Thank you, The Untamed

I recently finished the Chinese drama, The Untamed. I’ve watched many Asian dramas. According to MyDramaList, I’ve watched over 1000 episodes. Most of the time when I finish a drama, I just move on and watch the next thing… but I have to write about The Untamed. The Untamed is an exceptional drama. I give it 10/10.

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Throughout my life, I’ve heard people talk about shows in a negative light.

“It’s just a show.”

“Everything is fake.”

“Watching TV is a waste of time.”

It’s really not just a show. I think that we all know that dramas are fictional. Is there anyone who doesn’t know this? I think that people who really appreciate dramas and anime are cognizant of the amount of time and the effort that went into making the show. Actors, directors, producers, scriptwriters, voice actors, camera crew, costume design team, those who work on the sets, those who work on the props, and subtitles, the editing team, the animation team, the list goes on… Pre-production of The Untamed took two and a half years. Saying that watching TV is a waste of time is almost disregarding all of these things.

The Untamed cast practiced posture, calligraphy, martial arts, musical instruments, and more. Since The Untamed takes place in ancient China, they went through training to learn these skills.

Several of the cast members sang their own character songs. They’re really talented.

• Wu Ji – sang by Xiao Zhan & Wang Yibo (Wei Wuxian & Lan Wangji)
• Wei Wuxian’s theme song – sang by Xiao Zhan (Wei Wuxian)
• Bu Wang (Lan Wangji’s theme song) – sang by Wang Yibo (Lan Wangji)
• Chi Zi (Wen Ning’s theme song) – sang by Yu Bin (Wen Ning)
• Hen Bie (Jiang Cheng’s theme song) – sang by Wang Zhuo Cheng (Jiang Cheng)
• Bu Wang (Lan Xichen’s theme song) – sang by Liu Haikuan (Lan Xichen)
• Gu Cheng (Yi City group’s theme song) – sang by Sun Bolun & Chen Zhuoxuan (A-Qing)

The youth group also sang their theme song. The rest of the character songs are also really nice. I think the songs really convey the characters’ feelings.

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This is not a goodbye post because there’s still the Mo Dao Zu Shi donghua, novel, and manhua. Maybe I’ll rewatch The Untamed one day. I think it will be interesting to compare the different versions. I think that The Untamed did an amazing job at portraying the relationships, given China’s heavy censorship. I think they made it obvious and clear.

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https://www.instagram.com/p/B8QDn_wggeY/

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_1DtywAIjE/

Missing: Wei Wuxian nendoroid (It’s out of stock… I really wanted it…)

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Full episodes with English subtitles are on Netflix and YouTube.

A Love Letter to One Piece

Dear One Piece,

I admit that I did not like you when I was in elementary school. I was turned away by the art style but in my second year of university, I gave you another chance. It was completely a spontaneous decision, but it’s one of the best spontaneous decisions I’ve made.

I also believe that I did not have the maturity to understand some of the themes at a younger age. I would not have appreciated the series to the fullest extent. Some people think that anime is only for children. That is an unfortunate misconception.

While the 900+ episode count may be intimidating, I do not have to worry about “missing” the series. One Piece is always there for you when you are feeling down or bored. I’ve spent many hours watching One Piece. I had a lot of free time. Not so much now because I’m always working, but all those hours watching One Piece were well spent. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve learned so much from watching One Piece. I would love to travel, like the pirates in One Piece. I’ll work hard so that I will be able to do that. ^^

I dislike rewatching things. One Piece, however, is an exception due to how long it is. Eiichiro Oda is phenomenal at telling stories. It taught me what friendships can look like. I’ve cried numerous times and laughed so hard that my stomach hurt. Some days I feel nothing. I’ve felt everything at once when I watched One Piece.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you One Piece. Thank you Eiirchiro Oda and staff for creating such an exceptional series.

Sincerely,

Rose

Related post:

My Love for One Piece

Obligatory birthday post

So my 23rd birthday just passed and now I’m writing this at 1 AM. It was a good birthday.

I think I’ve grown a lot in these past few years. I’m pretty chill now… A lot of things don’t bother me anymore. Or maybe I’ve just become desensitized to everything. Hahaha.

Seriously though, I can’t remember the last time I felt petty in a while. If I have a problem with someone, I feel comfortable confronting them about the issue now, while keeping the conversation respectful.

I’ve started doing things less for other peoples’ approval. I would say that I’ve become a more authentic person. Authenticity is one of my values and those who respect me and like me for who I am are people I cherish.

dead blog

Let’s be real here – there are a lot more interactions on Instagram. Instagram is more convenient to use and more people go on it. Research shows that people generally have shorter attention spans now.

I still see the value of blogs but newer platforms do have their pros as well. I don’t necessarily like that, but I’ll continue to use both Instagram and WordPress. As times change, we also need to adapt.

For those who genuinely enjoy visiting my blog, don’t worry. I’ve done this since I was 16 and I will continue to blog until I can no longer type. In my experience with WordPress, it used to be such a lively place. Y’all are all such lovely folks and I enjoy talking to you guys so much. It is a little sad to see that it is not the same as it once was (for reference, 60 people liking my posts and 30 comments on more ‘successful’ posts). Ultimately, I blog for myself. My blog is a space where I can express my thoughts, feelings, love of anime and cosplay. It is my diary and safe space.

My Heart is Full

I celebrated my birthday four times this year with different people.

1st time

• Taiwanese restaurant
• My Hero Academia movie in theatres
• bubble tea
• my friend paid for everything – thank you
• got Detective Conan cosplay, wig, wig cap, Oscar Wilde’s Happy Prince book, metal straws (including bubble tea straw), metal straw cleaner, card – in Kaneki bag

2nd time

• Japanese restaurant
• got Kumamon plush, hand cream that smells really good, postcard
• getting Osamu Dazai’s No Longer Human book

3rd time

• hot pot
• got mustard cardigan, super soft hoodie, concealer, letter

birthday

• first class was cancelled – I slept in and watched anime in bed
• birthday wishes on social media, in person
• free matcha lemonade drink from Blenz
• gifts from parents and brother
• getting free bubble tea from Pearl Fever
• I ordered gifts for myself – cosplay stuff

4th time

• Korean bbq buffet – thank you friends for treating me
• friend picked me up and dropped me home
• got Charmed Aroma candle with ring inside, homemade cupcakes, hand cream that smells really good, false lashes, lip balm, card
• got necklace, strawberry matcha tea, glasses for cosplay, face masks, nose mask, lip mask, card

I also found out this morning that I won BiblioNyan’s giveaway!

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I’m writing this post for myself, for my future sad days. When I feel sad, I can read this post and remind myself that I am lucky to have good people in my life. I tend to forget a lot of the things that people do for me.

I wonder if I deserve all of this. I’m struggling with this because I am no one special. I’m not used to this much kindness in my life. I’ve written before that I had a lonely childhood.

Thank you everyone. I hope that I am treating you with as much kindness. I don’t think I am, but I’ll improve on that. Maybe I am too harsh on myself, but these are my true feelings.

Why I Like Anime So Much

I had doubts over writing this post, but all the support I received on Twitter made me complete it in the end.

Screen shots from yesterday

In elementary school, I had zero interest in gossiping about other female classmates or gushing about boys. I hated Western pop music and reality TV shows. Most of all, I made zero effort to change myself or pretend to be like them. I do think that my indifferent facial expressions hindered me from making friends. No surprise, but I didn’t have many friends. I didn’t think I was better than other people because I didn’t like myself that much either. I felt that I didn’t belong, like an alien that belonged to another planet.

I went home after school right away by myself. During the summer breaks, I stayed at home by myself during the day because my parents were working. I watched anime all-day when I was home alone and did my homework when my parents were home. I had a lot of free time, so I achieved A’s in everything except gym. Anime was a way for me to pass the time and it distracted me so I didn’t have to think about real life. I read a lot of manga too.

I learned about the world, places, people, and relationships through anime. My life was uninteresting and uneventful so I relied on anime to be my guide. At the same time, I was able to differentiate between anime and reality. All too well. I felt indifferent towards reality. Anime worlds weren’t that great either because of all the challenges the characters had to face. Still, the impossible happened in anime. A notebook that could kill people? Anime was so interesting!

This is my favourite song, and it represents how I felt when I was younger. Strangely, the song calms me and I don’t feel sadness over loneliness anymore. I’ve learned to embrace it.

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My current life is so different from my lonely childhood. When I was young I didn’t have a blog, no outlet to express my thoughts and feelings. I just had anime. It was like a friend. I still watch anime because it passes the time. With countless titles to watch and shows coming out every season, it’s endless fun. It’s still interesting.

Now that I am more involved with activities in my life, I can spend my time blogging about anime, cosplaying as anime characters, drawing anime fan art, attending conventions and more. Being active with anime has made me part of this online community of anime bloggers. You are all so nice to me. Thank you for that. When I was young, anime was the friend that killed boredom. Now, anime has provided me with fun activities and many friendships. 

As a kid, real life didn’t make me feel a lot of emotions. I was neutral most of the time. Anime made me cry countless times, and One Piece was able to make me laugh many times. Watching anime made me feel human. 

My Style 2

My fashion style ALWAYS changes. The main features of my current style are my round glasses (no choice lol), a choker, and rolled up jeans. I dress like this on some days.

I wear denim jeans on the days I have work. If I didn’t work, I don’t think I would wear pants. At first I was very unhappy about it (I love wearing knee high socks) because I felt like I couldn’t be myself. Well you know I would be happiest if I could spent the entire day at home by myself watching anime, reading manga, gaming, listening to music, drawing on my tablet, and sleeping.

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Last year, around this time, I was really sad for a while. I stopped dressing up and didn’t take photos of myself. O: After the ‘thing’ that happened, I had low self-esteem and wasn’t motivated to blog.

This year, I don’t want to feel unhappy. I want to just wear the clothes I like, and I want to take photos of the things that make me happy.

I don’t want to ever stay mad at anyone. I want to forgive, and then move on with my life.