Assassination Classroom

Assassination Classroom is a manga written and illustrated by Yuusei Matsui (OMG! He's on Goodreads!)

The manga is currently being translated and released in the US and the first season of the anime is out on Hulu and other outlets.

It is an amazing series with the weirdest premise ever! And it challenges us as humans as well as plays with words and roles.

Premise: A powerful being has destroyed a large chunk of the moon. Having proven his power, he tells the governments of the world that he will destroy the earth. However, he is willing to wait a year before doing so, thus giving them a chance to try to figure out how to destroy him, if they give in to certain demands....

He wishes to teach a class of students... Not only that, he encourages them to try to kill him. Though he's promised not to hurt any of them for doing so.

The big yellow guy is Koro Sensei - his name was given to him by his students as he did not have one of his own and the name is a play on words - Koro coming from the work Korosu (To kill) - Sensei means Teacher.

Koro Sensei cannot be harmed by conventional weapons (the government has tried!), but he can be heart by a specially formulated plastic. (The green knives on the poster are made of it. As well as the bbs that go in the grenades and the guns) He can also travel at Mach 20, and can move so fast he can make illusions of himself appear before different people if he so desires.

A government official is there to teach the kids how to handle themselves even as Koro Sensei truly teaches them academics. He's quite good at it, too. Even tailor makes the lessons and exams for each individual student. And he encourages them at every turn for them to do what they can to kill him. The governments have enticed anyone willing to try with a 20 Billion Dollar reward. (Only high officials, the Principal of the school, and the students, know what's going on - the governments don't want a panic.)

The kids are in Class E of a very prestigious school. They are considered the losers of the student body and are housed in an old school building at the top of the mountain - no air conditioning, the butt of everyone's jokes, the 10% to be sacrificed so the 90% will excel.

Nothing is ever as it seems. Especially when the monster, Koro Sensei, seems more human than most of those around them. It is from him that the students in Class E start learning they do have worth.

Brilliant and fast, Koro Sensei also has a strange collection of quirks and issues. Chaos in a yellow package. And way too much fun!

I hope you go check it out. Let me know what you think!

Angry Birds - The Star Wars Edition

Oh yeah, you heard right...Angry Bird Star Wars!

Not a combo I ever expected, but it's actually quite fun. Here's a few pics to show you what I'm talking about.

1st opening screen. You can see the Angry Birds version of all our favorite Star Wars Heroes. Hee! 

A sligthly wacky but ever so recognizable theme song starts here. Wish I could take a zoomed pic of this as the tie fighters have snouts and piggy ears. Heh heh.

Tattoine is the first puzzle world. Also, you can see the Deathstar from here. Love the creativity of making everything look pig like. Too cute!

These are all the Tatooine levels. You can see a Sand People Pig on the right. On the left are quick movies. The levels/planets are playing in actual sequence to Episode 4. 

One of the Tatooine puzzles. Click the link to enlarge the pic to get a real nice look at the Pig Storm Troopers. Hee! As their armor takes damage, you can see the real pig beneath. 

The baddies get lasers on some of the screens. Which is only fair as the characters get powers!

Luke starts out as just a plain Angry Bird (Like the Red bird in the original games). Later on though, he gets a lightsaber!!!!  A big sweep attack you can activate during his arc. 

Obi Wan has a Force push, time slow thing. That one is tricky to use.

Han Solo, when triggered, will shoot 3 laser blasts. They introduce metal walls around that time so you can actually do bank shots!

I've seen R2-D2 and 3-CPO in a bonus screen. R2 shoots lightning and 3-CPO blows up into shrapnel. 

On the space puzzles you get gravity thrown into the mix, so the thrown birds will curve or go straight depending on the celestial bodies. 

Needless to say the game is totally cute! And Chewbacca really IS a fuzzball! lol 

Here's the dramatic trailer for the game - recreation of Obi Wan and Luke at the Bar. Heh heh heh.

Hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving!

Costumes Galore! Another Fun Reason To Go To Convetions

One of the most fun parts of going to all the different types of conventions and things I go to is to wallow in the awesome creativity of fans!

This past weekend found me at the Dallas Comic Con Fan Days. Figured I'd share some of the awesomeness from there, and Animefest from September.

Gimbly's Father. What's supercool about this costume is that the hat and beard are all one piece and made of yarn! Click on it for a bigger version. Too darn cool. 

I loved this one because not only did it not take a lot to look like the character, but she had her pose and attitude correct which added to the whole ensemble to convince us of who she was. (Psst, Madeline from Burn Notice.)

Is this not the most awesome thing ever?! She looked fantastic! And she even had tail feathers out the back.

This wowed me with the super attention to detail. She looked awesome!

Here's another one. From Assassin's Creed. He looked fabulous!

Wished I'd caught his staff on the pic because it glowed. Great Loki and Hawkeye.

They do so make going to these things worthwhile. Woot!

One of Society's Greatest Myths - Age Inevitably Breeds Wisdom

I don't know about ya'll, but ever since I was little and was able to watch cartoons and read, I've had it drilled into my head that old people are WISE. They've lived, they've learned, they've cultivated wisdom. You too can be (Insert Figure Of Wisdom From TV/Books/Movies Here) in your old age.

But like the Cake, peeps, this too is a LIE!

Yes, there are wise people out there (young and old ones!). Yes, some of them gained their wisdom by living their lives. But most of us? We're the same as when we were twenty, only now we're just wearing an older meatsuit. So if we didn't have a lick of sense back then, it's highly likely we won't have much more in our golden years.

Now that doesn't mean we don't know nothin'. You young whipper snappers do need to remember that. The wisdom gaining might be a big old fib, but it does not necessarily make you smarter than your elders. I'm just sayin'.

But it is something to keep in mind. When meeting new people, when writing about them, when socializing with them. The old bod might not allow for older folks to do the same stuff they used to when they were younger, but this doesn't mean they don't still enjoy those things.

If you were a biker Mama in your 20's, no reason you can't still be one in your 60's if the eyesight and bones are holding out. Of course, some of that mythological wisdom we were supposed to have magically acquired would help us to make those determinations more easily, so we don't make bad choices, but since it's a lie... :P

My husband and I have hung around the same circle of friends off and on our whole married lives. Many are a little grayer, a little wider than they used to be, maybe even a little smarter, but wiser? Errrrr.

So cultivate your wisdom. Grow it inside yourself as best you can. Old age will not be handing you the secrets of the universe on no silver platter. And remember that next time you go visit old Grandma or Grandpa, they might just surprise you in what they might consider fun and would be willing to learn to spend time with you. Despite their wrinkly exterior, they are more than likely still just big kids at heart. :)