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    AB: Pirate/Ninja/Shinigami/Alchemist Ro-Sham-Bo

    posted @ 4/25/2007 06:33:00 PM by MagicMystic
    Hello adoring fans. Sorry this AB (Anime Boston) info has taken so long to get to you, but there was no wireless in my hotel and I've been sleeping off the weekend ever since I got home.


    So this weekend I had delirious amounts of fun, going to panels, watching AMVs and actually cosplaying for the first time ever. I took 13 pages of notes, so please forgive me if I get a bit too long winded.

    The weekend started out on a high note. Panda and I were eligible for press passes due to our phenomenal efforts as ESH members. We were allowed to pass by the whole reg/pre-reg line and get our passes almost immediately. On a sad side note, at AB our press passes didn't get us all kinds of cool extra swag the way Ninja's did at E3. We got the typical schedule and program of events, just like everyone else. This swag bag was actually where we got our WoW demo disks last year... and you all know how that turned out.

    Our first event was the Opening Ceremonies. I'd never bothered to go before, expecting to be totally bored outta my skull, but it wasn't half bad. They introduced the guests and declared the theme of the convention. The theme was officially Japanese Festivals, but I will always remember it for the Pirate/Ninja drama. So, Panda and I traded on our press passes and got ourselves front row center seating without waiting in line, and when they were tossing free t-shirts at the crowd, I caught 2, one for each of us. All in all, it was a good start to the weekend.

    Now, I didn't go to the Anime Dating Game where everything started but I caught the other segments of the whole Pirate/Ninja episode. Apparently something happened during the dating game that caused the need for a Pirate/Ninja truce, complete with peace treaty. So, on Saturday night during the Masquerade, Captain Jack Sparrow and the Akatsuki members got together to ratify the treaty, witnessed by Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye and Colonel Roy Mustang. However, when the Captain signed his name, the treacherous ninja revealed that it wasn't a peace treaty at all, but that all the pirate signees had just sworn themselves over as ninja.

    So, since all the pirates were now officially ninja, AB official Hawkeye declared that pirates were an endangered species and it was hereby outlawed that they be attacked by ninja. The warloving ninja weren't happy with this development and demanded that they be allowed to fight someone. Mustang volunteered the alchemists for the position of official rivals of the ninja. Unfortunately, the ninja far outnumber the alchemists and remaining pirates. So, to avoid unnecessary bloodshed the Ouran Host Club volunteered to hire private bodyguards for everyone to protect against ninja attacks. Everyone went home thinking that the matter was settled, but it was to be continued the next day at the Anime Chess Game.

    At the chess game, Soifon, Captain of the second squad in the Gotei 13 and Commander of the special forces and Executive Militia within Seireitei stepped forward with a complaint that the alchemists were the ninjas new rivals. Shinigami, she argued, were far better suited to the position due to their numbers and organization. Alchemists couldn't fight ninja head on because they didn't wield weapons, but every Shinigami is equipped with a zanpakuto and additionally it was within Soul Society's power to set up spirit shields to minimize the damages caused to the real world during battle. Alchemists on the other hand must deconstruct their surroundings in order to fight, causing unnecessary damage.

    Before Captain Soifon and Colonel Mustang could start a battle right then and there, it was decided that since several shinigami and alchemists were participating in the chess game, the audience would be allowed to vote on who would become the next rival to the ninja based on perforamance in the game. The winners would become rivals with the ninja and the losers would have to declare their rivalry with the Ouran High School Host Club. Needless to say, we shinigami won and are now officially the rivals of the ninja. I say we because I was cosplaying as 10th Squad Vice Captain Matsumoto Rangiku. Of course this official announcement caused a problem between myself and one of my best friends who was cosplaying as Sexy no Jitsu Naruto. Luckily I'm only a part time shinigami and she's only a part time ninja, so our relationship hasn't suffered. I do however pity Panda who's boyfriend is a pirate and sister is a ninja.

    Along with the developing news at the main events, there was also a secret competition going on behind the scenes for the pirate/ninja/shinigami/alchemist cosplayers. Those of you who went to AB2K6 might remember the ninja barrel that was being passed around, well this year there were 4 of them, one for each faction. Any cosplayer belonging to one of the factions had the right to challenge the holder of the barrel to a game of Ro-Sham-Bo (Rock-Paper-Scissors) and the winner then got to carry the barrel, until they loose it to another challenger. People were walking around the halls with the barrels and would be mobbed by members of the opposing factions. In the end the results were clear, the shinigami really were the best choice of opponents for the ninja. The Barrel capture results were Pirates (27), Alchemists (127), Shinigami (311) and Ninja (323). I'm proud to say that 2 of the Shinigami wins were mine, but ashamed to admit that 5 of the Ninja wins were my friend kicking my arse.

    This whole gang war took place all weekend. There were photo shoots scheduled for all the major cosplaying favorites, but unfortunately the Bleach and Naruto shoots were scheduled at the same time on different floors. Basically the Naruto fans were at the bottom of the escalator and the Bleach fans were at the top. The big mistake here was that they were in full view of each other, so as a cohesive mob the Bleach fans decided to crash the Naruto photo shoot. Seeing as I was wearing a Bleach costume it was impossible for me to remain an impartial spectator, but I feared for my life for a few minutes as this real life West Side Story played out right in front of me (and behind me and to both sides, it was kinda scary..) Luckily, it was nowhere as bad as being at UMass Amherst when the Red Sox won the World Series. Although fascinating to watch it was also damn scary to be in the middle of it all. However, anime fans aren't nearly as rabid as Red Sox fans, so although post traumatic stress scared the crap outta me, I was never in any danger.

    I must declare as a veteran of these things that the occasional riot is exhilarating and refreshing. It really gets the heart pumping and circulates large amounts of adrenaline for a great rush without the need of drugs. So, next time your friends ask you to go out on Friday night and have a friendly riot with them, say yes, it will be one of the most memorable experiences of your life.

    On another note I actually went to some panels this year. Last year I managed to spend all weekend in artists alley and the dealer's room. I went to the "Creating Your First Webcomic" and "Inside Manga" panels on Friday and "Character Creation" on Saturday. Although the Baby's First Webcomic panel had some great advice and it was really interesting to hear about how Bettina Kurkoski works behind the scenes, my favorite of the three was Character Creation. I mean how could you not love a panel where you spend the whole time talking about your example characters Raven McAngst and Twinkle McFancyPants. It was basically a panel where we discussed what works and what doesn't with each character, and how it's OK to work with stereotypes as long as you try to do something new with them.

    Your basic character stereotypes are:
    The Master - The old hermit on the mountain who knows the answer to life, the universe and everything (it's not actually 42) and is the guy who sends the main characters on their quest/sets their task.

    The Student - Still learning, full of questions and is a master in training. As the reader, the questions they ask usually end up helping you to understand the world your characters are living in. The student drives exposition.

    The Hero/Heroine - Your main character, they are the most well thought out and have the most depth

    The Sidekick
    - Always hanging around to help the hero, surprisingly enough they have the most potential of all the stereotypes

    The Villain - This is the character who's actions most move the storyline, most heroes can only react to the actions of the villain

    Villain's Lackey - Nameless red shirted characters who exist only to be brutally defeated by the main character, or in the case of Star Wars, brutally defeated by Darth Vader in desperate need of anger management classes, or at least someone needs to get him a rubber band he can snap on his wrist.

    Villain's Minions - Unlike a lackey a minion is irreplaceable to the villain. They are often the only one the villain trusts, and are responsible for how smoothly things run behind the scenes. Unfortunately for the villain, minions are in the perfect place to screw the villain over.

    In order to create an interesting character it's important to mix stereotypes, give all the characters depth and to make sure they have flaws. NO ONE likes a Mary Sue who can do everything perfectly and has no problems at all, it's just too unrealistic. Another important point that was made is that an Anti Hero has a purpose, while random angst is pointless. Along with this vital information there was an incredible amount of geeking out and referencing characters and titles that many a part-time otaku/comicbook dork wouldn't get. We even spent some time discussing why Superman wasn't a Mary Sue.

    I'll be writing up details of the Masquerade, Anime Human Chess Game, Cherry Blossom Ball and AMV Contest within the next few days.


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    Shinigami no Ballad

    posted @ 12/27/2006 05:25:00 PM by MagicMystic
    There's no time like the Holiday season to be talking about dying and death. I carefully selected an anime that reflects such Holiday cheer.

    Shinigami no Ballad is a short 6 episode series about a shinigami named Momo. She takes the appearance of a young girl clad in white, with long flowing white hair, red shoes and an ebony scythe. She is accompanied by a black cat with red wings. How could I not be drawn to this anime, the characters are wearing my three favorite colors.

    Each of the 6 episodes stands alone as a story, although there are some repeat characters and deals with one case where Momo intervened in the lives and deaths of souls in need. Momo is a crybaby shinigami and she spends her time teaching humans to appreciate their lives, as well as easing the regrets of the dead.

    This is a cute series and I wish it were longer with more insight into Momo's character. Each episode is bittersweet, but somehow even when the characters die it seems to come out alright in the end. Overall, Shinigami no Ballad is a bitsized series that's good for a brief moment of emotional involvement.

    I give Shinigami no Ballad a 4/5. It's cute and made me cry and laugh, but I wish it were longer and the story evolved more. I'll give the series a red, black, white and pink MM, for each of Momo's colors and becuase it's a cute series.

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