All posts for the month April, 2017

Anime: Series That Should Be Re-Dubbed!

Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! I have an fun post for you today! If you guys remembered when I had my Katie Griffin interview on here I asked her about her thoughts on Viz re-dubbing the original Silor Moon series and if you haven’t read that post, you can still read it! I thought, “What are other series that should be re-dubbed that I remembered watching back in the day?” Here is my list, before I start…

Disclaimer: This list is based on opinion of the lead writer! Please respect her thoughts and opinions in the list ahead!

1. Thunder Cats The Original: First is Thunder Cats! I know there was a newer series that rebooted the classic tale of Liono and his buddies but in the original they crashed onto a planet and they have to fight Mummra in order to keep him from taking over the universe! It would be interesting to see the new cast that they used for the newer series to dub the older version as in Will Firedel as Liono, Matt Mercer as Tigra, and so on. Yes, that would mean Snarf has to talk in this as usual and if I were to choose who would be perfect for him I would say John Swasey! He would fit the the part and able to change his voice to make it higher like how he made Lord Death sound and imagine him going, “Snarf!” in his lines.
2. Mew Mew Power aka Tokyo Mew Mew: Another series should be re-dubbed in my opinion is of course Mew Mew Power or Tokyo Mew Mew in Japan. I loved the manga a lot and the original Japanese version did take the manga and extended it into a 52 episode series but when it came over to America, 4Kids only dubbed the first 26 episodes. I did see the final episode in Japanese and other episodes in a pack when I used to watch torrents of stuff and I did like how some of the story was told in the anime. Thi9s would be a series that Viz or Sentai Filmworks should re-dub because we didn’t get to see the entire series and I can imagine some of their actresses would be great to play some of the girls. Heck, I am thinking of Chris Patton as Ryo, the blonde one which I forgot his American name at the moment, and Luci Christian as Ichigo aka Zoey. I know it would be hard doing the lost in translation episode where 4Kids had the woman speak Spanish in that one, that would be an interesting feat. Plus, it would give us a way of seeing the rest of the series that didn’t get dubbed.
3. Carcaptor Sakura aka Cardcaptors: I had to mention this one because it is one of those series that introduced us the world of CLAMP! This is also the series where Sakura and Syaoran came from originally when it comes to Tsubasa Chronicle. Like Sailor Moon, there were a lot of episodes that weren’t shown on TV and it would be great if Funimation also re-dubbed this since they had good voice actors for Sakura, Monica Rial, and Syaoran, Jason Leighbrecht. I can imagine Monica doing the Clow Card chants in this one and it would be great who else Funimation would choose for Tomoyo since there were two different voice actresses they used for Tsubasa and one of the OVAs and of course Mei Lynn who was one of the major characters in this one. It would also be interesting to watch again with blindness too since I did watch it as a sighted teen.
4. Magic Knight Rayearth: I had to mention this one even if it wasn’t anywhere on TV! I tried watching the dub of this one but I couldn’t stand it past the first two episodes! I know the story is pretty good from what I heard but the dub was not well executed in my book. It would be awesome to see it re-dubbed and cleaned up with the lines because some of the lines kind of sounded a bit too forced or mechanic. I think Funimation or Sentai Filmworks would do a good job on a re-dub of this.
5. KIBA Season 2: This series was featured on Toonami Jetstream which is the internet version of Toonami for a little bit before it went off the air. Reason why I say season two is because when ADV was closing its doors and about to change their name, the script didn’t go through a really good post production. I mean the grammar was terrible! The lines were delivered not as great towards the end in the dub. I think Sentai should go back and re-do some of the script and re-dub it so it would sound smoother than the original had as in what ADV did. I would also admit one character should be changed and I forgot who it was but he was a bit of a villain and I noticed his voice in the dub was a little bit bored sounding. That’s all I have to say on that.
6. Gravitation: I have to mention this one which I know it is a yaoi series but at the same time…I didn’t like the dub as much as the Japanese version. I think this should be re-dubbed since it would sound better if Viz or Funimation re-did it due to the cast they tend to have is really good and to me the chracters would sound better but keep Noriko’s voice.
7. Pilot Candidate: I am meaning with the girls that are done by the same person. I noticed on Anime News Network and in the series how one person was used for a lot of the girls such as Clay’s partner, Rioroute’s partner, the nurse’s assistant, and so on. I sometimes get confused and don’t know if it is Teela, the pilot, speaking for the most part since she is also narrating the series. I know it wouldn’t be the same as the original if it gets re-dubbed but if they did give new voice actresses it would help in distinguishing characters. I still have my copy signed by Josh Seth!
That is about it for this list! I know it was a bit short but it is the only thing I can think of. If you guys have any other series that should be re-dubbed anything that hasn’t been dubbed yet, just comment or do you want to see a list of series I think that should be dubbed since there are some that were sent here without a dub. Just comment! Or even comment on our Facebook and Twitter if you can!
Ne
Xt time, I have another surprise for you all! Stay tuned!

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by moonleopard85 on April 29, 2017  •  Permalink
Posted in anime

Posted by moonleopard85 on April 29, 2017

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2017/04/29/anime-series-that-should-be-re-dubbed/

Favorites: March and April 2017!

Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! It is that time again and that is my Favorites for March and April! Last time, I felt like I didn’t feel like I had that many favorites and I had to type that list into Word Press due to having no computer access until around the first two weeks of March. Well, mid-March actually! I learned my lesson, never go online for free versions of Windows products. What do I have? Let’s see!

Fave Cosplay Moment: People Recognizing Me as Link! As you know, we did press for our fourth year at Omni Expo and this year I finally got to have a new cosplay! Yay! I used some of my work experience money to gather parts and that was mostly to finish Pokemon Ranger Link from Legend of Zelda. This cosplay was in the planning stages back when I first did Pokemon Ranger Rusty, which you can see in my video interview with Eric Stuart, and after graduating I didn’t have the funds after 2015 and knew I had to put it off until I get the funds. I did get Silveon which we dubbed the name “Silvy” for this. I was glad to get the goggles from Black Flame Creations, the hat from Amazon, I found the gloves and did have a ong wig to tuck into my shirt, and finally my overshirt with the patches. What was most impressive about my cosplay besides wearing elf ears for my first time is the Eageslash that Gondras made into the Master Sword and Shield. Even the judges were impressed during pre-judging with all the Pokemon and Zelda elements and one of them did say, “I can see the spirit of Pokemon.” What was awesome was that during Saturday, we went into the food court since we were starving and didn’t eat on the way which is a bad idea and that will change for MegaCon ::does Side Show Bob groan:: (Don’t get me wrong, I am excited to go to MegaCon after not being there for five years but will explain some stuff in the review after the convention!) and on the way back to the convention, we had to pass by Auntie Ann’s since it was inside the Florida Mall. People noticed who I was and they followed with their gazes and I didn’t know until Gondras noticed and told me and I was happy. Yes, I hardly smile due to having a fixed chip in my front tooth but I was still happy. I think this has been my fave cosplay this year especially with the goggles which I should mention that down below!

Fave Interview: Josh Martin and Chris Rager! This year’s Omni had another double interview and that is with Chris Rager, Hercule Satan, and Josh Martin, Magen Boo. Before the convention, I tend to request who we want to interview and we wanted a double interview with these two and we got it! I had so much fun interviewing these two because not only we went a little close to time but off topic but we enjoyed it! It is like my interview with RJ Heady last year which I also had fun during, which you can also see on YouTube. And yes, I am Link in that video and the one with Paul St. Peter. It was fun!

Best Attempt At MakeUp: Doing Winged Liner for First Time! I did have to look up how to do winged liner since I NEVER did it before. I know I should’ve practiced but due to being busy with preparing for the convention and going through all the computer problems, I didn’t get to do it. I did it blindly as best as I could and even took the tip of do it subtle like since one video I saw as basing their Link was based on a older Link. I had a bit of eyeliner issues with the Wet N Wild liner I used which had the chiseled tip which was hard to work with and the girl who did Cosplay 101 was surprised that I did it for my first time for the cosplay when I commented on one point she made. I may have to practice this since I dibuy the NYX black pencil liner. I know people usually use a gel liner but the pencil linder I used did work out as well.

Fave Cosplay Accessory: Legend of Zelda themed Goggles! I had to mention these on here since it seems to be a liking for most people too. When I started getting into steam punk stuff, I fisited a stand by these guys known as Black Flame Creations over at Anime Festival Orlando. I got their Harley Quin themed goggles which you know me when it comes to Harley. I am talking about animated and comic book version not the movie version. Anyways, they did say they will do custom jobs on their goggles and mentioned Zelda elements they can do and I decided to go with them for my goggles for Link due to how awesome they are! If you haven’t checked these guys out, I highly highly highly recommend them for goggles. I really want to see other stuff and hoping I run into them again. They did tell me and recommend me to Aunt Matilda’s steam punk items too. Still, check out Black Flame at blackflamecreations.com and tell them I sent you! Anyways, I even wore these to Orlando Overdrive (sorry, footage coming soon from that) and people also liked them too. That is why it’s a fave item even with my compass earrings I got from Amazon and the necklace that I got from Etsy.

Fave Phone Case: Rarity phone case! My fave item I found in a convention is a phone case done by someone who made the Kakashi 3DS XL case I used to have but it broke all thanks to it being dropped. I need to get another from her but she did advertise on Omni’s group that she had phone cases and I asked about My Little Pony which you know that I love that series. She did have IPhone 5 cases that fit my SE ever since I got it and I found one of Rarity. At first I wanted Twilight Sparkle since she is my first fave pony along with Pinky Pie being my second while third I would give to Rarity and the girl sold out of Twilight but she did have some of four of the others which included Pinky and Rarity. I almost got Pinky but the Rarity one looked prettier in a way and shinier! I may have to ask for a Twilight in the future and hoping I can ask for another DS case of Twilight too if I can. I am not sure what my funds will be for Mega at the moment but hey I do have a nice phone case!

Fave Eye Shadow: Shooting Star by Surreal MakeUp! I had to keep myself from using this a lot since it so pretty and shiny and I don’t want to go overboard with it either and that is Shooting Star by a brand called Surreal MakeUp. I mentioned them the most in my review on Omni because they were the first makeup brand I have seen at a convention! I normally find cosplay makers, artists, the usual anime vendors, and so much more but not a makeup brand this brand is an indie one. They came from Clearwater and they are all natural and the owner and her husband are very nice. I was debating on either getting one of her lip items but when she mentioned Shooting Star that was when it became a winner of my wallet! It is a beautiful shimmery shade and it will look amazing! On that Sunday, I wore my Midnight Blue eye shadow all over my lid and Shooting Star in my crease. I have to warn you guys, this is a pigment and it is stupidly pigmented! As in, you may have to dip your brush once and tap a bit and then dab! She will be at DragCOn and other places if you pay attention to her website: http://www.surrealmakeup.com and I have been mentioning in some comments on YouTubers’ videos that are going to check her out. And also, what’s cool about her brand is that if you don’t know what to get but still want to try her stuff, she offers sample pods which you put the pods into your cart and then look through the site and when checking out you write down what you want to sample. It’s worth a try at least. You rarely get that from most brands. So, I will be giving Surreal MakeUp the Star Pawprint of Approval!

Favorite Primer: L’Oreal Magic Perfecting Face Base! ::hears record screech and people gasping:: What!? Can’t a girl try something new? Well, the story is that I can’t use the Nivea Post Shave Balm ever again. ::tosses it out the window:: Because my skin became irritated! I know I raved about it last year all thanks to Nikki Tutorials raving about it and makeup artists used it but what I didn’t know is that this thing sinks into pores and can clog them since the skin does absorb this product after you shave…well when you are a man shaving. I did feel it tingle after I shaved my chin. So, I had to stop using it and did learn the hard way too that the Nivea is not a sensitive skin friend either! I know, how ironic? All thanks to a video from Jeffree Starr, he did a video where he did a half and half test of two face primers and one is expensive as all high heavens and the other drugstore which is my fave place of all for makeup and he tested the L’Oreal Magic Perfecting Face Base and oh man! I love it! I have to thank Jeffree for this because when he mentioned that this is meant for all skin types I knew I had to find it and glad that it is still existing. It may be a tiny pot of primer but usually you don’t need that much to begin with and this did last me a month and a half! My skin did calm down and I did feel a slight tingle since my skin is not used to something new but it did calm down as I used it and it felt so good whenever I applied the primer and my concealer did go on smoothly along with my foundation and all my makeup stayed on pretty well. I will be getting this for now on! Goodbye Nivea!

Fave Mascara: Maybelline Angel Push Up! I never thought I would try a falsies mascara until I tried Maybelline’s Falsies Angel Push Up! I am glad that this mascara give me the same affect as a pair of false lashes when I don’t wear them. What is the point of false lashes when they can cause problems. Read my Cosmetic Controversy post on those. Anyways, I find the tube interesting looking since it almost reminds me of a pushup pop but with a mascara tube! I did like how my lashes felt with this one and willing to keep trying other mascaras to see how they feel.

Fave New YouTube Channel: Vivid Barnicle! So, lately I have been watching Wheeaboo story videos since Wheeaboos are a bane of our existence. I do admit I did have a bit of a Wheeaboo side in my earlier days of getting into anime but it did die down since I got into other things like Doctor Who and My Little Pony and much more. I stumbled upon this one girl known as Vivid Barnicle and she reads a lot of stories that are horror like where people had many experiences with Wheeaboos. For anyone who doesn’t know what a Wheeaboo is they are basically a person who is overly obsessed with anime and Japan and bases Japanese culture on what they see in anime such as believing that there are still samurais like Rurouni Kenshin walking around when they haven’t exist in many decades. Also, I did take Japanese courses and it is not as easy as many would think. Anyways, some of my fave stories include a girl who tried dying her skin in a bathtub with sharpies and alcohol for her Homestuck cosplay and one that was really recent where a girl got attacked by one Wheeaboo that attended her college and caught her stealing stuff including her Yuri On Ice costume she made. It is amazing how much people become very obsessed with anime stuff. So glad I grew up!

Best Series Come Back: Mystery Science Theater 3000! Yes! It’s back! For those of you who are nerds and haven’t grow up as much as I did with this series, MST3K has come back and in full force on NetFlix and so many people are happy including us, as in me, GOndras, and Nerdy Shirts! For those of you who are new to knowing about this, it is a show where a guy and his two robots riff on cheesy sci-fi and horror movies sent by their worst enemy! It is hilarious and some of the jokes are funny as each movie goes on. Even Movie Bob was happy to see it back that he was in tears at first and then laughing so much with the first episode. What made us happy was Patton Oswald is a character on this which fits with him and it feels like he takes his pony character from My Little Pony and turned it into Max on this. It was even awesome that Felicia Day being the new Forrester in this one. Yes, we have to drop by her table at Mega for a “hi!” Plus, the theme song is always catchy!

Well, that is about it for this bi-montly favorites! Make sure you follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates including when we put up the Orlando Overdrive footage! I really need to get that from Gondras. What is next? Maybe another book review or maybe last minute convention info for MegaCon and still waiting on news from anyone on email interviews. So sit tight!

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by moonleopard85 on April 29, 2017  •  Permalink
Posted in anime, beauty, clothing, conventions, cosplay, Favorites, Interviews, Movies, Television

Posted by moonleopard85 on April 29, 2017

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2017/04/29/favorites-march-and-april-2017/

Music: Top Ten Songs of April 2017!

Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! It’s that time again where I give you my Top Ten Songs of the month! This month is going to be quite interesting because there are some songs you wouldn’t think that would end up on my list but it is! Let’s get on with it!

10. “The Way of Katz” from Tales of Zisteria: No, that is not a typo guys! It is spelled like that for a reason! Vivi got me into this song because I love cats! If you saw my couch bed you would notice all the Happy plushies and even have a Mew plush along with my Hello Kitty ones. Basically, according to Vivi, in the game Tales of Zisteria you go to the angel world that they are referred to as KATZ in that spelling and they play this song throughout the entire mission. It is too cute in the start which where hear kitties doing the “Nyus!” I do the Nyu along with it too and sometimes do it alone when it comes into my head. Yes, I go into kitty spazz mode and have to hold it back. Yes, all the kitty!
9. “Sad Machine” by Porter Robinson: Next is a somewhat techno song and at least it is keeping a certain cat song out of my head! It is known as “Sad Machine” and I heard this while watching Porter Robinson’s set from Electric Forest but people singing made it hard to hear. I know I have enhanced hearing but if a certain decibel level goes too high or my mom mumbles from afar then I can’t hear it. I did the next best thing by researching the artist and found it. It is one of those feel good techno songs that talks about a machine that wants to be someone’s friend and wants to know if anyone hears them calling out. This would be great to put to any anime that deals with tech or even to Rahxephon since we meet Quin, if I remembered that correctly, the lyrics say, “Ever since she has waken up again! She depends on you! She depends on you!” Which does make sense for how the characters do call out to each other. Too bad I don’t have the video editing know how to make an AMV with that.
8. “Birdhouse in Your Soul” by They Might Be Giants: I was avoiding putting this on my list but ii I show this to Gondras then he would laugh hysterically! What song am I talking about? “Birdhouse In Your Soul” by They Might Be Giants. This song always gets stuck in my head especially ever since it was used as the the theme song for SF Debris’ review on Summer Wars two years ago! This song is so catchy with its beat and I did Nyu with it a couple of timesand catch myself doing it. Plus, this was the song that GOndras requested Jacsson from Random Encounter to play on the accordion. It will be in your guys’ head whenever you hear it too!
7. “King of Amarillo” by Issues: Next is a song by a band called Issues and it’s called “King of Amarillo!” This song is a mix of rap with metal and I do like that with my music time to time! I didn’t hear about Issues until I was in Daytona back in 2014 all thanks to a girl who was into them and got my neighbor into them as well. I did download this song because it was my favorite! They do have other good songs but this one sticks out the most to me. They also did a pretty bitchin’ version of the Pokemon theme song!
6. “Zombie” by the Cranberries: This song came into my head when I was doing notes for my next book and that is “Zombie” by the Cranberries. This song has been around since the 90’s but it still a good one! I even like how Soul Switch covers it during shows due to how they give it their own twist! They did perform it during the last whow I saw them do last summer and still awesome as ever.
5. “Make It Stop (September’s Children)” by Rise Against: This song kept on popping up on my playlist for I Heart Radio and that is “Make It Stop” by Rise Against. This song got nominated for MTV’s Video Music Awards for “Best Song With a Message” which it does have a really deep meaning message. This song was in response to gay teens that were killing themselves during September of 2010. I know it seems grim to put it on this list but there were times when a lot of people were bullied, heck I was bullied when I was in middle school and high school for being different as in a nerd and having a visual impairment. I still remember when Gondras and I first saw these guys during 2012 when I got Gondras tickets for his birthday/Christmas present that the crowd did the “Whoas!” Which made it even better! They do have a new song and I just listened to it. I would say check out Rise Against’s music because they are known to rise against issues and since violence has risen, that is the newest song is based on. Can’t wait for that new album!
4. “In the End” by Linkin Park: A great classic on this list and that is “In the End” by Linkin Park! This song really got me into Linkin Park and it still has their original sound. I tried listening to the newer stuff and ugh! I can’t stand it! Sorry, even though these guys are a in-between of rap and metal but going R&B made me go “WTF!?” That is why I will count Hybrid Theory and their third album since Reanimation was the second one and the two songs for Transformers 1 -3 are the true Linkin Park songs. Sorry for being elitest but I prefer the metal sound especially with this song! Next!
3. “Caffeine” from RWBY: Next is a fave song from RWBY which is called “Caffeine!” This song has “Highway Star” written all over it since they mention it in one lyric but it does talk about everyone’s all time fave drink coffee! You can even hear it in the rap in the bridge!
2. “I May Fall” by RWBY: I know it’s not normal to put more than one song from one franchise but this one always gets into my head and that is “I May Fall” from RWBY. This song was mostly a message song for Pira and Jean during the third volume. I have a feeling that Pira may appear again in the next volume since they haven’t talked about the weird dreams in the last one. Anyways, this song does have a good rhythm and message to it!
1. “Tubthumpin” by Chumbawumba: I know, “What!?” Yes, this is my number one even if it is from the 90’s like “Zombie” was. GOndras has been showing me this one channel where bands covr songs and they have to pick from a list and if one’s taken then they can’t do it. They Might Be Giants did “Tubthumpin” which is a classic song for everyone! If you haven’t heard this one, I will fix that for you since I do put the number one video in here!

Well, that is it for this month’s list! I told ya interesting one! Let’s see what May will have next in music! What is next for Nerdy Shique Universe? Well, my faves of March and April!

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by moonleopard85 on April 25, 2017  •  Permalink
Posted in Music, Uncategorized

Posted by moonleopard85 on April 25, 2017

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2017/04/25/music-top-ten-songs-of-april-2017/

Interviews: Katie Griffin from Sailor Moon!

Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! SURPRISE! I have an interview for you guys and it is from one of the guests at MegaCon this year! I know it is kind of weird seeing it here when you guys tend to see me in action on YouTube whether wearing elven ears or a snowy white wig, but this is the best I can do since long story short we can’t interview people in person which sucks for us. But the next best thing was doing this. And if you remembered from our early days, this was how I did interviews, well transcribe them and I did one with Kyle Hebert through email before Omni Expo 2014! Who did I get for this one? It is none other but Katie Griffin! She is the original voice of Sailor Mars from our fave anime Sailor Moon! She is also the voice of Alex and Mindy on Totally Spies which was one of my fave series too when I was in high school going into college. What did I send her? Read on people!

Q1: Knowing that you will be in Orlando, FL for MegaCon, how does it feel to be going to a convention in the Sunshine State?
I LOVE Florida! I’ve been to Florida many times, and the sunshine never disappoints! My parents vacation twice a year in Siesta Key, so Florida is a bit of a home away from home! Looking forward to MegaCon!

Q2: I noticed that you have been to a lot of conventions, how do you like meeting your fans that have been long time Sailor Moon fans?
We are soooooo lucky to have such an incredible fan base for Sailor Moon. It’s really hard to compare it to any other show, but our fans are so loyal, and so supportive, we honestly LOVE meeting everyone, and hearing how much Sailor Moon influenced and shaped people’s lives. It’s really unbelievable how important this show was to so many people.

Q3: With all the fans you have met, what has been your favorite fan experience?
I get asked this question a lot. It’s a tough call. I honestly couldn’t tell you why, but Sailor Moon has affected people so deeply that we are frequently told how Sailor Moon ‘saved my life’. Some of our fans have gone through some pretty dark stuff, and Sailor Moon was there for them. These are the most special experiences for me. I have worked on a LOT of shows over the past 20 years, and even though I may have had a great time on some of them, or they were big shows for my career, I will never have fans coming up to me to tell me any of them ‘saved their life’. It’s pretty special to be a part of something that means so much to people.

Q4. What will fans see and expect during the convention this year? As in, what panels will you do and what events are you looking forward to while visiting Orlando, etc.?
Panels are never ‘planned’. People have questions, and we have answers. It really isn’t something we plan for. I have been to Orlando many times over the years. We went with our family to Disney world last April and had an absolute blast. Probably won’t have much time to do anything other than the convention, unfortunately.

Q5. With the roles you have done as a voice actress, what has been the hardest thing about recording lines?
The hardest thing about voice acting is getting a cold, believe it or not. Your voice changes, and you struggle to reach your character’s voice in many cases, and I never worry or stress about anything more than I do when I get sick. Perhaps for me, because many of my voices are much higher in range than my regular speaking voice, I struggle so much more. It’s an awful feeling. A cold for me, means that I’m not able to work for a week or two, or audition, because I sound so completely different.

Q6: Not sure if you have seen this but Viz Media re-dubbed the original Sailor Moon series, as in gave the scouts newer voices and even put episodes that weren’t shown to US audiences, etc., have you seen it and if so, what were your thoughts especially with the new actress for Mars? If you have seen it, have you met Christina V. (Mars)?
I am so thrilled that Viz Media re-dubbed! The fans have waited a looooooong time for this, and I think it’s fantastic that Sailor Moon lives on! I met Christina briefly a few years ago in L.A at Fan Expo, and she seemed super nice! Unfortunately, I haven’t seen the new dub, but from what I’ve heard Christina does an amazing job as Mars!

Q6. What was your favorite episode with Sailor Mars?

I liked whenever there was a little bit of comedy for Rei. She was very serious a lot of the time, so whenever there was a funny scene, I went for it! I liked every episode with Chad, because he was such a goofball! He was good for Rei! I also liked some of the silly bickering scenes. Rei had some of the best lines when she fought with Serena. It was silly. And, I really looked forward to it!! tee hee.

Q7. If you were one of the other Sailor Scouts or Guardians, which one would you be and why?
Hmmmm…..I change my mind on this question, but I always come back to Jupes. Sailor Jupiter was one tough cookie. I really liked that about her. I also like that she baked a lot. I don’t really bake…..but I like eating baked goods! Bring on the cookies!! *smile*

Q8. I always love asking this question to any voice actor, what was the funniest thing that happened to you in the booth or are there any pranks you did to a castmate while they were in the booth?
I would love to tell you that pranks happened on Sailor Moon, but we mostly recorded on our own, and time was always of the essence, so it was usually all business. I just completed two seasons of Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, the TV series (I played Sam Sparks!) and I have to say I have never had more fun on a show, than I did on this one. We got to record as a group, and I was pretty lucky to work with such a ridiculously talented and funny cast. (I don’t think I answered this question properly, but no one has officially ‘pranked’ me in the booth, so this was the best I could come up with)

Q9. What is some advice you would give to anyone who wants to become a voice actor or actress?
First, ask yourself WHY do I want to be a voice actor?? If the answer is, “I like the sound of my voice”, or “people say I have a good voice and should be in radio”. If those are the only reasons, I think you may want to reconsider. On the other hand, if you are an actor and really want to dive into to this wild and wonderful world, wherever you live, you should research voice-over workshops. Get a little experience listening to yourself through a microphone, with headphones on. Also, you’ll need a demo. If you want an example of what your demo should sound like, you can check out http://www.voicebank.net, where you’ll hear hundreds of different demos. And, you shop for an agent. Being a voice actor really is one of the best jobs in the world. I feel very fortunate that I get to do this every day. But, it’s also and incredibly tough nut to crack. Lots of competition, so if you’re up to the challenge, do your research, take classes, make an awesome demo, and go for it!!!!

Q10. Are there any new projects for you coming up that you can talk about?
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is airing right now on Cartoon Network! I’m also on a show called Luna Petunia on Netflix! I play Bibi Bubbles! Inspector Gadget CGi is currently on air. I play Kayla on that one. There’s also Wishenpoof! I play ‘Mom’ on that one. I believe Atomic Puppet is airing right now. I play Abby. I’m Mama Penguin on Little People. And, I play Kitty Boon on a show called Mysticons!!! (which I don’t think has aired yet)

That is it you guys! I am so glad that I had this opportunity to send Katie some questions to answer. If you guys are going to be at MegaCon, she will be there from Friday to Sunday according to the Guest List in the anime section! I am trying to see about some other people at the moment, I would say stay tuned here, on Twitter, and on Facebook for our updates. I would like to thank Katie for giving this opportunity as well, which I should drop by her table during the days she will be at the con!

What is next for Nerdy Shique Universe? Well, my Top Ten Songs for April which will be an interesting take on the list this month!

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by moonleopard85 on April 24, 2017  •  Permalink
Posted in anime, conventions, Interviews

Posted by moonleopard85 on April 24, 2017

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2017/04/24/interviews-katie-griffin-from-sailor-moon/

Concerts: Orlando Overdrive 2017 Review!

Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! Yesterday was Orlando Overdrive and man it was awesome! We only there for some of the acts but not all because Gondras felt exhausted from work earlier in the day but hey we did have fun from what we saw! We will be putting videos up onto our YouTube so you should be following there, our Twitter account for updates, and Facebook for more updates!

Let’s see what I got and who we saw!

Event: Orlando Overdrive
Location: The Geek Easy inside A Comic Shop!

Location: Let me start off by talking about the location itself! For those of you who may be new to knowing about some of the hangouts outside of the club district basically the Geek Easy is a bar/food hangout inside a comic book shop called A Comic Shop that has been around for a while. It used to be smaller but it got renovated to be more spacious and having a better stage, sound, and even a bar/food area to get drinks and food which is awesome! They do do events such as anime showings, concerts, and even dances because back in the day there were raves there too and even a few burlesque shows. Manime Man used to do his Anime Nights every month at this place but now at Bikkuri Lounge, which I recommend that place for Japanese cuisine especially how big of a bowl of ramen and udan you get! While the Geek Easy does grilled stuff such as burgers, grilled cheese, and their tots are in the shapes of Tetris blocs which throws everyone back! They are delicious and I highly recommend if you go to any event or just hang out!

The Acts: This year, people got to vote on the Ongaku Overdrive website for who they want to see and nine of them get chosen to perform. I did vote for some of them but two we didn’t get to see that I voted which were Ben Briggs, which I wanted to see a few times but always missed, and EyeQ, which he is an awesome rapper especially with doing his own Attack On Titan raps! Who else did I vote for? I will reveal down below!

Jasper from Random Encounter: As we got into the event, we were a little late which it does take a bit to get to my part of town to get me from where Gondras lives, wtis guy was on the stage performing. He used to play accordion for another nerdcore band called Random Encounter which took their separate ways but this guy is still performing! Never thought hearing a guy on accordion was awesome! He took requests from the crowd and even quizzed them in what song he was playing. With one song I was thinking of Mario Kart 64 and Gondras tried to say Mario 64 and got it wrong. He did do the actual song that Gondras was thinking but what was even funnier was when GOndras tried to request “Birdhouse In Your Soul” by They Might Be Giants. He got the old “Don’t know that one!” I can “Nyu” that one and would be funny if I start doing nerd music that way.

Boy Without Batteries: This is one of the other artists that I voted for because I enjoyed his music a lot from the times he performed at the Anime Prom Nights Manime Man did. He does chiptune music and hooked up an old school Game Boy to his soundboard and acts like he is playing the Game Boy while performing the song. It is like doing the chiptune song with a guitar controller or something from Rock Band. I didn’t know what he was doing because my vision sucks and glad that Nerdy Shirts described it to me! You guys should check this guy out after seeing our footage. One song I did like by him was one that almost was like a combination of “Last Chance” by Kascade and “You Are” by Paul Oakenfold which was the version from the Electric Daisy Carnival set from last year! (I listen to the set time to time since I am a bit of a techno fan.) Still, should check him out.

Under Polaris: And the final act that I voted for is Under Polaris which was a blind vote. I never heard of these guys but they are essentially a metal band that does video game covers! You know me when it comes to metal and when I heard this I knew I would enjoy these guys! This band did covers to music from Batman: Return of the Joker, Double Dragon 2, which was a tribute to a close friend, and one that Vivi would appreciate if she heard it unless it is in the footage, Lavendar Town from Pokemon Red and Blue Versions. I did tell Stellarnan I used to have Red Version until my brother’s ex-wife threw away my Game BOy color when my nephew was borrowing it. (Still mad about that!) They did also do the “Suicide Mission” song from Mass Effect 2 which that made me and Gondras happy due to being fans of that game.Thank goodness I voted for these guys after hearing them!

Shammers: Next is a rapper and his buddy that we tend to see a lot at these events and that is Shammers! A heads up, we didn’t get any footage of these guys rapping because Nintendo has been content I.D.ing everyone who has been reviewing anything or using their stuff when it is supposed to be fair use! Sorry about that but we already went through Copyright Claims done twice in two years with some of our videos from Holiday Matsuri. His partner, Professor Oak, are known for doing Pokemon raps and puns as well. Heck, they even did a rap battle towards their fave consoles which were of course the Nintendo line versus the Sega line. Stellar did ask which one I was on and since I had my Tri-Force goggles from my Link cosplay, Nintendo despite playing both systems as a kid. They did do their Pokemon Snap rap and they did ask the audience to hold up pics of their fave Pokemon so they could do a Pokemon Go based rap. So, it was really improve rap this time! A nice variation this past night.

Sci Fried: Another band that I never expected liking and that is Sci Fried. These guys were surprised that they got voted to perform last night since they were more underground but the crowd had spoken and I could see why! These guys do rock/metal music based on many sci-fi properties such as Alien, Lord of the Rings, and did one song based on the bosses’ point of view in a video game! These guys were amazing and wishing they would open for Traverser because they would fit with their sci-fi sound. Also, I did suggest these guys to Omni Expo to perform next year when they return to the Florida Mall hotel! I would love them to rock the Main Events stage that Friday or Saturday night!

Geekapella: We left during these guys’ set since Gondras was starting to doze off but we did catch them a bit. This group is a ten person group that does geek-style acapella music. I tend to like Rockapella and this was a nice new group that did video game and anime acapellas. They did the first theme song from Attack On Titan and then went into “Still Alive” from Portal, and one of them did their own version of “Creep” which is not that bad! If we saw these guys again, hoping it is the entire set and I would vote for them again next year if we get another press opportunity.

Rating: 5 Star PawPrints Out of 5! This event gets the highest on our rating scale since it was entertaining and very fun! Nerdc cre music has been taking a big rise and a lot of people have been enjoying it. Will any of this music end up on this month’s Top 10? You will see soon! In the mean time, you should give Ongaku Overdrive a big hand for putting on this event even having it moved at last minute which was still a success! I am hoping we get to do press again next year for it and even thank Manime Man for letting us do it! Also, check out the bands above! You won’t be disappointed and give them a like on their social media and stay tuned for our footage from this year’s event!

What is next? Well, I have something special in line for everyone and of course I do have the Top Ten Songs of April for you guys! Stay tuned!

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by moonleopard85 on April 24, 2017  •  Permalink
Posted in anime, Gaming, Movies, Music, Restaurants, Reviews, Travel, Video Games

Posted by moonleopard85 on April 24, 2017

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2017/04/24/concerts-orlando-overdrive-2017-review/

Books: Results May Vary by Bethany Chase

Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! Time for another book review and this one is another romance!

Title: Results May Vary
Author: Bethany Chase

Disclaimer: This review is based on thoughts and opinions of the lead writer! Please respect her opinions on this piece of literature.

Synopsis: We meet Caroline who had everything including a husband that she thought was the best thing ever due to being high school sweethearts but when she finds out that he has been having an affair with another man then it causes her world to crash. She wonders what went wrong and what other secrets he may have been keeping from her. This even gives her chance to rekindle with her sister and have a new romance on top of it with someone she knows at the office.

This book is a vary compassionate piece where things may take place in many ways.

Thoughts: This story was very good! I did lose my phone with it but I did find it on Bookshare and able to continue with the rest of it. At least I have the phone I’ve been using now with the rest of the books from Kindle, so don’t worry about me! Anyways, this book was entertaining and very cute but did show how a wife can be suspicious towards her husband after finding out an affair that may be taking place. I was surprised it ended up being a man and the book did unravel more secrets as chapters kept on being read. I did like the character Ruby, her sister, since she had a better outlook on everything including love herself. I kind of see her in me in a way since I don’t have a job myself and doing freelance work with my blog is the only thing keeping me together at the moment and it does show you have to start or re-start your somewhere small and then it grows. I did like her new romance, Caroline’s I mean, since it was cute and funny despite her boss did have two little girls already and he wanted to start and move on after his wife’s death and it did help Caroline to move on even if she still had thoughts towards her ex-husband. I think this would be a great book to read for anyone who may be divorced or lost their spouse or anyone else as a way to cope and move on because it shows it can be rocky at first but you will be okay in the end even if it means that your sibling would be with your best friend.

Rating: 5 Star Pawprints out of 5! This book was a really great read and as said above it does paint the picture of moving on from tragedy such as death and divorce. The characters were great and they interacted with each other through their bonds and not only that they do have their own personalities towards moving on with life. I definitely would recommend this to someone who just broke up with someone and needs a bit of comfort or at least some example of moving on and this book does that!

That is it for this review! Next book is kind of a sci-fi fantasy tale since I just started reading it and hoping to keep on reading it as time goes on. Next will also be the Top Ten Songs of April and it will be interesting!

Also, we will be at Orlando Overdrive this Saturday to do press coverage! This is our first nerd music event to cover and all I have to say is that 2017 is becoming very adventurous for us here at Nerdy Shique Universe! Just stay tuned here, Twitter, and Facebook for our videos and review on Orlando Overdrive 2017!

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by moonleopard85 on April 19, 2017  •  Permalink
Posted in Books, Reviews

Posted by moonleopard85 on April 19, 2017

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2017/04/19/books-results-may-vary-by-bethany-chase/

Ten Ungoth Confessions!

Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! I felt like doing something a little different and thought it would be fun and that is my Ten Ungoth Confessions! I am not that much of a goth but trying to explore it a bit more, heck even when I was in Daytona a few years back a girl did ask me if I was a goth due to my taking a class on vampires, zombies, and mummies as the subject and knowing my Halloween history when she was on team for trivia. I am somewhat goth and some people would have a little bit inside of them but here is my confession list!

1. I consider myself more into steam punk! What do I mean by this? Well, even though it is considered as an excuse for goths to wear brown but I do love the using the common objects as jewelry pieces the most. Mostly I do love gears, compasses, and watches on necklaces and earrings. I am not sure about scissors though but these three items are what I like in jewelry. Plus, I do love the goggles and do have my Harley Quin and Legend of Zelda themed goggles from Black Flame Creations, the fingerless gloves, heck I even have my own top hat. Even me, Vivi, and Stellarnan were talking about doing gender bend FFVII characters and I wanted to be Cid at first since his clothing is considered more steam punkish and I would have fun designing his clothes despite him cussing like a sailor. So yes, I consider myself more steam punk than full on goth!
2. I do not like cloves period! Yes, I can’t stand cloves as in eating them, which you can, the smell of them, and of course the most popular thing among goths is to smoke them as cigarettes. I remembered going to a friend’s concert in the downtown club area where you have to take stairs to get to the club since it was so small! No wonder it was more of a lounge but you were able to smoke and this one girl was sitting right next to me and I smelled something weird and noticed the cigarette she was smoking. I asked her about it and she said it was cloves and I did feel a headache coming on due to that and this was around the time my vision was fizzling out and my senses were enhancing to compensate for it and I told Gondras that I was getting a headache and need fresh air due to the clove smoke. It worked and when we got back she was no longer at our table. Heck, even Mama Gondras gave me a solid perfume from Lush a while back that had cloves as an ingredient and you could smell it prominently and it was horrible! I tossed it since I couldn’t stand it! In case if you are wondering, no I don’t smoke because I am asthmatic even if it’s mostly dormant but I find it gross!
3. I prefer my coffee sweet! I know a lot of goths do love their coffee and tea, I do drink tea on some occasions but mostly I am a coffee drinker especially when it comes to iced coffee which I do like to make on my own. I do like going to Dunkin Doughnuts and McDonald’s time to time but there are times when my order does go wrong or they don’t put enough flavoring. That is why I prefer my coffee to be sweet especially in the cream flavor! My favorite flavors in cream are hazelnut, salted caramel, and if I am in the mood, French vanilla! I did try the fudge brownie one and even had a double squirt because there are times where Dunkin doesn’t put enough.
4. My music taste varies! My music taste is very eclectic especially when I listen to some stuff on YouTube or I Heart Radio. I would listen to the Coheed and Cambria radio one day or listen to Mandy Moore the next. To me, you can’t always stick to one music genre, even if you have those goth elitists saying you’re not goth because of this. I will confess I did try listening to Sisters of Mercy (Vivi, don’t kill me for saying this!) but I found them kind of boring. I think I went to listen to THer For Tomorrow or something. Some of my all time fave bands in case you guys are wondering include New Found Glory, Sevendust, Soul Switch, and Traverser.
5. I love to watch talk shows! My next confession is that I do like watching talk shows on tv especially The Talk! I like how the women on that show put their thoughts on the news stories and I do like to talk about it on their Facebook page because I kind of feel like I can think about things that take place in my life or around me. I also admit I do watch Dr. Phil too because some of the stuff he has on there is interesting and I do watch Ellen time to time but on rare occasions if I feel like it.
6. I am a major lover of sweets! One of my major weaknesses is sweets! Even though my sweet tooth has been dubbing down due to a molar being chipped, I don’t know how that happened, also my teeth became extra sensitive due to some Artisan nuts that Mama Gondras sent me as a Valentine’s gift which was a really bad idea especially when I finished both cans within a week and a half of getting them, I think the pecans were the quickest since that took me two days. Anyways, I am mostly into chocolate and it is a major addiction. My fave kind of chocolate is Ghiradelli and now Cadbury has been carried in the U. S. and I enjoyed the English toffee squares that they made. Gondras did make it up to me since I asked him to get me a bag of Cadbury Royal Darks with mint for Valentine’s due to how that was more reasonable for a guy to get me. I also have been addicted to Hershey’s lately since I have the kisses and the nuggets in my big container lately.
7. When it comes to cats, I prefer rag dolls, calicos, and tabbies! Normally goths are expected to have black cats but when it comes to my love for cats, I do love black cats but I prefer the rag dolls, calicos, and tabbies because they have really pretty patterns and color variations such as the silver tabby or the rag dolls that have the looks of Siamese cats. The cat that me and Gondras consider as our cat is a tabby named Tony and he was a stray that ran around the apartment he used to live at with another little stray kitten. When Gondras and Mama Gondras moved out, they did take Tony and another tabby named Tiger but Tiger was uncomfortable with the new place and took him back to the old complex. Tony does have a major love for me the most because when I stayed after the Soul Switch concert last year and when he was in the media room to separate him from Tiger, he loved purring and nuzzling against me and when I visit or stay the night he does curl up against me, especially when I sleep over. He even gives me the look of “Why did you stop petting?” when I stop petting him. Too cute!
8. Speaking of cute, I do love cute things like a lot of girls! Yes, I got to mention this because like a lot of other girls, I do love my cute things! It doesn’t hurt admitting it even if you’re goth! I love Hello Kitty, Keroppi, Kuromi, heck I eve have a Harley Quin themed Kuromi plush I got made, I even have Happy the cat from Fiary Tail!
9. A good majority of my makeup is mostly neutral, smoky, and a few colorful items! Normally goths are expected to wear nothing but black lipstick but to tell you the truth, I only have one tube of black lipstick and trying to get around to getting more even getting another tube of the Hot Topic one at one point since that one broke on me. The rest of my makeup mostly contains neutral eye shadows, smoky pallets, and a few colorful ones like the NYX Primal collection, the Prismatic shadows by them as well, and of course the Coastal Sense Revealed 3 and the Unicorns Unite pallet by MakeUp Revolution. I do have some bold colors in my collection when it comes to lips like Ion by Kat Von D, Nightly Ritual and Royal by MAC, and a few others from KleanColor.
10. Even though my wardrobe contains a lot of black shirts, I do tend to wear a lot of nerd related shirts! Final confession is that my wardrobe does have a lot of black tees but a good majority of them are nerd related. A lot of companies print on black shirts since it does look better but I do have a few shirts in other colors from some of these companies except a good portion are on black. Some of my shirts include Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Who, and some band shirts which a majority happens to be from the band Traverser.
Well that is it for this list of confessions! It was kind of hard bu I did have fun doing it. If anyone says that you’re not goth if you are wearing a shirt with the Avengers logo and still enjoy a up of coffee, just ignore it! Even Toxic Tears did say there is no wrong way of being goth unless that was someone else. Anyways, next time I should have my Top Ten songs of April!

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by moonleopard85 on April 14, 2017  •  Permalink
Posted in beauty, clothing, Favorites, Food, Music, Television

Posted by moonleopard85 on April 14, 2017

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2017/04/14/ten-ungoth-confessions/

Convention Spotlight: MegaCon 2017!

Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! It is time! It’s time to do the time warp and announce that we are doing press for…

Convention: MegaCon
Location: Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL
Dates: May 25-28, 2017

Oh yes! We are going back to Orlando’s biggest convention when it comes to comics, sci-fi, cosplay, anime, and even horror and that is MegaCon! This convention used to be family owned during the eight years I’ve been from 2005-2012 and was sold to Fan Expo two years back and if you remembered that we didn’t get to have press a year ago and our buddy and videographer, Nerdy Shirts, did do a review on this convention for us. I am proud to announce that we will be doing press at this year’s event. I bet you’re wondering what happened with Tampa, due to time issues with me in Daytona and Gondras working we couldn’t make it but be glad we can make this one and bring you a review and hoping interviews! Let’s get a move on shall we?

Location: Like every year, this convention is held over at the Orange County Convention Center which is in the center of Downtown Orlando on International Drive! If you have been to this con in this past and possibly others held by Mega or at least the Home & Garden Show or even the NFB National Convention at the Rosen Center that connects to the center, you all know this place is HUGE! Sorry Fun Spot!

This place has a lot of restaurants in the surrounding area so you have a lot of options for eating such as Red Robin, Denny’s, Perkins, and so much more along International Drive for food. Also you have tons of hotels to choose from because Orlando is known for that. I would say check the hotel you are planning to book for any rooms left because this year may cause rooms to be booked all over! I do recommend the Extended Stay which you can get a kitchen if need be in your room!

Guests: MegaCon has a ton of guests this year and I am mentioning some here:

Felicia Day
Tim Curry
Stan Lee
Yaya Han
Stan Lee
Meatloaf
Mike Tyson
Nicholas Brendan
Eliza Dushku
Jenna Coleman

You can check out http://www.megaconorlando.com for the full list and I am hoping they update the voice actors part soon because I missed Eric Veil last year along with Monica RIal and other people. I hope they bring those two back because I would love them in the Shique Hot Seat with the other guests I would like to interview from this year. I don’t want to jynx but will announce over on our Twitter page and Facebook page!

Mail-In Order Autographs: What caught my kitty curiosity is something called “Mail-in-Autographs” which really surprises me. Fans that can’t attend can either send in items for the guests to sign or they can order 8 X 10 photos of the guests to be signed. You can check out http://www.OfficialPix.com for the services starting this month since we are already in April!

Photo-Ops: Besides the Mail-In-Order Autographs, there is always the photo-ops where you can get up to three of your buddies to get a pic with one of the celebs invited to this convention! These ops will be selling three to four weeks of the convention which you can keep checking megaconorlando.com for more info and services!

I guess that is good for this post! If you all want more info such as more guests, attractions, travel info, and even contest related things, you can just head over to http://www.megaconorlando.com for all the info! Also, I will bring the Last Minute Convention Info two weeks before this con because knowing that this con will be busy and so will everyone preparing like we will here at Nerdy Shique Universe that I will bring this info as soon as possible! Make sure you’re following us on Facebook and Twitter for updates when our Last Minute Con Info goes up along with any interview info when we have our list of guests we’re having in our Shique Hot Seat this year. Stay tuned for everything!

What is next? Of ourse the March and April Faves of this year alongside nire book reviews coming up so stay tuned!

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by moonleopard85 on April 6, 2017  •  Permalink
Posted in anime, Cartoons, comics, conventions, cosplay, Movies, Television, Travel

Posted by moonleopard85 on April 6, 2017

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2017/04/06/convention-spotlight-megacon-2017/

Books: Karolina’s Twins

Disclaimer: This review is based on opinion and observation from the lad writer! Please respect her thoughts and feelings on the book that she just finished.

Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe and time for another book review!

Title: Karolina’s Twins
Author: Ronald H. Balson

Synopsis: This story is about a woman who have survived the Holocaust and must fulfill a promise she had made with two of her friends in order to find a pair of sisters that were sent away in order to survive the end of WWII in Poland.

Thoughts: This story was very well-written. It goes between the modern day since the Holocaust survivor, Lena Shheman-Woodword, goes to a lawyer and her husband for help to find these twins and then tells her story which we get a glimpse of Poland in the past. Like with the last book, The Girl from Venice, it does show how Poland was like during WWII but in a different area. A while back when I first joined Net Galley, I read another WWII story that dealt with Poland as one of the locations and that was Lilac Girls which shown how some of the Polish girls were sent to a labor camp like how Lena was in this one but sent to a textile one and the really big one, Aushwitz which was the major death camp. I decided to read this one after The Girl from Venice because it gave another survival story but this one was also fictional but based on an actual person’s survival or shall I say inspired by her survival.

After reading this book it got me thinking why would so many people be cruel to another race of people during a time of war when they didn’t do anything wrong. I know we see some of that today with what is going on over in the Middle East but this really knows how to drive the pont of WWII was horrible but very important in history especially with what happened to people who lived in Poland at the time alongside France, which is seen in Lilac Girls, and Italy, which was in The Girl from Venice. Of course it was also seen in the book I mentioned in my last review Everyone Brave is Forgiven where it is placed in London and gives two sides of the main character surviving there and her lover in Germany in how he survived being a soldier in that one.

This was a very touching story because it did show how much families can love each other during war and how so many can lose their family during that time but regain it once it’s over. I did like how Lena connected with Katherine, the lawyer you meet in this tale, since she was recounting her survival story but also knew that Katherine was about to be a mom herself and was able to connect with her in how much family can mean to oneself. I did also like Katherine because she was very strong during the trial that Lena’s son placed on her and that would risk her own career and how she was able to work with her husband, Liam, throughout the entire story. It kind of reminded me how I went through my computer situation and I had to rely on Gondras with getting our videos from Omni up and helping me get a job application done on a website that is not that accessible with my screen reader when I got my computer back and running. It shows how a couple can work together in order to reach their goals whether it is searching for two girls that survived or just getting some ice cream to calm that craving.

Rating: 5 Star Pawprints out of 5! I thought this was very well-written and gives you the past and present in one story. I felt like I didn’t want to close Kindle up because of how the WWII tale was being told. Yes, there was a twist and I don’t want to give it away but it was interesting in a way! If you are into stories with happy endings, this is one for you! If you’re into WWII history like I am that takes on a fictional aspect, this will also be for you! So enjoy!

Well, that is it for this review! You can find this book on Amazon for Kindle. And next time I will bring you the Convention Spotlight on MegaCon 2017!

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by moonleopard85 on April 4, 2017  •  Permalink
Posted in Books, Reviews

Posted by moonleopard85 on April 4, 2017

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2017/04/04/books-karolinas-twins/

Cosmetic Controversy: Copying As a Form of Flattery?

Disclaimer: This post is based on opinion and observation by the lead writer of this blog. Any thoughts and or opinions this controversy should be respected by the readers that pass by this blog!

Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! This no April Fools joke because it is another Cosmetic Controversy and it is a big one! Let’s get into it!

Controversy: Kat Von D made some very heated comments towards UK brand MakeUp Revolution for their EYe Contour Light and Shade pallet which according to her that they copied the entire pallet from color all the way down to artwork. Some of the tags she used include “Cheap Ass,” “Boot Leg,” and a few more and this was on Instagram by the way. It was in response to an article that Cosmopolitan did on the MakeUp Revolution pallet and they are known for making items that look similar to other higherend products and sell them for less which their Light and Shade pallet is $15 which you can get on Ulta’s website.

She did make a video as a response since there were two sides which one side said “Good for her for dragging MakeUp Revolution” while the toothers said, “She was unprofessional for doing this.” Which her video was a way of telling the difference between ripoffs and dupes.

Truth: Actually, MakeUp Revolution is not the only one who has “copied” others. A lot of companies have been doing this for years which some companies get inspired by each other and make similar colors to what they carry.

For instance, I almost got Big Apple Red once by O. P. I. which is a very popular nail polish brand and they are known to have their stuff sold for $8+ in stores like Target and Ulta and then one of the Target workers told me that you’re better off just buying two bottles of Ruby Ruby by Sinful Colors for $2.99 each when I had one bottle in hand. I saw the logic in that and did get just two bottles of Ruby Ruby since they look similar in the ruby red color and I did save an extra $4 while picking them up.

An article I did find when researching this that there is that one company that is the innovator and wants to make the items first and there is that one company that tends to study the make of the product and then make it and sell it for a lower price point which they also pointed out that MakeUp Revolution did this by making their own version of the Real Techniques Bold Metals brushes that were released in 2015 and goes onto say that MakeUp Revolution does this so they can make their products more accessible to their customers and it is true since we as customers who want to save some money do want to go for the dupe over the higher priced item.

We do see the good in that but where is always the good there is the bad. According to Glossible, the reason why it is bad for all this existing is due to the lack of innovation behind creating the products and all thanks to social media labs are working at their hardest and not getting new customers.

Okay? Uhhhh that is interesting to read but isn’t social media the reason why we buy some of these items? I am now seeing a lot of videos where it says “YouTube Made Me Buy It!” in the title which they mention a lot of drugstore and some high end makeup that other YouTubers have been talking about whether it is the Essence Lash Princess Mascara or the Too Faced Chocolate BonBons pallet, people are looking towards those videos to get an idea of what they want to pick up whether it is drugstore or not.

What point I found interesting in this person’s article is that they quoted a blogger’s post that brands are starting to put a formula into a pan and decorate it with their signature look and put it out there so we can “ooh and ahh” over it and some of these companies don’t bother to tweak the formula to make it better. I can see where she is going with that because remember Too Faced’s Chocolate Shoppe set for Holiday 2016? If not, let me tell you!

Too Faced did three holiday sets last year and one of them was both for Sephora and Ulta while one of them was for Ulta and the other Sephora. The set that was carried by both is the Café New York Hotel set which is my fave by the way that features the coffee scented pallets in Gingerbread Coffee, Egg Nog Latte, and Peppermint Mocha alongside the sample size of their ever-famous Better Than Sex Mascara. While the Ulta exclusive set happened to be the Merry Macarons set which is in that same resort looking packaging with the same mascara sample and a pallet of twelve vanilla scented shades named after cookies and finally the Sephora exclusive set was the Chocolate Shoppe set that features eye shadows, blush, bronzer, highlighter, mascara, primer, and a lipstick and everything but the primer and mascara had the signature Chocolate Bar scent that Too Faced is known for! People had problems with the Chocolate Shoppe which some of the more matte shades weren’t showing up as much as the shimmer ones and one reviewer on YouTube said the bronzer in this is not as pigmented as the full-size verison as the Chocolate Solei bronzer while the other two sets were way more pigmented than this one and I can test to that since the Merry Macarons one was a big sell out in my town and did manage to get it for Christmas though and can see why the other two were popular. What I found interesting is that some of the shades in the Chocolate Shoppe were also featured in the White Chocolate Chip pallet that came out with the Matte Chocolate Chip Pallet that came out Black Friday last year and they were limited edition online only on Sephora for the White Choocolate and Too Faced only for the Matte Chocolate and I can see where not much creativity would be there since some of the shades did overlap in these two pallets. I did see a reviews where some of the shades didn’t show up or build up as well as the original counterparts and when they touched them there is a bit of a scratchy feel. I did find it interesting how Cookie Dough appeared better in the White Chocolate Chip better than the one in Chocolate Shoppe from what I’ve seen in reviews. Now I can see why the article talked about another point where companies are trying to get their stuff out the fastest and I can see how that can be a problem. One good example is the the Power of MakeUp pallet that Nikki Tutorials collabed with and the quality in that one was not as great and had inconsistencies in some of the shades and I did say in my reviews to be honest that the pallet should’ve been pushed back to test the pigmentation a bit more before being released. Now I can see why the Stardust pallet by Vegas Nay had a better quality.

Thoughts: I am agreeing with Karina Kaboom that brands do get inspired by others and of course we do see a lot of dupes out there in the drugstore, including the drugstore area of Ulta, for people to get an affordable product. What I find interesting is that a lot of videos on YouTube do mention dupes of some of the products that the creator does get either from an online indie brand or in the drugstore. One example is that some people like the Hot Pot shadows from Coastal Sense as an alternative to MAC and another company rising in popularity is known as Karity which their shadows are dupes for MAC shadows as well. So buying a dupe is not that bad especially when makeup users want to save money.

Another thing is that I don’t see higherend brands getting on some of the other brands for making similar things to what they have. Perfect example is Urban Decay and their Naked pallet line! Of course MakeUp Revolution did their own line which is called the Iconic line and I have the Iconic 2 which does look similar to the Naed 2 and I enjoy very much. They did do an Iconic Smoky as well and Urban Decay didn’t do what Kat did by pretty much cussing them out. Two other brands that did similar pallets to the Naked Pallet Line were of course Coastal Sense with their Revealed palets (1, 2, 3, and Smoky) and CoverGirl who started doing similar pallets at the beginning of this year which they had a sticker saying, “Similar to a $50 pallet!” I admit that I do want to get the other Naked pallets since I have both of the Basics and the Smoky pallet and I do have all four of the Revealed pallets and yes the third one wasn’t the greatest to most people but I do enjoy the Coastal Sense ones since not only I get ten more shadows than the Urban Decay ones, especially my Smoky pallet, but looking at the price you do get it for cheap and I don’t feel like I have to run out to get the Urban Decay ones. But as said before I don’t see Urban Decay acting like what Kat did since they know they have a big reputation to hold and of course people will still buy their items or others would just go for the dupe instead.

And finally, since I mentioned reputations, in case if you are wondering, I think Kat was unprofessional with what she did. Yes, I know about the backlash and knowing that she could have done better about this. Remembered how I did that one Cosmetic Controversy about brand owners acting badly? I kind of think this fits that category because we are the customer and there are times we like to look up to the owner of the brand as someone who is amazing and can be an idol. I should’ve mentioned this in that post but looking at it now I can put this here. I admit I do have my tube of Ion from her Studded Kiss line and my best buddy Vivi does have her products and she wants to keep buying but I can’t tell her or you guys you shouldn’t stop purchasing because of this backlash. Like with Jeffree, Kat should’ve taken this matter to a private message and tell MakeUp Revolution that she doesn’t like what they did instead of taking it to Instagram and YouTube. I admit I saw the video and I know how much hard work she puts into her stuff including the artwork but MakeUp Revolution didn’t copy the artwork from what Vivi saw and I would believe that if I seen it. Maybe the pallet looks like the Shade & Light but the only thing that MakeUp Revolution can’t take is the original artwork from Kat for their pallet. Iremembered how my dad described the artwork on the Girls on Film pallet at Ulta when I first got into MakeUp Revolution and it was a girl with a camera if I remembered and my Unicorns United pallet would have a unicorn on it. In the end, it felt like it got blown over and should have been handled a lot better instead of being public matter, especially with the hash tags which really is not that great.

If lessons were learned from this, from what I saw in videos, yes there will be a dupe version of some companies’ products, yes people will get the dupe over the highend, but a company’s owner shouldn’t bash on others since people will probably look up to them and even decide to keep buying from them or not. Look at Jeffree Starr, apparently now (update) from what I am hearing he is starting to shape up slightly. Hoping Kat doesn’t fall into the “Owners With Bad Attitude” category like the Z Pallet owner just did.

Well, that is about it! This was a hard one to do since looking at it from the side of how people deemed it unprofessional, Kat should’ve done it privately. I am saying not to bash on either Kat or MakeUp Revolution because they are both businesses and they are human. Who knows what else will happen but when you look at it, MakeUp Revolution does have some original items in their line that people do like and I am one of them. I will still get Echo by Kat at one point probably until I have extra cash for it or as a gift.

That is it for this post! I know it was a lot to throw out at you guys but hoping you pulled through! Next up is my Convention Spotlight on MegaCon 2017 which we will be doing our first year of press there! Yay! Stay tuned!

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by moonleopard85 on April 1, 2017  •  Permalink
Posted in beauty

Posted by moonleopard85 on April 1, 2017

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2017/04/01/cosmetic-controversy-copying-as-a-form-of-flattery/