Monthly Archives: December 2020
Merry Christmas~
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you. ❤
[Review] Moriarty the Patriot (2020)
Anime: Moriarty the Patriot / Yuukoku no Moriarty (2020)
As a fan of the Sherlock Holmes series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, I became interested in Moriarty the Patriot. The anime is better than I expected. Unlike the books, the main character in this anime is Moriarty. He is a criminal consultant that actively encourages people to commit murder. It is not necessary to know about the original Sherlock Holmes from the books.
From left to right: John Watson, Ms. Hudson, Sherlock Holmes, and Lestrade.
Synopsis: William James Moriarty is a wealthy mathematics professor. He also works as a criminal consultant. In an era where the rich treat the people of lower standing like dirt, Moriarty is the dark hand behind the curtain. He provides murder plans and aids people in killing the rich. Mid-way through the series, detective Sherlock Holmes is introduced. Moriarty tests Holmes; Holmes does the same.
Thoughts: In this anime, the protagonist is the villain. I think this anime does it well. It kind of makes you think, Whose side am I on? Moriarty’s victims are the wealthy who have committed terrible crimes against the poor. Is Moriarty a good guy, after all? And, what am I supposed to feel? Am I supposed to feel “content” or “satisfied” when a “villain” dies?
I think that Moriarty is evil, but other people may disagree.
The characters are a bit different from the books, which is refreshing in some ways. For example, Holmes can be rude to Watson and becomes frustrated more easily.
Moriarty and Holmes make great enemies because of their differences. As explained by Moriarty, Holmes’s method of solving cases involves studying the evidence and going to trial, whereas Moriarty will use psychology and illegal methods to prove his theory.
I recommend this anime! Not only is it interesting, but it also made me think a lot about classism and “good vs. evil” issues.
Slight spoilers for Season 2, which will come out in Spring 2021:
The appearance of Mycroft Holmes!
Finally, a cute screencap of Holmes and Watson:
Anime X-Change: Time of Eve
A lot of bloggers, including myself, are participating in Anime X-Change, an event hosted by Jon Spencer Reviews. The gist of it is: you are assigned a partner –> your partner recommends a show –> you watch it –> you write about it.
My partner is @nobelmonsters on Twitter and I was assigned to watch Time of Eve.
I had never heard of this anime before and knew nothing about it, except that it was a Sci-Fi anime. I was excited to watch Time of Eve because it was different from what I normally watch. Not only did I finish the series in one sitting, but I also enjoyed it enough to watch the movie the next day.
Synopsis: This story takes place in the future. In Time of Eve, it is normal to have an android housekeeper in your home. They look the same as humans; without a halo, one probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. The androids are bound by strict rules. While checking his android – Sammy’s – activity log, Rikuo Sakisaka notices a strange activity. Curious, he checks it out with his classmate, Masakazu Masaki. They find themselves in a cafe called Eve no Jikan (Time of Eve). The cafe has one rule: “No discrimination between humans and androids”. Rikuo and Masakazu visit the cafe nearly every day and learn about the stories of the cafe’s regulars.
Thoughts: As I mentioned earlier, I really enjoyed this anime. I liked how the cafe was a safe space for humans and androids to intermingle. I also liked learning about the individual stories of the cafe’s regulars. My favourite episode was the last episode, which was focused on Masakazu and his robot housekeeper, THX. I cried when I watched it, which is strange if you think about it. Robots shouldn’t have feelings, so why did I feel empathic towards THX?
Differences between the series and the film: The movie basically condenses the series. I recommend watching the series over the film. Afterward, you can watch the movie or directly skip to the ending. The main difference is that at the end of the film, you learn more about a certain character.
In the end, I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed Time of Eve. I feel appreciative towards Anime X-Change because I watched a show that I would have never watched otherwise. I absolutely recommend this anime.
Thanks for reading. 🙂
2020 Year-End Review
2020 has been an unexpected, life-changing year for most of us, if not all of us.
1. Time seems to have slowed down for me. Pre-Covid, I was busy. I had school, practicum, three part-time jobs, and was an exec for my university’s anime club. On top of that, I watched anime, updated my blog, and cosplayed.
I recently wrote about my day-to-day life (Click here for the post). I am now at home all the time and my work is flexible. I have completed practicum, graduated, and am no longer an exec for anime club. I feel like I’m on an island, removed from the busy city.
2. I am enjoying the little things in life. Pre-Covid, I always felt like I didn’t have enough gratitude. I didn’t know how to change. Looking back, I was so busy that I didn’t have the time to process things in the moment.
Now, I’m always finding small things to appreciate. Trying out a new recipe, for example, or receiving a package. Pre-Covid, I bought things I liked and tossed them aside.
Good things that have happened to me since quarantine Part 2
3. My social media habits have changed. Pre-Covid and several months during Covid, I posted on social media for other people to see. I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing because I still had fun.
I’ve changed, I think. I still think that posting on social media is fun, but my intentions are different. Lately, I’ve been looking at my old photos with friends. Photos of daily life serve as reminders of what happiness means to me. To me, photos are precious.
There’s still a lot that I can improve on, but that’s life. I’ve felt all sorts of emotions this year but I think I’ve been holding up well given the circumstances. I think that out of everything, my attitude and mindset have changed the most.
To my blogger friends and readers, I encourage all of you to reflect on what this year means for you. If you write a year-end review post, please let me know. I would love to read it. 🙂
The Kore Wa Watashi Blog Award
Thank you Minty from Black & Yellow Otaku Gamers for the tag.
RULES
- The Purpose of this tag is very simple! Describe yourself through anime! To do this you will answer all of the questions below!
- After this is done you will tag 6 people to pass the tag onto! If you’re tagged for a second time you only have to tag 3 in your next post and 1 on your third attempt and should you so choose beyond. Tell us why you nominated these people!
- People who ask to be tagged should be added to your tag list with a link to their blog!
- Tell something nice about them as well.
- Remember to have fun with the tag and be proud of who you are, you are an amazing person and the fact that so many anime and anime characters share traits with you shows you are pretty breathtaking!
QUESTIONS
Describe a hobby or passion you have through an anime series! For example Shokugeki no Soma if you like cooking or Initial D if you like cars.
I like anime. Himouto! Umaru-chan sums up what I do in my spare time. To quote my Relatable Anime Characters post from 2018, “Pop, snacks, manga, games, comfy clothes and blanket make up my paradise too. ^^”.
Simplify yourself to an Anime Archetype (Tsundere, Dojiko, Shota, Shounen-Protagonist etc) don’t overthink what an archetype is, go with your gut. Name a character that is also that Archetype.
Kuudere?
Describe your looks through comparing it with anime characters, you can decide how many!
When I’m at home, I look like Moriko Morioka from Recovery of an MMO Junkie. Messy hair, dark circles under the eyes, and comfy clothes. Just need to add glasses. This is me right now:
When I look more presentable, Airi from Erased.
Describe your romantic bias and or sexuality through anime characters you find attractive. insert the Will Smith meme from at the movies/ ta-da
I recently wrote a post called My Husbandos. My favourite anime character is Izaya Orihara from Durarara!! His looks are kind of plain compared to other anime characters but I take everything into account.
Tell us about your day to day life and what anime that would fit into! You can be creative here!
Now that there’s a pandemic going on, my life has changed completely. I went from going out almost every day to being at home all the time. MMO Junkie because Moriko Morioka stays at home all the time.
I begin my day with a cup of coffee.
After breakfast and coffee, I check my work email. If I have a new task, I do it. If not, I do my other, lesser priority tasks. I can work any time of the day but I prefer to work during the day.
Then, I make lunch. I check Twitter and my blog throughout the day when I feel like it. I watch shows and blog when I feel like it.
A few hours after dinner, I work on my side job. I do that until I feel tired.
Zzz…
Describe your hopes and dreams through an anime character.
One thing I’ve learned is that I’m not a materialistic person. I just want to live comfortably. I want my family to stay healthy and for me to find something meaningful in every day.
Anime: Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan 2
NOMINATIONS
My Spotify Wrapped 2020
Click HERE to see My Spotify Wrapped 2019 post.
Another year, another music update. I’ll say this again: Spotify does not have all of the music I like.
The last one is Bai Yu. Spotify only has a few of his songs. Joker Xue, Jay Chou, and JJ Lin are still on the list but their rankings have changed.
Three of the five are from The Untamed soundtrack, hahaha. The fourth singer is Zhou Shen. All of these songs are in Chinese.
It says I’ve listened to Spotify for 33k minutes this year, which is close to my 2018 and 2019 numbers. If we add other music, I’m guessing the true number is around 40-45k minutes.
Going Back to My Roots
Not going to lie, I’ve wondered why I blog and do my other hobbies. I could just enjoy content without creating my own.
What value do I add to this world? I’m contributing to something, right..?
Do people like me? My content?
Does my content suck? LOL
These are the thoughts I’ve had. I can’t help it; I’ve been negative my entire life.
I got a letter from my penpal and a portion of the letter stuck out to me. The gist of it was: pushing people towards things they would have otherwise overlooked, and that people have watched shows because of me. This is true. I’ve had many people tell me that they’ve watched shows because of my reviews. Examples: Bii Your Light + Appreciation Shout-Outs & Yesterday wo Utatte Episode 1 Impressions. There are many more instances…
Isn’t this a huge reason why I blog in the first place? To share the things I love so that more people can learn about them. In my Why I Like Anime So Much post, I shared that growing up, my classmates and I enjoyed different shows. I was alone in the sense that nobody knew what I was talking about.
Things are different now. Possibly the biggest reason why I blog is because of the blogging community and my blogger friends. Friends that, may not necessarily watch the stuff I like but are willing to read about my interests and be nonjudgmental.
Re-examining my motivations for blogging and other interests made me realize that blogging is a meaningful hobby for me. 🙂
Wretched and Divine 