Happy Monday BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers! I hope you had a fantastic weekend and are ready to kick this week’s ass. This is Manga (And Also Anime) Monday, the place where any and everything manga/anime related is discussed, dissected, and debated. Today we’re going to be examining what exactly makes a show an anime.

At times it can be difficult to determine the difference between an anime and an animated program. This is because the rules and constants of anime as a story telling medium has never really been established, like most forms of entertainment. A particular work is considered to be a drama because it follow the basic generalities that fit it into the category of drama. Likewise, you know a cartoon is a cartoon because it features characters and settings that are, at the least, marginally similar to all other cartoons. Anime starts to get a little tricky because location has become a factor in labeling the genre and anime has covered an incredibly wide range of subject matter and tones.

Anime is unique from a lot of other forms of popular entertainment because it is heavily associated with a particular region, namely Japan. As the vast majority of anime comes from Japan, the association with anime and it being from Japan has become so strong that many individuals believe that anime can only be anime if it is made in Japan and is made by Japanese people. Let me show you an example.

This is a trailer for the internet series “RWBY” (pronounced “ruby”). It is made by the incredibly popular online content creator Rooster Teeth. As demonstrated in the trailer, the series is very much an anime. It is stylized like an anime, takes place in a setting that is similar to many other anime, and uses tropes that are frequent in many anime works. However, because Rooster Teeth is based in Austin, Texas and because RWBY is created in America, it is hotly debated whether or not RWBY could be considered an anime.

The “Avatar” series is even more contested as it stylistically is even less closely related to anime, but still has a decidedly anime feel to it.

My personal opinion is that, yes, both of the above mentioned works are anime and that the place where a work is created should not impact what genre or formats a work is allowed to possess. The reason these arguments pop up in the first place is because anime occupies an unusual space between a genre and a medium. Anime is like a genre because a majority of the works have just enough in common, either in their style or in the way they present a story, to be considered a kind of television show or movie. It can also be considered a medium of entertainment because there has been enough difference in the kinds of stories told in an anime and such a wide range of subject matter covered that virtually any story could be told through an anime format, making it a medium.

The people who say that anime can only be anime if it is Japanese believe that anime is a genre and that a work being from Japan is a trait of that genre. I, and many others, believe that anime is a medium and theoretically any work from any place can be an anime so long as the creators choose to tell the story within the style and format of anime.

I know that this is a hard subject to digest and that this is only a brief summary of the complexities of the controversy, so I would very much like to get some feedback on it from you readers. Please let me know what you thought in the comments down below and, if you enjoyed the article, click the like button. As always, you can subscribe to BaddaBing BaddaBlog in the tab in the upper right corner via email. You can also stay up to date by liking the official BaddaBing BaddaBlog Facebook Page or by following me, @LucasDeRuyter, on Twitter. Also be sure to come back here on Wednesday for the latest installment of Pop Culture Wednesday. Have a great week everybody.

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Happy Sunday BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers! This is Politics, Politalks, the place where we cover any and all relevant political news. As usual, the opinions I express here are solely my own and should not be thought of as a representation of any other group that I have been affiliated with, am currently affiliated with, or may find myself affiliated with in the future. Alright, let’s get down to business.

This week former Governor of Rhode Island, Lincoln Chafee and former Senator of Virginia, Jim Webb each announced that they will no longer be perusing the position of President of the United States of America. This means that the campaign that was already mostly Clinton vs. Sanders, is now even more Clinton vs. Sanders. Martin O’Malley is still in the running, and if you do not know who that is you are not alone. Chances are he will be dropping out of the election soon too, as it is hard to be in third place for an election as close-knit as this one and still receive enough funding to be a viable candidate. I personally am fine with Hillary and Bernie hashing it out for the next few months as I am a fan of both of them and would be happy with either of them moving on to the general election. And if I’m being completely honest, I would love to see Clinton running for President with Sanders as her Vice-President.

In other news pertaining to the Democratic primary, Joe Biden formally announced that he would not run for the position of president. As previously stated on this blog, while this is not necessary surprising, it definitely is news worthy. By not running for president, Biden’s endorsement has become the most valued in the entire Democratic Party. I would say that Obama’s endorsement is more so, but it would be highly unusual for a sitting president to give any kind of support to a candidate. Therefore, Biden’s endorsement will strongly impact the election in a way that few other individuals could.

If you have any more questions or concerns about the election, feel free to leave them in the comments section down below and I would be happy to try to answer them. Also, if you enjoyed this post I would really appreciate it if you hit the like button down below. As always, you can subscribe to 4B via the upper right tab using your email. You can also like the official BaddaBing BaddaBlog Facebook Page to stay up to date or follow me, @LucasDeRuyter on Twitter. I hope you guys have a great Sunday and be sure to come back here Monday for the latest installment of Manga (And Also Anime) Monday.

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Happy Saturday BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers! This is Game Grind the place where we dive into the vast and interesting world of the video game industry and culture. Today we’re going to be talking about eSports.

eSports, or Electronic Sports, are exactly what they sound like, video games that are played with a level of skill and dedication that is comparable to sport. The most popular of these video games played as sport are: League of Legends, DOTA, Call of Duty, and Super Smash Brothers Melee. Although, Super Smash Bros. 4 is gaining popularity rapidly. eSports can be huge competitions drawing in thousands, if not millions, of fans, and have colossal cash prizes. The grand prize for the most recent League of Legends tournament was one million dollars to the winning team, not counting any sponsorship or endorsement deals.

For all intensive purposes, eSports are basically sports. There are multiple leagues and organizational structures for each game just like any other sport. Players make a living off of competition and undergo grueling practices just like any other sport. eSports have extremely dedicated fans and to many people their die hard attitude seems strange…..just like any other sport.

I believe that eSports are becoming more popular because video games and an appreciation for how difficult video games can bee is becoming more prevalent in mainstream culture. Why do people like and watch sports so much? Well, chances are they have played the sport at some point in their life and they realize how difficult it is to play the game at the capacity that those professionals are playing it. The reason some people do not like eSports is the same reason why some people do not like regular sports, they really do not have an appreciation for what they are watching.

The fans for various eSports is a little different than other sports however. Most people are fans of sports teams because of where they are from or where they grew up, in eSports a lot of people are fans of certain players or teams because of the characters they use. Allow me to explain. I play Super Smash Bros., the character I use most of the time, refereed to as a “main”, is Pikachu. Therefore, anyone who also uses Pikachu as their main I will support in competitions and anytime someone who uses Pikachu wins I’m happy. Is it illogical, yes it is. Just like any other devotion to a sports team.

What do you guys think of eSports? Let me know in the comments down below and while you’re there please give this post a like. Also be sure to subscribe to this blog via the upper right hand tab using your email. You can also stay up to date on 4B posts by liking our Facebook Page or by following me, @LucasDeRuyter, on Twitter. I hope you guys have a great weekend and be sure to come back here tomorrow for the latest installment of Politics, Politalks.

BaddaBing BaddaBye.

Happy Friday BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers! This is News for the Mighty, News of the Week, the place where you can become informed for the upcoming weekend debauchery. Let’s jump on in.

The Future is Now!!!

Congratulations everyone, we are officially living in the future! Wednesday was 10/21/2015 or, more specifically, the date traveled to at the start of the epic movie Back to the Future 2.

While our reality might not be as cool as the future depicted in the movie (still no cars that can run on garbage or hoverboards), it is still amazing to think of how far we have come as a civilization and how far we are still able to go.

No Go Joe

Joe Biden recently announced that he will not be running for President in the 2016 election. This more or less makes his endorsement the most sought after in the entire Democratic Party. It was also recently announced the Webb and Cheffe will no longer be running for President. I will go into more detail regarding these developments in Sunday’s installment of Politics, Politalks. But for now I will say that while these developments are definitely news, they are not necessarily surprising.

Hurricane Patrica

Today Mexico will experience the largest hurricane ever recorded. It is technically category 5, but only because there is nothing worse than category 5. My heart goes out to the people who will be affected by this storm and hope they are safe during hurricane Partica.

Benghazi Investigation

The final piece of news from this week concerns the most recent congressional Benghazi investigation. After the latest hearing with presidential candidate Hilary Clinton, which lasted all of last Wednesday, no new information was uncovered and our understanding of the situation is unchained. It’s almost as though at this point the investigation’s purpose is more to make Mrs. Clinton look bad rather than actually determine anything new. I’m sure the GOP woulden’t do that though………

Alright, that’s more or less everything you need to know to be informed for the weekend. If you like the article please leave a comment and click the like button down below. Have a great weekend and be sure to come back tomorrow for the next installment of Game Grind.

BaddaBing BaddaBye

Happy Wednesday BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers! Today’s segment, as always, is Pop Culture Wednesday, the place where we dive into the various realms of western media. Before we get to that however, I would just like to take a moment to apologize to you readers. I have been a bit awful about posting to 4B lately, I guess midterms will do that to a guy, but those are behind me for the most part and you can expect the regularly scheduled post to be coming out…….regularly. Alright, no that I’m done begging for your forgiveness, let’s talk about short films.

In between cramming for exams and being a generally anxious mess, one of my classes introduced me to the wonderful world of short films. Short films are like regular films, but, you know, shorter. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as, “an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits.”  What I personally like about short films is that they have a tendency to be more original, creative, and weird. Short films generally are not as popular or commercialized as feature length films, so the creators behind them are able to have more freedom and control over the project. The following are some short films that I have discovered online and have really enjoyed. I hope you like them as well.

Welcome to Hell

Welcome to Hell is a short animated film by Erica Wester. The film is about an overly friendly demon who is tasked with haunting an apathetic high schooler while hell is being renovated.While the animation may not be of the highest quality, the lovable and hilarious characters more than make up for it. Seriously, watch this video and tell me that the devil is not your favorite character. I also really appreciate how subtle, the emotions of the characters are. A good number of the short films I have seen kind of beat you over the head with emotion. Welcome to Hell is a bit less overt, and more enjoyable because of this. This film was made as a student project and the YouTube channel has been inactive for about three months, so it does not seem like the adventures of Sock and Jonathan are going to continue anytime soon. While that is kind of a bummer, I’m just glad this awesome short got made in the first place.

The Reward

This short film comes from the YouTube channel Sun Creature Studios and is tragically under viewed! This is the story of two dudes who go on an adventure with the intent of becoming rich. However, the tale quickly turns into more of a broventure. This short film is incredibly and apologetically as weird as it is epic. The animation is great and the overall tone just seeps adventure. Sun Creature Studios has successfully created a world that I desperately want to see more of. Thankfully I, and anyone else who cares to, can expect to see more of this story in the somewhat near future. Due to a successful Kickstarter campaign, Sun Creature Studios will be making two more, hopefully equally awesome, videos. I eagerly await seeing more of this epic tale.

Oh man, this post has already gone way longer than what I anticipated and I’ve only been able to talk about two short films. Sorry guys, I guess you’ll have to wait until next week to see some awesome, independent goodness. In the mean time you can keep yourself entertained by coming back to 4B whenever something new is posted. If you want to be notified when new posts are made you can subscribe to this blog via email in the upper right tab. You can also like the official BaddaBing Baddablog Facebook Page for news and updates. Following me, @LucasDeRuyter, on Twitter is also a good way to stay caught up. Have a great Humpday and be sure to come back on Friday for the next installment of News for the Mighty, News of the Week.

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Happy Saturday BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers! This is Game Grind, the recurring segment where all things video game related.  Today’s topic, video game levels. Let’s do this.

The concept of levels in video games is almost as old as video games themselves. The idea that you have to beat one level before you can play the next serves as both a means to tell a narrative and reward the player for completing the first level. However, it has recently been announced by two major titles that the next installments of their franchises will not have locked levels. The next Call of Duty and Halo games will allow players to play any level from the moment they boot up the game.

This kind of freedom is interesting for a number of reasons. People who support this change argue that other mediums of entertainment do not require individuals to meet prerequisites to experience new content. Albums do not require that you listen to every song prior before you play the one you want to listen to, nor do books require that you read ever single word on a page before turning to the next one. From this perspective, video game levels seem quite archaic. It does seem like the only reason locked levels exist is because some of the original video games had them and there never was much of a reason to get rid of them.

However, on the other side of the argument, having all levels playable from the get go takes away from the narrative of the game by allowing people to play it in whatever sequence a player wants. There is no longer anything stopping somebody from buying the game, playing the last level immediately, and them spoiling the ending to everybody they know. People who disagree with this shift also feel that this change will discourage players from experience a game’s story and the messages that it is trying to express.

I personally do not think that this potential shift to unlocked levels is going to have to much of an impact on the gaming industry and the gaming culture. I cannot speak for Halo, but the story in Call of Duty games has sucked for a long time. I would even wager that a majority of people who play Call of Duty do not even pay the campaign. This is not exactly a high stakes shift and the people who are upset about it need to get over it and embrace the concept of change.

It is interesting to speculate how this could affect the future of video games, though. If this open level idea catches on, it could completely change the way stories are told in video games and add an entirely new level of openness. Imagine a game that managed to tell a story regardless of which order you played the levels in. You could also take that idea a step further and imagine a game that told a different story and gave someone a unique experience each time they played the levels in a different sequence. I an barley wrap my head around how that story would be structured or how the logistics of it would work, but there is a lot of potential to this open level idea. That potential is really exciting and I look foreword to seeing what some talented and created development team is able to do with it.

That just about does it for this weeks installment of Game Grind. If you enjoyed it, please give it a like and if you disagree with my views or have some input of you own, please leave a comment. If you feel inclined to subscribe to this blog, which I highly appreciate, you can do so via email in the upper right tab. Also be sure to like the official BaddaBing BaddaBlog Facebook Page and follow me, @LucasDeRuyter, on Twitter. Have a great Saturday everybody and an even better Sunday.

BaddaBing, BaddaBye

Happy Friday BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers! The weekend is almost here! Or, if your like my roommate who managed to not have any classes today, you are already experiencing the awe and wonder of the weekend. This column exists so that you have something to talk to your friends and family about during this break in routine. This is News for the Mighty, News of the Week and here’s everything cool or noteworthy that happened during the week.

All work and no Play……………Boy

While the title to this story is the funniest one I could come up with, it’s not necessary the most accurate. There is no need for alarm, Playboy is still being made, they just are not going to feature nudity in their magazine or website anymore. Which, I guess may be alarming to some people, but I digress. Playboy has made the decision to focus on what everybody who reads Playboy claims to buy it for, the articles. The magazine is still going to feature models, they will just be wearing some form of “clothing” or another.

I personally think that this is a smart move on Playboy’s part. Since the rise of internet porn, Playboy has been struggling to match its audience from before the innovation. There is also the social stigma of reading a Playboy. You cannot exactly read a Playboy on the bus or in a coffee shop. Well you can, but you’re going to be ostracized and judged. I’m interested to see how this shift affects Playboy’s sales and how quickly, if at all, the view of the brand changes in the public eye.

(Also, if anyone knows anybody who can hook me up with a writers position at Playboy, you will have my unwavering gratitude. Working there would look cool on  a resume for forever.)

For more on the future of Playboy, Click Here.

Badgers vs. Apples 

The university that I attend, the University of Wisconsin Madison, may have some money coming for Apple in the future. A judge recently ruled that the massive technology company infringed upon the University’s patent, with the use of their A7, A8, and A8X processors. These processors can be found in the most recent versions of the iPhone and several different kinds of iPad. The funds that the University receives may be as high as 862 million dollars. While I am happy that my school is receiving the funds that they deserve, I know that this is not very much money to Apple.

More on Apple vs. UW Madison Right Here

Do you enjoy good music? If you do than you will be happy to hear that the next Gorillaz album has officially been announced! It has long been speculated that another one was in the works, but it was confirmed this week when co creator Damon Albarn that he and Jamie Hewlett will be making another. This next album is very early in development, but it appears as though it will be much faster and upbeat than the previous LPs. As a massive fan of Gorillaz myself, I cannot wait for the next album to drop and look foreword to the steady stream of news and art that is sure to appear in the coming months.

More Gorillaz news is just a Click Away.

That just about does it for this week in news. If you enjoyed this post be sure to give it a like and maybe even leave a comment down below. As always, you can subscribe to 4B by clicking on the upper right tab. Also be sure to check out the official BaddaBing BaddaBlog Facebook Page and my, @LucasDeRuyter, Twitter account. Have a great Friday everybody and be sure to come back here tomorrow for the next installment of Game Grind.

BaddaBing, BaddaBye

Happy Humpday BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers! It’s Wednesday and that means today’s article is going to be about on of the many colorful, child friendly, and well edited shows on television. Just kidding, of course I’m going to be talking about Sunday’s The Walking Dead premiere. You saw the title, you know what’s up.

I have a friend, let’s call him Bryan. He stopped watching The Walking Dead somewhere between seasons 2 and 3 like so many other individuals. I desperately wanted this to be the episode that could get him back on the bandwagon and that would inspire him to marathon everything that he has missed. This was not that episode. It was good, for the most part. Definitely a sold start to season 6, but it seemed like it was trying to piss me off the entire time. If you saw the episode you know what I am talking about.

For those of you who did not see it, I’ll try to make my point without giving away too many spoilers. Before watching the episode, I imagined the writers doing one of two things; either jumping ahead some amount of time into the future, or picking up the series right where season 5 climatically ended. Instead they decided to do both, somewhat poorly. Don’t get me wrong, a lot of loose ends are tied up, a lot of new dynamics are explained, and everything makes sense from both a narrative and objective standpoint. The issues I have is that the show decided to have all of their flashbacks in black and white and that the flashbacks are cut randomly in between a pretty awesome action sequence.

I really do not know why they decided to make all the flashbacks black and white. All the flashbacks in previous episodes have been in color and I really do not think doing it this way contributed anything to the episode. I actually really want to know why they made this aesthetic decision. Were they going for a George Romero vibe? Did someone just figure out how to work the filters on their phone? Or did the writers think that the audience would not be able to distinguish between the main story and the flashback without there being some sort of obvious tell? If the last one is the reason, then I’m actually a little insulted.

Also, having the flashbacks spliced in between the action was upsetting to me. To paraphrase a quote I’m sure Bryan would appreciate, I think stories should begin where they do naturally, not where they get exciting and then cut back to exposition. Other creators, like Quentin Tarantino, can get away with this because they add a level of suspense and mystery to their works through this model. In last night’s TWD episode, it was just distracting.

None of these reasons should be enough to discourage you from watching the episode, however. It was as good as any other Walking Dead episode, and a solid start to the season. There was plenty of action, some great character interactions and growth, and a cliff hanger that has had my roommate and myself buzzing for days. It is a good episode for fans of the show, just not good enough for me to start hounding Bryan to watch it again.

What did you guys think of the season 6 premiere? Let me know in the comments down below and, if you feel obligated, give this post a like while you’re down there. I really appreciate it. As always, you can subscribe to 4B via email in the upper right tab. Also, if you want to stay up to date, you can like the official BaddaBing BaddaBlog Facebook Page, or follow me, @LucasDeRuyter, on Twitter. Have a great rest of the week and be sure to come back on Friday for News for the Mighty, News of the Week.

BaddaBing, BaddaBye

Happy Monday BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers! I hope you had a kickass weekend and are prepared to make this week epic. As always, this segment is where we talk and analyze all things Japanamation. Today I’m reviewing the anime Gangsta.

Summer is decidedly over with, which means pumpkin flavored everything, beautiful trees, and dozens of anime wrapping up their twelve to thirteen episode run. Gangsta was an anime that had an incredible amount of potential, but suffered from many of the same issues that hinder other works when they are adapted from one medium to another. Namely, pacing, story delivery, and sequel lust.

Gangsta could have been a great anime, however it is bogged down to mediocrity due to the rapid changes in the narrative’s speed. It seemed like some episodes tried to cram as much story, exposition, and action into a twenty two minute time slot as possible, while other episodes spent far too much time focusing on events that contributed very little to the overall story. On a more personal note, I particularly found issue with this anime’s pacing because the bloated segments typically focused on characters that I did not particularly enjoy or find interesting.

I also take issue with the way the anime delivered exposition and told some of its story. I will not spoil anything, but there is a moment that the anime builds to over the course of several episodes through flashbacks. When it finally reaches that moment and depicts the climatic scene, it is shown in muted colors with the majority of the event taking place off screen. Needless to say I was disappointed. Actually, this is about the point where I felt the series was beginning to go downhill, around episode six.

The series’s decline continued to the final episode of the anime. I would normally refer to this episode as the anime’s conclusion, expect nothing is concluded. It is very obvious that the show wants to get a second season to elaborate upon many of its dangling story lines and cliffhangers. However, there is no way to know for sure if Gangsta actually is going to get a second season, which means that I just watched twelve episodes of build up for nothing. There are no resolutions, no pay offs, and really no coherent endings to speak of whatsoever. I part of me desperately hopes that the series does get another season so that I can get some closure, however another part of me hopes that they do not and that they suffer for making me care about these characters, only to leave their fates in limbo for god knows how long.

This review actually turned out to be way more negative than what I intended. Gangsta has some problems, but it is still a pretty good series that dares to be different from the formulaic structure of many other modern anime. It is different and I have to give it credit for that. However, I cannot in good conscious say that it is a great anime, because it did way to many easily avoidable things that piss me off way too much. I would still recommend that people watch Gangsta, just maybe not as enthusiastically as I would have after just watching episode three or four.

Alright, what do you guys think of this review? Are you going to watch Gangsta? Am I a terrible human being and are my opinions crap? Let me know in the comments down below and be sure to sure to give this post a like while you are there. As per usual, you can subscribe to BaddaBing BaddaBlog via email in the upper right tab. Be sure to check out and like the official BaddaBing BaddaBlog Facebook Page and check me, @LucasDeRuyter,out on Twitter. Have a great Monday everybody and a wonderful week.

BaddaBing, BaddaBye

Happy Saturday BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers!!! Welcome to Game Grind, the place where video games and the video game industry are carefully scrutinized. Today’s going to be a shorter post because, as I mentioned on the Facebook page yesterday, I have midterms to prepare for.

Befitting my currently hectic schedule is the fact there does not seem to be too many video games being released in the near future that I am interested in. Yes, of course I’m going to pick up Battlefront and Fallout 4. Beyond that however, there is a little that interests me. I’m over Call of Duty, I do not play sports games, and I am a bit more picky than what I should be when it comes to 3DS and mobile games. So yeah, perhaps I’m becoming a cynical old douche.

Ooooooooooooooooor, the much more likely answer is that I am just as awesome as ever and what is happening right now is an example of a much larger industry trend. I have stated on here numerous times that the video game industry is not in the greatest of shapes. It by no means is doing poorly, but if some longstanding issues are not resolved in the near future they medium may be in some serious trouble.

I think that the reason why it seems like there are so few games coming out in the near future is because fewer video games are being made. It is incredibly expensive to make  a triple A game. Actually, come to think of it I don’t really know what triple A really even means. Regardless, today a lot of video game companies will not make a game unless they are almost positive it will sell well. This is also why there are so many sequels in video games. I have not done a tone of research into this train of thought, but I suspect that if I want to play a variety of new and original games, I’m going to have to check out the mobile scene and maybe get a steam account. *groan*

Alright guys, that about does it for this weeks installment of Game Grind. As always, you can subscribe in the upper right tab and be sure to check the blog out on Facebook and me, @LucasDeRuyter, out on Twitter. Have a great Saturday everybody.

BaddaBing, BaddaBye