I was going to stay quiet about it, but I'm afraid I must insist that you desist that mindset. UFO is not the game to let pride control your actions. It is quite likely your frustrations stem from the conditions you just described. I've had utterly terrible runs that still reach Shou, and that's because I kept going forward despite everything. Now, stage 1 I can understand, but Kogasa is the hardest stage 2 boss in the series; it will take a lot more than swearing to get past her consistently without dying or bombing.
In general, you should make it a habit to never restart after stage 2. Many fine things have bad starts that are made up for later, and repeating the same two or three stages is terribly stressful. You'll have more fun and make more progress if you see every run through to the end.
Yeah, I see where you're getting at. It wasn't until recently that I could perfect Kogasa on Normal. However, I've gone runs in UFO without dying until stage 4, and runs where I just refused to bomb. One of these was my Easy 1cc. I really... Basically, I upload my replays to YouTube if they're massive achievements like 1cc runs, Extra Clears, etc. and I don't want to look stupid. Given, I
REALLY enjoy these games, but I don't want to look stupid (Then again, that big rage post earlier kinda throws
that ideal out the window) by dying or bombing in an early stage. The only public exception is when I said fuck it while doing a run of EoSD when I died on Stage 3 FUCKING TWICE and in that run was my first Normal 1cc, and I still had a spare life left when I defeated Remilia. I bombed through Red Magic but clearly I don't give a shit.
1. Time to play Devil's Advocate: my first UFO normal 1cc was with MarisaA. It was an AWFUL run, but somehow I managed (2 bomb Flying Fantastica when I'd failed with 2 lives in stock before). HOWEVER, I still suggest SanaeB because of my hard mode experiences.
2. I've used a controller before and a keyboard allows more precise movements and also faster turnarounds. Also I kept moving diagonally when I meant to move straight. and bombing is harder. I can do IN hard in my sleep, but barely managed a 1cc on a controller.
3. On what donut said about lives in UFO, I cleared the game without bombing on a horrible run. 14 deaths, 2 lives to spare, and I could have gotten one more life. Also, red UFOs give 2/4 of a life, and greens 1 1/3 of a bomb.
When I beat UFO hard I was happy to avoid a death before the end of Stage 2, and psyched if I didn't die until Ichirin.
Oh, and SA shot types? ReimuA/ReimuC tie as my favorite.
1. Yeah, I like Laser Type because it makes item collection and vertical enemy placement a breeze to rush through. I'm rather good with SanaeB, but to tell the truth I'm downright awful when it comes to leveling out my sanity as her. I've gotten full stocks of lives and bombs that I've gone nuts in Stage 5 over and blown the rest out in stage 6. I've gotten eight lives and bombs in Stage 4, ending out with absolutely no shit to defend myself on stage 6. See how much I suck at 4 and 5? Speaking of 5, I can't capture some cards and I just use the good ol' FiB (Fuck it Bomb, or "Fuck it, Bomb"). One example is
that one card where the two lightsaber things spin around and position themselves on where you are at certain parts and to tell the truth I fucking hate it. If I absolutely can't find a way, expect me in the Spell Card Help section.
2. I use a controller that's actually kinda special. it's firm and responsive to everything, and since I absolutely suck with a keyboard (I'm sooner to learn Calculus in the tenth grade than 1cc something with a keyboard), a controller's really good for me. I can do only seven-pixel dodges with a keyboard, but I've managed two to three pixel streaming with a controller.
3. Uh, no. I've played the game long enough to tell you that Red UFOs give off 2/5 of a life and 1/5 when killed on the spot, and Green UFOs give off 1 1/3 of a Bomb if they're filled, just 1/3 if they aren't. You were right about the greens, but I've had tons of dying and game overs because I thought I'd get a life after two red UFOs. And yes, I filled/cleared both of the UFOs.
Well, my personal impression is that no matter how skilled a player is, using a controller has certain limitations. For example, while moving to the right, I can press the left arrow without even letting go of the right one to get a near instantaneous change in direction. (This can screw me up in PC-98 where holding both arrows makes you stop moving, but that's another matter). I'd think that the kind of control you get with a keyboard would be humanly impossible with a controller, what with managing all directions with one thumb, so you might want to give the keyboard another try. (Of course I'm just speculating, as I said I've never tried a controller 
)
Also I support what Donut said.
I tried the fucking keyboard, and it pretty much disables me from grazing for score alone. I don't like using the keyboard much, but I'll keep trying.
