Otaku in Need

I need it for a story of mine. This question was supposed to be here but for some reason, something screwed up and it ended up in the Comics & Animation category. >_<;;

I need it for a story of mine.

This is a sort of follow up question to my previous one regarding use of the word "henshin" (a word often used in tokusatsu, specifically Kamen Rider).

Is it a trademark or am I safe to use it in my own fiction? I'm thinking of making a few super hero(es) inspired by Kamen Rider you see (alongside a few more original and more classic super heroes mind you). ^^''

I notice that it's usually only the Kamen Riders who say the word "henshin" when they transform. Others such as Sentai and Mahou Shoujo have some catchy or fancy morph call. However, I think the tern henshin itself is pretty simple but catchy.

The thing is, is it copyrighted? You see I'm thinking of making a superhero heavily inspired by toku (particularly Kamen Rider) but I really liked the word henshin as a transformation call because of its simplicity. :\

P.S.

If it helps, I saw a Kamen Rider parody on Lucky Star once and one of the characters said the word henshin. Does that mean the word's not copyrighted? ^^''

Okay I'm a writer and I've long wanted to create my own manga or at the very least write a novel that is similar to one (I'll go as far as to have an anime artist illustrate it). The problem is I notice a lot of the most popular titles are usually from magazines such as Shonen Jump or Shonen Magazine. Is there a way one can widely circulate a manga without having to go to Japan and publish it in a magazine there? I mean I like Japan and everything but I'm not really sure it's a place I wanna live in (lotta foreign policy issues there y'know).

I'm getting a new computer and I'm thinking of making AMVs with it every now and then. Can anybody give me some tips on the following?

1. Video edting program (MS Movie Maker sucks...)

2. Hardrive (how much space do I need)

3. Basic AMV dos and don'ts

Thanks! ^^

So far I stopped watching Shippuuden cuz I couldn't bear to see Gaara get beaten (I'm sorry but I like his fighting style so much and to see it lose was like 'aargh!')

But now since that arc is already over, I'm wondering whether if I should go back to watching.

I already watched episode 33 and so far I reeeealllly loved it! (Especially after seeing Hinata-chan again! YAY!!<3) However, I'm already up to the latest chapters in the manga and I find it pretty exciting as well.

What should I do? Go back to watching Shippuuden or stick to the manga?

P.S.

Naruto bashers and haters keep out! I've got a Report Abuse button and I'm not afraid to click it!

What would you wish for?

YAPpers, have you ever day-dreamed about something that sounded completely impossible?

I know I have... and they're so good I always put them on paper. They make excellent stories! XD

It's not uncommon for me to come across Filipinos who have the American Dream. They often love to say how much they want to go there, enjoy the standard of living it offers, and finally, how the money they earn there will go back to their families.

Unfortunately, I notice these same people are also not the very well off.. and not the very well informed.

I admit, I have never been to the US, but I have seen and read a lot of things that give me a far more realistic picture of life over there.

I myself admire how the standard of living there seems higher than here. However, I am not blind to the dangers in that country.

For example, one time, I had a little discussion with some Americans. The topic was gang wars.

I asked these two people if urban life in the US was really like the way the American media portrayed it. With drugs, gang activity, and juvenile delinquency.

They both replied that there are at least some places in NYC that have that image.

Have you ever noticed on how most Philippine college students still pick a course for reasons like going abroad and getting money? Also, I noticed that these students didn't even pick the course. They were 'encouraged' by their parents to choose it.

And what happens when a person picks a course along the lines of Fine Arts, Literature, Creative Writing, and Education? I always noticed that they are not exactly held with high esteem, especially if the parents aren't exactly well off.

What do you think is causing this? Would you consider it bad?

...on the planet Novus!

How can I get him to take a break from his game? He still hasn't eaten dinner (no he's not obsessed, it' just that the fight he got himself into dragged on a heck of a lot longer than I expected)

That, and my character's of an opposing race so I wanna slim their chances mwhahah! (@_@)

I need it for a story setting.

Something tells me that this could probably be my last R&S question for a while.

I'm gonna get back to writing my story that I'm gonna post up on the net. Just so you know, I'm gonna be an anime story writer and I draw a lot of inspiration from anime, role-playing games, fantasy novels...

but most importantly...

...lessons I learned from my experiences in life.

So, uh, wish me luck 'kay?

Ja-ne!!

The new anti-Christ perhaps?

Forgive me if I use a Christian story, it's the only one I know that could explain this question.

When people criticized Jesus about His belief and teachings he never really went wild and just answered well. However, when people used the temple, a place that was close to His heart, as a mere market place, He lost it.

So, when people attack your religion where do you draw the line?

Here's where I draw the line:

1. When someone tells me that I'm lower than dirt for not converting to his/her beliefs. (Someone told this to me online)

2. When someone desecrates my church by stealing all the stuff from money to chalices and replacing them with... ugh, you don't wanna know. All in an attempt to 'disprove' God's existence. (This happened to a Church in my city)

So what about you?

Since it's safe for me to say a majority of you live in the U.S., I wanna ask you the following questions:

1. Would your beliefs remain the same if you went to a different country and lived there for a while? Particularly ones that are rich in culture like Japan, China, Philippines, Thailand, and India?

2. Would you be as outspoken about your beliefs in these countries as you are here? When you are aware that the culture (yes, even the modern culture) is different from that of America?

3. Would you be willing to explore how life is like in these countries and see if you can learn something from them?

I've become more tolerant of atheism now because I've met more atheists here that are respectful to other people's belief.

However, I am not blind to the fact there are people here who claim they are atheist when in fact they are anti-theist.

Here's my definition of an anti-theist:

1. A person who walks up to me and says I'm delusional because of my belief.

2. A person who seeks to destroy religion for he/she thinks it imprisons humanity.

3. A person who thinks that science and technology are the solutions to everything.

4. A person who sees people who remain faithful as impediments to society and are therefore sub-human and should be treated as such.

Personally, I see extreme anti-theism to be no different from radical fundamentalism, for both have a strong tendency to attack people with beliefs that are different from them.

For me, I've always seen beauty and wonder in an unsolved mystery. There are so many things in life that have never been answered, despite the vast years of mankind's existence.

Have you not noticed, that in art and literature, images and characters with an air of mystery are often looked upon with wonder, and have a strong sense of depth to them?

Despite the attempts of historians, nobody can truly depict what life was like before. Like a person can never create a perfect duplicate of something found in memory. So what proof does anyone have that they knew what life was like before? Even when I accepted (and continue to accept) the various scientifc theories, they have never answered my questions about life. Even when various preachers claim that they know who God is, can they truly say that? Can they truly discern His will? Even prominent religious leaders themselves have denied that they do.

Why can't some people humble themselves, and say they don't know everything?

There was this time when I was criticized by a fundy Christian preacher for the following things and that I was going to hell if I didn’t change my lifestyle.

1. I love watching anime (particularly those of the Romance and Slice of Life genre as well as Action and Fantasy). The guy said it was 'steeped in Asian culture and its pagan rites' that and he said I was a fornicator cuz I have a fetish for anime girls (When in reality, I'm not obsessed, I just think they're really cute)

2. I play fantasy role-playing games such as Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, and Monster Hunter. The guy said it glorified magic and violence.

3. I listen to Rock Music. I like various bands (Green Day, Simple Plan, Nickelback, Linkin Park) But for me, I just really like their music so I'm not band specific. However, the preacher told me all of it was the devil's music.