...you don't look a book up on the internet before you're done reading it.

*pounds head ruthlessly against keyboard*

Maybe if I bang hard enough, I'll un-know it. Goddamn son of a bitch.

Yey, Thanksgiving! A day dedicated to eating: my favorite kind of day.

Anyway, I've been watching Kuroshitsuji lately. I'm not far at all, but I gotta say, I'm less impressed than I expected to be. I normally fall in love with the stoic, mysterious types, which is what I understood the butler, Sebastian, to be. So, being the sucker for that archetype that I am, I expected to melt into a drooling puddle whenever he entered the scene, like I always do.

Instead, I just found myself being extremely irritated.

Seriously, Sebastian suffers from the worst case of Author's Darling Syndrome I've ever experienced. I'm used to the quiet types in anime being unnecessarily badass, but Sebastian just takes it to disgusting levels. I mean, the first episode itself basically introduces all the other servants as foils to Sebastian's awesome. They're not characters--they have flat, cookie-cutter personalities and exist only to mess shit up so Sebastian can show how amazing he is when he fixes it in some epic way. I like awesome characters, but when a writer goes so far as to create characters for the sole purpose of expressing that awesome, it gets to me. I think I might like Sebastian and that whole anime a bit better if those other servants had personalities, or more of a purpose above just screwing up so Sebastian can look cool. Either that or just get rid of those other servants all together. They serve no other function in my mind, and I think I'd actually appreciate Sebastian a bit more without them.

Then there's the premise of the anime itself. To me, it's nothing more than a mash of Loveless and Hellsing--and a very poor mash at that. Both sources from which Kuroshitsuji drew its inspiration from are, in my opinion, far better. The relationship between Sebastian and Ciel is the thing that irritates me the most, because it balances between the extremes of the master-servant relationship presented by both Hellsing and Loveless, and it does so with all the grace of a unicycling elephant. Sebastian is presented time and again as an emotionless demon, not unlike Hellsing's Alucard, while Ciel adopts this Integra-like persona, in which he orders around Sebastian without feeling, often describing the butler as little more than his "pawn." Yet then the two are shoved together in these odd scenes of softness that smacks eerily of Soubi and Ritsuka. Maybe it's just because of Ciel's character, but if that's the case, then his character is too fickle for my tastes. Is he the little boy or the ruthless Count? Maybe he's just having an identity crisis, but if that's the case, then Sebastian certainly doesn't handle himself well in response. If he's supposed to be a monster with no feelings, why is he giving Ciel dance lessons? I just...I don't get it. If Kuroshitusji wants to be shota, it should just do it, instead of dancing around it. Because it can't seem to make up its mind about how it wants the relationship between Ciel and Sebastian to play out, it's left vexingly shallow. I feel no attachment to either character and no interest in anything that transpires between them. Maybe it's just because I love the master-servant relationship so much, especially where the servant is the seemingly stronger character, that I've watched and read many other things where it was done much better.

That's not to say that the anime is horrible. I'm giving it a lot more flak than I meant to. I was just horribly disappointed that I actually, against all odds, came to despise the stoic character I was expecting to like. Sebastian aside for a moment, there was one thing in Kuroshitsuji that left me stunned.

*spoilerz*

I love twists, and Grell's true identity did not disappoint. I knew about the redhead Grell long before I watched Kuroshitsuji, yet I never made the connection between him and the bumbling butler introduced in the beginning. I could make the excuse that it was because the sub I was watching translated his name as "Greil" but even then, I was waiting for the chainsaw!Grell since the first episode, so I just have to hand it to the character himself for being able to fly under the radar like he did. I love betrayals, and he pulled the switch from harmless, suicidal butler to homicidal maniac with epic believability. I mean, go back a few episodes and he's already talking about how he would rather wear red. Gah! Such beautifully subtle foreshadowing! The whole betrayal was especially great because I kind of liked butler!Grell, as pathetic as he was. So when he made that pointed grin, his face covered in blood, it was just...spectacular. In a sad, shocking way.

I like it when harmless characters do unexpected things. I like it. So. Much. >3

*endspoilerz*

But yeah. I'll probably keep watching Kuroshitsuji, but only for Grell. Everyone else sucks. Frsrs. >x<

...Call me imperceptive, but I still don't know why it's over 2. Sorry Square, I guess your awesome symbolism just flies right over my head.

Anyway, I don't hate Axel quite so much anymore. He made me remember why I liked him so much to begin with, back when I was playing KH2. That's not to say I regained those affectionate feelings. I still think his character is ridiculously overrated. But when you're playing a game rife with ill-developed characters, I guess he's the best you can probably hope for.

...Saix will forever be my favorite. Because he's Kirk Thornton. And he has A BERSERKER RAAAAAAAAAAAAGE!

I was really disappointed by the fight with him, though. It was just so much better in Kingdom Hearts 2. I still remember watching his berserker meter fill, desperately trying to grab his claymore away from him, because it was the only way you could damage him, and running like hell when I failed, frantically dodging his blows as he roared at me like a maniac. There was so much to think about--so much tension and adrenaline pumped into a single battle.

And in Days? You air-dodged and hit him with your keyblade. And that's how all the battles were. Granted, some enemies weren't that straight forward. Some you had to figure out. But once you did that, it was pretty much just more air-dodging and hitting with your keyblade. I mean, KH2 wasn't the most complex game in the world either, but damn, was it a hell of a lot better. I miss those goddamn action commands! I miss doing shit when I fought enemies! I miss getting turned into a dice when I was battling Luxord, even though I wanted to cry every time it happened! I miss knocking back Xigbar's bullets. I miss having to do that with regular enemies. I miss that feeling of "Ah, I've done this before" when I'd fight bosses that borrowed similar fighting styles of more modest enemies. I miss being able to keep upgrading my keyblade, and not having to constantly sacrifice awesome combo strings for sheer power. I miss the Limit Forms. I miss everything about that game.

In short, if you want to play 358/2 Days, just play KH2. You'll feel a lot better for it.

And on another note, the one plot point that I was really interested in, they never followed up on. When will we get to know Axel's past? How is he connected with Saix? See, these are things I want to know, Square. Make a story about that, instead of some plot you pulled out of thin air.

Jeez.

Is it just me or does dA not let me put Japanese text in my journals? Curse you, dA, you ethnocentric bastards! D<

Anyway, sorry, for anyone who reads them, about the journal spam. But now that my emotional well-being concerning Tales of Vesperia has been miraculously restored, I don't feel like that previous journal should stay up. 83

I really want to live in the bathroom. And I don't mean that in a creepy way! I just...love how warm it is when the shower is going, and I love the sound of running water hitting the tile. It's...really comforting, and I can focus so well in that environment. It has nothing to do with spying or being a predator! Honest! D8

Also, I've been completely fixated on Kioku, Escape the Fate's My Apocalypse, and Gackt's Lust for Blood recently (Yes, , Gackt. I went there. >.O). I need to quit listening to them or I'll get sick of them. Really.

In other news, I love writing. I think I OD'd on it again, but I just keep coming back for more.

Ink: Self-proclaimed word addict. OxO

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RAVEN! BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! *sobsobsob*