Ryan

Are these not on iTunes? I couldn't find them. I want to listen, but I know I never will unless I can do it on my commute, which is so much easier to pull off if they're on iTunes. I don't know how putting podcasts on iTunes works, but how hard could it be? (This is me volunteering BTW. This is how I volunteer-by taunting murphy.)

Japanese has several different writing styles. There's kanji, which is a pictographic system very similar to Chinese (indeed, I've heard that Japanese and Chinese can read each other's writing, to an extent). Then you have katakana, which is phonetic. There's also hiragami, which is also phonetic, and is simpler and easier to write. I don't know why they have so many systems.

Do you have one of those modem/router combos, like most ISPs love to foist upon us? I have found that while the modem half of the combo is often quite reliable, the router side is almost always horrible. I had issues like yours, so what I did was, I turned off the stupid router on my modem/router combo (because there is no such thing as a DSL modem that is not also a router; I know you're on fiber, but that still needs a modem, right?), put it in bridge mode, and use an Apple Airport Extreme for the router. Since I made that change, not only did all my reliability issues disappear, but my connection got 7 megabits faster.

I was able to correct my mispronunciation of Nynaeve, but not Egwene (egween), Aiel (ale), Faile (fail - OK, that one was intentional), or Taim (tame).

...of course, the downside to watching shows like Silver Spoon is that there is so little out there that can measure up. I blew through the entire show this week, and now I'm wrecked for watching other things. Maybe a Nichijou rewatch is in order. Or Moribito. I'd put them in the same league.

The Crimson Campaign (Brian McLellan) Ruins (Dan Wells) Raising Steam (Terry Pratchett) Becalmed (Kristine Kathryn Rusch) I like books.

Peter, thanks for tipping me off about Silver Spoon. I'm really loving it, and I probably never would have tried it without your recommendation. (The fact that it's by Arakawa helps too. She earned an "I will watch whatever you produce" card with Fullmetal Alchemist.)

I just finished this. I got it on the day it came out. Yeah, I know. Life. I could wax superlative about this book, but I won't bother, because I'm sure everyone else has said everything I would say. I'll only post two reactions: First, this is the seminal work of modern fantasy. If this series doesn't remake the genre in the same way that Tolkien's and Jordan's did, nothing will. Second, how amazing and hilarious is it that Shallan had to solve a lamp-lighting puzzle in order to open the Oathgate? Any Zelda player could have told her. Duh, girl. Light all the lamps and the door will open!

Lots of love for various Gundams in this thread. My only exposure was Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, which I enjoyed a lot, at first. But somewhere in the middle, everyone started changing allegiances every few episodes. It got tedious real fast, and I couldn't make myself keep watching. As previously mentioned, I have a weakness for giant robots and explosions. So, maybe there's a better Gundam out there? What would you recommend?

Link sent to Ketek. Glad to know it won't go to waste. Now I'll close this thread so people don't stumble on it later.

Ketek was first, but it sounds like he couldn't use it? Is that right, Ketek? If so, I'll give it to The Ja. I don't need anything. I'll just PM you a gift link that you can click to claim it.

When I bought the Humble Bundle 11, I got a copy of Fez, which I had already purchased on Steam. So, I don't need the extra copy, and I can gift it if I so choose. None of my friends and family are interested. Does one of you want it? First responder gets it.

Sket Dance is on my list of shows to watch "eventually'. I watched the first three episodes, thought "this could be pretty good", then neglected to ever watch any more. Guess that means it didn't make a strong impression. Since I'm posting anyway, I may as well mention that Korra 2 is as excellent as Korra 1 was lackluster. Action-packed, stunningly rendered, more-or-less solidly plotted. And Varrick. Just writing the name brings a smile to my face.

The only connection I can think of off the top of my head is that wreathes of holly are supposed to ward against the Fae. Or, well, something. Bast didn't seem to have any problem with it. I could be remembering the purpose of the holly wrong. It's been a while.

I can see how Mushishi wouldn't be for everyone. I still love it anyway. Of the shows on my list, Moribito is my favorite.

I had only three gripes with it: 1. Shaky cam is about 10 times worse in IMAX 3d, especially since the 3d was of relatively poor quality. 2. The whole time I'm thinking, "why does everybody aim for the shield?" Three is spoilery: Other than that, it was a fantastic film with a few narrative twists that I, as a non reader of the comics, absolutely did not see coming. I especially thought that Falcon added a lot to the team and the film. So, bravo again, Marvel. They just keep getting better.

Peter, I've watched six episodes of Hamatora. The magic system is softer than I like, but still fun. As for sex, I don't actually recall any, which is odd, because I ordinarily drop shows like a hot potato for fanservice/sex/nudity. The main villain can be a bit disturbing, but only mildly so far as anime goes. And there was this one episode where a dude does lots of sit-ups with his shirt off, but that's all I recall. It's not my favorite show, but I haven't dropped it yet. Gintama is a bit bipolar. It's either tremendously funny or terribly stupid, and there's no way to tell which you're going to get when you start an episode. The major story arcs are all very good, though. Definitely worth checking out And yeah, Crunchyroll. They need to invest in infrastructure, technology, or both, but I doubt they have the resources. Some tricks for making it livable: If the episode ends early, just reload. Hopefully they saved your playback position; if not, it can be annoying to hunt for your spot in the episode, but it's doable. If playback freezes, often it means they dropped your connection. Set the playhead back a few seconds, and the connection is usually reestablished immediately. Alas, sometimes you just have to watch at a lower resolution. Or give up. Thursdays typically suck, because Naruto. Anyway, a few more random recommendations: Have you tried Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit? It's on Crunchyroll, and is (despite its low resolution) gorgeously rendered, especially in its action scenes, which, though rare, are stunning. It's also a touching and well-told story, set in a vivid fantasy world. What about "Problem Children are Coming From Another World, Aren't They?" (Yes, that's the actual title.) This show is very hard to describe. The best way to see if you'd like it is to watch it. I'll put a mild fan service warning on it, mostly for the artwork at the end of each episode. So, definitely watch the credits (because they're amazing - you'll see), but stop before the art comes up. Nobunaga the Fool is a fun show with a profoundly stupid premise. They basically crib their cast from all of recorded history. The characters are only superficially related to their namesakes, if at all. But there's giant mechs, and spaceships, in feudal Japan. If you've got the "giant robots and explosions!!!!" gene, give it a shot; otherwise, stay far away. Me? It puts a grin on my face. Mushi-shi is starting a new series; there's one episode up on Crunchyroll. I loved the original series. If you haven't seen it, I recommend it as well. It's about a traveling sage who helps people cope with the magical creatures, called Mushi, that inhabit the world. Mushi are beautiful and dangerous and often harm the people that come into contact with them, and Gin (the sage) helps them with varying degrees of success. It's an artistic and emotionally powerful show.

One show that has surprised me quite a lot is Yowamushi Pedal, or Yowapeda for short. It is, on the surface, a show about riding bikes. Really, it's mostly a show about riding bikes. So it ought to be boring, right? It's not boring, at least not to me. It's really a lot of tun. And, as often happens in anime, it's the characters that sell it. The protagonist, Onoda, starts as a shy, introverted otaku with no friends. As the show progresses, he gains more friends and starts to open up. So, not really an original plot, or even a very subtle one, but very satisfying in its execution. Onoda has this charming naiveté, and the supporting cast is all unique and entertaining. And it's almost always funny, which never hurts. The show is currently in the midst of its first major bike race, and I'm not sure I like the way they're handling it. It has the feel of a shounen action show, complete with posturing and "I didn't want to reveal my ability just yet, but..." moments. I'm not sure I like it, but the earlier episodes have earned enough credit with me to keep me watching.

I'm'a pin this. I love the crowdsourcing of typo detection in Brandon's books. I haven't found any typos yet, though. As a reminder, typo reports should specify the page number (or location if reading the ebook) and, if possible, the paragraph number as counted from the top of the page.

Actually, I specifically mentioned the ability shouting as something that doesn't annoy me so much. It used to, years ago, but I'm over it. In fact, I've pulled a 180 on Luffy. He used to annoy me, and now he just cracks me up. His guileless innocence is infectious. And since he's so overpowered, they always have to find ways to take him out of the fight so other characters can contribute, and it's usually in creative and amusing ways. I think I figured out what was bothering me. The things that bother me are the details that look like lazy writing. If you want to write a story with lots of sailing ships on the ocean, do at least a teeny bit of research about how they work. Even if it's just a silly cartoon, I don't think that's any excuse to phone in the details. We viewers of TV often give it a pass on stuff that we'd never accept of, for example, a book. But that's a pet rant of mine and doesn't really belong in this thread. What do I expect of the show? I'm still figuring that out. And I'm still watching, even if I'm not fully committed yet.

For my part, I have finished Arlong and Buggy's Return (which I wish hadn't happened; ridiculous side character is ridiculous). Now I'm delving into the history of Gold Roger and the I-can't-believe-they-allowed-that-even-in-the-90s Captain Smoker. Still not sure I'll make it through 650 of these. Arlong had some intense bits, some genuinely magnificent bits, and a lot of absurdity. I'm having a hard time suspending my disbelief with this show and putting everything down to it being a silly cartoon, and Japanese to boot. Things like sailing ships being treated like they have a motor and an auto pilot, or people holding their breath under water for minutes at a time while exerting themselves. Why do these things take me out of the story, but fish men and GUMU-GUMU-NOOO!!! powers don't? I'm not sure.

Elayne, best character? Heh. Heheheh. That's not a very common opinion. But, well, I like Egwene, and a lot of people hate her, so I can sympathize with your viewpoint.

Only tangentially related: this thread has led me to realize that the transfer of abilities is a theme that has permeated most of Brandon's works. Elantris, Mistborn, Warbreaker, Alcatraz, Steelheart; all feature the gifting of abilities very prominently as part of their magic systems. For all we know, Stormlight Archive will eventually feature a method of gifting as well. That is all. Carry on.

I'm looking forward to Destiny, even though I don't know much about it. I was a Bungie fanboi (yes that is the correct spelling when speaking of Bungie fandom) back in the Marathon days, I enjoyed the first two halos (never played the third; wasn't going to buy a 360 just for that game), and I want to see what they do now that they're out from under Microsoft.

Harry Potter is such a funny case. It's so successful and beloved that we often forget that it was Rowling's first published work. And because it is so successful and beloved, Rowling can't really have a career beyond it without endless scrutiny. So we don't get to see her grow into her chops, because she's fabulously wealthy and doesn't seem that motivated to put out new stuff. All that's to say that lots of authors come, with time and distance, to regret some of the decisions they made in their first works. Most of those works didn't get read by very many people, so nobody cares too much when they express those regrets. Rowling, though. She says something and everyone is up in arms. They can't look past their love of the series and recognize that she is actually right. Ron and Hermione where never good together, and spent a significant portion of the series so angry with each other that they refused to speak. If we extrapolate directly from the characters as portrayed, we can sense impending disaster for their marriage. Of course, teenagers don't grow in a straight line. Ron and Hermione might certainly have matured into the sort of people who could build a happy marriage together. I would read that series. If she'd written it, she could have sold that marriage to us. The existing series doesn't do that, though. All we get is a horrible epilogue that locks the kids' futures in place and ensures that there will never, ever be more books in the Potterverse.