Daniel Botoff

Orlando, Florida, UNITED STATES


Joined May 26th 2008

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I thought I would provide a little change of pace today in terms of anime selection, as most of the series I am into involve love stories. I can assure you that this series will in fact make you fall in love.... with blood, and lots of it. When I was first introduced to Elfen Lied, a 13 episode series, I was pretty horrified at what I saw, but in a good way! Never in all my anime watchin days have I seen such an insanely gory opening episode, which surely got me hooked from beginning to end. The story revolves around a girl named Lucy, whom is in fact a Diclonius. Confused yet? Good, good. A diclonius is a somewhat mutant species that is nearly identical to a human being, except for a tiny, totally minor detail - transparent arms that can slice and dice better then your mother's favorite knife, and extend longer then any extension cord you have ever bear witness to.

As mentioned, the series starts off with a bang, where you meet Lucy whom is held in a storage lab against her own free will for being what she is, a diclonius. Because she is a threat to society they say? Pashaw, who wouldn't trust a cute little cat eared, invisible armed person, with the most wicked smile you ever did see. After Lucy makes her horrifying escape, the story begins to unravel as she meets the other main character, Kohta. An interesting note to the series is that Lucy has two different sides to her, or personalities if you will. One being a extremely violent killer, and the other being an innocent, sweet girl whom resembles a human pokemon as she can only speak her name, Nyu, in this state. Kohta takes her into his home, and you learn some interesting things about them, and their past. The story develops quite fast in such a short period of time, with some good twists and plenty of action.

This series is FULL of bloody goodness, with a touch of sweet. I can't say enough about this short series, as I wasn't really into this style of anime until viewing this series, and I was really just blown away. I definitely recommend you check this series out if you can handle a lot of blood on the screen - a lot being an understatement :]

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Today I would like to give a review to another one of the great anime series I was able to witness, Rahxephon. This 26 episode series is about a young man named Ayato Kamina living in what is known as Tokyo, although to outsiders, it is referred to as Tokyo Jupiter. As far as he knows, and as far as he was taught, the world outside of Tokyo does not exist. Once brought to the Rahxephon itself, the action really begins, and the realization slowly sinks in that there is more then just the fact that there is a whole other world outside Tokyo that he wasn't told of.

This series remains one of my favorites due to the depth in the plot, and the many hidden meanings you will only discover during and after the series ends. It keeps you glued to your seat, to say the least. One of the most interesting things in the series is the relationship between Ayato and Haruka Sto, someone he once knew in Tokyo, and the one responsible for bringing him outside of it. I can't go into detail about it, but I can say after the end credits on the final episode I was hit with a huge realization which literally brought me to tears. I know, I know, very vague, but if I went into detail it would ruin it :] All I can say is, check out this series, you won't be sorry!

A movie for the series was also produced, titled "Pluralitas Concentio", and is basically a quick summary of the entire series, but with an alternate ending, shown through another's perspective. I highly recommend you watch the series first before watching the movie, or the series will have a diminished meaning. The movie is worth checking out tho, as the alternate ending is interesting. The series itself has a good deal of action, hidden love, betrayal, and so many secrets/hidden meanings that will keep you curious until the very end.
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I thought I might do a little review on my all time favorite RTS (real time strategy) game, of which I have recently started playing again after a long hiatus. The game really began to develop in its 3rd edition (Following Warcraft I and II), titled Warcraft III: The Reign of Chaos, which added a great storyline in the form of an excellent campaign mode, awesome multiplayer capabilities, be it lan or on battlenet (online play), and incredible depth in terms of heroes, units, and gameplay when compared with its previous versions. One of the most skill based games I have ever played, Warcraft III: The Reign of Chaos delivers unique gameplay and an always changing style of play/strategy.

In terms of online play, you can choose from four different races being Night Elves, Undead, Orc, and Humans, with the ability to compete in formats such as 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 4v4, Arranged Teams and even Free For All. Each race has its own unique set of units, heroes, and a generally unique feel, making each race difficult to master. One of my favorite things about the game is the amount of multi-tasking you must be able to do in order to become successful. In terms of both the building/maintaining of your town, your army, and most importantly, the micro-management of your units in combat. The game is played in a progressive manner, meaning you begin at what is known as Tier 1, with the ability to create a select amount of buildings, certain units, and only one hero until you reach the 2nd Tier, where more options are open to you, ending with the third Tier, where you can create the baddest of the bad creatures, and up to three heroes.

Warcraft was always a popular game, but I think its pinnacle moment was when the final expansion, The Frozen Throne, was released on July 1st, 2003. The expansion added an excellent continuation to the Warcraft lore with a new storyline in campaign mode, numerous new units, heroes, items, and many more ways to play. To this day it is a pretty popular game, although nothing compared to what it used to be. An incredible RTS that would be sure to waste hours upon hours of your time, in a good way of course. If you are looking for a game that tests your multi-tasking skills, as well as your ability to formulate interesting strategies and ever changing gameplay, then I advise you give this a whirl. It is quite cheap to buy nowadays, going for maybe $20-30 at your local Wal-Mart (required to have Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos to play in The Frozen Throne).

For those of you who are already into Warcraft III, be sure to check out www.wcreplays.com. This site contains replays, commentary, articles, and audio clips of some of the best players of the game, and can teach you a great deal. It's always interesting to see how the best of the best play, and many of them have a style that sets them apart from the rest.
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This anime series here held number one in my heart up until I saw Eureka Seven, so that's saying a lot about the series. Words cannot describe the beauty of it, so I shouldn't even be typing these words, as it does not do justice to the series. Instead, I will type letters that fail to form words... yes, that will do just fine. Maybe not. I remember the first time I was introduced to this series on Adult Swim a few years ago, and whenever an episode came on, I would stop ANYTHING I was currently doing to get in front of the TV. Yes, it was that awesome. Nothing was more important at the time then getting to enjoy a new episode of Full Metal Alchemist, not even the fire destroying my bedroom in the background could keep me away from finishing an episode.

This particular series tells a story between two brothers, Edward Elric, and Alphonse Elric, who embark on a journey to find the Philosopher's stone after losing their mother. The series itself is comprised of 51 spectacular episodes that are guaranteed to deplete all the snacks in your house before the series is finished. So much happens along their journey, from hardships to good times, each episode has a few chuckles, great action, and pure attachment to the characters that you find in the series. There is so much to say about this one, that I would completely ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet if I was to start talking about every detail. All I can say is, if your an anime fan and haven't checked out this series yet, what are you waiting for?! Stop reading, go! I have personally seen this series maybe 10 times more then I have seen Eureka Seven, which is disturbing in more ways then one should think about, but it deserves the time devoted to it, as it is incredible


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Anime, Gaming, and You

May 26th 2008 01:39
What more could a person want outside of Anime and Gaming I ask you. Aside from the need to eat, breathe, and sleep, of course. Then again, that doesn't take precedence over the two, not for the nerdiest of the nerds! Stay tuned to check out my personal reviews of Anime series/movies I enjoyed/recommend, games ranging from console to computer, and tips on how to not waste precious time watching or playing something you would soon later regret!
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Recent Comments

Comment by Daniel Botoff
on Age of Conan - How Ebay Saved my Life

May 31st 2008 05:19
Very interesting read, you have a good style :] I have heard great things about Conan from friends, but do not think I will be playing it anytime soon (WoW juinkie myself). I'm sure your loved ones would be thankful, but the gaming community will be missing out!

Hey there, yes I received it :] I would be honored to blog on my own domain, and I appreciate the offer! I have replied to the email, thanks again.

You have heard right! :] Careful tho, after watching a few it might suck your whole weekend away before you know it =P

Comment by Daniel Botoff
on Anime, Gaming, and You

May 27th 2008 01:08