SamBakZa, the group of Korean artists responsible for the famous Flash animation series “There She Is!!”(about the relationship of Doki the bunny with Nabi the cat) has released the 3rd installment, “Doki & Nabi” in last May. Now that this group is being funded, their releases will become faster, with the 4th installment predicted to August 20th. Meanwhile, have fun with the 3rd Flash after the jump.

Ps: For a second version of the intro, press the upper right cloud on the starting screen.

Pps:Here’s a link for ZamBakZa’s flash movie page, including There She Is step 1 & 2.

It’s not about the end but rather how you got there.

So after finishing a rather grueling lab I decided to rent some movies about 3-D folk and wound up watching something that I had been meaning for some time to see but with that rolling release it never came to my end of the earth. So Journey from the Fall is a historical drama that was based on the experience of those who survived the camps and the perilous journey in leaky boats. It was quite different from the typical Vietnam film as it deals much more about the consequences of the North Vietnamese victory in 1975 and lacks the glory, action, and moonshine of jungle warfare that marks most films that deal with the Vietnam War. It does something I wish all films with an anti-war theme would do, namely show the consequences of war rather than the heroics of war. Perhaps one day the complete story of the Vietnam War will be told and reflected upon by less impassioned minds, but nonetheless it is part of the minority of films that dealt with what happened to the Vietnamese Diaspora who count themselves among the lesser known victims of the war.

Just because you go for realism doesn’t mean you can’t be snide…

These two figured out the best use for a communist.

It’s a real tear jerky film but the events remain somewhat universal to most of the people who fled Vietnam in the years after the communist victory and those who languished in camps. I like that it doesn’t try to debate the morality of the war because just about every one lost, with exception to the politburo. The film covers the fall, the camps, the journey, and the not so smooth assimilation to the new home. I can’t find the words to describe the film other than that it was good. I hope more people would take the time to see it now that it has been released on DVD. If your family did recently immigrate to a new land then I think that you can relate to most of the assimilation arc. I know I chuckled a bit inside when some of the scenes reminded me about how my parents struggled to make ends meet.

The leaky boat.

Sad thing is not all of them made it.

Even if it deals specifically about the refuges and prisoners of the Vietnam War, it is also a reminder that even at the end of a war there is usually the issue of displaced persons and refugees. Often the ensuing refugee crises in the wake of conflict hardly illicit the sort of international response than the mobilization for and the opposition to war, and seldom become topics of discussion. It might be a presage of things to come when a state fails, or harsh regimes gain hegemony. I hope that in the future that even if people are vocal about their opposition to war that they retain such drive to solve the problems that come after. It is rather sad that in the case of Vietnam the willingness to oppose the war did not translate into corresponding motivation to cope with the ensuing refugee crisis. Regardless of politics I hope the enthusiasm to complain about a mess will some day equal efforts to deal with the aftermath.

If nothing else you should see this film because it was banned in the People’s Republic of Vietnam.

I’m not a very big fan of YGO (In fact I don’t like the show because it keeps on dragging for hundreds of episodes and people will get bored overtime if filler episodes continue to flood.) but I’m still wondering how that person did it. Hmm…..

Presenting you another KH parody video by our dear pwilliard again. This time, the KH characters are lip-snyching the trailer of National Treasure: Book of Secrets. pwilliard’s done it again and okay, so it’s not funny but i think he done it pretty well.

And before I forget, this video has won first place this week for best KH fan made video in kh-vids.net. kh-vids.net is the official site for posting KH videos, subbed or dubbed and if you want to go look for more parody videos, go to kh-vids.net.

Cast (In case you don’t know who’s who.):
[In order of appearance]
Marluxia (Cloaked) – Jeb Wilkinson
Sora – Ben Gates
Ansem the Wise (Old guy with red scarf around his neck) – Abraham Lincoln
Leon (Or Squall Leonheart on FFVIII) – Patrick Gates
Roxas – Riley Poole
Kairi – Abigail Chase
Zexion – John F. Kennedy (Haha)
Mickey – The President (Current)
Saix (Cloaked guy with long blue hair and a ‘X’ scar) – Secret Service Agent #1
Axel (Cloaked guy with red spiky hair) – Secret Service Agent #2 (Saix and Axel’s role are…’haha’)
Chasers (If you’ve been a big fan of KH, you know what it is) – NSA
The Organization (Cloaked people) – CIA
Yuffie (From FF VII) – Emily Appleton

This is a new section I’m starting here on THAT where we will be showing stuff made by the several anime/manga fans around the world or even works made by our readers. Send your suggestions and/or works to That@animeblogger.net with the subject “Fan Made Corner”. Don’t forget to write your name or the name/link of the author of the work.

To start we have a fake Flash Trailer of Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro ( the new supernatural detective anime this season) who was made when the anime wasn’t even announced yet. Considering the creator only used parts of the manga and none of the real anime, we must gaze in awe with the excellent work the had with the animation and with the song he chosed .

To see the Flash, press the picture above or use the link below.

Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro Fake Trailer

I’m sure many of us are familiar with the concept of the “host club.” In fact, many people should be somewhat familiar, especially with the finishing of the recent comedy anime “Ouran Koukou Host Club.” Have any of you ever wondered what a real host club was like though?

Recently, I saw a film/documentary by the name of The Great Happiness Space, which gives the viewer a insider view of how the many male host clubs in Japan truly operate. Boy, was I surprised. I knew that the reality of the host club was no fun and games a ‘la Ouran, but the truth was pretty eye-opening.

In The Great Happiness Space, we are taken in by one of the (not sure if they are #1) most popular male host clubs in Osaka, Japan. The club name is “Rakkyo,” and the owner, Issei, prefers to call his club a “pub/cafe.” Common knowledge dictates that their occupation is to entertain various women clientele and that very base fact is shown to be true.

I found the entire documentary to be very down to earth and real for the viewer. Throughout the film, there are lots of one-on-one interviews with various employees as well as members that really does shed some light on the subject. Not only that, the interviews do not attempt to censor or sugarcoat anything. I found the many interviews of Issei to be of particular interest, as he revealed many different things.

For example… He has sex with practically 365 women a year. He drinks about 10 bottles of wine a day (but throws up so much that sometimes, blood comes out). The lowest earning member makes as much as a normal business salaryman does per day of work (some make as much as 30000 per month). The women he serves annoy him to the edge sometimes. Etc etc.

What was even more astounding were the interviews with the customers that made me want to slap them in the face, lol. The customers spend thousands and thousands on these guys everyday and idolize them to the point of resorting to more shameful (in my opinion) methods of earning money. In fact, most of the women who attend such host clubs are prostitutes, cabaret, and host club workers themselves! How ironic is that? Many of the women were originally not prostitutes, but resorted to it as a method of paying for their host club lifestyle.

And ironically, they end up depending on the host club members for emotional support/healing from their the job that they started to pay for the host club in the first place. It’s a vicious and unfortunate cycle that they have hit.

While watching this, I must say, I had mixed feelings about all the people participating in this exchange. In regards to the host club employees, I find their line of work to be something that I cannot respect. Sure, it’s good to cheer customers up and give them a good time, but most if not all of the interactions involve false emotions and senses of love. The customers adore the host club members, and as a result, resort to prostitution and defiling themselves only to throw the thousands they make back at the host club employees.

In contrast, I also occasionally feel some odd sense of sympathy for the employees since they seem to be stuck in an endless loop as well. The guys all seem to want a real relationship, but have no time to pursue one. Sometimes I wonder what time they have to use the tons of money that they earn. Sure, you can make a million dollars per month, but if you work from 1pm to 7am, what time do you have to spend your hard earned money? In addition, the years of providing this “acting” service and dealing with women non-stop has scarred their personalities as well. For example, Issei talks about how sometimes he isn’t even sure which personality is the real him.

I highly recommend this documentary to those who have been somewhat interested in it. I thought that it would be a monotonous and boring watch, but surprisingly found myself intrigued by the realities that it presented. It will be an intriguing look in a separate society that is often overlooked by the outside world.