Tune for Tuesday for Week of 12/30/2014: "Blue" by Eiffel 65

For the last Tune for Tuesday of the year, I've decided on one of my favorite songs growing up, "Blue" by Eiffel 65. Sure ain't feelin' blue after listening to this!

Tune for Tuesday for Week of 12/23/2014: "The Hanukkah Song" by Adam Sandler

Another Hanukkah themed Tune for Tuesday, seeing as how tonight is the eighth and final night. So this week, please enjoy "The Hanukkah Song" by Adam Sandler!

Tune for Tuesday for Week of 12/16/2014: “Hanukkah in Santa Monica” by Tom Lehrer

I can’t remember the last time a Tune for Tuesday fell on the first night of Hanukkah since I started doing it, so I figured why not have some fun with it? So without further ado, please enjoy “Hanukkah in Santa Monica” by Tom Lehrer!

Tune for Tuesday for Week of 12/9/2014: "Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin

This week's Tune for Tuesday, a recording of "Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin, is a bit longer than usual, but given how soothing (and simply incredible) this piece is, you might wish it was even longer.

Tune for Tuesday for Week of 12/2/2014: "Broken Promise" by Joe Boyd Vigil

For this week's Tune for Tuesday, I've decided to choose a soundtrack from something I did an entire presentation on yesterday, something that played a major role in my life growing up, and something I still adore to this day: Toonami. So please, sit back, relax, and listen with me to "Broken Promise" by Joe Boyd Vigil, the piece used for one of the most iconic and powerful inspirational videos that ever aired on that one of a kind television programming block. Enjoy!

Tune for Tuesday for Week of 11/25/2014: "Sway" by Michael Buble

This week’s Tune for Tuesday, “Sway” by Michael Buble, is a song I only discovered yesterday, but absolutely adore. Listening to this makes me feel like one smooth and classy gentleman!

Tune for Tuesday for Week of 11/18/2014: "Money" by Mystery Skulls

This week's Tune for Tuesday, The Turntable Turnabout(aka "Money" by Mystery Skulls), is something I stumbled upon by chance recently, and have been very grateful for it. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!

Tune for Tuesday for Week of 11/11/2014: "The Galaxy Express 999" by Godiego

Sorry for not posting a Tune for Tuesday last week, but sometimes things just don't go as planned. Either way, hope you all enjoy this catchy, upbeat theme for a classic and influential movie, "The Galaxy Express 999" by Godiego! 

Last week, I had the opportunity to do something I love but rarely get to partake in: find somewhere high up where I could lie on my back, gaze at the night sky, and be greeted by the sight of far more stars than I usually get to see at night where I am. This had a very therapeutic effect on me, something I really needed for some time, and I ended up feeling far more relaxed than I had for a while. There's just something about seeing a sky full of shimmering lights that simultaneously excites me and puts my mind and body at ease. I can't even imagine what riding a gorgeous luxury train through the sea of stars we call space would be like. That settles it. Somebody get me a ticket for the Galaxy Express!

Tune for Tuesday for Week of 10/28/2014: "Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker, Jr.

This week's rather timely Tune for Tuesday, "Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker Jr., is not only the awesome theme song for a great movie, but this song happens to have a special place in my heart. When I was a senior in high school, I decided that I wanted to try learning how to play this on the piano, and initially thought I could get it down by Halloween. Turned out to be a LOT harder than I originally expected. Even deciding not to try and memorize the piece and instead just play off of the sheet music, it was still incredibly challenging to reach the point where I felt comfortable with it. There was even a section of the song that I chose not to repeat when playing in an attempt to make things even easier on myself. In the end, I had been working on this song up until it was around the time of my high school graduation. But when I decided to play this as one of two songs at a piano recital, from the moment I started playing the opening chords for the audience, it became clear that my efforts had more than paid off. Not only was I singing along with the lyrics, but without even realizing it, I even repeated the section I had earlier decided to only play once through. As an added treat, my piano teacher surprised me by bringing a double-sided sign he had made so that when I got to the parts of the song where it goes "Who ya gonna call? GHOSTBUSTERS!", the audience could chime in. I did a better job playing this piece at that recital than any of the times I had practiced it, and several witnesses agreed with me. The result was a wonderful and joyous performance I'll never forget.

Tune for Tuesday for Week of 10/21/2014: "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder

Today’s been off to a rough start for me, so this week’s Tune for Tuesday, “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder, feels fairly appropriate.

Tune for Tuesday for Week of 10/14/2014: "Luigi's Mansion WITH LYRICS" by brentalfloss

This week’s Tune for Tuesday, “Luigi’s Mansion WITH LYRICS” by brentalfloss, is going to be the first of at least a few that will be in the spirit of a certain holiday at the end of this month. Enjoy!

Tune for Tuesday for Week of 10/7/2014: "Tatakae Otaking!" from Otaku no Video

I originally had something else planned for this week’s Tune for Tuesday, but then I saw the amazing OVA this song, “Tatakae Otaking!”, is from a few hours ago. I have heard Otaku no Video referred to as a training manual for otaku, and now I can safely say that it is for good reason. It is AWESOME!

Tune for Tuesday for Week of 9/30/2014: "Libera Me From Hell" from Gurren Lagann

This week’s Tune for Tuesday, “Libera Me From Hell” from Gurren Lagann, may take different forms and go by different names, but its power and reputation echo far and wide, as does the series from which it originates.

Tune for Tuesday for Week of 9/23/2014: "Rosh Hashanah Rock Anthem" from Aish

This week's Tune for Tuesday, "Rosh Hashanah Rock Anthem" from Aish, is in a great example of how different cultures and traditions can come together to produce something incredible while still having a good time. 

For me, this is proof that different generations aren't as irreconcilable as they may seem at times. Additionally, I feel that this video has smarter and more clever lyrics, more heartfelt and passionate vocals, and better choreography and more talented dancers than the original song and music video it is a parody of. Since parodies usually are a way of mocking, either affectionately or mercilessly, something that was originally produced by another person or group, perhaps what they are mocking specifically is how the people who came up with the original song and music video didn't put as much effort into their work as they could have. Then again, maybe this all just my own impression, and I'm merely over analyzing things. I still love this video either way.

Tune for Tuesday for Week of 9/16/2014: "Pirate's Gigue" from The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons

This week's Tune for Tuesday, "Pirate's Gigue" from The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (technically, it also appears in Oracle of Ages, but considering it only pops up once in a very brief scene in that game, it's not surprising that people often associate it exclusively with Seasons), may seem like an odd choice, especially if it's in part to celebrate the new Hyrule Warriors game. Thing is, this is one of my favorite soundtracks from a game that has great significance for me, both as a Zelda fan and as someone who loves video games as a whole. Perhaps I'll go more into that at some point, but for now, I just want share a part of my history all while celebrating the newest entry in one of my all-time favorite franchises. Enjoy!

Tune for Tuesday for Week of 9/9/2014: "Play That Funky Music" by Wild Cherry

This week’s Tune for Tuesday, “Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry, is in the spirit of keeping an open mind to various new experiences, even ones that may not seem appealing at first. Sure, there’s always the chance that you may give something a shot and still not like it, but there’s always the chance that you might like it after all. And even then, you might not take to it immediately. But you’ll never know unless you take the first step.

Tune for Tuesday for Week of 9/2/2014: "Wake Me Up When September Ends" by Green Day

I’ve been wanting to do this week’s Tune for Tuesday, “Wake Me Up When September Ends” by Green Day, for a long, long time.

Tune for Tuesday for Week of 8/26/2014: "Today is Gonna Be a Great Day" from Phineas and Ferb

This week’s Tune for Tuesday, “Today is Gonna Be a Great Day” from Phineas and Ferb, is not only fun to listen to, but has a pretty darn good message. Not to mention I could really use that system for remembering everything right about now.

Tune for Tuesday for Week of 8/19/2014: "The Ballad of Serenity" by Sonny Rhodes

This week's Tune for Tuesday, "The Ballad of Serenity" from Firefly as performed by Sonny Rhodes, is for a very precious friend whose birthday was quite recently. Keep flying like leaves on the wind, everyone!

Tune for Tuesday for Week of 8/12/2014: "Meet Me At Foxwoods" by John Pizzarelli

This week's Tune for Tuesday, "Meet Me At Foxwoods" by John Pizzarelli, is a catchy little number I first heard years ago in a commercial, and figured was fairly appropriate considering where I am right now.

Tune for Tuesday for Week of 8/5/2014: "Love The Way You Move" by Slightly Left of Centre

This week's Tune for Tuesday, "Love The Way You Move" by Slightly Left of Centre is something a friend of mine showed me a while back, and has one of the most interesting, yet mind-boggling music videos I've seen in quite some time. To paraphrase one of the comments for the video, I can't tell if this is supposed to be propaganda for something (specifically either that Russians are awesome, Putin is going to destroy the Earth, or that there's just no stopping the funk), a parody of propaganda, or something else altogether.

Tune for Tuesday for Week of 7/29/2014: "One Million Views" by Goldfish

Yeah...This week's Tune for Tuesday, "One Million Views" by Goldfish, is definitely on the late side. Not entirely my fault, though. Has a great to deal to do with frustrating internet connection. Still, things happen. Anyway, hope you all enjoy!

An unusual Tune for Tuesday for Week of 7/22/2014

Sorry there wasn't a Tune for Tuesday last week, but I spent most of the day in the air, and when I touched down, I felt too tired and exhausted to pick one and so late in the day. So instead, I decided to do something a little different this week.

Truth be told, I was having a hard time deciding on what to pick, and then someone showed me an interesting article involving an infamous recent scandal, and the more I learn about it, the more interesting (and infuriating) it becomes. And on top of that, I remembered this little gem. So even if you have seen this video multiple times, it’s still a song, so it qualifies for my little Tune for Tuesday shtick.

Tune for Tuesday for Week of 7/8/2014: "SHINE" by FUNKIST

This week's Tune for Tuesday, "SHINE" by FUNKIST is a song that both motivates and frustrates me. The former is because it's a great song to listen to when you need to get pumped. The latter is because it happens to be used as the opening theme for an awesome video game that has yet to be localized, the victim in question being Tales of the Heroes: Twin Brave. Consequently, I feel both excited and furious whenever I hear this song. Anyone else who feels the same way?

Tune for Tuesday for Week of 7/1/2014: "Time to Say Goodbye" from RWBY

This week’s Tune for Tuesday, "Time to Say Goodbye", is in celebration of RWBY’s second season, which will be starting up later this month. For all its flaws (and as much as I hate to admit it, the first season did have some issues objectively), RWBY has plenty of shining gems that make it so worth watching in my opinion.

In other words, I’m super pumped for Volume 2!

First Tune for Tuesday since my return to the USA from Japan

Okay, so one might expect that my first Tune for Tuesday since my return from my five week trip to Japan would be something from Japan. Not exactly. You see, not only is Pharrell Williams HUGE in Japan right now, especially his song "Happy", it’s thanks to a wonderful friend I made there that I discovered this incredible song to begin with. And honestly, I really wish I’d found this sooner. Not only are the music and the video cheerful and upbeat, his voice is amazing! It’s so pleasant, charming, uplifting, smooth, and charismatic! I’m happily impressed!

Tune for Tuesday for 5/13/2014 + Announcement

I have both good news and bad news. The good news is that this week’s epic Tune for Tuesday, the Final Fantasy song “Clash On The Big Bridge” as performed by The Black Mages, is coming to all of you right before my last exam for the semester, and about two days before I leave for Japan for five weeks! Yahoo!

The bad news is that I’m going to be taking a break from Tune for Tuesday until I get back. Just seems like it would be a whole lot of trouble given the huge difference and everything.

But enough expository banter! Let us bask in awe of the great Gilgamesh’s glorious theme! Now we listen respectfully like adults! And children! And exhausted college students!

...On a side note, anyone else think that a Final Fantasy game starring Gilgamesh would be absolutely amazing?

Tune for Tuesday for Week of 5/6/2014: "Crimson Arrow" by Sound Horizon (English Cover)

This week’s Tune for Tuesday is in honor of the newest member of the Toonami line-up: Attack on Titan! I am peeved that they couldn’t play the full version on the air, but considering one of their previous tumblr response videos, I know that the folks at Toonami ain’t too happy about it either. 

The original song "Guren no Yumiya" is by Sound Horizon (also known as Linked Horizon), but this particular cover appears to be a large cooperative effort between various individuals, all of whom are incredibly talented. Check out the video on YouTube for further details!

Tune for Tuesday for Week of 4/29/2014: "Ai Just On My Love" by Sharam Q

This week's Tune for Tuesday, "Ai Just On My Love" by Sharam Q, happens to be the opening theme to one of my closest friend's favorite anime of all time: Sorcerous Stabber Orphen. Unfortunately, despite being a top-notch show in terms of story and character, it's pretty obscure, even more so than my own favorite anime Outlaw Star (and THAT is saying something!). So even though it isn't until Saturday, this is my way of wishing my dear friend a happy birthday! Enjoy!

Tune for Tuesday for Week of 4/22/2014: "Viva Namida" by Yasuyuki Okamura

For this week's Tune for Tuesday, "Viva Namida" by Yasuyuki Okamura, we have a marvelous blend of various genres, beats, and tones; beautiful visuals and outstanding animation; and a quirky, distinct yet highly entertaining music video that will make you want to jump up and groove like the funk master you are! What a dandy song it is!

http://www.jpopsuki.tv/video/Yasuyuki-Okamura---Viva-Namida/0878482d18f44604d63374839c6cacfd


Enjoy!

Tune for Tuesday for Week of 4/15/2014: "Go Down Moses" by Louis Armstrong

Seeing as how tonight is the second night of Passover, "Go Down Moses" as performed by Louis Armstrong seemed to be the most logical choice for this week’s Tune for Tuesday. Not to mention the various other reasons that this is an awesome song on so many levels. So whether or not you celebrate Passover, I hope you enjoy this week’s pick!

Tune for Tuesday for Week of 4/8/2014: "Piano Man" by Billy Joel

This week's Tune for Tuesday is a wonderful piece by a musician who may be one of my all time favorite artists: "Piano Man" by Billy Joel!

Something I take away from it is with regards to what I consider to be the most important job of any performing artist and whoever is part of the audience. For performers, it's alright to wish to impress everyone, to earn recognition, and to feel that you're skilled at what you do. For audience members, it's alright to wish for a spectacular performance, to hope that they'll do something specific that will please you, and to feel that those on stage have every right to play there, if not somewhere even better. But even if a performer's talent is successfully acknowledged by a member of the audience, if either party had been unable to enjoy themselves during the show, if either of them are unable to say that they are glad that they were there, and if neither of them had had fun, just how successful of a performance was it really? For example, a band can be playing for a sold-out concert hall and not miss a single note or beat, but that doesn't guarantee that anyone involved will feel like cheering enthusiastically once the show's over. Quality and talent can contribute to enjoyment, but that they cannot always produce it to begin with. Correlation does imply causation.

The most important duty for any performing artist and any audience member to uphold is, above all, to have fun. The number of seats filled and the quality of the performance should never determine if the people there enjoy themselves. And it's not just the audience who needs to make sure they have a good time. The performers need to be in a good mood as well. Both parties need to have fun if this is to work. Not one. Not the other. Both.

Tune for Tuesday for Week of 4/1/2014: "It Doesn't Matter" by Crush 40

First Tune for Tuesday that I'm posting here, and I've decided that this week's song shall be "It Doesn't Matter" by Crush 40. Used as the theme of the titular character of the video game Sonic Adventure, I've always been rather fond of this song. Recently however, I've gained a deeper appreciation for the song itself, especially the message it conveys.

Without further ado, here's this week's Tune for Tuesday. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!

You better get ready!

This is the first time I’m posting a real blog, so here’s a quick introduction.

My name is Jeffrey, but online I generally go by either LinkSeasonMaster or archsage328. I’m really passionate about anime, video games, manga, music, and fan fiction, and I enjoy being outdoors, surfing the net, and hanging with friends. As a self-proclaimed crazy person and goofball extraordinaire, I am a fan of humor and comedy, though I'm also a bit of a romantic at heart. Sadly, schoolwork keeps me extremely busy in general, but every now and then I find the time to do the things I love.

Alright, now that that’s out of the way, let’s get down to business.

 

http://linkseasonmaster.tumblr.com/tagged/mulan

Sorry, just couldn’t resist.

What I plan to use this blog for:

Tune for Tuesday: What a majority of my posts will probably be. I first got the idea from something my high school Sociology professor would do each week. Every Tuesday, four or five students would be assigned the following: pick out a song with lyrics that some sort of message, find a link on youtube that could be played in class, and write a few short paragraphs commenting on the song’s background and the meaning behind its lyrics. In class, the students would take turns having the video that they e-mailed to the teacher ahead of time play on a large screen while a printed copy of the lyrics were displayed on an overhead. After each song ended, we would briefly discuss our thoughts and impression on the song and its social relevance. Quite frankly, I never felt like I was doing work when it was my turn to do this assignment. Even writing the paragraphs was actually fun for me. The following summer, I decided to keep up Tune for Tuesday, only in a different form and with fewer restrictions on the types of song I could pick, and almost every Tuesday since then, I’ve posted a song online. I’ve been meaning to bring Tune for Tuesdays to blogger for some time, but like with blogger in general, I just kept putting it off for one reason or another. But from now, unless I’m unable to access the internet on any given Tuesday (reasons for this can include issues with the internet connection, being somewhere without internet, or being unusually busy), expect to see some links to songs here on a weekly basis.

Depths of Fan Fiction: If you look on sites such as That Guy With the Glasses, you’ll find plenty of different types of critics and reviewers: anime, music, comic books, movies, etc. But not a whole lot of fan fiction reviewers. In fact, a lot of people seem to be doubtful that any fan fiction is worth spotlighting (though many of these same people don’t feel that way about fan art). And admittedly, there is some reason for this. There are plenty of fan-written stories that aren’t that high in quality, and few if any success stories are heard about those who got their start writing fan fiction. But after several years of reading countless stories in various fandoms (and even taking a stab at writing some myself), I feel that there are definitely more pieces of well-written fan fiction that people seem to realize. In fact, there are plenty of great stories that even the majority of the fan fiction community seems to be unaware of. I want to do my part to help change that by showcasing stories that have caught my eye and deserve to be recognized, and that’s where “Depths of Fan Fiction” comes into play. Here’s how I intend to do that: each “episode” will have me taking a specific story and review it, addressing the following details in regards to the story (at least when applicable) in a way where I try to avoid as many spoilers as possible:

-a general summary of the story being reviewed

-mechanics (spelling, grammar, etc.)

-the flow and pacing of the story

-relation to continuity of the source material

-are characters portrayed OoC (Out of character), to what extent, and is it justified?

-the creativity of the story

-does it successfully capture the spirit of the source material?

-how engaging and enjoyable the story is altogether

-objective score (or my best attempt at objectivity) between 1 and 10

-personal score (personal appeal that is not necessarily related to quality) between 1 and 10

-average of the two scores (Ex: if objective = 6 and personal = 10, average = 8)

-additional notes (where to find story, recommendation for a specific audience, etc.)

Additionally, different types of stories might also receive different additional criteria (one fandom vs. crossover of two or more, one-shot vs. multiple chapters, etc.).

Unlike Tune for Tuesdays, episodes of Depths of Fan Fiction will not be posted on a regular basis. Like with my own stories, all I can promise is that I’ll try to work on them when I can and when I’m feeling up to it.

Diving Deeper: Some episodes of Depths of Fan Fiction might be accompanied by this. With “Diving Deeper”, I go into more detail, not holding back on spoilers and providing thoughts that I had while reading that weren’t exactly relevant to the main review. This is also where I’ll post things such as links to existing sequels (be they official or spiritual), and if the stories themselves inspired fan produced works or other forms of attention (fan art, a page on tvtropes, etc.)

Subsequent Submerges: If I return to a story and think of something worth mentioning that I hadn’t already, here is where I’ll post such thoughts.

Fan Fiction Progress Reports: If I make any noteworthy progress on an ongoing story, I’ll mention it.

Feelin’ like Tantalus: Games I want localized but have yet to be, manga that still haven’t been scanlated, anime that haven’t been dubbed or even subbed, and unjust cancellations. Far too often, I’ve been subjected to instances of these or something similar, and here is where I’ll attempt to address my own thoughts and frustrations. I’ll do my best to keep these posts from resembling rants too much, but I make no promises.

Too…Many…Ideas…: Ideas for fan art, fan fiction, prompts, etc. I’ve got WAY too many of these…HELP!

Misc. Posts: Exactly what it says on the tin.

That’s all for now. Until next time!