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One of the anime I looked forward to most this past season was Aldnoah.Zero. Although from the beginning it feels heavily derived from many other popular and classic mecha anime, it increasingly reveals itself as a series that can stand on its own merits. Akin to a patchwork quilt, Aldnoah.Zero takes all of these influences and merges them into something that is also remarkably fresh and new.
The story in Aldnoah.Zero focuses on the effects of a lopsided war between the Earth and the extremely powerful space empire known as Vers. Having been resoundingly outgunned in their previous conflict due to the power of the Vers' giant robots, the Earth has seen an uneasy peace for many years. However, an attempt to bridge the two sides ends in disaster, which leads the planet back into a battle it likely cannot win.
At first glance, Aldnoah.Zero looks like it comes from the Code Geass school of cool teens fighting political battles, yet it also has clear influence from Gundam. Which Gundam though? Its basic Earth vs. Space Colonies plot and its "ship on the run" ongoing storyline resemble the original Mobile Suit Gundam. The way each of the factions in the enemy Vers forces treat the Earth like a battlefield to assert the pride of their respective clans is more reminiscent of Mobile Fighter G Gundam and the literal use of the Earth as a ring for different nations to battle it out. Then there's the princess-in-disguise plot thread, which evokes the events of Turn A Gundam. On top of all of this, while he looks less muscular, the character Inaho's logical nature, reticent personality, calm under pressure and his decision to consistently use what amounts to a generic no-frills mecha calls to mind Chirico Cuvie, the hero from Armored Trooper Votoms. In certain ways, it's a strange mishmash that typically only works in something like the Super Robot Wars games where the "rules" of cohesiveness can be bent liberally, but Aldnoah.Zero manages to pull it off gracefully.
This is probably most apparent in how Aldnoah.Zero handles mecha battles. Given an opponent with vastly superior technology, the rag-tag Earth forces that we follow have to rely on wit and ingenuity, while also taking advantage of the fact that the Vers soldiers tend to be a little too overconfident in their weaponry. The battles are one of the highlights of the series, and what makes them interesting and consistently both fun to watch and intellectually stimulating is the fact that the gap is so large that it more or less feels like the "real robots" of the Earth vs. the "super robots" of Vers, and seeing just how Inaho dissects the opponents' mecha. Usually sides are either individual robot vs. monster (Mazinger Z), military vs military (Mobile Suit Gundam), dominant real robot mowing down enemy forces until the enemy comes up with something equal (Gundam W), or super-powered equals, which makes what Aldnoah.Zero does remarkably rare, if not outright unheard of.
The series even goes out of its way to make sure this technological and aesthetic contrast is there for the viewer to see in every battle. The mecha designs of the Orbital Knights look fanciful and tend to incorporate more fantastic weaponry such as rocket punches, beam swords, and powerful energy barriers, while the Earth forces use mostly ammunition. Even the one moment when the series could have given Inaho his own protagonist-level prototype weapon gets subverted, as he decides to remain in his mass-produced grunt machine.
Of course, not everyone will care about the quality of the robot action, but the story itself looks to be holding up well. Aldnoah.Zero has a lot of narrative elements that, again, feel as if they're hitting notes from past anime, but for the most part they drew me deeper into their world rather than making me question how everything fits together. Of particular note is the character Slaine, a Terran on the side of the Vers forces who is caught in the middle, and who may be the real main character rather than Inaho. That said, the first season just finished recently, and we are left at what is clearly a turning point. It's difficult to judge how the story will turn out in the end, as these kinds of series can often crash and burn from the changes they decide to make the second time around, but for now I'm looking forward to what comes next.
Captain Earth centers around an alien force attacking humanity known as the Planetary Gears, who see humans and their "libidos" as a food source. The main character is Manatsu Daichi, who, as a child, befriends a boy and a girl and is thus set on a strange path that ends with him becoming the pilot of a giant space defense robot known as the "Earth Engine." At the same time that he defends the Earth with his friends, he must deal with the fact that there is another faction on Earth that believes that the only way to save humanity is to create an Ark to save the best of the best, and who are willing to get in "Captain Earth's" way to do so.
When I watched the first episode of Captain Earth, I felt that the show had to be somehow related to the anime Star Driver, a previous work from the same studio, BONES. Like Star Driver, "libido" is presented as some kind of important power or energy source. The enemy mecha, known as Kiltgangs, bring to mind many of the "Cybodies" from Star Driver as well, not only in terms of design but also in their pilots' very "spirited" (read: erotic) reactions. Mysterious songs herald the arrival of an enemy. In the end, it turns out that these allusions remain only as such and that there were no direct narrative connections between these two works, but I do still find it valuable to compare them because Captain Earth more or less feels like a more conventional, less wild re-telling of Star Driver.
Above: Enemy mecha from Captain Earth, Below: Enemy mecha from Star Driver
Whereas Star Driver has a main character whose sense of justice has him appear out of a rift in space like some kind of giant interdimensional Zorro, Daichi in Captain Earth is mainly inspired to do good by the example of his deceased father, and undergoes an elaborate combination sequence that has him launching into multiple space stations. While quiet scenes in Star Driver are set on a mysterious island and battles take place in an enigmatic pocket outside of time and space, fights in Captain Earth uses Tanegashima (home of JAXA in reality), and its most signature fights take place in orbit around the Earth. One thrives on symbols and mystery and is akin to being a giant metal Utena, while the other plays out more closely to a typical super robot anime, yet they share many of the same strengths and flaws as shows. Both shows have vibrant and expressive characters, a consistent sense of mystery about the enemy that gradually reveals itself, and beautiful animation especially focused around dynamic action sequences. However, they also share unusual plot reveals that are strangely abrupt, as well as changes of heart in characters that basically make sense but could be better if they were focused on more. Both stories feel liable to fall apart in a structural sense, but are held together by the dynamism and energy of their characters, for better or for worse.
How does this manifest in Captain Earth in particular? There are two points that stick out to me. The first is the fact that the Planetary Gears have an intriguing inverse relationship with their robots, in the sense that they are basically giant robots who take on the guise of their "human" pilots rather than the other way around. This is quite a unique idea, but it never gets explored as much as I would have preferred. The second point comes in the last episode, when Daichi is back to basics, fighting the enemy with just the Earth Engine and no additional weapons or frills. It's something that happens at the end in a lot of giant robot anime such as Gurren-Lagann or Gaogaigar, but when Daichi calls out the Earth Engine's attacks, I realized I didn't actually remember any of them, because the story couldn't quite ever focus on the main robot as this symbol of good and make its attacks memorable. What makes the scene a partial success instead is the fact that we are there with Daichi as he grows into the role of "Captain Earth," and his romantic relationship with the character Hana.
Actually, when I think about it further, Captain Earth doesn't feel like simply a different, less surreal version of Star Driver, but more the lovechild of Star Driver and another BONES work, Heroman. The Earth Engine basically looks like an upgraded version of Heroman with its red, white, and blue color scheme and its overall "physique," while Daichi's personality is right in between Takuto from Star Driver and Joey Jones from Heroman. What's even more notable, however, is the fact that many of the other high and low points of Captain Earth that it does not share with Star Driver can be found in Heroman. In particular, when Captain Earth is focused on its main story, it has a sense of urgency and excitement, but often it ends up meandering in a way that is less irritating and more puzzling: "Why put this diversion here of all places? It's not even humor to break up a serious moment?" With Heroman it's the long number of episodes they spend dealing with that mad scientist villain, and with Captain Earth it's the time they spend on Earth chasing down unawakened Planetary Gears. While the latter makes more sense, it just feels as if it comes at an unusual point in the overall story.
While its aesthetics don't have quite the flash and razzmatazz of anime like Utena or Kill la Kill or indeed Star Driver, the show's more by-the-books approach to looking good enhances the series and its viewability by giving care to both its characters and its mechanical designs. At the same time, I can easily see why someone looking for a cohesive narrative above all else would find Captain Earth infuriating, even if I did consistently enjoy and look forward to the series. I wouldn't say it's a show that you shouldn't think about too much, but that you should think about it while well aware of where the characters and their emotions fill in the gaps that might not otherwise make much sense.
Most of the fights in the mecha anime Aldnoah.Zero follow a roughly similar pattern: In a reversal of the typical structure of giant robot combat, a technologically superior and seemingly invincible enemy is overcome by the tactics and ingenuity of the protagonist Inaho and his allies without the need of secret prototype weapons or trump cards. What I think makes these battles and the opponents' eventual defeats work really well both narratively and thematically is that their downfall is usually based on them being blinded by arrogance.
One might argue that this is unrealistic, or more specifically that an opponent with such an edge in terms of firepower would likely not have overlooked some of the weaknesses that end up being exploited by Inaho. However, given the culture of the Vers Empire, the feudalistic space culture that attacks the Earth, I find that it makes a lot of sense. The subjects of the Vers Empire, especially their "Orbital Knights," have been raised to believe that they are inherently better than people from Earth, and that this superiority derives from their discovery and use of a powerful technology called the "Aldnoah Drive." While from our perspective it's easy to point out that the "inherent" superiority of the Vers is anything but because it derives from an outside source in the Aldnoah Drive, actually history has shown that similar reasoning, as strangely illogical as it can seem, has often been used to justify similar mindsets or even forms of racism.
Consider the hypothetical example of a nation of people who believe they are simply better than their neighbors because they were born on land that was more arable. Although one could easily say that this is just a matter of luck or probability to an extent, it wouldn't seem that strange for them to believe that they were somehow blessed by God or some other great power, and that they deserve this blessing on some fundamental level. It's circular reasoning to be sure, but that doesn't necessarily stop anyone from believing it.
Thus, the Orbital Knights believe that they are inherently superior in every way over the Terrans, therefore they receive the more powerful technology, therefore they are inherently superior in every way over the Terrans. They buy so much into not only the idea that the people of Earth are too stupid to figure anything out, but that they actually have no Achilles' heels to exploit in the first place. With nothing to challenge them and without even acknowledging that they may have overlooked something in their robots (or "Kataphrakts" as Aldnoah.Zero calls them), potentially preventable defeats are addressed too late.
Four years ago I arrived in the Netherlands. In a few days, I return to the United States. I don't know exactly where this post will go, but I feel it is important to say something about my time in Europe, both as a person and as a fan of anime and manga. I apologize for the rambling that's about to ensue.
I've lived outside of the United States before, having spent a few months studying abroad in Japan (almost 10 years ago at this point!), but never had I been in a foreign country for so long. I can't say I ever truly acclimated myself to this environment (I never even got fluent in the language, after all), but I managed a comfortable existence. Even putting aside amazing culinary cultures such as France and Germany, food has been an (often deep-fried) adventure. I'll miss the Indonesian cuisine and the herring especially.
I could go on forever about food, though, so I'll speak mainly about things that are more directly pertinent about being an otaku. One aspect that I had been somewhat aware of in the past but that had rarely entered my mind was that different countries have unique relationships with Japan, and this is certainly the case with the Netherlands. Famously the Dutch were the only foreigners allowed in Japan for a long time, and they stayed exclusively on the island of Deshima (or Dejima). So what does a Dutch group dedicated to bringing Japanese music to anime conventions in the Netherlands call itself? Deshima Sounds. It makes sense.
It was fascinating to see a different anime con culture compared to the US. The conventions certainly never even approach the massive attendances of an Otakon or an Anime Expo, but they have their own charm. From my first convention experience here, one aspect that really stood out to me was how the Artists' Alleys greatly emphasized the production of full-on comics (one might even call them doujinshi) over individual images. While I don't know if this is truly relevant, I do know that the Netherlands historically has been considered a strong country for book-publishing, allowing things that could get one in trouble in other countries (and I don't mean pornography). It's actually something I wouldn't mind seeing more of in the US.
Speaking of fans, I must apologize to the folks over at Manga Kissa in Utrecht for never really going, but I am fully behind their endeavor to provide an actual manga cafe with a wide selection. If you're ever in Utrecht, I recommend you check it out, as it's a nice place to relax.
While my focus has been on anime and manga for a long time, I was also presently surprised to find out that the Netherlands has its own comics culture. Whenever I went to a new city, I often looked around for a comic store, and while many of the comics were simply French or Belgian comics translated into Dutch, even that was interesting because of how the Dutch preferred less expensive paperbacks over the elaborate hardcovers one would find elsewhere. It was actually amazing to be able to attend an event and just walk straight up to some of the biggest names in the industry and get a sketch at no cost and without a significant wait in line.
Around 2009 or so, I began to get into Japanese mahjong after having watched shows such as Akagi and Saki. Having originally played online, I eventually found a group to play with in real life, but it wasn't until I lived in the Netherlands that I had the opportunity to actually attend tournaments and to compete for pride and glory (there were never any cash prizes but that's okay). This country is small enough that even a tournament at a fairly obscure location was never too difficult to get to, and to find a fairly thriving riichi mahjong scene makes me incredibly grateful. I've met people from all over the world at these tournaments, gained some nice friends, and it's even legitimately improved my mahjong to boot. Many of the Dutch players had originally come from a different style of mahjong, and so when playing them I had to learn that my style, which was built from playing the Tenhou online ladder, simply did not work. I had to re-evaluate how I looked at the game, and this experience is something I'll never forget. I leave being fairly satisfied with my own performance, having attended three European tournaments and having placed 10th, 20th, and 6th.
Then there's the rest of Europe to talk about! I wasn't able to go to every country I had set my eyes on (Sweden, Luxembourg, and Switzerland I'll perhaps regret not seeing most of all), but of the places I did have the pleasure of visiting I actually discovered quite a bit about geek fandom in general. I visit New York's "Forbidden Planet" regularly, but it pales in comparison to the one in London. The comics museum in Belgium was a blast and made me want to read European comics more than ever.
Paris is, perhaps predictably, the most notable of all. While I had heard that the French were big into anime, it didn't hit me until a simple trip from the hotel to the city center involved passing by not one, but multiple cosplay shops, in areas that didn't even necessarily show signs of otakudom otherwise. Upon entering the toy and comic stores, I was continuously greeted by the ubiquitous presence of one UFO Robo Grendizer. I was already aware of the fact that Grendizer was a big deal for the French (and the Italian), that it was basically to them what Voltron was to the US, but in a way it was so much more. At the time, I suspected that the French benefited from the fact that Japan still continuously produced new Grendizer merchandise, and I think that theory still holds today.
I also got to attend a few Starcraft II events, which was wild.
Thank you to everyone who helped me out while I was living in a continent I had never even visited before. You've made my life that much richer, and I hope we can meet again someday. And yes, I am now aware of Alfred J. Kwak.
In a few days, I head to Otakon in Baltimore, which itself is undergoing a big transition with its eventual move to Washington, DC in 2016. Otakon is familiar territory at this point, yet I can't help but feel that there will be some strange kind of culture shock for myself.
While at this point we have an understanding of the concept of a "weak" protagonists in giant robot anime thanks to characters like Ikari Shinji from Evangelion, rarely are main robots allowed to exude an image of weakness and vulnerability as well. If we even look at Shinji himself, while he's known for being passive and lacking in will, the actual EVA-01 looks monstrous and acts even more terrifyingly.
In most cases when there is a "weak mecha," it ends up being a joke character's ride, whether that's Boss Borot from Mazinger Z or Kerot from Combattler V. In terms of actual main-focus giant robots, the closest this concept gets its maybe Dai-Guard the almost-literal "budget robot," or perhaps the perpetually incomplete Guntsuku-1 from Robotics;Notes. Maybe the Scope Dog from VOTOMS counts because it's so disposable, but like Dai-Guard it still at least looks strong.
Of course it only makes sense that mecha tend to be on the powerful side; they're giant mechanical humanoids after all. It's just something I'm starting to consider a potential limitation of the genre and an interesting space to explore.
Introduction: "Gattai Girls" is a series of posts dedicated to looking at giant robot anime featuring prominent female characters due to their relative rarity within that genre.
Here, "prominent" is primarily defined by two traits. First, the female character has to be either a main character (as opposed to a sidekick or support character), or she has to be in a role which distinguishes her. Second, the female character has to actually pilot a giant robot, preferrably the main giant robot of the series she's in.
For example, Aim for the Top! would qualify because of Noriko (main character, pilots the most important mecha of her show), while Vision of Escaflowne would not, because Hitomi does not engage in any combat despite being a main character, nor would Full Metal Panic! because the most prominent robot pilot, Melissa Mao, is not prominent enough.
Juusou Kikou Dancouga Nova, the 2007 sequel to the 1980s anime series Choujuu Jishin Dancouga, can be considered in some ways the epitome of an "average" anime. A more accurate description, however, would be that it's a show that is overall somehow fun and satisfying despite not living up to a lot of the ideas it presents, which is evident in not only its narrative but also its sense of characterization.
The basic premise of the anime is that four unrelated people in Japanese society are summoned to pilot the mighty super robot Dancouga Nova, which intervenes in battlefields around the world in order to aid the losing side. However, rather than simply aiding the weak, this mission of Dancouga Nova's is quite literal, as it will defend a military force one day and attack it the next, depending on that force's relative strength in any given scenario. It's an interesting idea to be sure, and Dancouga Nova even takes some steps to explore its consequences (a journalist character actively questions whether or not Dancouga Nova's actions are merely creating stalemates that perpetuate war, for instance), but given the obvious question of what this will all possibly lead to, the series responds by more or less dropping the issue like a hot potato and shouting, "aliens!!!" Then they fight the aliens and it's fairly exciting, but it leaves one wondering where the rest of the story went. As an aside, for some reason I find this less disappointing than how Gundam 00 transitioned between similar plot points despite being a stronger work overall.
Given these issues, it would be reasonable to expect the show's treatment of its characters to be equally inconsistent. This is indeed the case to a fair extent, as the members of the Dancouga Nova team are all defined by sets of traits that seem destined to lead jokes about their personalities that fall pretty flat, (though they don't come across as unbearable). Dancouga Nova gunner Tachibana Kurara for instance does the Golgo-13-esque "Never approach me from behind" thing, but the fact that she says it every time the situation calls for it turns it from an interesting character trait to a catch phrase that wears out its welcome (like most of the quips in the series). Main character and team leader Hidaka Aoi has the fewest of these qualities, which makes her lead position more enjoyable than if anyone else had as much of a spotlight.
However, whatever weakness in plot and characterization that exists in the show, it's worth nothing that its portrayal of the female pilots is for the most part neither putting them on a pedestal above men nor subordinating them to supportive roles. A number of series that focus on groups of female characters both inside and outside of the mecha genre have a tendency to be about how beautiful and wonderful the girls are, a setup which has its place, but here the team of four is divided between two men and two women, all of whom contribute in battle evenly.
(It's also interesting that all of the pilots are adults, rather than teenagers).
An additional female character is added later, but is shown to be just as effective as the others (and for a while is even their rival). Aoi herself is more or less a solid if underdeveloped character in terms of her portrayal, and while one possible criticism might be that she lacks agency in that she's thrown right into the thick of things with little say in the matter, that's more a problem for all of the characters in the show regardless of gender. In fact, the only point of "inequality" might be that the female characters (Kurara is a narcotics officer, Aoi is a professional racer and model) are more glamorous than the guys' (salaryman and hobo). However, beyond this, neither male or female characters are rendered useless, and even the sole situation that might be considered a "damsel-in-distress" situation is more a matter of a female character staying to fight knowing that she's at a clear disadvantage due to a number of factors wholly unrelated to her gender.
This is not to say that this series is aiming for a strong sense of feminism. On some level, all of the girls in Dancouga Nova are clearly supposed to be attractive feminine ideals, albeit in different ways. Fanservice, or more broadly the overt sexualization of its female characters, is certainly present in the series in quite a noticeable way. However, while creatively positioned camera angles and bouncing breasts appear throughout the anime, at the same time they are also not so prominent that fanservice becomes raison d'être for Dancouga Nova unlike a number of other similar series. For the most part, the anime keeps the "cheesecake" separate from the fighting, so battles do not consistent of prominent T&A shots while the female characters are being tossed around in their cockpits. Some revealing shots do occur in the action scenes, but they're usually brief and fairly mild, and instead the summoning of weapons and the destruction of enemy mecha comes across as powerful and mostly gender-neutral.
When it comes to Aoi in particular, I do find it notable that while she is a fairly hot-blooded type as befits a super robot protagonist, she still comes across as relatively subdued as far as passionate yelling pilots are concerned, especially when compared to the hero of the original Dancouga, Fujiwara Shinbou. In contrast, there is a similar character in Dancouga Nova, Kamon Sakuya (the homeless one), but his attempts at playing the role of the 70s super robot hero are, like Kouji from Godannar, mostly a source of comic relief. A part of me wonders if this is making some kind of statement, that the old school nekketsu inevitably makes way for a newer type to fit modern times. I must admit that my impression of Dancouga comes mainly from its appearance in Super Robot Wars and just a little bit of the actual show, but even from this partial view Dancouga is famous for its passionate yelling and a dynamic visual style that makes even standing still an exciting assault of flashing lights and colors and crazy exaggerated proportions courtesy of Obari Masami (animator on Dancouga, director of Dancouga Nova). Perhaps in light of this, the look of Dancouga Nova is not as exaggerated either. I would have chalked this up to "digital animation," except Choujuushin Gravion, also directed by Obari, proves otherwise.
Dancouga Nova is a simple show that presents a female mecha lead who, while not exactly at the forefront of feminism, is strong, confident, narratively significant, and passionate enough that it's easy to wonder why more characters aren't like Aoi. It's not so much that she's a shining example of a great protagonist, but rather that she (or a character like her) should be the base line of what is minimally required for a heroine in this type of show. Aoi can be a bit simplistic, but in that way that defines a generation of male heroes in giant robot anime. Of course, as Dancouga Nova shows, being able to portray a female character well doesn't necessarily mean a show itself is going to be amazing or that it won't have its fair share of problems, but all the same Dancouga Nova is made better for having a lead like Aoi.
Gundam Build Fighters is a fun series about people using Gundam model kits to fight each other, and it's absolutely oozing with references to both popular and obscure parts of the Gundam franchise. In the last episode, the anime pulls out what I think is the best reference of all, especially given the concept of the show.
In the final battle against the (scale-model) space fortress A Baoa Qu, the characters work together to take down a common threat. Among these characters is the father of the protagonist Iori Sei. Having won the silver medal at a previous tournament using a model of the original Gundam, in this scene Sei's father Takeshi brings out the Perfect Gundam.
Though it did get a Master Grade model kit a number of years ago, the Perfect Gundam is not the most well-known Mobile Suit in the franchise. Its relative lack of popularity, however, is less important than its actual origin. The Perfect Gundam is featured as the hero's Gundam in the 1982 manga Plamo Kyoushirou, which is premised around kids using Gundam models to fight each other in virtual reality environments. In other words, the appearance of the Perfect Gundam is actually an homage to the spiritual predecessor of the Gundam Build Fighters concept, reinforced by the fact that it's the father of the hero who is using it.
I finished watching Sengoku Majin Goshogun recently. It's notable for being an earlier work from the director of the early Pokemon anime, though overall it's an okay show at best with a kickin' rad opening. There are, however, a few things about the show that really stand out, and make the show fairly memorable.
Warning: Spoilers
Goshogun is abouta mecha-loving boy named Kenta who, along with the crew of the mighty robot Goshogun and their teleporting airship the Good Thunder, fight against an evil organization bent on world domination. While the episodes are often kind of bland and episodic, the ones which explore the pasts of the main characters tend to be quite interesting. It's one thing when the lead pilot Shingo is a generic do-gooder type, but it's another when you learn that his past was full of danger and tragedy and that he actively chooses to be the Good Guy in spite of all that.
Actually, the show in general has amusing characters. Remy Shimada is the fiery female character of the series, and while she often talks about not being able to get married and settled down due to her giant robot work, it's clear that she doesn't really mean it when she actively chose her path. The villain Prince Bundol is a handsome blond who plays classical music when he goes into battle and cherishes beauty so much that when someone tries to betray the heroes he dismisses the guy and doesn't follow through on his tip because "betrayal is ugly." One of the other villains, Kerunaguru (pictured above), a guy whose name basically means "Kick and Punch" and who owns a robot designed specifically to be beat in fits of anger. In one episode, he opens up his own fried chicken joint without any ulterior motives. The guy just wants to sell some good fried chicken on the side while assisting in global domination.
By far the most fascinating reveal of the show however is the secret behind Goshogun's ultimate attack, the Go-Flasher Special. First, it answers what the "blue button" mentioned in the opening does. Second, as it turns out later in the series, the Go-Flasher works by allowing the normally non-sentient enemy mecha to gain self-will, which causes them to override their controls and then voluntarily explode because they don't like being used for violence and evil. Basically Goshogun's greatest weapon is to give the enemy robots an existential crisis which makes them commit suicide. Now that's an attack.
Oddly enough, the best way to enjoy the character interactions of Goshogun is to watch the movie Goshogun: The Time Étranger, which curiously does not feature the robot at all.
Last spring marked an unusually robot-heavy season of anime where three mecha shows, Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet, Ginga Kikoutai Majestic Prince, and Valvrave the Liberator, took three different angles each of which had their own unique appeal. I originally wrote about them as a package, so now with all three shows finished (aside from the fact that Gargantia has another series on the horizon) I figure it's best to look back on them all at once.
Ginga Kikoutai Majestic Prince, which had a strong tokusatsu or even 90s anime feel to it, ended up progressing almost as expected, but without it being tedious or losing something in the process. In shows like Majestic Prince, there's usually some sort of humble beginnings, in this case the main heroes being the "losers" of their class, and comedy gives way to a more serious story as the narrative progresses until it ends up in a giant space battle. It's par for the course, but while I can't say Majestic Prince will change the way we think about giant robot anime, I do find that the show is a little bit of everything, nothing in particular that screams, "Wow, this is amazing!" but lots of minor things done well which make for an overall satisfying experience, and a more consistently forward-moving story compared to Gyrozetter. It's a popcorn anime, something you might show to an anime club or a group of friends to relax, where you find yourself gradually more invested by the final string of episodes. Because of this, Majestic Prince is the show I simply have least to say about, though I do want to point out that it has one of the most memorable death lines ever. You'll know it when you hear it.
Although Majestic Prince isn't a show I can talk about too extensively in terms of conceptual or thematic depth (it skims the surface of topics like genetic engineering and human behavior at the very mosy), Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet is the strongest of the three shows in terms of both its ideas and how it presents them. Its initial format, where Ledo, a boy from another galaxy who knows only war, is exposed to the everyday lives of the Earth characters and their concept of family, acts as a part of the science fictional exploration of its world and which become the backdrop for the show to reveal its secrets was somewhat of a source of disagreement and controversy. As people wondered how the story would turn out, there were both complaints that Gargantia spent too much time focusing on the daily lives of characters and that it too much time on its narrative drama. Personally, I think it ended up striking a very nice balance, as we got to learn about the culture of Earth away from the galactic war which they were ignorant of (perhaps for the better), but when it came time to get "serious," the show effectively used the context it established to make the circumstances and solution directly connected to the characters' "everyday."
Significantly, the series did not do the predictable thing and "bring the war to the people." Instead, it brought the philosophy and ideas which came out of the eternal state of war in which mankind out there in space had become accustomed to, and challenged the people of the Earth (as well as the lead Ledo) to confront and address them. The everyday lives of the characters became the very "weapon" by which they could defy the way of thinking imposed by the world Ledo comes from, and I think there's a lot to think about in that regard.
Out of the three anime, however, I suspect Valvrave the Liberator will, if not be the most memorable show, stick around the longest in the overall consciousness of anime fandom, though not necessarily for the best reasons. The rape scene in Valvrave is going to remain infamous, and it's something which is impossible to ignore but also shouldn't define the entire show. I really think the creators of the show wanted to use it for dramatic purposes but didn't quite understand what they were getting themselves into, evidenced by the fact that they eventually just drop the subject after some questionable followups. Whether that's better or worse than keeping at it, I'll leave you to decide that, but one thing I will say is that having the victim still be in love with her attacker doesn't inherently make for a bad or "harmful" story, as Watchmen manages to deftly incorporate something similar into its narrative and point out the difficulties associated with such a circumstance.
I was once asked why I kept up with Valvrave even though the show has a lot of odd and nonsensical twists to it, and I explained that the appeal of the show for me was about seeing if Valvrave was trying to celebrate the power of youth or criticize it. Even within the same episode it became difficult to tell if the show was saying, "Kids are the future, a source of new ideas and ideals," or, "Kids are so damn stupid! Man, I can't believe we let them touch anything!" I think by Season 2 it leaned more towards the former, but never entirely, and to its credit I think the second season was a huge improvement on the first, as its ridiculous qualities were focused down into a clearer direction while still remaining just as strange. Overall, I think the show turned out okay in the end even with the issues mentioned, if only because it managed to use its social media aspect to great effect, and shows a kind of tempered idealism. It also has a more satisfying conclusion than the Gundam 00 movie despite being fairly similar, but I'm not really sure why I feel that way.
It's difficult to judge the effect of having so many mecha shows close together has had on anime, if any at all, but it is true that a number of new giant robot shows premiering in 2014, from Captain Earth to the bizarrely named Buddy Complex. I think what I liked most about having each of these shows is that even through their ups and downs, Majestic Prince, Gargantia, and Valvrave all manage to maintain their identities as shows, with developments, characters, endings, and themes which keep the mecha genre from feeling like "more of the same." None of them are really similar in any way, and I hope this trend continues.


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"Rebecca Guay's artwork shows a distinct influence from the great Renaissance masters, revamped with a fresh dosage of contemporary cleanliness and edge. Depicting the lush, effervescent world of nymphs, gods and goddesses, these [images] capture an otherworldly realm rife with a softened kind of carnality. "
"Rebecca Guay's work is timeless and unabashedly beautiful. Her paintings and drawings seduce and beguile with suggested narratives. Somehow she marries mythic ideals with a contemporary specificity that feels like portraiture, creating a charged experience for the viewer." - Eileen Quinlan( artist ,Miguel Abreu Gallery, NYC, MOMA 2013 New Photography exhibit)
"Rebecca Guay's work is just plain scary . Not the subject matter (refreshingly and unapologetically romantic) and not how well she can draw and paint (though she is really really good)--No, for me it's her amazing eye for design and composition, the way she weaves patterns through things. It's the way the figures fit together, it's the hair, those wisps of drapery and whatever the hell else is blowing around though those pieces. That's the magic stuff. That's the stuff that drives me crazy." -Mike Mignola ( artist/ writer and creator of Hellboy)

subset: commoncrawl


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Limavady - 7522
Cottage | 3 bedrooms | sleeps 6
|Key Info
GF: lounge, kitchen/diner, utility room, 2 doubles 1 with ensuite shower room, twin, bathroom.
Electricity and oil central heating included, wood burner with starter pack, linen and towels included, No Smoking, travel cot, high chair, TV, video, dvd player, CD, microwave, dishwasher, washer/dryer, hairdryer, uk tv channels, welcome pack, fully enclosed garden, picnic bench, bbq, private off road parking. One small pet welcome.
|Sleeps up to 6, 3 bedrooms
|Car essential, Wheelchair users
|Family friendly
|Great for children of all ages, Suitable for people with restricted mobility
|Pets welcome, No smoking at this property
Features and Facilities
|Log fire, DVD player, Sea view
|Video player, CD player
|Dishwasher, Cooker, Microwave, Fridge
|3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms of which 2 Family bathrooms
|Double beds (1), Cots (1)
|Linen provided, Towels provided, High chair
|Wheelchair users, Secure parking
|Further details indoors
DVD;Stereo / CD Player;Video;Dishwasher;Microwave;High Chair;Travel Cot;Power incl;Linen and Towels;
|Further details outdoors
Enclosed Garden;Picnic Bench;Off Road Parking;Small Pets;
|Further details
Danny Boy Festival - 1-4 May
The County Derry region
Limavady Blues and Jazz festival - June 12-15
This stunning property is located only 2.5 miles from Magilligan village on the North Derry coast, 8 miles from Limavady. Furnished to a high standard with large kitchen and wood burning stove, the property is surrounded by countryside, with distant mountain views. From nearby Magilligan you take a ferry over to the rugged Inishowen peninsula for a fantastic day trip. Also locally you can visit the Roe Valley country park or the stunning coast from Portstewart to the Giant's causeway.
This stunning property is located in Magilligan and is an ideal base for exploring the north coast of Ireland. Beautiful Benone beach is only 4 miles away. This beach is an multiple recipient of the European Blue Flag and seaside award with 7 miles of golden sand. Other attractions such as Mussenden Temple, the National Trust property "Hazlett House", and the Roe Valley Country Park are all within easy reach. If you want to venture a bit further the ferry which runs from Magilligan to Greencastle in Donegal is just a 5 minute drive from the house and it makes a fantastic day trip to the rugged Inishowen peninsula.
Availability Your dates are available
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You're booking with
Imagine Ireland (Property Manager Imagine Ireland)
- 3 Years listed
Calendar last updated:28 Nov 2014
Based in United Kingdom
- English
- French
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- Landline
- 01271308047
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Choose from the following:
- Stormtrooper
- Yoda
- Darth Maul
- Darth Vader
We've heard your feedback and are continuing to build a better Slickdeals. Click here to check out the updated site.
Slickdeals Holiday Prize Giveaway
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. Subject to Official Rules.
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Frontpage Deal
Groupon has Lego Star Wars Key-Ring Lights for $5. Shipping is $2 flat-rate or free with purchase of 3 or more. Thanks gabe23111
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Forum > Deal Talk
Tags > Children > Kids Stores > Lego Children Stores > Groupon
Posted on 01/29/13 10:02am by gabe23111 (22572) promoted by yuugotserved (112717)
Original Post
Lego Star Wars Key Lights
Four Star Wars characters cast aside their lightsabers and blasters in favor of shooting bright LED light from the bottoms of their feet. Dangling from key chains, the figurines are always at the ready to cast their beams upon a keyhole or into opossum eyes at the touch of a button on the Lego figurine's chest. Traveling from a galaxy far, far away, each character comes with posable arms and legs and a detailed face, helmet, or respirator mask.
4 to choose from:
Link [groupon.com]
Wiki Community Board
This can and should be used by you to post updated deal information.
Be sure to read this because it may contain answers to your questions!
Unable to mix and match to obtain free shipping. Must buy multiples of the same character to reach $15 for free ship.
Beware: figures are about 4 in. tall, not your typical keychain sized item
Starting a list in case anyone wants swap their new duplicate LED keychains at a local public location for another one that they don't have. If interested please PM me.
UserID/Location/your duplicates/what you are looking for in exchange:
Tskarma/Orange County, CA/stormtrooper/Yoda or Darth Vader?
View Forum Thread
61 Comments
crablover2 ( 352 ) Jan. 29, 2013 at 8:57pm
I just bought the Darth Vader keychain light from my local brick and mortar Lego store before I saw the SD. It's $5.98 at the brick and mortar Lego store, 1/2 off from the original $12. It's slightly bigger than the regular Lego keychain figures --- it's 3" tall for the Darth Vader.
EmpyreanGrace ( 647 ) Jan. 29, 2013 at 9:25pm
The size is large with this one...
android_shopper ( 89 ) Jan. 29, 2013 at 9:56pm
Look at the size of that thing!
ijustchillin ( 10 ) Jan. 29, 2013 at 10:17pm
I'm assuming that this is not something to put into your jean pockets.
blackballoon ( 37 ) Jan. 30, 2013 at 12:29am
ViciousTide ( 70 ) Jan. 30, 2013 at 6:14am
These are going for $49.99 at thinkgeek.com what a rip off e-store.
crablover2 ( 352 ) Jan. 30, 2013 at 4:05pm
dealmuppet ( 87 ) Jan. 31, 2013 at 10:08pm
shipping kills it for me. I know it's only $2 but there's always a tipping point
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Hamilton Heights is fully accreditted by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). Both of these organization continual monitor the academic, social, community, and spiritual aspects of our school to assure we maintain and provide the highest academic standards with distinctive Christian influence.
Because of our accreditation with both of these outstanding institutions, our credits are fully transferable to other public and private high schools and are recognized and accepted by colleges and universities throughout the country.


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Moai is the mobile platform for pro game developers, with an open source SDK and cloud-based game services for rapid development of iOS and Android titles, all built in the industry standard Lua scripting language.
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BUZZINGS: Sandra Bullock Is Not Adopting Jesse James' Daughter, Public Rests Easy Knowing Daughter's Fate
• Sandra Bullock's rep has come forward and announced that Bullock will not be adopting or seeking custody of Jesse James' daughter. Great! Or not great! Whatever. We can't pretend to care anymore. (PopEater)
• Some women sell their hair when they are in dire financial situations, pop singer Kelis just steals it. (Bossip)
• Remember The Real World: San Francisco's Puck? Apparently he likes to do shots of Jack Daniel's while driving with his 9-year-old son. What a wonderful Dad! (The Superficial)
• Nick Cannon surprised Mariah Carey for her 40th birthday by buying her a pink Porsche. What surprises us is that Mariah didn't already own at least three custom pink Porsches by now.(Starpulse)
• Troubled country singer Mindy McCready has a sex tape, reveals that she had an affair with baseball star Roger Clemens and called Oprah a "racist." All in a day's scandal. (LimeLife)


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Defense Inventory Management:
Problems, Progress, and Additional Actions Needed
T-NSIAD-97-109: Published: Mar 20, 1997. Publicly Released: Mar 20, 1997.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
(202) 512-3000
Office of Public Affairs
(202) 512-4800
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed defense inventory management issues, focusing on: (1) a historical overview of defense inventory management problems; (2) measures taken by the Department of Defense (DOD) to improve inventory management; and (3) the actions DOD needs to aggressively take, both near and long term, to solve longstanding inventory management problems.
GAO noted that: (1) inventory management problems have plagued DOD for decades; (2) despite numerous efforts on DOD's part to correct these problems, GAO continues to consider inventory management a high-risk area because it is vulnerable to fraud, waste, and abuse; (3) as of September 30, 1995, about $34 billion, or about half of DOD's $69.6 billion secondary inventory, was not needed to support war reserve or current operating requirements; (4) most of the problems that contributed to the accumulation of this unneeded inventory still exist, such as outdated and inefficient inventory management practices that frequently do not meet customer demands, inadequate oversight, weak financial accountability, and overstated requirements; (5) DOD recognizes that it needs to make substantial improvements to its logistics system; (6) DOD has made little overall progress in correcting systemic problems that have traditionally resulted in large unneeded inventories; (7) DOD top management needs to continue its commitment to changing its inventory management culture so that it provides its forces with necessary supplies in a timely manner while avoiding the accumulation of unnecessary materials; (8) to effectively address its inventory management problems, DOD must adopt a strategy that includes both short- and long-term actions; (9) in the short term, DOD must continue to emphasize the efficient operation of its existing logistics systems; (10) this includes reducing and disposing of unneeded inventory, implementing efficient and effective inventory management practices, training personnel in these practices and rewarding the right behavior, improving requirements data accuracy, and enforcing existing policies and procedures to minimize the acquisition and accumulation of unnecessary inventory; (11) in the long term, DOD must establish goals, objectives, and milestones for changing its culture and adopting new management tools and practices; (12) a key part to changing DOD's management culture will be an aggressive approach to using best practices from the private sector which, if applied in an integrated manner, could help streamline DOD's logistics operations, potentially save billions of dollars, and improve support to the military customer; (13) in GAO's opinion, DOD has not been aggressive enough in pursuing these practices; and (14) recent DOD reengineering efforts have not incorporated some of the most advanced practices found in the private sector for reparable parts, and they have been slow to adopt best practices for hardware items.
Nov 20, 2014
Building Partner Capacity:State and DOD Need to Define Time Frames to Guide and Track Global Security Contingency Fund ProjectsGAO-15-75: Published: Nov 20, 2014. Publicly Released: Nov 20, 2014.
Ford-Class Aircraft Carrier:Congress Should Consider Revising Cost Cap Legislation to Include All Construction CostsGAO-15-22: Published: Nov 20, 2014. Publicly Released: Nov 20, 2014.
Nov 19, 2014
Defense Contractors:Additional Actions Needed to Facilitate the Use of DOD's Inventory of Contracted ServicesGAO-15-88: Published: Nov 19, 2014. Publicly Released: Nov 19, 2014.
Nov 18, 2014
Overseas Military Construction:Observations on U.S. Contractor PreferenceGAO-15-45: Published: Nov 18, 2014. Publicly Released: Nov 18, 2014.
Oct 30, 2014
DOD Space Systems:Additional Knowledge Would Better Support Decisions about Disaggregating Large SatellitesGAO-15-7: Published: Oct 30, 2014. Publicly Released: Oct 30, 2014.
DOD Business Systems Modernization:Additional Enhancements Are Needed for Army Business System Schedule and Cost Estimates to Fully Meet Best PracticesGAO-14-470: Published: Sep 30, 2014. Publicly Released: Oct 30, 2014.
Oct 16, 2014
Specialty Metals:DOD Dissemination of National Security Waiver Information Could Enhance Awareness and Compliance with RestrictionsGAO-15-133: Published: Oct 16, 2014. Publicly Released: Oct 16, 2014.
Oct 10, 2014
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Oct 8, 2014
National Defense:Department of Defense's Waiver of Competitive Prototyping Requirement for the Navy's Fleet Replenishment Oiler ProgramGAO-15-57R: Published: Oct 8, 2014. Publicly Released: Oct 8, 2014.
Sep 30, 2014
Afghanistan Equipment Drawdown:Progress Made, but Improved Controls in Decision Making Could Reduce Risk of Unnecessary ExpendituresGAO-14-768: Published: Sep 30, 2014. Publicly Released: Sep 30, 2014.
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LET YOUR MOOSE LOOSE by LET YOUR MOOSE LOOSE Xmas 2010 - almost 4 years ago
"We celebrate Christmas enjoying a famous Christmas movie. During the gift opening a T-shirt associated with the movie sets the theme for each holiday. We get into our T's and jammie pants and enjoy..." view full details
2nd Annual Cousins Christmas Party by 2nd Annual Cousins Christmas Party - almost 4 years ago
"This picture is from our Second Annual Cousins Christmas Party. 24 of us got together this year and it was a blast! Our t-shirts from CustomInk made the party even better! Thanks CustomInk!" view full details
black and white by RICHIE RUDON - almost 4 years ago
"christmas party at my work caribbean produce exchance." view full details
GrisWallace's Christmas Vacation 2010 by GrisWallace's Christmas Vacation 2010 - almost 4 years ago
""Tis the season to be Merry"! Our Wallace family favorite movie is National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation about the Griswold family's disasterous yet hilarious Christmas holiday vacation. Our fami..." view full details
Christmas eve 2010 by Jackie - almost 4 years ago
"Christmas eve I buy the kids matching pj's every year. Customink made my search a breeze this year!" view full details
MRMC by Mariah - almost 4 years ago
"This is at our family Christmas and it was a surprise to our grandpa/father! He designed these shirts a long time ago and nobody could fit into them anymore so we decided to make new ones :) The re..." view full details
Got Pepper? by Marybeth - almost 4 years ago
"This is a traditional polish Christmas dinner and we make all the food (500+ perogies) ahead of time and we use a TON of pepper - however SOMEONE always comments there isn't enough." view full details
Nelson Lab Holiday Party by NelsonLab - almost 4 years ago
"This was taken at the Nelson Lab holiday party with our tshirts that feature the word "Genomentum" coined by Stan Nelson! " view full details
Hell's Kitchen by SpeakerBox - almost 4 years ago
"Our team loves to cook and we have lots of cooking competitions in our office! As our annual holiday gift, we gave everyone an apron with the SpeakerBox logo on it. It was a huge hit!" view full details
Turkey Day by Rebecca - almost 4 years ago
"This Turkey Day t-shirt was for my family's Thanksgiving celebration where we have tons of food and games. The shirts turned out great--thanks, CustomInk!" view full details


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The Press Newspaper
The Press Newspaper
Bulletin Board policy
Lenten Fish Fries weekly March 7 through April 18, 5-7 p.m., Epiphany of the Lord Parish – St. Thomas Aquinas, 729 White St. Featuring Alaskan Pollock, scalloped potatoes, green beans or corn, cole slaw or salad, roll and butter, coffee and homemade desserts. Kids' meals and carryouts available. Info: 419-698-1519.
Block Watch 410-N for the East Toledo Old Heffner School Area meets every 4th Monday of the month 6:30-7:30 p.m. at 2075 Kelsey Ave. Residents who live within the boundaries of Starr, the RR tracks (Belt Street), Dearborn and Lemert, Seaman to the I-280 Bridge and any surrounding neighbors/ business owners are also welcome.
Block Watch 420-C Meeting Martin Luther Lutheran Church, 601 Nevada, the 4th Thurs. of every month from 6-7:30 p.m.
VFW Post #2510 offers Friday-night dinners from 4-7 p.m. Public welcome. Meetings are held Tues. at 7 p.m.; Men's Auxiliary meets the 1st Tues. and Ladies Auxiliary meets the 4th Tues.
Waite High School Alumni from the Class of 1951, meet the 2nd Mon. of every month. For info, call Betty at 419-691-7944 or Fran at 419-693-6060.
Clay High School Band Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser Feb. 20, 4:30-7:30 p.m. in the high school cafeteria, 5665 Seaman Rd. Drive-thru and carry-out service available. 50/50 and gift basket raffles.
James "Wes" Hancock Oregon Senior Center Annual Chili Cook Off Feb. 28, 5-8 p.m. at St. Michael's Centre, 4001 Navarre Ave. Prizes for Judges' Choice, People's Choice, and Best Chili Name. Deadline for entries is noon Feb. 25. Tickets $6. Call the center at 419-698-7078 for tickets, rules, and entry forms.
Theology with Toast, meets the 2nd Wed. of the month at 10 a.m. at the Little Sisters of the Poor, 930 S Wynn Rd. On Feb. 12, Sue Shrewsbury will discuss Helping Hands of St Louis. Coffee and rolls at 9:30 a.m. For info, call Alice at 419-698-0405.
Senior Book Discussion Group meets the 1st Thursday of most months, 2:15-3:15 p.m., Oregon Branch Library, 3340 Dustin Rd. No registration is required. Books are available at the library circulation desk for extended check-out. For info, call 419-259-5250.
Oregon Branch Library, 3340 Dustin Rd., announces the following programs: Preschool Storytime meets Wednesdays through April 9 at 10 a.m.; Babytime Storytime meets Thursdays through April 10 at 10 a.m.; Saturday Surprise drop-in activity programs Saturdays through April 5, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
"James Wes Hancock" Oregon Senior Center, 5760 Bayshore Rd., open weekdays 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Daily activities include: bingo, fitness classes, line dancing, exercise, Bunco, Euchre, and health screenings. Lunch served at 11:30 a.m. daily. $2.50 donation is suggested for seniors 60 & older; all others $5.32. Reservations required 24 hours in advance. 419-698-7078.
Toastmasters Club meets the 1st & 3rd Tues. of each month, 6:30 p.m., Lake Michigan Room, ProMedica Bay Park Hospital. Visitors welcome. Info: Julie at 419-836-5051/Allen at 419-270-7683 or visit d28toastmasters.org and click on "Great Eastern Club."
Fish Fry every Fri., 5-7:45 p.m., Northwood VFW 2984. Featuring fish, steaks, shrimp and chicken. Public welcome.
Beginners Bible Study for Teens & Young Adults, Sundays, 5 p.m., Northwood 7th-day Adventist Church, 2975 East Point Blvd. Everyone welcome. Info: www.northwoodadventist.org or 419-698-5100.
Jerusalem Twp. Food Pantry, open 2nd Wed. of every month, 9-11 a.m. at the township hall, 9501 Jerusalem Rd.
Elmore Book Discussion Group meets the fourth Thurs. of the month at 11 a.m. at the Elmore Library. Call 419-862-2482 for info.
Storytime for Preschool-Age Children Wed. at 11 a.m. at the Elmore Library, 328 Toledo St. Call the library at 419-862-2482 for more info.
Elmore Senior Center-Elmore Golden Oldies, Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, 19225 Witty Rd. Lunch served Tues. & Thurs. at noon. Reservations required by 10 a.m. the day before. Blood pressure & blood sugar checks the 4th Tues. of the month; bingo the 4th Tues. of the month after lunch. Reservations: 419-862-3874.
Elmore Conservation Club Trap Shooting every Wed. from 6-9 p.m. and every Sat. from 5-9 p.m. Questions: 419-392-1112.
Tail Waggin' Tutors Therapy Dogs visit the Genoa Branch Library, 602 West St. the 3rd Wed. of the month from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Children may practice their oral reading skills by reading aloud to the dogs. Storytimes for preschool-age children are held Tues. at 11 a.m.; Morning Book Discussion Group meets the 3rd Thurs. of the month at 9:30 a.m.; Evening Book Discussion Group meets the 3rd Tues. of the month at 7 p.m.; Adult Craft Classes offered the 1st Mon. of the month from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Call the library at 419-855-3380 to register.
Genoa Senior Center 514 Main St., serves lunch Mon., Wed. & Fri., 11:30 a.m. (call 419-855-4491 for reservations). Card playing Mon. & Wed. at 12:30 p.m.; blood sugar checks offered the 2nd Wed. of the month; bingo Mon. at 9:30 a.m. Trinity Thrift Shop, 105 4th St., hours are Fri. 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. & Sat. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Clothes & small household items available at reasonable prices. Proceeds benefit mission projects.
Genoa Community Food Pantry Open monthly on the 3rd Thurs.3:30-5:30 p.m. and the following Saturday of the same week, 10 a.m. - noon. Serving those who are in Genoa School District. Proper ID and billing address within the district required. Pantry is located at Christ Community Church, 303 West 4th St. Info: 419-855-8539 or 419-341-0913.
Active Seniors invited to Meet & Eat at Gibsonburg Senior Center, 100 Meadow Lane. Lunches every weekday, educational and social programs, health assessments and more. Transportation and home-delivered meals available. 419-637-7947.
Mobile Food Pantry sponsored by the fire department auxiliary every 3rd Mon. of the month, 5-7 p.m., Fire Station 1, 4505 Walbridge Rd.
Fish Fry Feb. 21, 4-7:30 p.m., American Legion Post #114, 221 Park St. Sandwiches and dinners available. Dine in or carry out. Public welcome.
Food for Thought Food Pantry at Oak Harbor Alliance Chapel, 11805 W. SR 105, the last Wed. of each month from 5 to 7 p.m. Info: 419-707-3664.
Public Dinner Feb. 15, 4:30-6:30 p.m., Pemberville United Methodist Church, 205 Perry St. Serving choice of ham loaf or meat loaf, green beans, salad bar, roll, homemade dessert and beverage. Carryouts available. Info: 419-287-4040.
Pemberville Area Senior Center at Bethlehem Lutheran Church provides programs & activities for adults 60 & over. Open 10 a.m.-2 p.m. M-F. Lunch served at noon.
Community Food Pantry at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 220 Cedar St. open M-Th, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (excluding holidays). Open to Eastwood School District residents. ID & proof of residency required. Info available at Pemberville churches.
Woodville Public Library, 101 E. Main St., Storytimes, Mondays, 7 p.m., featuring stories and crafts. Lego Club (grades K-6), meets the 1st Sat. of the month from 10-11 a.m..; KidzArt (grades K-6) meets the 1st Sat. of the month from 11-11:45 a.m. Info: 419-849-2744 or www.birchard.lib.oh.us/Wdv.htm.
Movie Matinee Feb. 15, 1 p.m., Woodville Public Library, 101 E. Main St. Bring a blanket; popcorn supplied.
Pete the Cat Party Feb. 19, 7 p.m., Woodville Public Library, 101 E. Main St. Stories, crafts and cupcakes.
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The Bridge Hotel is located 400 yards from Weesperplein Metro Station, so it is easy to travel into the center or connect to the train stations (Amstel or Centraal). We rolled our luggage from the Metro with no problems.
The canal view rooms were great and had an excellent view of the Skinny Bridge and the boats passing by. A very relaxing place to be for morning coffee/tea and post sight seeing journies.
Breakfast was plentiful and the staff was very helpful with sightseeing directions.
We stayed for 2 nights and would stay there again.
- Reservation Options:
- TripAdvisor is proud to partner with Booking.com, Hotels.com, Expedia, Travelocity, EasyToBook, Odigeo, TripOnline SA and Tingo so you can book your The Bridge Hotel reservations with confidence. We help millions of travelers each month to find the perfect hotel for both vacation and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.
- Also Known As:
- Bridge Hotel Amsterdam


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Posts from Vegan
Recipe: Stuffed Eggplants with Herbed Bulgur
Recipes from The Kitchn
When the heat begins to break and you start spotting pomegranates at the market, you know that fall is creeping up, bring with it new school schedules, pumpkin patches, and apple picking. For some of us, this seasonal transition also represents the start of a brand new year.
With Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, around the corner and fall in the air, I bring you a crowd-pleasing vegetarian dish of eggplants stuffed with herbed bulgur, pomegranate seeds, and pine nuts.
Recipe: Maple-Tamari Roasted Almonds
Snack Recipes from The Kitchn
Quick and simple snacks that are portable, taste great with ice cold beer, and can be made in a flash are, in my opinion, the best kind. In the heart of the summer, I usually prefer farm fresh snacks like cherry tomatoes sprinkled with sea salt or radishes dipped in hummus, but now that the days are growing shorter and there is a chill in the air, snacks like these roasted almonds are a welcome change.
How Art, Creativity, and Cooking Are Connected in My Kitchen
Kitchen Diary: Mercedes in Amsterdam
Today we welcome a new contributor to our Kitchen Diaries series: Mercedes Leon, a pescatarian (but mostly vegan) cook who lives in Amsterdam with her husband and four children. We're so excited to welcome Mercedes and her point of view to The Kitchn. Meet Mercedes! — Faith
My journey begins fifty-one years ago on the island of Cuba. By that time the revolution had already succeeded and Castro had become the leader of the country. The new government instituted food ratios in order to try to equalize food distribution in the country.
As a result, besides often not getting enough to eat, much of the food that was available to the general population was simple and basic.
Why Some Vegans Are OK With Eating Oysters
Food News
Recipe: Thai-Style Corn Chowder
Weeknight Dinner Recipes from The Kitchn
Recipe: Roasted Sweet Potato Slices with Cilantro Pesto
Recipes from The Kitchn
There are two ways of thinking about foods we used to hate. First, regret — for missing so many years of oysters or chunky peanut butter or what have you. Second, gratitude that there is still something new to be discovered at the table, foods that were waiting in the wings to come on stage and take us by surprise. I take the second path with sweet potatoes, the tragic victim of marshmallow-topped sludge in my impressionable childhood, but now one of my chief food loves.
There's nothing of childhood casseroles in this colorful and satisfying sweet potato platter of simple roasted rounds topped with a chutney-inspired pesto of cilantro, coconut, and garlic.
Can I Make a Sponge Cake Without Eggs or Dairy?
Good Questions
Recipe: Banana Date Smoothie
Recipes from The Kitchn
Recently, a friend mentioned a smoothie that she'd tried in a café and loved — she didn't have the recipe, but knew it included bananas, dates, cardamom, and a squeeze of lime. I was a little skeptical, but cardamom is officially my weak spot since traveling twice to India, so of course I had to try recreating it. Although I'll never know if this is precisely the smoothie my friend loved, I don't really care — this blend is perfection for me.
Recipe: Chocolate & Pistachio Popcorn Trail Mix
Recipes from The Kitchn
While I love an afternoon snack of popcorn with just some butter and salt (and maybe a little Parmesan if I'm feeling frisky), this recipe is a completely different beast all together. This popcorn has big, crunchy clusters of dark chocolate, dried fruit, and pistachios. It will power you through an afternoon study session — and it works equally well as a party snack! Stick a bowl of this mix out on the table and watch it magically disappear.
Recipe: Matcha Green Tea Shake
Drink Recipes from The Kitchn
I was commiserating with a friend the recently about the heat and she told me her latest afternoon addiction was a shake made from matcha, the Japanese powdered green tea. "Blend matcha powder with milk, sugar, and ice. Green frothy jolt at 2pm!"
Easy enough. I put down my work and raced to the blender.


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Route 3
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Forum Board Number 124
Posts: 3,957
Re: Route 3
Originally Posted by
Investigating bells
Gee, you sure know how to cheer me up, don't ya?
Mr. Narrator has, indeed, lost his noodle. But I think I found that out somewhere between the rampaging Electivire and the near-arrest. Still, good to have you back. I think.
I wandered up to the bells, awestruck. What on earth could these be doing here? This was the middle of the forestas far as I could tell, there was nothing here. No houses. No people. No civilization. Just open space. It was nice to be back out in the sunshine again, but I had to wonder what was with this place.
But the bells I walked up to the one in the middle and let my hand rest on the cold medal. They had a certain charm to them; beautiful, almost. I couldnt tell how long it had been here, but I assumed that it must have been here for quite some time. I had the sudden urge to ring it, curious to hear the sound they would make.
I glanced over to my Pokemon, intrigued by their behavior. Did they know this place? If so what did they expect me to do? Maybe they wanted me to ring it? Well, I didnt see any harm in it, plus I was very curious to hear its chime. I gave the middle bell a good push and waited for the song it would sing.
Official's Post:
Just doing my job! If I see a spade, I'm calling it a spade.
Don't worry! Plenty more Electivire-esque narrations to come, I assure!
There was little around to imply any kind of history or association with the bells. Their appearance here was as unusual as a cow's appearance on Route 1. Completely unusual.
You ring the middle bell.
It lets out a harsh melody, almost deafening the ears of you and your fellow companions.
However, despite the pain-inducing noise that has just come about you and your squad, Freya and Blaze do not look unimpressed. Freya flaps her wings enthusiastically, squawking and flailing and moulting feathers everywhere. Blaze, on the other hand, lets out a large roar - the flame on his tail doubles in size for a few seconds. The bell appears to have had a strange effect on your Pokemon. They look much more powerful now! (
Freya and Blaze have earned +2 battle/evolution experience.
As the bell lets out its final chime, the ground surrounding it begins to crumble. The bell collapses and falls into the depths below, leaving a gaping crater in the earth where it once stood.
Two bells remain.
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The Empire apple was developed by Cornell University scientists in 1966 at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva as a cross between Red Delicious and McIntosh. Empire apples have a sweet-tart taste that is ideal for eating and salads but also great for sauce, baking, pies and freezing. Stored correctly, they have a crunchy texture people love.
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Brad & John: Podcasts
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The guy with a neck tattoo that says "murder" is on trial for murder
Alan Parsons
The musician\producer\engineer joined BnJ to talk Pink Floyd, Beatles, Michael Jordan and horses!
Animals attack!
Today it's a moose and a giant rat!
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I Can't Believe it's News 4/28 early
A trailer full of "Axe" body wash was stolen…a kid loses an arm in a pasta making machine…and the Osama Bin Laden bar!
The Trash 4/28
Is George Clooney getting married? Gregg Allman wants to halt production of the movie about his life…and Snoop blasts Donald Sterling.
Monday's 9:30 Knucklehead
Donald Sterling of the LA Clippers for his racist remarks…..and because Snoop Dogg blasts him bigtime!
I Can't Believe it's News 4/25 late
A new upscale Taco Bell?? A knife attack at Golden Corral.. and a kid tries to get his mom to pay a ransom.
I Can't Believe it's News 4/25 early
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The Trash 4/25
William Hurt is out of the Gregg Allman biopic…Tiger's ex is friends with his new girl…and the Raiderettes are in Penthouse!


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Years ago in Huntsville, Texas just around the corner from my aunt and uncle's house was a convenience store. The sign for this store was something that cracked up my father and I for many years. It read (in all caps): BEER WINE GAS DRUGS AMMO. It is difficult to imagine anyone could want much more ... More >>
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The old Houston Post building inside the 610 Loop near the Southwest Freeway will become the new home for most all of the Houston Chronicle's operations, it was announced today. Promising to develop a "state of the art" facility, the Houston Chronicle Media Group, publisher of the Houston Chronicl ... More >>
Last week the Houston City Council presented a proposed change to an ordinance that would levy a fine on people who hoard. Not just the grandma who keeps a huge collection of china dolls, or the dude who can't throw away the last 650 issues of Playboy. We're talking about the folks you see on telev ... More >>
Joel Osteen's megachurch became more than a half-million dollars less prosperous, according to reports, following a theft from the Lakewood Church coffers over the weekend. The church sent out a letter to churchgoers on Monday, the Houston Chronicle reports, telling them about the theft of cash, ... More >>
After Chef Philippe Schmit left his namesake restaurant, Philippe, back in September, the chef de cuisine at the time, Manuel Pucha, took the reins as executive chef. Now, Philippe's name will change to Table; the restaurant will close on Saturday, January 11, to prepare for its reopening, which is ... More >>
We hope to see these places open soon.
Update: According to Chron.com, eyewitnesses say the woman who was killed by the Metro train was riding down the tracks. One witness reportedly yelled at her to get off the tracks before she was struck by the train. Original Post:Details are still just trickling out, but according to multiple media ... More >>
Houston has known for that Blanco's days are numbered for a little while. About six weeks ago, the Houston Chronicle reported that the honky-tonk in River Oaks had been sold to nearby St. John's School as part of a 13-acre land deal to expand the independent private prep school with a student body o ... More >>
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The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email email@example.com ... More >>
Photo by Mike GiglioThings are very quiet at the vote-watch "parties" tonight, as the candidates and their supporters settle in for what's likely to be a long night of seeing who ends up being the odd person out.This description, of the Annise Parker bash, is pretty much true of the others. Excep ... More >>
We've written before of the Houston Chronicle's cozy way of doing pro-bidness journalism in years gone by.Today's Chron offers another charming piece of evidence.The Bayou City History blog, which is always interesting, posts some photos of the development of the North Loop.One of the pictures in ... More >>
Highlights from the Blog at HOUSTONPRESS.COM
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The Houston Chronicle has come out with a Holiday Gift Guide, and so has the Houston Press. We at the Press pointed out to readers that "the luxury industry has taken a hit just like the rest of the economy, which is good news for you." We suggested "a silver charm bracelet or even diamond earrings" ... More >>
Oliver Stone's W. opens Friday, but critics around the country have already attended screenings so they can have their reviews ready for that day. Except in Houston. Apparently, according to one local film critic, W.'s studio has decided not to have any critics' screenings in Houston.
Houston has a national rep for taking down buildings. So why are these eyesores still standing?
A booster has been messing up downtown for years
Homeless pols, rail guardian angels and drugs for City Council
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KPRC has an FBI man to state the obvious
Yates trial judge makes a captive audience of the media
The marriage of local TV news and the World Wide Web is rocky
Dr. Freud, breast obsession on Line 2
The Chronicle gets honored at a downtown bash
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A proposed Medical Center project gets big, big play
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The Olympic vote is hush-hush at the Chronicle
Jonathan Feigen, Houston Chronicle