As of recent, I’ve been doing two things: playing DJ Max Technika (of course!), and playing a card game by the name of Weiβ Schwarz. Pronounced something like “vice scha’wars” and translated into “white black”, the game, like its spiritual predecessor Lycèe, features characters and events from several popular anime/manga/game properties. Players fight to “over-level” their opponent – once an opponent hits level 4, that player loses – but the more you become damaged, the stronger you get.

How did I get wrapped up in all of this, though?

Tsubasa, Rome, and Chun bought booster boxes and starter packs and at first I was interested in the game, but the steep price of booster boxes – $80 after shipping from Hobby Search – made me cringe.

Then came Anime Expo. NIS America stocked the English-language version of the Disgaea starter deck at their booth (featuring the only English-language cards in the entirety of the game), and Tsubasa picked one up for Rome, who refused, because he already had a Japanese Disgaea starter. I made an offer to buy it, because it was $12, but not before Tsubasa decided to keep it instead.

I borrowed it while hanging out at Tapioca Express one night, Chun eagerly offering to teach me the game. Playing against his Persona 4 deck, I successfully managed to learn the ropes of the game and defeat him (or at least make him concede when Tap closed). I wanted more.

I asked Tsubasa when he was going to make his next order. Soon, he said, so I promptly logged onto Hobby Search to see what was left (we seem to have a sort of agreement not to touch each others’ properties, although that never was explicitly stated) that I could partake in. Rome had Disgaea, Fate/stay night, Mai-HiME/Mai-Otome/Sora wo Kakeru Shoujo, and Clannad; Tsubasa laid claim to Nanoha StrikerS and Da Capo; Chun had a stake in both Persona 3 and 4. I didn’t know too much of  Little Busters!, despite the Key fan inside of me wanting to play it, I surely didn’t want to touch Zero no Tsukaima, and I have yet to play a Shining Force game.

I called Tsubasa up and told him to purchase for me a Lucky Star trial deck and Konomi Yuzuhara sleeves so that we could save on shipping costs. The rest is history.

Here’s that history: I used to play Magic: the Gathering when I was in middle and high school. There was a shop at the local mall that dealt in Magic cards; I used to buy cards from there whenever I’d get allowance.

My sophomore year of high school, I discovered Megatokyo, which I found to be an amusing read – and I got into fansubbed anime. I was rather curious about Kanon, seeing as how Piro hyped it up so much, and so I watched the anime and I quite enjoyed it. That was the beginning of my Key fanaticism.

A couple of months after Air aired, the card shop had “bishoujo deck boxes and life counters” in stock. I don’t think they knew where the characters came from, but I surely did; I walked out of that shop that day with an Ayu Tsukimiya deck box for $8 and Ayu and Misuzu life spinners for $3 each.

It used to hold my elf tribal deck. Now, seven years later, it holds something much, much more fitting: that Lucky Star deck, in Konomi sleeves.

Where am I going to go from here? With everyone else fine-tuning their decks with their surplus cards after test-playing them a couple of times, I’m very tempted to get a booster box of my own. The problem with that, though, is the steep cost of entry: once again, a box of booster packs costs $60 before shipping.

It’s going to take a while, but I’ve decided, once again, that I want more, and it’ll happen in due time.

Something I just realized: Tanabata – July 7 – is coming up in nine days.

Tanabata happens to be the birthdate of the Hiiragi twins, of Lucky Star fame.

Tanabata also happens to be the day the first episode of Sora no Manimani is aired. (I sorta realized this a bit late, but when I did, part of my mind was blown by this fact.)

During Tanabata, it’ll supposedly be 83 degrees here, much better than what I lamented about in my last post.

Tanabata will surely be a good day.

College finally gave me some free time. I decided that I should use my time productively and actually catch up on this thing called “modern-day Japanese animation” and “the fall 2008 season”.

Hidamari Sketch x365 (12 episodes watched): THEY NEED A THIRD SEASON HURRY UP AND ANNOUNCE IT DAMMIT HOUBUNSHA/SHAFT/WHOEVER OH AND MAKE IT 52 EPISODES AND GIVE IT A REALLY HUGE BUDGET

Kemeko Deluxe (1 episode): The most random thing I’ve ever seen since FLCL. In short, I’ve got a love-hate affair with it.

Tales of the Abyss (5 episodes): A pretty good adaptation of the game. Also, a pretty fast-paced adaptation of the game (but that’s to be expected). Good going, Sunrise.

Lucky Star OVA: This actually had me laughing all the way. Also, best ending ever (“It’s true that I asked for water, but this is SORTA DIFFERENT, YA GET WHAT I’M SAYIN’”).

Natsume Yuujinchou (completed): Episodes 7 and 13 are the best. He’s too damn good. He better come back in Season 2.

Strike Witches (4 episodes): I initially was really wary of this, due to the copious amounts of fanservice, but once I got over the culture shock (if you can call it that), it became tolerable. Also, Gonzo fails at rendering 3D; I’m not sure whether or not it’s me, but there are a lot of places in episode 1 in which the 3D rendering lagged a bit.

Bounen no Zamned/Xam’d (12 episodes): As Rome pointed out to me, this series holds the honor of being an action series in which all the episodes are good, but none of them really stand out in any way in that Code Geass SHIT’S GONNA HIT THE FAN THIS EPISODE way. Also, Furuichi is a dumbass and needs to die already.

Quiz Magic Academy OVA: Konami continues its track record with really bad anime (read: Saint October, Sky Girls, TokiMemo Only Love)! Alas, I kept watching it anyway. Aloe is awesome.