RWA is changing to a weekly schedule

A bi-weekly schedule is just too much work, I need a weekly schedule or I will go postal. Also need time to learn more about blogging, so I can improve RWA.

Anime Network

Before I begin, I would like to say that I am not an embedded marketer for ADV films and even if I was it would be the worst embedded marketing ever because only one or two people visit this blog anyway. I am not here to pimp ADV films or the Anime Network, I am here ask you to consider it as an option.

I got the Anime Network almost a month ago and I got to say it is much improved from last years.
First off, the Anime Network is subscription service through Shaw video on demand or SVOD and its also with Rogers, I think (I use Shaw as my cable company, so I don't really know). The Anime Network has a monthly fee of 4.99 for "20+ hours" of anime (its more like 10+ hours unless you like watching episode 2 before watching episode 1). To access this service all you need is a computer and a cable box.

POSITIVES
- The price is pretty cheap
- Lots of anime
- More convenient the 24/7 Anime Network
- ADV films selection only

NEGATIVES
- Accessing this service was a little confusing at first
- The quality of anime may vary
- ADV films selection only

I AM WATCHING THE FOLLOWING
- Dai-Guard
- Happy Lesson
- Blue Seed
- Chobits

I recommend the Anime Network VOD service.

Kaidohmaru review

I have decided on a posting schedule for RWA which will be twice a week, the first post will be on
Tuesdays (Wednesday night at the latest) and the second post will be on Fridays (Saturday night at the latest).

Kaidohmaru review
Year it was made: 2000
Studio: Production I.G.
Distributor: Manga Entertainment
Format: Movie
Where I saw it: On DVD (personal collection)
Subbed/Dubbed/Both: Both
Genre: Action/Drama
Length: 70+ minutes

Story: 5/10
Characters: 3/10
Animation: 8/10
Art: 10/10
CGI: 8/10
Fanservice: 2/10
Music: 10/10
SFX: 10/10
Japanese voice acting: 7/10
English voice acting: 5/10
Sub-titles: 10/10
Action: 5/10

note: Fanservice may only change the overall score as a mercy point.

In-depth review

Kaidohmaru is based on a Japanese folk tale or so I am told. Its about this teenaged girl (there is always a teenaged girl) named Kintoki Sakata who was raised as a boy in the Herian period of Japan. The reason she was raised as boy was to take over the Sakata clan because her parents we're afraid that her uncle would take over, if their couldn't produce a male heir (I think her mother is now infertile or her father was shooting blanks). Also her cousin Ohni-Hime wants to marry Kintoki but that soon changes when Ohni-Hime father goes crazy with the killing and blood spilling and kills Kintoki's parents. A servant helped her to hind in the woods but rumors started to spread to nearby villages that Kintoki was a demon and their called her Kaidohmaru. This brings her to the attention of her uncle and he tracks her down, kills her servant but Kintoki is saved by Raiko Minamoto and the rest of the four knights of Kyo. She stays with them. Five years later they investigate a mysterious plaque cause by the evil Shuten Douji who is also a link to Kintoki past.

The story in Kaidohmaru is average and a little confusing because the back story is never revealed in the movie, you have to read the character bios in the extras section which is a serious problem. Another problem with this anime is most of the characters are flat, dull and uninteresting.The fight scenes could have been better if it not for the cutting away to quickly. The only fanservice in this anime is a shoujo-ai kiss.

The visuals in Kaidohmaru is one of it strongest points, with a unique art style, good animation and okay CG. The audio is also strong with excellence music, sound effects and okay voice acting.

This only one half of a great anime, Kaidohmaru gets 5/10. Rent this one.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

-Shoujo-ai means girl love, a non-sexual girl/girl relationship.

What ever happen to the Airborne? Part 1

This is a four part series on the history of Canadian Airborne and why it should be brought back.

History of Para-troopers and Airborne Infantry

Dropping men from planes to we're they are needed was actually dreamt up by fire fighters who needed to get to forest fires in remote areas quickly. These fire fighters where called smoke jumpers and they also played a part in giving jump training to the Canadian, American and British para-troopers. The first airborne assault in military history was carried out by German para-troopers who we're dropped on the island of Crete in their campaign against Greece.

POST SEX CLEAN UP webcomic

On this blog I will share my favorite webcomics with the world but instead of choosing a well known webcomic, I chose a lesser known one. I found this webcomic from a link on the Sexy Losers site.

Post sex clean up ( P.S.C as its called) is a sex/comedy/drama webcomic created by a women by the named Yanagi-San. P.S.C is about two women, Sephia and Auri, who open their own sex shop called the Fetique. Only one problem is the lack of customers and Sephia put her husband Nick's 401K into the Fetique, so they wear S&M ware to attract customers. They also hire a college student named Chael when business finally picks up. The Fetique has a lot bad luck with a feud with a Chinese herbal shop ran by an old lady, Waipuo and her daughters Chun-Mei (who is very strong) and Kun-Mei (who is very violent), lawsuit by Dr.Laura, a creepy stalker and a dead body found in the store.

The characters in this comic have a different views on sex like Sephia is more uptight about it, Chael is very naive and Auri is very liberal about it, which is interesting. There is female nudity and male nudity, actual graphic sex, also anime and sexual humor but it's also serious when it deals with sexual dysfunction, physical abuse and a murder.
The art is very amateur but still good (kinda looks a little bit like Sailor Moon) and actual pictures are sometimes used as backgrounds instead drawing them which is okay.

If you like humor and porn with a feminine touch, mixed together then this webcomic is for you.

WARNING THE FOLLOWING LINK CONTAINS ADULT CONTENT AND YOU MUST AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD GO TO THIS SITE.

http://psc.keenspace.com/

Last Exile review

To commemorate their tenth anniversary, studio Gonzo created Last Exile and spared no expense on the production of it. Last Exile is about two orphans Claus and Lavie who pilot an aircraft called a Vanship to race and to deliver message tubes to make a living. Claus and Lavie also want to cross something called the grand stream which has brutal winds and nasty storms. The world Claus and Lavie in, is at war which two countries Anatray and Disith are waging under the supervision of the mysterious Guild, who seems to control this world. Anyway Claus and Lavie are asked to deliver a mysterious little girl named Alvis to an airship called THE KILL THEM ALL Silvana by a fellow vanship pilot, who was dieing from gun shot wounds given him by a guild starship.

The setting is similar to Germany in the 1930's without the nazis but is contrasted by the Guilds futuristic society. This mix of the two societies wouldn't have worked out as well as it did, if not for the excellent character, clothing, aircraft and airship designs by Range Murata and Mahiro Maeda who worked on the production design. I think they also used a naval consultant to make sure all the characters on the Silvana have real jobs which adds to depth of this anime. The story is good but could have been better, only minor problems like a rare plot hole but nothing glaring. The characters in Last Exile are also good but needed more time to be fleshed out. Last Exile also a healthy douse of action with excellent Vanship racing scenes, amazing Vanship dogfights and epic airship to airship battles. Also it has one scene of fan service.

The first thing, you will notice when you press play is it's freakin beautiful because of the nice mix of hand drawn and CG art. This is achieved by using a soft edges blending effect on lighting the hand drawn characters, to make them not stick out against the CG backgrounds. There are also hand drawn and hand painted backgrounds which are great ( done by studio Bee Train, I believe). The CG effects are the best I've scene with cool smoke and muzzle flashes on guns. The animation is very good and stays that way all the through without cutting any corners.

The second thing, you will notice is the great opening theme "Cloud Age Symphony" by Shuntaro Okino and a great ending theme "Over The Sky" by Hitomi. The music in Last Exile is mostly orchestral which adds to the epic feel of the series. The sound effects take full advantage of dolby 5.1 with realistic machine gun and cannon fire sounds. The Japanese seiyuus and the english voice actors both do a good job but the Japanese seiyuus are slightly better.

Last Exile is an excellent all around addition to any anime collection, it gets a 9/10.

SAVE PUBLIC HEALTHCARE IN CANADA

In this election and ever election since the creation of universal healthcare, the issue of medicare is on the table. The four major political parties would have you believe that the current system of medicare just need more money to solve all are healthcare woes, which is like putting a band aid on, to fix a gun shot wound when the system needs a major overhaul. An overhaul is needed because throwing money at it won't fix the problem ( sorry Romanow ). The Fraser institute estimates that 7 out of 10 provinces will be broke in the year 2055 because of the current system. The current system of medicare is unsustainable and violates the Canada health acts right to equal access. The reason it worked up until now is the rising cost of new equipment, ageing population and doctors leaving for the states are causing a strain on medicare. Medicare needs reform.

Solutions to these Canadian healthcare problems are to, aloud more private healthcare services to exist by funding them through public funds to get them started, end the public monopoly on the healthcare and aloud Canadians to choose private insurance. These solutions will create competion between the public and private system which will reduce cost by making the public system afraid of government cut backs if more people use private services and making the private system is afraid of losing profits if more people use public services which make a win win situation for all Canadians. It will reduce wait times because you won't have to put up with one system and gives higher saladies to doctors which gives more of an incentives to stay in Canada. These reforms have work in countries like Sweden which had the same healthcare system and the same problems that Canada is having now and fix them but letting private investment in.

The two things stopping Canada form reforming medicare are public administrators who lack the political will to change anything and unions in the healthcare field are dead set against these reforms because they like a public monopoly on healthcare, gives them political power and a lot money in union dues, which is drained out of the healthcare system. These special interest groups are saying their looking out for you by defending the current system of medicare but their only looking out for themselves. Should they tell you whats in your best interest in terms of healthcare?

In closing these reforms are needed, aloud choice in healthcare for all Canadians and will save public healthcare in Canada if used.

-Roy Romanow is the author of Romanow report on national healthcare in 2003.

NUPGE and why I hate them.

The National Union of Public and General Employees had the gall to make fun of the National Citizens Coalition and Simon Fraser institute on there website. The NUPGE is Canada's largest union with 340,000 members nation wide. First off, the NUPGE stated that the N.C.C was run by corporate fat cats that favor the rich which is wrong. I believe the N.C.C is helping average Canadians to be less reliant on the government and have more freedom. Second, NUPGE also stated that the Fraser loves to give Canadians bad news about medicare, so they can further there "corporate" goals which is almost slanderous, if it wasn't so outrageous. The Fraser institute was giving Canadians the truth about medicare, which is the current system is unsustainable. The NUPGE only cares about there power and there political agenda not the average Canadian.