Through thick and thin, in some form or another Azure Flame has existed for over two years- but then some eleven or so weeks ago, it all went quiet. Every so often a post would appear but other than that Karura barely seemed to be alive. With so many people contracting Hiatus Disease, it was probably just another drop in the ocean, but now Karura has mustered the energy to clarify the past, present and future of Azure Flame.

As some of you will know, at the beginning of October, Karura (who is writing about herself in the third person for reasons unknown) moved to London to commence a life of a research student. Alongside dance lessons, family issues other miscellanea, this left her with very little time or inclination to even watch anime, let alone blog about it, which meant that much of this blog had to fall into ruin.

Now, whilst the end of Strictly Come Dancing, Dancing With the Stars and some other TV shows means I’m starting to have time for blogging here again, things can never be as they were. I won’t deny that I miss the Weekly Round-Up and Tuesday Rumble (and perhaps you do too), and they aren’t going away forever, but I’m also happy not to feel chained to trying to keep up with 13-20 series as episodes are released, something which had long been getting me down for no good reason. Anime and blogging are pastimes, and they will be treated as such- I’ll watch at my own pace, blog when I feel like it, and hopefully there will be a few regular readers who won’t mind sticking around to read what I have to say. Whilst changing domain or starting up a new blog has worked for others, that’s not a step I’ll be taking; I like to think of my blog as a continuous, slowly-building archive of my thoughts on various things- and quite frankly, if I change domain again, I’ll lose what few readers I have left!

In summary, therefore, I have to ask everyone to be understanding- as opinionated as I am, I will never be completely dead, but I can’t guarantee any kind of regularity of posts. Still, hopefully your RSS readers and such will bring you back here whenever there’s something new, so don’t forget about me entirely!

In a coincidence that has been several weeks in the planning, Karura has managed to roll two events into one- for not only is the one thousandth post to appear on Azure Flame, but it also marks exactly two years since that fated day when Azure Flame came into being. Since that time, thousands of words of mockery, praise and criticism have been written, hundreds of hours of anime have been watched, many people have come by to comment, and despite flirting with burnout in the winter months, Karura recovered to blog once again. I’m not sure how much time I’ll have to keep it up once my PhD course starts in October, but I’ll try my utmost to make sure this place only dies when there’s nothing more to say.

Coming soon(-ish)

• Parodies for Antique Bakery (a HARD GAY world where strawberries are the ultimate evil), Himitsu (more HARD GAY, cross-dressing and an incredibly stupid main character), as well as more from Persona and Allison to Lillia. SaiMono II and Pumpkin Scissors are still on hiatus.
• Game reviews for the Digital Devil Saga series and Mana Khemia (when I play it), plus FFT if I ever manage to finish it.
• More fangirling over Okami, Aria, fat cats and the rest.
• I’d like to say Sunday News Bites will return, but with my current schedule I’m just not online on a Sunday, and after the Weekly Round-Up I don’t have the time or energy to knock out a scheduled post straightaway.
• A proper header instead of this generic Seashore one.

General acknowledgements and thanks- because that’s, like, what you do to fill up these posts

Necromancer continues to contribute screencaps and randomness to the great cause, but how high can we get our MAL compatibility?

Hanners only showed up in the blogging world recently, but if there was ever a reason to watch poor anime, it was to then see it appropriately shredded to pieces on his blog. His dedication to filling up my previously unloved Facebook Wall shouldn’t go unmentioned, alongside threats as to what would happen if he were to ever stop…

manga has an appetite for gaming like no other, and always has a worthy recommendation to hand- fingers crossed in finding the perfect blog theme for The Fool.

Randall “Onii-chan” Fitzgerald claims he has four Zhuge Liangs, and boy, you’d better believe it. This guy is such a legend that he actually has his own personal Playboy-style mansion where catgirls mud-wrestle night and day for his pleasure. Onii-chan no ecchi!

I haven’t spoken to Hopeless Sensei since last September, but I still miss him. Anime, gaming and RPG Maker were a lot more fun in the days when we could give each other blow-by-blow accounts of what we were doing.

And of course thanks to all my regular and occasional readers, including but not limited to Sasa, Martin, Hige, Neriya, Venneh, Machi, IKnight, issa-sa, KaMen, Hinano and Tiamat’s Disciple.

Hello Kitty and Friends
Many have written off Hello Kitty as a kids’ show, but there is so much more to it than that. In animated form, Hello Kitty is a delightful slice-of-life tale, following the daily lives of Kitty and her sister Mimmy as they discover the world around them. Second only to Aria in terms of quality and tranquillity, Hello Kitty is a must-see series for anyone who wants to enjoy a quieter pace of life.

Mai-Otome
How foolish I was to ever pan Mai-Otome, for on re-watching, I can truly appreciate the depth and greatness that was never before apparent to my shallow and uneducated self. Less a mere anime series than an attempt to capture a sprawling universe of complexity on the small screen, Mai-Otome creates a whole new world for us to explore, complete with socio-political interactions between neighbouring states that subtly comment on the state of contemporary society. Fear not, however, for the series also takes time to focus on more personal issues, with everything from adoption, taboo love, the duty of rulership and gender issues explored by way of its sympathetic and multi-faceted characters.

Love Hina
More than a mere harem series, Love Hina is an exploration of the dynamics created when a man interacts with a group of females over an extended period of time. A pioneering social experiment, Love Hina was the first series to lift the lid on what we in our ignorance class as “harem”, all the while shunning such stale conventions as plot and character development in favour of offering an in-depth examination of one particular situation. 

Disgaea
If sophisticated humour is your thing, then the anime adaptation of Disgaea must surely be the one for you. Packed to the brim with subtle jokes and adult humour, Disgaea is so hilarious that you won’t know where to start laughing. In fact, you’d best watch it multiple times if you want to properly absorb everything the series has to offer. 

DiceMasters
Better even than the much loved Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokemon and Beyblade franchises, DiceMasters is the shounen series we’ve all been waiting for. With its revolutionary new storyline about a popular dice game and the talented boy who loves playing it, DiceMasters is full of surprises, and is a real breath of fresh air for the genre. 

Final Thoughts
In case you hadn’t guessed, this article was written in the sprit of the date it was published…

Anime dating tips: rules for romance
Romance in anime is a tricky thing- you either aren’t getting any, or have so many members of the opposite sex throwing themselves at you that you don’t know what to do. Luckily for you, we have subjected ourselves to hundreds of hours of anime footage to pick out the rights and wrongs of romance.

• You can’t compete with childhood friends: they’ll always share memories and promises that you just can’t match, as well as a tenacious determination to get together. Your only hope is the frequent memory loss that afflicts an alarmingly high percentage of people- keep them from remembering those idyllic childhood days with their destined lovers and they might just pay attention to you instead.
• Sickness does not guarantee long-term attention: that sick girl routine may get you an arc of your own, but don’t expect to walk away with the guy at the end- you’ll either die or spend the rest of the series alone and forgotten in a hospital bed. At this point you may want to consider making a miraculous recovery- it won’t make you any luckier in love, but at least you’ll get some fresh air.
• Juggling more than one engagement on the same day never works out: It’s bound to happen eventually- you’ll make a date with your beloved and then something unavoidable will crop up on that same day. At this point, you’ll want to work your hardest to fit everything in, perhaps even electing to alternate between the two engagements by running back and forth. Take it from us, though; it really isn’t worth bothering- you’re bound to get found out and then you’ll be in trouble for at least an episode.
• If you’re a supporting character, settle for a minor partner: Supporting characters, I’m sorry, but you’re just not going to get the lead no matter how hard you try. At best, you’ll end the series single; at worst, they’ll pair you off with some random character who you just met and don’t even know. Maintain your dignity by pulling out of the race early.
• If you can’t make up your mind, prepare for violence and trauma: Guys, I know you think it’s cool to string along a lot of girls at the same time, but every so often they will become so frustrated that they will force you to decide on one of them- and when you inevitably fail to do so, an unpleasant scene will result. Stop boosting your ego by trying to increase the number of beautiful women after you by picking just one- and discourage all the underage girls before they get you arrested,
• If it can go wrong, it will: Misunderstandings, clumsiness, accidental grabbing of the chest area- if given the chance, all of these can and will happen. You can either accept them and try to get on as best you can, or try some kind of self-improvement course that will help you become calmer and more confident.
• No one ever sees the epilogue to a happy ending: You might get the girl (or guy) at the end, but after that, you’re on your own. Don’t be surprised if you’ve broken up by the time they get around to making the sequel (see below).
• Even if you get the guy, they’ll make an OVA where he gets someone else: So there you are, basking in the happy relationship you thought you’d landed after a whole series of struggle, and instead you find out that the sequel is all about him getting the other girl instead! There’s nothing much you can do about this except to remember that you should take nothing for granted.
• Even if you don’t get the guy, the fans will make a doujin where you did: Can’t face reality? Fear not, because neither could the fans, and so they have constructed a world where you did indeed get together, and they may have even thrown in some sex scenes for your benefit.

Tour Guide: choosing the right place to go
When it comes to planning a date, location is of vital importance- the last thing you need is to take your sweetheart to a post-apocalyptic wasteland filled with lowlife thugs, or to pick a romantic restaurant that just happens to be in the middle of a mecha battle zone. To that end, it is better to look to the calmer end of the spectrum when picking the right spot; for example, the city of Neo Venezia on planet Aqua couldn’t be more perfect, filled as it is with marvellous sights and a complete lack of chaos and violence.

The Fat Cat Dragons give their tips for love

The Cardinal: Women have always liked to stroke my fur, and ever since I earned my millions, I’ve never had a problem attracting the ladies. I do recommend showering with them gifts, though- you can’t go wrong with new cars and swimming pools, or failing that, flowers, chocolate and jewellery.

Mr Tibbs: Being a powerful force in the world of the bank makes me an attractive prospect for the ladies, but I understand that not everyone is as fortunate as I am. I recommend being well-dressed- I always keep my fur in tip-top condition and make sure I am wearing the latest in leather executive collars.

President Aria: Punyu! [I’ve been trying to catch President Hime’s attention for years, but it hasn’t worked yet. Strategies I’ve tried include sharing food, acting heroically and dressing in a variety of amusing hats].

Mikoto: I don’t make any special effort, because to be any honest any man would be lucky to land me. It would be a bonus if he could cook, though.

The Admiral: I don’t need a man, just a nice warm place to sleep.

We hope that you’ve enjoyed our Valentine’s Day Special; in fact, if you have, show your appreciation by sending Karura chocolates, red roses, champagne and chipping in for an Iliana ruby and diamond bracelet. Until next time!

The one named Karura arrived on this planet, and the world was changed forever- for little did anyone know that it was her destiny to wield the legendary sword and free the populace from the tyranny of the evil Dark Lord, whose sole purpose was to destroy the world.  Okay, so that part may not be strictly accurate, but let us join in the celebration of the inevitable process of aging, and admire the lovely picture created by Necromancer (dancing fanatics will note that the hold is reversed, but don’t be picky). Any gifts you might wish to send are welcomed, and indeed encouraged…my fat cat heavies will be round to collect them shortly.

“It all began on Friday evening,” explained Karura, who has now started travelling across the world map from Death’s Door to the more promising Road to Recovery. “I thought the power of Lemsip would be enough to let me go to dance class, but ultimately I realised that throwing up over your partner during a quickstep isn’t the best way to build positive relations. In the end I had to settle for some La Pucelle Tactics and an early night.”

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Unfortunately, matters only took a turn for the worse as our intrepid leader spent practically all of Saturday in bed, too weak to even fangirl over the lovely Mr. du Beke. Sunday marked an upward change in fortunes, but not enough to even attempt writing the expected Sunday News Bites.

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“Right now, even typing and checking forums seems like a drain on mana, so I can’t promise anything,” concluded Karura, “but with luck Tuesday Rumble can go ahead as normal.”

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In the summer of 2006, the blogging bandwagon was rolling along at full steam, and one particularly dull and boring Friday afternoon, the person who was to come be know as Karura decide to venture over to Wordpress and start her own blog. It was an idea that had been considered and discarded many times over the months, but now it could be put off no longer. Ginga Densetsu Weed was being subbed and desperately needed parody, .hack//Roots had just become deathly boring and demanded enlivening in some fashion, and in general various thoughts and opinions just had to be inflicted on the world in general.

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From those inauspicious beginnings, the naked, wet and shivering newborn blog went on to slowly learn how to walk and crawl, and seven paragraphs of pretentious story later (skipped for your convenience), it became what you see now. In that time, nearly 700 posts would be written and over 1200 legit comments made, and yet there would still be more to say in the future, from the irrelevant gaming posts that Hung hunts down with intensity to the rants, reviews and parodies that everyone knows and loves � has a vague awareness of and occasionally shows appreciation for.

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The powers behind the throne- a handful of acknowledgments

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• Necromancer: this guy is a screencapping machine- without him, parody of .hack//Roots and Pumpkin Scissors would not have been possible, nor would many Tuesday Rumble articles. Here’s to more random conversations and shared fat cat worship.

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• Hopeless: My blogging sempai in the beginning, now on indefinite hiatus on his own blog but still able to come up with ideas that can be refined into Tuesday Rumble articles.

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• Randall Fitzgerald deserves thanks for offering free hosting to the likes of me out of the kindness of his heart, and putting up with constant requests for Wordpress upgrades.

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• And to increase the sappiness content, thanks to all readers and non-flaming commenters; now don’t go away or I will have to hunt you down.

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Promises for the future (may or may not be fulfilled)\r\nA few planned additions for the blog that may or may not come to pass.\r\n

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• Tuesday Rumble: Revival of merchandise reviews, chibi Karura and, if I ever get around to actually doing it, a comic strip.

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• More Dark Side Gaming Rants, studio reviews, HiME RPG, True Otome, Dicemasters and the last two Those Were the Days? articles.

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• Possibly some more Game FAQs for SRPGs and rare games, but only if I have simultaneously have time and can be bothered. I might even get around to finishing Duo Princess

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• Updates for some older posts, like the Tsubasa arc summary.

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• “Random Generic’s RPG Diary”, an Anton’s Diary-esque piece covering a generic hero’s RPG adventures.

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Pointless statistics

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• First non “look, I have a blog” post: “Mai-Otome, or how to deface a franchise in 26 easy steps”, the infamous longest rant ever, explaining just why Otome was so awful. The rant and its sequels so thoroughly covered Otome that no rant since has been able to even come close to their level of detail.

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• First comment was by nonex on the Utawarriors FAQ. Ah, the good old days of Utawarriors.

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• Most enduringly popular posts is surprise, surprise, the Utawarriors guide. The main Uta game, Winter Cicada 2 and September 15^th Weekly Round-Up are oddly popular also.

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• Most infamous search terms: “you toube” has been enduringly popular over the months, although it seems to be dying out now.

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In case anyone is wondering, my non-anime blog, the creatively entitled Azure Flame B-Side, will be continuing on Wordpress as normal.