JRaiKetchum

Konnichi wa minna-san!

The General Spiel:

I go by Rai. I live in the Eastern US. I am a graduate student pursuing a Masters degree online in Pharmaceutical Chemistry. I am currently working on getting a start in my field of synthetic chemistry. I have wanted to be a researcher since I was a kid working on developing new antibiotics. I am a really personable person with a good sense of humor and enjoy trying to help others.

My favorite quote of all time comes from Tsukino Usagi. "If I'm not cheerful, there's no way I can make the ones I love cheerful, right?" - ESM Prologue from Sailor Stars.

Visual Novels!:

I got my start in VN's all the way back in the early 00's. When I was about 16 y/o, loved playing doujin fighter games such as EFZ and Melty Blood. When I first got ahold of a fansub of Kanon (2002), I fell in love at first sight. The characters were endearing, and the stories were tear-inducing. Of course, this impact was even greater come the 2006 remake(which I collected as it came out in Japan thinking "I absolutely love this series. There is no way it is EVER coming out over here though :(" Boy was I wrong when ADV Films licensed it. ^^;

I am a self-professed kagikko through and through. I wear that like a badge! The works of Jun Maeda and the creative staff at Key always brings a smile to my face, and tears to my eyes. My favorite game that I have played so far from the group is ONE ~Kagayaku kisetsu e~, back when they were at Tactics. This is sure to change as I work through my backlog (and most likely once I get Kanon back on my computer! Uguu~).

Other creators I like are Kinoko Nasu and mikage. As far as softhouses go, the top three are Key, Type-Moon, and minori. I also enjoy works from Nitro+, NekoNekoSoft, and Navel. When it comes to character designers... it would be Itaru Hinoue, Takashi Takeuchi, Aoi Nishimata, Hiro Suzuhira, Noizi Itou, Naru Nanao, Mitsumi Misato, Poyoyon Rock (Akio Watanabe), NaGa, and CARNELLIAN.

I tend to enjoy nakige, romance stories,and comedies the most. I also have fun with a good suspense game. (Saya no Uta... O_O;; ).

I tend to try to keep up with the mainstream (anime and manga) when it comes to VN's. But that is to say that I don't enjoy anything that is off-the-beaten-path. It just means I haven't been exposed as much as I could have with a primary understanding of Japanese. ^^;

My biggest contribution to the VN community was helping solve the anti-aliasing hypertext issues with RealLive for the CLANNAD and Kanon translations. 

Anime, Manga, Video Games, and Music:

I have been into Japanese pop culture longer than VN's. The first series I saw and remains my top favorite to this day is Sailor Moon. I have varied taste when it comes to anime and manga. I prefer comedies. I love a good romance. I get pumped with a good immersive action series. Darker series are great for suspense. And my all time favorites are mahou shoujo.

Video games, fighting games! I love a good fighter. Also platformers and a few RPG's once in a while. And I really enjoy the Dynasty Warriors type games. My current game is Dynasty Warriors Gundam: Reborn.

When it comes to music, I like J-Pop (anime-based like Patricia Martin from Lucky Star), I've Sound, and music from the 70's - early 90's.

A Set of Lists You May or May Not Care About  XoX:

Visual Novels Played (paths completed in parentheses):

1. Tsukihime (Arcueid and Hisui)

2. ONE ~Kagayaku kisetsu e~ (Misaki)

3. planetarian ~chiisana hoshi no yume~

4. Mizuiro (Hiyori)

5. ef ~the first tale~ (Miyako)

6. Saya no Uta (Complete)

Visual Novels Owned:

  1. Kanon ~All Ages Edition~ and Memorial Edition   8. Triangle Hearts 1-2-3 DVD Edition LE

2. ONE ~Kagayaku kisetsu e~   9. Koihime Musou

3. planetarian ~chiisana hoshi no yume~ 10. Saya no Uta

4. Tsukihime   11. Deus Machina Demonbane

5. Da Capo   12. Heart de Roommate

6. Wind ~a breath of heart~   13. Crescendo

7. ef ~the first tale~   14. Kira Kira

Top 10 Favorite Anime of All Time!

1. Sailor Moon

2. Kanon (2006)

3. Kara no kyoukai

4. ef ~a tale of memories~

5. Puella Magi Madoka Magica

6. Gintama

7. Senki Zesshou Symphogear

8. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

9. Slayers

10. Mobile Suit Gundam 00

Favorite Anime Adaptations from VN's:

1. Kanon (2006)   8. Demonbane

2. ef ~a tale of memories~ 9. BALDR FORCE EXE Resolution

3. AIR   10. Yosuga no Sora

4. CLANNAD   11. Triangle Hearts 3 ~Sweet Songs Forever~

5. Tsukihime   12. We, Without Wings

6. Fortune Arterial 13. Majikoi!

7. Mizuiro (second OVA)