No news is good news?

I have to ask, are you guys even reading this blog? Because it's gotten kind of lonely in here, what with nobody commenting. IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE!? HELLOOOOO! ANSWER ME! GIVE ME A SIGN HERE!

And now that the echoes have finished rebounding through the the vast, empty, expanses of my blogging universe, we come to today's "news". Which is that my Xbox has now been repaired! Huzzah!! After three days of sitting at home and doing absolutely nothing, not even Gunpla, this is the only thing really worth talking about right now. Yes, A Real Pity; alias Jern, is back!

See you all on Halo 3, hopefully!

360: Experimental Surgery

I'm going to take my Xbox to the local repair shop today, where they'll probably perform all kinds of Tech-Butchery on it. We can only hope that the "doctors" don't break anything.

With any luck, A Real Pity will be back on Halo 3 within the week. I'd love to finish some of my maps so that I can talk about them here.

Photography Trip: Toronto

Yesterday's Toronto trip was, on the whole, a success. As you may or may not know, Toronto is the capital city of the province of Ontario. It's also the home of the CN Tower, one of the tallest free-standing structures in the world. I couldn't actually see the tower from where I was, so I don't have any pictures of it at the moment, but there's always next time....

Anyway, my photography teacher organized a field trip to the newly renovated Art Gallery of Ontario. I was one of the only people who had been there before, so I gave a couple of friends my own little "Guided Tour". Some of the stuff in there is pretty weird (like golf bag totem-poles), and I think most of us enjoyed it (I know I did).

The AGO, with a new look designed by Frank Gehry.

But the best was yet to come, because on our lunch break, we split up to take photos in the city.  Just a few blocks away is Toronto's Chinatown district, a "city within the city".  Chinatown is a bustling marketplace, filled with shops, restaurants, and houses.

The Heart of Chinatown

At the centre of all this is Spadina Avenue, a busy street that cuts right through the city.  Streetcar cables and tracks crisscross at the intersections, adding to the air of confusion that makes Chinatown so interesting.

A shopping centre on Spadina Avenue.  Note the overhead Streetcar cables.

Just up the street from one of the shopping centres is a small store called AnimeXtreme, my primary source for Gunpla and other Anime products.  Since I don't get out to Toronto very often, I made sure to stop in and do a bit of shopping.  Once again, I now have no money.  Oh well, looks like I'll have to get a summer job, so that I can come back and buy more Gundam stuff that I don't really need.  XD

The storefront of AnimeXtreme.  The sign out front has been enhanced to make it easier to read.

But wait, you say, what did I buy when I was there?  Take a wild guess.  Yes, that's right, it was Gunpla.  How did you know!?  You're not a mind-reader, are you?  Can you guess what number I'm thinking of?

HG Gundam SEED 1/144 Lunamaria Hawke's Gunner Zaku Warrior: Part 1

You'll have to forgive me for my sluggish posting, but I suffer from a mental condition called laziness. Anyway, I've thought about starting work on what I call "The Lunazaku" (or "The Luna Zaku"). It's the Gundam SEED Destiny version of the ZAKU II, painted in Lunamaria Hawke's personal colours (which is basically Char Aznable's "Red Comet" colour scheme, and therefore awesome). This is a High Grade series model kit, which means a multi coloured mold, moveable joints, and interchangeable weapons.

That's what it looks like.  Forgive the poor scan quality.

I'm sure you've noticed that it's a bit... plain looking.  I'll probably add some Gunpla decals later on.

My Gunpla studio

This is where I do most of my modelmaking.  Obviously I don't have a lot of room, so it can get interesting in a hurry.

The plastic sprues

There are six sprues all together.  1 Salmon, 1 Dark Grey (Black), 1 Blue-Grey, 1 Multi-coloured, and 2 Joint & Connector (only one is shown here).

You may have noticed another sprue in the background, underneath the Salmon one.  This is from another kit, the 1/144 HG Xist Elwes' Mobile CGue.  The red hand in the top left is from this kit as well.  I'll be talking about Xist's CGue at a later date.

Also visible in the picture (at right, under the Lunazaku box) is the box for Miguel Aiman's "DEFRÖCK" GINN, which I have not begun to work on as of yet.

And that concludes today's post.  Stay tuned for more!

The Long Haul

Sorry, I haven't got any pictures or reviews or anything today, just some personal news. It's a long weekend here, due to Victoria day, so I've got Monday off. Without my Xbox it's probably going to be insanely dull, but I can try to enjoy myself.

This week looks more promising, however, as I'm going to Toronto on a field trip. If I can, I'm going use my lunch break to swing by Anime Xtreme, a little store in the Chinatown district, and pick up some stuff. Hopefully, that is. I'll try to get some pictures down there, but I probably won't have much time.

I'll post more on Toronto and Anime Xtreme later.

My Xbox - A Tragedy

I decided to try my Xbox today, because it's been overheating less lately, but I underestimated Halo 3's processing requirements. That was probably a mistake. It overheated in less than five minutes, which was in simplest terms, annoying. So I'm going to get it repaired as soon as possible. In the meantime, I'll try to work some more on my gunpla, so that I can get some photos up.

That's it for now.

"McFarlane Halo 3" Photoshoot

Sorry for my recent inactivity, I've had a lot on my plate lately.  Anyway, I promised photos, so here you go!  

To view the complete set, click here.

The figures shown are The Master Chief from series 1 and The Arbiter from series 2.

Photo Shoot

Well, my Xbox is overheating like crazy, and I think the seals are melting (or some such technobabble), so since I can't use it I've decided that this weekend I'm going to get my camera and start taking pictures.  What kind of pictures, you ask?  You'll just have to wait and see....

Anime Review: Gundam 00 Season 1

What could be more appropriate for the first review of this blog than one of the best Gundam series of all time?

I'm talking, of course, about Gundam 00.

For the sake of readers who haven't seen the series, I'll try not to give too much away, but it's hard to write a review without a few spoilers. For the time being, I'm not going to cover season 2, but a review will be coming, so you'd better watch it soon!

Gundam 00 is the first Gundam series set in the Anno Domini timeline. 2307 AD, to be precise. The Earth's fossil fuels have become severely depleted, leading to the creation of three massive orbital elevators, which are used for solar energy collection. These are controlled by several large groups of nations. The Union of Solar Energy and Free Nations (The Union), consists of America, Canada, Mexico, South America, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. The Advanced European Union (AEU), comprised of Europe, Greenland, Iceland, and Africa. And finally, the Human Reform League (HRL), consisting of Russia, China, India, and much of the rest of Asia. These three groups compete against each other and the Middle East's oil reserves in the hopes of controlling the global energy market. This often leads to conflict, and innocent lives lost. Now the private paramilitary organization "Celestial Being" has begun armed interventions with the use of the mobile weapons called "Gundams", in the hopes of ending conflict forever.

The story on this series is brilliantly written, keeping you in the dark not only about the plot, but about the main characters histories as well. Just as you begin to guess where the plot is going, it takes a massive twist, usually for the worse.

Everything about the series is designed to give it a very "modern warfare" feel. The themes of religious conflict, terrorism, discrimination, and government corruption run rife throughout the first season. Even the main character, Setsuna F. Seiei, is a former child soldier. Forced to commit unforgivable atrocities, Setsuna is outwardly cold and unshakeable, but on the inside he's a pretty torn up and guilt ridden character.

"I am a Gundam!"

Unlike the previous series, which featured garish and impractical Gundam units, the Gundams in 00 have a distinct air of realism about them. They are angular and unrefined, and compared to the original RX-78-2 Gundam, barely human. This actually makes them more appealing in my opinion, because it helps add to the "real world" theme.

Exia, Setsuna's Gundam

The other Gundams: Dynames, Kyrios, and Virtue

The other Mobile Suits in 00 fit this more modern theme as well. Unlike most of the vast majority of Gundam series, everything actually looks how it should for the job it's required to do. The Union and AEU units resemble conventional fightercraft, even in their alternate humanoid form. This is most obvious in the Union's Flag model, with a lightweight frame and a myriad of wings and jets built into its' back. The AEU Hellion is another such example. These Mobile Suits are built for flight, and aerial dogfights are preferred to the brutality ground combat. On the other hand, the HRL's Mobile suits are, for lack of a better term, walking tanks. The mainstay of the HRL forces is the MSJ-06II-A Tieren ground-type. These units focus more on armour and firepower than maneuverability. For me, the Tieren is the Mobile Suit that best represents the "modern" style.

Overflags and Tieren GTs: Two sides of the same coin.

But perhaps my favorite part of 00 is the Gundam Throne units. I'm sure that at least some of you have played the ever popular Armored Core™ series. Every aspect of the Thrones resemble AC's, most likely this was done as a tribute to the series. Take their physical appearance, for example. The Thrones have elongated torsos and a simple body frame, complete with double jointed legs and boxy, irregular armour. Even their weapons are an almost perfect match, from the shoulder-mounted High-Mega Cannon, right down to the grip of the Throne Eins' beam rifle.

The Thrones: Bringing Sexy and Armored Core back.

So, what's the verdict? Well, out of ten (ten being the highest)...

Story: 9/10

Characters: 8/10

Mobile Suits: 10/10!

Other Units (Tanks, Mobile Armours, etc.): 7/10

Voiceover (JAP): 9/10

Voiceover (ENG): 6/10

Visual Effects: 9/10

Sound Effects: 8/10

Soundtrack: 10/10!

Theme Songs: 7/10

Overall: 9.5/10

Definitely one of the best Gundam series so far.  And guess what, season 2's even better!

As a side note, the new Last Exile Complete Series boxed set came out yesterday, but I had trouble finding it at the major stores. It turns out that the only place around here that had it was a smaller dealer with one, and only ONE, copy in stock. So I rushed over there and bought it. Now I'm broke, I need a job. XD

Shiiiiinnnyyyyy....

The artwork on this series is amazing.

Looks like a user's manual. :)

Last Exile is quite possibly my favourite series. It's fun, but still serious, and the characters and environments are amazingly put together. I've always been a fan of the Steampunk genre, and Last Exile is one of the best Animes of its kind. If you've never seen this series, I suggest you get your hands on a copy. Even if you have seen it, you'll definitely want to watch it again.

Well, that's it for now, but I'll be back soon with more!

Improvements Make Everything Better!

You may have noticed I upgraded the banner to version 1.1. I think it looks much better now, thanks to my Photoshop skills. It's wider too, although that may change in the future.

I also made some other important upgrades, although these ones are less obvious.

Perhaps a bit early to be making such changes, but I want this blog looking its best.

Maintenance

I spent today trying to get some "kinks" ironed out.  Expect good things soon.  Maybe.

Up and Running!

Welcome to The Gundam Spartan: A Canadian Otaku! This is my first attempt at writing an Anime, Halo, and General Sci-Fi blog, so here's hoping I don't screw it up....

Let me start this blog off with the simple question, what is an Otaku?

For those of you who don't know (and I'll assume that most of you do), an Otaku is a fan of Japanese anime, manga, or culture. It's a great hobby for people in Japan or the United States, where there is a large market for Gunpla (Gundam Model Kits) and such products.

However, I happen to live in Canada. And not even in a major city, I might add. Not a city like Toronto or Vancouver, or even a moderately well known place like Montreal or Sudbury, but a small city named Burlington, that most people just drive through and never even notice.

Desolate, isn't it?

Seriously, it's a nice place to live (especially now that the blisteringly cold winter is over), but there's just no market for anime related products around here, mainly because it's such a small city (and because Canada has, like, a quarter of the number of people the U.S. has).

Some "skyscrapers" downtown.

The nearest store that sells Gunpla is a good twenty minute drive away (and that's assuming the highway traffic is under control), which means that, even when I'm ready to buy a new kit, I may have to wait weeks, even months, just to get to the store.

So, the point is, this isn't a news blog. I'm relatively cut off from most of the world where I am, and it doesn't help that I make very little money. I'm not from Japan, and I can't speak (or read) a word of Japanese. So it stands to reason that it's at least a year before I see most new anime series. To tell the truth I've only been able to watch a few Gundam series and a smattering of others, like Appleseed and Last Exile (can't really call myself an Otaku, can I?). At least the situation is improving, slowly....

What can you expect to find here, in that case? To tell the truth, even I don't know yet. But you can expect to see plenty of model kit reviews, action figure reviews, reviews in general, Star Wars, Halo, Gundam, and other Sci-Fi, because that's what interests me the most.

Pretty long first post, isn't it?