Monthly Archives: January 2020

Why Do I Blog?

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Blogging is my hobby so I would say that I blog for myself. Sometimes I ask myself why I blog, or why I cosplay or draw. Sometimes I have thoughts like, “There will always be people who do it better than you. What impact do you make?” but I don’t think that this is a correct way of thinking. Undoubtedly, there are people who are better but there is only one of you- and no one can be better at being you. 

1. I blog because I hate boredom. I become bored very easily, did you know? 

2. Even though I say that I blog for myself, I still want my writing to impact at least one person. One person, that’s all I wish for. I believe that I have accomplished this. Should there ever be a time where absolutely no one reads my blog, I am unsure if I would keep writing. 

You could argue that the satisfaction I gain from impacting another person is still blogging for myself. 

3. I need an outlet. I spend so much time watching shows. How could I not write down my thoughts about an episode or show that left a big impression on me? 

4. My hope is that people will become interested in the things I like after reading my posts. ^^

5. Online friends and the AniBlogger community. This should be placed higher but I’m listing these in random order. I’ve been lucky enough to have met a couple of blogger friends in real life. ^^

6. I can convey how I feel through writing. When I write a blog post, I feel like I am writing a letter. 

7. It is a record. This is probably one of the most important reasons to me. 

8. “Hey! I exist!” This is also a feeling I want to convey when I update my blog. I really value all the comments, emails, and messages I receive from readers and blogger friends. 

9. I don’t want to stop writing. Sure, I write messages through social media every day. I argue that writing on the blog is different and I don’t want to lose the routines of reading or writing.  

10. I genuinely enjoy blogging.

11. Self-care.

I don’t have desires to monetize my blog or make money off of my blog. I don’t want to make a career out of this. As Lumi said before, my blog is my corner of the internet. 

My Favourites in One Piece

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I am not caught up on One Piece (I know, I have to…) but I’ll try to answer these as best as I can. The first few arcs of the anime were the best for me.

Favourite Episode

There are over 900 episodes. I think my favourite episode is when Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Nami and Usopp were about to enter the Grand Line. I remember replaying this scene several times because it was such a special moment for me. Everyone has a different reason for becoming a pirate but they all work together. Q_Q

Favourite Arc

There are over 30 arcs but my favourite arc is the Enies Lobby arc. The Pantless Anime Blogger and I worked on a collab back in February 2018 on this arc! Wow, it’s been nearly a year.

There are two parts to the collab- it’s long! You can find them on TPAB’s blog. 🙂

Favourite Opening Song

There are over 20 opening songs but my favourite opening is Hikari E by The Babystars. It’s one of the earlier openings from when I had just gotten into One Piece. Back then, One Piece was my world.

Favourite Character

There are over 1000 characters but this one is easy to answer. My favourite character is Roronoa Zoro. Luffy is my second favourite character.

I like Zoro because he is fiercely loyal to his captain Luffy, has so much trust in his friends, is strong, and has cute sides to him as well.

Favourite Straw Hat

Roronoa Zoro.

Favourite Movie

There are over 15 movies but I have only seen a couple. My favourite movie from what I have watched is One Piece Film: Gold.

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I really need to catch up on One Piece. ^^

Future cosplay idea of mine

Posted in Drawing by

I have the mask already, I’m just tired.

There’s a reason why I love No Face. I wrote a bit about it here. I still believe that No Face is the embodiment of a person’s personality and desires. I also believe that the environment is really important.

In Case You Missed It: My Favourite Posts of 2019

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Here are my favourite posts of 2019. I’m thinking of writing a post for each year but we shall see.

Leaving Twitter

Deleting my Twitter account was a huge change for me. I do miss my friends but it was not a good place for me (due to reasons outlined in the post).

Finding Inspiration in Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer)

This was my submission for Jon’s Creator Showcase- November 2019 Edition. The Infinite Zenith did a fabulous job with hosting!

The Rising of the Shield Hero Impressions: Episodes 1-7

I had fun writing episodic mini reviews.

Beautiful Hydrangeas

These are the first shots I took with my DSLR. I love hydrangeas.

Sea of Flowers

My friends and I went to a sunflower festival and we had fun taking pictures. I like the wildflower photos the most.

Megumin – KonoSuba Cosplay 

I borrowed a cosplay from a fellow Anime Club exec. These photos are from a cos test the day before Clubs day at the university.

Inktober 2019 – Days 1-3 

This was my first time participating in Inktober. It pushed me to draw a lot.

Steam Clock in Gastown, Vancouver 

A lot of you guys liked my photos of the steam clock in Vancouver. Some of you thought it was a screenshot from an anime, which I thought was quite amusing.

My Thoughts on Weathering With You – Makoto Shinkai 2020 Film

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So many ani bloggers are writing about this movie so I thought I should join in on the fun. The director is Makoto Shinkai, who also directed Your Name/Kimi no Na Wa. I watched Weathering With You today in the theatres. Tickets sell out really fast, which speaks a little to how popular Shinkai’s movies are. I’ll try not to spoil plot points.

There was an interview with Makoto Shinkai after the credits, which was extremely cool. Some things made more sense and I appreciated other things more after learning about the development of the movie.

I don’t like comparing works but I feel like it is inevitable to compare Weathering With You with Your Name. Most people I know liked Your Name better, but I actually liked this one more. I think it is an unpopular opinion but these are my reasons:

1) The side characters have a bigger presence. In Your Name, the memorable characters are Mitsuha and Taki. I barely remember anyone else. In Weathering With You, my favourite characters are two of the side characters.

2) I really, really appreciate all the rain scenes. Shinkai talked about the challenges of animating rain but the team went above and beyond. There are so many rain scenes.

3) I like the take on nature. Shinkai talked about this but in his previous films, nature was something celebratory. In this one, he takes on a darker turn with nature. I think that this is especially relevant with climate change. It motivates me to do more for the environment. This might be the pessimistic side of me coming out, but I really liked how things ended.

I am so happy that RADWIMPS’s songs are in this movie. I do think that the songs were catchier in Your Name, but I am not sure if catchy songs would suit Weathering With You. I think the songs were appropriate to the film. Another thing I liked more in Your Name was the cultural piece. Culture was a significant theme in Your Name, which made it really unique.

I think the ending could have been a little longer. It did feel a little unsatisfactory. They could have given us something while the credits were rolling but it’s a minor thing.

The movie had a lot of funny moments and emotional moments as well. I definitely recommend this movie. You will like it if you enjoyed Your Name. It is my favourite Shinkai film so far and I feel very happy to have seen it. ^_^ Go watch it in theatres!

My Top Anime of the Decade List

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I’ll be sharing my favourite anime that were aired each year from the years 2010-2019. Since I watch completed anime as well, I’ll be going with the aired date and not the year I watched the anime. Fun fact: I’ve been watching anime for about 13 years.

2010 – Durarara!!

My favourite anime character of all time is from this anime (Izaya Orihara) and I think this anime is really unique. The music is beautifully done and you just fall in love with Ikebukuro. All of the opening and ending songs are amazing.

2011 – Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji: Hakairoku-hen (Kaiji Season 2)

Kaiji is my second favourite anime (my first favourite is One Piece). This season ended in such a fantastic way. The opening song is great. I felt really nervous during some moments of the anime but that’s part of the fun. I really wish for a season 3.

Runner-up: Sekaiichi Hatsukoi

Sekaiichi Hatsukoi was my first BL anime and continues to be one of my favourite BL anime. This is the anime that started my fujo journey lolol.

2012 – Saint☆Oniisan

This is only two episodes but I thought this anime was really funny. I recommend watching the movie as well. It’s about Jesus Christ and Gautama Buddha living together in an apartment in Tokyo.

2013 – Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan)

My favourite season of Attack on Titan is actually Season 3 Part 2 but Season 1 is great. It got me interested in watching all the episodes of Attack on Titan thus far and I will watch the next season when it is out.

2014 – Zankyou no Terror

I really love the music in this anime. This is one of my favourite anime.

Runner-up: Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu (Parasyte)

2015 – Tokyo Ghoul √A (Tokyo Ghoul Season 2)

I’m a big fan of Tokyo Ghoul because I love the themes of what it means to be a ghoul and what it means to be a human. I also love the music. Juuzou Suzuya is my favourite character – I liked this season because Juuzou and Shinohara had precious moments together.

2016 – Boku dake ga Inai Machi (Erased)

The ending was rushed so I did not like that, but everything else was done well. The Japanese live-action on Netflix is an amazing adaptation so I recommend the live-action as well. They did something different with the ending.

Runner-up: Mob Psycho 100

I did like the second season of Mob Psycho 100 more, but I really enjoyed watching this one.

2017 – Inuyashiki

The opening song by Man With a Mission got me into the band and then I attended their concert in 2019 – it was awesome. I really like the concept of two people having the same powers and abilities but using them for completely different reasons: one who cures people of diseases while the other goes on a murder spree.

Runner-ups: Made in Abyss

I couldn’t narrow it down to just one runner-up… I definitely recommend Made in Abyss. The animation, cute character design (but don’t be fooled, it is a twisted anime), and music – everything is great.

Net-juu no Susume (Recovery of an MMO Junkie)

This anime is adorable and it’s one of my favourite romance anime.

2018 – Koi wa Ameagari no You ni (After the Rain)

One of the most visually appealing anime I have seen. It makes me feel so calm because of the cool tones and beautiful backgrounds. I fell in love with hydrangeas after watching this anime. The music is beautiful and I like the themes of books and loss (Masami Kondou gave up on writing a book and enjoys reading books; Akira Tachibana got into an accident and lost the ability to run). I reviewed this anime.

Runner-up: Chuukan Kanriroku Tonegawa (Middle Manager Tonegawa)

This is a spin-off series of Kaiji and it’s hilarious. You see a different side of Tonegawa and Ootsuki.

2019 –

It is really difficult to decide my favourite anime of 2019. I liked Babylon, My Roommate is a Cat, Given, Demon Slayer, Mob Psycho 100, Attack on Titan Season 3 Part 2, Shield Hero, The Promised Neverland, and more… How am I supposed to narrow it down to one anime!?

I’ll take out Babylon since it has not finished airing but… I still can’t decide!!!

Can all of them be my favourites of 2019..?

My Earring Collection

Posted in Fashion by

Aumi wanted to see an earring post so here it is. As mentioned in My Ring Collection post, I recently followed the KonMari method so my earring collection is a lot smaller than what it used to be.

I have seven ear piercings altogether. I normally wear studs for my piercings and sometimes little hoops. I also have black studs.

I bought the hair tie yesterday at Oomomo (formally known as Daiso) for $2. I think it’s really cute.

I recently bought these earrings and haven’t worn them yet. They’re not too big, which suits my tastes better.

I think these wing studs are cute for everyday wear.

It’s a small collection, but I adore all of these very much.

Cautious Hero Episode 1 Impressions

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Cautious Hero or Kono Yūsha ga Ore Tsuē Kuse ni Shinchō Sugiru is an isekai anime. Seiya Ryuuguuin is summoned by Goddess Ristarte to fight against the Demon Lord and save Gaeabrande. Seiya has impressive stats but he is overly cautious. He thinks that that everyone is suspicious and is extremely careful when it comes to… everything.

I could relate to Seiya in some ways. I am a cautious person myself, but definitely not at Seiya’s level. In video games, I also buy 30-50 of the same item. In games like the Tales series where you can only buy 15 of a single item, I buy the maximum quantities. In real life, I usually buy 2 of something (if I know that I will like it, will continue to use it, and if the expiry date is still far away).

Seiya’s level of cautiousness is really funny. I don’t think it would still be funny if he was a real person, but in the context of anime and an isekai anime, in particular, it’s hilarious. It makes sense though. Gaeabrande is a completely new world full of unknowns, so being cautious is probably for the better. Probably.

I’ll find out when I watch more episodes. Have you seen Cautious Hero? What do you think?