Hey there… all I dunno-how-many-of you. xD I launched my own piano transcription website! =D That’s right. I’ve made two and a half piano transcriptions for anime and J-Pop songs and I want to have my own blog for them. xP It’s hard to find hosts for J-Pop sheets, it turns out, I’m waiting to see some webmasters get back to me…. anywho!
So yes. If you are interested in some unseen anime or J-Pop sheet music, please go here:
Well, in all my antsy-ness for this convention to once again arrive (I have no life. As an anime fan this is the biggest event of the year, for me. Besides starting college. xP), I’ll just post to this blog anytime I feel like chatting someone’s ear off about it. Which is usually someone who doesn’t care to hear about anime conventions.
Mmkay. So first things first. They freaking raised their admissions prices. Dx Last year it was $45 for the entire weekend, which I paid for even though I stayed only Saturday and Sunday, and this year, a three-day weekend is $50. I know, that’s only 5 more dollars, but still. Five dollars can buy me a pair of earrings or a cell phone charm in the Artists’ Gallery, and I just don’t get why they raised the price. Has their center, the Renaissance Center, started charging them more? I thought they made a tidy profit last year and did really well, maybe something this year has changed and they need to make extra money. *shrugs* Either way, I have to save up a little bit more this time.
Also something that was a bit saddening, not so much angering, is the fact that they’ve changed the weekend to November 3-6. No longer is it Halloween weekend, like it’s been for a while now (well, the last few years). Dx It was kind of fun to be there knowing you’re dressing up as a character for a cosplay but you’re also kind of getting into the spirit of Halloween at the same time. >x3 Plus it was more fun having something to do on Halloween for once rather than give out candy to little kids. xD Of course I don’t go to any parties yet. Last year my friends wanted me to go trick-or-treating with them.
But that’s kind of what I’m thinking is happening. That is, that maybe they’ve moved up the dates to after Halloween because they think more people will come since any Halloween plans they had don’t conflict with Youmacon. But that’s lame. If someone passes up the chance to go to Youmacon for one day or the whole weekend just because one day of the convention falls on Halloween, then obviously they’re not that into it. If they would rather go to a Halloween party or whatever, then ugh. Whatever.
But I’m just assuming that this is the case. It seems plausible, but I’m not sure. I’ll ask a worker when I get there, or something. Either way it’s kind of sad that the Halloween spirit won’t be present at the ‘con this year. =T And once again, like many years before Youmacon last year, I’ll probably absolutely nothing to do on Halloween. xDD Meh.
Secondly… I’m going to cosplay as TWO characters this year. =D My first cosplay is Momo Adachi from Peach Girl. Last year I was Misty, because, firstly, she was my first favorite anime character in technicality (even though when I started watching Pokemon as a child I didn’t know what anime was), and secondly, because it was a cheap-@ss costume to come up with in a few months’ time. xD (I decided I would attend in mid September last year, and the ‘con is at the end of October Dx).
So this year I’m going as a character from my first real anime and one of my all-time favorite series, Momo from Peach Girl. My first manga was Peach Girl, and the first anime series I watched knowing it was Japanimation. I’m a real fan of it. A few months ago I finally finished collecting all the volumes in the now out-of-print series, and I also have the anime boxset and a wallscroll. Now I also have a cosplay! >w<
For my Momo cosplay I bought myself a nice light strawberry blond (it’s a real light orange. Nothing shockingly orange, and slightly natural looking) wig, just styled it last night with Momo’s second hairstyle (when she gets sideswept bangs in the later part of the series) because I like that look, and because the wig not only looks stupid without bangs but the wig cap also shows considerably without the bangs. Dx The wig was meant to have bangs anyway. Anyway, the wig’s a nice affair that I bought for about $30 on eBay. <3 It’s awesome.
The first item for my cosplay that I bought, however, was a sky-blue tennis skirt. At the time I bought it a thrift store I thought I would use it for like, a Sailor Moon cosplay. But when I got home and Googled the Sailor Scouts again, I realized it was too light in color. Dx But then I decided, why not be Momo? =D
Next came the matter of altering this skirt to make it like Momo’s school uniform skirt. There was an embroidered logo on the back that I had to carefully remove with a fine sewing needle and scissors, then, going through about 3 regular and one giant-sized blue Sharpie, I carefully created the simple plaid pattern as seen on Momo’s skirt in the anime. (much easier to create than the more complex pattern design in the manga) I first had to use a ruler and lightly pencil in half-inch wide lines vertically and horizontally across the whole skirt, then carefully color it in without letting the marker bleed. This took about a week to do, in between other things I was busy with. Well worth it, it came out great.
So then I remembered that a few months back, a friend of my sister’s gave me a few of her old clothes, which included some cotton vest-type things. One of them just happened to be a sky-blue cotton-blend vest. TT__TT <– tears of joy. It was *perfect*. I dug it out of my closet and immediately decided I was going to use it. It has a rounded collar, while Momo’s is a v-neck, but I think the collar on my new polyester blouse will do. >x3 I went to Wal-Mart and got myself a cheap $12, short-sleeved, polyester-blend button up shirt with a nice collar. It works perfectly! Of course, there were stupid buttons on the sleeves so I had to remove those and trim off some straps here and there. And I ended up removing the buttons going down the front because they poked through and showed up on the vest. ^.^;; So now I’m going to have to tuck in my blouse carefully into my skirt before putting on the vest, or else it’ll be open underneath and look weird. XD
Then the shoes. I have a pair of leather ankle boots that have very thick, 1 1/2-inch heels that I planned on using – except they were black. Momo wears brown loafers. Dx So to make up for the fact that I couldn’t afford to buy myself some new brown high-heeled loafers (or find them for that matter Dx) I got out some nice acrylic paint, painted over them, and finished them. (with finish, I mean. xD) So now they’re a nice shade of brown. =3
Then the socks. =P Easy. I already had a pair of knee-high navy socks. AND THE LOOK IS COMPLETE. As for how I’m going to carry my crap around (cell phone, wallet, camera, etc.), last year I was Misty, who fortunately wears a backpack. This year I’m going to use a floral purse similar to one Momo usually wore. =3 As for the matter of my eyeglasses…. *sigh* My eyes are really sensitive and I tried contacts last year, but I couldn’t manage to grab my eyeball to get them out. Dx So I plan on removing my glasses anytime anybody asks who I’m supposed to be, or wants to take a pic, or some such, and stuff ‘em in my purse’s pocket.
As for the tan, I’ve gotten a nice one this summer, and I haven’t tanned in weeks and it’s still remained, so I’m thinking if I just tan the hell out of myself every day until it gets too cold in the fall xD then maybe I’ll retain a nice enough base, light tan and I can get away with it. Otherwise I might splurge on some decent bronzer or self-tanner that won’t make my skin look orange, and just cover the spots that’ll be visible while in the cosplay. Oh, and as for the makeup, I’m going to go with the signature makeup seen in color illustrations of Momo from the manga – light blue eyeshadow, thick black mascara, and a light pink lipstick. I’ve already set aside the necessary makeup. >x3
Okay, so I mentioned I have TWO cosplays now. Well, like an anime nerd, I already started imagining who I’d be at future conventions. I wanted to go as someone from Death Note, either Naomi Misora or Wedy. [Never Misa. I have blond hair and a goth-loli outfit wouldn't be too hard to achieve, but I can't stand her.] Naomi would be fun, especially since she was pretty close to L, in a way. And she wears a lot of leather. xD But I decided on Wedy because a.) she’s got blond hair. I just need to style my own hair in a flippy hair style. b.) She has a really cool 60′s-inspired spy look [I'm not just saying that, in the Death Note encyclopedia, Takeshi Obata said that's how he modeled her, sort of] which would be fun to wear. c.) She’s pretty kick-@ss. =D She may have met an early demise, but she helped a lot with the Yotsuba case with her cat burglary skillz. =3
But of course, I was thinking this would all happen next year. Especially because Wedy has sooo many outfits, she doesn’t have one set style she wears. She has her spy-type outfit, she wears 60′s-style fashion (sort of Russian-like fur black hat and checkered coat dress), and a lot of leather. So I’d have to come up with an outfit similar to what she wears and is pretty recognizably Wedy.
But yesterday I hit another thrift store (they’re so much fun to go to, and you can find awesome stuff for cosplay there. Assuming you aren’t making your own from scratch materials), and I found the most awesome thing ever. A leather dress. It’s this really cool mini-dress that’s made entirely out of black smooth leather. It has elbow-length sleeves, waist-and-thigh-hugging skirt, and though it’s not low-cut, it has a sort of sexy straight-across cut in the front that stretches from the inner edge of each shoulder and sweeps across the chest. And in the back. Well, there’s no back to it. It fastens up at the top at the neck, and the back is completely bare. >x3 The skirt part of the dress zips along the butt.
And it fit. =O It’s such a gorgeous thing and it fit me! >w< It’s a size small from Saks and it fit me. And it’s sooo Wedy. It may not be exactly like what we’ve seen her wear, but it’s pretty much her. And guess how much I paid for this designer dress? $38. The thrift store worker told me that the lady who sold it to her said she’d originally paid $750 for it!! It’s designer. Dx I can wear this out to special occasions, too. Dx I feel bad just using it for cosplay.
But anyway. So along with the dress, I already have these really cool stiletto-heel ankle boots made of black suede that I’m going to wear (these ankle boots are different from the ones I”m using for Momo, lol. I just have a few pairs of boots XD). I’ll pair that with some sheer black nylons or sheer black tights, possibly some black leather gloves (short ones that go up to the wrists) or I’ll just paint my long nails red, style my hair in a flipped ‘do, wear some over-sized black sunglasses, and popping red lipstick. =3 And it’s done. I already have the shoes, dress, gloves, hair, and tights, all I need is the sunglasses and some sort of small black purse to carry my crap in and it’s set. >w< [I'm thinking of using this small satin clutch I have...I want to use something inconspicuous that doesn't detract or distract from the rest of the look]
So this year I’m probably going to be two different characters. =3 Most likely. I’ll also be there the whole weekend, anyhow. I got rooms for three nights (Thursday, Friday, Saturday) at a hotel nearby, and am going to spend the whole weekend there after my last class on Thursday night.
Anyway, just wanted to vent all this out, because like I said, I’m preparing for Youmacon already and therefore getting excited about it and wanting to talk about it, but no one really cares to hear me rant like a fangirl about an anime convention. xD Wish me luck on finding the ultimate pair of Wedy sunglasses!! [I need ones in her style, but also ones that can cover up my eyeglasses, too. I can't just walk around wearing non-prescription sunglasses and not expect to fall over once or twice in my high-heeled boots XD]
So I have finally reached the end of episode 13 of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai, a bit (one episode) over halfway through the second season of Higurashi.
It’s really amazing. Though there aren’t as many killings and the mystery and violence isn’t as intense, these sort of “answer arcs”, I think they’re called, are truly very fascinating. The arc I just finished up, which has probably been the longest yet – 8 episodes in total – was a very hopeful and pleasant arc, the Massacre Chapter [Minagoroshi-hen]. The title is indeed creepy, but for most of the arc, the story has a constant theme of hope and breaking one’s terrible fate. Now more than ever, Rika-chan’s friends remembered their past lives in the past worlds, what they’d done. And with much help from Keiichi, Rika-chan managed to change much of the terrible things that usually were supposed to happen each time around, or at least, most of the time – like Keiichi giving the doll to Rena and upsetting Mion, saving Satoko without having Shion or Keiichi fly into a murderous rage.
Speaking of Satoko, that was one of the highlights of this arc, for me. It was amazing the way the town slowly banded together to save Satoko from her abusive uncle. It was a side of those bitter, grudge-holding townspeople we’ve never seen before; the same townspeople who resented even the innocent offspring of the Houjou family. And when Oryou Sonozaki gave in and met Keiichi’s request, to add the Sonozaki family’s support to the effort to save Satoko, I was really… moved. I guess. Oryou has always pissed me off with her scary ways, the way she uses her position as pretty much head of the town to manipulate people and have people murdered. It was like she was playing some awful mob-boss godmodder in a horrifying video game… Oh wait, if you think about Higurashi in the perspective that it is based on a series of sound novel video games, then she kind of is a godmodding mob-boss. o__o Hmm, no, I really _do_ wonder how awful she was in the games – I really do want to play those at some point. >.<
Anyway, so yeah, when Satoko was rescued with the help of damn near everyone in Hinamizawa and the neighboring Okinomiya, I was so moved. It was probably the biggest sign that fate can be changed, and happiness and survival can be achieved. Even though we saw in more detail than before, the way Teppei Houjou treated Satoko, beat her and threatened her physically when she was on the phone with Child Welfare, things with Satoko worked out in the end. She for once realized that she does need the help of her friends, to lean on them and rely on them, to get through the abuse. She finally understood in this arc that she doesn’t need to be strong for her ‘nii-nii’. It was so beautiful to see Satoko saved and returned back to normal after such an emotionally abusive period of time, when in every other arc with Teppei, Satoko spent the entire chapter lifeless and submissive and believing herself to be undeserving of help (or whatever she thought that convinced her not to seek it, even though we know she knows that she was in deep trouble with her living situation).
So yeah, that was great. Especially because Satoko was rescued and the town from then on would treat her as a normal human being. I mean, jeez, she’s just a kid and it was her parents who were – mild – supporters of the Dam Project. It was about time that people stopped believing the Sonozaki family’s opinions like mindless apes and started thinking for themselves, and realize that Satoko is just a child. *shakes head* Hinamizawa’s townsfolk are truly strange and creepy, for the most part. (this time around I did nearly applaud them though)
But then, the title of this arc suddenly fit into place in the last episode, and all the happiness and hope that Rika-chan had honestly obtained after overcoming all those struggles that she wasn’t previously able to, Rika-chan’s new-found optimism about fate was trampled on as the “massacre” happened. I won’t reveal any more – it’s not a big surprise anyway that people were murdered. Doi. It’s Higurashi – but let’s just say Rika-chan didn’t die for nothing this time. She realized something very important about her continuous deaths-by-disembowelment, and hopefully may remember these pieces of information in the next world of Hinamizawa she enters into. All we can do – as Rika-chan did before moving on – is hope.
So yup, I got through the first two arcs and first half of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai, and I think I might be loving it more than the first season. That’s probably only because I’m getting answers. xD Well that, and this past arc was really touching and hopeful, and it was pretty cool to see what things would be like if bad situations were reversed and turned out happily. =] Though things didn’t end happily, at least much of the misfortune was cleared away.
What initially attracted me to this series – Higurashi itself that is, not ‘ni Kai’ specifically – was the murder-mystery essence of it all. Who killed who, and why. What drove them to madness. But I’ve stuck around for ni Kai for the even more broad-range answers, the answers to the murders in general, to why they are happening, to why Rika is continuing to be reborn in June 1983. I like answers. >xD The way you’re caught off guard and your heart skips a beat and you go “oh my gosh” when you find out a huge revelation in a mystery story or series – that’s one of the best sensations in all of movie and TV entertainment, in my opinion. That’s why I love mysteries. <3
A few more thoughts and a few more questions I still have unanswered as of now, and then I’m done. Well, let’s see, among the happiness of the Minagoroshi-hen arc, it was nice to see that the youngsters weren’t killing each other this time around. xDD None of the friends were developing this “Himanizawa Syndrome” and were being driven to killing one another. That was kind of nice. I mean it was interesting to see, but it’s also great to see the friends working together to fight off and defend against the real, and more serious enemies they have. Even up to the very end, they didn’t cower or change their minds or let themselves get frustrated and turn on each other. They stuck together and worked to fight against the bigger forces at work in Hinamizawa (surprising forces at that! =O When I’m done with ni Kai, I’ll write a spoiler-ific post on that).
Questions:
1.) Where is Satoshi Houjou? Is he alive? Was he really ‘onikakushi’d'? What kind of role, if any, does he play in the bigger picture of the fate of Hinamizawa? Will he ever come back?
2.) What are the exact details of the Great Hinamizawa Disaster? What exactly caused it? If it really happened at night, then why did we see Keiichi and Mion and Shion in the school building in that one arc? Or did things happen differently, and that just one other arc?
3.) Going back to the small side-story Nekogoroshi-hen, will that incident at the quarry ever come up again? Was it really the Yamainu who the children saw? If so, then doesn’t that mean the Yamainu have been in Hinamizawa for over ten years? So… what’s the real deal with them, then?
4.) What’s the entire deal with Hanyuu? What is she? How long has Rika-chan known her? How instrumental is she in the events of June 1983?
5.) We’ve never seen Satoko go crazy like Keiichi, Shion and Rena have, so why is Satoko on such a regular dosage of the anti-Hinamizawa Syndrome shots? Has she ever reached Level 5 of the Syndrome, without us knowing?
6.) Is Irie-sensei trustworthy? Does he really care about Satoko and the other kids as much as he says he does/seems to?
….And so many more. Dx It’s such a complex mystery. Even with answers I still don’t understand.
Well, I’m going to go back to finishing up Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai. When I’m done with that, and the other specials, I’ll write a huge review of the Higurashi series in general. 1-5 stars and everything. =] Until then, time to get back to the murders! ^.^; *braces self for a possible gory arc after such a nice one that just happened*
~sui
Ah, it’s been too long since I’ve discussed anime and manga in depth. >w< And now I’m here to talk about some of the anime series I’ve finished in the last month or so. I’ve had a lot of fun watching lately, so much so that I am neglecting manga a bit. ^.^; But I’m getting back on the manga wagon, now, anyhow.
So, as you can see, I haven’t watched too much shoujo. Dx Not at all, really, unless you count 5 Centimeters Per Second, which is really more like a drama with a bit of romance in it. Or Kita E ~ Diamond Dust Drops, which is in fact based on a visual novel series intended for male audiences.
But that’s not to say I haven’t had any fun expanding my horizons with other genres. >=3 Higurashi, for one, was a wild ride of horror and intrigue.
Higurashi is probably my favorite recently-watched anime, and definitely the best horror/mystery series I’ve seen. By the end of its first season, I was left with some answers, tons more questions, and a mind furiously craving the next season. >w<
It’s so gory and at times the psychotic laughter is bloodcurdling, but it’s very much enjoyable. I think I was able to look past the gore because of the deep mystery woven carefully into each episode and arc. At the beginning of each arc you see a horrible murder, teased with it, and then are plunged into the story at the very beginning of it all, before the killer – whoever it is this time around *raises eyebrows* – even gets to that point yet. It left me wondering and theorizing and posting on message boards after every episode, heh. ^.^; It was really nice to have a good horror/mystery anime that made me think and confused me, and when it did start to slowly make sense, made me feel a whoosh of excitement and revelation. =D
As a devoted shoujo fan and innocent-one, I highly recommend this series to everyone. I’m pretty fragile myself, but believe me, if you haven’t already seen Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, do so as soon as you can. The gore may be hard to bear with, but it’s nothing in comparison to the gripping and eye-catching intrigue going on beneath that shallow surface of blood and pain.
Some final thoughts on Higurashi… I was at first very terrified to watch it, as I stupidly only watched it at night in my dark-ish bedroom. o__o I was continually scared as I watched the whole series, though. The complex nature of each killer’s psychosis and motives is just so frightening and real. It left me yearning for more, even though I was so beyond creeped out halfway through the series.
My favorite characters are Mion, for her tough attitude, Rika-chan, for just being so cute yet much more wise than any other character, and Rena, for being kawaii and a lover of kawaii just like moi. ^.^
I can’t wait to get through season 2 and learn more about the Hinamizawa disaster and the disease that makes everyone so wacko.
~~~
Serial Experiments Lain was another psychological series that I watched somewhat recently.
So psychological, in fact, that the first time I’d seen it, back in freshman year at my high school’s anime club, I was so disturbed and frightened by it that I swore I’d never, ever watch it all the way through.
But then I broke that promise to myself this summer when I watched the whole danged thing. >xD
In preparation for Youmacon ’11 – woot, woot – I’m trying to watch and read as many popular or at least well-known series as I can, expanding beyond shoujo and into series that many people can talk about. So far it’s been fun, even with Lain.
Lain was just… creepy and mindbending. At first it was just creepy and slightly mystifying. But the further I got into the series, the more confused I became, quite the opposite of what I’d expect. Thankfully by the end of the series, having read enough forum posts and the website “thought experiment lain”, I came to have a pretty good grip on what the hell was going on.
Even though it was disturbing and mindf***ing, it was well worth my time. I was really fascinated by the futuristic aspects of the anime – the Wired, projecting oneself into the Wired – as well as the WTF factors of it, like the second Lain and the truth about Lain’s existence (shh ^.~). It was difficult to watch at times – especially towards the end, where that Eiri-monster was attacking Lain and Alice, but even just with the psychological stuff, like when Lain’s ‘sister’ went off the deep end – but it was like a train wreck. So disturbing and horrific but you just can’t take your eyes off it. Cliche, but that’s exactly what it was. I don’t know if I really wanted to watch it, moreso than I was frankly drawn to it.
*shudder* I wonder if that’s how Lain felt when she was drawn to the Wired…
~~~
Baccano…. What can I say about it? It’s pretty amazing. What do I love about it? Everything.
The crazy characters, each having their own quirk or stand-out quality that made them so utterly different from one another and any other anime character in existence (including their awesome names. Com’n, Firo Prochainezzo? Jacuzzi Splot?). The old-timey timeline filled with mobsters and Prohibition criminals, thieves and homunculus, rich families and immortal beings.
The riveting, backwards, up-turned, upside-down, twisted-in-a-good-way, way of story-telling that the series implemented, making each episode a clipshow of various characters’ lifetimes, full of valuable pieces of the puzzle that helped one to put the events on the train and in New York together all right.
It was just a great series recommended by my friend Panda-chan (as I refer to her on gmail ^.^;), a favorite series of hers that has become a favorite series of mine. I found disc one of the anime at the library one day while her and I were working on a school project and said, “Isn’t this that anime you were telling me about?” A few days to one week later, we were at her house for a sleepover watching all four episodes back-to-back. I was hooked. Hooked by the lovableness of the characters (Isaac and Miria! <3 They remind me so much of Team Rocket, just because they’re bumbling criminals and Jessie and James were somewhat adorable in their own way), hooked by Luck Gandor’s hawtness (bishie alert! =D), and hooked by all the mystery. Every episode was just a taste of everything that was unfolding and going on, from every character’s perspective, leaving me needing and longing for the next episode to keep my appetite satisfied until I finally had my fill with the final episodes, the last pieces of the puzzle.
Did I mention I really love old-timey stuff from the 30′s and 40′s? That I love a good mystery? And that hot mobsters from back then are a turn-on?
~~~
5 Centimeters per Second and Kita E were alright, but I wasn’t satisfied enough with the series enough to elaborate about them. However, I must say I absolutely loved Suomi’s arc in Kita E. <3 She was the only character to have but one episode dedicated to her, and I thought that was rather disappointing and off, considering she was one of the most real as well as selfless characters out of the bunch, making her far more interesting in my eyes. Most of the women were whiny or bitchy or ungrateful, those kinds of characters I find annoying in shoujo series. But not Suomi. She was wonderful. I wish I had an ice-skating bff like her. >O< TT__TT
~~~
Ah, also, one final and minor update – I bought some more anime recently. =3 I got a nice stack of cash for graduation and decided to treat myself to some things I’ve really been owing myself. Among the loot I bought (hmm, contradictory isn’t it? But it sure is loot – good good stuff! >=3), I got the Baccano! boxed set DVDs and I bought the entire Fushigi Yuugi collection, original series plus OVA’s.
Dx
I haven’t even finished Fushigi Yuugi yet.
Dx
But I’ve been dying to get my hands on it. I’m a huge fan of it not matter how unfinished I am with reading and watching it.
Dx
And Baccano! Though I just recently watched it, it’s already one of my most favorite anime, and I got it as soon as I could. <3 Can’t wait to rewatch it….
Well that’s it for now. That was a horribly long update and I didn’t even get as in-depth as I wanted to about some of the series. Dx I may have to do a second Anime Update to make an addendum to this post…
Anyhow, expect a Manga Update for sure! =D
~sui
What I’ll get around talking about sooner or later…
ANIME
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
5 Centimeters per Second
Serial Experiments Lain
Diamond Daydreams/Diamond Dust Drops
Baccano!
-Finally bought some anime I’ve been meaning to get
MANGA
Oishii Kankei/A Delicious Relationship
Jazz (a.k.a. my experience with a yaoi oneshot)
DOLL
9 Faces of Love [manhwa]
Ai no Koe/Voices of Love
Ibitsu
Watashi no Sukinahito/The One I Love
J-MUSIC
Vocaloid
Nana Kitade
Nami Tamaki
An Cafe (a.k.a. my first visual kei band =3)
-Finally bought some CDs I’ve been dying for years to get
Final Fantasy concerts (and how they should all be on DVD!)
VIDEO GAMES
Mana Khemia 2
ETC.
Already-plans for Youmacon 2011!
Natsume Yuujinchou: Season 3!! =O
So, I have about a million and one things to update about, but before I even get into that I would like to say: Rest in peace, Tomoko Kawakami-san.
A few days ago, seiyuu Kawakami-san passed after a long battle with ovarian cancer. I read this in an article on MyAnimeList as I was just checking out the hompage and about to look up a manga. I thought to myself, how sad, and was interested enough to learn more. I read the article, then proceeded to look up Kawakami-san on the site. I burst into tears as I realized that this woman had voiced some of the most beloved characters ever. A few of them that were very dear to me. Athena Glory, the quirky but heavenly-voiced (in speaking and singing voice =]) undine from the Aria series, and the vibrant and enthusiastic and unexpectedly deep Misuzu Kamio from AIR.
Ah, Misuzu. I recall for about a month I quoted her whenever I could, slipping in a “gao” or “v!” when possible in conversations (mostly online xD). I could never achieve that same innocent “dinosaur sound” or modest victory exclamation that Kawakami-san brought to life – no matter how hard I tried I could never sound as cute as ‘lil Misuzu.
It’s not just Kawakami-san’s knack for giving Misuzu just the right, cute voice, but her versatility in voices that has brought me to tears and moved me so much this evening. Just comparing Athena and Misuzu is enough – one, a quiet, solemn-voiced young adult, the other a kawaii-voiced young teen with a child’s heart. And not to mention her work as the little (but extremely talented!) boy Chiroko on Fushigi Yuugi, another of my favorite series.
So tonight, in this post, in my thoughts, and in my reflections, I mourn the loss of an amazing seiyuu I never really took into consideration before, but I also appreciate so deeply what she had brought to my anime world.
Rest in peace, Kawakami-san. You will be deeply missed and have been widely appreciated.
~sui
Tomoko Kawakami on MyAnimeList
—-Article/Topic on MyAnime List
Tomoko Kawakami on Anime News Network
Whew. Massive update. I can’t remember the last time I stopped by here.
Awesomest people on DN, fo sho.
Update about myself – not much going on, ‘cept I just turned 18 last weekend, woot. =D It was one of the best birthdays I’ve ever had, and it’s cool to have some more freedom now. Though living with my parents means I still have to abide by all their same old rules apparently. Eyuck. Anyway. Got some awesome gifts, but I’ll just list some Natural Otakudom-relevant ones — a Fruits Basket sticker book/tattoo book/etc. and some kind of manga sampler. <3
My spring break was also last week, which means…. time to catch up on anime. Unless I’m really into an anime, especially one currently on air, I don’t watch anime on a regular basis. I usually just one series at a time, marathoning the whole thing through. And since that takes time, I save serious anime-watching for whenever I have time off from school.
Over the break I FINALLY FINISHED DEATH NOTE. I know. I can’t believe it. According to MyAnimeList, I first started the series in July… of 2009. But after 7 or so eps I found out about L’s demise, was getting heavily irritated with Light’s massive god complex, and gave up on it. Last year in December I picked it up again, starting from episode 1 and making it to about 17. Then over my winter break I got up to L’s death (episode 25), and finally finished the epic saga that is Death Note last week … Friday? I dunno. I ought to remember, I stayed up really late just to wrap it up. And because it was so juicy!
=O Back when I knew nothing about it and just labeled it as one of those mainstream anime that everyone talks about and says is awesome, but really is mundane or predictable or just subpar shounen crap that’s blown up in America, like some I’ll leave nameless. But once I’d given it a chance, I found it to be intelligent and gripping. At some points I almost verbally egged L, and later, Near and Melo, on in their war against Light, and cursing the man with a god complex and the ultimate death weapon whenever he succeeded or killed off a sweet character. (R.I.P. L, Matt, Melo, and Naomi)
So yeah. Death Note has pretty much become my favorite shounen series. In my opinion it was one of the most clever and worthwhile anime that I’ve seen. Plus it had a lot of elements I enjoy in TV shows and novels – mystery, murder, detective work, and really intelligent people fighting with their wits against dark, sinister people. It was pretty riveting, and felt like a good waste of my free time in comparison to some of the shoujo fluff I’ve surrounded myself with in the past.
Kuranosuke's pretty good-looking as a dude. * _* He should stay like that most of the time. <3
However, I came across some really awesome shoujo over the break, too, and was so into it, I watched it all in one day. It’s called Kuragehime, an anime that is just so complicated to explain for hilarious and emotional-backstory reasons. But basically, it’s about a group of women living in a sort of boarding house. The women are all “otaku” of sorts – lovers of jellyfish, ancient Japanese samurai and military, decorative collectible dolls, older men, trains, etc. etc. They are women of various ages who have come together, bonded together, live together, and deal with life together as “different” people. Unfashionable women, unlike most of their peers who they feel shunned by and are terrified of. They are also especially afraid of men for the most part, or at least, interacting with them. Then, their whole world gets shaken up by not only the possibility of their boarding house/sanctuary being torn down for construction development, but by a fashionable woman who is really a wealthy, cross-dressing son of a politician. Craz-ay, huh? Well it was really awesome. Kuranosuke, the she-man, was really awesome, female or male form. He really looked out for the women of the household.
What set it apart from normal shoujo fluff was, well, for one thing, the gender-bending, and how it was used in the plot. And the strange love triangle that developed between Tsukimi, Kurano the cross-dresser, and Kurano’s older, awkward brother. It was rather juicy, but wasn’t forced into the plot. It was hinted at and no real romance ever happened (which was a bit unfortunate) and it didn’t dominate. The whole misfit-otaku-girls thing was really cool, too. I’m always interested in anime about anime (or…jellyfish) addicts, because I understand how they feel sometimes. Plain Jane nerds with unconventional obsessions and fandoms that not everyone understands or respects. But they were portrayed so affectionately, Tsukimi especially, mostly in part for her reason for jellyfish enthusiasm.
In any case it was a great, fun show that ended way too soon. I would have liked the love triangle to be explored more, especially towards the end, when it seems like it might become a love quadrangle with Inari, who might possibly have non-superficial feelings for Kurano’s older brother. Ugh. See what a second season could do… Anyway.
I also re-watched a really amazing sci-fi anime that I first discovered as a kid, when the complete set of VHS tapes were on sale, used at Blockbuster. Iria: Zeiram the Animation. A really cool 6-episode OAV about afemale bounty hunter set out for the galaxy’s most deadly space creature, Zeiram, a relentless being who soon strikes a chord in Iria, hitting close to home with one of his kills. Along the way in plotting, trapping and eventually defeating (duh) the monster, Iria loses and gains many trustworthy friends and allies in a story that captivated me as a child and is just as awesome today.
She's here to kick ass and have awesome flippy hair! =D
I normally don’t like action, but Iria is just such a cool female bounty hunter and killer extraordinaire (in my opinion). And all the characters, Bob, Gren, even Fujikuro, are so lovable and easily sympathized with. It’s fairly emotional, as well, for being an actiony, sci-fi, shounen series. Compassion for the characters is easy, and shedding a tear or two for them even easier.
I watched even more shounen and OAV’s, too. Next I watched Jewel BEM Hunter Lime, a quirky 3-episode OAV about a couple of mystical beings from another planet who lose a group of
Lime in one of her cute disguises~
special stones, which fell to Earth and turned into monsters. The ever-disguised Lime and her goofy companion Boss set their course for Earth in search of all the jewels, which they must retrieve before the monsters they turned into wreak total havoc. It was a cool series, funny and interesting and cute, but it felt so short and incomplete. I feel like it ended way too suddenly. =[
Then I watched Denpateki na Kanojo, a riveting 2-part horror OAV about a high school boy who is approached by a fellow student who claims she is his loyal servant, and that he, in their past lives, was her king. The boy initially dismisses her as some weirdo, but when a local serial killer targets one of his classmates, he takes it upon himself to look into the murders, and accepts the girl's aid in the matter, as a useful fighter and a quick thinker in difficult matters. The episodes were very interesting. Dark, twisty, and shocking. I was dumbfounded at the conclusion of each episode, the whodunits never failed to catch me off-guard. Overall it was sick and scary but crazy awesome [phrase of the day xP] and interesting, and I’m glad I watched it. Never hurts to broaden one’s horizons, and in watching Denpateki na Kanojo, I expanded my anime interests a bit more. =]
Overall I had a bunch of fun watching these series. All were pretty much very different from what I’d normally be into – shoujo – but served as great spring break entertainment for a person who had no trip planned. xP
Denpateki na Kanojo. So mindtrippy.
Ah, the one good thing I can advertise.
As I did in my last post, I encourage all who read this to donate all that you can to the Red Cross to support the millions affected by the earthquakes in Japan and its aftermath in the Pacific!! Go to the Red Cross website to learn more, read this excerpt below, I just hope that people will help all they can to rebuild and renew!
From one lover of Japan/wannabe otaku/former Pacific islander resident to everyone reading this post on this silly little blog, I urge you to help struggling people out! Thank you for reading this, and I promise I too will donate money myself. I intend to send a text (as explained below) once I acquire $10 from chores.
American Red Cross Responds to Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami
Those who want to help can go to www.redcross.org and donate to Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami. People can also text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation to help those affected by the earthquake in Japan and tsunami throughout the Pacific.
I know I said to a commenter recently that I try not to get too personal with posts or comments, but… This all is just so craptastic on a level that affects me overall and me as a [still wannabe] otaku. I need this post… to release feelings. Things that have happened. Very much related to anime and Japan and such, but also heavily connected to myself, which has caused a lot of frustration, yelling and tears last night and today. Just warning you this might be a bit vent-y, but it’s still pretty much otaku related.
Ah, where to start, where to start. Very late last night when my mom and I had a screaming match about Death Note and her nearly censorship-worthy “concern” over my viewing of it, thinking I’m becoming some emo weirdo? Or when I woke up this morning to find from my still bitter mother that there were two tremendous and heartbreaking (along with other forms of destructiveness, obviously) earthquakes in Japan – destroying vast parts of one of two foreign countries I’m dying to see (the other being EGYPT, my main country of interest, which as we all know, is under control of rebel groups and the likelihood of me safely traveling there in my adulthood is very slim). Oh. And these earthquakes also caused a tsunami that destroyed and damaged Hawaii. I pretty much grew up there.
So this morning, on the news…. from my bitter mom who put it “our neighborhood may be underwater in a few hours”, I cried and watched devastating images of that beautiful country being smashed and slaughtered by the northern quakes, all the while thinking, I hope to god everyone I know back home in Hawaii will be safe. Alive, at 8 am today. I have even seriously considered donating my pittance of chore money to relief funds to either Japan or Hawaii, so far all I know is that there is a Japan relief fund but… if there’s one set up for Hawaii, sorry land of anime, my five dollars will probably go home. =T
Went to school. Thoroughly upset and already puffy-eyed at 7 am about the disasters that happened and the disasters that may happen, and at my mom for her almost racism about Japanese things. She’s pretty lax about my anime obsession, obviously, since she let me go to Youmacon and picked me up and whatnot. But… she’s gotten pretty crazy-parental in the past over certain darker Japanese things. Like this dorama LIFE, for instance. I mistakenly invited her to watch with me when I popped a burned disc of it in a DVD player, and after the first episode was over my mom was practically phoning for a therapist, thinking I was going to turn out just as messed up as this girl who was being bullied was. She was ballistic, couldn’t believe what I was watching. Same thing now with Death Note. Never told her about it, but I got a DVD out of it out of the library yesterday, she saw it, seeing Misa’s shinigami on the cover and immediately freaked out. I hurriedly explained the intelligence of the show (along with yes, its darkness and gore), but how it’s a mystery and a battle of good versus evil. And yet now she’s saying I’m “back on that dark emo stuff again” or whatever crap she said.
It’s rather funny, considering she’ll let me watch just about anything R-rated that’s American or British or whatever else. I watch the TV show Glee – sigh, along with her – and they’ve had numerous racy episodes about sex and teen pregnancy and underage drinking. And she doesn’t give a damn. I swear. It has to be something she has against anime. Maybe she only barely accepts my fandom, and when she finds I’m reading or watching dark shounen-type things, the lid on her tolerance blows sky-high.
Oh. So I had ONE great thing to look forward today. You know that whole Geddan – Promise (by Kohmi Hirose) craze/meme? Well, me and my friends are super into it. We have Geddan spasmastic dances at almost every sleepover, and I thought, hey, why not take our insanity to school, and make it more fun? On Fridays at our school, some person plays music – usually current teen hits – on the overheads between classes, and I heard you can take requests. So last night when I wasn’t busy defending myself and my right to watch Death Note anime and the fact that it isn’t an indication of me “going to the dark side” (seriously I don’t remember her exact wording, but she makes it sound like dark anime is evil or something), I burned a CD with the song Promise on it, a.k.a. The Geddan Song. I was super happy about having something to look forward to. Me and my friends having near seizures to strange Japanese and pelvic-thrusting our way through the halls. It sounded like fun.
So that was my shining light to look forward to that day. To bring me out of my funk. To make me forget about Hawaii, Japan, censorship, everything. The man played the song for about 45 seconds. In comparison to hip-hop rejects being played for 3-4 minutes. I even edited the song, cuz it was so long. So basically, me and my friend rushed out of class, trying to find a good spot to hear it and dance to it, and it wasn’t the first song played. We waited 3 minutes. Then it finally came on, and we went to find our other friend to geddan with, but the reception there was low and by the time we made it to the hallway, the song was over.
Plan: Geddan at School was a failure. I spent the rest of the day sulking – until P.E., which was really stupid and silly and made me laugh once more.
But now I am returned to my funk because about 20 minutes ago I found out I cannot attend a sleepover because of my “anime emo-ness” and the fact that I’m apparently not pulling my weight around this house. >.> I get good grades now. I do many more chores for my parents than I ever did. I have never been less emo. Oh and the fact that there may be some boy around scares her too. =__= I’m so…. upset. She’s constricting me and the fact that until I could get on my friend’s iPod and read the news and disocver that the island I grew up on took minimal damage I was pretty much heartbroken, it’s just. Not good. My mother is going to turn me into an anime emo or something.
Well anyway. To end this post positively, I am encouraging everyone to send relief to Japan, and Hawaii if there’s a relief fund set up… I heard Kauai got hit bad… Anyway! I encourage people to send whatever bills they can. For Japan, not just as an otaku I am encouraging this, otherwise I’d be pretty lame and my ulterior reasons would be fairly shallow, but it’s a country with a rich culture aside from anime and manga and J-pop that I appreciate and adore and I feel so miserable for the people who have suffered through it. I hear from the more optimistic people that they’re “used to it” and I know Japan is pretty much prone to quakes, but still. Donate if you can! If I can make like, ten dollars, I’ll donate it. To Japan or Hawaii, still gotta figure that out.
But yes. The American Red Cross has a relief system set up, which sounds like it will benefit both Japan and the areas affected by the tsunami its earthquakes created, and taken from this site is this:
Those who want to help can go to www.redcross.org and donate to Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami. People can also text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation to help those affected by the earthquake in Japan and tsunami throughout the Pacific.
Update + Kuni no Alice + Higurashi + Shoujo predictability + cosplay + Death Note + Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood!
July 29, 2011First of all…. OTZ I’m sorry… I always go missing from this blog. I’m probably always apologizing to merely the blog, I know this isn’t very popular, but I still feel the need when I neglect this site… Never fear, I still and will always love anime! I just don’t always feel compelled to write about it. Especially when I’m in the middle of watching or reading something good. >x3
~~~
So I last left off here with a halfway-mark discussion about HnNKnK, and promised to come back and post more once I’d finished. But uh, it was just so good. Dx And now I don’t even know what to say. Just that it was a brilliant anime series, both the original and this sequel ni Kai.
It was so supernatural and yet, the characters, the town, their culture and everything felt so real, human and natural, even right down to the 1980′s setting. Hinamizawa is a town that the viewer (or reader, in the case of the manga) cannot dispel from their mind. It is as haunting as the Oyashiro-sama curse in that it feels so real, that one cannot believe the terrible disaster that will befall the town a few years after the events of the series.
The characters are ones you come to love and root for and cry for, even at their worst – err, craziest – moments. They’re all very colorful and very different from one another, but are believable. On the surface they may seem to have recycled personalities, but their underlying secrets and the skeletons in their closets offer more to them than what they seem. Satoko is a tough, strong and pranky young girl but she has been through enough beatings that when she is suffering through a cycle of abuse oncemore, and the liveliness is drained from her eyes, one can almost feel their upbeat attitude draining as the tragic episode(s) wear on. I know I felt my heart sink seeing her at her lowest point. Each and every main character is seen at their highest and their lowest points throughout the two series, and I think that is one of the strengths of the show. You take a group of relatively normal school friends and put them through their own personal hells and their own personal triumphs, and we are taken deep into who they are. It’s an effective method of character development that leaves even the most typical girly-girl and lover of cute things-type character – in Higurashi’s case, Rena – something truly different from what anyone has ever seen. Their intense emotions and how they deal reveal to the audience who they are, and it makes one think a little more about fictional characters…
That being said, I want to return back to the Great Hinamizawa Disaster. I myself am not certain whether it would still happen, even after the capture of Takano-san (who I am pretty certain was responsible for even that) and the breaking of the repetition of the summer of 1983 (the first episode of ni Kai with an older version of Rena – if it’s true, then I guess it did happen). But if it did… I just cringe at the thought of all those lives lost. The characters I had come to not just adore, so to speak in such a cliche manner, but to… empathize with, almost. The way that it impacts me, saddens me, makes me think “Oh my gosh, in just a few years these people are all going to die, and not even know it…”; it feels as if it were real. I feel about it almost as if it were a non-fictional tragedy. It has the makings of one. I don’t know how else to describe it but, they’re just as oblivious as any one group of victims of a such similar tragedy are. And the audience of Higurashi, like the viewers of the news from across the seas, are the only ones who, on a more grand scale, know what’s going on or what has happened, amid the chaos. (well in Higurashi’s case, no one survived, so only outsiders could be made aware)
~~~
Enough about Higurashi, though it is indeed on my list of favorites now… I’d like to talk a bit about Heart no Kuni no Alice, or Alice in the Country of Hearts. I don’t know if I ever mentioned that I read it, and made two fan comics and all that, but yes, I’m a fan of this manga. =] And today I just finished the series with scanlations of volume 6 (since stinky Tokyopop couldn’t even release it before going under =[ sorry, I know it’s not their fault but I feel that with the whole release date they set, and all, that they probably had all of it translated and enough of it laid-out to be published. Probably not the funds, but…), and I must say I’m disappointed.
A.) Because the cliched ending I expected didn’t happen. Instead cliched ending #2 took place, which was my second theory of what would happen. Spoiler alert. Alice ends up with the prominent douche-bag figure instead of the prominent nice-guy figure. Okay not really a spoiler but kind of, just cryptically. I figured Alice would either end up with Peter or Blood, because Peter seemed so adamant about winning Alice over, and he seemed, especially in volume 5, to hold some sort of mysterious secret. I was theorizing that, like with Blood, he might have a real-world counterpart.
I’m still debating that about Blood, though. In the beginning of the manga Alice looks at Blood and is constantly reminded of someone else, someone who we only see as a shadowy figure from behind. Someone who I surmised broke her heart.
Anyway, so I was getting vibes that maybe Peter had a real-world connection to Alice, somehow, too.
And as for my theory for why Alice would end up with Blood… Well, he’s the other male lead. The one the heroine bickers with often. The one who treats the heroine like a piece of dirt, even after confessing. AND THAT ALWAYS HAPPENS IN SHOUJO! I swear to god, I am not kidding. In about 90% of the manga I read, the girl doesn’t fall for the nice boy – or if she does, she only THINKS she does until the climax of the story and realizes she’s in love with… wait for it… the jerk-y male lead who is probably sexist or puts her down a lot. And for some reason the girls always fall in love with those guys. Sometimes they’re hot enough to get away with it (isn’t that a sad thought though?), but for the most part I’m left raging, and furiously looking up fanfiction in which my dream scenario is played out. =T My favorite guys that I root for never get the heroine. Is it odd that I’m usually on a guy’s side while reading shoujo romances than the girl’s? I think it’s because I think I know better than these girls, better than to get into a relationship that seems will end poorly or after a year or so… *ahem* Anyway.
So it was the douche bag, as usual. However I’m left hopeful that the hints at the end of the last chapter about how Alice may wind up falling for another guy is very plausible. =D Fanfiction.net here I come. xD (I’ve already read a bunch of Boris and Ace related things. I mean, BorisxAlice and AcexAlice. o_o)
Anyway. So I was rooting for the smaller characters, as usual. Boris and Ace. And I always know they WON’T get the girl. Why? It’s a simple formula of sorts. Predictable. The boys that don’t get the girl always have their romantic moments or deep revelations-of-the-past-and-then-bonding-with-the-girl-over-them early on in the series, and it usually only lasts one or two chapters, consecutively. That way their story arc and any deep background info or secrets about them are cleared up and brought out into the open, and the girl has had her “moment” with that character already. At least, this is how it seems to give with reverse harems. Oh and another pattern I notice is that these guys usually fall in love with or at least crush on the girl early on, and before the girl ever does. If and when she has feelings for them. So by the end of the story they’re usually accepting of the girl moving on with another guy and etcetera. But it still hurts to know the sweet underdog loses again to the popular d-bag who acts all distant. =T
…Whereas the guy the heroine initially detests, spends the whole series bickering with, or getting to know the “real side” or “sweeter side” of him is the guy she ends up with. It’s an alpha male sort of guy. He’s hot, in school-life manga he may be a popular guy, an athlete or maybe a bit of a player. He’s also arrogant, egotistical and likes to bash on the heroine at any turn. But there are rare moments sprinkled throughout the series that are like a hammer to the girl’s head, making the heroine forget for a second what a monster he acts like most of the time, and think that there’s a reason behind it. There usually is a reason for his behavior, but not reason enough for him to be a total snob. Example: Len from La Corda d’Oro (did I get it right? The violinist…). Though Chocolat was never finished, I’m assuming: E-wan. The guy from “The S Girl” chapter of “…no Onna”. Kyo from Fruits Basket. Irie in Itazura na Kiss. And on and on. Now sometimes, these guys seem to honestly care for the girl, even through the insults. Other times the insults are just too much and it’s hard to believe he likes her. I do like some of these arrogant guys sometimes, like Oda (was that his name? lol that was a while ago) from Oishii Kankei (A Delicious Relationship), but for the most part, ehhh.
….WOW. I went off on a tangent there. But that’s basically a pattern I noticed with a lot of shoujo. Which breaks my heart early on when I realize the male character I really like isn’t going to make it with the heroine. By this point I should just think ‘to hell with her, she’s stupid for not picking the nice guy’ and be glad he’s not wasting his time with a foolish girl. But because it’s what he wants, and because he’s the nicer guy, even though she’s undeserving most of the time, she should be with him. *sigh* Poor nice guys of the shoujo world. xD They almost never catch a break. And if they do they’re usually nice but incredibly boring. ANYWAY. That’s a whole other story I won’t delve into now.
Bottom line: It was a great series. From volumes 1 through 5. In my opinion. I just thought the ending was, first of all, rushed. And secondly, very predictable for such an awesome series. But given that Alice didn’t explore her relationships with the other guys further and get to know them (and I still think she’s prejudice about Boris’s being a cat-man >.> I’ve read hers and Boris’s game arcs and she seems to be embarrassed to be with him in public in the games), it was inevitably going to boil down to either Blood or Peter.
~~~
Now onto the main event. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. Ah. A series I’ve been meaning to watch for the sake of watching, because it’s popular and everyone knows it.
The only reason I finally started was a.) because I’m preparing for my next anime convention by squeezing in as many mainstream or well-known anime into the Completed section of MyAnimeList as I can and b.) a good friend of mine on deviantART, who made an awesome fanart of Winry, recommended, almost insisted, that I watch or read it ASAP.
So I started Brotherhood, which I hear is more accurate than the 2003 anime (apparently it takes a totally different path in the middle, because the manga was still being made at the time of production…?).
And omigosh. It’s really great.
It’s got everything I need to be kept entertained. A rich story full of deep characters. See Edward and Alphonse, as well as many of the State Alchemists. A tragic backstory that intensely and admirably motivates said main characters, and a tragedy through which they struggle with, showing emotion but prevailing stronger than ever imaginable. It’s got comedy goodness to keep things fresh and comes when you least expect it sometimes. And though it may usually just be another jibe at Edward and his stature, it’s always really great, especially coming from Winry’s grandma (forgot her name…Pinako?). It’s also got hot guys (well, Edward is hot in his own way. Moreso for his strength and determination and emotions than just his appearance. Oh but that Roy Mustang is pretty fine. XD) and what appears to be a bit of romance (WinryxEdward…??). And don’t forget the alchemy and bringing people back from the dead and religious conflicts with alchemy and so on and so forth.
But what’s really keeping me going, apart from the magic, is how… lovely it is. It’s got heart. I use that phrase a lot but I can’t really find a synonym. I have never seen (well, read or watched) a character like Edward before. As a child he was willing to risk everything he had, breaking alchemic taboos in order to revive his sole parent, and then, his own brother’s soul. He became a wonder of nature, metal and man, just to right his own wrongs that he committed in the name of love for the one parent who raised him. He failed, and it cost him his arm, his leg, and his brother’s body. It also filled him to the brim with a lifelong burden of guilt and frustration. But, powerful-alchemist Edward still keeps going. At the end of the day he is not only a hero, an alchemist warrior of the government who is also trying to right his wrongs and get he and his brother’s bodies back to normal, but he is also so very human. Most heroes do have emotions, that’s what compels them to do many things, sure. But Edward has both motivational emotions and emotions for the people around him who suffer. His brother, a bodyless soul affixed to an empty suit of armor. Nina, the little girl who was turned into a chimera and later killed by a vengeful victim of war. And, even though I’m only on episode 7 now, I’m sure countless more people to come.
But at the same time, he isn’t a weepy hero who lets his emotions not only motivate him but also break him down. No, he feels pain and sorrow, and he grieves. But he doesn’t let it distract him from his goals, from saving people as an alchemist and trying to find a method of restoring he and his brother.
It’s… just very enjoyable. Edward is like the every-man who just happens to be a kickass hero, but he’s also a lot more than that, from what I see. He’s the kind of hero we can really understand and empathize with. He goes through his own personal tragedies like we do, he deals with them like we do. He also strives to protect those he loves and the people of the city. He is strong but not indestructable. He is capable of being broken down but gets right back up again. He would rather die than see his brother face a mortal fate as well. He is like a combination of the people we are, the people we hope to be, and the people we can be.
I just can’t wait to see how this story progresses. It’s amazing.
~~~
That’s about it. In other news, I received my two Death Note boxed sets in the mail. =3 Yep, I ordered the series. I’m a sucker for it… I’ve come to realize I’m really into not only mysteries but gritty detective and crime stories. I watch a lot of that kind of stuff on American TV shows and in movies, and I’m really into it. And Death Note kind of satisfied that interest of mine. And more. Anyway. So yeah, I’m the proud owner of it now. =3 I got it really cheap, too. Amazon, baby. Would have been well over $100 at regular price but I paid for the price or less than the price of one at regular price. >w<
Let’s see… My cosplay for Youmacon is already complete! =D Has been for a loooong time. Wig, shoes, and everything. In fact I’m so overprepared for my cosplay that I’m already thinking of what my next ones will be. Next year I’m definitely gonna be Wedy from Death Note, or maybe Naomi Misora. At some point I’d love to do a more radical and… grand costume. Something that would cost me a lot, hehe. Like Sailor Venus, and Rena Ryuguu. And Akari from Aria. And a crossplay as Boris Airay. <3
Oh, that reminds me — I’m getting so psyched for the upcoming re-release of Sailor Moon: the manga and Sailor V!! =D I’m so going to buy those. And speaking of future releases, I absolutely cannot wait for the Kuni no Alice anime film to be released and subbed. It’s supposedly a totally new storyline (or is just “totally new” as in not based on the manga? because that could mean it’s just based on a gameplay arc, which would be sooo disappointing), so that will be even more exciting. =3
Erm. I dunno what else to say, so I’m just going to go back to either FMA or start watching Death Note. For the third time. xDD
Ciao!
P.S. Random Note #1: I just love the character of Major Alex Louis Armstrong in FMA. He’s hilarious. xD He’s beefy and tough but… such a sappy weirdo. xD He makes me laugh so hard. So unpredictable, that guy.
P.S.S. I may like Higurashi the anime, but I’m not so fond of the manga. Why? Each arc is drawn by a different artist. And only one of them I liked. The rest made Shion and Mion’s already-too-big boobs even bigger. =__= Higurashi is shounen but not ecchi, for chrissakes. At least the anime isn’t. And I prefer it that way. Focus on the big picture plot, not the big picture…yeah. Keiichi was such a perv in one of the volumes I swear.
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