Big Toys: Super Weapons!

Ways to kill someone –

What was Hitler’s favorite weapon?

This summer I amused myself by watching TV or reading manga. Other times I read books, but ever since I finished reading the painstaking Anna Karenina (I call it ‘painstaking’ because it was so thick that I’ve read it for over a month – on and off, but the book was nice though), I imposed a total restraining order for reading thick books because I’m still exhausted and ‘overwhelmed’ by that Tolstoy-book. So most of the time I just stayed in the house eating and sleeping and doing something in between.

Part of my TV schedule is watching amazing features from Discovery Channel. The other day I watched one of its coolest episodes by far, Superweapons: Top Ten. It’s not that I’m cruel, but war never ceases to amaze me, and even that, the weapons used are something that fascinates me. I’ve lived my childhood days preferring toy cars and guns than cheesy Barbie dolls.

There are five specific considerations for choosing the top ten superweapons: the fear factor, the fire power, the protection, the innovation and the service length. Among the reviewers were defense analysts – Rebecca Grant and Paul Beaver, and naval architects, James Harrison and Philip Simms. The super weapons chosen were the hardest, the fastest and the ones that won the battle for over the years. Some of the minor considerations are its own features like displacement, propulsion, speed, crew, range, protection, and principal armament. Cool!

To start the countdown, at number ten, we have the Hood Class Battle Cruiser, completed in Germany on year 1920. It has a speed of 31 knots and range of 5,170 nautical miles. It was used by Germany in its great battles in year 1960. It is 860 feet long and one of the largest ships ever built for royal armor at that time. It was also the best fighting ship because of its side armor at an angle. It was unfortunately destroyed in 1941, where about 1,400 people died.

At the ninth spot is the Deutschland Class Pocket Battleship (I dunno if I got the spelling right but it sounds and looks like that way). It has a speed of 26 knots and can accommodate a crew of 1,150 people. It amazing features includes its innovative design to make it lighter, that’s why it can cruise 12,500 miles. This German battle ship was used during the outbreak of World War 1, where it was used to attack merchant shipping by its 5-inch thick armor, thereby, earning its nickname, ‘The Formidable Raider’.

At the eight spot is the Essex Class Aircraft Carrier, used during America’s pacific wars. It has propulsion of 4 X shaft steam turbines, a speed of 33 knots, a range of 15,000 nautical miles, and protection of a maximum armor of 3 inches. It weighs for about 34,880 tons, and can accommodate a crew of 2,687. It was commissioned by America to replace its battleships during American-Japanese War. It fears an adversary: it is the number one target of the kamikaze pilots. There were 24 aircraft carriers built on this class, and most of them remained in service for another 30 years. This is probably one of the reasons why Allies won the World War 1, and this reason remains to be one of its tremendous impacts.

At the seventh spot is Hitler’s favorite ship! The Bismarck Class Battle Ship weighs 50,153 tons, has propulsion of 3 X geared steam turbines, speed of 30 knots and range of 8,525 nautical miles. It can take up a crew of 2,300 people. It has a protection of maximum armor of 14 inches, and its principal armament was 8 X 15-inch guns. It is considered as the best German navy ship. In 1941, it was used as a first war patrol, but then later on it was used to attack Allied ships. Its technology was so advanced that it was a major threat at sea.

At the sixth spot is the North Carolina Class Battleship. It has a displacement of 44,800 tons, and propulsion of quadruple steam engines producing 121,000 horsepower. It has a speed of 27 knots, and a range of 17,850 miles. It can take up 1,880 people. It has a protection of a maximum armor of 16 inches and its principal armaments are the 9 X 16-inch guns. Because of these features it is used as service combats in pacific battles, especially against Japan. Only, it is known to have a short operational service life.

The Fletcher Class Destroyer is in the fifth spot, the little ship with a big punch! It has a displacement of 2,325 tons, and propulsion of 2 geared turbines. It can accommodate a crew of 329 people. Its range can take up to 6,500 nautical miles. It has a protection of maximum armor of 0.5 inches over vital areas and its principal armaments are 5 X 5-inch guns. It is an awesome fighting machine because it has built-in sonar to identify any incoming attacks. It is used to target and kill mainly kamikaze attacks. It is responsible for the sinking of 29 Japanese submarines and more than 15,000 kamikaze pilots were killed. Personally, this is my favorite weapon, haha!

The sophisticated Ticonderoga Class Missile Cruiser is in the fourth spot. It has a displacement of 9,466 tons and propulsion of 4 X general electric turbine engine. It has a speed of 30 knots and a range of 6000 nautical miles at 20 knots. It has a protection of Kevlar armor over vital areas and it has principal armaments of 2 X M45 5-inch guns. It can take up 400 crew members. It is known to be a missile destroyer. It has advanced radar track targets. It was upgraded with tomahawk attack missiles that can shoot in a digital battle field. Later on, it was used to patrol in waters for both commercial and military shipping. It has a service length of 20 years.

At the third spot is the Queen Elizabeth Battle Ship, the toughest battle ship. It has a displacement of 36,450 tons, and propulsion of quadruple screw steam turbines. It runs in a speed of 23 knots and can take a range of 4500 nautical miles at ten knots. It has a protection armor of 13 inches and a principal armament of 8 X 15-inch guns. It can accommodate a crew of 1,190 people. The different thing about this ship is it is powered with oil, rather than coal. It has been used during World War 1 and World War 2, and its service length took long as 30 years.

At the second spot is the Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier. It has a displacement of a staggering 97,000 tons! Its propulsion is 2 X nuclear reactors with 4 turbines. Its speed is 30 knots and its range is unlimited. Protection: none. But it can carry and facilitate 85 X aircrafts and can accommodate a crew of 5,680 people. It is known as the largest and the most powerful warship because of its size and capability.

Finally, at the first spot – the best of all the best superweapons – is the Iowa Class Battle Ship. It has a displacement of 57,450 tons and propulsion of 4 X screw steam turbines. It has a speed of 33 knots and a range of 15,000 nautical miles over 12 knots. It has a protection armor of 18 inches and a principal armament of 9 X 16-inch guns that can fire up to 24 miles. It was launched on year 1942 and because of the war, it was always on the heat of the action. It was upgraded to shoot tomahawk missiles. This ship is the evidence that there are so many ways to hurl destruction. It was used during World War 2, Korean War, Vietnam War, and even in Gulf War, thus its service length was 50 years. With its massive power and top speed, no wonder it earned the first spot in the countdown.

So it’s about the top ten fighting ships, eh?

They are really big toys. Trust me.

Saikou no Kataomoi

Tainaka Sachi

Colourcloud Palace Ending Song

Itsumo sugoku jiyuu na anata wa ima
Kono ame no naka donna yume wo oikakete iru no
Dokoka de kodoku to tatakai nagara
Namida mo gaman shiterun darou

Hitori de mo daijoubu to anata mo watashi to onaji
Toomawari bakari dakedo naze ka kono michi ga suki de

Shiawase da to ka ureshii toki wa
Anata no koto wo omoidasu kara
Iro azayaka na kisetsu wa kitto
Kono omoi todokete kureru

Akogare to ka suki to ka kirai da to ka
Sou iu kimochi da to wa dokoka chigaun da keredo
Anata no sono utsukushii nagare ni
Watashi mo nosete hoshii

Aimai na kotoba yori mo kantan na yakusoku yori
Hoshii no wa te no nukumori soshite futari dake no toki

Moshimo anata ga kanashii no nara
Ashita ga sukoshi mienai no nara
Tayotte hoshii watashi wa kitto
Kore kara mo anata wo omou

Shiawase da to ka ureshii toki wa
Anata no koto wo omoidasu kara
Iro azayaka na kisetsu wa kitto
Kono omoi todoketekureru

***

This is the ending song of the anime Colourcloud Palace. I love the song the moment after I’ve heard it. And Riyuuki is so cute!

Suki Dakara

Bokura Ga Ita

Jama dane Te wo futta
Ushirosugata annanimo
Yuugure no hitonami ni
Yurenagara chiisakunaru
Anata kureta kotoba wo Hitotsuzutsu omoidashi
Me wo tojita
Shiawase na omoi dake
Koko ni aru hazu nanoni
Fuan ni naru Doushitenano
Kokoro ga furueteruno
Tsutaetai motto sou
Afureteru Kono kimochi
Sukidakara Sukidakara
Zettai sukidakara
Furimuite Kakedashite
Oikakete yukitai kedo
Yuugure no sabishisa ga
Sonna yuuki nomikonda
Anata no egao no naka ni Watashi wa iru
Sukoshi hanareta dakede
Maigo ni natta youna
Kodomo mitai ni nakidashisou
Sunao nara Konna omoi
Shinakutemo sumunoni naa
Karapoo no watashi dake
Koko ni ite sakenderu
Sukidakara Sukidakara
Zettai sukidakara

And What About Junpei Manaka?

Nah, don’t believe that a guy like Manaka can attract so many girls.

But in Miyuki Kawashita’s Ichigo 100% manga, it is almost convincing that a dim-witted guy who doesn’t know much about choosing the girl he really likes and understanding his own emotions can get so many girls. He couldn’t just decide the best among the girls around him! But the best thing about Manaka is that he is a cute when he is in that way, and probably that’s why girls love him.

And he is also a good film maker, I suppose.

He is also determined to pursue his dream to do movies in the future, and he successfully did in the end. But he lived a colorful high school life if you ask me, losing himself in a strawberry labyrinth of love by finding out who was the mysterious girl who fell from the rooftop, wearing a strawberry-designed underwear. That was the start of his quest to film such beautiful scenes.

Some of the girls that surrounds him are Toujo Aya, a shy, passive girl and the real strawberry panty-girl who turned out to be so attractively hot when she takes off her glasses and let down her hair; Nishino Tsukasa, the prettiest in their year with which Manaka Junpei confessed readily thinking that it was his strawberry girl and eventually ended up as Manaka’s girlfriend, Kitaoji Satsuki, a very vivacious and aggressive girl who takes advantages of Manaka whenever she finds the perfect moments, Misuzu Sotomura, an underclassman and the younger sister of Hiroshi Sotomura, Minamoto Yui, Manaka’s childhood friend who comes to live with his house with his strange condition of ending up half-naked when asleep, Mukai Kozue, Manaka’s classmate in the cram school and has a morbid fear of guys but her thoughts are ironically perverted, and Hashimoto Chinami, a cute bratty girl who ended up as a bikini model in the end of the manga series. We can also add to this list, Kurogawa-sensei, Manaka’s teacher and the adviser for the Film Club that he was in.

Lots of girls eh?

I have finally finished downloading the whole manga series. A painstakingly 19 volumes with 167 chapters, but it’s worth the fun!

Cry No More

by: Mika Nakashima

Blood+ 2^nd Ending Song

Hontou no kizu wa itama nai yo

Koe to kotoba nakushite

Tada namida ga afurete kuru dake

Risou ni michita ano goro no

Kokoro wa ima wa are hate

Mujun bakari no jibun wo ikiteru

I don’t wanna cry no more

I don’t wanna cry cry cry

Ato dono cry na do

Ato dono kurai cry cry

Tsuyogari dake wo buki ni shite

Tatakatte kita yowamushi

Kimi wa zenbu shittete kureta no

I don’t wanna cry no more

I don’t wanna cry cry cry

Nakitai kurai na no

Kowareru kurai cry cry

oh kono sabishisa ni

itsuka owari wa aru no?

I don’t wanna cry no more

I don’t wanna cry cry cry

Ato dono cry na do

Ato dono kurai cry cry

Ato dono kurai baby

Nakitai cry cry cry

I don’t wanna cry no more

I don’t wanna cry

I don’t wanna cry

English Translation:

True wounds, don’t really hurt

I just simply lose my voice and words

and the tears starts to flow

Once I was full of ideals

but now my heart has become desolate

It’s a contradiction, but I need to live my own way

I don’t wanna cry no more

I don’t wanna cry cry cry

How much longer will it last?

How much longer must I cry cry?

My only weapon was bluffing

I was fighting like a coward

You were the one who understood it all

I don’t wanna cry no more

I don’t wanna cry cry cry

I almost want to cry

I’m nearly broken, so I cry cry

Oh will this loneliness

be over one day?

I don’t wanna cry no more

I don’t wanna cry cry cry

How much longer will it last?

I don’t wanna cry cry cry

How much longer will it baby

I just wanna cry cry cry

I don’t wanna cry no more

I don’t wanna cry

I don’t wanna cry

***

This song is the 2^nd ending song of the anime Blood+. The anime was about Saya Otonashii’s journey to fight the Chiropterans (what looks like bloodsucking creatures, like vampires, you know) with her faithful chevalier Haji and rediscovering her own identity along the way. The story is a very touchy one for me, (but not in the cheesy way) mainly because she was the only who could kill the chiropterans even though at first she find it hard to do so. And she also was struggling to find out who she really was.

The anime is produced by Production I.G. (like Prince of Tennis) and Sony’s production arm, Aniplex (like Jigoku Shoujo and La Corda D’Oro Primo Passo). The original run was on October 08, 2005 to September 23, 2006. Blood+ was distributed by Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) and here in the Philippines it premiered its first six episodes on Animax on April 08, 2007, Sunday, 9pm but the official airing was on April 12, 2007, Thursday, 7pm-8pm (haha! got the schedule right!). Its encore runs and replays were at 10pm-11pm in the same prime telecast day, and every Sunday, at 12pm-1pm and 10pm-11pm. The animated film entitled Blood: The Last Vampire from which the anime series was based upon premiered on Animax on April 07, 2007, Saturday, at 8pm. The anime is rated PG, because of its strong violent scenes and language – and I watched the anime all by myself, hehehhe.

It has a total of 50 episodes of horror, action, drama, mystery, supernatural, and romance. Whew!