10 posts tagged “final fantasy”
I poked around locally for On The Way To A Smile before trying to order online. With my luck, they'll probably get a copy in as soon as mine comes in the mail.
I was originally going to migrate all my personal and music talk over to tumblr since I usally don't have much to say here anyway, but I like the interface and media features here at Vox. Who knows? Maybe that Dreamwidth everyone's clamoring over will prove to be a perfect fit?
A lot has happened since the last posts, namely the release of BoA and Utada's aforementioned US albums. My friend and I decided to officially break up with Utada after the Epic Failure that was This is The One. Bitch led us on with promises of good 90s pop (Distance?) and a return to the quirky attitude of her other English work (Exodus?) but no. It was just a garbled mess of thin vocals, Stargate beats, and forced pop culture allusions. Stop trying so hard.
On the other hand, BoA's album is just one summer dance song after another ("Girls on Top" notwithstanding. I never understood the appeal of the Korean version, and the English one is just silly). "Energetic" and "Hypnotic Dancefloor" are hot. Go check them out on Amazon or iTunes.
Kuu also finally released her remix and collaboration collections that were originally listed by HMV HK right on the eve of her controversy last year. I don't have much interest in the remix CD, but I was anxious to get my hands on Out Works & Collaboration Best. It didn't disappoint, though I was somewhat surprised that her collaboration with her sister wasn't on it. I suppose it would be more fair and maximize profit for both artists if it wasn't put on the Kuu album? It doesn't really matter to me, what with my having zero interest in misono.
If Ayu's newest album NEXT LEVEL has one weak point, it's that -- like GUILTY -- its evident upon first listen that the direction of the album changed (or rather, was conceived) after the release of the first single. I suppose that's a hazard inherent of an industry that pushes for the constant release of singles. Too many times, albums after thrown together as afterthought with little rhyme or reason in regard to flow or concept. Fortunately, although "GREEN" and "Days" sound a little out of place, the rest of NEXT LEVEL flows wonderfully and is probably one of the most cohesive J-pop releases to come out in awhile. It shows great discretion in the use of interludes to keep the energy going, and the new album-only tracks are fantastic. I love "LOVE 'n' HATE" with its "Candy Shop"-esque beat. I'm so glad to be having fun with Ayu again after GUILTY.
However, it's a little perplexing that such a fun, western-friendly (what with its strong beats and frequent use of English) comes right when all of her music is removed from international iTunes. Perhaps perplexing isn't the right word for that... what was perplexing about all of this was that Rule/Sparkle -- the last single before NEXT LEVEL -- got a simultaneous international release on the eve of Avex's withdrawal from international iTunes. I hope more people get a chance to hear Ayu's new music soon...
I will say that the packaging was very nice. I hope the US version is remotely as nice. No more of that cheap-looking blue plastic? No?
I sign in to Vox for the first time in a month or so to find I have 3 messages (we have messages?), all of which were from accounts that were already deleted. This comes after I declined a friend request on Last.fm from an up-and-coming "gothic" and "dark alternative" band. Meanwhile, my recently played tracks are "2 Hearts" by Kylie Minogue, "VACATION" by Hoshimura Mai, and "Never Stop" by Hilary Duff. Strong work.
The release of Ayumi Hamasaki's latest boxset -- her first since the COMPLETE LIVE and COMPLETE CLIPS boxes in 2003 -- is nigh. This is an excellent -- hopefully -- release to celebrate her 10th Anniversary, though its announcement has put a glaring spotlight the rigid dichotomy between Japanese/East Asian and the western fans.
The western fans that make up an overwhelming majority of her English-speaking online following seem to forget -- or just not understand -- that she is a real-live Japanese artist; she is a household name in her native Japan and much of the neighboring Asia. It's her target audience. The reason the announcement seemed so sudden to fans like us isn't because she was being "lazy" for her 10th Anniversary; it was because she spent her entire anniversary personally bringing her music to her core fans in the form of an enormous, nation-wide tour (one that will expand into Asia later next month).
A new boxset acts as a nice bookend for the promotional blitz that kicked off in Japan in April. And let us not forget that just because she has elbowed her way onto the public conscious doesn't mean everyone rushes out to buy every album she releases--or, in the case of many overseas "fans", pirating everything. By releasing a 3CD set for a mere 3800 yen (one out of her 10 studio albums would cost 2800 yen), Avex is giving the casual listener a chance to find out what Ayu's really all about (and make a quick buck in the process).
And for those of us that do buy everything, there's the DVD of unreleased footage and photobook of unreleased cover artwork, which -- judging by this post at AHS -- is truly unreleased artwork; even the covers of older singles are different from the one's featured in the COUNTDOWN LIVE 2000-2001 book.
Granted, there are definitely things I would change about this. I would have prefered if the cover were similar to the COMPLETE CLIP box with the single gold A on a black background; something classy and understated that would speak volumes about her pop culture legacy. Any starlet worth her salt can take a pretty picture, but how many have branded themselves so well that their logo is instantly recognizable?
I also have my doubts that the photobook will be nearly as nice as the the hardcover, glossy, COUNTDOWN LIVE 2000-2001 book, but I'm excited to give it a chance.
Other than that, I'm really looking forward to Angela Aki's new single. I've been holding off in getting Namie Amuro's BEST FICTION and ayaka's second album in hopes that they'll get a US release in the next few months, and any other entertainment purchases will be put on hold until Dissidia and all of its merchandising has been officiall unveiled.
What's on your Top 5 video games list?
Submitted by mileena.
First and foremost, Final Fantasy VII has always been and always will be the (slightly overrated) love of life. Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockheart have worked their way into my heart and they're not going anywhere.
However, we talked it over and decided that we weren't totally exclusive; we can see other people.
Final Fantasy IX is my second favorite with The Cast That's Impossible Not To Like Lest He Hath No Heart, and Final Fantasy XII has quickly claimed a spot in my top 5 (even though I'm probably no where near the end--Hunter's Camp?).
I've been trying to figure out a way to work this in somewhere, so I'm just going to type it out now: I find it more than a little disheartening that so many people that hated FFIX's Princess Garnet love Princess Ashe in FFXII. They're not too dissimilar, only Ashe's adaption to the "real world" happens off screen. By the time Vaan and Co first meet Ashe, she's already begun learning the ways of the underground and is fairly battle hardened; Vaan considers her to be a bit of a bitch before he figures out she's the princess. Alternately, Garnet is introduced to the cast as the princess; the characters and the player's see her at her most sheltered. Yes, she's naive to the ways of the rest of the world and everyone wants to protect her, but by the time she witnesses the destruction of neighboring kingdoms and the death of her mother, she's determined to become her country's leader in this time of crisis. She grows to be graceful and queenly by the story's end. ...But somehow showing weakness prior to her coronation makes her weak overall.
Good job, kids. Way to miss 3/4 of the game. :)
Another favorite is Jak II, a great, well-rounded, cinematic game that guarantees to have you (first jokingly, then seriously) pondering its suicide rate.
And I guess I should throw in Ocarina of Time for good measure. Or smash it together with Majora's Mask to try to squeeze another game into my top 5. Everyone knows that Zelda games are fun; although I loved the Wind Waker, the OoT generation is still my favorite. Those games really felt epic, though it's a different kind of epic than that of FFXII (though I admit to sometimes comparing the two while running around in the wasteland... and humming the Gerudo Valley theme for good, geeky measure). It didn't have the ridiculous complexity of FFXII's narratives (every time I think I know who someone is, they turn out really being aligned with someone else and die D:), but the world itself was monstrous and so well laid out. It wasn't just running into the distance and moving to the next screen a la FFX; you really felt like you were crossing a continent. I don't know if TP will be able to replace it, but I'm more than willing to give it a chance. Assuming I'm able to get a Wii.
At least the box will be pretty. AND ZELDA HAS A SWORD.
8:30 in the morning is way too early to talk about rocks. I have to run to a computer lab and schedule/run to EB and pick up FFXII between classes today, so I'm wondering if it's even worth going to lab? We get to drop one, but that feels cheap. I almost skipped two labs ago because I was ready to cry, but I ended up going for the last hour and immediately felt bad since our TA was so nice about it. Don't be nice when I consider playing hooky. Scare me into submission!
I don't know why I thought it was a good idea to request the (miss)understood tour be shipped with boku wa kuma. Now I won't get it until December.
Nevertheless, HAPPY FFXII DAY! I got the guide yesterday after I ran up to EB and whined about not being able to go to the party. I'm reluctant to thumb through it too thoroughly (I did that with the KHII guide and ended up spoiling myself silly. I've made it this far-!) It's so pretty. Fran was my bonus covergirl; I'm so excited to meet her and Balthier, even if Basch is supposed to be the greatest thing since sliced bread. He may be so, but he's not dashing.
And the metal Collector's Edition box for the game is sexy. I had my doubts from the promotional artwork, but actually playing with the display boxes has me thoroughly convinced it'll be a great buy for the box alone.
All in all I've been in fairly high spirits recently; it turns out pretty much everyone is coming up to visit us for some holiday or another (cousins are coming for Thanksgiving [KHII with youngest should be fun]), and Grandpa's coming up for Hanukkah [for which I can never decide on a spelling]). The real moral of this story is that now I don't live at home so I have to do minimal entertaining. Huzzah! Hostess I am not.
In summary, it's almost enough to make me forget how much the Japanese direct-style perfective makes me want to shoot myself.
Books, movies, music; what's in your top 5 right now?
I've been meaning to do this for, like, a week now. Top 5 music releases of the moment are:
What's the nerdiest thing about you?
Please see the previous entry.
I'm due for a "real" entry, but I have my Stats final tomorrow. Prepare for design-related rambling come Friday.
Meanwhile, enjoy Mr. Burton:
What magazines do you subscribe to, and why?
Entertainment Weekly because I agree with nearly everything these people say. Did you know they wrote an editorial about The Spirits Within being the first movie tailored for DVD -- and the potential there -- before AC was in production? How crazy is that?
A+++
Dirge of Cerberus to be added later.
I hate this heat; it's exhausting walking to the mailbox. I stopped by the gym this morning for about an hour (which is probably more like 40 minutes if you take out all the trips to get a tissue. Bad air quality = lose), and vowed never to leave the air conditioning ever again.
So I spent my afternoon scanning stuff!
Jiminy's Journal is not agreeing with me... hence why it is piled under its collectors box, a Kanji dictionary and various BoA DVDs to keep it in place for the three million years it took to scan a page. And it still came out all blotchy. I've been trying to scan whole pages since all the FFVII characters are -- more or less -- on one page, but there doesn't seem to be any hope of getting a nice quality scan out of that. It's a crappy quality book to begin with, so I suppose it wouldn't be too much of a loss if the spine finally gave out, and it would definitely make scanning individual characters a lot easier.
But the stickers are safe, so it's all good.
I will close this entry with a photo of the FFXII soundtrack (and omnipresent Ayu) that was rotting on the camera's memory card:
My Groups
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Square Enix Updated: Sep 12, 2009
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♥Namie Amuro 安室奈美恵♥ Updated: Jun 28, 2009
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Ayumi Hamasaki Love Updated: Jun 28, 2009
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