Seems Upper Deck decked out.

Upper Deck, the card company, has apparently settled a lawsuit against it filed by Konami Digital Entertainment last year. This is in regards to the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game (YGO TCG) which is owned by Konami. Upper Deck once controlled the distribution and operation of the YGO TCG outside of Japan, late in 2008, Konami filed for and was awarded a preliminary injunction against Upper Deck. Upper Deck was excused of a plot to distribute counterfeit cards of the TCG. The injunction was upheld in the United States and Europe, effectively ending Upper Deck’s control of the game worldwide and prompting the company to cancelits 2009 events.

Tuesday, having been found liable for counterfeiting by a  United States District Court for the Central District of California in December, Upper Deck agreed with Konami to settle the dispute for an undisclosed some and a permanent injunction. Konami had already assumed operation and distribution of the TCG in the United States in 2009.
As a duelist myself, I'm actually pleased with this outcome. I was a little unnerved by the sudden seizure by Konami a year ago, but since, great things have come about in the game that have gotten me interested again. I'm building decks again and adding to my collection as I can. I especially like the influx formerly OCG exclusive cards and the streamlining of rulings and ban lists. Konami is giving its players what they want generally speaking and the YGO TCG, if I remember correctly, is still the #1 TCG in the world.
Upper Deck, you just lost the GAME.
Upper Deck Settles Yu-Gi-Oh! Card Counterfeiting Case (Anime News Network)

Upper Deck Settles Yu Gi Oh! Counterfeiting Case (Milord & Associates)
				

The 24 Hour Play Project (Part 1)

Two posts in one week! I am on a roll! Zasa has suggested that my contributions to the blog consist of my adventures in college. Well, that is exactly what I intend to do today!

For those of you who don’t know, I attend a very small liberal arts college in Kentucky called Berea College. What is so great about this college is the fact that they pay tuition for all of their students. We also all have jobs on campus to help pay off term bills that include our books, room/board, and other fees. In essence, I am going to a college where I could graduate virtually debt free which is a goal I am hoping to achieve. But I’ll discuss the actual college in another post at some random time in the future.

At Berea, we do what’s called short term. During the month of January, we take one class everyday while also fulfilling our labor requirements. The great thing about the class we choose to take is that it’s usually the fun classes not offered during the regular semesters. We’re talking about things like scuba diving and Danish gymnastics, knitting and Albert Hitchcock film studies. You name it, then something similar to it has more than likely been offered at some point. Many students also take the time to do classes abroad in an array of countries throughout the world. I can not wait until I get my chance to do that. Of course, being a freshman, I’m not allowed to take a short term class offered off campus or study abroad or anything cool just yet.

However, I managed to find a thrilling class that made the month of January worth my while. Whoever would have thought that I would get to start the month of January in style. I have a secret to reveal:

Toku Tuesday #20 – The Hunt for American Toku, Part III

Space… The Final Frontier.

These are the vessels of the Starship Enterprise. Their continuing misson, to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one has gone before. And to provide us our Toku Tuesday, Vol. II Iss. 4:

ARTificial Controversy

Wow…long time no write. It has been almost a year (well, not really, but in about another 4 months) since my last post. I am a terrible blogger. Then again, the word blog is strange and I prefer to think of myself as a writer/contributor of my experiences to this operation when I actually have something to talk about. Luckily for the faithful readers of said blog (and those of you who are just stumbling upon this), I have something to talk about today…ART.

But not, like, in the sense of viewing art and admiring it, but rather looking at the following question:

What the crap is art, and what makes something a work of art?

New Chapter: NV, Ep. V

Chapter 5 of Night Visions is up. Enjoy.

Excerpt:

The wood was quiet.  Never before had Demitri felt as calm as he did in this moment.  There were no worries and no cares, no bonds and no master, only serenity and bliss, only his sword and her staff under the cool shade of the glen.  He felt as though the world was made only of this place, this time, and this moment therein.  He reveled in the notion, nurtured it in his mind, and let it become his reality.  It was, if only for a small window of existence, the truth – reality itself.

He felt free.  His armor set aside, carefully piled next to that of his companion, Demitri allowed himself the luxury of feeling the forest air.  He breathed it in, held it, and exhaled in slow, appreciative gulps.  His metered stroll through the fallen leaves gave him ample time to soak in his surroundings – the sights, the sounds, the smells.  He could taste the sweet nectars bubbling in the opening buds of the flowers.  The towering trees sheltered him as he lazily made his way through their endless maze, showering him with faint sheets of light dew.  The sunlight wove its way past the canopy to illuminate his path with a pale green hue.

continue reading…

New Chapter – NV Ep.IV

Chapter 4 of Night Visions is up. Enjoy.

Excerpt:

The storm had arrived.

The valley slept peacefully under the night sky.  Soft clouds blanketed the smooth hills and the grassy plains.  The stars beamed, and the moon stood watch over the land.  There was quiet and restfulness throughout the valley.  Indeed, there was comfort and peace in the gentle, cool night air.

Overlooking the whole scene, Zelda stood atop the far zenith of the far ridge.  Calm and collected, she surveyed the valley in its slumber.  It was beautiful, yet the solemn and serine landscape below would soon be awakened and turned into a fierce and bloody battlefield.  The convoy would appear at the mouth of the valley pass at any moment.  There, she would lead her devils to the slaughter.

Continue reading…

Comic quotes that bring joy to my Heart

I’ve been rereading some of my meager, totally unimpressive collection of trades lately. I often wonder how I’m going to survive in this world with so many expensive interests and hobbies, as I simply can’t afford to buy comics, games, figures, movies, trading cards, etc every time the impulse hits me. But in the time between sporadic splurges, there are always old memories and the opportunity to relive adventures. In the world of comics, that often means the chance to smile at great (and not-so-great) writing. Here are a few quotes I’ve stumbled upon – again -  that made me smile inside:

Toku Tuesday #19 – The Hunt for American Toku, Part II

While the Japanese have adopted a view of heroism that explores the idea that one must “become” the hero, here in the states, we seem to like our heroes most when they are “always” heroes. Ultraman is one of the first in the henshin hero genre, and with the development of Kamen Rider and Super Sentai, that form of tokusatsu has flourished and spread all over the world. Likewise, America has its own first hero, the original “super-man” – Superman.

Tuesday Toku Delight, Vol.2 Iss.3:

New Chapter – NV, Ep. III

Night Visions, Episode III is up. Enjoy.

Toku Tuesday #18 – The Hunt for American Toku

Tuesday’s Toku Delight Vol. II, Iss. 2…

Tokusatsu, by it’s very literal meaning, encompasses more than just super heroes that ride motorcycles and pilot giant combining mechs. The first “official” (and I use the term somewhat loosely as I’ll explain monetarily) tokusatsu was 1954′s Godzilla, spawning the kaiju craze. Ultraman, while not the first of his kind, would go on to popularize the fledgling henshin hero genre. In truth, Japan’s first tokusatsu works were actually propaganda films during WWII. See, the Japanese were staging naval battles in pools with miniatures and such in order to fool the people into trusting in the cause. This too was not new nor revolutionary, The Battleship Potemkin (1925) uses simple camera techniques and editing to push its agenda and in a sense, made it okay to play with an audience’s emotions for the sake of politics.

What does that have to do with American tokusatsu? Or tokusatsu in general for that matter? Well, this proves that toku can be extended into other genres besides sci-fi and action adventure. Also, just like anime, manga, and cosplay (all distinctly Japanese, but originally not from Japan) the origin of tokusatu can actually be found outside of Japan – in America of all places. Not exclusively, of course; but there may not have been a Godzilla had there not been a King Kong in 1933.

That said, I think it would be cool if we take a few weeks to rediscover our local toku roots. This won’t be in any particular order, so King Kong is not first – though I plan to get to him XD. Many of our best known tokusatsu works fall under the label kaiju, in the same league as Godzilla himself; so, to start this little miniseries off, let’s take quick look at one of America’s most beloved “movie monsters”: