Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in engetsutou's LiveJournal:

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Monday, November 30th, 2009
11:41 pm	Ninja Assassin review Yes, I'm alive, even if no one noticed I haven't been posting as much. I figure, I might as well use this LJ for a lot of the things I used to. So, here's my first new review in a long time. Ninja Assassin is not the best written story. It's got a very basic plot about revenge and has a few holes in it. But you're not watching this movie for well-written drama. You're watching it for copious amounts of death by ninja. It follows the story of rogue Ozuno ninja Raizo, who is being chased by his clan after leaving. Teaming up with a pair of Europol agents, Raizo has to kick tons of ass to survive to the end credits. I'm not spoiling much. Honestly, while the story is not rocket science, as a martial artist I love watching the fights. They're well choreographed, and honestly there are some stunts that are just stunning (including an amazing run headfirst towards a moving car, kick off the hood into a forward somersault going the opposite direction). I especially liked the use of the chain weapons. In the end, Ninja Assassin does what it's supposed to do. It delivers action on a stylish level, honestly reminding me of the anime classic Ninja Scroll. I recommend seeing it at least once. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009
11:34 pm	Writer's Block: Book review What (if any) books would you ban from a high school library? Are there certain subjects that you feel are inappropriate for teenagers regardless of literary merit? View 1435 Answers This is a loaded question. And if I was in charge, I'd have a list, but a library needs to have books of all kinds, because how are we going to learn about things outside our small worlds without the books that describe them. Although anything promoting the hatred of others, I think should stay out of libraries. (Comment on this)
Sunday, November 15th, 2009
11:42 am	Writer's Block: Name your talent If you could have one extraordinary talent, what would you choose and why? Submitted By blackhole12 View 1010 Answers I would like to say.. my ability to tell stories, and inspire people. I really don't have to say why I would love to do that, would I? (Comment on this)
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
11:56 pm	Writer's Block: Play it again, Sam If you could only listen to one CD for the rest of your life, what would you choose and why? Submitted By lexxyloser View 1916 Answers The original 1986 animated Transformers soundtrack. So many great songs. Yes, I'm a sad little man. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, November 4th, 2009
10:17 am	Writer's Block: Change is good If you could change one major thing about your life, whether a relationship, your job, your living situation, your school, etc., what would it be? Are you currently working toward a serious life transition? View 1276 Answers I'd be published already, and be a big-time author. Once that happens, everything else will fall into place. (Comment on this)
Thursday, October 29th, 2009
1:05 pm	Writer's Block: Mysterious benefactor If you could give a secret gift of any value to one anonymous recipient, who would you choose and what would you give them? Submitted By enchantra71 View 790 Answers If I was going to give a secret gift to an anonymous recipient, you really think I'll put it up online who and what? ^_^ (Comment on this)
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
12:56 pm	Writer's Block: Seeing stars Which character from any film, television show, or book would you most like to take on a date and why? Submitted By blue_mariposa88 View 2281 Answers Oh, the most loaded of all questions you could ever ask. Hmmmm... I suppose I would take Lina Inverse, from the Japanese novel and anime series "Slayers", mostly because while temperamental, I think it would be an interesting experience, and probably would get along with her great. (Comment on this)
Sunday, October 25th, 2009
11:46 am	Writer's Block: Yes, offense taken If a friend or relative makes a racist or homophobic remark, do you tend to confront them or let it slide? Are you more likely to confront them if it offends you directly or someone else who seems reluctant to speak up? View 1574 Answers I don't exactly confront, but I don't just let it slide. I usually just make it loud and clear that it's not cool with me at all, and then carry on with my day. (Comment on this)
Saturday, October 24th, 2009
10:42 am	Writer's Block: Take the pain away If you could say anything you want to the person who has hurt you most in life, what would it be? Did you ever confront them? Why or why not? Submitted By secret_berry49 View 1528 Answers I would tell that person how the cruelty and simple lack of concern over how selfish actions and words affect people hurt me so much, more than anything had before. I can never do a confrontation, because I cannot win. (Comment on this)
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
12:28 am	Writer's Block: War and peace Many countries require all citizens to fulfill a mandatory period of service in the armed forces. Do you agree or disagree with this policy? Do you think the current recruitment system creates or sustains socioeconomic inequality? Submitted By jeepgirl77 View 607 Answers I think that a person should only do something life threatening (for themselves and others) if it's their choice. I hope to never have to hurt a human being, something I know won't be a possibility if I was forced into the armed forces. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, October 21st, 2009
11:16 pm	Holy shit cool awesome sauce greatness So, a friend of my family forwarded my book sample to his aunt in India, is a higher-up in the Indian branch of MacMillan publishing. And her response? She found it interesting, and asked if I needed an agent recommendation or publisher recommendation, or both. I said both, and here's hoping it pans out well. Seriously, I'm freaking out about this. Current Mood: hopeful (Comment on this)
12:00 pm	Brutal Legend review For those of you unaware, Tim Schafer's new game "Brutal Legend" has come out for PS3 and Xbox360. Schafer already won hearts years ago for "Full Throttle" and "Grim Fandango", and became one of my favorite developers after his oh-so-fun platform psychic adventure "Psychonauts". So, how does this game measure up? You play Eddie Riggs, a roadie in the truest sense of the word. What does that mean? Well, read this quote from the beginning of the game just to understand the kind of man he is: "A good roadie knows that it's his job to make someone else look good, keep someone else safe, help someone else do what they were put here to do. A good roadie stays out of the spotlight, if he's doing his job right, you don't even know he was there. Once in a while, he might step on stage to fix a problem, to set something right, but then before you realize why he was there, or what he did, he's gone." Only a character voiced by Jack Black could make one of the most menial jobs in entertainment sound cool and noble. Anyway, Eddie is the best roadie in the world. He can build anything, fix anything, and any problem that comes up, he'll take care of it for you. He at the beginning is stuck working for the worst heavy metal band ever, Kabbage Boy (they fused love pop, rap and metal into an unholy abomination). Eddie very much feels like he was meant to live in a different time. A stage accident that should have killed him, instead results in Eddie's blood falling into his belt buckle, which looks like a demon head. Turns out the belt buckle was an amulet to summon Ormagoden, the Eternal Fire Beast. Ormagoden destroys the poseur band, and sends Eddie to a place called the Continent, in a time only referred to by developers as the Age of Metal. There, he finds a world that while hellish, is also awesome. It's like a living world of Heavy Metal, with massive Nordic like statues, and outrageous monsters and wildlife, and trees made of chrome and spiders who spin strands of guitar strings. Anyway, Eddie manages to draw a massive, magic double-headed axe called the Seperator after being attacked by demon druids in service to the Emperor Doviculus, demon lord of the evil Tainted Coil race, and tyrant of this world. He also discovers that his Flying V guitar, which he calls Clementine, when played can shoot lightning and fire. And just to cement the deal, he meets Ophelia, a woman who looks like your typical female Metal fan except for the swords she uses. Eddie manages to build a car called the Deuce (love this car), and escape with Ophelia. He is then brought to Lars Halford (if you get the metal reference, you are awesome) and his sister Lita. Eddie, ever the roadie, decides to do all the heavy lifting for this fledgling resistance. And you're going to have to help him lead behind the scenes on this Heavy Metal revolution. And that was without any spoilers. Like any Tim Schafer game, the story is funny, enjoyable, well-written and epic. But how does it play? It mixes a lot of genres, like sandbox open-world gameplay, guitar rhythm games for big magic, hack and slash action with the combo of the axe and guitar, driving the Deuce, and amazingly, there's real-time strategy battles as you lead your army against the different bosses and their forces. The fact that you can lead forces while still being on the ground or otherwise and help fight is awesome, and the further in the story you go, the more characters and units you end up bringing with you. And all these gameplay elements just... work, like this was the only way that this story could be played. For sheer Heavy Metal fangasms, celebrities like Lita Ford, Lemmy Kilmeister, and a scene-stealing Ozzy Osbourn as the Guardian of Metal who you buy your upgrades from. Also, the soundtrack contains a stunning 108 Heavy Metal tracks, that play during missions, real-time strategy boss battles or just driving around in the Deuce flipping the stations. And as we all know, Heavy Metal is the ideal music for a fast paced, epic adventure. I say, you owe it to yourself to at least try Brutal Legend out. The production value is great, and the fun is there to be had. You may take a while to get used to the RTS battles, but if an idiot like me can do it, you'll be able to pull it off. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
10:54 am	Writer's Block: Ohhh, baby If your best friend asked you OR your partner to help you conceive a child, would you consider it? How do you think it would affect your friendship and your relationship? Submitted By moho2987 View 972 Answers This really depends on the friend, and whether it's me or the aforementioned partner. Honestly, if it was such a good friend they are included in the list of what I call "best friends", I would consider it. It may cause a closer bond with the friend, and may or may not cause issues in the relationship. Well, I won't know really until it happens. (Comment on this)
Sunday, October 18th, 2009
3:00 am	Writer's Block: Bucket list If you found out you only had six months left to live, what would you do with the rest of your life? Do you have a "bucket list"? Submitted By prototypic View 1312 Answers Finish my second book. Actually get some kind of physical love. Tell all the people who hurt me (emotional or otherwise) to fuck themselves. Tell all the people I love how much they matter to me. See Mecca. Self-publish my two books. And instead of going out because of whatever condition, take my wooden practice sword, an aluminum baseball bat and my steel toed boots and go out in a fight with the KKK. (Comment on this)
Saturday, October 17th, 2009
11:27 am	Writer's Block: Come here often? What's the best pick-up line you ever heard (or tried)? What's the worst? If you're instantly attracted to someone, will a stupid pick-up line dampen your interest? Submitted By downfall35 View 727 Answers Never used a pick-up line, never had it used on me. So I really don't have much to say in that regard, beyond my seeming inability to draw women, or pick them up. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, October 14th, 2009
10:22 pm	Writer's Block: Happy go lucky Do you believe some people are more fortunate than others or do you think people create their own luck? In your opinion, are some people cursed? View 888 Answers This is a rather interesting question for me, given my own luck as of late. I've seen some people who are so fortunate, despite being as good, if not worse a human being as I am. And I've seen some people who are better with worse luck, and some with great luck. I think, that while some people are cursed, there is a limit for everyone's luck. Some people use up all their luck early, which I think is my problem all over. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, October 12th, 2009
12:18 am	Update on things Turns out that my grandmother's medicine has actually not been meant for a woman of her age, and was kinda screwing her up. She's better now, but still, what the hell? (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, October 10th, 2009
12:31 am	My grandma's in the hospital My mom's spending the night a few cities over with her, and I don't know what will happen. She's very old, and this could just be her reaching the end. And I don't how to feel. And all I can worry about is how my mother will take it. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, October 6th, 2009
1:12 am	In addition to the funny, may I ask if anyone really cares anymore if I live? (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, October 4th, 2009
12:15 am	Inuyasha continues! The anime is back on Japanese TV, under the title "Inuyasha: Final Act". Finally. Now if only Ranma 1/2 got the same chance. (Comment on this)