When I said last Friday that HardDoor was going dark for maintenance, I really did mean it, so to speak. ;)
—One of a -very- few blogs that discusses about anime, boxing, and a little bit of randomness…
Monday, October 04, 2010
Friday, October 01, 2010
"Black Monday Comes to HardDoor" and Other Fantastic Stories...
"Black Monday Comes to HardDoor..."
After months of stagnation (mainly due to B&HSiA), HD's Free & Low-Cost Anime Directory finally received its long-awaited/needed revamp. I knew a lot needed to be done when I started Monday, but I found myself altering more of than I had anticipated (which was good thing, actually). Many of the descriptions have been rewritten--some wholesale, a few twinked here and there--either because the info was outdated or just needed to be reworded (or both...). Not too many links needed updating, but I supplemented a few entries with additional ones. In the case with pay content and subscriptions, I made sure to mention rates as often as possible. I began doing this with the "Anime on the Go!!" section and thought it was the right time to start including that information whenever possible, given how prevalent subscriptions are becoming.
After months of stagnation (mainly due to B&HSiA), HD's Free & Low-Cost Anime Directory finally received its long-awaited/needed revamp. I knew a lot needed to be done when I started Monday, but I found myself altering more of than I had anticipated (which was good thing, actually). Many of the descriptions have been rewritten--some wholesale, a few twinked here and there--either because the info was outdated or just needed to be reworded (or both...). Not too many links needed updating, but I supplemented a few entries with additional ones. In the case with pay content and subscriptions, I made sure to mention rates as often as possible. I began doing this with the "Anime on the Go!!" section and thought it was the right time to start including that information whenever possible, given how prevalent subscriptions are becoming.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
:anime: Blacks and Head Shots in Anime (Part 7 - Final)
<--To Part 6
Over the past six parts, we have explored the pattern of dark-skinned characters dying from head wounds in anime. We have also seen a number of peculiar traits shared among them and tried to place them in proper perspective with the issue, as well as history and culture. Yet, the question prevails as to why they die in such a particular way, beyond just story conventions.
Over the past six parts, we have explored the pattern of dark-skinned characters dying from head wounds in anime. We have also seen a number of peculiar traits shared among them and tried to place them in proper perspective with the issue, as well as history and culture. Yet, the question prevails as to why they die in such a particular way, beyond just story conventions.
Friday, September 17, 2010
:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: Princess Tutu
Princess Tutu
Official Sites: Japanese, English
Additional Links: ANN Entry
Video [Free]: Hulu, YouTube
Video [Pay]: The Anime Network (after first free ep.)
An aspiring ballerina who is a bit of klutz (and really a duck) valiantly attempts to retrieve the shards of heart belonging to the one she loves: the prince. But while she possesses the ability to turn into the graceful Princess Tutu and ward off the darkness, she must not confess her love to her beloved, or she will perish...
The Anime Network recently started posting video onto Hulu and one of the titles they started off with was Princess Tutu, a 2002-2003 magical girl series that, even after the critical and viewer praise it has garnered, still has not gotten the love it deserves. By genre master Junichi Sato (Sailor Moon, Pretear, Sea Story (Umi Monogatari), the series showcases his skill at trumping its conventions and offering something new and fresh. Not only that, it also displays his oft-overlooked implementation of music into his shows, here filled with classic ballet compositions, from Romeo & Juliet to Swan Lake, along with an appropriate original score by Kaoru Wada (InuYasha, Samuari 7). All of it blends with and enhances a great and unique story (well-balanced with comedy and harrowing drama), memorable characters, and fine production values.
Personally, I do have broad tastes, so as much as I can appreciate a depressing show like TEXHNOLYZE or Now and Then, Here and There, or action-filled ones like Afro Samurai and Gungrave, I can also appreciate a (really) good shoujo series in Princess Tutu. However, even those not exactly warm to the genre have had glowing praise for it. Though dubbed only (but wonderfully done), it is freely available for view on Hulu (missing Eps. 22-25, but will probably be resolved soon), YouTube (in full), and Anime Network's own site (free first episode, the rest to paid subscribers only), now's good opportunity to give the show a chance (and maybe some of that lovin' too).
Official Sites: Japanese, English
Additional Links: ANN Entry
Video [Free]: Hulu, YouTube
Video [Pay]: The Anime Network (after first free ep.)
An aspiring ballerina who is a bit of klutz (and really a duck) valiantly attempts to retrieve the shards of heart belonging to the one she loves: the prince. But while she possesses the ability to turn into the graceful Princess Tutu and ward off the darkness, she must not confess her love to her beloved, or she will perish...
The Anime Network recently started posting video onto Hulu and one of the titles they started off with was Princess Tutu, a 2002-2003 magical girl series that, even after the critical and viewer praise it has garnered, still has not gotten the love it deserves. By genre master Junichi Sato (Sailor Moon, Pretear, Sea Story (Umi Monogatari), the series showcases his skill at trumping its conventions and offering something new and fresh. Not only that, it also displays his oft-overlooked implementation of music into his shows, here filled with classic ballet compositions, from Romeo & Juliet to Swan Lake, along with an appropriate original score by Kaoru Wada (InuYasha, Samuari 7). All of it blends with and enhances a great and unique story (well-balanced with comedy and harrowing drama), memorable characters, and fine production values.
Personally, I do have broad tastes, so as much as I can appreciate a depressing show like TEXHNOLYZE or Now and Then, Here and There, or action-filled ones like Afro Samurai and Gungrave, I can also appreciate a (really) good shoujo series in Princess Tutu. However, even those not exactly warm to the genre have had glowing praise for it. Though dubbed only (but wonderfully done), it is freely available for view on Hulu (missing Eps. 22-25, but will probably be resolved soon), YouTube (in full), and Anime Network's own site (free first episode, the rest to paid subscribers only), now's good opportunity to give the show a chance (and maybe some of that lovin' too).
Thursday, September 16, 2010
:anime: Of Updates and Lengthy Write-Ups...
It's been quite awhile, but the seventh and final installment of "Blacks and Head Shots in Anime" has finally been completed. Its creation was certainly more arduous than expected, even after having plotted it early on. There was a two week-long "writer's block" of sorts at the beginning, but things afterwards started to flow again and I made up a lot of ground. Even so, the proofreading and revision stage was extensive, with sizable portions removed (and subsequently saved for a later time...), streamlined, moved about, and altered multiple times, with the final fine-tuning stage taking good deal of time itself, featuring a number of twinkings and testings. Mix in a few diversions (including computer matters needing to be addressed), some lethargy on my part from working on this, and the series as a whole, for so long, a few wasted days trying to update an iPod touch (the neverending backups...), as well as some genuinely difficult times writing things out, and you have a final installment nearly three months in the making.
As much care as I like to take in the quality and substance of what I write, even this was ridiculous. But despite everything that happened, Part 7 managed to turn out as well as I hoped it would. At the same time, while I dislike taking this long to write something up, I would much rather take my time in doing so than rush out a subpar piece just to get it done and over with quickly (though that doesn't mean I haven't been trying to write faster over the course of time...). Still, my apologies for the lengthy gap between Six and Seven. And as something a "joke", the latter will go live in a few days on the 18th (Sat.) at 2:02 AM--exactly three months to the day that former was posted. :) It also gives me some time to fit in this month's free anime pick...
Thank you for your patience.
--HD
As much care as I like to take in the quality and substance of what I write, even this was ridiculous. But despite everything that happened, Part 7 managed to turn out as well as I hoped it would. At the same time, while I dislike taking this long to write something up, I would much rather take my time in doing so than rush out a subpar piece just to get it done and over with quickly (though that doesn't mean I haven't been trying to write faster over the course of time...). Still, my apologies for the lengthy gap between Six and Seven. And as something a "joke", the latter will go live in a few days on the 18th (Sat.) at 2:02 AM--exactly three months to the day that former was posted. :) It also gives me some time to fit in this month's free anime pick...
Thank you for your patience.
--HD
Friday, August 20, 2010
:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: Black Rock Shooter
Black Rock Shooter
Official Site: Japanese, English
Additional Links: ANN Entry, Wikipedia
Video [Free]: Nico Nico Douga, ANN Article (embedded)
View Period: August 19 - 31, 2010
It's been a while since announcements were made regarding the worldwide streaming and release plan for the OVA Black Rock Shooter, but finally, the anime is officially being made available over the web in its entirety!
BRS has a very interesting history. It first came to life towards the end of 2007 as a single drawing, entitled "Black Rock Shooter", by the artist huke, which in turn inspired a Vocaloid song by ryo, leader of the popular Internet-borne music group supercell (Cencoroll, Bakemonogatari ending themes). Huke would eventually join its stable of artisans and contribute to the song's animated music video the following year, which would go on to garner over 2 million views and a special "pilot" DVD release in 2009, further increasing its popularity. Prior to it, an OVA "expansion" was announced, spearheaded by Yutaka Yamamoto's Ordet studio, of which would be their first chief production effort. Accompanying the project would be huke's design work, and a score by ryo, along with a script co-written by Nagaru Tanigawa, author of the Haruhi Suzumiya light novels (which Yamamoto helped adapt at Kyoto Animation).
Official Site: Japanese, English
Additional Links: ANN Entry, Wikipedia
Video [Free]: Nico Nico Douga, ANN Article (embedded)
View Period: August 19 - 31, 2010
It's been a while since announcements were made regarding the worldwide streaming and release plan for the OVA Black Rock Shooter, but finally, the anime is officially being made available over the web in its entirety!
BRS has a very interesting history. It first came to life towards the end of 2007 as a single drawing, entitled "Black Rock Shooter", by the artist huke, which in turn inspired a Vocaloid song by ryo, leader of the popular Internet-borne music group supercell (Cencoroll, Bakemonogatari ending themes). Huke would eventually join its stable of artisans and contribute to the song's animated music video the following year, which would go on to garner over 2 million views and a special "pilot" DVD release in 2009, further increasing its popularity. Prior to it, an OVA "expansion" was announced, spearheaded by Yutaka Yamamoto's Ordet studio, of which would be their first chief production effort. Accompanying the project would be huke's design work, and a score by ryo, along with a script co-written by Nagaru Tanigawa, author of the Haruhi Suzumiya light novels (which Yamamoto helped adapt at Kyoto Animation).
Friday, July 30, 2010
:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: The Super Dimension Fortress Macross
The Super Dimension Fortress Macross
Official Site: Japanese
Additional Links: ANN Entry, ANN Article
Video [Free]: Hulu, Anime News Network
When the Fourth of July came about, I originally was aiming to select the Stan Lee/BONES-produced HEROMAN as a patriotic nod to the holiday and month. Yet, time passed by and I decided against it, since the show already seems to have a good following going. Having already spotlighted other popular shows in Gundam and Haruhi Suzumiya, I decided to turn the shine onto another franchise that, while it has its fans, isn't quite as up there as the other two, most notably when concerning its first series.
Official Site: Japanese
Additional Links: ANN Entry, ANN Article
Video [Free]: Hulu, Anime News Network
When the Fourth of July came about, I originally was aiming to select the Stan Lee/BONES-produced HEROMAN as a patriotic nod to the holiday and month. Yet, time passed by and I decided against it, since the show already seems to have a good following going. Having already spotlighted other popular shows in Gundam and Haruhi Suzumiya, I decided to turn the shine onto another franchise that, while it has its fans, isn't quite as up there as the other two, most notably when concerning its first series.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
HardDoor--The Fourth Anniversary
Four years. Hard to believe it has only been four years since starting HardDoor, a little blog about anime and boxing (and bits of randomness). Since June 26, 2006, it's been quite the time and new additions have come along the way, such as Decade's Best and the Free/Low-Cost Anime Directory & Guide (or just "The Directory" for short, and don't forget about the monthly picks!), and special pieces like the current "Blacks and Head Shots in Anime". Every anniversary, I like to reveal a little bit behind HardDoor's background or introduce a new feature, but this year's a little different, since I already revealed it a month early!
HD's Twitter page has been a great complement to the site, celebrating its own one-month anniversary today. It has really filled that void of keeping things up-to-date and providing commentary on things as they happen, even trivial ones, without having to post a bunch of entries each time. It's a simple, yet very neat service that fits the site well, but that's not the only thing going on on HD. The aforementioned special piece "Blacks and Head Shots in Anime" is entering its final stretch with the last part coming up, with the first installment of this year's Decade's Best edition following soon after (I was originally aiming to have it start today, but the former has taken more time than expected). There is also the Directory's much-needed revamping, and then...well, I'll keep that one under wraps... ;)
Here's to four and more!!!! :D
--HD
HD's Twitter page has been a great complement to the site, celebrating its own one-month anniversary today. It has really filled that void of keeping things up-to-date and providing commentary on things as they happen, even trivial ones, without having to post a bunch of entries each time. It's a simple, yet very neat service that fits the site well, but that's not the only thing going on on HD. The aforementioned special piece "Blacks and Head Shots in Anime" is entering its final stretch with the last part coming up, with the first installment of this year's Decade's Best edition following soon after (I was originally aiming to have it start today, but the former has taken more time than expected). There is also the Directory's much-needed revamping, and then...well, I'll keep that one under wraps... ;)
Here's to four and more!!!! :D
--HD
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: Glass Fleet
Glass Fleet
Official Sites: Japanese, English
Additional Links: ANN Entry
Video [Free]: English Dubbed
For HardDoor's anniversary month, what better way to celebrate the occasion than with a free anime selection? And the pick for this month is...Glass Fleet!
...Wait, what?
Official Sites: Japanese, English
Additional Links: ANN Entry
Video [Free]: English Dubbed
For HardDoor's anniversary month, what better way to celebrate the occasion than with a free anime selection? And the pick for this month is...Glass Fleet!
...Wait, what?
Friday, June 18, 2010
:anime: Blacks and Head Shots in Anime (Part 6)
<--To Part 5 | Part 7 (Final)-->
(Note: As earlier, because these cases not only involve the death(s) of a particular character(s), but can also delve deep into a show's storyline, naturally spoilers will be involved. Also, most of the titles covered are either for older teen or mature audiences.)
With the pattern of dark-skinned characters in anime being shot in the head, the focus has primarily been on five cases, as well as any common traits found among them, such as being "traitors" and having monstrous transformations. However, there have been a few instances where they have been involved in scenes that may have involved elements of head-related deaths or injuries, but not as overt as the cases given. While these are not as major, they are rather interesting in their own right and worth a mention.
(Note: As earlier, because these cases not only involve the death(s) of a particular character(s), but can also delve deep into a show's storyline, naturally spoilers will be involved. Also, most of the titles covered are either for older teen or mature audiences.)
With the pattern of dark-skinned characters in anime being shot in the head, the focus has primarily been on five cases, as well as any common traits found among them, such as being "traitors" and having monstrous transformations. However, there have been a few instances where they have been involved in scenes that may have involved elements of head-related deaths or injuries, but not as overt as the cases given. While these are not as major, they are rather interesting in their own right and worth a mention.
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