RedRoses
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Aug. 9, 2009
  • 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Aug. 5, 2009
  • 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Aug. 2, 2009
  • Mugi's shirt is killing me softly D: It's such a weird pattern.
    3 months, 3 weeks ago
  • RedRoses replied to the topic Random Facts
    *glances at other posts* I don't understand not celebrating holidays. Maybe cuz most of them are a big deal with big Filipino family parties during the holidays.   My favorite holiday is Halloween. FREE CANDY~ Hell I'm still probably gonna trick-or-treat and I'm in college already :D
    3 months, 3 weeks ago
Aug. 1, 2009
July 31, 2009
  • zoooooooomg~ Nendoroid Mio is up for preorder~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ YAY <3
    3 months, 3 weeks ago
  • 3 months, 3 weeks ago
  • Sleepiness. WHY!? I slept like 11 hours...
    3 months, 3 weeks ago
  • RedRoses replied to the topic Random Facts
    @CapeBarnes: I've never been to SF alone either. I tend to tag along with a friend/relative/someone.  I've never been to San Jose's Japantown yet. I've only been to SF's one. Is it cool with lots of stuff? I really love SF's one (I think mostly because of Kinokuniya and that new building that'll have an art gallery and lolita stuff and and and other stuff). If you are cool, you ...
    3 months, 3 weeks ago
July 30, 2009
  • @AgentJ: Ehh it's in off topic so almost anything goes.
    3 months, 3 weeks ago
  • @CapeBarnes: Thank ya and a same to you as well. :) I won't get to know my grade until a week or two. D'aww.  Went to aunt's house. I feel like a fat kid now yaaaay lots of good eatin' that's for sure haha.
    3 months, 3 weeks ago
  • RedRoses replied to the topic Random Facts
    @Nerx: oooo you'll be like 45 minutes away from where I live :D I don't live in SF but I can travel there in 45 by car or public transporation. =] There's lots of shopping and then there's all the tourist traps and... if you like Japanese books, there's Kinokuniya in Japantown. How long will ya be in SF for?
    3 months, 3 weeks ago
  • How about... super ultra hug-ness :D *super duper hug of awesome*  Hmm... I think it's time to clean my room. It's so messy.
    3 months, 3 weeks ago
  • I read the Pride and Prejudice book... it was nice. I never read the zombie one though. I wonder how different it'll be.
    3 months, 3 weeks ago
  • I kicked that chem final's bum~~~~ I'm done with this dumb summer course woooooooot!  *prances around*
    3 months, 3 weeks ago
  •   Thanks all. :] @CapeBarnes: I recommend Cosworx because the shipping is fairly fast (at least compared to other places like Amphigory). :] DON'T GET A PARTY WIG FROM THOSE PARTY STORES! Those suck ass. D: Trust me. @Lan: oooo snaps! If you go to Michaels (or whatever local craft store you have in your area), you can find top hats for dolls/plushes that actually look like mini top hats for us ...
    3 months, 3 weeks ago
  • RedRoses replied to the topic Random Facts
    @Nerx: Where in the States are you going?  Lessee... I'm not single but I sure feel like it at times. :[ We're just both so busy >_>
    3 months, 3 weeks ago
  • 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Added by RedRoses on July 28, 2009

I got my Tsumugi wig in the mail today and it is safe to say that I don't make a good blonde. Oh well, can't back down now seeing as I've already bought a good chunk of materials for the cosplay already. I guess I'll have to figure out how to put makeup to look half decent... The wig itself is nice if I actually put my hair properly inside the wig but I can't for the life of me find my wig cap so I just put the wig on without one. You can see my black hair creep eerily in the back but pretend you don't see that. It's a bit lighter than what I wanted but ahh life goes on.


As for progress, I've found two things for her hair accessories. One was a plastic coconut drink container which I'll use for her hat; it will get covered with fabric but for now it's just painted white. The other thing I made is her green star that adorns her head. And for good measure, I included a reference shot with MS Painted circles.



And on a completely random note, I got two spiffy art books from Kinokuniya recently. Noizi Ito's Haruhi art book and the Kamina and Simon combo one by Atsushi Nishigori (TTGL's character designer). The Haruhi one is stuff I can easily find online but it's a hardcover art book and is pretty to stare at. The Kamina/Simon one has lovely art that is entirely new to the book and it includes mini prints of some pieces you can put wherever.




If you can recall that one news article with Kamina on a segway, I have proof of where it is from. In the Gurren Lagann: The Movie's Official Fanbook, there's a bunch of doujinshi stuff in the back and one of them has Kamina on the segway. Here's pictures:

And on another random note, I redid my closet doors with more Gurren Lagann stuff. I still haven't finished redoing it but here's my wall of stuff for now:




And I think that's all for now. Until next time~


Added by RedRoses on July 21, 2009


As the chibi-sized Nendoroids from Good Smile Company continue to try and woo with its adorableness, a prototype has been spotted of Mio Akiyama from K-On!.

Her little bass and amp are lovingly detailed and I hope to see the other characters become Nendoroids too. Personally, I'd rather have Figma versions of them but the Nendoroids are too adorable not to pass up.



Now the real question is, will she have shimapan (striped panties)?

[Picture source]


Added by RedRoses on July 6, 2009

After having my last blog post with my cosplay choices, I've decided to pick Tsumugi Kotobuki from K-On!~ So, to go with my new cosplay in-the-making, I made my profile avatar/header/profile pic to match. It's weird going from Yoko to Mugi but hey I'll get used to it. I think.


Thanks to all who have viewed my Yoko cosplay updates! I hope you enjoy the next series of cosplay bloggin' <3

So now I'm in a slight dilemma. Which version of Mugi should I do? At first, I was going to do the "Don't Say Lazy" ED version but then I stared at her hair... it's in a weird, funky bun so I'll pass. I have no idea how I'd do that. At least with Yoko, I could just do a ponytail cheat thing but I don't think I can cheat a hair bun.

Losty (Agent_Lost) has kindly reminded me about the retro outfit that appears on episode 6. It's quite a summer-y outfit if I do say so myself. For those that don't know or remember, this episode is about the school festival. While they perform, the scene cuts to them performing on outdoors stages while running away from cops.

So now, onto my two choices: School uniform versus retro outfit! DUN DUUUN DUUUUUUUN.


I like both outfits so I'm not sure which one to do. Yes I could do both but I'd rather stick with one for now. If I find it in me, I'll do both. They both are relatively easy to do so that isn't a factor at all. So which version should I do, retro or uniform?
Related to: Cosplay, Tsumugi Kotobuki


Added by RedRoses on June 28, 2009

Life

I've recently graduated high school. I don't feel particularly any different because the following Monday, I went (and am currently still) in a summer chemistry course at a community college. However, I'm quite happy to not have six classes in one day. I'm looking forward to the college life quite frankly. High school had its moments but I'm awaiting better adventures in college.

Other than that, my life has been great. Nothing major has happened and I'm quite content in relaxing this summer. This general chemistry course is not difficult but I'm not surprised.

I don't really like any of my graduation solo pictures so you can just take a gander at my new hair cut with that tiny pic of me in graduation attire:

New hair cut
New hair cut

Cosplaying Choices

Since I have a bit more free time, I'm contemplating what cosplay I should work on next. There are a couple of ones I've thought up though I'm still not sure which one I'd want to choose. And here is my list...

Tsumugi from K-On!
Outfit: either the school uniform or the ED outfit
I was thinking Mio first but I've seen too many Mio cosplayers at cons/photos and I rarely see the other characters so I'm thinking Mugi. I also have fairly large eyebrows that I don't want to pluck so I thought she'd be perfect (well Mugi's eyebrows look cuter but that's beside the point). I would love to get (or make) a keytar hahaha. There is almost no love for the keytar. I've only watched episode 6 (from the point of posting this blog) so I may change my mind but so far Mugi is the one I wanna cosplay as.





Sakura from Tsubasa Chronicles
Outfit:  her original one or the chess one or... her bajillion other ones.
As much as I would rather cosplay as Fai/Fye/Fay (too many iterations of his name exists), I don't think I would be able to pull it off. And frankly, Sakura's outfits look a lot cuter. Sakura isn't my favorite character from the series but she's quite adorable in most of her outfits.





Yoko from Gurren Lagann
Outfit: the one with the thigh high boots and motor jacket thing. (I dub it... motojacket. :])
Hmm... well I already cosplayed as the original one so I might as well just buy thigh high boots and make a jacket and I'd be done... but I've tried to look for material for that jacket and it's difficult to find. And I have no idea how to add the designs on her jacket without making it look like poo.






Neliel from Bleach
Outfit: the white Espada one
She's quite adorable as a kid but I'd rather cosplay her adult form. And that green outfit of hers has no shoes and I like my cosplays to have shoes... I like green and I've wanted to buy a green wig in the longest time... which brings me to my next choice...







Rydia from Final Fantasy IV
Outfit: the latest DS release one
One of my favorite FF games is IV (the other being VI) and I've always considered Rydia as a choice to cosplay as. The only problem is she has the weirdest boots ever and I have no idea how I would do that. If I end up cosplaying as her, it'd be the recent DS outfit since the Amano one has funky hair...





Super duper minor choice edit that I totally forgot: I've also thought up of Grell or Madam Red from Kuroshitsuji but ehh. Those are just minor choices. They aren't high on my cosplay list so they don't get a mini entry here.


So I pose my question to you readers out there... which cosplay do you think I should work on (and why if possible)? I'm still undecided despite having this list so I thought I should just ask for others' opinions. =]


Added by RedRoses on June 9, 2009

So June 6th was my Senior Prom (and the only dance I ever attended because I never cared for dances but hey this is the last one!). As I've already said in a previous blog post, I got asked to Prom in such an adorable way.

So on the day of prom, I was going to have my hair in a bun with chopsticks in it but that failed so I went to buy fake flowers from Daiso. After that, I went to my mom's hair stylist and got my hair done without an appointment. Awesomely enough, getting my hair done was only 35 bucks~ I've had my hair done before and it's usually a lot more then that.  If I find a picture of the back of my hair, I'll post it but I can't seem to find one right now... the back looks sweet. After that, I went to my friend's house to get some natural makeup-y stuff done. She had a cough so we went to Walgreens to buy cough drops (and other assorted food things) decked out in prom attire. I ran into a couple of classmates in their cars while driving there. At the store itself, my friend and I got stared at a lot. BUT! One of the workers told me my dress was pretty and if I was into loli-styled stuff. I was surprised that my dress would get complimented on, let alone a random person knowing about the lolita fashion.

After Walgreens, I went to my prom date's house (how fail is it that I drive but he doesn't? oi). As gentlemanly as he is, he bought me presents. I got a plushie ram, a plushie lion, chopsticks (fitting for my dress attire), and a paper fan (again, to fit the dress attire). I also got some glowing necklace stuff for bowling later. D'aww how sweet is he~

All my friends in our limo took lots and lots of pictures at his house. Lots and lots. And lots. A good chunk of the time was just taking pictures... he does have a nice house for pictures though. I love the staircase.

The limo arrives and we head off. I bring out the apple cider (because we're above the influence yo~ pretend drinking ftw?). A COP PULLED US OVER. We thought we were in trouble... I had to sit on my date's lap since there wasn't that many room seat-wise (apparently we have large asses?) so we thought it could've been that. Lo and behold, the driver was using his phone while driving. He was using some GPS thing... it was annoying to say the least but hey it's funny to say you get pulled over... I guess.

We arrive at the Gift Center in SF. Lots of attention cuz of my non-conforming prom dress and socializing and freak dancing and any other hunky dorey you can name. Prom was fun, lots of lesbo dancing. Gotta loosen up my friends yes? At least they enjoyed the lesbo dancing. :D I guess I was the most spontaneous of the group. We also took pictures with Lifetouch, one with the limo group and one with my date. I don't have copies of that yet so... no professional pictures up here.

Fast forward until after prom. We head to my date's house exhausted. We were gonna go glowing bowling (I bought glowing necklaces and everything!) but we went to Denny's instead since we were all hungry. The bowling place closed at 2 AM so we couldn't go after eating. We just chilled for a while then I dropped everyone home.

Prom was awesome. No drama shiznit, just fun times. I always hear about the prom drama but luckily for me, I always avoid the drama llamas.

Also, as friends have peer-pressured me into this, but I finally got a facebook to upload the stupid photos. Go me. If you would like to see stupid pictures, you may click here.

And for the Facebook haters (hey I still don't want to have one too...), here's a couple pictures I randomly chose to upload here for you to look at if you don't wanna touch Facebook:

Me outside of my house
Me outside of my house


Me and my date
Me and my date


The lime people
The lime people


The limo people
The limo people

My rocking horse shoes didn't come in time for prom so I had to stick with normal heels. I wanted to have my weird wooden shoes...


What am I looking forward to now? Let's see... my birthday is on Saturday (June 13th) and I'll be graduating high school next week. If people are stalkery (I did say I was 18 in that Fanime video), I will be 19 before I graduate high school. Really long story short, my mom forgot to enroll me in kindergarten at the normal age so I ended up in kindergarten a year late... so I am one year older (or even more) than most of my peers. No, I'm not an idiot that was held back a year thank you. Just thought I'd throw that out there.


RedRoses's Reviews
Reviewed by RedRoses
April 27, 2009
Warning: There are LOTS of spoilers in this review for the movie and the anime series (because I will be comparing the two) so if you don't want to run into any spoilers, do not read any further (except the last paragraph where I summarize all my points in the review).

Plot/Storyline

The first thing shown is a prequel to the series. We see what happened before Lord Genome became the Spiral King. If you have not seen the series yet, this segment may be a big confusing because it goes into it really fast. Fans of the anime will appreciate the additional scenes if they haven't seen Gainax's Parallel Works ("All You Bastards, Get Fired Up). If you have seen that music video, it's similar to it except a more abbreviated version.

The first few scenes of the movie paces itself well. There weren't that many new additional animated scenes tthat go with the existing ones from the anime but they cut out enough to make it understandable for a first time viewer of the franchise. Episodes 1-3 were excellently spliced together.

The scenes that corresponded to episodes 4-6 of the show was horrendously done in the movie and I believe it is the worst part of all. Basically, all they did was put "Row Row Fight the Power" on and picked random scenes from the episodes and smacked that right into the movie. Most of the time, it was dialogue-less so unless you knew the series beforehand, you would get lost. Characters like Rossiu, Gimmy, Darry, and the Black Siblings had no introduction and there were no additional scenes animated (that I was aware of anyway). It felt like a really bad recap episode that companies use to fill in more episode slots (except this is within the movie and there is nothing to really recap). Explanations for these characters to be meeting with Gurren-dan were not given and basically they hope you'll just want to skip the "filler" episodes by zooming past it in the movie.

When versing Viral (and eventually Thymilph), there were some excellent additional animations and they did not cut down too much where people would not understand. There wasn't that much backstory why they were fighting the humans but it was enough to have the basic plot of Gurren Lagann down. The only key thing I found within this fight was when Kamina forgets who Kittan is. It does happen in the anime but it seems more appropriate in this movie because the viewer barely gets to know Kittan from the rushed job of the "filler" insert of the movie so it was more hilarious then intended. Kamina's downfall seemed just as tragic as it did in the series.

One of the scenes I really appreciated is when Nia talks to Simon while he is sculpting Kamina statues. As Nia provides her version of consoling Simon and how he does not need Kamina, Yoko gets uppity about it. The little bits of conversation additions were transitioned nicely and they summed up parts of Nia's history well without rushing anything.

The most epic part of the whole movie is roughly the last quarter of the movie. The battles between the remaining generals were combined into one huge battle for the movie. Almost all of the scenes here were new animation. It gave a refreshing new scene to the series without deviating far from the series. Yes, each general had their own battles in the series but the movie battle was nicely animated. This is the most memorable scene because it is different from the show and it makes it seem more impossible to win against the generals. Simon seems mot mature because he tries to save Nia in the most heroic way without using Lagann.

Another scene I appreciate within this large battle is when Yoko fights Adiane. In the show, lots of people criticized that Yoko was basically useless after a while because her gun did not do anything and she's just the "doom bitch." This small additional scene gives her more screentime to show her badassness and that she can hold her own in melee combat. And of course, there's a lovely fan service shot (kinda) where Adiane rips Yoko's bikini top off so that should be appreciated by all the guys who watch the movie.

Animation

As I have stated already, most of the movie had spliced anime scenes so that can be a bummer. It doesn't really slow down the movie because they pick good ones to make the whole movie flow (other than the "filler" one).
The new animated scenes are amazing. Gainax kicked it up a bit because of fan expectations. These scenes were action packed just like the rest of the series. The backgrounds were gorgeous and the lines just moved effortlessly.
The ending credits had a new animation as well with Simon walking with Boota along. It sort of mimics the ending theme "Underground" by High Voltage except that Simon changes his pace and stature as he walks toward the spinning spiral.
The scene after the credits actually prepares for the sequel movie nicely. There's enough of a cliffhanger for those who won't know the series to continue to the next movie and fans will appreciate how it mimics the "next episode" sequence after an episode's ending credits.
Another good point to mention is who doesn't want to see Yoko practically naked twice in the movie and a panty shot of Nia? What better way to rewatch the series by seeing these majestic shots alone.

Music/Sound Effects/Voice Acting

There really isn't much to say about sounds within the movie because a lot of it is recycled from the anime. Each piece of audio was picked well to convey the emotions within each scene. The memorable quotes from the anime are in the movie so the viewer can hear the awe-inspiring, motivating speeches. Music was placed in the correct places to help show feelings.
As for the new stuff, the ending credits has a new song and it was decent. It did not stand out compared to other ending songs Gurren Lagann has but the song fits well within the series. The voice work for the few additional scenes did not differentiate compared to the previously recorded things so it did not stick out like a sore thumb.

Spoiler free summary of my review:

Basically, the first half of the movie was alright but it really shines when it gets toward the last battle in the last quarter of the movie. The small animation additions here and there help quicken the storyline without losing too much of the core plot and the entirely new scenes really make up for watching all the reused animations from the show. I recommend that if you haven't watched the anime series to watch it first because there are parts that are confusing but for the seasoned fan, I highly recommend it (but you should really just skip the first half of the movie unless you want to watch recapped scenes with minimal changes).




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Favorites
a list of 7 items by RedRoses
Wiki Pages
a list of 7 items by RedRoses
Sonata 9 hours, 6 minutes ago
Loved Turtles Forever! and can only think about Cowabunga and pizza:)
Lan 21 hours, 39 minutes ago
wonders why can't all her final papers revolve around anime or manga.
John_Martone 1 day, 3 hours ago
John thinks the new front page looks awesome.
Nerx 3 days ago
Back to the boom
Lunarmoth 3 days, 19 hours ago
Thinking of something crazy, well I always do but this is crazy.
CapeBarnes 5 days ago
just registered for spring classes
Kelleth 5 days, 8 hours ago
Is wondering if Naruto is ever gonna get an Dutch dub and who he has to kill to prevent that from ever happening
ethan 1 week, 2 days ago
Is thinking about HULU.com anime videos.