Monday, July 27, 2009
Milano v Milano
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
QUAN-DO
How irrelevant was that last post of mine?
Isn't it awesome?
That's what I had today. No mutant lobstermen from beyond the moon. No invasions by secret underground Luxumbourgher armies.
Just me talking about video games.
You want to know the crazy thing? I baaarely play games anymore. I play a little bit of 360 but not nearly as much as the days of the great achievement race of 2007. I've started picking up some old PS2 RPGs in order to play the greats that I've missed. I didn't play games more than a few times a month simply because I was fighting my way through college. That and I was just hanging out with people. So now I realize I've missed some great games and I've taken it upon me to play them. Persona 4 was excellent! Persona 3, Romancing SaGa, Rogue Galaxy, Odin Sphere, and Eternal Poison are lined up. I bought that about a month after it came out and let it sit for about half a year. Then I picked it up and it drew me in. I've got a DS now, too. I play that sporadically. I'm not looking to really beat many of the games I play on that. It's a fun diversion though. I've beaten two long games, Suikoden Tierkreis and FFTA2. Really, though, I just don't play games that much.
DAMN I itch. Stupid lake giving me a stupid sunburn. There's a G-D conspiracy here! The lake was all like "I want you in me, big boy," and the sun was like "I'm all the way up here bitch, I ain't gonna touch you." So I went swimming. And I got sunburned! Murderous wrath! I started yelling at the sun but I went blind briefly. Some helpful people pushed me out of the road, where I had set up my soapbox to yell at the sun. What a dick.
Isn't it awesome?
That's what I had today. No mutant lobstermen from beyond the moon. No invasions by secret underground Luxumbourgher armies.
Just me talking about video games.
You want to know the crazy thing? I baaarely play games anymore. I play a little bit of 360 but not nearly as much as the days of the great achievement race of 2007. I've started picking up some old PS2 RPGs in order to play the greats that I've missed. I didn't play games more than a few times a month simply because I was fighting my way through college. That and I was just hanging out with people. So now I realize I've missed some great games and I've taken it upon me to play them. Persona 4 was excellent! Persona 3, Romancing SaGa, Rogue Galaxy, Odin Sphere, and Eternal Poison are lined up. I bought that about a month after it came out and let it sit for about half a year. Then I picked it up and it drew me in. I've got a DS now, too. I play that sporadically. I'm not looking to really beat many of the games I play on that. It's a fun diversion though. I've beaten two long games, Suikoden Tierkreis and FFTA2. Really, though, I just don't play games that much.
DAMN I itch. Stupid lake giving me a stupid sunburn. There's a G-D conspiracy here! The lake was all like "I want you in me, big boy," and the sun was like "I'm all the way up here bitch, I ain't gonna touch you." So I went swimming. And I got sunburned! Murderous wrath! I started yelling at the sun but I went blind briefly. Some helpful people pushed me out of the road, where I had set up my soapbox to yell at the sun. What a dick.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Memorabilia of Another Kind
I think that I've elaborated earlier on how much I fucken LOVE video game figures and such. I've made a passing reference to it anyway. There's something about video game merchandise that gives it an x-factor making it just SO much cooler. There are toys, and then there are video game toys. Seeing a character that you're so used to playing on the screen suddenly before you in a tangible, solid form brings out the kid in any gamer. It's the pinnacle of geekdom. The cream of the crop of crap you don't need.
This stuff isn't necessary. It just isn't. It's a big money sink, I'll admit it right here. Nobody needs to own these things. But this is America, damnit, and we have an innate desire to throw our money at these sort of things. And if you're going to throw the money around, why not pick up a figurine of Teddy/Kuma from Persona 4?
Some of this stuff doesn't come cheap. You want a life size replica of Judge Gabranth's helmet from FFXII? $1000!
America is finally catching on to the idea of the Limited Edition game release. Limited Editions are something that has been very common in Japan for as many years as gaming has been around. These packages came with the game and a bunch of extras and were available only at the initial release. Often included were artbooks, soundtracks, clothing, and even figurines. For whatever reason the American companies never thought that gamers here would go for that sort of thing. They assumed they would never pay more for a game. That way of thinking has, thankfully, left us behind. In the last few years many major game releases have included a special Limited Edition package with tons of sweet swag. Personally I loved getting Fallout 3 with a metal lunchbox and Vault Boy bobblehead. I mustn't forget Atlus. They release almost every game with extras. I picked up Devil Summoner 2 and got a Jack Frost plush!
It's the big time games from both sides of the pacific that get this treatment. The very eastern Final Fantasy series to the all American shoot-em-up Halo, from Assassin's Creed to Super Mario. The idea of creating memorabilia to accompany games never really took off for American games until recently. Then again, American games weren't really blockbusters until these last few years. There were missed opportunities in the past. Video games were seen as toys, entertainment for children. Why weren't more toys made to go hand-in-hand with games? Sure there were those G.I. Joe/Street Fighter II hybrids, but those were awful and didn't have much appeal. The American's had to steal the idea of targeting the older gamers with highly detailed figurines and "hip" accessories in order to actually produce anything.
Some of the cooler stuff is just not available to the general public. Sadly there are a lot of extras made available only to industry insiders. Until I started selling games I never realized that game distributors had so many trinkets to hand out. Buttons for Fable II, lanyards for Gears of War II, magnets for Animal Crossing, keychains for the DSi, sweatbands for the 360 are just some of the things I've managed to snag. Nothing too significant, to be sure, but cool little collectibles. Game reviewers, however, have it made. As a sort of bribery the publishing companies give these people free games and exclusive swag. I need to try and become a game journalist and get some of this swag! Not bloody likely, I know.
It's a cool little diversion/hobby/thing to collect, and I've got my small bit. A giant Vaan, a Tidus, the FF4 cast, a small Yoshi, a Jack Frost plush, and a chainsaw maniac from RE4. I'm looking to pick up some of the Persona 4 cast and a few more Final Fantasy figs. I can't resist.
This stuff isn't necessary. It just isn't. It's a big money sink, I'll admit it right here. Nobody needs to own these things. But this is America, damnit, and we have an innate desire to throw our money at these sort of things. And if you're going to throw the money around, why not pick up a figurine of Teddy/Kuma from Persona 4?
Some of this stuff doesn't come cheap. You want a life size replica of Judge Gabranth's helmet from FFXII? $1000!
America is finally catching on to the idea of the Limited Edition game release. Limited Editions are something that has been very common in Japan for as many years as gaming has been around. These packages came with the game and a bunch of extras and were available only at the initial release. Often included were artbooks, soundtracks, clothing, and even figurines. For whatever reason the American companies never thought that gamers here would go for that sort of thing. They assumed they would never pay more for a game. That way of thinking has, thankfully, left us behind. In the last few years many major game releases have included a special Limited Edition package with tons of sweet swag. Personally I loved getting Fallout 3 with a metal lunchbox and Vault Boy bobblehead. I mustn't forget Atlus. They release almost every game with extras. I picked up Devil Summoner 2 and got a Jack Frost plush!
It's the big time games from both sides of the pacific that get this treatment. The very eastern Final Fantasy series to the all American shoot-em-up Halo, from Assassin's Creed to Super Mario. The idea of creating memorabilia to accompany games never really took off for American games until recently. Then again, American games weren't really blockbusters until these last few years. There were missed opportunities in the past. Video games were seen as toys, entertainment for children. Why weren't more toys made to go hand-in-hand with games? Sure there were those G.I. Joe/Street Fighter II hybrids, but those were awful and didn't have much appeal. The American's had to steal the idea of targeting the older gamers with highly detailed figurines and "hip" accessories in order to actually produce anything.
Some of the cooler stuff is just not available to the general public. Sadly there are a lot of extras made available only to industry insiders. Until I started selling games I never realized that game distributors had so many trinkets to hand out. Buttons for Fable II, lanyards for Gears of War II, magnets for Animal Crossing, keychains for the DSi, sweatbands for the 360 are just some of the things I've managed to snag. Nothing too significant, to be sure, but cool little collectibles. Game reviewers, however, have it made. As a sort of bribery the publishing companies give these people free games and exclusive swag. I need to try and become a game journalist and get some of this swag! Not bloody likely, I know.
It's a cool little diversion/hobby/thing to collect, and I've got my small bit. A giant Vaan, a Tidus, the FF4 cast, a small Yoshi, a Jack Frost plush, and a chainsaw maniac from RE4. I'm looking to pick up some of the Persona 4 cast and a few more Final Fantasy figs. I can't resist.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Feyenoord von Johnson
Remember when I used to write witty blog posts twice a week? Remember when I was blogging all the time with hip, relevant posts?
Yeah, me neither.
Blogging sucks.
Yeah, me neither.
Blogging sucks.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
A Little Spice to the Day
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Purikura! Print Club Fun!
While in London The Ashes and I stumbled upon a shop full of Print Club machines. In Japanese it's known as Purikura, which is really just a Japanicized version of Print Club... yeah it's really not that creative. If you've ever done those photo booths that take four pictures and print them out it's sort of like that. Well it's sort of like those photo booths on crack and pixie sticks. You have about 8 pictures taken and then you are prompted to choose your favorite six. After the selection you are given menus full of crazy, uber-cute Japanese clip art in order to decorate the pictures. Using the pens and touchscreens you pick what you want and where to put it. All the while there's peppy music, colorful designs and a sugary female Japanese voice prompting you to do... well I'm not sure. I'd only read about them online before, so it was pure luck we came across the shop.
It was one of our days in London and we were having fun exploring near Covent Garden when we happened by a shop full of "kawaii" imports. Browsing around I noticed some rather large machines in the back of the shop and upon closer inspection we saw they were Purikura machines. "What the hell, why not?" we decided and gave it a shot. Getting in the booth we were met with... Japanese, naturally. So we asked the employees for help figuring them out. Here's the thing though, they were Chinese and knew what they were doing only slightly more than we did. It was comically delightful as both us and they tried stumbling our way through the directions. Eventually we got it figured out and took our pictures. When it came time to decorate them we had some fun! There were foolish time limits which rushed us to make decisions in a language neither of us spoke, but even that added to the experience. Ridiculous pictures + uber-cute Japanese clip art + travel adrenaline + fits of giggling = FUN.
Here are a sampling of the pictures we took. The quality is poor, but only because the scanners at UMaine suck panda balls.
The craziest thing about these machines? One of the main developers and purveyors of this hobby in Japan is Atlus! Atlus! One of my favorite video game companies. The one that brought the likes of Odin Sphere (which I'm gonna play, fo real), Persona series, Devil Summoner and Devil Survivor.
It was one of our days in London and we were having fun exploring near Covent Garden when we happened by a shop full of "kawaii" imports. Browsing around I noticed some rather large machines in the back of the shop and upon closer inspection we saw they were Purikura machines. "What the hell, why not?" we decided and gave it a shot. Getting in the booth we were met with... Japanese, naturally. So we asked the employees for help figuring them out. Here's the thing though, they were Chinese and knew what they were doing only slightly more than we did. It was comically delightful as both us and they tried stumbling our way through the directions. Eventually we got it figured out and took our pictures. When it came time to decorate them we had some fun! There were foolish time limits which rushed us to make decisions in a language neither of us spoke, but even that added to the experience. Ridiculous pictures + uber-cute Japanese clip art + travel adrenaline + fits of giggling = FUN.
Here are a sampling of the pictures we took. The quality is poor, but only because the scanners at UMaine suck panda balls.
The craziest thing about these machines? One of the main developers and purveyors of this hobby in Japan is Atlus! Atlus! One of my favorite video game companies. The one that brought the likes of Odin Sphere (which I'm gonna play, fo real), Persona series, Devil Summoner and Devil Survivor.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Hala van Naadam!
Did you like that last post? Part whiny, part anti-capitalist hippy rant and full of no sense or point. Yeah, I just felt obligated to blog and I honestly didn't have any ideas, time, or desire to put the effort into blogging. So what I did is just started ranting and typing whatever dribbled out of my sleep deprived head. Looking at it now, hoooo boy is it ridiculous. Awards are in order for worst blog post, and most pointless blog post.
Now check these out.
How friggin awesome are these things! Sephiroth (shut up, I know), Yuffie, Tidus and Balthier particularly draw my eye. I could NEVER get enough Tidus figurines. He's one of the best designed characters and one of my favorites in video game history. I have similar figurines for the FFIV crowd and kinda want to pick some of these up. I love video game related merchandise mainly because it's hard to find.
Look forward to a post about video game merchandise, because I just got some ideas for one. Not now. I'm tired now. Too much time in the mud pits digging for clams. I made $4.19 for 13 hours of work today! And I only got minor poisoning from lead. Win-win!
Now check these out.
How friggin awesome are these things! Sephiroth (shut up, I know), Yuffie, Tidus and Balthier particularly draw my eye. I could NEVER get enough Tidus figurines. He's one of the best designed characters and one of my favorites in video game history. I have similar figurines for the FFIV crowd and kinda want to pick some of these up. I love video game related merchandise mainly because it's hard to find.
Look forward to a post about video game merchandise, because I just got some ideas for one. Not now. I'm tired now. Too much time in the mud pits digging for clams. I made $4.19 for 13 hours of work today! And I only got minor poisoning from lead. Win-win!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
True Best No. ONE
25 Things
... Hey now I like Capitalism. It's because of Capitalism that I believe in money. And TVs, and video games and trips overseas to gawk at other cultures from my traveler "safe zone". Heh, I'm a real traveler though. Now off to bed to get ready to work at one of the most employee unfriendly employers in the world, Walmart.
- TV Sitcoms are awful, hideous things. Poorly written and with jokes that only the stupidest of the American populace could truly enjoy. Either that or they are outright boring, with jokes so lame that again only the stupidest could truly enjoy them. See House of Pain, anything on CW/USA/TBS/TNT, etc.
- Wit is king. Dry is king. And, hell, the Apatow crew is funny. It's not wrong to have humor that makes you think or has some dependence on the listener having intelligence.
- Modern fantasy falls into two categories, wannabe Tolkien epic crap or something with thought. It is possible to channel Tolkien or borrow themes and general ideas, but changing the names of the characters/races/cities and making the quest about a cup instead of a ring is just awful. Even though most authors no longer fall into the stereotype, there are a few out there who make it big on little more than Tolkien ripoffs.
- Genre fiction will never be embraced by literary critics by and large. Nor does it need/want to be accepted.
- D & D is just awful. Awful. You aren't a brilliant storyteller because you've been in a jillion "campaigns". In fact if you play the game you are most likely a HORRIBLE story teller. It creates readers for genre fiction, however, which is good.
- Just because you're poor doesn't mean you don't have to take care of yourself! Buy some decent clothes more than once every ten years. Still walking around wearing that Stone Cold Steve Austin shirt from 1997? Maybe it's time for an upgrade since it has more holes than your latest drunken excuse to a cop/judge.
- I know you weigh 460 pounds and your "Mart Kart" helps you shop. But maybe getting off your excessively (and I'm talking four foot wide) ass and waddling through the store to buy your nine bags of Doritos and 12 pack of 'MtnDew' could help you drop the unseemly pounds.
- The Godfather is overrated drivel and you know it. The Godfather Part 2, now we're talking! Cinematic gold.
- I know you don't want to but you've got to admit it, American Football is just a big game of grab ass. Tight little pants, ass slapping, choreographed end zone dances. C'mon. You can't sit there and say soccer is "gay" when you've got that sausage fest going on. There's nothing wrong with the sport, it's America's sport. Just don't deny what is plain on the screen for all to see.
... Hey now I like Capitalism. It's because of Capitalism that I believe in money. And TVs, and video games and trips overseas to gawk at other cultures from my traveler "safe zone". Heh, I'm a real traveler though. Now off to bed to get ready to work at one of the most employee unfriendly employers in the world, Walmart.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Champions Wear Yellow, Not Gold
July in Maine has come around again. For most people July is a month of calm relaxation or insane summer fun. It may seem like those two things have nothing in common, yet in truth they go hand in hand. It's a time for warm weather and cool breezes. Of monkeys fighting tiger robots to the death with half wrench, half axe weaponry. Trips to the coast to view the natural beauty or to mock foreigners and their cavespeak.
July starts with a bang and a boom. The bang is the Statue of Liberty getting it on with the Empire State Building. Few believe this coupling happens and fewer still have actually seen it with their own eyes. Oh but it happens. That statue is a right nasty skank. She used to have "relations" with the Eiffel Tower, but it refused to clean itself so she packed up her stuff and moved in with the ESB. What was I... oh yes! The boom is fireworks. Fourth of July you see. It's properly called Independance Day. That name confuses people and they run for cover from the invading aliens, screaming Will Smith's name in a plea for help. So we just call it the Fourth of July now. People think that the Fourth of July was always there, but it wasn't. Just ask any of us Americans. The first Fourth of July happened in 1776 when Abraham Lincoln declared victory over the Russians at the Boston Tea Party. And then Thomas Jefferson wrote a song about a flag, and America was born after 7 years of labor.
Well July for me has meant something else on top of these other things. It has meant the Tour de France. I got caught up in Armstrong fever back in 2004. The fever kept getting worse and became an infection, somehow. I nearly died. But I didn't and now I spend my mornings in July watching 180 men in a bicycle race. It's honestly more exciting than it looks to the casual observor. It just took Lance Armstrong to get the majority of us interested. It's more than just the race itself though, there are so many factors that make the whole event an entertaining spectacle. The coverage on Versus is top notch from the announcers to the camera views. Paul Sherwin and... and the other guy have these delightful British accents which I could listen to all day regardless of what they were babbling on about. It just so happens they babble on about the Tour and what they say is actually interesting. And those sweeping helicopter shots! Hot damn are those things magnificent. Amazing views of the French countryside, old French villages and manors, and the cities themselves are on offer.
Every morning in July that the tour is on I manage to watch as much of it as I can live. I don't generally watch the later showings since it doesn't feel as immediate as the live broadcasts. It's my recent summer tradition and will likely stay a tradition as long as I live. My goal is to one day go see the tour in person. While following the entire tour would be a dream, I'd settle for the last couple days. Maybe one day when I get to be more successful in writing to the point I can do whatever I want I'll be able to follow the whole thing. Write a book about it or do a series of articles. We'll see what time brings, and I've got (presumably) a lot of life left in me to get over there. Until then I'll keep watching and cheering for the race as an organization (but not the French, never the French).
July starts with a bang and a boom. The bang is the Statue of Liberty getting it on with the Empire State Building. Few believe this coupling happens and fewer still have actually seen it with their own eyes. Oh but it happens. That statue is a right nasty skank. She used to have "relations" with the Eiffel Tower, but it refused to clean itself so she packed up her stuff and moved in with the ESB. What was I... oh yes! The boom is fireworks. Fourth of July you see. It's properly called Independance Day. That name confuses people and they run for cover from the invading aliens, screaming Will Smith's name in a plea for help. So we just call it the Fourth of July now. People think that the Fourth of July was always there, but it wasn't. Just ask any of us Americans. The first Fourth of July happened in 1776 when Abraham Lincoln declared victory over the Russians at the Boston Tea Party. And then Thomas Jefferson wrote a song about a flag, and America was born after 7 years of labor.
Well July for me has meant something else on top of these other things. It has meant the Tour de France. I got caught up in Armstrong fever back in 2004. The fever kept getting worse and became an infection, somehow. I nearly died. But I didn't and now I spend my mornings in July watching 180 men in a bicycle race. It's honestly more exciting than it looks to the casual observor. It just took Lance Armstrong to get the majority of us interested. It's more than just the race itself though, there are so many factors that make the whole event an entertaining spectacle. The coverage on Versus is top notch from the announcers to the camera views. Paul Sherwin and... and the other guy have these delightful British accents which I could listen to all day regardless of what they were babbling on about. It just so happens they babble on about the Tour and what they say is actually interesting. And those sweeping helicopter shots! Hot damn are those things magnificent. Amazing views of the French countryside, old French villages and manors, and the cities themselves are on offer.
Every morning in July that the tour is on I manage to watch as much of it as I can live. I don't generally watch the later showings since it doesn't feel as immediate as the live broadcasts. It's my recent summer tradition and will likely stay a tradition as long as I live. My goal is to one day go see the tour in person. While following the entire tour would be a dream, I'd settle for the last couple days. Maybe one day when I get to be more successful in writing to the point I can do whatever I want I'll be able to follow the whole thing. Write a book about it or do a series of articles. We'll see what time brings, and I've got (presumably) a lot of life left in me to get over there. Until then I'll keep watching and cheering for the race as an organization (but not the French, never the French).
Kick It! Volume 591
Some of my thoughts on current affairs in soccer
The Good - Liverpool came in second in the Premiership. While, of course, it's not a first place finish it is still a damn strong performance from a damn strong team. Next year who knows what will happen. Especially since Man Utd is being torn apart. Which brings me to...
Cristiano Ronaldo moves to Real Madrid! Great excitement! The world's "best" player leaves England for Spain, which leaves a giant dent in the Man Utd squad. Couple this with Tevez leaving and you've got a United team in turmoil. Which means very good things for a strong Liverpool.
Three-ish weeks out from seeing AC Milan vs Inter at Gillette! This will not only be my first soccer game, but my first pro sports game. At the age of 25... yeah I haven't been in that much of a rush to see pro sports. The Milan Derby, however, gets me off my ass to see two of the best teams in the world in America.
The Bad - United States suffers defeat in the Confederations Cup final. After besting an on fire Spain team they got trumped by a tricky Brazilian squad. They put up a helluva fight, though. Goals from Dempsey and Donovan had the US leading 2-0 at the half. A weasely fightback from the Brazilians saw them get 3 goals in the second to win it 3-2. It was a FIFA final for the US team, a first for them. Yet, it could've been so much more had they been able to just hold on to that lead. It's a sad disappointment, a hard loss to take. Second place is hardly enough after beating best in the world Spain 2-0.
The Whatever - Real Madrid is buying players left and right with millions upon millions of dollars. They came in second in Spain, which for some reason seems to have made them go loony. Ronaldo, Kaka and Benzema have been bought so far and who knows who the next player will be bought. Where'd this money come from? Even giants are struggling in these economic times, but Real has money to shatter transfer fees TWICE?!
The Good - Liverpool came in second in the Premiership. While, of course, it's not a first place finish it is still a damn strong performance from a damn strong team. Next year who knows what will happen. Especially since Man Utd is being torn apart. Which brings me to...
Cristiano Ronaldo moves to Real Madrid! Great excitement! The world's "best" player leaves England for Spain, which leaves a giant dent in the Man Utd squad. Couple this with Tevez leaving and you've got a United team in turmoil. Which means very good things for a strong Liverpool.
Three-ish weeks out from seeing AC Milan vs Inter at Gillette! This will not only be my first soccer game, but my first pro sports game. At the age of 25... yeah I haven't been in that much of a rush to see pro sports. The Milan Derby, however, gets me off my ass to see two of the best teams in the world in America.
The Bad - United States suffers defeat in the Confederations Cup final. After besting an on fire Spain team they got trumped by a tricky Brazilian squad. They put up a helluva fight, though. Goals from Dempsey and Donovan had the US leading 2-0 at the half. A weasely fightback from the Brazilians saw them get 3 goals in the second to win it 3-2. It was a FIFA final for the US team, a first for them. Yet, it could've been so much more had they been able to just hold on to that lead. It's a sad disappointment, a hard loss to take. Second place is hardly enough after beating best in the world Spain 2-0.
The Whatever - Real Madrid is buying players left and right with millions upon millions of dollars. They came in second in Spain, which for some reason seems to have made them go loony. Ronaldo, Kaka and Benzema have been bought so far and who knows who the next player will be bought. Where'd this money come from? Even giants are struggling in these economic times, but Real has money to shatter transfer fees TWICE?!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Mitsuharu Misawa
Mitsuharu Misawa has died.
It's been a couple of weeks since his death, but the impact is still there. Coping with the death of a true wrestling legend will, sadly, be easier than a normal celebrity death. Even so, Misawa was a wrestling GOD plain and simple. There were rarely finer performers in the ring who were able to sustain such a long, industry impacting career. Misawa WAS Puroresu (Japanese wrestling). He took the reigns of All Japan Pro Wrestling as a young man and revolutionized the style of wrestling. His emphasis on exciting matches full of big, dangerous moves was fresh back in the 90s. Fueds with Kenta Kobashi, Toshiaki Kawada and Akira Taue led to some of the greatest matches in the history of wrestling. He innovated what are now some of the most basic moves of wrestling. Tiger drivers, Emerald Fusion and its knock-offs, and flashy elbow based offensives.
Leaving AJPW in the 2000s Misawa founded Pro Wrestling NOAH. Consistently voted promotion of the year, and several times putting on the highest attended wrestling show in the world for a particular year. The company he created was based on his principles of wrestling. NOAH puts on the best shows yearly. The marquee matches are truly spectacular showcasing the granduer of the 'epic' match. Misawa had his fair share of epic matches. Three Kobashi vs Misawa matches were in the top 10 of all time. Misawa vs Kawada, Misawa vs Akiyama, Misawa vs Taue. He was a man who put on the best shows, and made sure his men did too.
Simply put, Mitsuharu Misawa was magic in the ring. Every time he went out there he put on a brilliant performance. I had the great fortune to see Misawa wrestle in person. I went with two friends on a road trip to Philadelphia to watch what was Mitsuharu Misawa's only US excursion in many years. The atmosphere was, well, magic. There was something special in the air. When his music hit and his banners were marched in, I was instantly a little bubbling child. I was giddy. The match could've been awful, it wasn't, and I couldn't have cared. He was right there, mere feet away. It was the experience of a liftime.
It seems his magic came at a heavy toll, physcially and mentally. He put on matches 9 months a year for 20 years. Wear and tear on his body took it out of him. His heart gave out in the ring and he died in the same place he had entertained millions. He never stopped, he kept going to the very end.
As a (former) fan of wrestling the past couple of years have desensitized me to performer deaths. Dozens and dozens of wrestlers have died in just the past 10 years. Not just old guys whose glory days were the 70s. It's young guys in their prime dying untimely deaths. Its ridiculous how workers in the industry die! Not even the barely significant no-name guys. It's the names. One day a wrestler will be in the ring entertaining a crowd of folks with questionable IQs, a week later he'll die of some heart related disease. It should make wrestling fans extremely angry at the businessmen running the industry. Their "burn 'em up when their young" style of managment, forcing them to be out there 300 days a year is killing these guys. But the fans don't care. They move on and keep those who came before in their memory. The fans should DEMAND more from the management of these companies. The WWE, for instance, seems to only do enough to cover its own ass. This is not the case so much in Japan, where the companies legit look after and care about their wrestlers. They treat their wrestlers decent.
Sadly Mitsuharu Misawa has left the world. Yet his matches and memory will live on, honored forever as an eternal wrestling legend.
Pier 1 Down by Pier 6
Using my advanced Internets skill (Google) I found a way to convert my exported XML from my old WordPress blog into a working Blogger format. So now there are several months worth of my old WordPress blog posts here for your perusal. A small percentage of them deal with my disdain for WordPress, so enjoy those if you're a Blogger loyalist or somesuch.
Since I worked on that blog before this one all of the imported posts are the oldest ones. The 2008-early 2009 section is all former WordPress. It's the same blog, though, the same thread. That's why I chose to import that blog and not Nirdu is the House. That's not the same idea as You've Got Green On You. It's much older and a different mindset. It's a wrestling/my college blog. This is my mid-20s/quarterlife crisis blog.
Since I worked on that blog before this one all of the imported posts are the oldest ones. The 2008-early 2009 section is all former WordPress. It's the same blog, though, the same thread. That's why I chose to import that blog and not Nirdu is the House. That's not the same idea as You've Got Green On You. It's much older and a different mindset. It's a wrestling/my college blog. This is my mid-20s/quarterlife crisis blog.
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