December 30, 2012
Japanese Military Animation: Then And Now
A couple of years ago, I learned about an movie titled Momotaro's Divine Sea Warriors. It's considered the first Japanese feature-length animated film and it was released in 1945. As you can imagine, it's obviously a propaganda piece, and all copies were seized and destroyed after the war... except for one. That one copy was discovered in 1983 and rereleased the following year. Ever since I found about about the film, I've desperately wanted to see it, but the only digital version extant was a poor quality copy with sound so muffled that it was impossible to understand (and subtitle). Until recently, that is. A copy has popped up at BakaBT, and while it's still not subtitled, it's also not exactly difficult to understand what's going on, as it was meant for children. It celebrates the paratrooper attack on Celebes at the beginning of the war, and surprisingly got some of the important details correct... I learned about the action from a book with the poetic title of Blossoming Silk Against The Rising Sun. I just finished watching the movie, and some little bit of insight struck me afterwards. You see, earlier this week, I watched Strike Witches: The Movie. Let's take a comparing look at the two of them:
Pilots then:
Pilots now:
I suspect that somewhere, Mitsuyo Seo, the director of Divine Sea Warriors who passed away in 2010, is either smiling... or whirling dervishly in his grave. One of the two. It's not impossible that he had actually seen the Strike Witches tv show. I'd love to know what he thought.
Planes then:
Planes now:
While what is obviously meant to be an A6M2 Zero is seen briefly in Divine Sea Warriors, the plane we see the most is the Mitsubishi G3M "Nell", the twin-engine predecessor to the better-known G4M "Betty". Meanwhile, in the Strike Witches movie, the Mitsubishi F1M "Pete" is rather overshadowed by the magical girls of the movie's title.
Really, the Divine Sea Warriors film is something of a perfect storm for me. True historical anime and military history both? Excellent! It's not deep... heck, it really isn't all that good... but it's a classic, nevertheless.
They both do anthropomorphificiation, to boot.
Pilots then:
Pilots now:
I suspect that somewhere, Mitsuyo Seo, the director of Divine Sea Warriors who passed away in 2010, is either smiling... or whirling dervishly in his grave. One of the two. It's not impossible that he had actually seen the Strike Witches tv show. I'd love to know what he thought.
Planes then:
Planes now:
While what is obviously meant to be an A6M2 Zero is seen briefly in Divine Sea Warriors, the plane we see the most is the Mitsubishi G3M "Nell", the twin-engine predecessor to the better-known G4M "Betty". Meanwhile, in the Strike Witches movie, the Mitsubishi F1M "Pete" is rather overshadowed by the magical girls of the movie's title.
Really, the Divine Sea Warriors film is something of a perfect storm for me. True historical anime and military history both? Excellent! It's not deep... heck, it really isn't all that good... but it's a classic, nevertheless.
They both do anthropomorphificiation, to boot.
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December 29, 2012
Pass Of Balmaha
In 1888, a 245 foot tri-masted windjammer was handed over to those who commissioned it, the Harby Steamship Company. Built in Scotland, it was nevertheless an American vessel, weighing in at 1571 tons. Operated by a Boston-based cotton company as a freighter, this vessel was named the SS Pass of Balmaha. She mostly sailed the Atlantic trade routes, her steel hull serving her well when the weather became violent.
A proud ship, and one that well-served its masters into the 20th Century. It was something of a pleasant-looking anachronism as World War I began... a ship of sail in a world of Dreadnaughts and armored cruisers. However, as the First Great Mistake got cranking, the United States was neutral and non-aligned, and King Cotton had to be moved, so the Pass of Balmaha kept at it... until June of 1915.
more...
A proud ship, and one that well-served its masters into the 20th Century. It was something of a pleasant-looking anachronism as World War I began... a ship of sail in a world of Dreadnaughts and armored cruisers. However, as the First Great Mistake got cranking, the United States was neutral and non-aligned, and King Cotton had to be moved, so the Pass of Balmaha kept at it... until June of 1915.
more...
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Nightmares And Sleeplessness
It's three-thirty in the morning and I can't go back to sleep. I woke up about a half-hour ago, a nightmare still fresh in my mind... and it was a very discouraging nightmare it was indeed.
I was sitting at my desk in the back room of the Duck U Bookstore, doing something involving paperwork and computers. This is also known as "80% of my job", by the way. So there I was, and it was clearly before the store opened. This makes sense, as that's the situation we've had this week with our noon-to-four holiday schedule, and I've been going in at 10am. Anyway, I'm sitting at my desk, shuffling woodpulp and electrons, alone in the store... and someone says "hello? Hello?" I poke my head around the dividing wall, and...
...there's a guy standing there with his son. He's clearly just dropped off a number of boxes, like he's FedEx or something, Of course, I'm wondering just what in the world he's doing in the store, since the lights are all off, the store is closed and won't be open for a couple of hours. "Delivering those boxes, and the key is in the door." Hearing this, I reach down for the carabiner keychain I always carry on my beltloop when I'm at the Duck U Bookstore, and...
...it's not there. I look, and it's in the big sliding glass door, and I have no idea how long it's been there. And that's when I woke up, terrified and sweating and swearing. *shaking head* I'm glad I've got the next four days off for the New Years holiday... work dreams are never a good sign.
But now I'm awake at three-fifty-one on a Saturday morning, and knowing myself, I won't be able to go back to sleep for a while. This is the point where I lean back, give a deep sorrowful sigh, and do something like read a book or whatever, so I'm going to do that, I think. Here's a Skyrim cow to keep you busy for a while.
There's something about this picture that makes me laugh... or, at this moment, give a small tired smile because it's 401am and it's too darn early for me to laugh out loud. Yes, it's nearly bisected by a fence, but that's not the "something". I think it's more the look on its face. I'm talking about the look on a digital cow's face at four-twenty-seven in the morning. I really need to be back in bed. I'm gonna give that a shot.
I was sitting at my desk in the back room of the Duck U Bookstore, doing something involving paperwork and computers. This is also known as "80% of my job", by the way. So there I was, and it was clearly before the store opened. This makes sense, as that's the situation we've had this week with our noon-to-four holiday schedule, and I've been going in at 10am. Anyway, I'm sitting at my desk, shuffling woodpulp and electrons, alone in the store... and someone says "hello? Hello?" I poke my head around the dividing wall, and...
...there's a guy standing there with his son. He's clearly just dropped off a number of boxes, like he's FedEx or something, Of course, I'm wondering just what in the world he's doing in the store, since the lights are all off, the store is closed and won't be open for a couple of hours. "Delivering those boxes, and the key is in the door." Hearing this, I reach down for the carabiner keychain I always carry on my beltloop when I'm at the Duck U Bookstore, and...
...it's not there. I look, and it's in the big sliding glass door, and I have no idea how long it's been there. And that's when I woke up, terrified and sweating and swearing. *shaking head* I'm glad I've got the next four days off for the New Years holiday... work dreams are never a good sign.
But now I'm awake at three-fifty-one on a Saturday morning, and knowing myself, I won't be able to go back to sleep for a while. This is the point where I lean back, give a deep sorrowful sigh, and do something like read a book or whatever, so I'm going to do that, I think. Here's a Skyrim cow to keep you busy for a while.
There's something about this picture that makes me laugh... or, at this moment, give a small tired smile because it's 401am and it's too darn early for me to laugh out loud. Yes, it's nearly bisected by a fence, but that's not the "something". I think it's more the look on its face. I'm talking about the look on a digital cow's face at four-twenty-seven in the morning. I really need to be back in bed. I'm gonna give that a shot.
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December 28, 2012
Name This Mystery Ship XXII
I found out about this particular vessel a little over two years ago,
and have been keeping it under wraps for a time when I've needed a
mystery ship. Now is the time. THIS:
...is the ship. As is always the case, I've photoshooped out any obvious recognition marks, but otherwise left the picture alone. The unofficial rules, as always, apply: no imagesearching or anything like that. That's cheating and makes Wonderduck cry. One guess per customer. Don't be a jerk. I am the Law. CXT and FDM, you two are in the Master's Level so no guesses from you until I give the say-so. The winner gets a post on a topic of their choosing from your humble owner/proprietor of The Pond, moi. No politics, religion or pr0n, however... this here's a fambly blog.
Get to guessin'!
UPDATE: Brickmuppet has already guessed that the ship was the HMS Zubian. Unfortunately, my response broke the formatting of my "edit comments" page, so when the latest wave of spam came through, I couldn't delete them. So, instead, I deleted the original post, which corrected the problem. Yay me.
...is the ship. As is always the case, I've photoshooped out any obvious recognition marks, but otherwise left the picture alone. The unofficial rules, as always, apply: no imagesearching or anything like that. That's cheating and makes Wonderduck cry. One guess per customer. Don't be a jerk. I am the Law. CXT and FDM, you two are in the Master's Level so no guesses from you until I give the say-so. The winner gets a post on a topic of their choosing from your humble owner/proprietor of The Pond, moi. No politics, religion or pr0n, however... this here's a fambly blog.
Get to guessin'!
UPDATE: Brickmuppet has already guessed that the ship was the HMS Zubian. Unfortunately, my response broke the formatting of my "edit comments" page, so when the latest wave of spam came through, I couldn't delete them. So, instead, I deleted the original post, which corrected the problem. Yay me.
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December 27, 2012
90 Years
There are ships from World War II whose names ring down through the ages for their great deeds. Names like Enterprise, names like Samuel B Roberts, names like Tang and Wahoo. Then there are ships who have generated a legend for other reasons. Ships like Yamato, or Bismarck, or the lamented Arizona. But there are other ships, ships that are known only to historians and grognards. Ships that left a lasting legacy that only the truly attentive would be aware of, ships like the one that was commissioned 90 years ago today.
If you've read The Pond for any length of time, you know that I'm a fan of the underdog, and much more interested in the "supporting cast" than the star actors. Everybody knows about the big carriers, for example, but nobody pays any attention to the escort carriers. The Mustang, Spitfire and Zero get the headlines, but the Vindicator is what I'll be happy to read about for hours. Which is why this ship is one of my favorites. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the the first aircraft carrier designed and built from the ground up, the Hosho.
Commissioned December 27th, 1922 into the Imperial Japanese Navy, the Hosho was never to be a top-of-the-line fleet carrier, even when brand new. She could only carry 15 planes in 1922, that number decreasing rapidly as aircraft size and weight increased. Only 552 feet long from bow to stern, she was only slightly longer than an average American escort carrier built 20 years later. She was also very lightly built, weighing in at under 9700 tons at full load. For comparison, the USS , a light cruiser commissioned in 1938, weighed in at 10000 tons.
But her size was not to be her main value to the Imperial Japanese Navy.
more...
If you've read The Pond for any length of time, you know that I'm a fan of the underdog, and much more interested in the "supporting cast" than the star actors. Everybody knows about the big carriers, for example, but nobody pays any attention to the escort carriers. The Mustang, Spitfire and Zero get the headlines, but the Vindicator is what I'll be happy to read about for hours. Which is why this ship is one of my favorites. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the the first aircraft carrier designed and built from the ground up, the Hosho.
Commissioned December 27th, 1922 into the Imperial Japanese Navy, the Hosho was never to be a top-of-the-line fleet carrier, even when brand new. She could only carry 15 planes in 1922, that number decreasing rapidly as aircraft size and weight increased. Only 552 feet long from bow to stern, she was only slightly longer than an average American escort carrier built 20 years later. She was also very lightly built, weighing in at under 9700 tons at full load. For comparison, the USS , a light cruiser commissioned in 1938, weighed in at 10000 tons.
But her size was not to be her main value to the Imperial Japanese Navy.
more...
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December 26, 2012
Ducks In Anime: Some Perspective
As if there hasn't been enough duckplay on this site in the past few weeks...
-HidaSketch x Honeycomb Ep11
This weekend was the 12th and final episode of Season 4 of HidaSketch, and I've gotta say that this was easily the best of the bunch. Indeed, the final minute or two nigh on made me weep, it hit all the right buttons for a good episode of the show.
In fact, looking back at it, it was the perfect way to say goodbye if there isn't a fifth season. Fortunately, I can't imagine the franchise not getting one more run of episodes; we're too close to the obvious end, the graduation of Sae and Hiro.
Don't be confused, though: I'd be perfectly happy with more. Actually, I'd really like a spin-off for Nori, the computer girl. She's become, far and away, my favorite in the show.
Heh.
-HidaSketch x Honeycomb Ep11
This weekend was the 12th and final episode of Season 4 of HidaSketch, and I've gotta say that this was easily the best of the bunch. Indeed, the final minute or two nigh on made me weep, it hit all the right buttons for a good episode of the show.
In fact, looking back at it, it was the perfect way to say goodbye if there isn't a fifth season. Fortunately, I can't imagine the franchise not getting one more run of episodes; we're too close to the obvious end, the graduation of Sae and Hiro.
Don't be confused, though: I'd be perfectly happy with more. Actually, I'd really like a spin-off for Nori, the computer girl. She's become, far and away, my favorite in the show.
Heh.
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December 25, 2012
The Twelfth Day Of Duckmas 2012
And so the sixth year of this fun thing I call the Twelve Days of Duckmas comes to an modest yet cute end. It's always fun to do this, though the past couple of years have been more difficult due to the lack of snow. Still, I hope it's been entertaining to you folks... and if you're looking for a more traditional version, head over to Quacked Panes, where friend GreyDuck has just completed his fourth year of "12 Days". We've got a decade's worth of holiday duck pictures between us? Who knew?
Well. From my Flock to your family, we wish you and yours a Merry Christmas. We hope it's a good one.
And so the sixth year of this fun thing I call the Twelve Days of Duckmas comes to an modest yet cute end. It's always fun to do this, though the past couple of years have been more difficult due to the lack of snow. Still, I hope it's been entertaining to you folks... and if you're looking for a more traditional version, head over to Quacked Panes, where friend GreyDuck has just completed his fourth year of "12 Days". We've got a decade's worth of holiday duck pictures between us? Who knew?
Well. From my Flock to your family, we wish you and yours a Merry Christmas. We hope it's a good one.
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December 24, 2012
The Eleventh Day Of Duckmas 2012
In an annual tradition, the reinducks watch the 1964 documentary, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, before the big flight.
In an annual tradition, the reinducks watch the 1964 documentary, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, before the big flight.
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December 23, 2012
The Tenth Day Of Duckmas 2012
The Burpee black-diamond slope is officially open! Look at that starting drop!
I do need to admit to photoshoppery in this picture, beyond the usual cropping, resizing and saturation/contrast adjustments. This was the very best picture of the series I took of Suzie Snowboarder and David Downhill, but it was just supposed to be a test shot to study the feasibility of the idea. As a result, I didn't move the snowducks, the angelducks, and a box out of the background. So I had to remove them digitally. Not a bad job, actually...
The Burpee black-diamond slope is officially open! Look at that starting drop!
I do need to admit to photoshoppery in this picture, beyond the usual cropping, resizing and saturation/contrast adjustments. This was the very best picture of the series I took of Suzie Snowboarder and David Downhill, but it was just supposed to be a test shot to study the feasibility of the idea. As a result, I didn't move the snowducks, the angelducks, and a box out of the background. So I had to remove them digitally. Not a bad job, actually...
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December 22, 2012
Saturday Night Tunage XVI: The Christmas Edition
Hello, everybody! DJ Wonderduck has returned with a special holiday-themed edition of the world's famous SATURDAY NIGHT TUNAGE!
Okay, locally famous. Locally known? Not despised within the confines of this blog? Whatever. It's a whole post of the few Christmas tunes I can stand to hear after having to hear them over and Over and OVER at the Duck U Bookstore... and no schmaltz, either! Let's get right into the musicing!
more...
Okay, locally famous. Locally known? Not despised within the confines of this blog? Whatever. It's a whole post of the few Christmas tunes I can stand to hear after having to hear them over and Over and OVER at the Duck U Bookstore... and no schmaltz, either! Let's get right into the musicing!
more...
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The Ninth Day Of Duckmas 2012
When you have snow, you also inevitably get snowducks! While I so want to call them Moe, Larry and Curly, I can't... that's too easy. So Tinker, Evers and Chance it is!
When you have snow, you also inevitably get snowducks! While I so want to call them Moe, Larry and Curly, I can't... that's too easy. So Tinker, Evers and Chance it is!
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December 21, 2012
The Eighth Day Of Duckmas 2012
Finally, the snow is back! On Thursday, we had blizzard warnings and there were some forecasts saying up to nine inches of the white stuff... and it happened! Well, to the northwest of us, that is. Here in Duckford, the weather nabobs claim we got four inches, and perhaps we did... in that particular snow cylinder. Out in the real world, however, we maybe got two inches, which is why you still see grass. However, without the snow, there'd be no way to get the crisp shadows in today's entry for the Twelve Days of Duckmas.
Oh, and since we're all about traditions here at The Pond: "Eight wings! Eight freakin' wings!"
Finally, the snow is back! On Thursday, we had blizzard warnings and there were some forecasts saying up to nine inches of the white stuff... and it happened! Well, to the northwest of us, that is. Here in Duckford, the weather nabobs claim we got four inches, and perhaps we did... in that particular snow cylinder. Out in the real world, however, we maybe got two inches, which is why you still see grass. However, without the snow, there'd be no way to get the crisp shadows in today's entry for the Twelve Days of Duckmas.
Oh, and since we're all about traditions here at The Pond: "Eight wings! Eight freakin' wings!"
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December 20, 2012
Christmas In F1-Land
I don't want you to think that I've gone completely 12 Ducks of Christmas around these parts! Nope, these days the F1 world is, like many of the rest of us, getting ready for December 25th. For example, here's Luca DiMontezemelo, Ferrari racing supremo, flanked by...
HWMNBN looks like a wino playing Santa, while Felipe Massa looks like he's reached his life's ambition. Well good on him, I say.
Meanwhile, here's the card of that right jolly old elf Bernie Ecclestone. Wow, what a funny funny guy, huh?
I've looked high and low and other than Sauber "borrowing" Santa and putting him through some wind-tunnel testing, none of the other teams seem to be doing anything official... if I stumble across something, though, I'll let y'all know! Red Bull is usually good for a giggle around this time of year...
HWMNBN looks like a wino playing Santa, while Felipe Massa looks like he's reached his life's ambition. Well good on him, I say.
Meanwhile, here's the card of that right jolly old elf Bernie Ecclestone. Wow, what a funny funny guy, huh?
I've looked high and low and other than Sauber "borrowing" Santa and putting him through some wind-tunnel testing, none of the other teams seem to be doing anything official... if I stumble across something, though, I'll let y'all know! Red Bull is usually good for a giggle around this time of year...
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The Seventh Day Of Duckmas 2012
In my mind, this concept was a lot better than it ended up. "Ducklings visit Santaduck," that's a winner, right? Right.
Oh well... maybe next year.
In my mind, this concept was a lot better than it ended up. "Ducklings visit Santaduck," that's a winner, right? Right.
Oh well... maybe next year.
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December 19, 2012
The Sixth Day Of Duckmas 2012
Some pics I take to be artistic. Some I take because of the inherent beauty of the scene. Some I take because, c'mon, rubber ducks in snow.
Then there's today's picture, which I took simply because it made me laugh.
Some pics I take to be artistic. Some I take because of the inherent beauty of the scene. Some I take because, c'mon, rubber ducks in snow.
Then there's today's picture, which I took simply because it made me laugh.
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December 18, 2012
The Fifth Day Of Duckmas 2012
So I did eventually make my way to the mall to take the annual "duck-at-Cvale" picture. Monday, it was. It was much less busy, and I was able to get a spot quite close to an entry. A casual walk to the center court, a few pictures, and I was out in about a half-hour, tops. Then I got back into my car.
And the back of my left knee exploded like someone had hit it with a RPG. I had placed my foot against the firewall of the DuckMobile to adjust my seating position and pushed... and kaboom. By the time I got home, I was barely able to make it up the nine steps from the parking lot to Pond Central, and I was honestly worried about being able to get to work today. I slept quite poorly, since every time the knee moved, it hurt.
This morning, once it loosened up, it seemed to move a little bit better than it had been... I was actually able to put a sock on that foot by bending my knee. Last night, I couldn't bend it enough to take the sock off, I had to use a spatula. I still stopped at the drugstore and picked up a cane on my way to work. Tonight? The cane helped me make it up the stairs, but I probably could have made it without it. Maybe I'm not as damaged as I thought!
Enjoy the duckie!
So I did eventually make my way to the mall to take the annual "duck-at-Cvale" picture. Monday, it was. It was much less busy, and I was able to get a spot quite close to an entry. A casual walk to the center court, a few pictures, and I was out in about a half-hour, tops. Then I got back into my car.
And the back of my left knee exploded like someone had hit it with a RPG. I had placed my foot against the firewall of the DuckMobile to adjust my seating position and pushed... and kaboom. By the time I got home, I was barely able to make it up the nine steps from the parking lot to Pond Central, and I was honestly worried about being able to get to work today. I slept quite poorly, since every time the knee moved, it hurt.
This morning, once it loosened up, it seemed to move a little bit better than it had been... I was actually able to put a sock on that foot by bending my knee. Last night, I couldn't bend it enough to take the sock off, I had to use a spatula. I still stopped at the drugstore and picked up a cane on my way to work. Tonight? The cane helped me make it up the stairs, but I probably could have made it without it. Maybe I'm not as damaged as I thought!
Enjoy the duckie!
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December 17, 2012
Ben-To Ep04
So, hi! I bet you thought there'd be another three-month break between
writeups, didn't you? Yeah, I bet you did. To be fair, I can't blame
you for that. If you're already wondering just what's going on, and
let's be blunt here, we are talking about one of my writeups, here's Ep03's writeup, just so you can refresh yourself on the subject matter. Now that that's out of the way, let's get to the writeuping! Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?
Or are you here for the hungry prepackaged foodfighters beating each other up for mediocre meals? We seem to have a new person on the battlefield today, someone intent on smashing everybody in the way of that lovely, lovely bento... bentos? Bentii? I'm two paragraphs into this post and I'm already confusing myself.
One with legs that appear to be six feet long, clad in Chuck Taylors... oh look, it's an American! Probably blonde, too, right?
Yeah, no bonus points for that guess for a couple of reasons. One, all Americans are blonde in anime, and two, I've seen the show already. Of COURSE I know the details behind this new bento battler. I'm pretending not to know what's going on so as to take you on a (simulated) voyage of discovery, so as to better connect with the reader. It's a standard literary technique, and I'm not ashamed to say that I'm not half-bad at it. Oh sure, one could accuse me of blowing my own horn, but I know what I'm good at, and I'm good at being ignorant. Did that come out right?
As our mystery babe makes her way out of the supermarket, hard-won dinner in tow, a sharp-chinned bishie watches her walk away, muttering under his breath "The Beauty Of The Lake." She doesn't seem moistened, nor is she lobbing scimitars at the rightful King of England...
Whatever you decide to call her, she's apparently important enough for the production staff to change the entire OP to suit. Not that I'm complaining, heavens no! It just seems somewhat early to have her take over the show is all. Oh well, what would you expect from a show as tightly crafted as Ben-To?
more...
Or are you here for the hungry prepackaged foodfighters beating each other up for mediocre meals? We seem to have a new person on the battlefield today, someone intent on smashing everybody in the way of that lovely, lovely bento... bentos? Bentii? I'm two paragraphs into this post and I'm already confusing myself.
One with legs that appear to be six feet long, clad in Chuck Taylors... oh look, it's an American! Probably blonde, too, right?
Yeah, no bonus points for that guess for a couple of reasons. One, all Americans are blonde in anime, and two, I've seen the show already. Of COURSE I know the details behind this new bento battler. I'm pretending not to know what's going on so as to take you on a (simulated) voyage of discovery, so as to better connect with the reader. It's a standard literary technique, and I'm not ashamed to say that I'm not half-bad at it. Oh sure, one could accuse me of blowing my own horn, but I know what I'm good at, and I'm good at being ignorant. Did that come out right?
As our mystery babe makes her way out of the supermarket, hard-won dinner in tow, a sharp-chinned bishie watches her walk away, muttering under his breath "The Beauty Of The Lake." She doesn't seem moistened, nor is she lobbing scimitars at the rightful King of England...
Whatever you decide to call her, she's apparently important enough for the production staff to change the entire OP to suit. Not that I'm complaining, heavens no! It just seems somewhat early to have her take over the show is all. Oh well, what would you expect from a show as tightly crafted as Ben-To?
more...
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The Fourth Day Of Duckmas 2012
There appears to be a lot of Christmas sugary goodness floating around the Twelve Days this year. I assure you, there was much squee-ing and "soooooo cute"-ing at the gingerbread ducks during the day they were out on display...
There appears to be a lot of Christmas sugary goodness floating around the Twelve Days this year. I assure you, there was much squee-ing and "soooooo cute"-ing at the gingerbread ducks during the day they were out on display...
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December 16, 2012
The Third Day Of Duckmas 2012
It's a first for the Duckmas photos today... an imposter appears!
So here's the story behind this picture. I set out on Saturday to head to the local shopping mall, thinking it'd be busy but not so awful. I was wrong. I drove two laps around the mall parking lots trying to find a spot that wasn't a mile away from the shops I needed to hit, and failed. Then I realized "hey, stupid, we're ten days away from Christmas, why does this surprise you?" Disgusted with myself, I stopped doing laps and headed towards the nearest grocery store... and its parking lot was clogged as well, overflow from the mall. Now just disgusted, I pulled into a Walgreens for some bare minimums of supplies... just as the heavens opened up and rain gushed down. Now disgusted and wet, I walked in and was greeted by ImposterSanta. I did my shopping, ran back to the car, grabbed SantaDuck and took the picture. ImposterSanta seemed amused and I was relieved... still disgusted, still wet, but at least I got a Duckmas photo out of the excursion.
They're saying we're to get some real snow on Thursday the 20th. I can barely contain my excitement.
click for full picture
Clearly SantaDuck is the real thing!So here's the story behind this picture. I set out on Saturday to head to the local shopping mall, thinking it'd be busy but not so awful. I was wrong. I drove two laps around the mall parking lots trying to find a spot that wasn't a mile away from the shops I needed to hit, and failed. Then I realized "hey, stupid, we're ten days away from Christmas, why does this surprise you?" Disgusted with myself, I stopped doing laps and headed towards the nearest grocery store... and its parking lot was clogged as well, overflow from the mall. Now just disgusted, I pulled into a Walgreens for some bare minimums of supplies... just as the heavens opened up and rain gushed down. Now disgusted and wet, I walked in and was greeted by ImposterSanta. I did my shopping, ran back to the car, grabbed SantaDuck and took the picture. ImposterSanta seemed amused and I was relieved... still disgusted, still wet, but at least I got a Duckmas photo out of the excursion.
They're saying we're to get some real snow on Thursday the 20th. I can barely contain my excitement.
Posted by: Wonderduck at
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December 15, 2012
The Second Day Of Duckmas 2012
Just as much a tradition as the "duckie in a fir tree" is the big bowl of Christmas candy for the Duck U students during finals week. Just part of what we do to help them through the stressful time, add a bit of holiday cheer to the proceedings... and just maybe find a photo-op or two.
Just as much a tradition as the "duckie in a fir tree" is the big bowl of Christmas candy for the Duck U students during finals week. Just part of what we do to help them through the stressful time, add a bit of holiday cheer to the proceedings... and just maybe find a photo-op or two.
Posted by: Wonderduck at
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