w00t w00t booyah

We always approach this time of year with some trepidation, and I'd have to say it's well-earned. Since Xander's arrival, attending and participating in this local anime convention requires logistics and no small amount of money. The first year, it was over a grand in child care costs alone and I ended up in the doctor's office the next morning coughing up blood - for the chance of taking a nap in an unmade bed in peace. That's about it.

Karaoke kicked me off to Cosplay the next year.

Who sat me in the dark, alone at an info booth table nobody really needed - but the con required. Next to the peace-bonding station. Which, if you think about me and my history with security at cons, is amusing. Sort of sideways.

This year, I got a spot in the Cosplay office - and really got a better look at how they work this type of event. I've actually competed in a Masquerade once - about 1979 or so - but haven't been back inside to see how things have improved since then, and man. It's a pretty slick operation nowadays.

For just being on hand to do data entry (really really) - this was a really nice gig. I actually had my lead check my work Sunday morning (this is what I did - is that all you wanted to have done?) - stressful? Really?

I actually could set up the laptop, beat the moths out of it and get my Sims 2 game running smoothly again.

Day one, someone came in claiming that Justin Bieber had shown up, unannounced, and con security had locked the place down while he was shown around the place. Riight. I told anyone who cared to listen that if he'd shown up, fine. If his mother was with him, SHE was the one I wanted to talk to. People looked at me funny, then the light bulbs went off over their heads. Mommy wants to talk to da Mommy - seriously. If I ever get a chance, mind you.

What had actually happened? Some bright penny had left their stuff unattended in the food court. And that whole 'I don't KNOW what that is - it's going to be DEADLY has to be' mentality took over and suddenly it was a goth lollie BOMB. And cleared the hall.

That's the vibe you have working here. You're being shooed out of part of the convention center, it's because Justin Bieber wants your space. Only reason. I am much amused.

The rest of the con ran much as it had been expected to. Food? There are gourmet catering trucks outside (the GOOD ones, mind) and I went home at night. I tried to bring back breakfast food each morning, and kept the cuisine both topical and tasty. Krispy Kreme Day One, Japanese pan Day Two and Hawaiian breads Day Three. Day Four, leftovers.

It's all office supplies, doncha know.

I have to remember that switching mental gears like this is both necessary and fun. Sunday, I'm noticing that I haven't worn the awesome green satin jacket I've had hanging in the closet. It's got embroidered roses and dragons all over the back and is wicked cool - and I haven't worn it at all. For a long time. It's good to put clothes like that on again. And dance on your toes until 2:00 AM.

I really loved the Masquerade this year, though. Knowing that much more about the back office gave me more to work with out in the green room getting people ready - and knowing which group was what - and just being more ready and grounded. It also wasn't as large a show as last year, which could be taken both to the good as well as the bad - less acts meant more time to spend with the ones left, but a shorter show.

The happy ending story was one gal who had her group drop out on her - and she entered by herself anyway, lacking a group or skit or music at all. And really, looking at the other groups - got more than a little scared. But by herself? Costume was gorgeous. Props were fantastic. Put together like whoa. Very young - novice class, for sure.

"Hon, this whole thing started out as a fashion show and don't you forget it. Go out there, hit your mark, show 'em your shit - smile, wave and get out of there. You'll be fine. REALLY."

I talked her, the MC talked to her, the stage manager talked to her - we all had a bit of hand holding (the good kind) to do. But she did it, rethinking it up to the very last minute.

The crowd absolutely loved her. And she won. TWICE.

This is me, backstage fist-pumping with both hands, running in place. Sometimes, the good guys win.

And of course, to balance that out - we had one entry who was so sure she was going to win? (Because you know these things are fixed.) Not to be racist, but I've retagged them Imelda and Ferdinand. The behavior after the contest was horrible. Security was on hand. People were dragged out of bed in the middle of the night.

Last I heard, they were rewarded by a sound banning. Fixed, you betcha. We can certainly fix THAT for you.

The downside is that Jim got Xander the entire weekend without a break - and I didn't see anyone who didn't march into the office.

Friday, fetching lunch for Jim, I somehow dropped my wallet on either the desk or the floor - and it had gotten kicked under the desk. When it came time to go home, I couldn't find it.

And retracing my steps didn't locate it. Went home thinking my wallet had been picked off - and was gone. Cancelled all the credit cards, reported them stolen and wondered just how the hell I was going to get to work on Tuesday. Let alone get home after Masquerade Sunday night.

Saturday morning, I dived under the desk looking for a badge and found it. But I am without a debit card or any of my other credit cards. Well, that's one way to make your budget if you can't spend anything I guess.

I just have my driver's license back and without my passport handy, that's the only valid ID I have. Will have to fix that at next paycheck. In two weeks.

And I think I'm going to make myself a backup copy of my ID cards. Funny, even Starbucks will reissue cards if you have them registered and move the balances over to new cards if they're lost.

I really don't want to have that experience again, mind you.

Kid had a blast playing with the peeps - who I was thrilled to see, but barely had time to hug them before they ran off and I ran the other way.

And of course, having a reason to be home and in bed every night before nine can REALLY put a kink into your kink. As in, forget about it.

Well. There's the next one.

This was a good one. I'll take it.

First off, This is awesome. Beehive in a belljar. Go check it.

Hello, I finally spent a weekend as myself.

I've also had far too much Pokemon in my daily diet and I'm here to tell you - stuff as big as an Onix does NOT make a good household pet. (I hate my dreamworks sometimes.) Did not wake screaming, but pretty anxious. And this stuff is for kids. Riiiiight.

I am also still coughing a bit - but it's no longer a constant. About as healthy as I can be at this point. (Still a sitting duck for anything that wants to cruise by, however.)

Saturday was our four-month update for the agency in Taiwan, and that meant putting on our best faces, cleaning up the place and having a social worker give us the once over. Again. We have another one of these at the one year mark - and then after that, any oversight is completely at our discretion and nobody needs to have eyes on our family again.

('At our discretion' means I can blab all I want - or not. I don't have to.)

She also wanted to do this at 11:00, which meant most of it took place while we tried to feed kid lunch. (New person I don't know = HUGE distraction. Ate little until she left, then chowed down.) Then, nap.

Going to sleep has a new wrinkle - he's good at fighting sleep with little effort expended (no, I don't have a kid who has to run screaming through the house to stay awake...but that's your first clue he could go down if you work him there). However, we have an understanding on the matter - "What time is it?" "Bedtime." "And what does that mean?" "Sweeping." "Uh huh. So lay on your back, close your eyes...nite nite."

And if I hang out by the door, the 'eyes closed' is just enough to finish the job. Leave the room? Oh, that's room enough to fiddle with lovies and just plain resist the urge.

But if someone is in the living room? Nothing works. Christmas Eve is going to be a howl, I can tell already. Remove all the distractions? Everything falls into place.

When he got up, we took him out to get signed up for swimming lessons -

Grocery shopping, (I put the groceries away while the boys got wet in the pool out back), dinner out and then back home for bed.

Sunday. Sundays are tough, because I'm on my own - if I don't have a good idea of what I'm going to do next, I tend to flail because the default setting is KID IN MY FACE ENTERTAIN ME. I'm told this will lessen soon - it's part adjustment, part age. I deal by having plenty to do - we go to the park, we go do the marketing, we wash the car...we go out to brunch with catsonmars at a new place down the street that is going to get Yelped OMG right away.

The people watching was the absolute best - and that's saying something, the food was incredible.

It's hard to manage kid in a place that requires a high chair and ordering at the counter - one, the high chairs tend to be scarce, so if you see one, you grab it first. Then find a table where you have completely unimpeded access and sight to kid, seated at the table in high chair. Order food.

Oh, I don't have to carry it back? Okay, next time I won't put kid at the table while I order. (You can't carry food and kid.) This is a win - place is a single-location burger joint that also serves mexican food and real-live breakfast (waffles, omelettes, yay).

Will have to remember to bring cup with me next time for kid - only size in drinks is as big as he is.

Note the after-church group sitting together in a booth behind me. "The Bible has a passage that says..." Checking it, I see plenty of very intense faces, but no Bible on the table being referred to. UH. It does? (So help me, I'll have all 12 books I have on CD on any device I buy to carry such things to read. "Soooo...which passage were you thinking of? This one...and in what translation? Oooohh, that one. Yeah. Really?") I had to feel sorry for them. Three piece suits and ties, and the lady was wearing a slip the wrong color, too long...under a polyester double-knit dress with a kick-pleat in the back showing her sartorial piety in all its glory. Polyester double-knit. Oh, and it's already 83 out. Sorry, I feel for them. Yes.

Sit down, and kid zeroes in on the large Pinoy family nomming behind us. At least five kids under 12. They are definitely interesting, and I kind of wonder what's going through his mind (They're actually EATING that? Are they going to go play? Where did they come from?)

Keep in mind, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center is just catty-corner from this place (the location used as Rampart Hospital in Emergency! BTW), so watching this poor soul stumble into the place between two of his friends was only a fast OH YEAH THAT'S RIGHT. Both arms had had IV's in them, he still had his ID bracelet on...and had the worst - I mean WORST - periorbital hematoma I've ever seen. That's black eye for the rest of us, but that doesn't begin to describe the poor guy. Obviously, something big had smacked him in the head, he had been discharged from the hospital and was getting something to eat on the way home - but the eye is swollen shut and the swelling from the eye socket is distorting the telfa pad and bandages on the side of his head out at least four inches. He looks like he had gone to one heck of a party that ended in one heck of a fight and now it's Sunday morning and oooh, my aching head.

Not fifteen minutes later, the paramedic team shows up for their breakfast. Oh, this gets kiddo's attention something fierce - what IS it about firemen? Who's that? Who's that? "Firemen." He repeats this in tones of reverence and just thinks they're cool. They sit down, nom - and then catch up with the poor sack of bones who now has six people around him having breakfast. I love me my firemen in the land of Emergency! - yes, I do.

catsonmars shows up, we're already nomming some excellent chorizo and eggs (Kid has his chicken fingers) and we go our separate ways - he, to work, us to swimming lessons.

I am still thanking myself to keeping this kind of thing to a minimum. Yes, he had a GREAT time and the instructor thought he was absolutely incredible. Smart, intuitive, receptive...wonderful to teach.

He was terrified of the whole thing initially. This had to be the biggest pool he'd ever seen, all the people were new (except me) and it's water. Lots and lots of water.

Some water toys (and I'm grateful as heck this place is smart enough to know you need 15 minutes to warm up before being taught) and a little getting acquainted...and he was FAB. Next time, I'll dress out too and go in as well, but I stayed right on the edge of the pool (even got some pictures). That made it all work.

Place from the outside wins the award hands-down for the WTF OMG GHETTO award - and ghad help you if you park in the shared parking lot. That's for the liquor store, the pupuseria and the barber shop that share it.

So park on the street.

But once inside - it's all good, and better. Best part was there was no racial majority. Kids that looked like me, kids that looked like him, kids that looked like neither of us, kids that looked like both parents and neither of them. The lessons are also a bargain and if this works out, we'll likely keep this up while the weather stays cooperative. I got to sit and listen to mockingbirds while the kid swam.

I drove the boy around to let him settle down before napping at home. After that, it was marketing, wash the car and go home and find Dad already at home!

But boy, what he does to Jim vs. what he does to me - really different. And he's a LOT harder to deal with if you're Jim.

Pokemon continues to amaze me as a concept and a property.

Welcome to Monday, already in progress.

First off, This is awesome. Beehive in a belljar. Go check it.

Hello, I finally spent a weekend as myself.

I've also had far too much Pokemon in my daily diet and I'm here to tell you - stuff as big as an Onix does NOT make a good household pet. (I hate my dreamworks sometimes.) Did not wake screaming, but pretty anxious. And this stuff is for kids. Riiiiight.

I am also still coughing a bit - but it's no longer a constant. About as healthy as I can be at this point. (Still a sitting duck for anything that wants to cruise by, however.)

Saturday was our four-month update for the agency in Taiwan, and that meant putting on our best faces, cleaning up the place and having a social worker give us the once over. Again. We have another one of these at the one year mark - and then after that, any oversight is completely at our discretion and nobody needs to have eyes on our family again.

('At our discretion' means I can blab all I want - or not. I don't have to.)

She also wanted to do this at 11:00, which meant most of it took place while we tried to feed kid lunch. (New person I don't know = HUGE distraction. Ate little until she left, then chowed down.) Then, nap.

Going to sleep has a new wrinkle - he's good at fighting sleep with little effort expended (no, I don't have a kid who has to run screaming through the house to stay awake...but that's your first clue he could go down if you work him there). However, we have an understanding on the matter - "What time is it?" "Bedtime." "And what does that mean?" "Sweeping." "Uh huh. So lay on your back, close your eyes...nite nite."

And if I hang out by the door, the 'eyes closed' is just enough to finish the job. Leave the room? Oh, that's room enough to fiddle with lovies and just plain resist the urge.

But if someone is in the living room? Nothing works. Christmas Eve is going to be a howl, I can tell already. Remove all the distractions? Everything falls into place.

When he got up, we took him out to get signed up for swimming lessons -

Grocery shopping, (I put the groceries away while the boys got wet in the pool out back), dinner out and then back home for bed.

Sunday. Sundays are tough, because I'm on my own - if I don't have a good idea of what I'm going to do next, I tend to flail because the default setting is KID IN MY FACE ENTERTAIN ME. I'm told this will lessen soon - it's part adjustment, part age. I deal by having plenty to do - we go to the park, we go do the marketing, we wash the car...we go out to brunch with catsonmars at a new place down the street that is going to get Yelped OMG right away.

The people watching was the absolute best - and that's saying something, the food was incredible.

It's hard to manage kid in a place that requires a high chair and ordering at the counter - one, the high chairs tend to be scarce, so if you see one, you grab it first. Then find a table where you have completely unimpeded access and sight to kid, seated at the table in high chair. Order food.

Oh, I don't have to carry it back? Okay, next time I won't put kid at the table while I order. (You can't carry food and kid.) This is a win - place is a single-location burger joint that also serves mexican food and real-live breakfast (waffles, omelettes, yay).

Will have to remember to bring cup with me next time for kid - only size in drinks is as big as he is.

Note the after-church group sitting together in a booth behind me. "The Bible has a passage that says..." Checking it, I see plenty of very intense faces, but no Bible on the table being referred to. UH. It does? (So help me, I'll have all 12 books I have on CD on any device I buy to carry such things to read. "Soooo...which passage were you thinking of? This one...and in what translation? Oooohh, that one. Yeah. Really?") I had to feel sorry for them. Three piece suits and ties, and the lady was wearing a slip the wrong color, too long...under a polyester double-knit dress with a kick-pleat in the back showing her sartorial piety in all its glory. Polyester double-knit. Oh, and it's already 83 out. Sorry, I feel for them. Yes.

Sit down, and kid zeroes in on the large Pinoy family nomming behind us. At least five kids under 12. They are definitely interesting, and I kind of wonder what's going through his mind (They're actually EATING that? Are they going to go play? Where did they come from?)

Keep in mind, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center is just catty-corner from this place (the location used as Rampart Hospital in Emergency! BTW), so watching this poor soul stumble into the place between two of his friends was only a fast OH YEAH THAT'S RIGHT. Both arms had had IV's in them, he still had his ID bracelet on...and had the worst - I mean WORST - periorbital hematoma I've ever seen. That's black eye for the rest of us, but that doesn't begin to describe the poor guy. Obviously, something big had smacked him in the head, he had been discharged from the hospital and was getting something to eat on the way home - but the eye is swollen shut and the swelling from the eye socket is distorting the telfa pad and bandages on the side of his head out at least four inches. He looks like he had gone to one heck of a party that ended in one heck of a fight and now it's Sunday morning and oooh, my aching head.

Not fifteen minutes later, the paramedic team shows up for their breakfast. Oh, this gets kiddo's attention something fierce - what IS it about firemen? Who's that? Who's that? "Firemen." He repeats this in tones of reverence and just thinks they're cool. They sit down, nom - and then catch up with the poor sack of bones who now has six people around him having breakfast. I love me my firemen in the land of Emergency! - yes, I do.

catsonmars shows up, we're already nomming some excellent chorizo and eggs (Kid has his chicken fingers) and we go our separate ways - he, to work, us to swimming lessons.

I am still thanking myself to keeping this kind of thing to a minimum. Yes, he had a GREAT time and the instructor thought he was absolutely incredible. Smart, intuitive, receptive...wonderful to teach.

He was terrified of the whole thing initially. This had to be the biggest pool he'd ever seen, all the people were new (except me) and it's water. Lots and lots of water.

Some water toys (and I'm grateful as heck this place is smart enough to know you need 15 minutes to warm up before being taught) and a little getting acquainted...and he was FAB. Next time, I'll dress out too and go in as well, but I stayed right on the edge of the pool (even got some pictures). That made it all work.

Place from the outside wins the award hands-down for the WTF OMG GHETTO award - and ghad help you if you park in the shared parking lot. That's for the liquor store, the pupuseria and the barber shop that share it.

So park on the street.

But once inside - it's all good, and better. Best part was there was no racial majority. Kids that looked like me, kids that looked like him, kids that looked like neither of us, kids that looked like both parents and neither of them. The lessons are also a bargain and if this works out, we'll likely keep this up while the weather stays cooperative. I got to sit and listen to mockingbirds while the kid swam.

I drove the boy around to let him settle down before napping at home. After that, it was marketing, wash the car and go home and find Dad already at home!

But boy, what he does to Jim vs. what he does to me - really different. And he's a LOT harder to deal with if you're Jim.

Pokemon continues to amaze me as a concept and a property.

Welcome to Monday, already in progress.

I bought one of the Yawara boxsets from my old buds at Animeigo on preorder.

And just got finished with it.

Any of you folks who were on the Ranma ML and so on remember the reason that license was brought back in and fucked up beyond all repair or recognition retooled because of 'ratings'? It was losing in its time slot to another show...or something.

Well, this is the show it lost to. It's vintage 80's - so vintage, it takes a moment or two to switch gears.

Then you fall in love.

First, the artwork is pretty, characters stay in model consistently and designs don't go chibi on you every other moment. You have nothing to fear, and nothing you have to get used to. It's a manga in color that moves. Scale is used effectively - and action shots are not skimped on.

Those are the production values.

Then your intelligent mind kicks in, and starts making notes of the gender issues.

Unlike Ranma, which puts the feminist issues in the context of 'one splash makes everything different again' - you get one of the best examples I can think of that shows without a doubt what it means by 'who would be special?' What you have to give up to be different - and not even in a gender fashion.

The things you give up to be more than the rest. The things that separate you from the rest of your world - from the things you want to be.

Who the fuck would be famous. Everyone else can have what you want, without trying. What you have is something everyone ELSE wants and you have as easily as breathing, and HATE.

And your family is tickled to death and won't countenance any deviation from being GRREAT.

You just want to be normal and disappear into a routine that everyone else takes for granted.

It's gender roles, preferences and who are you, really? Done seriously. We likes.

I might also add the episodes are a whole lot like popcorn - it shares that trait with Ranma 1/2 - one is just the beginning, and the show only gets better, the more you've seen of it.

This is probably going to be the anime on play for Christmas Eve Open House this year.

(And I'm dropping a note to Robert asking when the second boxset is going to be ready.)

Ghibli is doing the Earthsea books....

*vibrates in place* Okay, after this one is out for a bit, I'll have to go back to Mitaka to see where they put the stained glass window for it. Just...will have to.

Ghibli is doing the Earthsea books....

*vibrates in place* Okay, after this one is out for a bit, I'll have to go back to Mitaka to see where they put the stained glass window for it. Just...will have to.

*facepalms* Oh yeah, it's named properly.

Zombie Samurai Baseball Players. Don't forget the dog.

There's one more disc....

Well, Jim went into work this morning and discovered he was scheduled 9:00 - 5:30. Not his new schedule. Bullshit old one, and not even a nice one at that.

He won't be joining us today - matter of fact, if he doesn't end up goo, I'll be very surprised.

But we were both up at 5:30 this morning. On a weekend, yay us. We're so trusting. *rolls eyes*

Quickly - as I'm going to finish up work on this computer, down it and go over to the Mini and keep adding things. I've decided that this machine remains the base machine, holds all the email and such - and I'll look for another account I can use on the Mini. Need to name that machine, I think - the base machine here is fondly nicknamed Trogdor, but what do you call a sleek, sophisticate like a Mac Mini?

We're not hurting for t-shirts right now - the last volume of GitS:Stand Alone Complex came with a Laughing Man t-shirt, and we got two shirts at the Apple Store opening yesterday. Yay for free clothes.

GitS:SA? I'm liking it muchly; but then again, how can I not? Gorgeous art, great concept, Yoko Kanno music - I'm fully aware I'm supposed to like it.

Then my love for detective/cop/spy shows kicks in. This is some good shit. There are few things I love more than a mystery that does NOT start off with a murder, and this satisfies with no bad aftertaste. The one bit of geekery I will admit to is that I pegged the language the opening theme in sung in - didn't think it was Japanese, and when I saw the lyrics "converted" to subtitle in its original language, I had it. It's Russian. Sure enough, go far enough into the DVD set, and there's an interview with Yoko Kanno, and bing! She's picked a Russian lyricist/vocalist for the OP theme - and she wrote in her mother tongue. I rock. (And thank you MFU.) The episodes I've seen on Adult Swim are not (as one could expect) the Good ones - and you don't get a feel for the whole 26 episode arc, either.

It's a good chaser for Paranoia Agent. And they're working on a second season right now.

A surprise? Peacemaker, that title GONZO has been working on. Unfortunately, it suffers from Miaka Syndrome (main character you want seriously to boot, but can't) - and it has a long warm-up period (think at least the first two discs, maybe three), but the artwork is as pretty or prettier than the Ruroni Kenshin stuff at its best (in the same basic timeframe, about ten or more years earlier) and once the story has you, it's got you and won't let go. I've got one more disc to get in that series - and I'm looking forward to it. Love the voices, love the character designs (with a few reservations) and the closing theme makes me happy for no good reason.

Jim is very pleased I brought home GetBackers - I was told it was good, but I wasn't prepared for the Silly Good it has turned into. Again, be prepared for a long warm up period, but once loaded, the in-jokes in the later episodes just make it that much more fun. Anyone who liked Fushigi Yuugi will like GetBackers - given a chance. Not the same time of story, no - but it has a big cast with very diverse personalities, a completely not-of-this-world environment to play in and plenty of relationship magic. Think happy Weiss Kreuz -

And now, I have breakfast.

Well, Jim went into work this morning and discovered he was scheduled 9:00 - 5:30. Not his new schedule. Bullshit old one, and not even a nice one at that.

He won't be joining us today - matter of fact, if he doesn't end up goo, I'll be very surprised.

But we were both up at 5:30 this morning. On a weekend, yay us. We're so trusting. *rolls eyes*

Quickly - as I'm going to finish up work on this computer, down it and go over to the Mini and keep adding things. I've decided that this machine remains the base machine, holds all the email and such - and I'll look for another account I can use on the Mini. Need to name that machine, I think - the base machine here is fondly nicknamed Trogdor, but what do you call a sleek, sophisticate like a Mac Mini?

We're not hurting for t-shirts right now - the last volume of GitS:Stand Alone Complex came with a Laughing Man t-shirt, and we got two shirts at the Apple Store opening yesterday. Yay for free clothes.

GitS:SA? I'm liking it muchly; but then again, how can I not? Gorgeous art, great concept, Yoko Kanno music - I'm fully aware I'm supposed to like it.

Then my love for detective/cop/spy shows kicks in. This is some good shit. There are few things I love more than a mystery that does NOT start off with a murder, and this satisfies with no bad aftertaste. The one bit of geekery I will admit to is that I pegged the language the opening theme in sung in - didn't think it was Japanese, and when I saw the lyrics "converted" to subtitle in its original language, I had it. It's Russian. Sure enough, go far enough into the DVD set, and there's an interview with Yoko Kanno, and bing! She's picked a Russian lyricist/vocalist for the OP theme - and she wrote in her mother tongue. I rock. (And thank you MFU.) The episodes I've seen on Adult Swim are not (as one could expect) the Good ones - and you don't get a feel for the whole 26 episode arc, either.

It's a good chaser for Paranoia Agent. And they're working on a second season right now.

A surprise? Peacemaker, that title GONZO has been working on. Unfortunately, it suffers from Miaka Syndrome (main character you want seriously to boot, but can't) - and it has a long warm-up period (think at least the first two discs, maybe three), but the artwork is as pretty or prettier than the Ruroni Kenshin stuff at its best (in the same basic timeframe, about ten or more years earlier) and once the story has you, it's got you and won't let go. I've got one more disc to get in that series - and I'm looking forward to it. Love the voices, love the character designs (with a few reservations) and the closing theme makes me happy for no good reason.

Jim is very pleased I brought home GetBackers - I was told it was good, but I wasn't prepared for the Silly Good it has turned into. Again, be prepared for a long warm up period, but once loaded, the in-jokes in the later episodes just make it that much more fun. Anyone who liked Fushigi Yuugi will like GetBackers - given a chance. Not the same time of story, no - but it has a big cast with very diverse personalities, a completely not-of-this-world environment to play in and plenty of relationship magic. Think happy Weiss Kreuz -

And now, I have breakfast.