The Zen of Spam

Maintaining a blog for two and a half years has its perks. One of the best parts is getting great spam messages in the comment inbox. While most of them are links to porn sites or incoherent gibberish, there are some that are comedic gems. I have listed some of my favorites, in no particular order. Read them and meditate. To understand them is to achieve enlightenment.

• Hello. Good blog. I enjoy reading it. It has great games and Jason Statham content.

It’s awfully nice of you to say that. I can’t tell you how many Jason Statham articles I’ve written (zero), but I’m happy you found them to be enjoyable. And as for games, my personal favorite is a spirited game of strip Twister. Ah, the wonderful middle school gym class memories…

• Wow! what an idea ! What a concept ! Beautiful… Amazing…

Since you left this comment in the post Sexman Monday: Iron Man 2, I have to assume that Sexman is the one you find to be beautiful and amazing. I would never dare to disagree. He is quite a catch.

• Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

I had no idea these random spam-generating bots could be so profound.

• One time I accidentally stumbled upon a remarkable site that allowed me to meet my beloved. The site is very popular, I’m glad that came across him, his name I’ll write in the next post

What site was it? Who did you meet? What is his name? Tell me now! THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING ME!!!!!

Akagi – The Gurren Lagann of Mahjong Anime

Akagi is a badass.

Akagi is a 2005-2006 anime series about Mahjong. But it’s not really about Mahjong. It’s about kicking ass. And it’s about doing it in a way that mindfucks the enemy.

Akagi is a really difficult series to talk about. It’s hard to quantify what it is exactly. It’s simplistic yet complex. It’s subdued yet exciting. It’s superficial yet incredibly deep. It’s like a shounen fighting series yet it isn’t. What Akagi does extremely well is present itself in a certain light, only to change that presentation in the midst of watching it. You don’t realize things are changing. There isn’t any abrupt bait-and-switch tactic. It moves quickly and subtly, and so deftly that your perception of what is happening can change without you realizing it until much, much later.

So, what is Akagi about? On the surface it features the titular character, Shigeru Akagi, as he plays Mahjong against various opponents. But it’s not about playing Mahjong. It isn’t about strategy or tactics or cheating at Mahjong. Hell, it isn’t even about winning Mahjong. It’s about how Akagi is able to delve into the psyche of his opponents, discover their weaknesses, and exploit them in order to triumph. From the onset you know Akagi is going to win, there’s no question about that. You are watching Akagi to see how he is going to win. This series is really more about the means rather than the end.