X Never Marks the Spot

Have seen the first 6 eps of Tiger & Bunny with the bro - mucho enjoyment but then we're both weak to superheroes. It's not really a superhero parody so much as a straight superhero show that happens to fall on the sillier end of the spectrum, though it seems to be slowly sliding to the more serious side, as they do. And may answer the age-old question: if Bruce Wayne and Darkwing Duck were forced by their corporate sponsors to become partners, who would snap and kill the other first? Seiyuu bonus: +30 in sexiness for Hirata Hiroaki (mmmm) and +42 in brain breakage for my beloved Tsuda Kenjirou as the flaming-in-every-meaning-of-the-word Fire Emblem (?!!?!?!?111!!?!)

In other superhero news, Peter David wrote the last ep of Ben 10, which was a not-really-disguised-at-all anti-Gitmo ep. No really. (Apparently it was mostly Dwayne McDuffie's idea, though he wasn't the writer. Not at all surprising, but damn, it makes his loss hurt that much more.) (Also it aired on Friday 4/29, interesting timing to say the least). Torn between OMGLOLWHUT at political soapboxing on a ridiculous kid's cartoon and crying honest tears of rage because seriously, if you can reduce the moral complexity of a situation to the black&white ethics of a superhero world in 20 minutes, it's not that fucking complex.

Am up to Skypiea in One Piece reread (or not re- in this case because for various reasons I've never read or watched about half of Skypiea) and love this series so, so much. I think my only real criticism of it (other than the lack of nakama-hugs, siiigh) is that the shounen fights sometimes get a little long - which is an aberration for me because I love fight shounen battles (though more animated than in manga, where sometimes I have trouble following the action), but with OP I'm always so anxious to get back to the plots and characters that sometimes I'll start tapping my foot. Still is my favorite manga ever.

Also I've said it before but I love Odacchi's female chars THIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIxa million-IIIS much. ( squeeing about the lovely ladies of OP, a little spoilery through Arabasta )


In non-animated news, regarding the latest ep of NCIS (8x23) - haven't been watching most of this season but gnine recced this ep to me for a specific reason, namely OT4 FOREVER AND ALWAYS ZOMG: a 4-way hug!!!! <3333 That's it, the show could end now and I'd be happy~... (also in the previous ep, Ziva calling McGee "not just any partner" AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.

Also, mostly for my own reference, I have still been watching SPN (AHAHAHAHAH the only thing right about this show is HOW WRONG IN EVERY WAY it is. Not content with having killed off almost every recurring female char they've ever had, now they're going back and rekilling women they've killed before, and bringing back cool one-shot female chars to kill - oh, Amber Benson, whyyyyy?)

...That being said, I would so watch the Castiel &Crowley show. It's like the Odd Couple! With more blood and sex! (Okay, that last might be wishful thinking, but then again, with this show's crack count, who knows?)

And gnine & I will be watching SV's finale this Friday...Lex is back, we have no choice. Pity us!

So I might as well cop to it, I've got a new fandom. One I've been resisting for over a year now, because while many of my friends were into it, and it had a lot of potential, I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out, and I always get depressed when a favorite series gets canceled. But since as of last Tuesday it was contracted for a good four years, and it might get renewed for another four after that, I've gone and given in. So, yes, chalk me up as yet another of those crazy Obama fangirls. I'm a Barack/Michelle shipper, but USA/Hope is my OTP.

Currently I'm reading Newsweek's campaign tell-all, fascinating stuff. One of the things that makes me so interested in Obama is how self-aware he is:

Obama understood that he had become a giant screen upon which Americans projected their hopes and fears, dreams and frustrations. Maybe such a person never really existed, couldn't exist, but people wanted a savior nonetheless. As a bestselling memoirist he had created a mythic figure, a man named Barack Obama who had searched and quested and overcome travails, who had found an identity and a calling in public service. Obama recalled that he often joked with his team, "This Barack Obama sounds like a great guy. Now I'm not sure that I am Barack Obama, right?" He added, pointedly, "It wasn't entirely a joke." [from here]

The man understands his own hype, and recognizes it for what it is. He's a psychological writer, and he analyzes himself as much or more than others. (I really need to get hold of Dreams from My Father, sounds fascinating.) As described he comes across as, if not quite an introvert, than a hell of a lot less of an extrovert than most politicians. He's also, apparently, a true-blue nerd, and it kinda disturbs me how much I want this anecdote to be true. Just - yes! The geek will inherit the earth!

Not to mention, he doesn't just speechify about "family values," he lives them. Adorable, or adorable? *squee*!

To think, after all this time avoiding bandom and LOTRiPS and David Cook, I'm done in by a politician with big ears. What a world!

w00t, I say. W000000000000000000000T!!!!!

"Our stories are singular but our destinies are shared." - Okay, if nothing else, we are going to have a president who can orate. That we don't have to cringe when he opens his mouth; instead we will perk up our ears. How long has it been?

Proud to be an American, damn it. Proud!

...now I am going back to bed. *collapse*

(I'm American, it had to come up sometime!) Just mailed in my absentee ballot today, so it's on my mind. Don't worry, you probably won't hear much more from me on the subject, but I had to get my piece in.

I'm not going to campaign much, I'm sure you all are getting that from enough sources. And if you're American and have already voted, or already have decided what your vote is, you can stop reading here. If you haven't decided, though, if you're still on the fence, or if someone you know is on the fence...I just want to say, please consider voting Obama.

I'm not asking you to give in to the hype or believe in the Obama message of hope. He's a politician, and it's only reasonable to be wary of his idealism. I'm not sure I believe it myself - I want to, very much, but even when I believe he's sincere (and I admit I do) I'm too much of a cynic to think he'll really be able to do all he'd like to.

But the world wants Obama. So many of my Japanese students, and my fellow English teachers from the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, are watching this election like hawks. Every time they see me they ask me how it's going. The President of the USA is probably the most influential political position in the world; the decisions of the president affect not just Americans, but everyone. Obviously Japan has even closer ties than most nations, but everyone has a vested interest in this election, and as stressful as it is for Americans, it's almost as bad for everyone else who can only watch, unable to do anything. And pretty much all of them would be voting Obama if they could - if this were a worldwide election, it would be Obama's victory by a landslide. Bush is a pretty terrifying figure these last few years because of his stupidity and incompetency, no one knows who he might want to attack next, and McCain is mainly known abroad for following Bush's lead. And Palin's even scarier. While as Obama is intelligent and charismatic and well-spoken and not terrifying - his sincerity and hype has convinced much of the planet even if not all Americans, and so many non-Americans will feel differently about America if he's the man at the helm.

And we need that cred. We've got a global economy now, we're not alone against the planet. What other nations think of us matters, and the President is the face we present to the world. And Obama is the face I want representing me, a face that millions worldwide already trust and respect.

More than anything, I want Obama to win because for once, I want to be able to be abroad and tell people, "I'm American," and say it proudly, and not have to immediately append, "And I didn't vote for the president, honest, it's not my fault, I'm so sorry!"

Ah, screw being non-partisan.

What he said.

It's Election Eve, and all I want for my birthday is a landslide victory for Kerry. My fellow Americans eighteen and over, I'll see you at the polls tomorrow, making history. Everyone else, wish us luck. We've got a madman on the throne, which is especially problematic given that we're supposed to be a democracy. Time to put that to the test and see if 'we the people' really can set things right.

Gonna be hard to work tomorrow, typing with my fingers crossed...