Hawkius Maximus

Nishimura's a midcarder. Muto seems to realize this. He'll never really be anything beyond a midcarder. Nishmura is skilled, but he lacks charisma. Doering's rough around the edges, but so were most of the major gaijin's when they were brought in. Very, very few of the "legendary gaijins" of the past have been more then rough around the edges until they were "crafted" into stars. Go back and watch some Leon White before he hit's NJPW, and see what just a few years working with them did for him. Doering's following that path, in that AJPW considers him their guy. Unless he gets stupid, he's going to be the top gaijin in AJPW for years to come. The maximum points possible in this year's TC is eight. Suwama's gone 0-1-1 so far. In theory, if he wins his next two while Doering and Sasaki both lose their next one, he can advance. Sasaki hasn't lost this entire tournament, so I'd expect Suzuki to drop him. Suwama has Nishimura and Doering. Doering owes Suwama a few jobs, and I don't see Nishimura beating Suwama. Block A's a little more cut and dried. There's no way NJPW sent Tanahashi to AJPW and he doesn't make the finals. Since AJPW doesn't have semi finals now, that means Tanahashi has to win the block. That means he will probably drop Kojima and Kawada to finish strong. May have a draw in there, but he'll still win the block.

It's kind of a shame I've been yelled at my Leena, seeing as how there's no way to respond to it. It's all a misunderstanding too.

I've honestly never gotten the fascination of this board with randomly picking a poster and then trying to make their life a living hell on here by making them the BUTT of insults and jokes. I hate everyone equally. I consider this a much more constructive way of handling things.

Hey! I got insulted by Marney! I bet this is how a little kid feels when a baseball player gives them a baseball from the game. I feel special.

I hadn't read about Taiga before that post. Why was she thrown in there? Till the NINTH? The fuck?

I have a solution to the Gulag bitching. They get thrown in there and then they proceed to bitch? BAN THEM. I'd also say if you're thrown in there for any significant length of time and you don't post? BAN THEM. It's a form of punishment for being an idiot and/or annoying. If you don't man up and do your time, then you should be banned. Or just never let them out. Whatever. If people are going to be bitching about being thrown in a folder, do we really want them to post here anyway? I don't think it'd drastically affect the makeup of this forum at all.

You'd all turn into a form of livestock for me. I probably wouldn't eat people I cared about...but since there's maybe five of such people, the rest of you would be fucked.

I think this basically comes down to me just watching the anime series, and you being a fan of the overall framework of it all, novels included. I'm looking at it strictly from the context of that one series on it's own. That seems to be the genesis of the rift here. Regardless, the show has Aya Hirano. I'm pretty sure I'll watch anything she VA's at this juncture, so I'll be watching season 2 when fan subs start appearing.

Suwama's winning this year. If he doesn't, I will be absolutely shocked. AJPW's been doing a huge media blitz with him, with him promising to "revive the Oudou spirit" and lead the promotion back to the golden days. The last few times I've seen his matches, the fans have really taken to him since his turn from VM so if their going to strike, now's the time. And new workers do not hit main events very often in Japan. Most Japanese wrestlers don't even get to main events until they've hit a minimum of six years in the business, and sometimes upwards to ten+ before they get a title. There's exceptions, of course, but that's generally how it goes. You got to be experienced and "good" to get the chances.

Here's my problem. Everything you described for later on sounded good...but it didn't happen on *this* season. I've been a fan of shows that have seasons before...They don't give you all the details, and because they don't since they have a "One more season" mentality, the next season never comes with the resolutions on things. Obviously, another season of Haruhi is coming...but that doesn't mean they'll be a season after that one. And when viewing something like this, you have to take it at it's core values. IE what is presented in this show and not a promise for more later. The double episode order remains a major bristling point with me, because I really think it's among the stupider concepts I've seen in some time. I tried to watch the non-linear episodes, but more often then not, I cued up the wrong episodes. It was only until I flipped to Linear that I got any enjoyment from the show whatsoever. Why? Because the episodes are titled 1-13 (00 not withstanding) and I could easily figure out which episode to go to next. If the Non-Linear order is intended, then the episodes should not have been put on DVD in chronological order. Hell, the episodes should have been re-numbered with the non-linear episode format BECOMING the chronological number. Wouldn't have changed anything, it just would have made it easier to go "Okay, I just watched #3, now I'm onto #4!" instead of "Okay, I just watched #3...Now...I load up...10? Maybe?" I didn't hate the show, but it didn't really grip me. Kind of in neutral territory. I like to feel invested in the characters, and I didn't get that here. The love aspects didn't even work because there's only one female in the entire main cast he CAN get with in Haruhi. Kind of dilutes that aspect when there's no other options available on the main cast. I liked what I saw enough to check out season 2...About all that can be asked for I guess.

Damn. It has been about a month since the last post in here. I don't remember when my last update on the anime watching was...I think Death Note. Since then, I've watched Hajime No Ippo, Lucky Star, and just finished The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. On a bit of a Aya Hirano kick right now. Hajime no Ippo was a good anime in kind of a Rocky vibe...Problem is, I've read large portions of the manga now, and it's become obvious that they cut the anime off at a really odd point. I don't know if they'll be a second series or what, but odd cutting off place. Show has good fight scenes, but it fails much like the manga at building any kind of lasting connection with the characters. It also has a weird, almost homoerotic vibe at times. Ippo's love interest cares for him deeply...but he spends more time praising his opponents for being so "manly" in and out of fights. That's not even talking about how Ippo's entire world stops around Miyata. The manga is even more insane, as the plot moves ahead years into the story, and almost NO progress is made in any of Ippo's relationships. I fucking *HATE IT* when shows or manga's do that. Lucky Star is what Lucky Star is. It's a show that's about nothing and glorifies that. I loved the Konata character, and if she wasn't on the show it wouldn't have even a quarter of the humor. I don't know how deep you have to be in the "otaku" culture to get the references and jokes, but I found it very amusing. The "Lucky Channel" segments were almost consistently the funniest bits of the show. The humor will either work for you, or it won't. Minoru Shiraishi is a fucking pimp. I had really high expectations going into the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya...and it didn't really live up to them. For one, the two different viewing orders confused the fucking SHIT out of me, as I thought it was essential to the plot to watch the "Kyon" order. Turns out, you can watch in chronological order or the "Haruhi" order and get everything just fine. The show felt like a mish-mash of concepts, ideas, and tone more then a coherent story. At times, it wants to be WHACKY~! and possibly have multiple love interests, but other times it wants you to suddenly buy that OMG THE WORLD MIGHT END~! and it just didn't work for me. One thing that bugs me, is they present all these Sci-Fi type concepts...but never once do they EXPLAIN anything about any of it. I like Sci-Fi stuff. I like philosophical stuff...but I like to have *HOW* explained to some degree. I felt nothing for any of the characters other then Kyon...Kyon's the only sane person in the entire show. Haruhi's too...out there, even by anime standards to like. If she wasn't voiced by Aya Hirano (Who absolutely smokes everyone else on the VA vast) there wouldn't be really anything redeemable about her, and everyone else is a bit character. Non-plot wise, the show has some of the highest grade animation I've ever seen in a series. So that's a bonus. The show has a gigantic following, so it may just be me here. Between all this, I've watched a few episodes of Ikki Tousen (...Saw some clips. Intrigued me), caught up on Bleach manga (Bleach Manga > Bleach Anime), and was watching Keroro Gunsou until I got absolutely frustrated at the complete lack of a plot. There was probably some more stuff in between there, but I forget what. This is what happens when I'm off school for a few weeks, or the classes are easy.

I am quite happy with this new development.

They need to give up on Houston. He was owned in his first UFC loss, but this was just a humbling. Fighters have figured out how to beat him. Hit him first. Not exactly a hard concept. That Diaz/Pellegrino (...sp?) fight was REALLY good.

1. What have we done that you like? - The Gulag. By far. I absolutely adore that concept. If I were to get sent there, I'd rejoice. Not only are you going to have at the very least an interesting conversation with Leena at some point, but at the same time you are becoming a specimen for study for the other posters. It's the first section I visit when I come here. I STILL advocate people being thrown in there. They have to merit being thrown in there though...I guess. 2. What have we done that you wish we hadn't? Can't think of much. All the changes have had no real bearing on me whatsoever. Overall I think you are doing a good job. 3. Is there anything you'd like us to do? Come up with a code of laws and for minor infractions they get sent to the Gulag. Since I barely post, this will provide me with AMPLE amusement. 4. Would you invite people here to expand the community? Honestly? I've tried. Way back in the day, I introduced people to WDI and that old Hideout place, but when those places died they quit. There's something about how smart ass and inside jokey this place is and always has been that makes people not want to post here. Also doesn't help that I don't consider myself a serious poster here and just chime in with whatever hits my fancy and never argue with other people here. If I go off with some type of insane post with ranting, I'll almost never come back to defend it. I don't consider arguing here worth my time. 5. Are you optimistic that we're not going to be fucking terrible at this? To be perfectly blunt, I think you'd have to either go batshit insane or be completely inept to do a bad job right now. I think what you've done and are trying to do is working. It's just the question if you want to keep it going a week, a month, or a year from now. That's what will define if you are doing good or not. 6. Chicken tenders or chicken fingers? ...There's a difference?

I haven't been excited for this show for the simple reason that more time for UFC just means more time wasting. We MAY get an extra fight that we wouldn't otherwise, but we'll get more celebrities and other BS to eat up that time just as much. This show's already been off to a rip roaring start. Four minutes of hype, then a *PREVIEW FOR A MOVIE* and then commercials. UFC needs to tune up their time management badly. If there's one area where UFC falls behind Elite XC and even the newer Japanese promotions, that's it. Outside of hyping stuff, Elite pretty much goes Fight/Fight/Fight. Where in UFC it's Hype/Fight/Random BS for several minutes/Hype. Ten minutes in and we're getting intros...so I guess that's not too bad, but we'll see.

Like I said in my post, I don't really care one way or the other. I was making an observation in that she posted in that thread, and it went all wonky. People can talk about Jesus in a campaign thread, doesn't bother me any. I was just curious as to the reasoning behind it when I read all that. The way I look at it, is that caused an uproar, but at the same time it gives ME amusement so really...win for me. It is a benefit of not posting that often.

Why are we unbanning/letting/encouraging all these people to come back again? I don't exactly take a side in these little fights or issues...they amuse me from the sidelines like all TSM related drama, but that Campaign thread got really weird about a page or two ago. It went from disagreements about the election that's been going on for ages to a fight to suddenly the discussion of Jesus. It appears to have calmed down now. Sadly, I apparently missed Jerk being thrown in the Gulag. Shame. And I even asked for more people to be thrown randomly in there as well.

I don't care for Halo 3 online...I think the "matchmaker" function is broken. I miss being able to join whatever game caught my fancy on Halo 1 on the PC. Inevitably, I'll play at my rank (Which even though I play constantly with friends, I almost never play online) I'll run into someone who has done the same exact thing I have done, and I get raped. Violently. In games where I'm actually playing for real (With friends we kind of goof off and have funny moments...Types of things a "true" Halo player doesn't look for), I eventually get so goddamn frustrated at the lack of precision in the Xbox 360 controller that I just quit and don't play Halo until I get over it. I cannot go from using a mouse for ten+ years to using a controller. It's never felt natural, and probably never will. The sticks are no match for the mouse. Halo 3 with just friends though? Fun.

Sarcasm to hide a lack of a point is not a good tactic for one to take. I'll concede Koscheck, since I didn't know he had resigned, but the losing of Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia, and very soon Tito Ortiz are MORE then enough in the way of lost name power to make the point. That's not to ignore that Randy Couture's still out in the ether, regardless if you like him or his tactics. He's still the #1 name in MMA right now. Tim Sylvia is one of UFC's most known heavyweight fighters. Yes, that's not exactly saying much, but he has far more name value then even a Nogueria currently despite the fact that Nog beat him. People do not like Tim Sylvia, but to think that people will not tune in to watch Tim Sylvia fight on live TV is absurd. Fedor fighting on live TV for free would draw in the hardcores, not to mention casuals who get drawn into the appeal when advertising would begin. On top of that, this is *CBS*, who bought into Elite XC. This isn't Spike. CBS is heavily powerful, with a vested interest in seeing this project take off. You are trying to tell me, as an intelligent MMA fan, that a LIVE MMA event with Tim Sylvia versus Fedor with CBS pouring advertising time into on their highly watched shows wouldn't draw? Seriously? You honestly do believe that? If this fight happened tomorrow, it wouldn't draw, but we're talking build. They wouldn't sign those two and book the fight the next day. Weeks of advance hyping through the internet, through CBS, on their top TV shows, for WEEKS, building up this event. You build it up as the signboard heavyweight of UFC (and he was, don't try to argue that) versus the #1 heavyweight in the entire world, and you just HAMMER it into fan's heads in a way that UFC and Spike are seemingly incapable of doing. If they do that, this fight would smash UFC's rating's records. The vision of this folder cannot be so narrow as to not even SEE the possibilities that exist can it?

If Elite XC doesn't make a play for both Fedor and Sylvia I would be shocked. To me, that seems like a no-brainer with the CBS deal. Tim Sylvia versus Fedor for the Elite XC Heavyweight Championship with ten weeks or so of build on CBS would do just about as good of a rating as you could get. Maybe even make a deal with K-1 or the old TV station that PRIDE was on to use that footage. UFC apparently doesn't own the whole video library, so there's Fedor footage you could tap into out there. UFC's losing A LOT of people. I dunno if people are just testing out the market, or fighter's are finally getting sick of Dana's policies, but things are getting interesting really fast.

They need to put Brian Stann in UFC immediately. I don't care how he stacks up in UFC. I don't care if he's "ready". There is HUGE MONEY to be made from that fucking guy. He has more star potential then just about anyone I've seen in a long time. Feed him some guys that he can beat in slugfests, while he talks about his experiences and how he's doing this for his fallen soldiers. This man will be like a golden goose laying eggs.

The problem with TEW is it almost has too many features. It's hard for me to get excited about all these new additions, when TEW 2k7 didn't exactly run blazingly fast for me, and I didn't use half the features in that. WMMA is the exact opposite. Ryland left out a few critical features in that game that absolutely should not have been left out. WMMA is very close to being a fantastic game, but it just lacks that little bit needed. The non-inclusion of tournaments is by far the most glaring example of a feature missing in WMMA.

It's been some time since this place turned into a war of words between this board and the Pit. I demand whacky hijinx for my amusement.

...That ranks up there as one of the oddest, surreal South Park episodes I can remember seeing.

Has demand in Wii's fallen lately? I've been following the market on Ebay, and just a month or two ago, Wii's were routinely selling for around 400 dollars. Now, their selling for anywhere between 250 and 300. Did a massive shipment or something reduce the demand in them, or is it just the season? At 250 on Ebay, it's within my price range so I'm not going to complain.