GASP

You might have noticed there haven’t been a lot of updates in a while.  This is sort-of one.  Really, what it is is an announcement of the most epic of (internet) proportions.  I have left this place for another place!  

Pontifus has kindly provided me with server space and a wicked site redesign.  You may find me, now, at Cuchlann.  I didn’t want to spring for my own domain, so you’ll notice it’s post-fixed as superfani.com.  This does not, in fact, mean it is under some sort of SF.c umbrella; I have not been subsidized by the gnawing, writhing worm that is Pontifus.  It just means my stuff is stored on the same server as his and, well, my stuff from those SF.c posts I do.  

Short version:  I moved! Go check it out!  All my archives are there, including your delicious comments.  There is also, wonder of wonders! a new post.  It’s about what it means to like something!  Go, read it!

DtB: Always look on the brighter side of life

It’s interesting that Yin deals with water, as it is one of the general symbols for emotions and primal creativity.  The cups in Tarot, for example, symbolize water and creative endeavors.  The swords are air and intellect, by the way, and it strikes me that Li uses electricity and a knife.  

Of course, neither of them actually fulfill the roles they appear to be symbolizing — together they would make a creative whole, order and emotion, Apollonian and Dionysian powers.  Yin is emotionless and Li chugs along without thinking of much.  This changes over the course of the series, though, so perhaps that’s what we’re meant to see, the beginning of a foundation to move forward from.  This does leave us wondering where the cat figures in, of course…

Episodes 13 and 14 of Darker than Black feature Yin’s back story, and the return of our favorite detective, Kurosawa Gai.  His name seemed to strike a familar chord with the man searching for Yin, so I wonder if it’s a reference to something other than general, noir-esque anonymity.

In fact, Gai ends up being our moral center, claiming that “no one on Earth should be treated like a doll.”  Huang ends up, to some extent, siding with him (though obviously they don’t know each other).  Indeed, the two of them seem very similar:  earthy and rude, they strike me as the serious and humorous side of the same coin:  regular people dealing with the events around them.  In fact, with no agenda (and/or fear) driving him in the same way Huang has, Gai ends up being more personable, more humane:  it takes him no time at all to empathize with Yin, whereas it takes a supposed impossibility to force Huang into it.

DtB: Stars my destination

Darker than Black  11 and 12 show us, first, what the world is like now that the Gate has opened; and second, more of the research into the Gate that we heard about in the first arc.  

DtB: It’s her party…

Darker than Black 9-10 actually features the most incidental usage of the setting so far.  Really it’s about the clash of two worlds coming together.  Alice and Misaki are friends, but one is a gangster’s kid and the other is a cop’s kid who becomes a cop herself.  Shenanigans occur.

Besides finally doing something with Misaki other than having her be the Clousseau to Li’s Pink Panther, this arc thematically supports the idea of the two worlds of the everyday and the extraordinary clashing.  It implies that if one is entrenched too far in one’s own world, then yes indeed one is not going to be able to interact with anything else.  The hint would seem to be that to find a kind of respite from the shit he goes through, Li is going to have to stop acting as a hitman/gofer for whatever shadowy organization employs him.

That’s seriously just about all I have to say about the arc.  Hopefully the next will provide me with more to talk about.

DtB: Dirk Gently he isn’t

This is going to be for Darker than Black 5-8; I was too tired and uninspired last night to say anything about 5&6.

DtB: the oldest kind of fear

If you’re following along with me on my special Darker than Black Google Notebook, you’ll know what’s coming, at least in general.  This post is about fear.

DtB: Glos Pana

If you’re not aware of the crazy, cross-otaku-rhombus event Owen has instigated, here’s my very short summary: everybody watch two episodes of Darker than Black each day; if you want, post about it.  It started on the fifth of April.  It’s the seventh.  I’m late.  Without going into too much detail, I had a family emergency that kept me away for several days.  It’s going well, considering, and I’m back in Memphis.  I also finally watched the first two episodes of Darker than Black.  I’ll try to catch up (of course, this means I haven’t even started any of the new season shows, so, uh, oops?).  

So there’s this show you probably haven’t heard of. . .

. . . called Toradora!  It’s pretty good.  

Really though, having watched the last episode, I think I’m contractually obligated to say something about it.  Especially as, in recent weeks, everyone has been up in arms about the way the show was trending.

A quick little thing

I should juse my blog for this more often:  I have a short little note concerning lelangir’s latest anitation.

Yes, I haven’t watched Clannad, but my comment isn’t really about the show.  In the anitation, lelangir writes, “Clannad’s message, sojourner tell us, is ‘[w]hen empowered by strong emotions like love and friendship, a person’s thoughts are able to shape the future.’”

That’s a perfectly valid message; a few more modern philosophical schools say exactly that.  I think Sartre claimed something similar, that once one accepts one’s own responsibility for one’s actions, it is a simple matter to affect one’s future by deciding what one wants and doing that.  He equates the thoughts with the ability to “shape the future,” as being able to think the right thoughts is the difficult thing to do (supposedly).

Rejoice, all ye faithful

It’s time again: The Super Fanicom Voice Module is ready to give you an enema full of glee.  What’s the topic this time?  Everything ever!  Actually, we come pretty close…  We make it across the field from Osama Tezuka and VOTOMS to Rideback and the new Toradora! OP/ED.  It’s not attached to a single show this time, and we tried pretty hard to avoid spoilers.  Everyone you’ve ever loved is on it this time, too.

Also, we’re running the first Voice Module “Call In Radio” contest:  that is, vote in a comment to the SF.c post as to which show, of three mentioned, you want to force me to watch over an upcoming weekend.  There are three options, but you’ll have to listen to find out!