the rest take out Babylon City? Do we learn more about Ban's family and background? How about Himiko's curse? Does Shido's past, whatever it is, catch up with him and does he have to put his life on the line to protect Madoka as he swore (because those storylines certainly seemed to be a foreshadowing)? Do Ban and Himiko finally get their act together and just do it? Does Akabane finally get a dress sense and Hevn a shirt that covers ALL of ther breasts? (Unlikely but one lives in hope). Heck, do the boys ever get enough money to live on?

It's like I've seen this great thing, but I am greedy and want more.

( Longish thoughts )

I really must do a GB picspam now.

I am continuing with GetBackers. There are only four or so episodes left which makes me very sad. But so freaking good! Up to the Second Limitless Fortress arc which is so so SO good.

I love that Ban stops the fight dead when told Himiko is dying and runs to her rescue. And then is all broody over her sickbed. Yay. And poor Shido, all beat to hell, and clinging to the walls, walking on through pure stubborness and I love that when he thinks he just might die there, he flashes to Madoka, just as I think 'You can't die. Madoka will kill you.' Awwwwww. (Points to him to picturing her fully dressed :P). And then he gets to the pharmacy and collapses. But not dead, yay! I was getting nervous, since it's so close to the end of the show.

Kazuki and Juubei make a very effective fighting team when they fight together, don't they? And the slashy OTPness hits the roof. So good. I love how this time it's Juubei who overrides the VR.

I literally squealed when I saw Aakabane again. I just love him, even though he is a sorry excuse for a human being. It's interesting to me that Ginji is so terrified of him even though he can take him apart quickly. Probably because Akabane is so antithetical to everything Ginji is. And I love Akabane's unflappability.

I've also been rewatching some Full Metal Panic, specifically the end of the arc where Kaname is first kidnapped. So good. It really combines angst, humor, action and romantic coolness. Also, Sousuke and Kaname together really make an unbeatable team. He seems so much more human around her. And this time it hit me that Sousuke never got a choice to be who he is. He is a soldier and a damn good one, but it's because he's been one since he was a small child. He never chose for himself what he wants (flashes to The Second Raid). I just love it when Kaname sees him in the hospital and starts crying with joy. Eeeee! One of the best OTPs out there.

And I've also been rewatching Fushigi Yuugi. This time it struck me that the precise moment Nakago got fixated on Tamahome was when Tamahome broke through the 'unbreakable' barrier through sheer stubborn strength of will to rescue Miaka. Nakago saw him as a worthy opponent, therefore to be defeated. Nakago is using to bending people and Tamahome won't bend, so he must be broken. Or made into a twisted mirror of Nakago himself (hence the family murder, the potential making him into boytoy, making him deal with a rape of someone he loves etc etc). Scarily, in a way, Nakago is showing a twisted respect that way: at least he notices Tamahome is alive. Hmmmm.

And I don't care if it's a minority opinion, Miaka/Tamahome are love. Yes, I confess to really liking Miaka. She is pushy and brave and relentlessly cheerful. Not the brightest person ever and not super savvy, but she is 15, and for a 15 year old in an alien world, she is doing pretty well.

I am continuing with GetBackers. There are only four or so episodes left which makes me very sad. But so freaking good! Up to the Second Limitless Fortress arc which is so so SO good.

I love that Ban stops the fight dead when told Himiko is dying and runs to her rescue. And then is all broody over her sickbed. Yay. And poor Shido, all beat to hell, and clinging to the walls, walking on through pure stubborness and I love that when he thinks he just might die there, he flashes to Madoka, just as I think 'You can't die. Madoka will kill you.' Awwwwww. (Points to him to picturing her fully dressed :P). And then he gets to the pharmacy and collapses. But not dead, yay! I was getting nervous, since it's so close to the end of the show.

Kazuki and Juubei make a very effective fighting team when they fight together, don't they? And the slashy OTPness hits the roof. So good. I love how this time it's Juubei who overrides the VR.

I literally squealed when I saw Aakabane again. I just love him, even though he is a sorry excuse for a human being. It's interesting to me that Ginji is so terrified of him even though he can take him apart quickly. Probably because Akabane is so antithetical to everything Ginji is. And I love Akabane's unflappability.

I've also been rewatching some Full Metal Panic, specifically the end of the arc where Kaname is first kidnapped. So good. It really combines angst, humor, action and romantic coolness. Also, Sousuke and Kaname together really make an unbeatable team. He seems so much more human around her. And this time it hit me that Sousuke never got a choice to be who he is. He is a soldier and a damn good one, but it's because he's been one since he was a small child. He never chose for himself what he wants (flashes to The Second Raid). I just love it when Kaname sees him in the hospital and starts crying with joy. Eeeee! One of the best OTPs out there.

And I've also been rewatching Fushigi Yuugi. This time it struck me that the precise moment Nakago got fixated on Tamahome was when Tamahome broke through the 'unbreakable' barrier through sheer stubborn strength of will to rescue Miaka. Nakago saw him as a worthy opponent, therefore to be defeated. Nakago is using to bending people and Tamahome won't bend, so he must be broken. Or made into a twisted mirror of Nakago himself (hence the family murder, the potential making him into boytoy, making him deal with a rape of someone he loves etc etc). Scarily, in a way, Nakago is showing a twisted respect that way: at least he notices Tamahome is alive. Hmmmm.

And I don't care if it's a minority opinion, Miaka/Tamahome are love. Yes, I confess to really liking Miaka. She is pushy and brave and relentlessly cheerful. Not the brightest person ever and not super savvy, but she is 15, and for a 15 year old in an alien world, she is doing pretty well.

More anime. I know, I know (does anyone on my flist except for crumpeteer even watch GetBackers?)

( More GetBackers thoughts )

Btw, does anyone know where I can find GB scanlations? I've only found this but that's only volumes 22 and 23. I really want to know what happens in later volumes (it's up to mid-30s now) because here it's only up to Vol 14. If not scanlations, at least summaries. Please?

I also watched the first episode of Gungrave (by the same people who did my very favorite anime, Trigun). It's gorgeous and grown up and grim. Also, I think I might like Brandon a lot.

Also, this weekend, Mr. Mousie and I watched A Scanner Darkly, a Richard Linklatter film based on a Philip K. Dick novel. It's beyond brilliant and I cannot recommend highly enough.

And last but not least. Anyone know how I get a sitecounter installed and where I get it?

ETA: This morning, I got to the entrance to the metro station I take from home and OMG! First thing I see is a FREAKING HUGE VERONICA MARS POSTER advertising it on Tuesdays on CW, with KB making an adorable face. EEEEEE!

Mr Mousie and I spent a part of today watching GetBackers. If you click on the 'getbackers' tag, you'll see I was watching the show at a great clip a month or so ago. But then, as I said, I got a bit burned out on anime and it was put aside. Well, I've restarted it now, and we watched four eps and I am in love all over again. For those who are interested but don't know about this, the super-quick summary is that Ban and Ginji run a service which will get back for you things that are lost or stolen. It's a bit adventure, a bit humor, a bit of angst, and a bit of romance. It's also excellent.

You know, I kept saying Supernatural reminded me of anime, in its sensibility. More specifically, if I had to pick any anime it reminded me of, it would be GB, with Dean being the Ban character and Sam being Ginji.

Anyway, back to the episodes.

( Long thoughts on the eps )