mDuo13

I've finally finished Chrono Trigger DS (including the bonus dungeons and the special ending, but not all of the original endings). It was a special experience revisiting this game - one I've placed among my 2 all-time favorites (with only Super Metroid as company), but have not played in almost a decade. The DS version sure packs a lot of bonus material, none of which detracts from the game, but none of which is really, ultimately, necessary.

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Well, here we are. Deep into the holiday season, it's time to deliver an update on pretty much everything I'm watching. It's an interesting time to do so, too, because a lot of shows are nearing the end of their run and showing signs of reaching a finale. I've fallen a bit behind ever since Thanksgiving (finals didn't help) but the things I've chosen to prioritize may or may not be indicative of what I think about them.

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I just finished a rank test for orange belt in Shaolin Kempo. The test was much easier than I expected, and that got me thinking. There's a Chinese proverb, which our instructors tend to like, that is often quoted, "The more you sweat in practice, the less you bleed in battle." I'm beginning to realize how broadly this idea applies.

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Though it's distracting me from memorizing a speech from Faust, I found episode 8 of Tytania very interesting. There are a few unusual things going on in this series. First, it keeps setting up conflicts that seem designed to make the viewers take the side of the "evil" empire, while still showing the faults of that empire. It's a strangely bi-lateral take on a well-known plot. Second, Lydia (whom the series has been slowly setting up as an important character from the beginning) seems to be finally ready to enter the plot proper, and in doing so I noticed something fascinating.

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I've finally finished the third and final Metroid Prime game. It was a pretty good game, on the whole. Each individual aspect of the game is quite good, and the structure is much the same as the previous two Metroid Prime games. Nonetheless, I have a few reservations about it that cause me to conclude: It's a fun distraction that even the hardcore fans can enjoy... while they wait for a 'real' Metroid game.

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ToraDora! impresses me almost every episode with the depth of its characters and writing. I've always thought Kushieda Minori was a good character, but episode 9 really proved why. In the scene where Ryuuji and Minori are staring at the stars, she gives a surprisingly-candid explanation of her attitude towards love, which is not unlike LaRochefoucauld's maxim about love and ghosts. Ryuuji's wistful response is that perhaps in some cases, a person is able to see a ghost because they wanted to see it. She responds with a seemingly non-sequitur comment pointing out a UFO, which Ryuuji assures her is a satellite. She deosn't really push the issue, but I at least picked up on her meaning: if you want to see something, you might see it in places it doesn't exist, ignoring the obvious explanation. It's such a brilliantly subtle comment that I can't help wanting to blog about it, and it cements my respect for Minori as a character and ToraDora! as a show.