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This is a lighter rant/blog. Though I warn you, it's a bit harsh.

I've always asked myself: Why don't people work out for cosplays? I mean, I've written before about being yourself and doing what you like, but that's not what I'm talking about. It's great to wear a cosplay you love, and something you actually enjoy doing because you like it. But there's a difference between wearing a cosplay that's bad and being a bit overweight in a revealing costume.

Now granted, yes. I know. I'm one to talk. I think all but one of my cosplays have been shirtless. To name a few, King Hippo, Sagat, E. Honda, Mr Heart... all of them are exposed, all of them shirtless. So I realize the level of hypocricy this blog has. But there's a bit of a difference between cosplaying a big guy and being revealing because it's a big man's cosplay and cosplay a 12 year old japanese ninja fresh out of Ninja School. Oh yeah Naruto cosplayers. I'm talking about some of you.

Why can't some of these people get in shape for these cosplays? Males and females alike, there seems to be a bit of trouble. I know that yeah, we as americans, have an astronomically high obesity rate. But that doesn't mean you can't change that. It doesnt' mean that you can't hit the gym and help improve yourself and your health! Now, again, I'm talking about a big difference. The women I put in my earlier blog about good cosplay? The one that was the Sun girl from Dynasty Warriors? Loved her. She was awesome. The weight thing? Overshadowed by the sheer awesomeness of her cosplay. I saw a few pics of some cosplayers that made me cringe. I won't share with you the pictures because I really don't want to have to let them float around.

Now again, I know I'm gonna get "Shut up unless you're willing to do it yourself". But you know what? f%&# you. I'm beating you to the punch. Three and a half years ago, I weighed in at 350 lbs (158.757 kg ). Now, I'm 250 lbs (113.398 kg). Yeah, I've lost a hundred pounds, yo. And I'm still trying to lose. So bam, there took out someone's arguement.

But oh ho ho, this isn't about just fat people. We tend to be very proud of who we are. I ALSO have a problem with the overly thin. Yeah, that's right skinny people. What are you doing? I mean seriously. You've already been given a thin body. What should you do? Bulk up. Not fat, I mean hit the gym, hit some weights, do some push-ups. Yeah, skinny is nice, but a muscular body is better.

There's so many people that don't workout, it hurts my mind. Cosplayers, don't you want to look good? I mean, I ALWAYS respect a cosplayer that has a good costume. And I respect a person that works out. Imagine if the two were COMBINED! Holy shit, we would have sexy people walking around EVERYWHERE! Wouldn't that be nice, people over the age of 18? I mean, I'm sitting here with a lady friend of mine, and she said to me "It would look like models everywhere," and I'm inclined to agree.

Now, if you have a health problem, that's different. And sorry if that seemed insensitive. But s&%$ like "my body aches when I run" or "my knees hurt" isn't tolerable. If you haven't been given a doctor's note that says "Don't excercise", you should excercise

Why do I broch this issue? I'm starting to workout again. I'm going to be doing Dian Wei from Dynasty Warriors 5, took a look at my guy, and said "Fuck this". There was a new gym that was built near my home (like 1/3 of a mile! SCORE!) and I'll be hitting that up as much as possible. I'm also going to couple it with dieting. I'm going to be doing Squats, Bench Press, Curls, Running, and Swimming., hopefully in 30-45 minute sessions.

Now, time for the suggestions: I think it'd be better to bullet these
-Run! Running is the fast way to shed pounds! Start off slow, because longer runs are more affective then shorter runs
-Swim! Swimming laps is PHANTASTIC when you're trying to lost the flab, AND it helps your body tone FAST
-Stop drinking Liquid Satan! Oh, I mean Soda! Cut back on soda completely, or ween yourself off, and you'll see a noticible 5 lbs difference
-Eat healthier! Lots of proteins if you're looking for muscle, less starch if you're looking to lose that fat!
-Go outside! Temptation starts where you can access it

Alright, I'm done for now.
Y'all Biscuit Heads

Do you love Pokemon? Want to be cute or cool? Want to be in a fun cosplay group? Catch all the fun with the Pokemon Gijinka group at Fanime! The more the merrier!

What is Gijinka Pokemon? Here is an AMAZING collection of fantstic work

But wait, you want more? How about an actual Pokemon League? That's right, an actual Pokemon League will be in place! Over the weekend, you will the chance to win Badges and the first 8 to win badges will be able to go against the Elite Four! And if you win that, you go against one last foe: THE CHAMP. Don't miss out on this oppertunity!

The league is being run by Team Banzai, and we plan on making it work. We've already got the Gym Leaders picked out, and the Elite Four as well. The winner of the Socal Pokemon League will be will obtain the rank of Pokemon Master in the West. And if things go over well here, that title will be up for grabs again at Anime Expo, and there's a possibility that we will get it going in Otakon too.

What are the challenges? Anything and everything. Anything the gym leader has you do at the time of said battle. There will be no gameboys needed. Each Gym is it's own island, and so each Gym will have a different challenge for you to take! Can't you feel the excitement already? I sure can!

Here are a few

-Blastoise
-Zangoose
-Chatot
-Claydol
-Rhydon
-Murkrow
-Tentacruel
-Hitmonlee
-Lapras
-Palkia
-Darkrai
-Tyranitar
-Togepi

Please join the Pokemon Evolution!

-For reference, I wrote this on coscom, but brought it over! If you have a coscom account, look up the thred in the Fanime section! 

Hey folks. If your'e easily offended, don't read this.

I'd like to start with f%&# Bleach. Seriously, it's so bad now. And get this: There's more death in the Andy Griffith Show then Bleach. There's more death in Leave It To Beaver then Bleach.

Okay, back on topic. Woo wee, another long one.

Alright, here I am again, a bit miffed about what's been going on in the con and cosplay community. See, I'm a bit of a thrill seeker. I box, drink (well sorta, I don't really drink all that much), race, and fight. I've given serious injuries, taken a few lickings, and broken some of my enemy's bones. And I'm of course still repectful when respect is do. But let's just lay it out there, shall we? I'm not evil. I'm not a bad person. I'm manly, but I wouldn't consider myself EVIL. More like Chaotic Nuetral. Hell, I'm not always like this either, I have a real soft side, I promise you. So if I, who live in that kinda dangerous zone sometimes, don't consider myself evil... why do these people, not just kids anymore but adults, think that they're Satan's 'lil wonder?

This whole thing started with a trip to the mall. Like a lot of the things I don't like. But damnit, I'm gonna play Punch Mania 2, they aren't stopping me. But again, I'm at the mall, and I see a Transformers shirt I want in through the window of *ugh* Hot Topic. Well, the shirt seemed worth it, so I went in, only to ALMOST be thrown into a fiery rage, an unquenchable desire to beat some heads in. Why? These skinny, unmascular fucks talking about how this Death Metal band, who shall be unnamed. I shuddered, but went along my way. Then they start talking about Satanism, and I still do my best to respect what they're saying, trying my DAMNDEST t ignore what they're saying. Then they start talking about how hardcore they are, how evil. And almost I knocked down a rack getting over there.

"Excuse me, but what the f%&# did you just say?" I asked the one talking. He replies with, "who the heck are you?" Now, this right here. This is what I'm talking about. You know how you can tell he's full of shit? He just said "Heck". This guy was probably a few years older then me, and he said heck. HECK?! God damnit, what kind of pussy ass s&%$ is that? So I ask him again, "What the f%&# did you just say?" He looked at me for a second, and just repeated "I'm the most evil mother lover in the room?" Woah. Dude. He hinted at a bad word. That makes him so hardcore. I better stay out of his way. I mean, he might send Zombies of the Darned on my ass. "What the hell are you talking about, man? You look like you've never had a fight in your life. Look at you! You're wearing designer black clothes that make you look like you're halfway in the grave already!"

"You just don't understand Gothic culture, fag"

This sentence, on it's own, enthralled me to wreck the store. I don't know about Gothic culture? Let me tell you a few things about Gothic culture, folks. Gothic describes architecture in Western Europe. Gothic describes the language of the Goths, who were the Germens after the fall of the West Roman Empire. So many people use the term wrong these days, it's mindboggling. For anyone that reads this and thinks they're Gothic, STOP. STOP CALLING YOURSELVES THAT. IT'S GOTH. GOTH. God DAMN. The Goth subculture has been so fucked in the ass all this time it's mind boggling. It's one of those things: If you don't know about it and some poser says they're Gothic, what are you going to think? Easy stereotypes like Raver, Prep, and Stoner, you can say you're one of those, people shrug it off because they know you aren't. Since they don't know s&%$ about Goth culture, why wouldn't they lump them together. It's a very select group, and there's a lot of ideals that are missed. Like what, you ask. How about Goths lean toward tolerance instead of violence. And how about their apolitical nature? Unlike the hippie or punk movements, the goth subculture has no pronounced political messages or cries for social activism. The subculture is marked by its emphasis on individualism, tolerance for diversity, a strong emphasis on creativity, tendency toward intellectualism, a dislike of social conservatism, and a mild tendency towards cynicism, but even these ideas are not universal to all goths. Goth ideology is based far more on aesthetics than ethics or politics. Hell, everyone is different, but there's sorta of a universal standard that's neglected.

Yeah, I know a lot about Goths

Now I explain all this to this guy, and he and his buddies get in my face, calling me fag. Fag. Fag. What's up with that anyways? Why is the ultimate insult being gay? I don't get it. But anyways. They're looking to fight, and out of nowhere, the store clerk rolls up, pulls back on the guy who had the big mouth, and starts whispering some s&%$ to him. After a little while, the guy came back, collected his friends, and booked.I was lolling, but wondered who the clerk was and what he told him. I go to the register, and wouldn't you know it: It's a buddy from my Muay Thai club. This guy is like 50 lbs heavier then me (about 300) and can take hits from elbows and knees like a champ. But I've knocked him down and out a few times, never doing the same to me. He knew the poser and told him about me, and apparently got so freaked at the possibility of getting the s&%$ beaten outta him and his buddies. I thanked him, because I didn't wanna get another 3 month restriction from the mall.

Now, I bring this up in one of my blogs because you know what? It's happening at cons too. I see all these guys and gals dressing in black, dying their hair and piercing weird places on their body. AND, they think they're cat's meow for doing this! What's wrong with these people? The ones that obsess over characters because they're psychopaths that kill a bunch of characters? Those that think Death Note is a god send because a bunch of people die? I garuntee you if you put a knife in front of them and said "kill this person" they wouldn't have the gall to do jack shit. And for good reason. It's a terrible thing to kill someone. But that's what evil people do.

I'm not dissing the Goth culture. In fact, I have really good friends that are Goth, and I love them to death. Sure, they creep me out with the really slow, creepy ass music and the hanging out at the graveyard in the middle of the night thing, but that doesn't mean I don't love and respect them.

My suggestion to you, if this is striking close to home: put away the make up. Put more colors then Red, White, and Black to your wardrobe.There are SO many other colors out there that you could be wearing. If you want to keep the style, that's cool. Just don't be a dick about it. You're in it for the fasion. Fine, whatever. That's all you. If you're looking to be a badass, first off, start lifting. No one finds skinny men intimidating unless they're Chinese and have that wicked ponytail. Then, start taking soemthing like Boxing or a martial art. And if you're thinking about training yourself, refer to my Martial Arts rant.

So, in short, more this:
            &nb sp;                         &nb sp;   


And less this:

Y'all Biscuit Heads

Have you heard the latest?



Listen up people: We need to stop opposing God. You all know I'm definately not Christian, but God seems like a cool guy that I'd have a beer with. It's his followers, the ones that "preach" his word that gets me riled up! Someone that is truly loved god and followed his word, true Christians, wouldn't even BEGIN to do this, because they believe in loving everyone, no matter what!

Why is it that Christians gotta mess with everyone? In 1009, Christianity began one of the bloodiest retarded conflicts ever, the Crusades. Hell, why not just use the Holocaust as an example? Hitler rallied people under the Swastika, a Christian symbol. The truth behind it? Hitler tried making it a holy war! Germens were given the grace of God to fight against all comers!

Why do people feel the need to press things like this upon others? I mean, hate breeds hate, right? Is it suppose to be about love and peace, not protesting what you've been told "is wrong"? If suddenly, an eledged book directly from Adam came up and said that all humanity were to have a penis tattoo on their head as a symbol of God's will, would you do that? No, because it's irrational. Isn't picketing the FUNERAL of an actor that played a part about, yes, a gay man, somewhat irrational? Because that goes against the whole love and peace thing. Contradiction, much?

I say if you're in the area, picket the picketers. Seriously. Rally a bunch of people with signs that say something to the effect of "Back off, bitch". When they tell you how retarded that is, you can throw it back in their faces as being just as irrational as picketing a funaral? I mean seriously! The man died! His friends and family are in mourning! The air is going to be filled with a sense of meloncholy, and what are you going to do? PICKET THEIR GOD DAMNED CHANCE TO SAY GOOD BYE!

Whatever man. Like I said, God is cool with me. Just his followers are fucked up. Not all of them, of course. I know people like Dakota, Danielle, and Caitlin that would never do something like this. But f%&# man. Stop with the Contradictions.

Y'all Biscuit Heads

Tags: Rant

The following is my personal experience at Anime Los Angeles. It's not a rant, it's just how things went down at the con. It's also an article in the upcoming issue of Animation Liberation, so check that out soon, it's a free zine.

I type a lot. Sorry. 

Anime Los Angeles is sort of a personal con for me and my team, Team Banzai. Most of our members are from the area, and so we take great pride in it. We're also big supporters of it's chairman, Chaz (Chaz it up!), who actually gave us our name. Our symbol, the raising son, was placed on all the signs, and we just felt like it was So we offered to help as much as possible, and what did that mean? We were to work staff as logistics. So, with preporations made, money secured, and hopes risen, I slowly went to sleep on Wednesday night.

DAY 0 - Thursday:

I woke up at 5 in the morning to catch a train to Oceanside, and I don't have a car right now. You know what that means? I had to walk in winter to a train station 3 miles from my home with a full dufflebag. It was fantastic. Haven't felt cold in a long time. So by great, I meant terrible. Lucky, I had brought a scarf. Did you know those help? A LOT?! Well, I got to the train station with over an hour to spare, so I grabbed some hot chocolate from the coffee bar, a lil coffee place at the station, and rested a bit. Then, took the train to oceanside, then MISSED the train that was leaving by literally 2 minutes. So, apparently, the metrolink train is coming in 20 minutes. What was it? The Amtrack! I had already bought a ticket for Metro, but Amtrack needed there own ticket. So I spent 40 bucks in tickets before I even got to the con. For those that don't take the train, what are you waiting for? Public transportation is the shit, yo. It's cheaper then driving back and forth, just make sure you get times right.

So the adventure took a halt as I made my way up to LA, a 2 hour train ride. I sat next to an older white man and his Thai wife, we talked about teaching abroad (guess where he teaches?) and Muay Thai. God I love Muay Thai. Well, we get to LA Union Station, and I know something is up. Security running towards the front entrence, I hadn't clue what was going on. Apparently a fight had happened, I don't know the details. But before I could get to the main hall, my buddies Max and Casey showed up. After some short greetings, we moved over to the car and were off to Burbank. Initial D manuevers and music rang through the air as we skid and slid through traffic, scaring me half to death. Before I knew it, I truly believed I needed to see a doctor, my blood was pumping that fast. But we nade it, and looked for the man of the hour, Chaz. Well, I waited alone for him for over an hour, because Chaz didn't get there until later, and my friends weren't staff so we said goodbye and they went along their way. After about an hour, Chaz and his wife Lynn come up, and the con officially began for me.

It started with room registration and lunch, a nice meal with Chaz and his wife. We talked a little, unpacked his car, and then we started to set up the rooms of the Special Guests, Vic M. And Brian Wong. Since Chaz was rushed for time, I got to arrange the rooms nicely for them. So, that being done, Chaz rushed to his car and transported Vic and Brian to the con. I ended helping out here and there for a few hours until finally, Team Banzai came along. Now, for those that don't know us, we're a wild bunch, and we're loud. So imagine how we did on staff? Lots of energy, moved our stuff in and out, did our thing prior to the con, and went to sleep.

Wait, that's NOT what happened. Apparently, we had to eat, and wait for the proper time. (Bunch of guys + guitar) X Panda Express = CHAOS. After we left the restraunt singing Tribute from Tenacious D, we checked into our room and started to work. Specifically, we unpacked all the surplus supplies, including the Fliers, Programs, and Water for the staff members. Techniquelly, we set up the tvs and such for the game room, our personal haven. We love games, what can I say? So, after hours of unpacking, we finally said "It's time to sleep, and started for the room. But, it was time to eat again! Pizza for staff! Good stuff, to be sure. I went to be at 11, but because some people are louder then others, couldn't sleep until 2.

However, I thought that was the case. It turned out my friend Anton, who had been feeling a little green in the gils had progressively gotten worse over the course of the night, to the point of seeing the doctor. Pnumonea (SP?). He had contracted it and went on the trip anyways. The man is a trooper. He was fine, just stayed in bed the whole time. After the drama was over, I woke up at 7:30, was downstairs by 8, and the line had already begun!

DAY 1 - Friday:

It all started with breakdancing. When I went down, the line grew pretty quickly. And there was no true order to it. After talking with the registration staff, I took it upon myself to regulate the line coming in. So, I grabbed my speakers, grabbed my iPod, and played music, danced, trying to get things under wraps. Fun was had by all, and the con started off to a good start. After 3 hours of doing this, I finally went to the room, dropped my stuff back off, and started to enjoy the con...

Or so I thought I would. While this was a fun con overall, like all cons, it started slow. REALLY slow. Like Napoleon Dynamite slow. A few hours of minor gags and what have you. Pokemon battles galore. Finally, after a while of just hanging around and looking around the
ddealer
s hall, I went to my room, collected some friends, and went back... to do the same thing. My friends had gone home, and would return later that night. But there was something they weren't ready for, something that brought the whole con closer together. Rain. Sweet sweet rain. Everyone was trapped inside. But it was alright, the facility was just big enough, and there was a flow moving around, keeping traffic fluid.

Finally, around 4 PM, they showed, and with more friends. The con started to liven up, but not much. The highlight of the night seemed to be the rum party, but that wasn't much. We walked around, made jokes, dominated the arcade, but eventually, we found that a band we all enjoyed was playing. That band: Dig Jelly. A fantastic rockband lead by a women named Rayko, it's sound was the only thing we wanted to hear that night. After that, there really wasn't much to do. The dance was alright, but I didn't go in, it seemed a little weak. The night ended with gaming. Lots of gaming. And Pizza. And, the police, perhaps?

A mutual friend of Banzai, who shall remain nameless, had stolen something from our room. We hadn't found out until after the concert, but he had stolen a bouquet of flowers we had plans for. We confronted him, and there were stern but non-hostile words thrown around. He dropped the helmet he had been wearing, which I can't describe or else he would be apparent, and the friend punched the Team member to get it back, while stiff arming it out of his hands. Con operations were called, and it was up to my friend to say whether he was or was not arrested. Luckily for our "former" friend, he didn't let that happen. It would all come together the next day, though.

DAY 2 - Saturday:

The day to end all days, I thought. The rain? Gone for the moment. The cosplayers? Already out there. Fun? Abound. It was a good day, to be sure. We had a lot of small jokes, some bigger jokes, and just general randomness. As time went on, this would be the trend. I didn't have much time to go to any panels, but my group and I did do one joke gathering, something no one expected. See, my group and I do joke cosplay, make up things on the fly and have a good time doing it. So when we came up with what we were about to do, it seemed like a fun idea. This was called "The Men's Club", and it was a joke on Bishounen. I by no means fit in that category, nor do my friends. So, dressing up as a group of highschool students from Japan couldn't be anything but fun, right?

We went to the Yaoi panel. Yeah, I know a lot of you would think that it's gay, but think of it this way: it's 99% girls. Rabid fangirls? Maybe. But women all the same. With roses equipped, we entered the fray, to be beratted by yaoi fans. We had planned a little something that got the whole gathering cheering. An auction each member sold to whoever threw down the most elaborate (and fake) item. I personally was presented as a having a disease that can only let me love for 1 month before I die. An adorable russian girl bought me for a cure. It was really cute. After this, the rain started again. It was almost like good timing, because it was both getting dark AND most of the gatherings were completed by then.

After this all transpired, it was time to eat. Lucky for us, there were a multitude of restraunts across the street. Literally. McDonalds, Del Taco, and Panda Express. But it was pouring, which made going there a little difficult. My friends Neko, Sara and myself all went to the Panda Express, but it didn't take long for Sara to realize she was wearing her slippers. Bunny slippers, absolutely adorable. Too bad she couldn't walk through the water. I had to carry her on my back half way there before she finally relented and we ran to Panda Express. Nice meal, we went back, but before we knew it, I was running back. Sara had forgot her purse. Sprinting and dodging traffic, I got there just in time as a man was picking it up, about to riffle through Sara's belongings. I gave him the ol' stink eye with a mischivious smile, asking him what he was doing, and he returned it without much resistance. Sprinting back, still with the pouring rain, Sara thanked me and I changed. Because by that time, it was time for one of the best times of conventions, my particular favorite.

The dance had been delayed. By a lot. I wanted to scream out my displeasure, but there had been
 technical difficulties, so it was understandable. We waited around for 3 hours for it to be over, then there was another hour of set up!
Finally, it opened and we were on our way. The first thing I noticed was the projections. Very cleverly, they had set up a projecter on the stage playing some K-Pop idols singing and dancing. The music was played by the DJs, but the images gave it a better feel. Second, I noticed that people were actually dancing. You usually get a bunch of people standing around, but those not dancing sat down in the chairs. But there was were two real negative things to this dance.
 The first was the lack of wood floors. Carpet is fine, but wood is better for breakdancing and popular dance styles. The other was the music. While it was a good set in general, the lack of variety made it sort of monotonous. It didn't really cater to all venues. But it was still entertaining, and fun was had by all.
 Afterwards, after being able to barely walk, I finally headed to the room, talked to the others for a while, then slept.

DAY 3 - Sunday:

Waking up bright and chipper, I gathered my stuff and went along my way. Left my bag with the bag checker, and just enjoyed the rest of the day. It was a cool down period, but that doesn't mean we weren't active. The Men's Club had a Host club session where we served folks in the room. It was enjoyable, but I was a little anxious to get out. Sitting in one area is not my thing, most of the time. So, I wondered around, perused the Dealer's Hall, and eventually went home. A fun, but uneventful day.

Pros:
+ The Convention hall was just large enough
+ The semi-cramped hall actually made it easy to meet new people
+ A room with snacks available most of the day
+ Dealer's Hall was stocked with a large assortment of items I actually wanted to see
+ A photoshoot area was set up so that cosplayers could have perfessional shots done, which was an interesting twist to have in the corner of the hall
+ Staff was extremely nice, as opposed to last year where they were incredible surly
+ Hotel was gorgeous

Cons:
+ Too many children. That's not something I can actually fix, but we need more adults on the scene
+ Artist Alley was a little undercut, as they didn't get as much attention as in earlier years
+ Not enough panels worth going to
+ Drunken surliness. There were some problems besides our own that involved police each evening
+ No nutritional choices. Everything was junk food, and the closest store was at least a mile away
+ Too many technical difficulties. Made everything longer and not as good as it could've been

Overall, I give Anime Los Angeles a B+, due to it's friendly staff, great facilities, and general fun and inviting atmosphere. While it has some things to smooth out by next year, it will definately be a con I recommend and attend again.

This is a blog by the angriest person on Cosspace. I rant about other convention goers. So sue me. If you're easily offended, please don't read, because I don't care.

If you've ever been to a con, which I assume you have, you know that there are weapons. Weapons weapons weapons, there's always at least one guy selling shinnai, katanas, and everything else under the sun. At my recent con venture, Anime Los Angeles, there were loads of weapons, and quite the selection, too. There were batons, straight blades (ninja-to, 'gin' which is a thin bladed chinese sword), curved blades (mongolian blades, katanas, scimitars) and all sorts of kinves, chain weapons, and staves. Well, I myself am a martial artist. Been training for years. Europeon and Asian. And I take a sense of pride in what I do.

People, how many times have you come across a "martial artist" that doesn't know jack s&%$ about what they're trying to do? I mean, you've seen them before: the kind of kids that swing aroudn their newfound toy, because that's what it is, and think they're an expert. Let me give you a little bit of advice, kids:  you look like a fool. Stop. Seriously. Anone worth their salt is gonna see that you don't know shit. Where do you get this from, anyways? Anime? Movies? Video games? Wait, that's not even an excuse anymore! Games nowadays are actually incorperating REAL martial arts into themselves, and movies are pretty accurate, since it HAS to be realistic. That leaves...

Sorry guys, I blame the anime. Love it as I do, it's messing with some of you in ways you don't realize. And they think watching it will teach them. But there's a reason there's masters and disciples, guys. There's a reason for practicing every day for hours at a time. You just can't teach yourself. You just can't. People that are self taught are either below novices or lying about it all together. See, to master a martial art, you need someone to point out your flaws, someone that knows what they're doing. You could spend years and years practicing your makeshift art, but a person with 1 year's experience would be able to beat your ass. No joke.

And I shouldn't have to say this, but martial arts that are in friggin anime tend NOT to be real styles. Hokuto Shinken and Nanto Seiken or false. Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu? Fake. If there's not a REAL art that you've heard of, or it has an english spoken name, like Fist of the Nose Hair, it's not real. And some of you are reading this and saying "This guy is insulting my intelligence! Of course I know that!" But here's the sad fact: there's people out there that live in a fantasy world where it's real. I'm serious. People think that Kenshin's reverse katana is a real weapon as well. But if there was such a thing, the weilder would die almost instantly. One false move, and that katana is pressed against your body. Let alone the fact you use the back of the sword to sheath it. But I digress, it's fake.

Way's you can tell if a person is making up the facts? How about what they say? See, first off, if a person voluntarily says "I'm a martial artist" you can ask "what art?" They'll reply with something obscure most of the time. Ask them the style. If the say anything like General, you know it's messed up. Ask them to do a stance. Ask them to do some katas and forms for you. A real martial artist usually doesn't have a problem with this, and well gladly show you something if there's enough room. Just listen, you can hear it, and when you do, shout out that contradiction like P. Wright, holmes.

What tikes me off personally is people claiming to be swordsman. Like they picked up a sword and now they're God's gift to swordsmanship. This needs to stop before I go on a rampage, like a MUDDA FUGGIN snake on a MUDDA FUGGIN plane.  I've spent years getting sword styles down. I study Iaido primarily, so I dare say I have a good understanding of swords. Iaido, for those that don't know, is the Way of the Draw, drawing the sword instead of a full on attack. Plus, like I've mentioned before, I study Europeon weapons as well, meaning long sword, great sword, sword and shield, glaives, maces, etc. I know my shit. So when I see people flinging the sword around like an idiot and then saying they're a pro, I get angry. Hulk angry. And that's something no one should see. You need to stop and re-evaluate your actions, because if you don't hurt yourselves, I'll do it for you.

One last thing about that, STOP HOLDING THE SWORD BLADE DOWN. This is a particularly big beef with me. Ninja DO NOT fight with the sword facing the ground. This is a sort of hollywood goof up gone horribly wrong. See, the thing is, yes, when idle or running, the sword does in factpoint downward. The reason for this is tumbling and running, they can't get the sword in the way. But when fighting with Mugai-Ryu, the sword is immediately brought to a normal one hand stance and fought with accordingly. The reason why the point down style doesn't work is muscles. There's a muscle in your forearm that allows you to swing with force and push the sword miles past down style in terms of power and speed. It looks cool, but it's useless. Stop trying to make it it's own martial art. I mean it.

One last note before the resolution: stop thinking that Japanese arts the sole country to learn from. Korea and China are great places to learn an art from, and have their own strengths and weaknesses. Hell, I take Muay Thai, from Thailand. Muay Thai is one of the most BRUTAL martial arts available to humanity, due to it's great use of knees and elbows. Stop being racist and look into other countries. 

So here's the part where I offer a solution. I think it's obvious: start taking an art. Weapon or otherwise, it'll benefit you mentally, physically, and actually socially. I know a lot of people that go on here aren't very athletic, so here's an oppertunity. I'm not pointing fingers or anything, it's just a fact. Build some muscle. Lose some fat. It's ok, we all deal with it. Anyways, I'm off to Muay Thai practice, I got a match against someone twwice my size, and I'm pretty big already. Wish me luck!

Y'all Bisquit Heads 

Tags: Rant

I am an angry guy sometimes. This is an angry rant.

If you are easily offended, I do not suggest reading this.

N.A.P.: You're not  Japanese, get over it!

If you're Japanese, you were born and raised in Japan, or you grew up there, live there now, this doesn't apply to you, because you are legitmate Japanese.

Also, if you're not from the USA, I honestly haven't a clue of social acting and standards

Alright, so how many of you go to cons? All of you? Awesome. So you know how it is to go and enjoy a con with your friends and just have a great time. 

Then you also know something that can bring something like a con down. This has been a plague upon us, the frequent con goers, for... well, for a long long time. It's been all at all major cons and, when you go to smaller cons, they can make or break it. I am, of course talking about the dreaded Weeaboo. If you're Japanese American, this applies to you too. Your parents immigrated from Japan? If you've lived in the states longer then you've lived in Japan, you're
American.


What is a weeaboo? It is a term generated by a certain website I dare not mention. If you know it, then remember rules 1 & 2. But the effect is out there and it has defined a people. A Weeaboo is someone that is not a Japanese person that tries to BE a Japanese person. You know the kind of person I'm talking about. The kind that screams about how much they love Pocky, how much they love an anime, how much they would do to see a band, Yaoi obsessions, etc. Just a side note: Yaoi fans, I don't care, really I don't. If you're cool about your Yaoi fetish, I'm not stopping you or putting you down. Rabid fangirls are too much for some people, but that's not the point of this blog. I'm just SOOOOOOO sick of these people running around acting like they not only know everything about the culture but think that incorperating it into their lives MAKES THEM JAPANESE.


Where's the sense of national pride? We're here in the states, and frankly you should be glad that you live in country that allows you to live like this! Imagine if you lived in a country where even joking about another nation could have you dragged out of your home? Oh wait, that's not too far off. Can we say "Cold War"? If you even spoke Russian in a crowded area, you could be reported as a possible communist spy. But we've overcome that, and what are we now? We're the world's largest super power! We live in a place with so much free information and media we don't even know what to do with it! So why are some people so obsessed about beign a different nationality? I suppose it's understandable that you'd want to get into your roots, trying to grasp a better understanding of who you really are and where you come from, but hey, that's a bit different. That kind of devotion tasks studying of history, economics, government, and all sorts of stuff I want to get into but will spare you from that long LONG rant.


Listen folks, adding Japanese things into your life doesn't make you Japanese. I mean come on. Eating a lot of Pocky, listening to a lot of JPop and watching lots and lots of anime isn't gonna help you change. You're here. Speaking Japanese isn't going to make you polymorph into another race. This is called "common sense". I hate hate hate HATE it when I go to buy anime and I hear them, with that high pitched idiotic laughter as they stroll past that isles of movies. No, they have to stand in front, behind and at both of my sides to find what they're looking for. For instance, recently I went into a Sun Coast video store, a quality place to buy, and they come swooping in. I felt like I could punch babies. What do they do? Chatter away at full volume about the latest Naruto comic. NO WAIT! They're talking about the Zabuza arc? COME ON. They're not even up to date on what they're talking about. So I get my anime, a copy of disc 4 of Gantz (one of my favorite series), and I go over to the Japanese section. I left them over there, I thought. It'll be fine. And what do I do? While I'm going through the movies, one of them drops. One of the one movies you don't want weeaboos seeing. People, I dropped Battle Royale. This is a great book, a decent movie, and a fantastic Manga. But somehow, this was turned into the very essence f what I hate about these kids. Because as soon as they saw it, BAM. They were talking in broken japanese, talking about Jrock, and one of them had the odasity to try to explain the story to me. A nerve pulsated through my forheard, I could FEEL it. Why did I get this angry? "This is just like the book!" There's nothing worse then someone that not only doesn't know what they're talking about, but pretends that they read something or did something which makes them a part of it. Well, needless to say, I left them there, and I couldn't have moved fast enough.


Another thing with trying to add Japanese culture to your life? Religion. If you're saying "I'm Buddhist!", I'm GOING to ask you "what sect?". If you don't give me a real name, or get it wrong and give me the right chant, I'm going to go BALLISTIC. I'm a member of Soka Gakkai International, the worlds largest form of Buddhism. It's headquarters is based in Tokyo, and it's leader, Daisaku Akeda, is a brilliant, benevilant man. Every once in a while we have a little peace rally, or we do something for the community, and what do I see every time? Stupid ass weeaboos JUMPING at the chance to be a little more asian. To what end will some people go to be Japanese? We have cultural fairs, where we'll throw a Hana Matsuri for anyone that wants to come (and walk away with some free literature!) and the whole time, we're in happis, having a good time and learning about the culture. This is your chance to learn, but what do I see? Friggin weeaboo talking to my friend Nozomi about Japanese stuff. She's lived in the states for 3-4 years! Why would she possibly want to talk about things she doesn't keep track of? Enjoy the fucking culture, it's right in front of you!


Also, what's up with giving each other formal surnames? I mean, here we are, talking about our favorite things, going by first names, which almost EVERYONE does. If you're formal with someone, you say mister or miss or misses or, if you're old school, master, and then their last name. But oh no, some of these people, these weeaboos, they use the -san, -kun, the all powerful -chan, and -sama. As in Kyle-kun, Michelle-chan and, of course, Jeff-sama. Can't forget Jeff-sama. Not only that, they use them WRONG. That's right, YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG. I can't really tell you how this bothers me, but I know each and everyone one of us (well, not a weeaboo!) has been bothered by Jeff-sama once before


I realize that some people are just REALLY big fans of Japan. I myself am in love with Japan, and hope to go with my conpadres in the late spring. But you know what? I realize what I am. I'm a white man from Southern California. I hang out with Japanese people, I eat Japanese foods, I watch Japanese TV. And there's a lot of us on this site that are just like me. The difference between people like myself and weeaboos? I recognize myself for what I really am! I have no problem being a white guy from the states, they LOVE US. I live in an area with LOTS of Japanese people, and you know who they hang with? AMERICANS! Most of the time Japanese people come to the states to learn english by speaking with natives, and to get away from Japan! So if you're really so dead set on impressing the Japanese, be yourself, be American. Be whatever country you come from, because they're here to meet you, not the other way around.


My advice to those under this affliction? First off, STOP TRYING SO HARD. A lot of times people go overboard without realizing it. Secondly, drop the formal titles. I swear if a 15 year old calls me kun again I'm going to jail for manslaughter. Third, learn more about yourself, where you come from. After you do that, actually STUDY SOME JAPANESE CULTURE. It's not all Samurai, Ninja and martial arts like Kendo and Karate. Did you know a LOT of Japanese and Chinese people HATE each other because there's been several wars throughout time? Did you know Okinawa was it's own country at one time that was more Chinese then Japanese? If you answered yes to both of those, you're well informed, good work. If not, study up on it. Hell, if you're just reading this for kicks, I suggest reading it, Japan and China have a truly interesting history. Forth, Find a hobby NOT Japanese related. For instance, I'm in the SCA, and I'm learning about China (fascinating place) while attempting to learn a form of Philippino (I can't remember the nickname, but it's literally called Negronese). Those four easy steps can get you into a lot more then you expected. And remember, there's a difference between being a "Awesome, they have the 'HEY! HEY! HEY! Music Champ' DVD out!" fan and being a "zOMG JAPANESE STUFFZORS?!" fan.

Y'all Bisquit Heads.

Tags: Rant

*sighs* For those of you who know about my style of blogging, yes, it's one of those. If you are easily offended, I do not suggest reading my work

 

That being said, what the fuck, kids. Jesus christ, I'm getting more and more dissappointed by the younger generations of anime fans. Listen folks, the new is not always the best. There's always a good show springing up, but why can't some of these people watch something, say, older? This has been bugging me to no end, and I need to say it: y'all youngins need to know your roots. Holy hell, people!

 

I'm speaking with two guys, both 15 years old, both at seperate times. I work with Special Ed students, so I see some of the high school kids, and I pop into the Anime Club now and then, and they've been having meetings during the break. First boy was Keith. 100% Carribean heritage, he kept telling me. Great kid, intelligent, one of those folks that my friends and I wouldn't mind having around, despite the age gap. He knows his s&%$ and he has intellectual remarks to make. The kind of person you want around. Then there was Brandon. Immature to a fault, kept making stupid remarks, and you know what? He was just a slimey guy, making vulgar remarks about women. But hey, those kids are around, I understand that, it's pretty normal, really.

 

Why do I bring this up? Glad you asked! The topic of the day was Giant Robots, one of my personal favorite areas of anime. Keith and I started discussing the politics of Zeon and the FED, and who would win in a fight scenarios [Who'd win, a Dom with a Heat Hawk and made with Gundamium or the Guntank?]. I argued the superiority of Zeon and he defended Earth with a certain zeal that was impressive. Well, Brandon comes over and asks what series we're talking about,and politely we tell him Gundam.

 

I see the flaw in my actions now. I should've explained that we were talking about the first Gundam series. This kid starts sputtering out a bunch of s&%$ that's not even right 50% of the time about Gundam Wing and G Gundam. WING AND G!!! Now, for those of you who are Gundam fans, you know the flaw in these words. For those of you who don't, explaining it won't really help, because you have to watch the series to get it. The short answer: Wing is for fangirls and G is for kids. They're both sorta perversions of the series, Wing less so, but G definately. For all you Final Fantasy fans out there, it would be like someone talking about how much they loved FFVII and hated everything else. You know what I'm talking about.

 

Well, this irratated me to the point of asking about what the club knew about old anime. Short answer? Nil. I was flabbergasted. They didn't know things as basic as Gundam, Tenchi Muyo, Robotech, and even SAILOR MOON. What's up with that? How can these kids not know how older series developed over time into the foundation of the very animes they obsess about? It was the same with Games, even with poor Keith who was dissappointed in himself, but that's understandable. You kids are starting to sacrifice gameplay for graphics, but that's a timeline thing. You don't know the good stuff from the bad stuff so you don't look around. But stuff like Gundam, where in Japan there's people that savagely fight over debate subjects of oldschool anime, is readily available to those who wish to look for it. 

 

I don't even blame it on them, in a way. These newer shows are so flashy that it gets the anime elitests interested, and then others, like lambs to the slaughter, focus their attention on that show. That's right, I'm calling them Lemmings. Following aimlessly behind the trend and ignoring the stuff that really IS good. Just because a show is big today doesn't mean it's gonna be big 10 years from now. Case in point: Pokemon. About 10 years ago, it came to the states, was a tremendous hit. I had cards, action figures, all the games, I even made cutouts that I still own to this day! The original Pokemon? That's just on the cusp of oldschool. People who are really into the original games are hard to find now, but they're around. Some of you kids are saying "Pfft, I know Pokemon, that's easy!" but I ask you this: Did you think of it because you're a fan or did you think about it because I mentioned it?

Or do you even remember at all? 

My resolution for you kids that read this and don't  want to admit you fall under this catagory? Aske around about classic anime. Find it. Watch it. Love it. It's some good shit, man. The same kind of good stuff you save up for that makes you feel so good inside: the last bit of cake you want to be all frosting, the wine you've been saving since your birth to celebrate your wedding, the last special move you saved for the boss. Understanding the past is a part of knowing the future, and quite frankly, you'll be a wiser fan for knowing.

Tags: Rant

To those that read my long bullitens, it's kinda like my other ones, but toned down

So, I've been trolling around boards, checking out sites that have lots of pics like i360 and asianschoolboy. I like to cosplay, it's something I do as a hobby, as everyone here does. There's a level of creativity and inginuiety that is needed to these costumes, and a certain amount of guts you need to walk around in public in them. There's something I've noticed though, and it's really bothering me: there are more and more copies of the same characters.

Everyone here knows exactly what I mean. There's 20 Sasukes and 20 narutos running around a con. The most popular animes and games, which I won't mention names to (Kingdom Hearts ) get incredible fan loving to, while others are ignored completely in it's wake. What's the deal guys?

Granted yes, there are totally original cosplayers out there. I found a beautiful girl that did Maya from Tenjou Tenge. Another person I saw was cosplaying Shin Gouki (Akuma from Street Fighter series to you Americans). And who can forget the legendary cosplayer from Florida who does KEFKA (FF6), perhaps the bst villain in a game ever. (You can debate all you want about Sephiroth, he didn't kill too many people and he was a mommas boy. Kefka ripped the world apart, killed thousands, and nearly destroyed the world.) Hell, look at this women! At first, the person sitting next to me snickered. But look at her. Totally loving what she's doing, something no one else in the Con did, and LOOK AT THAT CRAFTSMANSHIP. Her cosplay is gorgeous and the props are fantastic.

            &nb sp;                         &nb sp;       

Solution to this? Cosplay soemthing else! Come on now, where's that creativity and ingenuity I was talking about? There's so many animes and games out there that you KNOW you'd like to cosplay, but some of you are afraid that no one will get it. Some don't think you'll get any pictures. It's about the fandom, people! Your'e a fan of something, you cosplay it! I'm a fan of Toe Jam and Earl, so what did I do? You guessed it. I was Earl, my buddy did TJ, and we Bboy'd on some cardboard. My friend liked Pikachu, and he's a 6'4" hispanic man. Did he let that stop him? NO! He made it BETTER! and it was hilariously awesome to see a 6' 4" hispanic man dressed like a Pikachu

Now, I'm not a hypocrit, and I realize that fandom means you cosplay as your favorite characters. But have alternatives! And make it something original too! No "Hmm, there's a lot of Narutos... better switch to Haruhi!", but more like "Hmm, there's a bunch of Haruhis... better switch to YUNA." Remember Yuna? Great costume and character. Vash is still cool with you kids, right? What about them Pokemons?  I think you can figure out what I mean.

So yeah, keep cosplaying your fan pics, but do something else too if you know there's gonna be way too many of your character. Cosplay for you, cosplay who you like, don't cosplay what everyone else likes. It's about you having fun, not everyone else

This is just my take, but personally, I'd like to see more

         

and a little less

This was an opinion from Wes of Team Banzai. Not all the views and opinions may be shared with other members.

Tags: Rant

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