Emma

4 years 4 months ago

"Ooh, this was another overlooked anime. It's a maid anime but it doesn't feel like the usual maid anime. *thinks of "He is my master"*. The artwork is gorgeous, especially the backgrounds, and the voice acting is spot-on. The music is also very well done, the ending is actually recorders (or something that sounds like recorders).
As fooblued has said, it is short but has a plotline. And the plotline moves, which surprised me a bit. Highly recommended. "
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DNAngel Wall

4 years 4 months ago

"I think the wings look as you say "flat". How about changing the blending mode to overlay or soft light? Try tweaking the layer properties too so you can get your desired transparency/glow. Are those round things on the side meant to be a halo, or just part of the background? If it isn't a halo, then maybe you should lower the opacity so people won't mistake it for one. I also think that you could lose the comets streaking on the right hand side, they don't seem to fit in. The font could also use some work, instead of one flat white colour, try duplicating the layer and changing blending modes/colours or adjusting the layer properties so it doesn't stick out from your background so much. I think you could also remove the row of ghostly boxes on the top, it looks a bit odd. "
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Texturing a curved surface

4 years 4 months ago

"Thanks for all the tips! I installed cs2 just to try out the warp and it doesn't seem to have that problem with the blurry edges that distort->spherize does. "
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Rei Wallpaper

4 years 4 months ago

"I think the original was more sharp than this current version? One way to get rid of the horizontal lines would be to redo the tonage? Or you could color select and blur only the grey areas and not the black lines. However, I am no photoshop expert so maybe someone else would be more qualified to give advise on this point. If you really want clarity though, you should re-vector her, then you could resize it and make it a 1600x1200 wall. "
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What is your favorite Studio Ghibli Movie?

4 years 4 months ago

"It has got to be Princess Mononoke, which was the first anime film that I ever watched. From then on, I was addicted. It made me realize how sanitized the Disney storylines were. Here we have people who have more than one side to them and flying body parts! It was also the first time I'd ever seen those little ghost things and the idea of gods of the forests being talking animals was all novel to me. It was definately mind-expanding and an unparalled introduction to japanese culture. The way the mononoke were treated was very interesting. Unlike the gothic stuff of western culture, they treat them with reverence, and as a part of the natural order of things and not something to be feared. It was a viewpoint I'd never encountered before being raised under western influences. I blame Miyazaki entirely for inciting my anime addiction and general obsession with japanese culture :P"
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Last Days of Summer

4 years 4 months ago

"Try using the rubber stamp tool on the transparent parts using the source point the non-transparent part? If not, then I say ditch the wings altogether, I personally think the girl is enough. "
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Mai-HiME Maid

4 years 4 months ago

"I wonder if they can top the 1st season which was one hell of a ride. "
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Texturing a curved surface

4 years 4 months ago

"I've been wondering how to overlay a pattern over a curved surface in photoshop. There is the transform distort or skew command, but it seems to transform it in a flat plane only. Anyone knows?"
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Last Days of Summer

4 years 4 months ago

"The wings look a bit transparent at the bottom, and the birds could use some shading to make them look more 3D instead of being cut-out as it is, otherwise, I don't see anything wrong with this wall. I think your blending skills are much better than mine at any rate. :D"
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Harry Potter Anime??

4 years 4 months ago

"Harry Potter anime? I thought the usual order was books->animation->tv live action->movie with variations. I think if it were made it would pale in comparison with the movie version. This reminds me of C.S. Lewi's narnia books being turned into animation, and it wasn't a very good transition. "
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The Ofuji award

4 years 4 months ago

"I was browsing Mind Game websites when I came across this page about the Noburo Ofuji award, supposedly the most coveted animation award in Japan.

http://www.pelleas.net/aniTOP/index.php?p=173&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

and the list of awardees intrigued me. I reproduce it here

1962
Osamu Tezuka: Tale of a Streetcorner
1963
Little Prince and the 8-Headed Dragon
1964
Makoto Wada: Murder
1965
Yoji Kuri: Human Zoo, Love, Chair, Aos
Tadanari Okamoto: A curious medicine
1966
Osamu Tezuka: Pictures at an Exhibition
1967
Yoji Kuri: Two carps, The Room
1968
Kazuhiko Watanabe: The Ugly Duckling
1969
Takashi Yanase: The Gentle Lion
1970
Tadanari Okamoto: The Flower and the Mole, Home My Home
1971
Akikazu Kawano/Takeo Nakamura: Tenma no Torayan
1972
Kihachiro Kawamoto: Oni
1973
Tadanari Okamoto: Praise Be to Small Ills
1974
Kihachiro Kawamoto: The Life of a Poet
1975
Tadanari Okamoto: The Water Seed
1976
Kihachiro Kawamoto: Dojoji
1977
Tadanari Okamoto: Towards the Rainbow
1979
Cagliostro's Castle
1980
Taku Furukawa: Speed
1981
Isao Takahata: Gauche the Cellist
1982
Tadanari Okamoto: The Magic Ballad
1983
Barefoot Gen
1984
Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind
1985
Night on the Galactic Railroad
1986
Laputa
1987
Osamu Tezuka: Legend of the Forest
1988
Totoro
1989
- No award -
1990
Kihachiro Kawamoto: Sleeping Beauty
1991
Tadanari Okamoto/Kihachiro Kawamoto: The Restaurant of Many Orders
1992
- No award -
1993
Shigeru Tamura: Milky Way Fish
1994
- No award -
1995
Memories
1996
Nozomu Nagasaki: Rusuban
1997
- No award -
1998
Shirokumi: Mizu no sei: Kappa Hyakuzu
1999
Alexander Petrov: The Old Man and the Sea
2000
Blood the last vampire
2001
Kujiratori
2002
Millennium Actress
2003
Winter Days
2004
Mind Game

Personally I have only watched Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind, Laputa, Totoro, Memories, Gauche the Cellist, Blood the last vampire and Millennium Actress. I'm curious if anyone has seen the more obscure titles, and what are their impressions of them.
"
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weird stuff you've eaten.....

4 years 4 months ago

"I think I just lost my appetite :P I think probably the weirdest thing I've eaten is the congealed blood thing they put in soups. "
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Texhnolyze

4 years 4 months ago

"

This is an extremely strange series. I actually gave up after the first episode, but came back to it later. The art is beautiful, but the plotline confusing. I still can't decipher what exactly happened after watching the whole thing.

I'm not very good at reviews, so I'm going to post a link to http://www.designchronicle.com/memento who has done a rad job of the first part of the series. My personal opinion follows.

*SPOILER SPOILER*



I think it tries to be too symbolic. What is the purpose of those flowers? What is the significance of plunging that sword into that obelisk thing? Are the people of the upper world dead? Or recordings? To me it seems to be making a concerted effort to disturb the viewer *evangelion vibes* by throwing together these disconcerted gestures, but makes no real attempt to link it all together, but that's my personal opinion. "
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Harry Potter: Half-Blood Prince

4 years 4 months ago

"**SPOILER SPOILER**


Yeah, I too was misled by the "half-blood prince" bit. I thought Harry would have to retrieve the half-blood prince's potion book from the room of requirement at least. Well, maybe it'll reappear in the next book."
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Rei Wallpaper

4 years 4 months ago

"I personally think two-tone walls are fine. See http://www.animepaper.net/wallpapers/Rurouni-Kenshin/entry1926/ and http://www.animepaper.net/wallpapers/latest/entry3933/ for examples of black and red walls. I think you could try to remove the horizontal lines on Rei's uniform, and maybe sharpen the background moon and clouds a bit. Maybe you could add some shadows to the ribbons too. If you look at the bow on the uniform and compare them to the ribbons she's tied up with, you can see the difference. "
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any onw watched the anime movie "Steamboy"?

4 years 4 months ago

"Haha, yes I know, but I always compare any anime feature to mononoke ><;; my idiosyncratic habit. "
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any onw watched the anime movie "Steamboy"?

4 years 4 months ago

"The plot as Furikuu pointed out did make a stab at technology and human nature, but I thought it was predictable
*spoiler spoiler*

when the seemingly altruistic "What is science for? For the happiness of mankind" turnd into avarice when he attempted to coerce Ray. Then again maybe I expect too much after watching Princess Mononoke. "
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Rei Wallpaper

4 years 4 months ago

"Although the bluriness is intentional, I think that it's not that effective at isolating the red bow.. I think that you should retain the original scan's sharpness, the colour contrast is enough to isolate the bow. On the other hand the bow by itself stands out too much, how about colouring the bandages/ribbons red too, so it will be a two-tone wall?"
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Harry Potter: Half-Blood Prince

4 years 4 months ago

"*SPOILER SPOILER*



I don't think Dumbledore will be entirely absent, he still has his portrait, and I think he will still have an active role (albeit more consultive). Someone will have to fill the leadership position though, but it isn't certain exactly who... could it be that mysterious person who got to the Horcrux first?"
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Harry Potter: Half-Blood Prince

4 years 4 months ago

"

**SPOILERS SPOILERS**




I too think that Snape will feature in the sequel very prominently either aiding or impeding Harry's quest. The fact that he hesitated a little when performing the bond with Narcissa could mean that he may turn Voldemort traitor, if he can get over his hatred and anger. I also think it was the author's intention to kill Dumbledore at some stage in the game so he can become a portrait in the headmaster/headmistress's office and dispense advice even after death.. As for Dumbledore planning for Snape to kill him, I don't think Dumbledore's personality would allow that possibility, shrewd as he is.. but I may be wrong.

"
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Harry Potter: Half-Blood Prince

4 years 4 months ago

"It definitely felt like fanfiction at some points especially the strange pairings mentioned. Remus is my favourite character and the author

*SPOILER ALERT*


paired him with Tonks?
Weird, just weird. "
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Sleeping In Nothing

4 years 4 months ago

"http://img326.imageshack.us/img326/8328/preview25vh.jpg looks faded somewhat, if you're going to go with faded, why not go all the way faded by lightening the skin tones and the black outlines and the background black -> pastel? That would remove that harsh red lighting... I think the orb in the background can stay so she can cast shadows for more depth. "
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Wallpaper File Size

4 years 4 months ago

"I think the limit should be raised to about 900K for 1600x1200 wallpapers. I compressed my latest wall at 60% and it still crossed 800K (but less than 900K). Any more compression and I began to see noticable blurriness. "
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Soaring

4 years 4 months ago

"*nudges nuniko* Hey, I think we have another painter on our hands :D I agree with nuniko that the sun should go. It doesn't fit in with the detailed look of the girl. I think you should also lighten the colour of the girls dress, so it fits in with the general feeling of lightness. Maybe a gradation of colour from light brown to pink/orange in the background would also give more colour. Looking forward to see the final result. Go at them, highknees! "
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