In a fast paced world, this post might come a bit late. Last week, the popular shounen series Naruto has come to an end. For me personally, it’s a mixture of sadness and excitement. Sad, because the title that introduced me to the world of anime ended. Excited, because I’m finally seeing the ending of a much treasured series.

Before I delve any further to what I thought about the series itself, here’s a summary I got from Wikipedia.

A giant, powerful fox known as the Nine-Tails attacks the ninja village Konoha, killing many people. In response, the leader of Konoha – the Fourth Hokage – seals the fox inside his newborn son Naruto Uzumaki at the cost of his life. The Konoha community thinks that Naruto is the Nine-Tails itself and often ridicules him throughout most of his childhood.

From the summary itself and being a shounen series, it’s quite telling about roughly how the series developed over the last 15 years. Being categorized as a shounen genre already tells us this is a series that comes packed with actions, emotional struggles and realizing dreams.

Naruto has all that.

I’ll leave the main gist of the story, as in, the whole ninja wars, the existence of tailed beasts and such to your own discovery if you haven’t already read. This post mainly talks about my views on the series itself.

From a young age, Naruto aspired to become his village’s leader, also known as Hokage. His main reason at the time was so he could be recognized by others. After all, he had lived a very lonely life, often shunned by adults and peers, because he had a destructive force sealed within him. Not by choice, of course.

Naruto And Other Characters

Over the years, however, Naruto’s reason of becoming Hokage slowly turned to become less selfish. He wanted to protect the people he cared about. In fact, Naruto had been so consistent about his dream and values that over the course of the series, he had been repeatedly chanting the same thing.

Of course, I doubt the series can be as huge as it was and still is if it only focused on one character. We’ve seen small or big changes in other main characters like Hyuuga Neji and notably Gaara. Naruto’s unfazed by all his previous failures and this has somehow rubbed off on his peers. His sheer determination to be acknowledged by others and unwillingness to submit to fate are the main reasons why he’s loved and hated by people around him.

Personally, I find Naruto entertaining because of the characters. There are a variety of them and they don’t lack personalities. Their quirks made them fun to watch. Shino with his expressionless face, Chouji with his love for food, Ino with her on-going mindless cat fights with Sakura, Naruto with undying love for ramen, Bee with his nonsensical raps, etc. The series has a good fun side which balanced out the dark sides of ninja wars.

Moreover, given the length of the series, I appreciate that it was well thought out to the point it painted some of the similarities and maybe even differences over different generations. It doesn’t just stuck in one era or one generation. Instead, the story was spread out across different generations with variety of characters.

Bonds

One of the main themes of Naruto is bond. Or better termed as friendships. Because Naruto was not able to reach out to others as a kid, he treasured his newfound friendships with his peers as the series progressed. There’s no one be hurt, everyone’s to be protected, so to speak. This bond theme even extended out to various anime fillers and minor characters over the course of the series.

The highlight of these bonds is none other than Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, his frenemy. While the latter had repeatedly left him behind and caused him pain, Naruto never gave up on his dear friend. He continued to reach out, hoping that he could bring back the friend whose acknowledgement he most craved for.

The Naruto series gave readers a hell of an emotional ride over the past few years, particularly when the war began. Well-known characters were started to be killed off. I believe the despair of the characters left behind were well delivered. I, for one, felt the pain the characters were going through when their senseis, lovers, families lost their lives on duty. What I love the most is that the deaths of the characters were not in vain. They sparked determination and renewed vows to seek justice and peace. In a way, the bonds they shared were deep.

Antagonists

Speaking of seeking justice and peace, Naruto has its shares of villains. Note the plural here. Over the last 15 years, the main antagonists switched from one character to another. Most of the transitions were smooth, but not all. Big names like Orochimaru, Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Madara and Tobi will forever be remembered by Naruto readers. I can’t say these villains are likeable. Sure, they have their reasons, however absurd they may sound, to turn to the dark side. Some, we perhaps felt a little sympathy towards. Either way, we know the reasons for their rebellions. We know why they turned bad. I think those revelations are important to further understand the characters and the reasons for all the drama that has happened.

My personal favorite would be Itachi. He’s not exactly a “real” villain, but he was painted in such light for a good part of the series. In more ways than one, he’s similar to Naruto. He is loyal, caring and peace-loving.

Last Thoughts

The final chapter has come and gone. We got the happy ending we all wanted and some icing on the cake with fans favorite pairings and stuff. I remember smiling while reading through the last chapter. It was nothing grand, but I was satisfied. After all, I’ve been following this series for such a long time. I should consider myself lucky to have read the actual ending.

Would I recommend the series to anyone? Hell yes. Why wouldn’t I? The thought of starting a long series can be intimidating. But hey, there’s an end goal here now. Naruto has only 700 chapters. Once you start reading, you might finished the entire series before you know it!

Several weeks have passed since the world of manga bid farewell to the much popular series Naruto. And several weeks before that, my friends and I bid farewell to another of our favorite series Kuroko no Basuke. In other words, we’ve spent a lot of days these past few months “chasing” the weekly chapter. We would eagerly and anxiously waiting for the release of the translated chapters. Worst part is, the translators seem to delay the release of the last few chapters on many occasions.

For us, we would greet each other each morning to with either “Kuroko still not yet release.” or “Naruto not yet out”. And then we’ll go on with our work while periodically check for possible updates. On a “bad” day, we would end the day with the same sigh. Figuratively speaking, of course.

When the chapters finally arrived, we would be left with more anticipation of the next. This is especially true with Kuroko. We would be exclaiming stuff like “Why hasn’t the match ended?!”, “OMG! More torture!”, etc. By the way, we’re always chatting in the chat room. So it’s not like we’re really throwing tantrums and whatnot.

Now that both manga have officially ended, our days are not as exciting. Life still goes on. Still exciting, but less. Perhaps we’re still recovering from the weekly dose of over-excitement, if you will. After all, the period in which those two manga ended are quite near. Imagine, we were “high” almost on daily basis, waiting for the new chapter. And then the next. And then…the next. It repeated for weeks on end.

Put it this way, the feeling is similar to the one you get after a wonderful vacation. During the vacation, we see and experience new things. Our energy are on its highest level. Whatever excitement we had when we get back from the vacation, it will linger for weeks. At least, for me that’s the case.

Right now, I’m just feeling the aftermath of spending weeks “chasing” that new chapter of an ending but much beloved manga. So in case you haven’t notice yet, this post is just that.

Are you affected too?

In the world of competitive sports, an athlete should consider himself/herself lucky to have someone he/she deems worthy to be called a rival. A rival, in my opinion, is someone who is competing for the same goal and considered to be an equal in terms of skills or talent. This is why I think it’s lucky if athletes could find someone with equal ability to compete with in races in order to truly unleash their fullest potential in any sports.

Yowamushi Pedal presents many forms of rivalry, some one-sided while some of good-natured. But none stands out more than Toudou Jinpachi and Makishima Yuusuke‘s rivalry. In their case, they considered each other as rivals and compete with the thought that they’re both equally capable of winning the race.

On the first day of Inter High, Toudou challenged Makishima to race to goal of Climber’s Checkpoint in their final race together, which is also their own tie-breaker race. The former was eager to have a showdown with someone he affectionately calls a rival and also because they have a score to settle.

Background on Makishima and Toudou

Their history goes back as far as to when they were second year students. Makishima surprised Toudou by going on head to head with him, far ahead of other racers in a race called Okuchichibu Hill Climb. Over the years, both of them have competed in many races together and each always just ahead or behind each other.

If you ask me, I think they’re an odd pairing. I mean, Makishima strikes me as a laid back and cool person who prefers to observe the worst of others and acts as though he doesn’t care much about his teammates. When everyone else is cheering on Onoda Sakamichi, Makishima always prefer to state the obvious expectations from a newbie. However, he ended up becoming Onoda’s biggest cheerleader and also as a mentor. If anything, he serves his role as an upperclassman well, giving as much guidance and advices as possible to his juniors.

Toudou, on the other hand, is extremely boastful of his non-existent beauty and fans. He comes off as vain and is an attention-seeker. As a matter fact, during their first meeting, Toudou commented on Makishima’s lack of aura and weird hair style. They didn’t have a good start, but ended up pretty close after that with Toudou often calling up Makishima to check on latter’s well being.

In terms of their competitive nature, one can see coexistence with respect to rivalry. While racing hard to reach the peaks, they often laugh together, cheering and challenging one another. Toudou was even upset when Makishima had to retire from a race due to flat tires.

So it doesn’t matter if they’re different. Their sole focus and determination to reach the peak first brought them together. As it cheesy as it sounds, it’s a beautiful friendship.

Thoughts on Rivals

I always enjoy watching people compete with good and open hearts. Personally, I think having positive and constructive rivalry can never be a bad thing. This has been well illustrated in the rivalry between Makishima and Toudou. I believe finding someone to share the same passion and goal in life is not easy. And to finally found that person and build an encouraging relationship him or her is another difficult task to achieve. This makes having rivals all the more interesting.

Having someone to call a rival not only encourages one to work harder, hone their skills, improve themselves in order to win, but also to share the physical and emotional challenges, pain and difficulties only a rival would understand. In a way, rivals are each other’s best support system, very much like the two road racers in Yowamushi Pedal. They’ll shout at each other to keep moving forward in races and support each other on other non-race days even though they’re representing different schools.

 I’m no athlete. Heck, I’m don’t remember what’s my last race. Generally, I’m not a competitive person or am I particularly good in something that needs competing against. So watching anime series that highlights on this aspect is really fascinating. At least, it is to me.

Before I delve any deeper into this topic, I’ll begin first on how I started to self-study Japanese a few years ago. I can’t pinpoint exactly when I started. But it was one boring night, I decided to want to be able to read the Hiragana & Katakana I see in some of the anime so I signed up at iKnow.jp. The service was free back then and it used a flash card system to help me remember the letters. It’ll keep flashing letters that I’ve studied or just studied until I complete the whole course.

After learning Hiragana & Katakana, I moved on to learn basic vocabularies like family, numbers, etc. Then, I stopped. I think it’s because they just announced that they’re going to start collecting subscription fee and whatnot. Being a student back then, money was pretty tight so I didn’t want to spend it unless it’s absolutely necessary. I didn’t have smartphone too so I don’t have access to apps like Duolingo, etc.

Fast-forward to today, I’m ready to test my Japanese language skills. With some extra cash to spare, I signed up for JLPT exam which took place in Kuala Lumpur. The exam fee is 80 RM for N4 / N5 so it’s not too bad. For Malaysians, you can register online here for next year. The registration is open a few months before the exam dates in July and December for about 1 to 2 weeks. So far, I know April is the registration period for July exam while September is for December’s.

By the way, I didn’t sign up after a few quick lessons I took on iKnow.jp. That would spell disaster. Knowing how to read alphabets doesn’t make me understand words. So, I studied.

Why I Chose To Sit For The Exam?

Nope, I have no ambition or dreams to work in Japan. It’ll be a pleasant surprise if one day I find myself living in Japan, but that’s not my goal. I’ll put it nice and simple: I simply wanted to know where I stand in terms of understanding the language. I’m the kind of person who likes formal measurements to determine my level of anything as opposed to saying “I think I can understand for the most part”. That’s vague.

So, I gave myself a goal to sit the JLPT exam to determine my level of fluency. This may not work for you, but it works for me.

The JLPT Exam

The JLPT exam has three sections: Vocabulary, Grammar/Reading and Listening. For N4, Vocabulary section takes 30 minutes, Grammar/Reading section is 60 minutes and Listening is 35 minutes. More information about the JLPT exam format as of today can be found here. Passing criteria can be found here. Unfortunately though, I couldn’t find any information on the points system. No one knows how much each question is worth. I don’t know about you, but to me, that scares me.

To have a basic idea of the exam format, you can try this link.

How I Studied

My most important advice is to do a lot of practice tests. It was the golden advice given to me and trust me, it does wonders. I even went as far as to time myself because I was worried I used too much time trying to understand a sentence. Not only do the practice tests or past year papers helped me familiarize with the exam format, it also gave me a rough idea of which area I should focus more.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find many online resources for the practice tests. I borrowed the books from my friends instead. If you have a Kinokuniya in your area, you’re lucky. They bound to have a few books offering preparation exercises.

Doing past year papers isn’t quite enough for me, mainly because I lack practices and wasn’t invested in learning the language prior to signing up. So here’s a further breakdown on how I study for each of the sections in addition to doing the practice tests.

Vocabulary

You have no idea how hard I tried to remember as much words as I could. I found the list of vocabulary I need here & here.

I spent one whole month going through the list once every single day by covering the English meaning written on the right panel. That way, I’d know for sure if I really know the word. What I find challenging is whether a word has a small つ or has a う. It’s hard to tell by listening so I struggle with this for a bit. This is important because we’re tested on Kanji. Even if we know how to read the word doesn’t necessarily mean we know how to spell it.

That being said, there are a few questions on Kanji and lists can be found here and here.

Grammar

I suck at grammar. I really do. My practice tests told me that. I’m on borderline “pass” most of the time.

I have trouble with using the correct particles, etc and coupled with the word form changes in different situations, I tell you, I spent most of my preparation time trying to get it. Trying to understand what triggers what. It didn’t help that there are “special cases”. So how do I study? Doing the practice tests! Do it and redo it (don’t be surprised if you make the same mistake twice!). Practice, practice, practice. This is the only way I know if I’m right or wrong. Disadvantage of self-learning, if I may say so.

Grammar resources can be found here and here. The screenshot above is taken from the PDF file here. If you’re the one who drew the chart, let me know so I can properly credit you.

Reading

In my opinion, the most important thing is to know as much words as possible. That way, you can understand the passage easier. So, cram in the vocabulary lists above. At entry levels for JLPT exam, the Kanji in this section are accompanied with Hiragana. They’re Furigana, so to speak. Once you have the vocabulary covered, it’s all about reading speed. There are short passages and mid-size passages so time yourself. Here’s the recommended time management I found online for the actual exam.

Normally, I read the questions first before reading the passage so I know what am I looking for and I’ll underline the things I think it’s relevant so that it’s easier for me to pinpoint where are the answers.

Listening

I totally gave up on studying for this section. I mean, how can you study for it? The only think I can do is to train my ear to recognize Japanese words from the get-go rather than having to consciously mentally translating them. The books I borrowed supposedly came with CDs, except I don’t have the CD.

If you’re worried though, some online resources come with MP3 downloads that give you rough idea what’s the speech speed is. For me, the speed is just nice for me, given the amount of time I’ve spent watching anime…

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, if I pass it’s because I studied. It doesn’t mean that I’m good in Japanese and that I can start handling conversations with ease. But I’ll be on the right track and that it confirms my understanding of Japanese is correct. It certainly requires me to take more effort to be truly fluent in reading, speaking and listening the language.

How many of you are learning Japanese right now? How do you learn? Are you planning to sit for the JLPT exam?

Note: Bring a calculator if you’re bad at maths! You’re not allowed to use your phone and there may be questions that requires you to count…

Akame Ga Kill! is one anime that doesn’t shy away from head on violence. Its common deaths involve decapitation, disfiguring and severing of limbs. Blood is a common sight. I still vividly remember the emotions that went through my entire being when Sheele was brutally murdered by Night Raid’s enemy. Experts say that we tend to remember emotions better than the scenes. And yes, they’re right. I don’t remember exactly how Sheele went down but I remember being utterly shocked.

Shock, because I never expected anyone to die. In a way, maybe it’s a good thing? At the very least, there’s an element of surprise. I supposed I was shocked because normally action-oriented anime have characters that are unintentionally immortal. Or at least, the anime titles that I saw have very little deaths. Sure, they’re seriously injured and covered in blood. Like I said, they’re “immortals”. So no matter how badly they’re hurt, I always expect to see them get up and fight again.

At first, I was worried Akame Ga Kill! will turn out to be a harem series because the series started slowly with the lead character, Tatsumi, being paired up with the various ladies of Night Raid to do certain chores. Fortunately for me, the series didn’t head towards that direction. Once Tatsumi familiarizes himself with what is required to become a Night Raid member, the story starts to pick up speed.

The political unrest that has been going on in Akame Ga Kill! has led to a lot of unnecessary bloodshed. Characters were created to kill and to be killed off. Powerful opponents of Night Raid include the Jaegers, Four Rakshasa Demons, Three Beasts and etc didn’t stay long. During the battles, the anime never fails to bring loads and loads of blood to your screen. The characters are even as sick as to enjoying skinning people alive just so he (Nyau of Three Beasts) could relish in the pains of his victims.

However, it’s not to say that everyone who works for the Capital are bad people. They are Night Raid’s enemy regardless of their actual personality and sense of justice. Some people like Seryu wholeheartedly believes she’s doing the right thing for the justice she seeks after. Even though her actions sometimes come off like a person on the verge of losing their minds, her reasoning can be considered pure. Seryu badly wants to bring back the good into the Capital she loves so much. It’s a shame she never learns the truth about the government she’s so proud of. Otherwise, I’d think she makes a good Night Raid member.

Personally, if anyone asks me about Akame Ga Kill!, I’ll probably unconsciously say that it’s the series that kills most of its characters. I couldn’t help it. Week after week, some characters, familiar or not, will be killed one way or another. In most situations, they’re brutally murdered. I suppose, it’s true to its title which translates as Akame Slashes!, except not all deaths are caused by Akame. It’s not easy to stomach in the amount of violence that present, although I’m sure there are much more violent anime out there.

There are that much tortures and bloodshed in the series because of the social and political problems that exist in the universe in which the characters live in. The rampant corruption among government bodies which led to poverty among nations. The dark side of political agendas orchestrated by the very people whom the nations trusted. I suppose, it painted a realistic picture of what would be like in a world where injustice prevails. Realistic picture when we minus off stuff like Imperial Arms, that is.

Anyway, Akame Ga Kill! goes down to the history as a highly memorable series just because of the staggering number of character’s deaths. If you haven’t seen it, you have no idea. Akame Ga Kill!, I won’t forget you!

The story centers around Erika Shinohara, a vain 16-year-old girl who tells her friends about her romantic exploits, but she actually has no boyfriend. She claims that a handsome boy in a candid photo is her boyfriend, but it turns out that boy is a schoolmate named Kyōya Sata. She has no choice but to make him her fake boyfriend. Unfortunately, Sata may look like a sweet person, but he is actually an ultra-black-hearted sadist. Sata takes advantage of Erika’s weakness and treats her like his dog

- Wikipedia

Probably I’ll forget about this series a few years down the road, but at the mean time while I still remember it, I gotta say, I enjoyed it very much.

The more I think about Wolf Girl and Black Prince, the more I think that it’s a bit strange for me to enjoy it as much as I did. Among all the anime titles I followed this season, Wolf Girl and Black Prince is one of the two series I kept myself up to date with on weekly basis. The other being Shirobako. I watch it every week, almost religiously.

You want to know about the main gist of the story? As the brief summary is enough to tell you, it’s about a relationship that started out as a make belief to something that’s real.

So why is it strange?

During the first few episodes, the series stuck close to its title. Meaning to say, Erika plays the girl who can’t stop lying while Kyoya is the handsomest boy in school with a hidden dark personality. When Erika managed to convince Kyoya to be her fake boyfriend, he unleashed the devil within, stripping off his charming shell and tormented Erika emotionally.

Okay, it probably isn’t as horrifying as I made it sound. It was funny and I loved watching them together.

But somewhere along the episodes, when those two started to actually like each other, the whole story strays away from its title’s meaning. Now, I’m not complaining. I just find it odd. Erika is hardly an extreme liar anymore (still exaggerates) and Kyoya isn’t as dark as he used to be. I suppose it’s a good thing to see the characters’ behavior changed over time, but with a title that so loudly define each character’s behavior, I feel a bit…cheated.

Despite that, I enjoyed it all. Haven’t I already said that?

The relationship between Kyoya and Erika is always teasing and downright hilarious. Though they had a pretty rough start, they ended up being pretty great together. I probably will never understand why Erika would choose someone like Kyoya to like. You know what, I don’t think she understands it herself. However, thinking back, the nature of their relationship revolves around the idea give and take. Erika put up with Kyoya’s constant teasing and tough front while Kyoya’s willing to do the things Erika wanted even though he personally dislikes it. That’s nice, don’t you think?

If anything, I feel that the 12 episodes are not enough to tell the whole story of Kyoya. To me, his character has a little bit more depth when compared to Erika. There’s a constant nag at the back of my head wondering what the story of Kyoya is. Why did he ended up being so hot and cold?

Anyway, this is just some random thoughts on Wolf Girl and Black Prince that I have. Here’s another reason why I tune in to watch: the OP song. I haven’t actually enjoyed an OP song for a long time now. So to share that with you all, I’m going to leave you with the song which I love so much because the music is that catchy.

Personally, I enjoy watching Amagi Brilliant Park. It’s funny, it’s rowdy, and it’s magical. Because the theme park belongs to a magical world of Maple Land, it gives a legitimate excuse to include all sorts of crazy ideas in a normal slice of life. And to my own surprise, I actually love the wild ideas!

Usually, when an anime series includes too many way-beyond-logic scenes, I get turned off. I suppose having properly introduced the notion of Maple Land sets me off on the right track and I was able to enjoy the series for what it is.

Fun Bunch of Characters

If you’ve seen the series, you’ll surely remember how Sento greeted Kanie with a shotgun. With that kind of character introduction, don’t you think we’re up for even more crazy characters as the series progresses? Having playful characters like the three stooges in the form of Muffles, Macaron and Tirami are a bonus. They’re mostly considered as side characters, but boy, didn’t they make the series that much more hilarious with their crazy antics. Confession time: I love watching what those three are up to simply because they’re fearless and extreme.

The other characters such as Muse, Sylphy, Kobori and Salama are also hilarious to watch. Their initially inability to stay in sync with one another resulted in some chaos on stage are just some of little things that made me giggle.

These bunch of crazy characters, coupled with Amagi Brilliant Park being a product from a magical world, each episode was filled with unexpected adventures. Or rather, misadventures.

Running A Theme Park

What brought me back to the series each week is the curiosity of wanting to know how the egoistic Kanie finally reached the goal of bringing in 250,000 visitors to the park in 3 months. Or if he’s ever going to achieve that goal. “How” is the keyword though. Because Amagi Brilliant Park was in a very bad shape at the start of the series, I thought it was interesting to stick around to find out if the theme park is ever going to draw in crowds.

While it doesn’t focus much on the management side of things, Amagi Brilliant Park did showcase a series of possible real world business problems that newbie manager Kanie has to solve. No money, lack of employees, convincing investors/creditors, among other things are problems the theme park has to solve. Solutions to these problems are sometimes very practical, although not always ethical. But more importantly, the solutions are just plain hilarious to watch.

At the end of the day, watching the characters all overcoming their differences and work together to achieve a shared goal is really enjoyable. I especially enjoyed the 12th episode. Without a doubt, Amagi Brilliant Park has this feel good spirit in it and relaxing to watch. I don’t regret picking this show!

Note: I love and hate the fact that the series doesn’t show Kanie using more of his magic skill more.

Looking back to 2014, I realized a lot of crazy cool stuff had happened. I mean, a much beloved Hunter X Hunter (2011) series had ended and it ended well. Naruto manga is now officially wrapped up. Kuroko no Basuke manga too. Of course, I’ve read news about sequels and stuff, but hey, things aren’t going to be same. Characters lineup will probably be a little different, etc. So just have a moment and take it all in.

Anyway, as per tradition, I cannot NOT write this post. It’s like a quick post to remind myself and hopefully recommend others good anime series in 2014. The criteria is that the anime series must end in 2014, regardless of when it started airing. I mean, it wouldn’t be fair to rate a series that is still airing right?

So here’s goes. The annual Hoshiko’s Best Anime list has returned.

Barakamon

I really, really had a blast watching this series. While Handa’s trying to figure out what’s the best style for his calligraphy career, he met a bunch of other people in a remote village, being outside his comfort zone. This bunch of other people I mentioned happened to change his way of life. He became more adventurous and learn to see matters from a different perspective. Naru, particularly, indirectly challenged Handa to think in simple terms, but not necessarily meaningless. Rather than sulking or complicating things, just learn to have fun.

It’s the “learn to have fun” part that has made the series a standout this year. Let it go!

Ao Haru Ride

It really is just a typical shoujo series. But still, it’s captivating. The story of Futaba and Kou is something I love following. I mean, I’m even reading then manga right now just to know what’s happening to the two students. Constantly flirting with each other, they still have an invisible wall stand between them because of the baggage they carry from the past.

More importantly, I love the series because there’s a story for each character. It doesn’t have to be this huge character arc; just a few hints generally to show how a character is and with a little background does wonders. When all characters are slowly being properly fleshed out, as an audience, I feel I could understand and relate to whatever choices they make. And this is exactly what’s happening in Ao Haru Ride and I love it for that.

Haikyuu!!

While the final episode left me wanting more and hope that they announced a second season right then and there, it didn’t happen. As of now, I have yet to check any confirmation of a second season. I’m sure it won’t be long before the second season airs. It’s a fan favorite, after all.

Overall the series had a lot of great moments in which we see the team members of Karasuno worked hard to achieve their goals. It’s true that the series tends to focus more on Hinata Shouyou and Kageyama Tobio, but other characters had their share of spotlight. We were given glimpse into their dreams, goals, inner thoughts, feelings and insecurities. It’s a good way to get to know the characters and see them united in face of challenges. Not to forget, the high energy of the series is what keeps me coming back for more.

Gekka Shoujo Nozaki-kun

A love confession gone wrong pretty much sets this series off to a very good start. Laughter comes easily with each episode of the series. The interactions between thick-headed Nozaki-kun and lovestruck Sakura-chan are the highlight of the series. They’re cute together, but not actually together. In fact, since Sakura attempted miserably to confess, they spent most of their time together, mostly working Nozaki-kun’s manga.

I suppose Gekka Shoujo Nozaki-kun is one of those anime that doesn’t stop churning out funny moments. How can it when it’s full of crazy funny characters? Its episodic nature also makes it easier to watch.

Hunter X Hunter (2011)

Hunter X Hunter started airing ages ago, but it ended this year. So technically, it fits the list. The series I believe is wonderfully executed. Perhaps the story from the manga is already this good, I wouldn’t know. But watching Hunter X Hunter (2011) as a standalone, without any prior knowledge to the story based on the original source, wouldn’t pose any problem. Audience will be carried from one story to another in a fluid manner and there will be a lot of actions to keep them at the edge of their seats.

Each arc itself showcases the vast fictional world there is in Hunter X Hunter. They truly paint a good picture on how things work, who are the powerful people and the system that governs the world. It really has been a great journey watching Hunter X Hunter for all its adventures, battles and character growth.

With Hunter X Hunter (2011) to finish up my top 5, that’s Hoshiko’s best anime list for the year 2014. Happy New Year =).

I’m primarily an anime watcher. For the lack of a proper word, let’s use the word “watcher” for now. To further elaborate, I’m more inclined to watch the anime of any titles as long as there’s an anime version of it. I’ll be more than happy to skip reading the manga, playing the visual novel or reading the light novel. In that respect, yes, I’m more of an anime person. For readers who have been following this blog for a long time would come to realize this. After all, I mentioned it several times.

So, for me to transition from the anime to actually reading manga takes a lot of work. At least, the anime must do the original work justice. This means what was translated into an anime isn’t too far off the original work. Majority of the characteristics are still there and whatever emotions are properly conveyed through animated work.

Since I started watching anime around seven years ago, there are many titles that prompt me to read the manga. At least, for a few chapters. I read Naruto and One Piece on and off, not really following on regular basis unless there’s something super exciting going on. You know, when there’s some huge battle going on and stuff. Believe me, I’ll know it when they happen. I have my sources.

There are, however, a few titles that stick. I’ll faithfully read every new chapter that’s released. In fact so far there are three titles that successfully brought me over to the original sources: Skip Beat!, Kimi Ni Todoke and Ao Haru Ride.

It got me thinking. What prompted me to read the manga? Is it because watching anime isn’t enough? I don’t think so. My reason is probably the same as all other people. Curiosity and impatience.

Anime with on-going manga tends to stop at the most awkward places, leaving the story hanging and prompting viewers to question what happen next. For example, Skip Beat!’s anime stopped before we get to know if Tsuruga Ren really overcame the wall he had in trying to play a character in Dark Moon. It sort of bugged me a little so I went ahead read the manga. Little did I know I’ll still be reading it years later today.

Also, I get impatient with the anime’s pacing and figured out it’ll be a lot faster if I peak a little into the manga. I only do this for super long series like Naruto and One Piece.

As I mentioned, a lot of titles prompted me to read the manga but not all sticks. I either stop reading the manga because I was quickly getting bored of it or lost interest halfway through. Some, I had the intention to read the manga but didn’t follow through. For example, Chihayafuru. I love the anime so much that I always wanted to read the manga now that the anime sees no sign of a third season. But the time never came. A few months later after the second season’s last episode aired, my interest started to wane.

Occasionally though for some titles, my interest is still there as I found myself catching up on the series periodically by binge read the new chapters. Or I’ll shamelessly take the shortcut: read up on wikia. Popular titles have well kept wikia pages and it’s easy to find the latest information about the story arcs. While I question the accuracy of the information published on such platform, it never stops me from going back for more.

I think I wrote that whole lot of that just to illustrate one point: for me to transition from watching the anime to reading the manga, the story has to be extra special. From the three titles that stick, one major similarity is the emotions of the manga. How well did the manga explain the internal struggles, internal thoughts and relationship dynamics between characters. I’m sucker for stories like these.

Anyway, this is mostly some observations about how I establish relationship between the anime I watch and the manga I read. Are there any titles you saw that prompt you to read original source, be it manga, light novel, etc?

It’s no stranger to Skip Beat! manga readers that the series’ most consistent theme throughout its 219 chapters thus far is dedication. Even in the anime aired in 2008, the characters’ dedication to things around them is very apparent. They’re committed to the tasks given to them, no matter how tough they are, and they’re doing so with single-mindedness to deliver sheer quality. Given that Skip Beat! is set on the entertainment world, I suppose their very careers’ success is dependent of their level of commitment.

Since I started reading Skip Beat! some time back in 2009, I was never shy about my amazement at the main characters Mogami Kyoko and Tsuruga Ren‘s dedication to their acting. In many occasions, both characters overcame adversities to deliver quality work. But it doesn’t just stop there. If I reflect back the chapters I read all these years, it’s clear that the series’ many characters remain dedicated in many aspects of their lives.

Dedication to Person

While I think it’s rather silly of Kyoko to be so blindly attached to Fuwa Shō, she remained dedicated to him until that fateful day when she’s been cast aside. When asked, she eagerly agreed to join Shō to escape from Kyoto in order for him to pursue his dream, just so she could be with him. She’s willing to work two jobs to pay for a condo that neither one of its tenants stay much in. Kyoko even hated people that Shō hates and ridiculed those who insults him.

Such dedication is not rare, although it’s blind. But nonetheless, it’s one aspect of being dedicated.

Dedication to Work

As mentioned earlier, I admire Kyoko and Ren’s dedication to their career. Since the beginning, both characters are always ready to cast aside their natural personality to take on extreme roles. There are many occasions in which many characters showed their dedication to work, but there are certainly a few standout ones.

Despite being in extreme pain, Kyoko managed to pull through a scene which requires her to sit down on her injured ankle in Chapter 12. This level of professional dedication has earned her praise and respect from the director.

Ren’s lack of tolerance with Matsunai Ruriko also serves as part of his dedication to acting. He refuses to work with people who does not take their work seriously. Throughout the chapters, Ren was seen struggling to play certain character types from time to time. His own sense of professionalism added on to his pressure to play the characters well. But he’s dedicated to his acting, his career and therefore, would often seen putting in extra effort to perfect his play. In fact, in Chapter 152, it’s revealed that Ren has been sort of putting on a show off screen too. Living as a character rather than as himself, that is.

Recently in Chapter 219, Amamiya Chiori overcame insecurity and hopped on to a scheduled variety show she hated to take part in. She did that all because she figured doing some comedy work may be useful to her career in drama in future. That’s dedication, man.

Dedication to Goals

It’s almost the end of the first month in 2015, how are you getting along with the goals you’ve set earlier this month? Many people, myself included, tend to stray easily away from goals we’ve set upon ourselves.

In Skip Beat! though, there are two characters that I could think of that strikes me as very dedicated to their goals and dreams. The first character is Kotonami Kanae, a friend and rival of Kyoko. She is desperately determined to succeed as an actress and has been working hard to achieve it. Kanae is quick to accept offers and attend auditions that can bring her closer to her goal. In Chapter 26, she even innocently hoped that Kyoko could somewhat sooth her into believing she could achieve her dream after getting her chances repeatedly sabotaged by school mate.

The second character is Kyoko. While her goal is a little less admirable, she’s been clinging on to the idea of reaching the top since declaring her war with Shō. If I thought any trace of her revenge is lost since coming to genuinely like acting, that determination has been reiterated very recently in Chapter 217.

Dedication, determination, commitment, whatever you call it, there’s something attractive about it. Perhaps that’s why reading Skip Beat! has been so much fun. It gives something to cheer on, something to look forward to.

Up until this point, Death Parade managed to paint the picture of life and death in different deliveries. It started by unveiling the life the dead lived through a series of games and later on, through reflection of the mysterious bartender assistant, Chiyuki.

I found that the revelation of the kind of life the dead had led interesting, which is why I kept on watching the series. Some of the dead regretted some of the choices they made while still living. And I suppose a lot of us would share the same thought if we had carelessly live the precious life we’re all enjoying right now.

Chiyuki’s life strikes me as the best example of how most of us tend to live. Her life was going on very well for her: Supportive parents, living her passion as an ice skater, not lacking friends, lovers and fans. Everything in her life was wonderful until the fateful accident that eventually caused her to take her own life. An abrupt end to what is assumed a fulfilling life.

There’s a tendency for humans to take for granted things we’re all having. There’s also a tendency for humans to forget that we’re going to die someday and the things we’re having right now won’t last. And when something that we hold dear are taken away from us, where does it leave us? Not everyone has to courage to build a new life after one we’re so used to is gone. However, it’s very important that we learn to embrace other possibilities in life when one route is cut short by unfortunate circumstances.

We determine how we walk this precious life we have right now. Whatever the outcome is at the end of the road is our own making. We don’t get to choose how and where we’re born and the situation we’re born into. But we have the choice to craft out the route we want so long we have the courage and mindset.

I think that’s quite the heavy message the 11th episode of the series is trying to deliver. And it’s great to spend some time ponder on things every now and then. Am I leaving the life I want? Am I having the right reasons of living? Will I have regrets?

Do you?

I enjoy watching Shirobako pretty much the same reason as most anime fans: it’s a welcoming peek to the world of anime production. After all, we anime fans have long been a fan of the media and would love more than anything to see the behind scenes. I loved every episode of Shirobako and it’s one of the best anime this year so far. Heck, I think it’s one of the best P.A.Works’ anime I ever saw.

I’m sure there are tons of people enjoy seeing the donut ladies stepping closer to their dream each episode or the excitement and drama in anime production. I’m one of them.

There’s something so captivating about watching people putting in their all and chasing after their dreams, their passion in life. Nevermind that Aoi never knew what she wanted to do or if being a producer is what she wants to do. The fact that the ladies stood firm on that very one promise that made each other way back in high school is amazing enough.

Throughout the entire series, the limelight shined at different girls at different stages of their lives. Despite being one of the characters with less screen time, Shizuka was the one I cheered for the most. Watching her struggling so much was particularly heartbreaking. She’s one character that worked so hard, failed so much and the last to find a certain success among her friends. It took her what seem like an eternity to finally earned a breakout role she long for since high school.

What’s so captivating about watching people chasing their passion even if it’s just an anime with a bunch of fictional characters? I think it’s pretty much the same reason why the world loves to talk about successful public figures from a humble root. The drive to do something they’re passionate about, be it an idea about changing the world or simply sharing their talent, has a positive influence on many people. It’s encouraging, confirming, supporting.

The donut ladies, as I like to refer Aoi, Shizuka, Ema, Misa and Midori as, had that sort of drive to chase after their dreams, goals and whatever you name it. More importantly, they’re brave enough to endure the hardship, challenges and adversities that thrown their way as they slowly step closer to their dreams. The drive and bravery are not values that some of us embody, but should.

At the end of the day, what makes Shirobako that much fun to watch it’s not only the peek at anime production or the drive for chasing passion. It’s this much fun to watch also because of the dynamics between the characters and the storytelling in all of the episodes. It’s a well done anime, in my opinion and it’s an anime I’ll remember for a long time.

Was it high expectation? Or did I miss something? Because I didn’t enjoy watching Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso as much as I thought I would be. When I stopped at episode four when the series just started airing, I thought the series would better watched consecutively rather than weekly. It has that sort of story development that will put me at the edge of my seat.

At least, that’s what I thought.

Instead of having a fun classical music ride with strong character development such as in Nodame Cantabile, I found myself getting agitated over the episodes in which they focus more on Tsubaki’s internal struggle with her feelings and jealousy of Kaori and Kousei. Rather than being entirely focus on the dynamics of Kaori and Kousei, I had to watch Tsubaki trying to sort out her feelings messily.

When the scene focused more on Kousei and Kaori though, things got a tiny bit better. Kousei struggled to overcome his psychological hindrance when it comes to playing piano. He was too consumed with guilt of his mother’s death that it affected his ability to do the only one thing he knows best. As he slowly breaks out from his past and embrace the future with Kaori’s little push, he emerged as a different kind of pianist, but still regarded as amazing nonetheless. By doing so with baby steps, it makes Kousei much more relatable.

The extra focus that has been put Tsubaki perhaps should have put on Kaori’s struggle with her illness. Not all anime viewers want to see a sappy anime, I suppose. However, by instilling deeper grief and despair, it creates much more a sense of urgency. And in extend, a much more unforgettable series.

I mean, I barely know how Kaori felt. She looked happy and upbeat for the most part. Being diagnosed with something so fatal, we as audience didn’t really know her feelings. She’d masked her true feelings for the most part of the series. Sure, she expressed despair, loss of will to live, motivation for attaining newfound dreams. But surely those aren’t enough to paint a proper picture of a person living with illness. Furthermore, these emotions are all delivered in a lightning speed there’s really no time to sink in.

Perhaps I shouldn’t set expectation. I was hoping for something to meet the standards Nodame Cantabile had set. I shouldn’t have done that. But the fact is I did. That probably was the biggest error coming into watching Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso. I wonder, will my opinion be different had I not have those expectations…

Maybe I’m used to likeable characters from days of K-ON! or any other club-centric anime, which explains why watching Hibike! Euphorium can be a little hard. From the first episode until now, I couldn’t find myself invest in any of the characters. My definition of invest as in like, support, cheer, etc. For example, I thought it was fun to watch Hirasawa Yui explore music and learning to have fun playing guitar. Or how I would cheer for Kuroko and his team in all of their basketball games.

In Hibike! Euphorium, I don’t find such characters. I don’t find this feeling. Watching the series at this point is only to find out how far the club will go and grow out from their very messed up state. As the matter of fact, I hated Kumiko at the start of the series.

Oumae Kumiko

I don’t hate Kumiko now. But at first, I find her unbearable. Her behavior, her selfish thoughts, her super indecisiveness makes it hard to watch. After all, she’s the main character! If a main character is so unlikeable, I’m pretty sure it makes it that much harder to continue watching the series.

Kumiko is the kind of character easily gets dragged into the flow of things largely due to her indecisiveness. She wanted to fresh start in high school but end up doing the very things she didn’t want to do. When that happens, she likes to whine and complain.

Thankfully that’s changed since. I’m still trying to figure Kumiko out and hopefully will see even more positive traits coming out of her.

Kousaka Reina

While Reina is quite an interesting character, her individualism makes it harder to relate. Her reactions to subpar achievements or performances may come off as a little distant due to her pursuit of perfection and something grander. She has higher hopes than her peers. And therefore, she also worked harder than most peers. A perfectionist is not the kind of character everyone can relate to, unfortunately.

It’s not to say Reina is a bad character, it’s just that she’s marches to the beat of her own drum. And personally, that makes her quite a difficult character to follow. She leaves a lot of question marks in my head…

Tanaka Asuka

When the first years join the club, I thought Asuka is this highly energetic senior that can be annoying in some cases. Turns out, I don’t find her annoying because she likes to tease her juniors in a playful manner. I find her annoying because of her I-don’t-care-and-I-don’t-know attitude in critical times. Her blank expressions or skillfully maintaining neutrality whenever asked for opinions is something I wish she would at least reconsider.

Some may find that okay, but given her role as a respected senior, I’d thought she’d be more proactive in sorting out the internal politics of the club. Instead, she chose to ignore every other chaotic situations there is in the poor club and either waited other members to sort things out or let the situation work out itself.

Yoshikawa Yuuko

This girl really gets on my nerve. Perhaps what I don’t understand is what’s it gotta to do with her whether or not her beloved senpai, Kaori, gets to play the trumpet solo part? Why does she have to poke her nose into problems that are not hers? And while doing so, she’s disturbing the newly founded trust among the teacher and students in the already fragile club.

Her dramatic attitude over Reina’s solo part made me think she’s a little too obsessed with Kaori. Plus, she’s a brat. The funniest thing I find is how she confronted Reina about the second audition. Perhaps if she’s a little bit bitchier, I wouldn’t question what’s her deal.

Now, what about the rest, you may ask. I don’t know. I thought given the premise, the series would focus around Kumiko, Reina, Hazuki and Midori. Turns out, Hazuki and Midori are not that important. Yet. Eleven episodes in, they’re more like supporting characters alongside Kumiko and Reina rather than the main characters they’re painted to be. Furthermore, a concert band club has quite a lot of members so the minor characters may not get as much “screen time” as the ones I already mentioned above.

At the moment, if I have to choose, I’d say the most likeable character is Nakagawa Natsuki. Despite her initial nonchalant attitude towards the club, she’s actually a hardworking, calm, easygoing, understanding person. But I have a sneaking suspicion that she’s a forgettable character.

I understand that at the point of writing this post there are officially only eleven episodes aired so it can be a very premature piece. Things may change after passing the half way point. In fact, they should change. However, given the fact that Hibike! Euphorium has already come this far, not having a single memorable character is a little worrying.

Let me be clear though: I don’t hate Hibike! Euphorium. The series isn’t bad and the story is picking up. We are seeing changes week after week. A proper competitive concert band is slowly formed. Just that at this point in time, in my opinion, the characters are pretty screwed up. Correct me if I’m wrong!

When it comes to being a basketball anime, I think it’s difficult not to compare Kuroko no Basuke with Slam Dunk!. After much thought, I realize I like Kuroko no Basuke pretty much for the reasons I dislike Slam Dunk!

Why I like Kuroko no Basuke is similar to why I like sports anime, except this post is very much tailored to this specific anime.

Thrilling Game Plays

From the first match against Kise in Kagami and Kuroko’s first practice game until the finals of Winter Cup against Akashi, any matches involving Team Seirin are thrilling to watch. Kai from Deluscar has an interesting piece that details what a match would normally be.

The number of episodes for each game is just enough and not long winded. They don’t bore. If I have any complaints, it would be that some of the matches are too short for my taste. Most of these matches doesn’t involve Seirin though.

I find it interesting to watch how Kuroko does he passing and how Kagami seems very excited in each of the games. Besides that, I also find it fascinating how Kiyoshi sought to protect his beloved team members or how Hyuga leads and brings together everyone in Seirin. They may not be the stars like previous duo, they played crucial roles in bringing home each of their wins.

As much as I’d like to say the collaboration between Kuroko and Kagami highlights most of the matches, it’s the super abilities that each of Generation of Miracles have that makes it even more thrilling. My personal favorite is Aomine’s ability. I’m on the fence about super abilities but that what makes the series so cool to watch. I don’t watch professional basketball games so I don’t know if anyone like Aomine really exists in the world. But if it does, that’s one hell of cool guy, playing formless basketball. Although, I’m pretty sure there’s no such thing is Emperor Eye. Am I right, basketball fans?

Likeable Characters

Save for destructible characters like Haizaki and Team Kirisaki Daīchi High, pretty much all of the casts are likeable even though they can be annoying when they’re playing a match. There’s a saying that no athletes love to lose so I’m guessing it’s the drive to win that turns them into monsters temporarily while on a match. Besides, those super unlikeable characters I mentioned earlier didn’t even last more than a match.

Team Spirit

Selfishness versus team play. Which do I like to watch more? I think this has an easy answer. What made Slam Dunk sucks is because of how selfish Hanamichi is. Sure, sometimes Kagami come off as arrogant, but in the end, he chose to play with his team. He chose to win with the help of his team mates. And thanks to that, Team Seirin remains the team Kuroko admired from afar when he was still with Teiko.

Speaking of team spirit though, Team Seirin definitely is the team that show the most teamwork and trust amongst players. After all, the show does revolve around it. However, it’s nice to see that throughout the three seasons, each team that the Generation of Miracles played for now gradually displays more such spirit as a result of change of play in the geniuses themselves.

In the end, I think what makes Kuroko no Basuke even more special is that there’s also an ending that loads of fans are happy to see.

So…about four years ago I wrote a post about the things I’d like to do in Japan if I ever get there. About four years later, I did some of the things in that list while I was there earlier this year. It was a rather short trip so of course I didn’t manage to do all of the things I’d wanted to considering some things are seasonal. Besides, I was only there for a short three days.

Out of the six items listed, the two things I didn’t do are to attend WonFes and Celebrate New Year’s Eve. Maybe next trip several years in the future I’ll complete these two things. Now, that meant I completed four items that were on my list, which is kind of cool right?

Akihabara

I’m pretty sure a lot of gamers, anime fans and figure collectors will make this their stop during any visits to Tokyo. I live in Ikebukuro because I wanted to see if I can catch a glimpse of “The Headless Rider” and maybe befriend the mysterious and friendly creature by the name of Celty Sturluson. Too bad I didn’t see any headless rider zoomed by…

Anyway, taking the JR Train from Ikebukuro to Akiba, Akihabara for short, is a piece of cake. Once I reached the station, I walked towards the Electric Town Exit and voila, a rather familiar scene came to sight. It’s familiar since I’ve seen it so many times in anime like Steins;Gate, Lucky Star and OreImo, lol.

Also, you’ll know you’re in Akiba when you see itasha, cosplays, etc. I honestly don’t see a lot of that elsewhere in Tokyo. I got lost in Akiba a few times because there are too many shops with the same name. I lost count of how many Sofmaps there are.

Of course once in Akiba, it’s time to shop! I didn’t buy any figures because I didn’t want to carry so many things back (luggage weight limit!). But I was tempted. Really, really tempted. So I chose to buy character goods instead since they’re a lot lighter. Stuff I bought are mostly Yowamushi Pedal, Shirobako and Kuroko no Basuke stuff because I don’t watch idols-related anime, which they have a tons of and apparently is the “in” thing in the current anime world. Friends bought Playstation-related stuff.

I popped in and out of shops, which I don’t remember most of their names. I do remember some like Animate, Tokyo Anime Centre, etc. Personally, I prefer Ikebukuro’s Animate. Not sure why.

Celebrate Hanami

I’m not sure visiting Japan during sakura season is a wise choice given how crazy the crowd was, especially tourist crowd. But because I made that choice, I was rewarded with this experience. Personally though, I don’t know if I’ll ever want to do this again because the real thing is not as dreamy as it looks in anime. I don’t want to ruin the image for you so do go ahead and experience yourself, if you haven’t already.

Maybe because I’m not a crowd person or maybe because I went to Ueno Park instead. Maybe if I have a sakura tree all to myself and friends, it’ll be a different experience.

Food

I, of course, tried Naruto’s favorite food: ramen. I had a few bowls of ramen during my trip and boy, aren’t they salty. I’m not sure if it’s the shops I chose happen to serve salty ramen or that’s how authentic ramen actually tastes. The ones I had in Malaysia is not that salty. Although I have to say the ones in Japan are more brothy. Is there such a word? But I think you know what I mean. I had other stuff like okonomiyaki (first heard from Tamayura) and yakisoba pan (from any high school themed anime?). Besides food discovered from anime, I also had other generic stuff like onigiri, tempura, etc.

I tell you, conbini is the place to go when it comes to snacks or small bites like onigiri or nikuman. They served oden too even though I thought it’s only served during winter. Conbinis are in abundance, especially Family Mart. In one small area, I see at least Family Marts. Lawson and 7-11 are lesser compare to it, from what I saw.

1:1 Life-size Gundam

I never watch a single episode of Gundam, but everybody fluent in this Japan’s sub-culture will come across this term one way or another. So I decided to pop by for a quick stop at Odaiba to see this giant robot.

Anyway, I absolutely adore my time in Tokyo and would love to be back again. Transportation here is so convenient that getting around is so, so easy. The next time I’m back, I hope to spend longer time so I can really take my sweet time in each place in Tokyo.

Alright, things happened and before you know it, several months have passed. I was busy traveling for work for the last one month and a few months before I was busy with work projects. When you’re swarmed with work and used up most of your brain capacity during the day, the last you need is to use more of your brain to come up with an article or two. All you want to do is sit back, relax and enjoy anime.

At least, that’s what I’d do.

During the times when I have Internet access and not traveling, I managed to keep up with all the anime that I was following including Durarara x2, Sore ga Seiyuu!, Akagami no Shirayuki-hime, Aoharu X Kikanjuu, Baby Steps 2, Gangsta., Working, Ore Monogatari and a personal favorite Wakako-zake. If I missed out anything on the list, that’s probably because the anime is not interesting enough for me to remember it.

Now, I’ll admit this. I sampled Wakako-zake because I know Sawashiro Miyuki voices the main character and she’s one of my favorite voice actress. Turns out, the short series is a very enjoyable with a simple approach to showcase food in Japan. I shall write a post on this series because I love it that much!

Gangsta. started off strong for being one of those “different” anime. It has different style, different storyline than most things I’m watching. I thought of the series as interesting with not too much violence. Just enough to keep me going. On the other hand, Aoharu X Kikanjuu was one of the least liked anime on my watch list but continued to watch weekly to fill in the calendar. It got pretty exciting towards the end but the ending still pisses me off.

Akagami no Shirayuki-hime and Ore Monogatari are the sort of anime you’d want to watch to get that feel good feeling. There’s this sense of “fuwa-fuwa”ness in each episodes and they make us feel that the world is a better place by giving us a fairy tale like stories.

If you watched Shirobako, Sore ga Seiyuu! is what I would say as  a reasonably good must watch “add-on”. If Shirobako paints the intense world of anime production, Sore ga Seiyuu! paints the struggles of voice actresses who are vital parts of the anime production industry. I used to think that seiyuus only voice anime and game characters. This series said otherwise. I guess you could say it helps increasing your knowledge about the anime industry we all love.

The second cour of Durarara x2 turned out much more fascinating that the first cour with me feeling the familiar Durarara is finally back. The different perspectives of events unfold, the internal monologues of different character and the sheer suspense of mysteries around Ikebukuro.

Now, let’s move on to other sequels. It’s great to finally to see progress and growth in some of the characters in Working!!! although I’m starting to feel detached from the series. I don’t mind if there’s no fourth season, but I’d still watch it if there is. I think this where the series is heading for me personally. Baby Steps 2, however, remain a strong personal favorite for the intensity, fighter spirit and sportsmanship in tennis.

That sounds like a mouthful of updates anime wise. I must say though, this is the first time in my entire anime watching history, I attempted to watch at least one anime per day. That means I get to watch anime every single day every week during the whole of summer anime season. I’m lucky there are enough likeable titles to get me going.

Will I repeat this attempt again? I don’t know. Fall anime season doesn’t look very promising…

Few months back when it was still airing, I’ve tweeted this show a few times only because I really, really enjoy it. Of all the culinary anime I’ve seen thus far, this is by far the best. Why? I believe no-nonsense is best way to describe it.

Wakako-zake follows the many solitary, after-work dining of 26 years old Murasaki Wakako whereby she enjoys and discovers a variety of foods and drinks.

Each episode is only two minutes in length including the OP song, which in my opinion has a very happy feel about it. It sort of makes me wanna move along with the rhythm while having this huge smile plastered on my face, you know what I mean? Not that I actually do it. It’s an image I can give about how the OP song really feels to me.

Why do I say this is a no-nonsense anime? Because from beginning until the end, it’s all about Wakako’s simple dining experience: why she chose the food, how she savors them, etc. It’s only two minutes, there’s little room for anyone to go astray anyway. Like you know how Koufuku Graffiti does with its foodgasm.

I enjoy this anime a lot also because of how I sometimes love to end my day with some delicious, comfort food. I wish I have Wakako’s variety menu to choose from, but I normally stick with just a few choices such as char kway teow, chee cheong fun and wanton mee . I guess I should consider myself blessed given I actually live nearby many hawker stalls.

After watching this, I thought I should also be mindful about what I’m eating: its texture, its flavorful profile and maybe its origin. I’m not sure if it’s Asian culture or if it just so happens it’s the lifestyle I’m living, 99% of the time I only have one course meal and it’s mostly made of carbohydrate.

Oh by the way, perhaps one of the motivating factor for me to at least stream this short series is because the voice actress is Sawashiro Miyuki!

Hazama’s willpower is what make this show interesting to watch, I think. Heavily injured in a bomb blast when he was just eight, Hazama fought hard to regain his mobility. He was desperate to be normal again and able to move. Few years later as a medical student, he fought hard again. This time is to save lives despite being repeatedly told of his unlicensed status.

His willpower, however, is what brought up the ethical issues surrounding his medical practices.

Now, I don’t know anything about being a doctor or a medical student. I don’t know the lines of what’s legal or not. But from what’s being repeatedly suggested here, I’m thinking Hazama is bordering on being extremely closed to never being able to obtain license in his entire life.

Here’s why.

For those who watch the series, conflicting it may seem, Hazama refused to operate on a runaway soldier in episode 3 because he’s still a medical student. However, on numerous accounts, he’d operated on various patients who needed medical attention wherever he is. In the very first episode, he was already warned about being reported to the cops!

Then in second episode, Hazama was even toying with idea of doing a heart transplant when he doesn’t have the qualification in the medical field. Although he didn’t go through with it in the end, what he instead has done was also questionable even if it’s for the greater good.

Ethical here means being in accordance with the accepted principle of right and wrong that govern medical profession. Clearly, what Hazama did is wrong. But he is saving lives. He is giving hopes and taking away despairs from his patients.

Besides Hazama’s side gigs, Young Black Jack also brought up some of the painful truths about life circumstances of rich people versus poor. The cult’s old man had money and would do anything to obtain a healthy heart to extend his lifespan while Raymond-san desperately seek to raise fund to cure his daughter’s illness. Through illegal means, both of them met and the latter agreed to offer his healthy organ in exchange for money to support his family.

What Hazama’s doing in Young Black Jack can be seen as heroic because at the end of the day, he is risking his life and future to help his patients. He has a heart only beating to help those in need. Too bad wrong is still wrong in the eyes of ethics and law.

So what do you think, readers? If you’re in Hazama’s shoes, will you be going against what is right to do what clears your conscience? You know you have the skills to save that dying person. What you lack is a qualified license. Would you risk it all to save the man?

I like Tamayura for many reasons: relaxing, healing, soothing, scenic, etc. It’s an anime that aims to leave their audience feeling good after watching each episode. At least, that’s what I feel each time I watch an episode of Tamayura.

I think I’m lucky enough that Tamayura kept coming back as it’s easily one of my favorite series. A few weekends ago, I finally had the chance to sit down, relax and watch the second movie: Tamayura: Sotsugyou Shashin Part 2 – Hibiki. There are four movies, by the way and the third movie just aired not too long ago.

Way back in 2011, I wrote a post about what I relate to in Tamayura Hitotose. Much of it still applies in this new episode, particularly for Kaoru.

In Hibiki, Kaoru was the only one left without a solid plan about her future. Clock is ticking and she was constantly reminded by her homeroom teacher about her lack of decision. Instead of hastily making a choice or going wherever the wind blows, Kaoru took her time to seriously think of what she wants to do with her life.

I admire this aspect of Kaoru’s character. There are many times we may fall under pressure to make a decision and so we make them to either please other people or to get someone of our case. To do what Kaoru did, that takes a lot of character.

What I like is how the struggles of Kaoru weren’t painted agonizingly. Let’s put it this way, she was seen gently struggling with her decision about her future. She pondered. She thought hard. But she wasn’t pulling her hair or getting all worked up. And I like that. I suppose this is what makes Tamayura so special. Everything about it is so peaceful!

In the end though, by sheer stroke of good luck, Kaoru found her calling. At last, she makes a decision that she knows she won’t regret. After all, she spent her sweet time thinking about it. What’s more, it suits her character very well.

Besides Kaoru, Norie also experienced some last minute uncertainty about her choice. Her passion for baking sweet stuff is apparent, but she wanted to give it up because she was scared. Her giving up provided the momentary pause she needed to re-evaluate her choice, to reconsider other options before finally deciding if she should go for what she wanted all along.

Our future is not a decision we should rush. Life is short. We should always be doing things that interest us, things that we want. This isn’t a post about asking you to pursue your dream or follow your passion. I wrote this post simply because it’s something we all come across at various points in our lives.

We face a wall. We are unable to make a very important decision that may very well has the biggest impact in our lives. We are uncertain.

Take time to pause. Clarity may awaits at the end of the tunnel.