EXCITING ENTERTAINMENT

By: Leslie Rewis

By: Jon-Paul Perez

     Most of us play video games, or at least know someone who plays video games, but for right now, let’s focus on the gamers at Bishop Dunne. I asked some questions about the games they like to play to some students of Bishop Dunne.

Q. What days do you play the most?

A. “I usually play on Friday and Saturday nights, but I typically play a little every day,” says Senior Chris Massey.

A. “I play most on days that I don’t have homework, usually on the weekend I’m doing other things,” says Senior Michael Rudduck.

Q. How did you get interested in gaming?

A. “My first interest in gaming was with the computer game Command and Conquer: Red Alert. After that I stuck with computer gaming and this past July I bought an Xbox 360, which was my first console,” replies Massey.

A. “I got interested in gaming just by trying it out and playing games with friends from school and so on,” says Rudduck.

Q. How often do you play?

A. “I play maybe 1-3 hours Mon-Thurs, and like 5-8 Fridays and Saturdays,” says Massey.

A. “I play whenever I don’t have anything else to do,” says Rudduck.

Q. What do you like about gaming?

A. “It’s a fun, social thing to do with friends. You laugh and temporarily forget anything that may stress you. Plus, it’s always great just to see who the best is,” says Massey.

 A. “I like gaming because it’s relaxing and just enjoyable,”

says Rudduck.

Q. What games do you play when not online?

A. “I usually work on the insane difficulty in Gears of War, or I will race around a bit in Need for Speed Most Wanted,” says Massey.

A. “When I’m not online I play Madden 08 and Halo 3,” says Rudduck.

Q. Have you made any friends while online?

A. “Yes I have, and we typically play just about every night,” says Massey.

A. “Sure, I’ve added people to my friends’ list while online,” says Rudduck.

Q. What rank are you in “Halo 3”

A. “My max level is 4 and I’m a corporal grade 2 with only 15 exp points... I don't play online ranked that much. I’m not a big fan of serious gaming,” says Massey.

A. “In Halo 3 my rank is Major,” says Rudduck.

      There you have it. There are thousands that play games just for fun or to play professionally. These are some reasons why some students play games.

     Anime: a Japanese cartoon that’s easy to point out and easy to make fun of. Although most people will make fun of it or just pass it by, it’s more than likely you know someone who is interested in this montage of craziness, and even maybe, you watch some anime yourself and never realized it.

     Aside from the obvious anime’s like Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Dragon Ball, there is a lot of anime on Cartoon Network and Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. For you girls, there is Sailor Moon, and for the boys there is Cowboy Bebop. Some of the equally enjoyed series are Rurouni Kenshin and Yu Yu Hakusho.

     What about series that no one really knows are anime? Transformers is a good example. Most people don’t realize that the 1984 classic with the loveable Optimus Prime is an anime. What about Tenchi Muyo? Yup, that’s a full-swing anime, from the random alien princesses and pirates crash landing on earth to the cabbit (half-cat half-rabbit) that can turn into said spaceship.  There are also movies like Spirited Away, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Howl’s Moving Castle (all directed by Hayao Miyazaki) that have appeared across the TV stations.

     Okay, okay, I know that the animation isn’t what we Americans are used to when we were introduced to The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory and Courage the Cowardly Dog , but think about it, animation is really hard and takes a really long time to draw, just ask any anime fan.

     Another reason why anime seems to be subject of jokes is because of flaps. Flaps are when the talking isn’t in sync with the animated movement of the mouth. Well, according to the Anime Manga Club’s juniors and seniors, “Friends don’t let friends watch dubs!” Dubs are when the anime is in English. When watching anime in its original language, Japanese, with

subtitles, you rarely ever see that goof, not to mention the Japanese version isn’t as cheesy as anime commonly is in English.

     So, have you ever ,since you started reading this at least, thought “Is *insert witty title here* an anime?” Well, there are a few ways to find your answer. First, the Internet! You could always go to www.animenewsnetwork.com or www.absoluteanime.com. Another option is to go to Bishop Dunne Catholic School’s own Anime Manga Club and ask the members. Think you’ve seen enough? Ready to go out and watch anime now? If so, maybe you should consider joining the Anime Manga Club in Mr. Beattie’s room every Thursday afternoon, where the otaku’s (fans, not nerds) reside.