Author Archives: dpkworldwide

Unknown's avatar

About dpkworldwide

Native Californian, water rabbit, aries, lover of travel, trains, history, music, wrestling, anime, minimalism, stoicism, objectivism and things Japanese.

Finally some good news…

Posted on by
Reply

Much to my relief (and, in a way, amazement), the California Supreme Court made a correct decision yesterday in ruling the “Gavin Newsom Self-serving Wedding Orgy” illegal and nullified all the so-called marriages. The rule of law is maintained in California, at least for the moment.

I’ve been too silent on my blog for this topic for too long. It’s probably because just reading about what’s going on on a daily basis has caused a perpetual churning in my gut. I really should have been venting my feelings, stating my opinions and observations all along, but oh well.

In this case, though, this is finally some good news worth commenting on. I never thought I’d be so delighted with our state Supreme Court, but I’m practically giddy. They pulled the rug out from under his megalomaniacal majesty’s ludicrous reasoning and dismissed as chaff to the wind all the 4,037 worthless pieces of paper issued from SFO City Hall this spring. The tiniest bit of my faith has been restored in the judicial system of a country that believes in the “Rule of Law”. The only thing that would have been better is a removal of King Newsom to new digs at San Quentin for his effort.

While the left-leaning media boohoos about the poor “bride-bride, groom-groom” combos that are feeling sad and depressed about the outcome, I merely intone “I hate to say it, but I told you so”. I can’t believe that any of them seriously thought that such a blatant display of anarchical lawbreaking would result in them being able to file joint tax returns. What a crock. If you stick your head in the fire, you will certainly get burned; it’s only a matter of time.

My biggest overall objection to same-sex marriage and the way it’s being touted at the moment is the complete and blatant disregard for law and democracy demonstrated by its proponents. Why should a fraction of the 2% who would actually get married feel that they are entitled to a non-existent “civil right” just because they say so? How come anywhere from 60-80% of the population of this allegedly democratic nation is against this, but it’s perfectly OK for four nameless, faceless justices in Massachusetts to force this legal anarchy on our society and not even allow the people to have their say? Missouri has weighed in, and the result is telling.

Enough for now. I’m pleased with this news and intend on articulating myself more often.

Anime: Gravitation

Posted on by
Reply

Here’s the first-ever review of an anime title I ever did. I put it up on the publisher’s (Right Stuf) website as well as Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. I’ll probably come back and add to it as I complete the series.

Absolutely Astounding!
As a brand-new fan of Anime, I count myself particularly lucky for having “Gravitation” as my first real exposure to this art form. I’ve read the Manga and was completely absorbed by the story and the characters. Buying the long-awaited DVD was just the next step…

Imagine my joy at coming home after work yesterday and finding my Gravitation Volume 1 DVD waiting on my doorstep. Before I went to bed, I’d watched the whole disk 3 times–twice in English and once in Japanese (and I don’t even understand Japanese) and was so totally hooked it’s almost scary. I instantly fell in love with the characters all over again now that they moved and had voices; I found myself in a panic that I’m going to have to wait a couple of months before the next volume comes out. I can’t get enough!

The story is incredible: the irrepressible Shuichi Shindou is working toward his dream of being a rock star, but on the way he meets intense, mysterious (and way sexy) anti-hero Eiri Yuki. Gravitation is the force that pulls these opposites together and the love story that emerges is nothing short of brilliant. While there’s a lot of material from the Manga that is left out of the series, the crucial elements of the story are there, shining through for us to experience. The general goofiness of Shuichi and the anime stylistic gags don’t overshadow the deep, yet simple beauty of two people–in this case, two guys–falling in love and seeing where it will lead. Thanks SO MUCH to Right Stuf for bringing this to America!

While I’m not yet an expert, I know something great when I see it, and this is it. RUN out and buy this DVD for the story, the characters, the artwork and especially the music (as an aside, I can’t get the title tune out of my head and am already well on my way to memorizing the Japanese lyrics–the closing end credits music too). It is beautiful, addictive, meaningful and just a lot of fun, if nothing else.

Let’s start with a list…

Posted on by
Reply

I figured a good place to begin was with an inventory of my current manga and anime titles.

I’ve only recently got started in this, so my collection is still growing. These are what I currently have on my shelves:

Manga
Banana Fish (my favorite artwork)
Comic Party
Eerie Queerie (my favorite story)
Fake (the one that started it all)
Gravitation (overall favorite)
Hikaru no Go
Kare Kano
Mars (truly romantic and riveting)
Rurouni Kenshin
Tokyo Babylon
Wedding Peach

I’ll be adding: Kizuna (comes out starting in August)

Anime
Angelic Layer
Azumanga Daioh
Comic Party (awesomely funny)
Fake (OVA)
Final Fantasy: Unlimited
Gravitation (the one that started it all for me, and an awesome series—I’ve got an “eBay Dub” of the OVA too)
Hikaru no Go (unfortunately, a Chinese dub with mediocre subtitling—don’t know if/when it’ll get a US release)
His & Her Circumstances (a totally incredible series!)
Kaleido Star
Kizuna
Rurouni Kenshin
Samurai X
Wedding Peach (so goofy it’s funny—”I am the love angel—I am Wedding Peach—And I am EXTREMELY angry with you!” Tee hee!)
Wolf’s Rain
Yukikaze

Things I might add: Gundam Seed, Happy Lesson, Last Exile, Pretear, Shingu (if/when Right Stuf actually announces it and doesn’t just tease me with an awesome trailer), Tokyo Babylon OVA.

You notice that the lists pretty much correspond, though I didn’t necessarily buy the Manga before the Anime or vice versa. As I discover new things, read Shonen Jump or Newtype USA and most importantly view more and more trailers, I discover new things. You can probably tell already, though, that my tastes are rather eclectic but lean toward the romance side especially Shonen-ai—I guess I’m just an old romantic! But I’ve seen some cool things so far and learned a lot.

Yay! It’s ready!

Posted on by
Reply

Welcome to my newest blog category for my newest hobby and interest—everything to do with the world of anime, manga and Japanese pop music.

Those of you who know anything about the topic already recognize Chiyo-chan from Azumanga Daioh as the cherubic little avatar I’ve chosen for my category photo, and are probably chuckling at her tagline (cooking is so fun! cooking is so fun! Now it’s time to take a break and see what we have done!). Isn’t she cute!

As I already wrote elsewhere, this is something new for me and not only snuck up on me, but hit me over the head with a big old baseball bat. My bookshelves and DVD cabinet are becoming better stocked than some of the local bookstores, and just yesterday I started wondering if I can lose enough weight so that I can make a cosplay costume for Halloween (I’m leaning toward Lord Makenshi from Final Fantasy: Unlimited, and he’s pretty skinny…). If not, perhaps Angel Limone from Wedding Peach, mostly ’cause I like the colors and he’s not as skinny.

Anyhow, look forward to reviews, links and opinions in this section.

An unexpected catalyst

Posted on by
Reply

One of my strong beliefs is that our lives are made up of a series of changes brought about by ‘catalysts’—people, events, experiences. An unexpected one has completely hijacked my imagination: the world of Japanese manga and anime.

Okay, so I’ve discovered YET ANOTHER new interest. More money to spend, more space taken up in an already cluttered house, more time and energy devoted to the pursuit of something new.

Who cares! I LOVE MANGA!

I got wind of a “Shounen-ai” series called “Gravitation” when I was in Washington, so I bought a couple volumes with a Borders gift card. I couldn’t put them down! I had to make two more trips during the week until I’d bought all the currently-released 5 volumes—plus the 7 volumes of another series “Fake”, and the two released volumes of “Eerie Queerie” for good measure. I can’t believe that I got so hooked so fast!

Like most Americans, the whole genre—big-eyed kids, transforming robots, characters who routinely changed shape, form, and sanity from one frame to the next—just seemed too bizarre. I remember “Speed Racer” and “Kimba the White Lion” when I was a kid, but somewhere I’d lost the enthusiasm. It just appeared too goofy for the “adult” me.

WOW, was I wrong! The stories are sometimes really cool and once you understand a little bit about how the artwork “works” (), then it makes a while lot of sense. Even barring any deeper meanings, it’s a lot of fun! Believe it or not, the “Eerie Queerie” manga is my absolute FAVORITE so far, despite the really lame title. The story is so wonderful and surprisingly deep—I was actually moved to tears on three separate occasions as the story unfolded, and that was just in the first volume. (If you’re remotely interested in manga and want to take my advice, RUN out and buy EQ…)

Then came my first Anime purchase: the volume 1 DVD of the “Gravitation” TV series. OMG!!!! I’m so totally in love with the characters, the music, the story—everything! I can’t believe I’ve got to wait until AUGUST for the next DVD. It also came along at a pretty good time for other reasons—I’ve sorta been “turning Japanese” for the last few months as it is. But now this has clinched it: I’m going to study Japanese this fall in school both for personal and career development reasons. I’m already eating vast quantities of Japanese food, and have even resorted to preparing Japanese-style meals at home. YIKES!

But back to the “catalyst” thread. This is just another case in my life where something unexpected has produced a sea-change in the way I look at and interact with the world. In my advancing age, it gets harder and harder to take advantage of those moments and they don’t seem to come around as often, since I’ve been jaded by my 41 years on the planet to one degree or another. It also gets harder, because I now look back—sometimes with a degree of emotional pain—and say things like “Damn—why couldn’t I have figured this out x years ago?”

But still, it’s such great fun when things like this happen. I just thank my parents most of all, and my teachers through the years for somehow instilling in me the driving need to learn and experience new things. I try to maintain a sense of wonder and excitement with everything and it’s always so much fun when it pays off. Thank you Mom & Dad!

Farewell, Mr. President

Posted on by
Reply

I had the rare opportunity today to say farewell to the greatest President of my lifetime so far. Being from California and having the Reagan Library practically down the street meant I had the chance to pay my respects in a very small, yet personally moving way.

My company actually let us leave early to view the motorcade pass by—especially since many of the roads in the immediate area were to be closed for the event. The Reagan Library is nearby in Simi Valley, and Thousand Oaks (where I work) is right on the way. I’m glad that my employers realized the solemnity of the occasion, though some of that may have been just to avoid traffic headaches.

I drove up to a friend’s house which is very near Lynn Road, where the procession passed. I couldn’t believe how many people were there lining the roadway; they had actually begun to stake out their spots in the morning. Many people were there with their kids of all ages, people in uniform, probably every California Highway Patrol officer within 100 miles—an amazing cross-section of people. As it was described on the news by several commentators, it seemed more like people lining up for a 4th of July parade than anything. So many American flags…

Every time a CHP car or motorcycle passed by, or a helicopter flew overhead, all eyes turned south, preparing for a glimpse of the event. Eventually, a platoon of dozens of CHP motorcycles raced by in their leapfrog maneuvers to block the intersections for the motorcade. A couple of CHP cars, a white-ish Chevy Avalanche filled with TV cameramen and then the hearse bearing the President’s body. Some people cheered and clapped as it passed by, but overall it seemed to die down rather quickly as a peculiar silence hushed the crowd. The family and various dignitaries passed in limos and regular cars, then it was all over.

I had thought about how I would feel and why I was even there in the first place. I don’t normally do much relating to the dead, and certainly not people I don’t know personally, But this was different—this was the greatest man who has held the office of President since I’ve been on this earth. When the hearse approached, I couldn’t bring myself to do anything more than come to attention and salute the man, hand over my heart. I silently pondered what he did for our country and the tears flowed, unbidden. I remembered back to election eve 1980, when I was working at my local Republican HQ—manning the phones as a 17-year-old volunteer who couldn’t even vote yet. I was the very tiniest part of what became a golden time for the USA and the world. Since that time I’ve never felt compelled to work for any political party or event—there’s just nothing inspiring in it for me after that experience. I scan the current political scene and the horizon for something or someone who can even begin to approach the same stature—I can’t see anything…

No doubt many of my fellow citizens lining the road had their beefs with Reagan—the man, his policies, whatever. But at least they demonstrated that we Americans can grant respect where it’s due. Of course, I then had to go home later on and watch the internment ceremony on TV and see many of the “great” people of politics and entertainment paying their last, final respects. I’ll never forget seeing Baroness Margaret Thatcher—Reagan’s staunchest ally and friend— stand at the foot of his casket and bow her head before moving on. Indeed—Ronald Wilson Reagan was one of the greats.

Afoot and afield in the Midlands

Posted on by
Reply

Today was the day for the Great Pilgrimage—to The Foundry in Nottingham, of course.

After the usual hearty English breakfast, it was time for the Midland Mainline high-speed train to Nottingham. The English countryside was really lovely and green as one would imagine.

Nottingham was really pleasant. We spent some time shopping and walking through the old town. Funnily enough, we didn’t actually see or go to any “Robin Hood” attractions. There wasn’t a lot that I took pictures of, but here’s a lovely view walking from the train into town.

Originally planning to purchase an all-day bus pass and ride the city circular route, before long we found ourselves at The Foundry. Mecca! It was pretty fun running around throwing pack after pack of their lovely figures in my little shopping basket until it was overflowing. The biggest surprise: they had a whole bunch of the now out-of-production Napoleonic Bavarians! Needless to say, I ended up spending FAR too much (£400.00 vs. the £250.00 I’d planned to allow myself). But hey—it’s still cheaper than buying from home AND they gave me a V.A.T.-back receipt so I’ll get even more back at the airport.

How fun would it be to game HERE every week?

A HST ride back to London was followed by a bit of relaxation and battery recharge for the cameras. It was then club night, and we went to dinner first at one of the famous Wagamama noodle places—it was really good. It’s always shocking to me to see how many people (including us) go out to eat at 10:30 PM! It was then time to make a visit to that famous palace of nightlife, Heaven. It was a lot smaller than I remembered, and Eusebio was fairly nonplussed. I thought it was kinda fun—mostly the people watching—and I even got propositioned. However, we ended up leaving around 12:00 and making it back before the Underground shut down for the night.

Tomorrow: the big London Bus tour…