I realised I've watched many series already so I thought I should do a little "summary" by creating a list of top animes by genre/categories. Animes on this list I strongly recommend to ANYONE, not just fans of anime. As long as you are interested in the genre you should check it out. The number beside the name is the year the anime was released.


Romance




















Champion : Kimi ni Todoke (2009)
Runner-up : Clannad & Clannad After Story (2008)
Honourable mention : True Tears (2008)


Fantasy














Champion : Legend of the Legendary Heroes (2010)
Runner-up : Fate/Stay Night (2006)
Honourable mention : Scrapped Princess (2003)


Action











Champion : Durarara!! (2010)
Runner-up : High School of the Dead (2010)
Honourable mention : Nurarihyon no Mago (2010)
















Champion : Elfen Lied (2004)
Runner-up : High School of the Dead (2010)
Honourable mention : Higurashi no Naku koro ni (2007)





















Champion : Monster (2004)
Runner-up : Blood+ (2005)
Honourable mention : Chaos;Head (2008)



















Champion : B Gata H Kei (2010)
Runner-up : Sora no Otoshimono & Sora no Otoshimono Forte (2009)
Honourable mention : School Rumble (2004)























Champion : Skip Beat! (2008)
Runner-up : Full Moon wo Sagashite (2002)
Honourable mention : Glass Mask (2005)


List is incomplete, will get around to the other genres when I have time. Genres left : Harem, Tragedy, Shounen, Sci-Fi, Drama, Supernatural, Best graphics, Best character, Best animation.

Merry Christmas from Morishima Senpai!!

Soon it will be the new year, and a new year begets new beginnings!

Finally done with Legend of the Legendary Heroes. While this show has a very interesting story, all 24 episodes of it was spent on the INTRODUCTION. As of now there is no news of a second season but they damn well better make one. Legend has a lot of promise in it, as despite being an introduction into the world, it was very interesting and kept me wanting to find out what is going to happen next.



So after you're done with 24 episodes, you are simply given a glimpse into a world filled with violence, prejudice, and political intrigue. This is no lame shounen show where action is the only focus. Despite that, the action sequences are pretty intense well animated. I especially like the spell effects and how menacing they look. Fits well into a show where children killing is not shun away from and decapitations are abundant. In terms of violence it comes pretty close to the likes of claymore and elfen lied.

The first season deals with establishing the world where the characters live in as well as fleshing out the MAIN driving force of the whole story. There is no conclusion at the end and you are left with many questions unanswered, but it gives you a good idea of the conflicts in the world. It also gives you a glimpse into the past of the various characters so you can understand their motivations as well as their personality. At the end of the first season, I have grown an intense liking for Ferris whose jokes at Ryner's expense were absolutely hilarious (they are 2 of the main characters).

Another thing to like about this show is there is no distinct right and wrong. As is the case in reality. This show deals with many shades of gray, such as is it right to kill if it is for survival. While usually I don't like shows that pretends to be philosophical/deep, this show as struck me as a damn close reflection of our society and I can sympathize with the actions carried out by the characters. Even the "villains".

"Hentai power.......... UNLEASH!!!!!!!"

While this show is mostly serious, humour floats to the surface every now and then. This is usually in the form of the exchange between Ryner and Ferris. They are one of the greatest comedy duos I have ever seen. In a show as serious as this, the humour is a much appreciated reprieve. Of course, when it is supposed to be serious, the show does not shoot itself in the foot by shoving in a random joke to break the tension. That would not be the right use for comic relief.

This show doesn't seem to have received much coverage/fanfare but I truly believe this show deserves attention. It is what you call a rare diamond in the rough. I strongly encourage anyone who likes a serious show, or simply a fan of fantasy to give this show a chance. Hopefully if it's popular enough there will be a second season. Actually, a second season is very likely.

When they say ignorance is bliss, boy are they right..

Managed to gain some shocking information today and I'm still reeling from it.. Hope I can get back to normal tomorrow.

今どんな顔すればいいの？

しらなくてよかったのに。

明日普通に戻るだといいね...

More than a year hiatus already huh... Reviving this blog to practise writing in japanese.

The once a year anime festival asia held in Singapore ended on 14/11. My original intention was to go on the 13th only as the main attraction for me was Kana Hanazawa dialogue session. However, as my friends decided to go down on 14th, I decided to join them, and boy am I glad I did. I manage to get my photo taken with the beautiful -aira-!

Anyway, I am getting way ahead of myself here.

Day 1:

The marketplace was kind of boring, as there was nothing I had in mind that I wanted to buy. Saw this "Mini Stage" thingy which was not mentioned in the brochure so I was intrigued by it. The very first event on that mini stage was a photo-taking session with cosplayer KANAME!! So I read through the events to be staged on that mini-stage and lo and behold, I see a photo-taking session with -aira-! That got me SO psyched.

Went to the main stage area for a bit to check out Danny Choo's presentation. He was an entertaining fella although it was kind of insulting when he mentioned over the PA system that should he speak with a British accent Singaporeans would not understand him. But I guess it was all in good humour.

Loot for the day was CHAOS Visual Arts cards from Bushiroad which I shared with my friend. I was just waiting for time to pass so I can see the sweet Kana Hanazawa. We went to the stage area after lunch to try to snag a front row seat but it was a futile effort. We did manage to get a rather decent position for the Milky Holmes showcase. Following which some people left their seats so we snuck forward and manage to get a seat in row D. I was seat D22.

And finally the highlight of the day, KANA HANAZAWA!!! The fans went WILD cheering for her. She looks rather plain, easily like any girl you see off the streets, but her voice is like an angel (well she voiced Angel in Angel Beats). First off was a Q&A session. I can't remember most of the questions but I distinctly remember the seiyuu she respects the most is *drum rolls* AYAKO KAWASUMI!!! She then did a live dubbing of the last scene in Angel Beats where Tachibana Kanade disappears after her confession to the protagonist (Sorry I cannot remember his name). She was simply amazing in this segment. Truly, a professional seiyuu.

For fans of Black Rock Shooter, the ANIME SERIES of Black Rock Shooter was announced and would start, I think, either Winter or Spring.

At the end of her segment, there was an autograph session. 5 LUCKY persons are chosen at random to receive her autograph. I missed my chance by 2 MISERABLE seats. She called D24 which was an EMPTY seat, however, someone who happened to place his bag on it ran up to the stage to claim the prize which rightfully does not belong to him.

With that Day 1 ended for me.

Day 2:

Arrived early in the day with my friends, Dexter, Ting Jun, and Wen Pu. As soon as the gate opens, we made our way to the mini stage area in hopes to be one of the first in line to get our photos taken with the lovely cosplayer -aira-. This was my most memorable event for AFAX Heheh.

Following which we walked around looking at the booths. TJ and Dex went around taking photos with cosplayers, WP looked at the katanas, and I was shopping for a nice pillow to bring home (settled with C.C.).

After lunch we fought our way through the throngs to get to the front, near the stage, for the Regional Cosplay Championships. For the first time, I manage to hear -aira-'s voice as she provided comments on the performance. While not as nice as Kana's voice, her voice is pretty cute too.

After the Cosplay championship, TJ and Dex left the stage area while I waited for the Aira & Kaname cosplay panel. Before that was a chance to see May'N in the flesh! I only found out about her recently when I researched on Macross Frontier and found out she provided the singing voice for Galactic Fairy Sheryl Nome.



Following that was Aira & Kaname panel. The first part was Q&A session. I didn't remember most of the questions asked, but 2 questions stood out to me. First was the same for both,

Choose :
a) Cosplay a good-looking character but you don't really like this character
b) Cosplay an ugly character but you really love this character.

Both Aira and Kaname picked B with roughly the same reasons. They will get tired of putting in effort getting the costume right for a character that they have no passion for.

2nd question was for Aira. Does she mind wearing very skimpy costumes that show off alot of skin.

Her answer was, quite unsurprisingl, No. She said as long as it's faithful to the character design she would follow through as changing it would mean she's no longer faithful to the character. She then asked what do Singaporeans think of wearing clothes that revealed lots of skin.

Hint : Guys LOVE it >.<

They were then asked to demonstrate good poses to hold when taking photographs. This was the cue to the crowd to start snapping away. I wasn't near the front so unfortunately I only managed to take photos of hands. Lots of them. I had to wait for everyone in front to get their fill before I can take photos of them. By then I did not have much time to focus and take the shot. I curse my height.

After showing what you SHOULD do in a pose, they were asked to show what you SHOULD NOT do in a pose. ie a bad pose. This segment was hilarious and the crowd was laughing at the ridiculous poses that the 2 cosplayers were doing. They were demonstrating common mistakes that amateur cosplayers make.

As the segment comes to a close, 2 lucky person was given the chance to pose with them and shake their hands.



She looks ALOT like Tifa from Advent Children doesn't she?

With that, the last day of AFAX ended for me. I felt this was a really interesting event and totally worth the $30 I shelled out for it. I am looking forward to AFA 2011 and hope to see distinguished seiyuus/guests attending. Hope it will once again be held in Singapore so it would be easier for me to attend.

Sorry, won't be posting in Japanese, feeling too lazy and this post is way too lengthy for my amateur Japanese skills.

Here's some photos of Aira taken from SGcafe blog as my camera is too fail.

These few days events seem like a blur and it feels so unreal.. And yet, I can feel God's hand in this. It seems all my worries got dispelled almost instantly. However, now more worries have settled in, but nvm, spare the details.

I'm really grateful to Him, His promise is real, He will lead you out of whatever trouble you land yourself in. I should trust more in Him. In time, I believe He will provide me with everything I need.

Anyway, I got posted to PLAB, same place as dex. NUS and NTU have both accepted me already. Now I'm just waiting for Melb uni. I need to make full use of this, God has been ever so gracious. Going to church this sunday. I hope God, through His words, can help me through these trying times.

Ytd, before book-out, was listening to radio in the office. For once I hear a relient K song on 987 fm! They were playing Be My Escape. Then suddenly tears welled up in my eyes, I dono la, Relient K songs always touch my heart. That song rly tells how God is always there for you, no matter how deep a mess you got yourself in, He is the key to solve all your problems, so we need to trust in Him. Lucky no one in camp saw hehe..

This week past by quite un-eventfully. I miss school. I want to be studying again. Saturday went out wif TJ Dex and XY to watch movie at cineleisure. We wanted to watch knowing but in the end watched Fast and Furious because the there were no seats left. Sigh, nxt week then can watch Knowing. Fast and Furious was kind of... Ho-hum to me.. I think I'm just not into racing... And if i wanted to watch a show about wreckage and mayhem, transformers would be better.

Before the movie started, we went to play pool, TJ and I, XY and Dex. Quite fun la, playing wif friends haha, I think pool is just a game to socialise with buddies. I rmb last time I went with my class I was bored to tears. Not a nice thing to say but it's just what I feel.. ANyways, I sarbo TJ lose 2 games, sad.. First one we were winning by a large margin, den I accidentally hit the black ball in. ZZZ.. Last game cause we were rushing for time, movie starting soon. So I keep giving them free ball, end up lose. But, tis ok, friendly game anyway.

Sat was definitely the highlight of the week. Today I went to BPP on a mission. After that I went to Glenn's house to ka jiao him and jolene. but in the end I played on his comp for awhile den chatted wif him about army stuff. nth much, stayed there about 1 hr 30 mins. After that met my family for dinner.

Sigh, I've been feeling very tired these days. Both physically and emotionally. Mainly cause my soul is so tired that my body becomes lethargic. Sigh, I just want to lay down and rest already... 18 yet I feel like 80, waiting for death's embrace. I think my depression is setting in again... Funny how the psychiatrist can't see that I'm actually feeling depressed. I'm not supposed to feel this way, I've already talked myself into believing that time can solve problems, but I guess I'm too impatient. I keep telling myself to wait, endure this time, good things come to those who wait, yet i see around me, good things come all the time to people, why is it I can't seem to be happy...

I'm thinking of going back to church, hopefully God can help me. But I'm actually quite fustrated with Him. Sigh, oh me of little faith... Now I'm just praying He would take my life. I feel myself at a dead end again, with the walls closing in around me, sigh, I wish time would just stop. Anyway, life is so meaningless now...