My First Geek Moot

For some reason or another, I never made it to Geekmoot 1.0 or 2.0. I really didn't want to sit out this year's due to a cold/flu. Thankfully, I recovered enough to go out and play at Geekmoot 3.0. As I walked through to the front of the Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Centre, my eyes bugged out. The gymnasium was filled with tables with people playing tabletop games at each one. The main area had teens playing Dance Dance Revolution, with another group on the side playing games on their laptops. Patrons were watching Lloyd the Conqueror, a locally produced film, in the far room.

After paying my $5 admission, which included food and drink, I stepped into the gym. The energy in the room was just marvellous. There were kids as young as three playing all the way up to people who have retired from their jobs. Good clean fun without any electronics. I felt like I was a kid.

Then, the vendors caught my attention. A couple of my students would have squealed upon spying the Zelda Sage Medallions with Sage Temple Plaque at Chinook Crafts' booth, while one of my friends would have had a BRONY moment at the sight of the excellent renditions of Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle and Apple Jack.

On the other side of the gym, I caught up with a gal I knew from a now defunct anime group. Their amigurumi and buttons were pretty neat (Aerel and shi-oni). And I was good - I looked at the the well-designed hoodies and cosplay caps at Canada Cosplay - and didn't break the bank. I just kept on walking.

It was really great to try out new tabletop games. That day, I tried out Robo Rally, King of Tokyo, The Resistance and Hanabi.

Robo Rally is a neat board game in which you are all robots. You program your robot to move in a certain order, working your way to the numbered flags. However, you don't know what path the other robots have. Their moves could affect your trajectory. Robo Rally is available at your local gaming or toy store. Online, you can purchase it at Amazon.ca or Amazon.com.

I really enjoyed King of Tokyo: Players are kaiju monsters fighting for supremacy in Tokyo. Who can dish the most damage and lose the least amount of health? I, um, er, rolled three to four claws at the beginning. My Cyber Bunny wreaked havoc on the other monsters. It's also available at your local gaming or toy store or online at Amazon.

In The Resistance, resistance fighters and spies team up to complete unexplained missions. Spies try not to identify themselves to the resistance. Little did I know that by not putting myself on the first mission, I didn't show that I trusted the other members. Nay, apparently, I gave away that I was a spy off the bat. I make a bad spy.

This was my least favourite game. I need to know what kind of mission we're on and what obstacles we're up against. I want to know what my special moves are (Yes, I grew up on RPG games and online adventure games).

The last game was unusual. Hanabi is a collaborative card game. Members hold their cards with the faces towards the other players. With clues from the others, you try to figure out which card to play to help the team build fireworks (the numbered cards must go up sequentially). Although I liked it, I think I need to actually write down the clues next time (If you follow any of my other blogs, you know that I am NOT an aural learner).

Another highlight of the evening was the opportunity to hear THWOMP live in concert. I interviewed Brad Stanton and Dave Marshall from the band back in 2010 for a series originally published on Suite101. It now lives on one of my blogs, The Musical Muse.

Oh how apropos! My mp3 player randomly switched to THWOMP's Zelda set. They performed many beloved themes that are on their Hey! Listen album.

All in all, my first Geekmoot was a wonderful experience. I met some new gaming buddies, heard about a few upcoming tabletop gaming events and caught up with anime and gaming friends I haven't seen in a while. Looking forward to Geekmoot 4.0!

Summer Geek-out at G33km00t 3.0

With the Calgary Expo and Otafest behind us, what are Calgary geeks to do while waiting for the next big geek-out (AKA Animethon)? Why, check out Geekmoot 3.0!

Geekmoot (AKA "g33km00t") will take place Saturday, July 27, 2013 from 2:00 - 11:30 pm at the Hillhurst Sunnyside Communty Association. It is an annual one-day gaming convention that is oh so much more. In addition to playing various tabletop games, attendees can check out the Artists' Alley and vendor tables.

Several voice actors will be there, such as Brendan Hunter (Hunter X Hunter Dragon Ball GT,  Cardfight! Vanguard), Lucas Gilbertson (Cardfight!! Vanguard, Mega Man X8, Hunter X Hunter) and Carol-Anne Day (Gregory Horror Show, My-HiME (TV), MegaMan Maverick Hunter X: The Day of Sigma OVA). Other special guests include the 404s imrpov comedy, Anything Goes and THWOMP.

Here's a sampling of music performed by Anything Goes:

And a live performance by THWOMP:

If that's not enough for you, you can check out the movie screening of Brendan Hunter's production Lloyd the Conqueror. Lloyd, Patrick and Oswald - three slacker students who lost their student funding make a pact with a teacher which leads to some LARP of Demons & Dwarves.

Geekmoot tickets are only $5 for adults and kids 12 and up. Kids under 12 are free. Tickets include admission to all events and food. For more information, check out g33km00t's website or Facebook page.

FUNimation, Media Factory's Soul Eater Part Two DVD Review

Soul Eater might have gotten off to a slow start in Soul Eater Part One, but the action shoots forward in Soul Eater Part Two. The second installment of this popular supernatural shonen series includes episodes 14 - 26.

About Soul Eater the Anime

Soul Eater is based on the long-running manga created by Atsushi Okubo. The story centers around three meister/weapon student teams who attend the Death Weapon Meister Academy. There's hardworking Maka, a scythe-meister and her "stay cool" partner Soul. Their closest friends include Black Star the stage hog martial artist and his partner, the sweet and cooperative Tsubaki, as well as the symmetry-obsessed Death the Kid and his partners, the vain Liz Thompson and her childish sister Patty. These students and their classmates develop the skills and knowledge needed to slay monsters who are on the path to becoming a dreaded kishin. Supporting the main characters are Shinigami-sama (Lord Death), Maka's "pervert father" Spirit, stoic Sid the Zombie, the dissecting-obsessed Dr. Stein and the sexy kitty/witch Blair.

Soul Eater the animated series is directed by Takuya Igarashi (Japanese) and Zach Boulton (ADR). The original Japanese version is produced by Bones/Square Enix (Fullmetal Alchemist and Cowboy Bebop), while the ADR producers are FUNimation/Media Factory.

A Look at Soul Eater Part Two

Part 2 starts off on a light-hearted note. "The Super Written Exam" displays each main character's quirks hilariously as they study. "The Legend of the Holy Sword" introduces audiences to Excalibur's theme song (which will stay in viewer's heads for hours after hearing it), while "The Death Scythes Convene" introduces viewers to three Lord Death's eight Death Scythes.

The tone quickly sinks into the dark depths of madness as the story progresses. The witch Medusa's plan is revealed and viewers learn more about Crona, who was introduced in Soul Eater Part One. By episode 26, viewers have experienced the team's biggest fight so far and learn more about the kishin.

Soul Eater Part 2 DVD Extras

Like Soul Eater Part One, Part Two includes FUNimation trailers, textless versions of the intro and outro themes, the Late Night Show clips and audio commentary for one episode (Episode 23); provided by FUNimation voice actors Vic Mignogna (Spirit), Chuck Huber (Stein) and Luci Christian (Medusa). The audio commentary is fine to listen to in the background while doing something else. It's filled with just as much ego-stroking as the Episode 7 audio commentary in Soul Eater Part 1. Even the Late Night Show clips get stale after a while. However, the sticker of Black Star is a nice bonus.

Soul Eater Part Two DVD Information

Directors: Takuya Igarashi Writers: Akatsuki Yamatoya, Megumi Shimizu, Yoneki Tsumura Format: Color, Widescreen, NTSC, Import Language: Japanese (with English subtitles), English Number of discs: 2 Studio: Funimation! Unidisc Release Date: March 30, 2010 Running Time: 320 minutes ASIN: B0030ZOYKY

Available locally at Future Shop or your local geek store and online at Amazon,ca , Amazon.com , the

RightStuf , JList and CD Japan

.Soul Eater Part Two

- An Enjoyable Watch Time and Time Again

The quirky animation style is on par with the discs from Soul Eater Part 1. Vivid colors jump out from the screen. The fight scenes are exciting to watch and well-drawn, especially on the second disk.

The music for Soul Eater, as the voice actors have commented on repeatedly, is downright catchy. The background music meshes harmoniously with the tone of the dialogue and fighting.

Then there are the characters. Viewers learn more about Maka and Soul as well as Black Star and Tsubaki as they try to work through their personal issues. Liz and Patty's past and early days with Death the Kid are also revealed. Their quirks, their motivations and support of each other engages viewers.

Voice dubbing? Viewers whose introduction to Soul Eater was in Japanese may still be cringing over FUNimation's English casting for Black Star, Death the Kid, Soul Eater and Stein. That is, if discussion forums, such as the one on My Anime List are any indication. It's just not the same. Soul needs more soul! Stein needs more creepiness. Black Star is too girly and Kid is just too....arrogant sounding.

The voice actors did a good job though. Those lines aren't the easiest thing to say, especially since they have to match lip flaps precisely. It isn't their fault if things got lost in translation from Japanese to English or if the director decided to take a different approach.

Dubbing aside, Soul Eater Part Two, like its predecessor, will draw viewers and buyers to it (and bring them back for a second, third or 30th viewing) for its characterization, music and animation. It's smart, it's funny and it handles the mood swings from funny to serious as fluidly as Soul transforms into a scythe.

Soul Eater Part Two gets 4/5.

Originally published on Suite101.com on May 31, 2010. Updated July 13, 2013.

Simple Pleasures - My Latest Geek Out Moment

While I was away at a convention in Halifax, Nova Scotia, I made sure that I tracked down a geek chic store close to my hotel. My search took me to Strange Adventures.

I picked up this little guy. My colleagues were wondering exactly what was hanging off my keitai, dangling out of my pocket. I simply would answer: "HULK SMASH!"

My Hulk Frenzies cell phone charm is part of the Tokidoki Frenzies Zipper Pull series. You never know just who you'll get.

I'm trying to get the next music teacher convention to hire FlipOn.TV to stream the sessions and sell Virtual Passes - just like we had at the Calgary Expo. My fellow geek at The Sayre Series' booth in the dealer room heartily agreed.

Geeking Out with My Unlocked Smartphone

On more than one occasion, a TELUS Mobility representative has called me with one of those "Touchy Feely Customer Service" calls.  They were trying to get me to upgrade my trusty LG Keybo II to a smartphone. My answer was always the same, "You don't have the phone I want." Predictably, they ask, "What kind of phone do you want?" To which, I'd reply: "A waterproof Japanese phone."

In the fall of 2012, I finally bought one:

What's so cool about getting a keitai, you ask? Allow me to compare my Docomo Fujitsu with the two top smartphones from the same season:

Apple iPhone 5 SIM: Nano-SIM Dimensions:123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm Weight:112 g Screen:640 x 1136 pixels, 4.0 inches (~326 ppi pixel density) SD Card slot: No Memory: 16/32/64 GB storage, 1 GB RAM Camera: 8 MP/1080p@30fps;1.2 MP/720p@30fps CPU: Dual-core 1.2 GHz

Samsung Galaxy S3 SIM: Micro-SIM Dimensions: 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm Weight: 133 g Screen: 720 x 1280 pixels, 4.8 inches (~306 ppi pixel density) SD Card slot: microSD, up to 64 GB Memory: 16/32/64 GB storage, 1 GB RAM Camera: 8 MP/1080p@30fps; 1.9 MP/720p@30fps CPU: Quad-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A9

Docomo Fujitsu F-05D LTE SIM: Micro-SIM Dimensions: 129 × 64 × 8.7 mm Weight: 124g Screen: 4.3 Inch HD touchscreen ( 720 x 1280 pixels) SD Card slot: microSD, up to 32 GB Memory: 8GB ROM / 1GB RAM Camera: 13.1 MP/1080p@30fps; 1.3 MP CPU: 1200 MHz, 1.2 GHz Dual-Core OMAP4430 processor FM Transmitter

It measures up fairly well. However, the Fujitsu F-05D dances circles around the other two phones in terms of camera capability. Plus, the gradient magenta red is very slick. And did I mention that it is dust-proof and water-proof?

In this video, I follow the directions from the user manual to properly wash my phone:

You also get a butler. Machi-chara changes costumes for special holidays. He waves a phone when you miss a call. Here, he's crying because no one has e-mailed or called me for a while.

My Japanese smartphone came unlocked, so whenever I travel outside of Canada, I can purchase a pre-paid SIM card for the country I am visiting. That way, I can eliminate roaming charges.

If you are thinking of buying an unlocked smartphone from abroad, do your research first. Not only do you have to research the phones but you must also research the company. Howard Forums is an excellent place to do both.

You also need to make sure that your unlocked smartphone will work on your country's mobile network. I went to GSM Arena for that information.

I wound up purchasing my keitai from Kyoto Exports, AKA Kyoex. I was impressed with how quickly questions were answered on Howard Forums, e-mail and Kyoex's FB page.

My phone arrived within three weeks and Kazuto Tominaga-san walked me through the additional steps to set up the APN settings properly. It worked beautifully until the spring.

My guess is that it was a combination of the following:

1. I got too "app happy" and overloaded it.

2. The result is that the phone overheated and got stuck in a restart loop.

3. When we tried to upgrade the phone to ICS it restarted smack dab in the middle of the upgrade, which corrupted the OS.

4. The constant restarting killed the battery.

I sent the phone back to Japan and went out to buy a cheap back-up phone.

Kyoex and Docomo solved the problem quickly. Not only did they fix the problem, but they sent me back an additional battery cover and screen protectors - free of charge.

When we discovered that the battery had died, Kazuto-san asked me to send the defective battery back. He exchanged it for a new battery - also free of charge. When I ordered a second pocket charger and phone case, he threw in a couple more screen protectors.

If you wind up deciding upon a Japanese keitai, I highly recommend Kyoex. Prompt service, often going above and beyond what we normally receive in North America, plus quality products make for a winning combination.