It's been a fairly quiet month so far. Which is nice as it's giving me a chance to recover from the last few. I've been working on the website a little and now think the new design is almost ready to be uploaded to the server. As well as the cosmetic changes and a few functional alterations (maybe even improvements ^^), the update will also include content! Yes, the Osaka shopping guide thing is nearly ready. I just have to finish checking/entering the details for the last couple of stores and then it will be good to go. There will also be, if I can get enough of it finished in time, a short guide on using manga as a tool to aid in the learning of the Japanese language. Hopefully all this will go up sometime in the next couple of weeks, so keep an eye out for it.

The website isn't the only thing for which an upgrade is long overdue. Navi is the oldest PC I have which is still in daily use. Being a P100 with 16MB of RAM and running a trial version of SuSE Linux 7.0 that I obtained from a magazine cover CD years ago, Navi is far from cutting edge. This box has always served me well and has done all that I have asked of it. However, to run the services I increasingly need, it is becoming a little too underpowered, although that's not to say it doesn't try. I won't retire Navi just yet though as I love it too much. There are few PCs that can compare to Navi's robustness. The case is an old AT desktop one constructed from steel sheeting several times as thick as most of today's PC cases - which could go some way to explaining why Navi weighs the same as Kotoko and Mint combined. It's probably bulletproof, although I have no means to test that theory. The cover can be easily removed and replaced without the "which bit of metal slides into which other bit of metal" game you get to play with most modern cases (fun for all the family and a great thanksgiving or Christmas activity, by the way). When I look at Kotoko, whose components have all the build quality of a Microsoft software product, I realise it's true when they say "they don't make things like they used to".

>_>    <_<    Is anyone left or did everyone get bored to tears with my rambling about desktop cases and silently close their browser windows? ... Well, either way, I will carry on with the usual news roundup interspersed with random SoZrants.

There's still no word from Studio Mebius regarding what will be in the two new titles they have in development. It's still early days yet though so hopefully they are not in danger of following in the footsteps of their sleeping sibling. Strangely enough, Key did awaken the other week, for the first time in forever, to wish everyone a happy new year and to replace the graphic on the front page of their website. With luck, that won't be their only update this year.

This Thursday (Jan 29th), KID will be releasing their Nurse Witch Komugi-chan game for the PS2. At first, I thought it was just going to be based on the adventure part (i.e. not the obscure, over-hyped network messaging part) of Keijiban Daikessen in the grand tradition of KID console game conversions. However, this does appear to be an entirely new game from the ground up. Describing itself as a "comical adventure", the game features both the art of Poyoyon Rokku and the vocal talents of Haruko Momoi, making this yet another highly desirable property in the Komugi Nakahara empire. Perhaps a game aimed mainly at the fans, but then where Komugi is concerned, there are a lot of them.

Another game due out on Thursday is the DC version of Tama-cue, courtesy of another company well known for releasing PC-to-console ports, NEC Interchannel. I was very tempted to grab the PC version last year after hearing some good things about it. However, after looking into it more closely, it seemed a bit too ecchi for my tastes so I decided to pass. Upon discovering the news of a DC port, I was hopeful that it might actually be a non-adult (condensed cute ^^) release. The big "18" sticker on the front of the box makes that seem a little unlikely though. Not a lot seems to have changed. It has a couple of new scenes unique to the dreamcast version, but otherwise it's the same Tama-cue. Every time I see it, the cute calls out to me, so I am sure I will end up giving in and buying one version or another before too long, ecchi or not. Before moving on, I will also take this opportunity to point you at the website of another NEC-released game, the new Black Matrix title, Black Matrix 00 (that's "Black Matrix double-oh"), purely because Ootsuka-sensei is the character designer and his character designs are cute. ^_^

Kogado Studio (Kougadou if you refuse to accept lossy romanisation), best known for game series such as Angel Rabbie and Angelic Serenade, has been quite active as of late. Following the successful release of the Angel Rabbie TV series, Kogado have decided to give another of their popular game series, Aoi Umi no Tristia (and sequel), the anime treatment in the form of a Tristia OVA to be released this spring. Admittedly, my main reason for liking the Tristia series is down to CO2A being the character designer/main illustrator (if you haven't worked it out yet, my whole life is controlled by cute), but even without his touch the anime still looks good, in a pointless-yet-cute way. Kogado also have a new PC game in the works which is starting to look quite interesting. Symphonic Rain, with character designs and illustrations by Shiro (his first major game project), will be released this spring. A preview book was released at C65, but Kogado don't seem to have released much information through other chanels. Nevertheless, it looks good, which is why I am keeping my eye on it.

Onto anime news now. Makoto Shinkai fans will probably have noticed the shiny new CoMix Wave Films website devoted to all that is Shinkai related. All of Shinkai's previous works get their own section on the new site, as well as the upcoming Kumo no Mukou, now slated for an Autumn 2004 release. For those of us who have been waiting eagerly to watch the film since the teaser trailer was released over a year ago, the appearence of a reasonably firm-looking release date is exciting news. Particularly after the fears late last year that the project may be cancelled. Browsing around the CWFilms site, you may also notice that from the April issue (released Feb 25th), Kodansha's Afternoon magazine will be carrying a Hoshi no Koe manga by Mizu Sahara. Certainly sounds interesting.

Another anime, a TV series this time, coming out slightly nearer the present is Satoshi Kon's latest pet project, Mousou Dairinin. I first became a Satoshi Kon fan when I saw Perfect Blue. After seeing Memories Episode 1 - Kanojo no Omoide (Magnetic Rose), and later Sennen Joyuu (Millenium Actress), I promoted him to demigod status. The new 13 episode TV series starts on Wowow on the 2nd of February. Looking at the promotional videos, the mood of the series seems quite dark and reminds me a lot of Perfect Blue. This is perhaps a step backwards from the direction in which Kon seemed to be heading after Millenium Actress. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to this series more than any other so far announced this year. Oh, and Susumu Hirasawa is doing the music. You couldn't ask for a better staff roll than this.

I have never really been all that keen on Studio 4°C or the weird, twisted things that they produce. However, it seems that they may, at last, be working on a project just below my threshold of maximum twistedness. Mahou Shoujo-tai Little Witch is a new TV series due to air in April this year, following the adventures of 11-year-old Arusu in the World of Magic, a land populated by creatures so bizarre that they could only have come from the minds of 4°C artists. Whether I watch the series or not will depend on how much story they decide to put in there. It's looking promising on the story front though so I may at least give the first couple of episodes a go.

And now, because I am running late and need to get into town this morning, a quick roundup of various other things that aren't of great importance but upon which I will comment because I feel like it: Gunslinger Girl PS2 action-adventure game - it looks reasonable but I have a feeling the gameplay will be bad. Innocence - the basset hound is so cute. *_* Chrno Crusade - good anime adaptation of the manga. Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo - because a little insanity in ones diet is a good thing. Misaki Chronicles - avoidable, and that chest will surely give her problems later in life. Yumeria - the anime was a bit of a disappointment after the cute game and excellent manga.

Okay, I'm done. I hope I didn't bore anyone to death with that lot. I wonder if boring someone to death would actually be a criminal offence? Anyway, until next time~ ^_^

As has been the case every New Year that I can remember, this year feels very much like the one that came before it. I suppose it's a bit like birthdays. Once you've been around long enough, annual 'milestones in time' such as these begin to loose their uniqueness - the thing that once made them seem 'special'. Nevertheless, I do see this New Year as a boundary more than any other. 2003 was not a good year for me. In fact, I don't believe I have ever before experienced a year worse than the one just past; it is one that I will be glad to see the back of. That's not to say there weren't a great many good things that happened throughout the year - the Japan trip was a great success for example (no one died at least, and I returned home broke which makes it a success in my book ^^) - but I have not been in the frame of mind to enjoy them as much as I would have liked to.

I see 2004 as a clean slate. I can forget about the past and concentrate on working towards a happier future. For the first time in years, I have forced myself to make a New Year's resolution. In 2004, I will try my utmost to be cheerful and genki, like the SoZ of old. If you spot me slipping at any point throughout the year, feel free to give me a swift boot via email. I'd also like to take this opportunity to apologise to those friends who were subjected to far too much SoZ-angsting than can have been good for them. I just want to let them know that their support was very much appreciated, even if I was a stubborn fool who refused to heed their advice.

Anyway, enough dwelling on the past. Time for an update on current events. I'm still recovering from the surgery I had done the other week but I am now a lot better. I can't lift anything of significant weight and I have to watch what I eat but otherwise I'm almost back to being normal. (...normal for me anyway) There are a few other things I have to deal with on the health front but I really don't think anyone would benefit from me going into detail on those. Incidentally, as a result of being unwell for the last couple of months, I've lost around one and a half stone in weight. I don't weigh myself often - in fact I have a habit of avoiding scales as I'm worried what they might tell me - but yesterday curiosity got the better of me. Effective, but a slightly more drastic approach to weight loss than a conventional diet - I can't really recommend it unless weeks of agony appeal to you.

Another effect of my recent spell of illness is that it has delayed various things I had planned - moving house and starting a new job to name just a couple. I also haven't got around to finishing the long-promised BBI update. (Heck, for the past month, I've hardly had time to do these regular news posts much less revamp the whole site.) I'm not even going to attempt to give an estimate on when it will be ready anymore, as whenever I do, something completely unexpected always seems to come along and get in the way.

Right. I seriously doubt you came here to hear about me, so lets move on to more conventional BBI subject matter. ^^

It seems to be a kind of tradition for websites to have some sort of annual award thingy to highlight things of note over the last year. For me, it's an excuse to spend more time ranting about things I've ranted about before. So, without further ado...

 
SoZ's Favourite Anime of 2003

Haibane Renmei - Okay, so it was broadcast in 2002, but the DVD release dates ran into 2003 so I feel no guilt in naming it as my favourite anime of the year. Yoshitoshi Abe somehow succeeded, yet again, in convincing an animation studio to take another of his slightly unusual creations and turn it into another great series. Haibane Renmei introduced us to the bizarre and mysterious, yet curiously believable world of Guri and the ashen winged Haibane. The story is just strong enough to keep the viewer involved while at the same time allowing the viewer space to think for herself, lending a sense of wonder to the series. Speaking to others who have seen the anime, I have come to notice that, because of the freedom the viewer is given to 'explore' the series, different people have interpreted it in vastly different ways. If you haven't seen Haibane Renmei yet and are looking for a show you can ponder over, why not pick up the DVDs.

 
SoZ's Favourite Game of 2003

Ragnarok Online - I'm probably alone in calling this my favourite game of 2003. Gravity didn't earn themselves much support from their existing fan base in 2003. Of course, the conversion of International Ragnarok Online from free beta to pay-to-play annoyed a lot of people, but they were mainly the sort of people no one else wanted to play with anyway - everyone knew it was coming so I really don't see what all of the fuss was about. What dedicated fans were not expecting were the hacks, security breaches, rollbacks and a complete lack of support from Gravity for what was supposed to now be a stable game. Things came to a head when Gravity lost theirs - the ban-a-thon and removal of support for some of the main community fan sites caused many of the remaining fan sites to close down in protest and mount anti-Gravity campaigns. Players left the game in droves and things were looking bleak. If you're not a RO player, you may well be wondering at this point how I can call this game my favourite of 2003. I won't deny that RO had its fair share of problems (some of which should really have been solved in beta...), but the state of the game today is a far cry from the mess that it was in at the height of the troubles. As promised, the Comodo and Turtle Beach expansions have been implemented, the job and skill changes went ahead as planned and the client has seen numerous improvements in recent months. That's not to say there isn't still a lot to be done, but the game is starting to look in much better shape than it used to be.

Once again, you may be asking why I've picked this as my favourite game when I haven't exactly been singing its praises. In truth, perhaps I should call it my "most played game of 2003", but I can't think of an alternative for the title of favourite at the moment and favourite sounds like a more suitable title for an award anyway. I admit that Ragnarok Online is not the greatest game I've ever played, but it is quite addictive. It is also a game I can play when I don't really feel like doing anything else. I can log on, kill a few random creatures to rack up a little more experience and spend half an hour sitting and chatting about trivial issues with other players. With Final Fantasy XI, there is a feeling of commitment when I play the game - I become much more involved and am typically online for 3 or more hours at a time. After a play of FFXI, a kind of mental exhaustion sets in. Ragnarok Online allows me to relax while keeping my mind just active enough to forget about all those annoying real-world problems. This is what I like about it - not its story or battle system but its ability to absorb me without requiring me to devote myself to it. Sometimes, I think of it more as an internet chat client with an RPG minigame built in.

That's not to say the game is bad. A lot of past-players don't like the point-and-click battle interface, but I haven't found it to be an annoyance. The characters are cute and the combined 3D background/2D sprite visuals work quite well. The world is ever-growing so there are always new things to explore and keep the players interested. RO isn't for everybody, but I have enjoyed nearly every moment I have spent playing it and I am happy to continue paying my subscription for many months to come.

 
SoZ's Favourite Manga of 2003

This was more of an afterthought award. Since I have already mentioned my favourite anime and game of 2003, it would make sense for me also to mention my favourite manga. I will keep this brief as I think I rambled on for a little too long about Ragnarok Online and don't wish to bore you any more than necessary.

I was actually torn between two series for this award - Kiyohiko Azuma's Yotsubato and the recently completed .hack//Tasogare no Udewa Densetsu. I eventually decided on Udeden, possibly swayed by a full-page Balmung as I flicked through volume 1 of each series trying to decide which to give the award to. Even overlooking the numerous appearances of Balmung, Udeden is great fun to read. Whereas the anime was a little limp in places, the manga remained strong throughout. For anyone new to Udeden, it's .hack with less of the evil/dark elements and bucketloads of added cuteness, making it pretty much perfect. Except for Balmung who remains unchanged because he was perfect anyway. As I said above, I'll cut this section short since I don't want to bore you. I'd only get carried away and end up turning this into the "Characters That Make You Want To Say 'Mmmm, Balmung'" award.

 
Cutest Character of 2003

Mii-tan! Another award I can get away with presenting on a technicality. True, Popotan was released in December 2002, but the anime came out in 2003. So, why have I picked Mii-tan? No, it's not because I'm some strange, lolicon-obsessed freak (although looking through last month's search logs, it would seem some of you could be mistaken for thinking so). She is obviously cute and has nice, long purple-blue hair. Her ambition is to become a magical girl and help people. And she's voiced (in the anime) by Haruko Momoi. There aren't many ways in which she could be much cuter. True, she is also a nymphomaniac, but the anime seemed to mainly ignore that aspect of her personality so I will do the same. My phantom lolicon searchers could view it as an extra bonus though.

 
Least Cute Character of 2003

Majokko A La Mode. Perhaps not the sort of game I would normally buy - the story is a little more in-your-face and less waffy than I would like. Nevertheless, the staff credits read like a Who's Who of the best of the cuteartists, so I was expecting great things from this game in the cute department. I wasn't disappointed. However, in the middle of this sea of cute stands Yuuki, the most unattractive character I have ever seen in a game. Maybe the character designers just had a bad day, or perhaps they were behind on some other tasks and delegated the project to the guy who pops in once a month to do the accounts. I don't know what it is about him but I just can't stand him. It's not just his looks - I don't like his personality either, so I feel less guilty about disliking him so much than I would have if I had just thought him ugly.

 
Special Award: Characters That Make You Want To Say 'Mmmm, Balmung'

Balmung! Balmung Balmung Balmung!!! A clear winner!

Really, this award wasn't just an excuse to put up a Balmung picture. >_>

There isn't too much news to report at the moment. Pretty much everything stopped for Comiket and won't get going again until the New Year festivities are over. I was hoping Studio Mebius would give a little more information on their two new titles before they went off on holiday, but it would appear they didn't have the time. They do have a few photos up showing their nice Comiket booth though.

Hopefully 2004 will prove an exciting year for anime/manga/game enthusiasts. Things may be a little slow at the moment but I'm sure they'll pick up. Three things I would like to see over the coming year are a Yotsubato anime, a Kami-chama Karin anime and the release, at long last, of Clannad. The first two, although I haven't heard anything about, I am quite optimistic will happen given the fan support for those two series and particularly their creators (Kiyohiko Azuma and Koge Donbo respectively). Clannad, on the other hand, I am a little more worried about. I am puzzled, along with the rest of the world, as to how it can possibly take Key so long to release a game that was "virtually complete" a year ago.

Before I go, I wonder if I could ask a favour of you? I am currently seeking images of Minto from Samurai Spirits Shinshou (or Samurai Showdown Warriors Rage 2, as I think it was called in English). The image on the left is the only one I have managed to find so far. If you know of any websites, books, CD booklets or any other items of merchandise that contain an image of Minto, could you please let me know? I would be very grateful for any assistance you can render.

That just about wraps up this update. Things should be more or less back to normal around here now so hopefully there won't be any more long periods of inactivity for a little while. I hope I haven't bored you too much. See you next time!