Initially, when I got promoted, it didn't really affect the amount of work I had. I was pretty well buried by a server upgrade project (still not completed!!!!) and nearly everyone else was involved with a major problem at a major customer site, involved with getting the next release of our latest product out the door, or both. So, I figured that I had time to ease into my new responsibilities. Well, we've pretty much wrapped up the product release (it officially went out on Monday) and the customer problem, while ongoing, has calmed down significantly. So, now we're working on rejiggering our entire support organization to match our new "alignment".

So, that's meant that I've had more work to do. A LOT more work than I've really ever had to deal with at any one time. That's not so bad. It makes my office time fly by. The bad part is that it makes my office time fly by! There isn't enough time in my work day to get it all done. I'm working on three or four different projects at the same time and they're all so different that I probably spend more time getting my brain reoriented to whatever requires my attention right then. My brain is fried and I don't want to think about work any more today.

In other news...

It's been a long time since I mentioned what I'd been watching recently. A quick list follows with some comments...

• Finished "Witch Hunter Robin".

Like I said before, "emo/angsty" but I still enjoyed it. See, it's not all about giant robots and big boobies.

• I had my own mini "Katsuhiro Ishii Film Festival" when I watchd "Funky Forest: The First Contact", "Taste of Tea", and "Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl".

All three were great movies in their own ways. "Funky Forest: The First Contact" was crazy! Seriously. At first I was worried that I wasn't going to like it. I couldn't figure out what the heck I was watching. It took me about the first two or three pieces before I really got into it. Awesome music in it, too. The song that plays during the night dancing scene on the beach, that was a great song.

• I saw "Tears of the Black Tiger".

It was like this crazy mish-mashed Thai western and romance movie in one. The story was pretty clichéd in many places, but the acting and the way the film was shot made up for it in spades. I especially liked the actor who played the local gang boss Fei. He had some awesome eyebrow action going on in a couple of scenes.

• I saw "Metalocalypse, Season 1".

A newer cartoon show that airs during [Adult Swim] about this mega-death metal band, Dethklok, that's a worldwide juggernaut. They're ranked as the "twelfth biggest economy in the world". They are deemed so dangerous that a cabal made up of secretive military, political, and religious leaders plots when to destroy them and how. Which comes as quite a shock when you learn that they're "morans". The show was created by Brendon Small ("Home Movies"). He also writes and performs all of the music with another musician. A live version of the band, featuring Small on guitar, has played shows too. But, you don't have to be a fan of metal to like the show. It's pretty violent. But it's also very hilarious. I ended up getting the soundtrack because I liked the music so much. MURDERFACE! MURDERFACE! MURDERFACE!

• I saw "Brotherhood of the Wolf".

This was that french movie from 2001 (!) that was like a french take on what a horror action flick would be like. I didn't get to see the complete end as my copy was corrupted for the last five minutes or so.

So, there.

Lots I've been thinking about mentioning but, like real life, I have a hard time getting myself motivated to do any of it. Well, since I have a bit of quiet time (Shelly is out for dinner with the girls), I'll post something here.

What I've been watching as of late:

• Witch Hunter Robin (anime series)


I had watched about half of this when it aired on Cartoon Network about three or four years ago. But, I didn't see it in any order. So, I am watching it again via Netflix.

The series's plot summary via the page on Anime News Network (ANN) for this show (linked above):

Witches are individuals with special powers like ESP, telekinesis, mind control, etc. (not the typical hogwart and newt potions). Robin, a craft user, arrives from Italy to Japan to work for an organization named STN Japan Division (STN-J) as a replacement for one of STN-J's witch hunters who was recently killed. Unlike other divisions of STN, STN-J tries to capture the witches alive in order to learn why and how they became witches in the first place.

It's a smidge on the angsty/emo side of teen life but I felt a void of sorts not having seen the series in its entirety. So, here I am finally getting back to it. Looks like I should be getting the third volume tomorrow.


• Blood+ (anime series)



The series's plot summary from ANN:

Throughout the passage of time and the shifts in backgrounds, a particular war continues to leave its mark on history, extending its influence into the modern world. There are two major groups involved in the ensuing war. The first group consists of monsters known as Chiropterans who can change their appearances into that of human beings. They are actually immortals who feed on the blood of the living. The second group is an organisation known as the "Red Shield", formed to track down these monsters and exterminate them. Otonashi Saya is a high-school girl who lives a peaceful life with her family. The only problem is, she has no recollections of her life beyond that of the past year. However, her happy life will be destroyed by an event that will lead her to her destined fate.

This series is sort of related to the anime movie "Blood: The Last Vampire".

I am enjoying this one so far. I bought the "Blood+: Part One" box set from Amazon.com. Though, I received it for $80 and not the $100 it's currently selling for over there. (I wonder why the price went up?) It came with 6 discs (25 episodes), a nice box, and a t-shirt (which I haven't unpacked yet). It was either this or just the first volume on DVD. When it came down to a price per episode calculation, it was an easy decision.

The only downside is that I'll now have to wait that much longer to see the rest of the series (I've watched five of the six already). I'm not sure what the release schedule will be for this series so I may have to wait awhile for volume 7 to come out.


• Appleseed: Ex Machina (anime movie)


The sequel to the "Appleseed" movie from 2005. Again, the movie is entirely CG with a cell-shaded look to it. I thought the character models seemed better and worse compared to the previous movie. Better in that they didn't look as squared off as last time. Worse in that the characters seemed to move somewhat oddly. Most noticeable when they walked.

It was entertaining. Maybe because it was produced by John Woo, I saw a lot of homages and references to his movies. The action sequences were stunning to watch. The story was ... serviceable. I'll leave it at that.


• Hellsing Ultimate, vol. 3 (anime series)


Hmm... Another anime series having to do with vampires (or vampire-like creatures). Must be a running theme in this post. Completely unintended.

I was enjoying this alternate version of the "Hellsing" series. This one is apparently much closer to the manga it was adpated from than the prior series. Unfortunately, I don't know if I'll ever get to see the rest of this since the US distributor/publisher (Geneon Entertainment) went belly-up recently.

Entertaining story about a secret UK-based organization that's been charged (first by the royal family and now by the government) with fighting an ongoing war against vampires secretly. One of their main weapons is a vampire himself! They're also fighting against a rival organization backed by the Vatican. And, in the 3rd volume, the Nazis were brought into the story! Lord only knows where this will end. I fear I may never know...

Wedged in at the top of my Netflix queue is "Lust, Caution". I patiently wait for my chance to see Tony Leung's scrotum.

In order of whatever the hell I manage to remember...

Renaissance

An animated "future noir" French film. Entirely motion captured, CG'd and presented strictly in black and white, it's a movie about the search for a kidnapped woman. It's set in Paris, France in 2054. Definitely influenced by "Blade Runner" (the creators readily admit to it). The story was decent. It doesn't really bring anything new to the genre. But, I did definitely enjoy the animation. A trailer follows...



Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Volume 5


I hadn't seen any of these episodes since I no longer have access to a pay TV service. So, I went into this one with great anticipation. It is still pretty much the same m.o. But, if you're a fan already, you probably won't be disappointed. I wasn't. Entirely worth it for the "uncensored" (not sure how much was bleeped out when it was originally broadcast) episode called "Dickesode". I'll leave it up to you to figure what that might be about.

The Clash: Westway to the World


I finally got around to seeing this Don Letts directed documentary about The Clash in its entirety. I happened to catch the last 10 minutes or so of it when it originally aired on PBS a couple/few years ago. Entertaining to see early film footage of the band and to learn about how the guys found each other. In the end, I wished it had been a bit longer. But, maybe it was better left as it was.

One of the nice things was listening to them talk about the various albums that I've yet to hear completely. It finally convinced me that I should go out and get "Sandinista", "Black Market Clash", etc.

Hell Girl (Funimation)
Back on the anime train with this one. There is supposedly a website out there, HellCorrespondence.com, that will take revenge upon the person whose name you enter into the site. However, as payment, your own soul is promised to Hell upon your death. Mayumi can't take the torment of being bullied by a classmate and, out of desperation, visits this website and enters in the classmate's name. You'll have to watch the series to know what happens next.

I've only watched the first episode so far so I don't really know much else either. This one is still being released on DVD. I've only got the first two volumes' worth of episodes. So, I may be stuck for awhile.

Stuff I've recently watched (all via Netflix):



Brazil
I had seen this but it was over 10 years ago, on a rental VHS tape, and I didn't remember squat about it except for Katherine Helmond's elastic face. In other words, I didn't even remember that Robert DeNiro and Bob Hoskins were in it. I did remember that Michael Palin was in it but didn't remember in what capacity.

Entertaining. An interesting take on dystopia. May not be everyone's cup of tea. The "special effects" are pretty raw but this wasn't meant to be a sci fi "tour de force".

There's apparently another version of this movie with an alternate ending. It's titled the "Love Conquers All" version. Again, some studio big wig who thinks they know better than the director puts together a butchered version that they think will be more enjoyable. "Oh look, a happy ending! Two thumbs up. Way up!" (your ass maybe). Avoid at all costs.



Stalker
An Andrei Tarkovsky (Solaris) film. I have to admit that I didn't really enjoy this one as much as I did Solaris. I definitely didn't "get it". And I found the film dragged. I wonder if I would have had a similar reaction if I'd seen this around the same time I'd first seen the original Solaris (over 10 years ago). I wonder what I'd think of Solaris now? I should rent that again and see.



Infernal Affairs
Finally got around to seeing one of the more popular (and must see) Hong Kong films of recent times. It's also the basis/inspiration for Martin Scorsese's "The Departed". Very entertaining thriller/drama. I haven't seen "The Departed" so I won't go into comparisons. I'm sure there's plenty of that out there on the Internet anyway.

So, worth seeing the prequel and sequels?

What I've been watching as of late...


Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters for DVD

A feature-length Aqua Teen Hunger Force episode is what you get for your viewing pleasure. I wasn't sure if they'd be able to pull of an entire feature-length story but they did a commendable job. You get some history to the characters, you get to hear Phil Collins's "In the Air", and you get at least a few good laughs. I thought it dragged a bit at the end, though. But, overall, definitely worth seeing if you're a fan of the show. Otherwise... You may be better off seeing the DVDs of the actual TV series instead if you're curious about "Aqua Teen Hunger Force". Or just watching it off Adult Swim.


Casino Royale

Shelly got "Casino Royale" from Netflix and I was curious enough to sit down and actually watch it. (Rare these days.) I was curious to see for myself if all the talk of this being one of the best Bond movies ever was true.

It started off well enough. The opening credits and animation were really fun to watch. I really liked how they incorporated playing card suits into it. And it just went from there. Onward and upward. I kept thinking the movie was about to end and it kept going and going. I have to agree that this was a very well-done Bond film. Very entertaining and action packed. Eva Green is sexy!


Futurama: Bender's Big Score

Futurama returns! This is the first of four upcoming straight-to-DVD feature-length episodes. Definitely one for the fans. Favorite bonus on the DVD is a 20-minute length episode of the most popular show in the future, Everybody Loves Hypno-Toad.

About 6 weeks ago, "Grave of the Fireflies" arrived from Netflix.



A synopsis courtesy of the movie's page on Animenewsnetwork.com:

Plot Summary: On the final days of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his four-year-old sister Setsuko are orphaned after their mother is killed during an air-raid by American forces in Kobe, Japan. After having a falling-out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and their emergency funds and rations depleted, Seita and Setsuko must struggle to survive their hardships as well as those of their country, which is on the losing end of the war.

It originally showed up while I was in the middle of building and troubleshooting my new PC. So, I didn't have time to watch it then. But after all of that was done, I couldn't work up the nerve to watch it. (I'd been told that it could be a depressing movie to watch.) I finally watched it on Monday night.

It's originally from 1988, so the animation style looks somewhat dated. But, that doesn't matter as it has a compelling story to tell. Relatively short at 88 minutes, too. But, the story was touching and sad. I couldn't help imagining what would happen to our girls if for some horrible reason, Shelly and I were gone.

Needless to say, after watching this I was left in quite a funk.

So, to make up for it, I watched the first disc of "Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, Vol. 3".

"Ha ha! Missionary!"

So, I just finished watching "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring"



Interesting movie.

It took me over a month to get around to watching it though. It showed up right around when I built my new PC. And afterwards I just couldn't get in the mood.

Anyway, interesting movie. Very... meditative, contemplative, serene...

Yeah.

That'd be me. Mainly because I'm always thinking of things I want to talk about but I just never have the time to do it (usually while I'm at work) or the energy (later at night when I'm at home). I keep meaning to remedy this. I guess this will be the first of many tiny steps...

"Back to the grave with you!"

It's been awhile since I've written about what I've been watching lately. Since then, with regard to anime, I've watched all of Gungrave (link goes to ANN's Encyclopedia page for the series). The Netflix page for the entire series is here.

It was a so-so series. Not sure how to describe it. Maybe a cross between "The Godfather" (or "Goodfellas") and "The Re-Animator"? Or maybe not. I guess read the synopsis on the ANN page. It might make things clearer, or it might not. The Wikipedia page for it has a bit better description of the series.

"Madagascar"

Last night, I had some clothes to iron and because I didn't feel like watching anything else I have, I wound up watching Madagascar. The other reason I watched it was because it was given to Julie as a gift by someone and we wanted to see if it was suitable for her or not. I don't remember who gave it to us or for what occasion. But, it had been given to her at least a year or two ago and had not been watched by anyone in our house until I watched it last night. I ended up sitting down and watching this instead of watching it while doing my ironing. I had very little motivation to do much of anything which was proved by the fact that I only managed to get a few pairs of pants ironed.

I don't think I'm going to recommend this one to Shelly for Julie. I didn't find anything remotely entertaining about this movie. But, maybe it's just me. I have very little patience for movies like this, especially when I have no interest in seeing it in the first place. I should have Shelly watch it to see what she thinks.

In any case, I'm on a bit of an anime hiatus. Been watching other stuff instead, but that will be for another post.

Recently seen:


Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny: Let me first say that I am by no means a Jack Black or Tenacious D fan. However, this movie had me laughing pretty heartily throughout. I thought their satire of the stereotypical metal fan, music, and scene was pretty funny but definitely done from a fan's point of view. Ben Stiller makes a pretty funny cameo as do Dio, Tim Robbins, and Meat Loaf.


Demon Prince Enma (2-disc series): As far as I can recall, this may be one of the first anime series I've watched based on a review I'd read in Giant Robot magazine. (Perfect Blue might be the other one, though I can't recall anymore.) Mainly because most of the anime reviewed in their magazine doesn't generally appeal to me. Two discs, four episodes. Short series. But, I thought it was pretty entertaining. Fairly dark subject matter, though. Definitely some nudity and gory bits, too. It apparently comes with an MPAA "NR" rating, though, it's definitely not meant for anyone under 17.

Both titles are available via Netflix.

I am awaiting the arrival of my order of Ghost in the Shell - Solid State Society (Limited Edition) from Amazon.com. I pre-ordered it with "Super Saver" shipping. And, it looks like Amazon.com recently switch shipping companies for this option from UPS to the USPS. So, I'm not sure when I'll receive it. The page for my order shows a receipt date range of July 5th through July 29th (or something like that)! I'm hoping sooner rather than later, obviously.

Though, if I have to wait a bit, I can still watch the copy of The Host that I bought from the GR store.

I've finished Noir. Well, I've finished as much of it as I could through Netflix. They're missing volume 4. But, dropping 3 or 4 episodes out of the series didn't ruin it. I was still able to figure out what was going on. In the end, it turned out to be an OK series. I don't know that I'd recommend it.

I also finished Basilisk. I would definitely recommend this one. Especially, as I said before, if you liked "Ninja Scroll" (the movie).

I watched Afro Samurai. This first season (or whatever) was short. 5 episodes. Like I said, it was short. But, it was pretty entertaining. The story takes place in some alternate universe Japan that's still in the feudal era, but contains some technological advancements (lasers, mobile phones). It stars the voice talents of Samuel L. Jackson and Ron Perlman. The RZA did the soundtrack for it. There's even background artwork by Shepard Fairey. A word of warning, it is violent and can be gory at times. Plus, there's the language. It definitely earned its TV-MA rating.

I'm still waiting for the next installment of "Ergo Proxy".

In the meantime, I've been rewatching Samurai Champloo and Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior arrived from Netflix today.

I'm definitely looking forward to watching "Ong Bak".

My life has been especially hectic as of late. Or, at least, it seems that way to me.

I came in to work this past Saturday night to replace a couple hard drives in one of our servers. I only expected it to take a couple hours. I ended up being at work for 5 hours! On top of that, I woke up at around 7 on Sunday morning because Julie had an "accident". I couldn't get back to sleep so I got up and showered. I managed to survive Sunday, barely.

Monday marked the start of my fantasy baseball draft. That's ends up taking a good part of my waking hours when it's going on. The league I'm in has been together for 5 years now (with a few departures and replacements). Pretty amazing now that I think about it. I find it to be an enjoyable diversion. It's definitely made me a greater fan of the game in general and of the Twins in particular.

In other news, I've enjoyed the addition of an HDTV tuner/receiver to widescreen TV. The biggest benefit to the upcoming conversion to digital TV (separate from high def TV) in general is the fact that it will do away with those annoying ghosting issues or channels with poor reception. With digital TV signals, you either get the channel or not. However, having this has brought to light some additional problems with our now 4 year old set. It's a good thing we paid for that 5 year warranty when we bought this thing in 2003, I'm going to be getting some more use out of it at this late date. But, it didn't prevent me from enjoying golf in widescreen HD glory on Sunday afternoon!

I'm waiting for the next installments of Basilisk and Ergo Proxy to come out on DVD so I can get them from Netflix. I think they both come out at the end of this month. In the meantime, I'm watching Noir:

In this anime adventure, Mireille is a professional assassin who's contacted one day by a young woman claiming to be an amnesiac named Yumura. Drawn in by Yumura's story, Mireille discovers that Yumura possesses the skills of an assassin and may be able to unlock some of the secrets of Mireille's past. Soon, it becomes clear that both women are the focus of a deadly conspiracy that will call upon all their skills to stay alive.

Well, it's already Monday again. My weekend was uneventful aside from the nearly foot of snow we got between Saturday and Sunday.

I spent two hours feeding the snowblower on Sunday morning. I had to occasionally do some shoveling because the snowblower I have is underpowered and too small for the amount of snow that got left at the end of the driveway and walks by the city's snowplows. So, I would smash the wall of snow into smaller pieces that the snowblower could handle. Move all that stuff. Rinse and repeat. I am surprisingly not sore from all of that effort. The snowblower helps even though I was cursing it at times. Honestly, I wish the thing would just die so I have an excuse to replace it. Instead, it continues to run and I'm left putting up with some minor annoyances while using it. I also get to keep the $500 or so I would end up spending on a new one, too.

After I finished all that up, I went and met up with a couple friends for lunch at The Bulldog Restaurant. Thanks to Shelly for letting me go and do that! The food was good (I had the Tillamook Cheddar and Bacon burger). I had two pints of Bell's Hopslam (one was free). The beer was excellent as are quite a few of the beers from Bell's (their Two Hearted Ale is one of my favorites). It was also 10% alcohol by volume. That's a boozy beer!

Rushed home from the restaurant so I could play outside with Julie in the new snow. I have had very little chance this winter to do this. Mainly because it was too cold or because there wasn't any snow. So, it was fun to play outside with Julie. You can see some pictures of what the girls did before I got home here.

Remember those two pints of Hopslam I mentioned earlier? Made me almost useless for the rest of the night. I ended up spending my evening watching volume 2 of Basilisk. Which I highly recommend if you like samurai/ninja anime like Ninja Scroll. Rated TV-MA, though, so not for the kids.

Now, back to work! Ugh!

Some day boy you'll reap what you've sown.
You'll catch a cold and you'll be on your own
And you will see that what's wrong with me
is wrong with everyone that
you want to play your little games on.

-Billy Bragg Valentine's Day is Over

This is the song that immediately comes to mind when the phrase "Valentine's Day" is presented to me. A pretty good song, too.

Valentine's day was fine. I gave Shelly a set of Sweet Toofs and a card. She gave me Aqua Teen Hunger Force, vol. 4 on DVD.

I think I clearly came out ahead this round.

In other news, I finished the Gilgamesh anime series (via Netflix) recently. An enjoyable series, though not one of your more stereotypical ones. Definitely not for children. I'm on to the next though, Basilisk. This one is about two feuding ninja clans in the early 17th century. I've only seen the first disc from this series so far. A definite change of pace from "Gilgamesh". I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of it.

Continuing with my submissions to the Mobtown Shank's year end "Best of..." lists is my list of things seen on DVD. (The list you see on the Shank's page is slightly different, though. I stripped most of the links included here to make it easier in terms of formatting, etc.)

Most of these will not have seen theatrical release in 2006. In fact, I think I saw one movie in the theaters, Superman Returns, and that movie wasn't going to make this list in any case.

So, without further ado, and in no particular order, here is my list:

1. The Triplets of Belleville (animated movie)
   
   An animated film from France. But, it doesn't rely on dialogue to tell it's story. A tale about a boy obsessed with competitive cycling and the Tour de France who is kidnapped. His grandmother and dog go on a search to find him.


2. The Venture Bros., Season 1 (animated TV series)
   
   The Venture Brothers season 1 DVD set was great to have because (a) I no longer have cable and (b) it includes the Christmas episode "A Very Venture Christmas". Plus lots of other fun extras.
   
   By the way, they've announced work on the season 2 DVD. w00t!


3. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, 2nd GIG (anime series)
   
   The second season of the "Ghost In the Shell: Stand Alone Complex" anime series. While the first two volumes were released in 2005, the majority were released in 2006. Thus its inclusion here. More action, intrigue, and drama from your favorite cyborgs.


4. We Jam Econo (documentary)
   
   A documentary about the Minutemen. Enough said.


5. FLCL (anime series)
   
   FLCL (aka "Fooly Cooly" or "Furi Kuri") is a 6-episode anime series about a boy who gets banged on the head by an alien woman with a Rickenbacker bass and then proceeds to have a robot sprout from the bruised area in his head.
   
   Yes, it makes no sense. But, it's still a fun series to watch. Plus, the music by The Pillows is really good, too.


6. Fullmetal Alchemist (anime series) / Fullmetal Alchemist The Movie: Conqueror of Shambala (animated movie)
   
   The Fullmetal Alchemist series (and the movie that picks up where the series ends) were probably the best thing I saw this year. I'd started watching the series when it was airing on Adult Swim. But, I never got to finish watching the series because we dropped cable when we moved. So, I was glad to see it to its finale. The series takes place in an alternate universe Germany of the 1930s where alchemy is used as a type of magical power. The series takes on some surprisingly heady subjects considering it is an animated series.
   
   The movie picks up where the series ends and provides a pretty definitive end to the story.


7. The Devil and Daniel Johnston (documentary)
   
   A documentary about the singer/songwriter Daniel Johnston, his lifelong struggles with his mental illness, and how it has affected his family and career. A very interesting film. Watching the footage of one of his mental breakdowns during a performance was difficult.
   
   Well worth it if you're a Daniel Johnston fan.


8. Police Squad!: The Complete Series (comedy TV series)
   
   Though it only lasted 6 episodes, this is the series that was the basis for the "Naked Gun" series of films. Still funny.


9. The Boondocks, Season 1 (animated series)
   
   Aaron McGruder was able to translate the topical daily comic strip into a more general vehicle that still has some of the sting of his social commentary with pretty great success.

I've changed the Last.fm chart in the sidebar to reflect my recently played tracks. Yes, what you see listed currently is the new Deerhoof album, Friend Opportunity. It's good. Really good. But, it's also short. Like, less than 40 minutes. The CD is worth picking up because it includes twelve versions of cover art by David Shrigley. It's out now. Pick it up!

I've been watching the anime series (what else is new there?) Gilgamesh (official ADV page is here) courtesy of Netflix. Another enjoyable series. The first link I included will take you to a page with a plot summary. What I really want to see is Ergo Proxy. It's in my Netflix queue but it shows as "very long wait" for availability. This sucks. I was just at Best Buy and saw that vol. 2 is already out. I was hoping Netflix would curb the need to buy some of this stuff... Patience is a virtue, right? Right.

I've also found the next watch that I'd like to own. The Oceanus 5 Motor with a blue face is a watch that looks classy (in terms of chronograph watches) but has enough high tech features to satisfy my nerdy side. It's got atomic timekeeping, a perpetual calendar, it's solar powered (kind of like my current Citizen Eco-Drive chronograph watch), and a titanium case.



Watch Report has a review of this watch. (That's where the image came from as well.)

Oceanus is an upscale line that Casio is bringing to the US. About twice what I paid for my Citizen but I'd probably part with that kind of money if I had it. My watch has gotten all scratched up (stainless steel case). So, I'd like a new, wear-to-work watch that isn't all scuffed up.