Pet update, and a little on anime

Belle is settling in nicely. She's a real grumble-bucket, or as we tease her a "Grum-belle" Princess. She's a brat, always wanting fresh food. Actually, here she comes now. She's Brrrting at us. She gets along really well with Copper, the dog. Personally, I think she realizes that he's old, as well as not a threat. Belle is not a play-type of cat, so Mukki is totally out of luck. She tries a bit, but her idea of play reminds you of a crotchety old aunt.

Oliver has yet to figure out her boundaries. He keeps pushing her, and pushing, and she growls and hisses at him, but it's all empty threats. If he leaves her alone, she goes looking for him. Mom and I decided that's how she plays. She waits till he's right on top of her, hisses, and runs, and Oliver chases. No fights as of yet, so I doubt there will be.

When we got Belle, the shelter didn't know much about her past, she was a stray. After spending a few days with her, we've come to some conclusions. One, someone probably swung her by her tail, she's very tail-sensitive, and it's a lot shorter then it should be for a coon. Secondly, she does mew, but for the most part she grumble-growls, and flinches when doing it. So, more then likely, she was hit for it. She's getting better. If we find the person who did that to her.......

From left to right in order: Belle, Mom (sick in bed), Mukki, Olivier, and Copper.


Bell and Oliver. She's such a faker, they're sleeping within a foot of each other.

And for anime news:
It's a short one. New series will be coming out next month, and there is a new FMA preview out. it just recaps the first one I showed you, so it's not all that new, hence why I'm not uploading it.

A new member to the family

We went to the animal shelter today and came home with a 3rd Cat, "Belle". Her name was Ezzie, which was all right, but she's more of a belle. She's a 1year old Maine Coon Cross, and she is a real sweetie. The boys, Copper and Mukki, are all right with her, they're letting her settle in at her own pace. Oliver, on the other hand, was trying to impress her, and it backfired. Ah, love. He just wants be kiss and make up, and she wants NOTHING to do with him right now, to the point of hissing at him. Oliver isn't pressing his luck at all, he's keeping his distance ans Caterwailing at her, "LOVE ME!" he cries, "I was just trying to be cool!"

I'll post a picture when things settle down.

Fullmetal Alchemist....2!

So, as we all know, Fullmetal Alchemist, also known as FMA, and Hagane no Renkinjutsushi in Japan, is one of the best anime of all time. Done by Studio Bones the series spans 51 episodes and has a theatrical release that takes place after the series. The movie, "Fullmetal Alchemist and the conqueror of Shambala" had a three day premiere in Tokyo when it was released.

For those of you who don't know about the craze that is FMA, I've got to ask, where have you been? But, I'll give you a recap of the series anyway. FMA is the story of two boys, Edward and Alphonse Elric. When they were but children, their father left home, leaving the boys with their mother. A few years later, their mother fell ill and died. Torn by grief, the two turned to Alchemy, the science that allows something to be gained for the exchange of something else. Equivalent exchange, "For something to be gained, something must be lost." The two boys were very good at alchemy already, Ed being a prodigy and Al being quite gifted. Together they decided to break one of the laws of Alchemy and try to bring their mother back to life. It went horribly wrong, costing Alphonse his body and Edward his leg. In an attempt to save his brother, Ed used alchemy again and sealed his brother's soul into a suit of armor, costing him his right arm. With the help of their neighbors Alphonse manages to save his bothers life, and Edward gets Automail. Automail is basically prosthetics, but they work much better then ours do.

Cut to a few years later, and Edward is a State Alchemist. He works for the government doing jobs and investigating the mysterious "philosophers stone", an item that is supposed to negate equivalent exchange. He and Al, who follows his brother everywhere, are hoping to use it to return their bodies to normal. The series follows the boys on their journey, through their trials and tribulations. There is action, adventure, suspense, mystery, all the great elements of an anime.

Not to mention the artwork is amazing! Then again, Bones does fabulous work. The soundtrack is nothing to sniff at either. L'Arc-en-Ciel is just one of the groups that worked on music for the series. FMA is based on a manga by the same name by Arakawa Hiromu. The anime actually splits from the manga about a quarter of the way though, taking the boys on a much different path though the dangers of Alchemy. When the series ended, it was left very open, and many of the questions raised were answered in the movie. Fans were left satisfied with the work, yet still wanting more. Many felt more could be done with the series, but at the same time, there was trepidation about messing with the already finished anime.

Well, the fans have been heard. A few months ago it was leaked that there was a possible FMA2 on the way. Rummors seculated, but nothing was confirmed. Then on January 11, 2009 the news came in that there was in fact going to be an FMA 2. This FMA was going to follow the manga closely, and was going to be entirely separate from the first series. Studio Bones is once again behind the magic with a subsection called D Studio. So far not much has been said about who's voice-acting, but the original voices for the Elric brothers, Romi Paku (Ed) and Rie Kugimiya (Al) are back as the Elric brothers. The series is slated for release in Japan in April, and I'm sure it won't be long before an American company snaps it up for stateside release. (my bet is on FUNimation, since they did the first one and they're putting out a lot of new shows, but I'm sure they're going to have to fight for it)

Then, last week, previews came out (Ok, may have been a bit before that, but I have been busy). Lucky for you, you don't have to go to YouTube to hunt them down. I have them right here, subbed. So, enjoy a preview of FMA2 (I'm uploading the longer video clip, it's better anyway.) And don't forget the check it out when it hits stateside!


*I do not own FMA or anything thereof, if you want more info, check out The Anime News Network page for FMA2 or The Official Japanese page for FMA2

Crashed Car.

So, I haven't been here for a bit because I had a car accident on Tuesday. I was on my way home, and I ended up crossing lanes, flying over 70feet, flipping the car nose over end, and landing in the driveway of this really nice couple. I'm fine, and no one else was hurt. I got whiplash and a chest wall injury, but I'll live. The car is very much dead, however. I don't know what happened. Really, no memory for 500yards before the accident. Luckily, I didn't get a ticket. If you're wondering, YES, the car saved my life. I would have died if I was in an older car, so I really recommend the HONDA Fit. And progressive as insurance. they were very hassle free. Tomorrow, I go and pick up my rental car and bring Mukki to the vet. We're also going to go look at cars....I'm defiantly getting a Fit again. That's all for now.
~Sprig

Road rants

I am getting really sick of people driving 35mph in a 50mph zone. Seriously. MOVE IT PEOPLE! That being said, I want to mention something very serious. Now, I don't know how they do it in cities, but wherever there is an accident on a country road that ends in death, a cross is put up. This is actually more for when people are speeding and slide off the road. Our roads out here are so twisty-turny that you have to be really careful. Speeding can send you right over the side of a mountain or into a clump of trees....We have a term for roads like that (I live off of one of the worst right now), we call then Suicide roads. You can always tell when a road is really bad because it has a lot of crosses slammed into the ground. Each cross represents a different accident. It's sad when you see a particularly bad turn with a line of six or seven crosses. I do like how it is a remembrance of those who have lost their lives, and a bit of a silent warning. I do wish more people would notice.

In other news, Mukki is getting really big! He almost weighs as much as Copper! Oliver has also been doing well, he's much calmer now then he was even a week ago. Copper is doing about the same. He's an old dog, so some days are better then others. As for myself, I'm still really badly sick. Didn't stop me from going to the mall for animal suppies and a book. I really wanted "Bone Crossed" and I also needed bird food (had a coupon for free food) as well as kitten chow. What can I say, when you have pets, they're family. Since they can't go out and get their own food, their needs must come before mine. That's about all. I'll write more when I'm feeling better.

(from left to right, Copper, Mukki and Oliver)

~Sprig

Anime news

First, for those of you who don't know, Studio Bones created a full length feature movie called "Sword of the Stranger" for their tenth anniversary. This movie will be playing in select theaters tomorrow. Yours truly is hoping to go, but I happen to be sicker then death right now as well as broke, so it's not looking too good.

A new anime that will be coming in a few months is "07-Ghost" based on the manga by the same name. It is particularly a good manga, and I'd recommend giving the anime a preview. Remember though, it is illegal to download, save, sell, or otherwise tick off the anime companies, anime. So, hope for a fast licensing.

The rumor has been confirmed, there will be a new "Full Metal Alchemist" Anime! Now, I know what you're thinking anime fans, "FMA was perfect! what are they thinking?" Well this FMA is going to stay closer to the manga, which split off from where the first anime went. When I say split, I mean it's like they're two totally different things. Also from the creator of FMA is "Hero tales" which looks promising. It's about a Chinese boy who finds out he is 'the destined one'. Animation looks very smooth, but many of the characters remind me of FMA, so I have problems watching it.

"D.Gray-Man" is coming to America! Well, the manga is already state side, but now the anime will be too! Sometimes I could just kiss FUNimation. I mean, "Ouran High School Host Club" (girly, yes, funny though), "Wallflower", "Shikabane Hime", "Romeo X Juliet", they're just grabbing all the good ones. Viz, I'm sure isn't about to be left in the dust. What it comes down to is this is going to be a kickin year for anime!

"Ouran High School Host Club"

Haruhi Fujioka worked really hard to get into the exclusive Ouran High School, where family ties and money is everything. Haruhi has neither, being a scholarship student, and in order to stay in the school, Haruhi works hard. One day, while looking for a quite place to study, Haruhi stumbled across the host club, a group of six young men with ample money and time to spare that entertain themselves by entertaining the equally wealthy girls of the high school. If that wasn't a shock enough, Haruhi accidentally knocks over an expensive Ming Vase! Now Haruhi has to work as a host to pay off the debt, the only problem is, Haruhi is a girl.

"D.Gray-Man"

Allen Walker has had it rough, first, he was abandoned as a child because of his arm, then he was taken in by the circus and Mana Walker, who raised him like a son. After Mana died, Allen, racked with grief, made a deal with the Millennium Earl to bring him back. What Allen didn't realize was that Manna would come back as an Akuma, a demon weapon in service of the Millennium Earl, and take over Allen's body. Now, Allen's arm, had something to say about this, and transformed, revealing Allen had the power of Innocence, a power granted by God to defeat the Akuma. Manna, as he was dieing the second time, cursed Allen, bleaching the boy's hair white and giving him the ability to see Akuma, even when they are hiding as people. Allen in then taken in by a member of the black order, a group of Innocence users who are fighting the Millennium Earl, and is later sent to the order where he and the others take on the Earl and his allies in a race to save the world.

"Sword of the Stranger"

A warrior with no name. A boy with nowhere to go. An organization bent on capturing the boy. Let's not forget the awesome Shiba-Inu that is the boy's only true friend. Kotaro is a young orphan who on the run. He is being chased by assassins, and has no clue why. While hiding in an abandoned hut with his dog, Tobimaru, he comes across Nanashi, a warrior haunted by his past. Unwittingly he drags the warrior into a fight when a group of assassins come barging in. After a rousing fight, and a desperate attempt to save Tobimaru from a poison, Kotaro asks Nanashi to be his guard. This begins a journey of the two as they find out why the boy is being hunted and take on their foes.

"Wallflower"

Sunako Nakahara just wants to be left alone. She's into everything gruesome and dark, and her biggest nemesis is 'creatures of the light'. This includes anyone who is even remotely attractive. Unfortunately, this includes all four of her house mates. They're living at her aunts estate, rent free. The only condition, make Sunako a lady. Thus beings the chaos known as Wallflower. As the boys try to change Sunako as she fights every single step of the way, a strange family is created, with each willing to do whatever necessary to help the others. Even if that means putting on a dress.

"Shikabane Hime"

What happens when you die? Well, if you have regrets in life, you apparently come back as a corpse with awesome powers and an erge to kill humans. Standing between these monsters and the rest of humanity are a group of warriors, the Shikabane Hime and Contractor Monks. Shikabane Hime are corpse's as well, but by making a deal with a monk, who then becomes a Contractor Monk, they are able to remain themselves and fight the Shikabane. If a Shikabane Hime kills 108 corpses, they will go to heaven, washing away the sin of coming back from the dead.

"Hero tales"

"Set in a time of chaos, seven heroes of the Stars, the Hokushintenkun, rise up to lead the people. Two of the seven, the Nitenshinson, the Hagun and the Tanrou, are never supposed to exist at the same time, but fate has decided otherwise. Taito, chosen as the Hagun, now must rise up to defeat the Tanrou, as the fate of the Stars destined it to be." ~Anime News Network
What, I told you I have trouble watching it

"Romeo X Juliet"

"This is a story of a young and tragic love, set in the aerial city of Neo Verona. Tyranny rules this island in the sky after the Montague family took control 14 years prior. The disparity among the wealthy and poor is apparent in the present state, the earth dries and water stagnates. The sky itself is wrapped in a deep dense fog. Both Romeo and Juliet's lineages are of present and past ruling families of Neo Verona. Romeo is the son of the current Montague dictator, Juliet (a beautiful woman) masquerades as a man (Odin), she's the last descendant of Capulet the previous rulers who were killed by an assassins dagger 14 years ago. Her true background is not to be revealed to her until her 16th birthday. The cruel hands of fate introduces 2 people who will become "Star Crossed Lovers"" ~Anime News Network
This is on my "to watch" list... So, since I've yet to see a full ep, I figured I'd leave it to the experts to summarize it.

"07-Ghost"

Teito is a former slave, as well as an orphan. He has no memories from before the war that took the only father he ever knew from him, as well as his freedom. Things were looking better for him, set free and enrolled in Barsburg Empire's military academy because of his ability to use Zaiphon. He even makes a friend, Mikage. Of course, this would in itself make a good show, the tale of a boy learning to use his powers, but no, fate has conspired against Teito, that or an Mangaka with a malicious streak. Teito attacks one of the highest ranking army officers, recognizing him as the man that killed his Father. This lands him in lockup. Mikage, the ever faithful friend, forcefully helps him to break out, and Teito runs to the church in district 7. There he receives sanctuary and meets with Frau, a perverted bishop, Castor and Labrador, two more bishops. With their help, he finds out about the 7 ghosts, as well as the Eye of Mikhail, a mysterious stone that the army is looking for, and happens to be in Teito's possession (or you could say Teito is in the stones possession). Teito has to fight off the army while trying to come to terms with the things he learns.

Ok, now that I've shared some info on some anime, I'm off to bed. I'm sicker then death, remember? When I have more info on more anime, I'll share.

~Sprig

Anime news

Dr. Horrible...

I got the DVD in the mail today. Much love, let me just say. I had a good time watching the whole DVD. I also finished up YYH, so today was a day spent watching movies. I've been having a story type dream. Every time I go to sleep, the dream picks up, and I think it's a really good story. When I know where we (my subconscious and I) are going with this, I'll give you a summery. I'm thinking about drawing some of the stuff from the dream as well.

Everything has been mellow today. I need to get back to doing some work soon. I have been sick this last week, though, so I'm not too torn up about it. Mukki and Copper got a bath yesterday. Both are much cleaner, and the bath for Mukki went well.

Ok, so I have nothing of any real importance to say. Not about my life at least. Admittedly, I'm pissed at Wall street for pulling that bonus crap. Here we are in the States facing one of the worst Recessions in years, people losing their jobs, companies going out of business, a slow panic setting in, and they had the stupidity to do bonuses equal to that of last year? When we were at a record High? Morons. I'm not trying to go all political on you, but still, it's stupid. I speak as someone who can not find a job in my field, and is working at temp jobs. I know as a nation we are suffering. Everyone knows that. Given that, you'd think one of our biggest financial institutions would be more worried about the every day person instead of their pocket lining. I seem to recall that wall street is dependent on the people with stocks, after all....

Anywho, I should probibly turn in. I've been spending way to much time watching horror movies at night.

~ Sprig