A Journey of Two: Anime

Showing posts with label Anime. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Hisashiburi!

Mina! Hisashiburi! It's been like 3 months? More? Well, never mind. A lot has happened in those last three months like for example me getting a job and quitting the job (That was too fast! I know… but I had my reasons). I took the entrance exam for the master's degree (yes! Me!) and I am currently waiting for the results. I should know within a couple of days, I might have not finished this post yet when the results are announced. I caught up with Naruto: Shippuden, I watched Hanasakeru Seishun, Kuroko no basket and I am currently watching Hakuouki. I discovered this brilliant soundtrack from that weird anime and it's playing in my head right now. I attended another anime related event: Summer Cosplay Party, hosted by Egycon organizers, and it was great (I bought stuff! :3 ). I read 4 books, a trilogy and the first book in a series. I watched 3 J-dramas. I completed a 500-piece puzzle… with mum. She did most of it. And, I ate, possibly the tastiest fried chicken sandwich I've had in a long while. Surely, I've done other stuff. It has been three months! But, that's all I can remember now. So, where do I start?

Maybe, the job? Well, I found a job online, I sent my CV and I got an interview. I was told ,after the interview and a small test, to start work the next day so it all happened so fast. It was a small design studio. I tried different kinds of stuff, and I realized, I'm really not interested! However, everyone was satisfied with my work so I thought I'd try harder to be interested, but I just couldn't and things happened. Conclusion, I realized I am not suited for that kind of work: physically, mentally or socially. And, that was around the time I decided to take the master's entrance exam. I came up with an interesting topic and I thought I'd give it a try. I will not talk about it now, since I don't know if I am accepted or not. I don't feel comfortable talking about it when I don't how things will end up. Now, let's go to what matters more than any job in the world! Anime! XD

So, I caught up with Naruto, and I've got to say I'm disappointed. Naruto was more than awesome! And then it just kept getting from bad to worse. I'm still watching of course, I mean it's Naruto! I cannot just drop it. I love that anime. It's really a shame how things got so weird, cheesy and boring. Let's move to Hanasakeru Seishounen, and that's another boring for you! Hanasakru Saishounen is a shoujo anime but unlike most of the shoujo anime it's a bit long: 39 episodes. The anime is different from your typical shoujo manga with a high school setting. It involves politics, action and stuff like that. It's a reverse Harem. The main character Kajika was kind of interesting in the beginning, and different, but the closer we go to the end the more boring she became. As for the guys who happen to be four, I like all of them generally. And like most of the shoujo anime, she ends up with the most predictable and boring one. I knew she would but deep down I was wishing she'd surprise me. I guess that's my fault. Moving to the highlight of my anime-watching experience in the last 3 months: Kuroko no basket! I fell in love with it from the very first episode. I absolutely loved the story, the characters, the art and everything about it. I think I should write about it in a separate post or this post will be too long. As for Hakuouko, I haven't finished it yet, so I'll talk about it later, but, for now let's say that the best thing about it is the art. Now what? The soundtrack, yes! I discovered that one yesterday. I was playing that game where I have to recognize the anime from the soundtrack (yes, I had that much free time) and I came up on one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard. I don't think I'll ever watch the anime though.

Our next stop: Summer Cosplay Party. Well, that was good! For starters, I bought lots of stuff: key chains, pins, t-shirts, necklace and an alarm clock (a cute One Piece themed one). I usually don't buy stuff because I am a very hesitant person and I can't make fast decisions, so that was good for a change. There was like 50 – 60 cosplayers, and a cosplay contest which was kind of cool and funny. There was karaoke; I missed that and I don't really mind. All in all, it felt good being there with people who share your interests and don't think you're weird or childish. Oh! I forgot the most important part! In preparation for the awaited event, I, and Summar, designed our own anime themed t-shirts. They were kind of matching and they were so cool! I love them!

Now, the four books.. Well, the trilogy was Rachel Hawkin's Hex Hall. It's about Sophie Mercer a witch who goes to a boarding school for the Prodigium (Supernaturals) trouble makers called Hecate Hall for using her magic in public. There she meets friends and foes, and faces all kinds of mysteries. It was a very enjoyable read, but very predictable all the same. The characters were likable but lacked depth. All in all, it was good, except for the rushed ending, of course. As for the fourth book, it's the first in a series and it's called A Throne of Glass, it's about a notorious, young, female assassin who joins a competition to be the king's champion, in exchange for her freedom. I liked the idea and I was excited about the competition but I didn't get much of that. Instead, I got a long mystery, and a love triangle. It was good, indeed, but it could have been much better.

The Japanese dramas… Well now they were Papa to musume no nanokakan, a comedy, family drama, funny and enjoyable; Buzzer Beat a sports drama that turned out to be a romance drama actually, and Kaseifu no Mita which was kind of weird and troubling but it was good, I looked forward to watching it.

Now, let's skip the puzzle and get to the sandwich. A new Texas Chicken branch opened nearby, so I got myself last Friday's dinner from there: a Mexicana Sandwich, and it was brilliant! The chicken tasted and felt good, the Jalapeno sauce was just perfect not too spicy or too bland, and the nachos on top made it my ideal chicken sandwich! Now, I'm hungry!

Well, I guess that's it for now. Hopefully, I'd be writing more posts soon… see you, then!

Friday, August 7, 2015

Rumiko Takahashi Anthology

Hey there blog!Aitakatta! I know it's been too long, but when your life seems like an infinite loop sometimes you lose the will to do the things you love. Any way yes I'm still job-less and maybe still not certain where I'm headed but somehow I'm not depressed anymore, it'll come when it comes and it'll be worth the wait :D

So, if you're facing some depression phase like I did and need something to cheer you up taking into account you like anime, I'd recommend Rumiko Takahashi's anthology.

The anthology is a collection of 13 short stories by the mangaka Rumiko Takahashi that are featured in 13 individual episodes.
I can't begin to describe how much fun I had watching those episodes; they were so colorful and beautifully different. I was blown away by the different ideas, characters and themes, they were definitely not the typical story lines I'm used to. You've got to admire Rumiko-san or should I say Rumiko-sama, she quickly gained my respect; because she made me laugh when I needed it most ^_^.

I'll give you some insight from my favorite episodes, which hopefully will encourage you to watch :D

5. The tragedy of P

This was the first episode, which was a great start! It has a cute penguin!!! Dude! A penguin! If that doesn't grab your attention I don't know what will. Anyway, it's about a family who has to take care of a penguin for a while in their- no pet- residence. It was very amusing to watch :D

4. Aberrant family F

I was laughing all through this episode. Hazuki thinks her father takes the family on a trip -despite being financially in trouble- so he can attempt a family suicide! I loved how freaked out she was the whole time and felt sorry that she missed some fun times.

3. As long as you are here

This episode was heartwarming! It has my second favorite character out of the 13 stories.
It's about Mr.Domoto who recently lost his job, and decides to fill in for his sick wife in her part-time job at a convenience store. It was enjoyable watching the scary looking Domoto-san trying to deal with a new world to him.

The character that I loved was the foreign student Achara-chan. She was so cheerful and always had a smile on her face and was the only one who didn't fear Domoto-san. I loved her accent especially when she says "nihon no wakarimasen!"

2. Extra-large size happiness

Imagine a huge baby wearing a kimono, ruining your life and you're the only one who can see it! This is Hanako's problem which arises when her mother-in law moves in with her and her husband. The huge cute baby keeps putting her in trouble, but you just can't hate him because he's so adorable! ^_^

1. One hundred years of love

My favorite story with my favorite character. This one is about an old lady who dies and somehow comes back to life with super powers ;) All the more she has a crush on a young patient she sees at the hospital who reminds her of her past! Risa-san was hilarious, she was a talkative lady with a mouth shaped like a beak XD
I loved the contradiction between her version of flashbacks and the one we see at the end of the episode :D

Note: I loved that you can see characters from previous episodes, they were connecting the stories :D That reminded me of Pixar's hidden messages intertwining the worlds together making them more real and interesting.

Another note: The ending song was really good! At first it seemed energetic and cool, but when I concentrated on the lyrics it turned out somewhat sad. Listen to it and see for yourself ;)

Monday, May 18, 2015

Naruto: Shippuden #7

Mina! Konnichiwa! I've decided to stop this!

Well, it has been really enjoyable to share my thoughts and whims, but things got REALLY serious, and since I'm sharing the posts on Google plus, I thought someone might accidentally see a spoiler and they'd hate me. I know how painful it is to see a spoiler and especially if it's something as big as the stuff that has been happening recently. So, that'll be it, for now. Honestly, I had a few more posts prepared before this one, but I don't feel like posting them any more, they are mainly about how Sai is becoming one of my favorite characters, and Yamato's helplessness, and how in Naruto they don't like to surprise you when someone dies, there are these ominous signs. Beware if you're not past where I decided to stop those posts, your heart will be broken, well, many times! And if you're then you know what I mean!

Finally, I'd like to post this note and make it the last, for now.

I absolutely love that scene! <3