55 Days in Tokyo

February 12th, 2007

Got off to a very late start today. I had intended to watch a few more episodes of Planetes but instead finished the entire series. There were too many cliffhangers and I wasn't willing to just stop and go out wandering. I enjoyed the series for the most part but I found the end to be somewhat lacking. It just didn't feel right. I disliked how some of the characters were treated and how the series closed. Left a few lose ends that I really didn't care for. I get the whole "and now they move on with their lives" concept of ending a series, something that almost every anime out there does. But for crying out loud, give me a break and don't make the end of a series so bloody open. Sheesh.

That damned ending haunted me for the rest of the day. Didn't finish the series until after 5pm, so I didn't get out of the house until 5:45pm. The anime was still on my mind, bugging me and eating my brain. I really hate it when that happens. Only happens occasionally but when an anime leaves me feeling unsatisfied it stays with me all damned day. To try and get my mind off it I headed towards Akihabara. No long walk to Sugamo this time, that would only give my mind more opportunity to pick itself apart. Got to Akiba and went to the opposite end of the station to exit into the other side of the area. Wandered through the department store that dominates the area, moving past all the aspiring musicians and idols who are at the bottom rung of their careers. Most of them will never make it far but if you're female, can sing decently and don't look like a troll, you can always get some attention and adoration down in Akihabara.

Wandering through the store was a little bit interesting but my lack of food (hadn't eat yet that day) started to give me a horrible headache. All the resturants at the top of the store are too expensive for what you get so I headed back towards the main part of Akihabara. Stopped into my normal Ramen shop and enjoyed some tasty noodles. Then I made my way back towards the arcades and played some Gundam Card Builder. I've also decided to try and refresh my shoot-em-up skills so I played some Raiden 3 towards that end. Unfortunately, all I really discovered is how much I suck at Raiden and how poor my skills are. To be fair, I haven't played in a very long time and am not used to the current style of gaming. Shoot-em-ups or shumps as some refer to them seem to fall into a few categories these days. Some are old style like Gradius, some are spam shooters (lots of projectiles on the screen, most slow moving) and others are enemy capture and use games. Raiden is another style with less shots on the screen but everything moves faster. I don't know if it is exactly harder but my poor eyes are having a hard time keeping up.

While I was playing and watching people play suddenly my writing muse struck me. I felt the urge to write fiction, something I haven't done in a very long time. A few years ago I had this tradition. On the same day of each year I'd write a single chapter in this ongoing story that I had. The material is long gone as I have no idea what happened to it, if I backed it up or if it was on one of the many hard drives I've had fail. Sadly, when the muse strikes I have to start writing soon otherwise it leaves my mind and I had nothing to write with. I haven't carried my backpack and laptop since maybe the 3rd or 4th day that I got here. Too much weight on my feet.

I played for a while then continued to watch more people playing until I looked at my watch and saw that it was past 11pm. Got on the train home and stopped in Otsuka so that I'd at least have some walking done today. On the way back I hit up the supermarket to get something to eat tomorrow and some more water. All the stores are selling discount chocolates for V-day and I might get some nice chocolates when the day comes so I can get good prices. Got home shortly after midnight and took my shower. Fell asleep shortly after 2am.

Photos for February 12th, 2007