Levi was so cool in yesterday’s episode. The animation was great. Who else is watching Attack on Titan Season 3?
Thanks to those who encourage me to do more art. My passion for drawing died a long time ago, but encouragement makes me want to draw again.
Episode 4 was released today and I have to say… I am very disappointed with the series overall. This anime series is based on a game.
Synopsis
Rachel wakes up in a creepy room and quickly learns that her life is in danger because a killer is on the loose. She discovers that every floor has a killer and in order to escape the building she is in, she must go through each floor, with a different killer waiting for her.
The first killer is Zack, and due to reasons he joins Rachel. They work together to escape the building.
I loved the first episode, probably more than a lot of other bloggers did. I thought the premise was interesting, and thought Zack looked cool. I liked his craziness and thought that Rachel was a level-headed character. There were graphic scenes in the first episode, so I thought the series would be scary.
Sadly the first episode raised my expectations too high, which led to bitter disappointment with the later episodes. Let’s start with the main characters. Rachel was like a normal person in the first episode, running for her life and hiding from the killer. At the end of the first episode, she lost all her personality and became listless. I found it extremely hard to relate to her character, and increasingly became more and more irritated with her. She doesn’t have any drive and doesn’t react to anything. It’s kind of tiresome to watch her, honestly.
For the first three episodes, I liked Zack. He was a huge reason for continuing the show, but the fourth episode was a disappointment because I realized how stupid he is. I don’t have strong opinions on the antagonists either. None of the characters are likable, and that’s really important for any story.
Now let’s talk about other elements of the anime. Any scariness in the show was in episode one. The rest of the episodes so far have been lackluster. I think the problem is that they try to be funny which takes away from the experience. We are reminded that we are watching something, rather than letting ourselves be absorbed with the show.
Instead of throwing up a rainbow, why don’t you show me actual vomit
I tried really hard to like this show. Even when other anime bloggers were expressing their dislike for the show, I was more optimistic. However, the fourth episode was terrible and I’m thinking about dropping it.
What are your thoughts of Angels of Death so far? Will you be continuing it or dropping it?
I’ve never done an unboxing blog post before, so I thought I could do it with this. Relatives from China gifted us a lot of presents, and this is one of them.
I didn’t expect gifts at all, so this was a huge surprise. I opened the box and saw Snow White’s red apple. At first I thought it was a beautiful ornament, and then…
Doesn’t this look an ornament? Please tell me I’m not the only one…
Then I realized you could open it, and inside was a necklace made out of real gold. O__O There is a laminated Certificate of Precious Metal Test, saying that it’s a gold necklace.
There are other papers too, and that’s how I found out that the name of the necklace is <>. I think that’s beautiful, especially since I was feeling blue.
The necklace is part of the 3D series.
^_^ Everything I own is fairly inexpensive, so this is a special gift to me.
I cosplayed as Mitsuha from Kimi no Na Wa/Your Name for a short time at the Summer Festival. A wig would be too hot in this weather, so I didn’t wear one. I didn’t spend any money on this cosplay!
Click here if you want to see old cosplay photos of Mitsuha in a navy skirt.
I went to Summer Festival again this year and bought Durarara!! pins for my future ita bag. It will be DRRR themed with a focus on Izaya. I would make it all Izaya, but that would be a little difficult… unless I order everything online, which IS a possibility. MoyaΒ had a booth and sold buttons! She actually pressed the middle four buttons for me and gave one to me for free. β€
The keychain is Gumshoe from Ace Attorney. I also bought a brown wig.
Listening to:Β Aimer – Last Stardust &Β TK from Ling tosite sigure –Β fu re te fu re ru
Thanks TenshiΒ and Rayz for the song recommendations. You guys know my music taste hahaha
Most manga posts talk about the plot and characters. Panels, gutter, speech bubbles, sound effects, font, motion lines, and overall page layout are sometimes overlooked when in fact, the impact of these definitely make a contribution to the work.
Spoilers ahead.
1. Context
Light picked up the Death Note, which grants the user the ability to kill a person provided that they know the name and face of the person they wish to kill. He has just finished reading the rules of the Death Note.
Thoughts
The bottom panel is all black. This foreshadows that Light will use the Death Note. Although in an earlier panel he says that it’s stupid, there is a contradiction between what he is saying and what the panel shows us.
2. Context
Light tested the Death Note in person. He wrote ‘traffic accident’ as cause of death, and a traffic accident happened right in front of him.
Thoughts
This death confirmed that the Death Note is real. The entire page is dedicated to this one panel. One, the death is shocking to Light and shocking to us as well. Two, we can bet that things will only get more interesting from here on in.
3. Context
At a G8 Summit, officials representing countries from around the world are arguing over Kira. Kira is the name given to the killer of the criminals. As we know, Light is Kira and he has been mass-killing criminals in order to create a “better world.”
Thoughts
I am focusing on the last panel of this page, but the entire page works as a whole because the rest of the panels emphasize the importance of the text in the last panel. This page is cluttered! There’s a lot of people and bickering, represented by the spiky speech bubbles. Then there’s the last panel, and the background is white. The text silences everyone. From this, we know that L is a very important person.
4. Context
The top half is a flashback, while the bottom half is present day. In the flashback, L talks about a direct confrontation with Kira. In the present day, the Japanese police are watching the public broadcast for the direct confrontation.
Thoughts
Instead of focusing on the panels this time, I am focusing on the gutter. The gutter is the space between the panels. Normally it is all white. However, because we have a flashback, the gutter is black. We can tell that it is a flashback because of the gutter.Β Then, the gutter gradually transitions from black to white. This signifies that we are brought back to the present.
5. Context
A man by the name of Lind L. Tailor claims to be L on TV, and says that Kira is evil. This riles up Light, and he writes down the man’s name in the Death Note.
Thoughts
Light usually writes the names on the lines but here, he writes Lind L. Tailor’s in huge letters. The first letter of the name takes up the space of over five lines! Light’s writing is not straight and you can tell that he wrote this quickly. Just by looking at his writing, you know how Light was feeling. He was pissed!
6. Context
So it turns out that Lind L. Tailor is not the real L. Now the real L is talking to Kira through the same public broadcast. L managed to dupe Light by proving that Kira exists, that Kira is able to kill without being present, and that Kira is located in the Kanto region of Japan.
Thoughts
Look at those motion lines! Motion lines are usually done when there’s an action, but we have a television screen in this panel. The scene is dramatic and it shows how amazing L is.
I hope that by writing this post, everyone will appreciate all the decisions made in manga and ALL comics!
Izaya Orihara is my favourite anime character. When I tell this to people who have watched Durarara!! they usually ask me why I love him. One friend told me he would punch Izaya if he met him in person. Even my brother does not like Izaya.
Let’s start with who he is. Izaya is an underground information broker. He’s one of the main antagonists in the series and he basically caused most of the drama and violence, which is why a lot of people don’t like him.
I do think that Izaya is attractive, but there’s so much more to it than that. Good looks may be enough for me to make him my favourite character in DRRR but not enough for him to be my favourite character of all time!
Let’s start with looks first. I do have a “type” in anime boys LOL and they are boys with dark hair. Lelouch from Code Geass, Ikuto from Shugo Chara, Lucifer from Devil is a Part-Timer, Levi from Attack on Titan, and Yato from Noragami are other examples of this. I used to like boys with long white hair and boys with red hair but now it’s black or purple hair. I like Izaya’s clothes and the rings he wears. I like how he carries a knife around, especially with all the gang violence going on inΒ Ikebukuro. I mean, he is responsible for almost all the drama LOL. I love his voice (Japanese) too.
People tell me that Izaya is crazy and I can see why they say that. He did stomp on a girl’s cellphone just for fun. I also have a history of liking characters who do questionable things, especially since most of my favourite characters are villains. Tomura from My Hero Academia, Hidan from Naruto Shippuden, and Suzuya from Tokyo Ghoul are also my favourite characters.Β I like villains because they make the story interesting. What would a story be without an antagonist?
I have to make this clear though: Just because I like a FICTIONAL character, does not mean I agree or support everything they do. It just means that I like them. I’m not going to justify Izaya’s actions in this post.
Another thing that makes me love an anime character is intelligence. Conan from Detective Conan, Light and L from Death Note, Shikamaru from Naruto, and Lelouch are intelligent characters that make the show interesting. Although it is often overlooked, Izaya is very intelligent. He is successful at what he does and is theΒ manipulative mastermind behind many of the misunderstandings that happened in DRRR.
What really made me like him were his quotes and his philosophy on life. Every time I truly fall for a character or celebrity, it’s because they made a real impact on my life.Β
Prior to watching DRRR, I was quick to judge other peoples’ faults without checking myself. How can I expect those close to me to be perfect human beings if I have faults myself? It was a reality check and I do think it changed my outlook on life. I accepted the parts I didn’t like about certain people and I felt happier.
His quote on evolving is one of my favourite quotes. I love how unexpected events make Izaya laugh. Spoiler alert: Izaya has been robbed, stabbed and kidnapped but he just rolls with it.
When something doesn’t go the way I planned it to, I just need to remind myself to “evolve” and then I can change my entire outlook of the situation. Then I am back to normal. Lately I’ve been forgetting to remind myself of this quote but when I do think about it, I change my mindset and I feel so much better!
One of the reasons why I love the game, Catherine (I wrote about it in a previous blog post) is because I had to continuously adapt to the circumstances in order to survive. It’s a similar concept.
I donβt believe in God. Because he doesnβt have a fixed form. The past certainly does exist, even in a world where the future doesnβt have a fixed form. Even if itβs being colored by misunderstandings and delusions, a personβs past canβt be anything but the truth as long as he believes in it. If thatβs what you base your actions or your way of life on, isnβt that like being god?β – Izaya Orihara
Interpret this quote as you will, but it helped me. I am an atheist, but it’s the last part of the quote that’s more important to me. Prior to watching and reading DRRR manga and light novels, I let something that I did affect me for a couple of years. The quote helped me realize that I didn’t want the past to control me like that anymore and afterwards I became much happier.
Izaya’s favourite quote is the following:
It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious.” – Oscar Wilde
I agree with Wilde’s quote, and it’s similar to my blog’s name, Wretched and Divine. I have been asked why my blog is named ‘Wretched and Divine’ so I will address that now!Β It’s named after an album by Black Veil Brides. Andy Biersack, singer of BVB, sums it up.
I think on any given day somebody could help out a homeless person and cuss out somebody that cut them off in traffic and I think that everybody has that inside them, itβs just how you live that balance β so I think everybody is βWretched and Divine.β – Andy Biersack
Back to Izaya – Izaya and I think about a lot of the same things. Not only that, but his quotes got me to think and see life a little bit differently.
Izaya does things for fun. My favourite singer, Hua Chenyu is similar because he doesn’t care what others think and is individualistc. Hua Chenyu once talked about changing your mindset when you cannot make up your own rules in a structured environment. It’s the reality of the real world, while DRRR is fiction. One of the reasons why I love One Piece is because the main characters are pirates, and can do what they want. I feel like these people are the most authentic. Anyways, this might be confusing, lol.
A bit random, but Izaya and I both dislike sweets and like sushi and bitter foods. (I like bitter melon a lot.)Β He also has a cute side to him!
I don’t know if these anime characters and quotes will be relatable to you because everyone is different, but they are to me.
1. Usagi from Sailor Moon
Usagi says exactly what I’m thinking.Β Sailor Moon has so many awesome quotes. I did enjoy the anime a ton when I was in elementary school so yes, I recommend it.
I don’t know about you, but I used to have this thought before I even knew this was a Sailor Moon quote.
Same…
2. Umaru from Himouto! Umaru-chan
Umaru is the perfect model student at school but when she’s at home, she acts pretty differently. I would not say that I’m a model student because I don’t act that much different in public but her home life is similar to mine.
Pop, snacks, manga, games, comfy clothes and blanket make up my paradise too. ^^
When people message me when I’m watching a good episode, I don’t reply LOL.
3. Any fujoshi in anime…
Anime: Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii
4. Lucifer from The Devil is a Part-Timer!
Lucifer is a NEET who likes playing games and browsing the internet. He’s also very lazy. Except for the NEET part, I feel him on a spiritual level. Side note: He’s so good-looking!
5. Snorlax from Pokemon
Snorlax is my favourite Pokemon and he stays true to himself. He likes to sleep and eat. π
Honourable mentions:
These are unedited photos I took at Miniature World in Victoria. Miniature World is a museum where everything is tiny. There were so many displays and admission is $16 for adults. For point of reference… imagine the Colossal Titan from Attack on Titan.
HAHAHA!
The details are incredible. Every display contains so much – it’s hard to capture everything in just one photo.
Day versus night at the circus. Some displays turn dark and they have cool lights.
I went on a trip to Victoria with the crew. I took these photos with my camera (not phone camera) so these photos are not edited, except for the last one.
Craigdarroch Castle
I wanted to post a photo of this beautiful piano but unfortunately the picture I took is blurry. π¦
Chinatown
Chinatown in Victoria is tiny! A lot of shops aren’t run by Asian people either but the lanterns look nice. I regret not buying a No Face plush keychain (from Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away). TT_TT There was a Totoro one too. I do think that Totoro is cuter but I like No Face more.
Ferry
ONE PIECE!
Part 2 will be on Miniature World. I have a lot more photos for that which is why there are two parts.
Wretched and Divine 