Auto-nin13

A little late to say Merry Christmas and a little early for Happy New Years, so Happy Holidays, everyone. I got whooped by family and personal business these holidays and hence got off track with my doodles and drawing. Hoping to post what I drew over the holidays soon, but wanted to give a status update through jounral since I probably won't be posting on DA till after New Years Day. However, I am a happy camper as I got a tablet for Christmas and figuring out how to doodle on that. It's quite a learning curve. Heh heh. Well, Auto out!

Howdy, everyone! I usually would put a review on Wattpad or my blog, but decided to try a short review here after seeing the first 4 episodes of the English Dub of Log Horizon out of curiosity. Don't know it will make it to Wattpad or my blog since I usually don't watch dubbed anime(obvious reasons), but let's get onto the review. Since this will be a short review, I will only be hitting some points, mostly due to I actually don't want to spoil the English Dub. You heard me right, I actually said "spoil the English Dub."

Review
Now, before I start, I need to make some things clear. I used the term "anime" and "manga" for the style, not the country of origin. I'm a artist trying to make a living off what I do, so I actually understand anime and manga are no longer isolated to Japanese mangaka and artists as it has spread across the world. Even I am influenced by manga and anime though I have to fight my style to get a somehow more anime like style instead of my cartoony style. New webmanga and published manga outside of Japan really shows this, along with anime shows from other countries like The Avatar: The Last Airbender. However, one annoying thing that I think all fans of any moving art medium(animation, movies, games, and so on) properly can agree on that one thing that is still lagging is how studios get foreign medium pieces translated. The reasons are wide and varied, so I am not going to get into that. However, I will say I also read the light novels of Log Horizon, which light novels are popping up more and more outside of Japan and Log Horizon's light novel is slated for 2015 to come to US. And it is a good call as many fans have been going to translate sites to read these light novels like myself. So, why I am mentioning all this for a review on an English Dub anime of Log Horizon?

One thing, stop thinking the English Dub is... Well, a dubbed version of the same anime. Those of you who are planning the DVD like me, you will be getting actually one hell of a treat as it will have both the Japanese and English Dub. Usually, when the English dub really goes off from the subs of the anime like Log Horizon has, it usually is rarely good and results in two very different stories due to it. Log Horizon? Hell no. In fact, the dub actually tries to correct some issues from the Japanese dub and it makes it a lot clearer even probably for Japanese fans if they watch the English with Japanese subs. This is because the studio that did the script and voice acting for the English dub did their homework and brought the English dub a lot closer to the light novel source material than the Japanese anime. The same tone that is tugging between semi-dark and light hearted escapism the characters and story is hit right on the head with the Dub, which is pretty damn amazing considering they did fix the beginning tone issues with just minor editing and voice acting. Now, due to this, the rushing issue with Log Horizon's anime in the beginning(especially episode 1) is more apparent and there is some derp moments the animation and voice acting matching the characters, but they make up for it with added dialogue that actually gives life to the characters we well changes to characters' traits that actually helps add to the chemistry of these established characters instead of just trying to match the subtitles and Japanese dub. Heck, some lines sound like they come from the English translations to the light novel in some points and it gives me goosebumps as it is a dub done so right because it gives me the same feeling of the light novel. Heck, even the side characters have good voice acting, so I give kudos to the studio for giving us English speaking fans an awesome dub we been really needing for a long while and hope other languages get just as good of a dub in their native tongue.

With all I wrote, I actually highly recommend the English Dub of Log Horizon. Though, I do recommend watched the first 4 episodes if your skeptical about the dub. Reason isn't so much the "go check it out if you don't believe me" deal, but the fact it takes a little getting used this version of Log Horizon. Once you get it in your head it is not the same Log Horizon as the Japanese Anime and is basically a redone English anime using the same animation, but different dialogue, then you can start to actually find the English dub very enjoyable and brings stuff the Japanese dub and subtitles didn't. Hence two version of the same anime story told differently that actually bring entertainment from both instead of one being better than the other. The English Dub is really aiming for the light novel readers with it being released 2015 by Yen Press and it was a damn good move as it actually makes it better also for the anime only watchers, too. Now, there will be also probably fan wars starting due to this version of Log Horizon, specifically over how Nyanta is done in the English dub. Hence putting my opinion out now so I don't get involve and a slight spoiler, but you kind of need to expect it. Nyanta is a freaking cool cat gentlemen black gangsta from the partying streets of New Orleans and it's freaking brilliant. That's the only way I can sum it up without going nerdgasm at the amazing character voice acting and personality design to make this happen in the English dub and the fact they pulled off such a tricky move almost flawlessly(again, some derp moments, but that's always expected). It actually manages to bring a new look on Nyanta even I was not expecting and actually make it feel like Nyanta can be this version as well. That and makes his interactions with Serara even funnier. The English Dub has been leaked on the web and you can find it here. I usually don't link to free sources unless it is put up free like the light novel(it's put out as a webnovel and then collected up for light novel) as I like to support the makers of it, but this dub does take having to watch a few episodes to see if you would like it or not or just want to stick with the subs. However, this is more for personal taste than the usual dub issues. I recommend listening to it with headphones or on full volume as the audio for the linked video is not the best, but still delivers the dub alright. I can't wait for the DVD out as I will be rewatching both versions a lot. Well, hope you all enjoyed the revivew, Auto out!

Yes! Managed to pull off the full marathon with Inktober! I am happy with all I learned and got a little shock when I went to digital, though my daily doodle doesn't show it that much. Though, still going to be doing my daily doodle and posting images of my sketches for projects I am working on, including Witch and Wild Cat. I will be working on Witch once I do my one-shot fan comic to figure out the process with a little comic.

Though, I been writing a lot and actually close to hitting the amount of chapters I want for a buffer for a fanfiction I am working on. I also got the line art done for the cover art and hoping to finish that next week with color. Might do a journal to announce the fanfiction live on Wattpad once I have it up.

I have hit the finish line!... And still got half of Inktober to go. Well, kind of what I get for not double checking if challenges I was taking on. But, I am happy with the progress I gotten(outside day 28 derp drawing). It has really help me finally get my daily drawing habit cemented in and plan to keep on doing daily drawings. Though, next few days, my daily doodles and drawings won't be posted as I will be experimenting with them to try out some techniques and such. Especially since I will be ordering some new inks and such from Jetpens.com soon.

However, with now done with the 30 Day Sketchbook Challenge, I will begin working on the doujinshi I mentioned with now being able to focus on just that and the Inktober project. I am about to write the script for it while also doing the character sketches, which this week I been a bit too busy with work to properly do sketches outside the 30 Day Sketchbook challenge and Inktober. Thanks for coming by if anyone is reading this.

Well, with what I been doing with Inktober, the 30 Day Sketchbook Challange and thinking of where to go, I decided setting up a small project. I won't be fully jumping into it fully until finishing my 30 Day Sketchbook Challenge, but decided to put this up here on my journal in hopes one of the people who watches my account hold me up to it. I've decided to do a doujinshi(fan comic) as practice to figure out the process of doing manga(well, comic, I am just using the page layout and such of manga).

I am doing this due to the two concept projects I am doing for Inktober. I have decided to do them as comics instead of writing them as web serials as I originally planned(and was trying to do with Wild Cat's case). But, even with putting Inktober all towards those two projects' concept work, I will need more time to get things set up for them. However, this is why I will be doing a doujinshi that I already kind of have a little written out and won't take much to turn into a script to do the first chapter/one-shot. It was an experimental fanfiction I was working on the side while trying to rewrite a bigger fanfiction before I post that bigger one on Wattpad, but have not posted online.

So, what is the story of doujinshi?. It is a Naruto doujinshi that focuses on friendship... And how roommates can drive you insane, yet comfort you like a sibling. Before I get any yaoi fangirls squealing, this is not a yaoi story(nor yuri for those fans). I have nothing against, in fact, if I continue this doujinshi, there shall be homosexual jokes and such galore not because of the characters, but that's due to my style of writing. Especially since this one won't have much romance in it, at least for the main characters I am focusing on. A good example being this Naruto one-shot fanfic, Why Me?, that I wrote and it has a sequel known as You're Gonna Kill Me. It's a gender swap fic I did for a Wattpad Contest and actually ended up being one of the winners to my amazement. A little romance at the end, but mostly a story of someone discovering the person they thought they knew is nothing at all like those thoughts.

If you read that one-shot and it's sequel, expect the same level of clever comedy as that's what this doujinshi will be aiming for since it's the common element between my two Inktober projects I am planning to making into comics later. I think it's my kind of style I work best in and want to see if I can properly transfer it to visual storytelling. I don't have a deadline set for it yet as I have to first write the script and do the rough draft to get the idea of how long it will be. Once those are set, I will put a loose deadline up to try and finish it to push myself to the goal.