hontou ni » Black Lagoon

[Zyl] Comic Market 80 Cosplay Picks II

Zyl — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 05:08:44 +0000

Possibly one of the least disturbing images to bear the caption "Stripey with Child"

Part Two of my selected C80 cosplay photographs; the first installment was posted over at Sea Slugs!

My second favourite: Bakemonogatari's Shinobu Oshino

Don't think Shinobu ever wore any footwear though...

She's definitely an experienced cosplayer - no shorts underneath but not a flash of pantsu ever

Comiket staff member (middle) counting down on the photo shoot in the background (left)

My third favourite: also from Bakemonogatari, Mayoi Hachikuji

Give me your "lost" look, says I

Mari from Evangelion 2.22

MISAKA Imouto (Serial Number unknown)

Yuki Nagato (Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya Ver)

She kept in character the whole time - speaking extremely softly, deadpan expression throughout

Fate Testarossa (1st Season and A's Ver)

Come to think of it, it's quite rare to see StrikerS Fate cosplay

The ever popular Asuka and Rei combi - this race queen version doesn't even appear in the TV series or movies!

Just look at the number of camera lenses pointed at them...

Mikoto and MISAKA Imouto - I just *had* to get them to pose together and was gratified that both were very receptive and sporting; loved how the MISAKA cosplayer always addressed the Mikoto cosplayer as "Oneesama"

Menma and Poppo from Ano Hana

Somehow Ano Hana just rubbed me the wrong way so I never got past Ep 5. Apparently I'm not the only one. Maybe one day I'll give it another go someday when my default emotional state is less foul.

I know next to nothing about Touhou except it's a bottomless swamp; this is Sakuya Izayou I presume?

Speaking of bottomless swamps, I've lost count of the times there's a Madoka cosplayer in the background of my photos LOL

Eda and Revy from Black Lagoon - almost could not stomach the final ep of Roberta's Blood Trail

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Black Lagoon 22-24

Zyl — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 16:29:53 +0000

DOUBLE-BERETTA-FANG-TAN. Yappari the only way to crush a blogging backlog is Blitz Rush!

Ep 22: Revy and Gin take on Chaka and his goons head-on. Rock liberates Yukio with cleaning fluid and a bowling pin. With Revy's help, Chaka's gang is easily disposed of. However, Yukio denounces Rock for speaking his homelies while still staying in the twilight. Rock sees another girl claimed by darkness, just like Revy.

Most impressive ~~breasts~~ berettas.

By the power of Chidori and Haruhi, you will be punished!

A waza never used by honourable men.

Not quite Dugu Quibai yet. One mountain still got one mountain high!

Interesting contrast between Balalaika in the dark and Lolilaika in the light. Seems to reinforce the Confucian (in contrast to the Legalist line) that people are born with a good character but turn evil for want of food, security and virtuous cultivation.

Ep 23: The Washimine Group is systematically being dismantled. Spurred by Yukio's challenge that he doesn't really want to save her, Rock tries to plead for Washimine when Balalaika tells him that she's going to talk to their enemies, the Kousa Council. Later he reaffirms his ties with Revy and Roanarpur by telling her that he had returned to Japan to forget his past.

Pwns Gilbert Durandal. At least she isn't playing against and having conversations with a dead masked man.

One of the problems of this season that I noticed more, besides the voice acting's variable command of English, was the stark contrast in animation quality. A lot of the close-ups especially of the guns are gorgeous but some of the in-between scenes are terrible, as illustrated by the two caps above. Hopefully these will be cleaned up on DVD - am looking at the DGz DVD rip of Nanaha A's and the quality is one sky one ground compared to the original TV-based release.

Revy's theory of the walking dead. You only stay walkin' if you don't cling to life. A lesson that Rock puts to use against a threat in the next episode.

Another demonstration of Rock's ability to get in and then out of trouble through his way with words. Quite interesting also how Anego changes her pistol grip from right to left. In Afghanistan, she's definitely a right master eye shooter (which then determines which hand you use to pull the trigger). From this scene I had thought that her right eye is somehow damaged, especially with the eerie glow around it in this scene. However the next episode proves me wrong; she can shoot accurately using her right eye after all. I suppose I was just reading too much into this scene because at this range, it doesn't really matter which hand or eye one is using, right?

Gosh, that's how many episodes of Compassionate Revy face in a row? We shall call it "The Rock Effect".

Ep 24: Wow, what a conclusion. Rock effectively uses his words to get the Kousakai leader killed and then later it's the reaction that his words elicit from Yukio that allow Revy to defeat Gin.

Since you're not Itsuki, your face is not too close. Anego praises Rock for having becoming a great villian and I have to agree. He's more or less managed to get a much more powerful person to do what he wants and to be willing to accept the methods and cost if it achieves the aim he wants.

Rock and Beria's shock is just priceless. I'm sure that adds to the shock bonus on the Kousa side.

"There's no profit in a shootout here." Talk about flawed assumptions, Mr Kousa, especially since you've seen how Balalaika turned on their erstwhile allies, the Washimine group. I'd say that unpredictability is the interdependent variable in theis kind of terror; power is the intervening variable that allows that to be operationalised. Stalin was a master of keeping his subordinates constantly uncertain of his intentions and Balalaika certainly shows how this intelligent capriciousness can often be deployed to devastating effect.

Rock acknowledges his debt to Balalaika as well as accepting his responsibility for what has happened. At this point, I'd have to disagree with some comments on my previous post on the interpretation of this scene. SANITY asserted that Balalaika had framed Rock while Haesslich pointed out that it won't matter as (1) fingerprints won't survive immersion in water for long and (2) it won't matter since Rock will be in Roanarpur and out of Japanese jurisdiction.

Rock takes the gun from Balalaika and then very deliberately presses all his fingertips against the metal housing enclosing the firing mechanism and barrel. Him saying that he won't forget that he pulled the trigger today reinforces the intentionality of incriminating himself.

In general, the oil used to clean firearms and the anti-slip coatings on the grip and trigger means that guns rarely have fingerprints that are admissable as evidence. The magazine is another story. While I agree with Haesslich that fingerprints will degrade in water, Rock knows that the police are waiting outside and that they will send a forensics team very soon.

The closeup of the fingerprint on the gun in the pond is a strong indication by the animation studio that the police will be able to get Rock's fingerprint, especially since we are shown it right after the International Section guy says that if the police can't get to Balalaika directly, at least they can get her Japanese contacts.

I'd argue Rock wants to have his prints on that gun because, in a sense, he caused these deaths and also because this piece of forensic evidence effectively severs his links with Japan - if he ever returns and is caught, the authorities will have a solid link to him and the Kousa killings. He is effectively putting his money where his mouth is. And that's why I find him to be an honourable man, if in an underworld sort of way.

Brushing aside the 'civilian' police and abusing diplomatic immunity 4tw. Revy's motorcycle getaway was so awesome too. Though Balalaika's gokigenyou gave me some pretty strange ideas. After that Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha crossover picture, anything is possible!

Yeah, I couldn't believe it either. Kidnapped by a high school girl. Though no ordinary high schooler at that. Ah, the path to true love is never smooth.

Revy saved by Rock's verbal bullet. Even though I'd say they're even because she was fighting to rescue him from Yukio and Gin. With respect to the last Washimine Group head, if you strip away everything, honour, family responsibility, obligation and so on, I would guess that she went down this road because she loved Gin and had a certain idea of the kind of world that he wanted to live in. Alas.

Ending with a bang! LOL

Powerful closing episode. I had thought that the Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise arc was a tad long but everything fell into place beautifully, especially Rock having his equilibrium disturbed and then having really made his resolution and commitment to continue watching from the twilight - which is where he gets his comparative advantage in the city of darkness I suppose. His relationship with Revy also seems to have deepened considerably with a lot more trust and none of the trivial bickering from the earlier part of the first season. Though not romantically or sexually as Eda is so fond of needling Revy about. Eda *must* be a recurring character simply on that basis alone.

Having not read the manga, I was a bit apprehensive as to whether the Second Barrage could keep up the pace and action of the first season which had surprised me with its unexpected emotional depth and consideration of difficult themes without taking an easy way out. This second season has certainly delivered on action, character development, emotional power especially the Hansel & Gretel arc and this concluding one. Would certainly love to learn more about the backgrounds and see more development of so many of the characters, everyone in the Lagoon Company, Balalaika, Eda, Chan. Hope that there will be a third season!

Black Lagoon 21

Zyl — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 00:39:13 +0000

Lolilaika orz. Jason gets full credit for coming up with the nickname. Obviously also the consequences if the Russian mafia comes after him. -_-;;

So we've got more background. So Balalaika looks like a grade schooler in 1976, a lieutenant in Afghanistan in 1987 and down and out in Moscow in 1992. There's a hint about her father's honour, probably some kind of military defeat or failure. We also learn that she's a great sniper, probably Olympic calibre. Still would like to know how she got her scars - burns?

Of course I couldn't miss this scene out. Yukio's junior has definitely got akogare for her at the very least. So nice to see her realize that something's very very wrong after her endless yakking about her trivial problems while Yukio is thinking about Yakuza power struggles and rampaging Russian ex-Spetsnaz.

Revy surprises again by backing Rock to the hilt. She's his gun and even calls him "Master". Rock could, of course, ruin everything by asking her to wear Roberta's outfit. More seriously, she's putting his interests, opinions, future above hers and trusting him completely in this. I dunno but, in other contexts, this might be call luuurve.

Anego's comment about the cuteness of the bellboy was just so funny, especially when it elicits only the stony-faced silence of Beria and the rest of her men. I guess that's one of those things that gives Rock a positive buff to his verbal sparring with her. And what an obscenely huge tip too, that thick wad of JPY 10,000s. Think of the number of figures he could get!

Chaka is an arse. I'm sure even Harima could take him down.