Happy Birthday!

Well, a birthday was celebrated today. Granted, it wasn't really their birthday, but since he is an over-the-road driver and will be gone on his actual birthday, it was decided that we would celebrate his birthday today. Gotta love the fool who invented Ice Cream Cake! :)

I just recently watched a series that I was, in all honesty, really surprised that I liked as much as I do. The title is "Zero no Tsukaima", and it definitely qualifies as Sissy Anime. Our series starts with Louise Francoise Lu Blanc de La Valliere, a.k.a. Zero Louise, a second year student at a school for magic who seems to have absolutely no talent for magic at all, and has yet to successfully cast a spell... hence the nickname Zero. Since all second year students are required to summon their familiar at that time, she is secretly worried about her chances of actually summoning anything. On the appointed day, she attempts to summon her familiar, and after a rather spectacular explosion, notices the entrance of the guy of the series, Hiraga Saito.

This story is set in an alternate universe where mages exist. Saito-san, however, was summoned from modern-day Japan. Mistaking him as a plebeian (a non-aristocrat with no ability to use magic), she reluctantly binds a contract to him and accepts him as her familiar spirit. From there, the adventure and laughs begin. The series overall was well thought out, and the characters compliment each other fairly well. As is in any anime, though, you have a couple of stereotypical characters thrown in for good measure.

I swear, though, the Zero no Tsukaima character Guiche de Gramont reminds me waaaaaaay too much of Winner Sinclair from Karin (The Chibi Vampire for all you English connoisseurs out there). J.C. Staff should have seen this one coming.

Nothing like puttin' on a little summer music to work with!

Yes, I am a very obsessed fanboy of certain anime titles, irregardless of "ratings" and "reviews" of many otaku reviewers. When I am sitting in front of my computer, I find that listening to music helps me focus.

Now, don't get me wrong. Not all forms of music work the same, nor are my choices necessarily more or less valid than another's choices. Some people listen strictly to classical music when they work, and it really works for them. Me? Well, if my work was to fall asleep and drool into my keyboard, then it could work for me as well, I guess...

I have recently been listening to a LOT of anime OSTs while coding and scripting. More often than not, a default CD in my tray is "Amaenaideyo! Santora Natsuban". It has enough variety to keep my ears entertained, as well as prevent me from going to sleep. I have had a ton of fun watching the series on AnimeFever, and getting the soundtrack has kept me from getting distracted as often. It's not like it doesn't happen, it's just that it doesn't happen as much.

That being said, I should explain my personal issues with "normal" musical choices as well as their sources. As far as normal music goes, yes, I like rock, some pop, some classical, and a few country songs. My wife, as well as others who have happened to dwell accidentally into my "personal corner-of-the-room server farm", have asked me why I don't listen to the more commercial songs I like instead of anime soundtracks when I work. There are a couple of reasons for that:

1. First and foremost, as a former singer in a teenage rock band in the late 80's which, by the way, never went anywhere, I tend to like to sing along with any (and, God knows, I mean any) song that I know the lyrics to. This never helps. Many times, I simply get distracted when I fudge a line in the song and have to stop and remember that we're at the second bridge and not the first. When things like that happen, all other mental processes grind to a halt.
2. I listen to anime soundtracks for what I like to call "The Lorem Ipsum Effect." For those unaware of what lorem ipsum is and how it is commonly used, you can get a little lesson on it here. The lorem ipsum effect usually kicks in when an anime theme song kicks in, like the closing song "Lonesome Traveler". The ONLY English words that I have heard in the song are, literally, "Lonesome Traveler". I love the vocals on the song. I can contentedly listen to the singer sing without trying to sing along. I cannot yet speak or read Japanese in any way, shape, form, or fashion, so listening to the songs gives me the ability to not only listen to the instrumental music you hear during the course of the show, but also to listen to vocal songs I know, yet cannot sing. The human brain tends to filter out things like foreign language you cannot speak or read when concentrating. You could look at the title page of a storybook written in japanese and remember many details about the illustrations in the book while never remembering one hiragana from the page. The same works for lyrics in music, as well. You hear the melody, but since the words are in a language foreign to your ears, you only hear the melody. Don't believe me? Listen to any foreign song you've never heard before, say, 10 times. Then, without listening to the music, write down as much of the lyrics using sound-spelling as you can. :)
   

Living in the beautiful scenic state of Tennessee has a few drawbacks, the most prominent being that the rural area in which I live, as well as stations that come in clearly on the radio, are generally "country-fied". I like a few country songs, and know more than one by heart. However, I just cannot work with country music playing within earshot. The biggest reason? Country music, as a general, wide-sweeping, stereo-typical generalization, are songs with a story. Could you talk on the phone, or type your blog, or whatever, while someone was telling you a story right over your shoulder?

I have also been asked why I just don't find something on the radio and listen to it. The answer is simple. I have a pop-up blocker on my browser because I hate pop-up ads. I refuse to subscribe to anything which requires me to get their junk mail or spam because I hate being inundated with marketing every time I turn around. Just as I hate pop-ups, I really hate radio advertising, especially for local businesses. Monotone voices drone on about their showrooms and new models arriving weekly. Flat, dull voices that neither THX or Dolby 7.1 could make interesting to listen to.

Listening to anime soundtracks is a personal preference, just as my wife likes to listen to Rob Zombie while we have important conversations. Many never understood my rationale. Now, I hope I have given enough information so that my friends and family will understand my hobbies a little better...

Either that or they have still just written me off as a sissy-anime redneck programmer.

...either way is fine by me... :)

Welcome to Sissy Anime

What do you think that you get when you combine a southern gentleman mentality with an eastern culture phenomenon? Well, 'round these parts, you call it sissy anime.

This blog will be my venting grounds on several topics, not only anime. It's just that anime will probably rule the roost in this barnyard. Careful where you step.