2021 Year-End Review

I started writing year-end review posts last year. Click here to read my post from 2020.

1. I got into crafts, and I credit the pandemic as the main reason. I’ve been into art since I was a kid, but I didn’t do much of it. Since I stayed home all of last year and the beginning of 2021, I had to do something with all my free time. I attended a virtual workshop for clay, and I became interested in learning how to make a bunch of different crafts. I mostly learned how to do everything by myself, and I’ve made a lot more than what you see here. I still do all of these things.

2. I got a boyfriend. In early 2020, I started writing letters to a guy I knew but was not close with. Becoming penpals was random and spontaneous, but it brought joy to my mundane life. Again, I stayed at home for all of 2020. The guy lives in the same province, so he sometimes brought me bubble tea to my door, socially distanced-style. For this reason, he was the person I saw the most in 2020. And I guess one thing led to another.

Moya knows him as the four-leaf clover guy because my boyfriend surprised me with four-leaf clovers before we started dating. He knew that I like four-leaf clovers, and it was his first time finding them.

3. Blogging and cosplaying were hit negatively. I’m not sure if these were because I have other interests now or because of other reasons. I haven’t been to a convention in a long time, but at least I’m still posting every once in a while. Oh, and you will find me most active on my Instagram or Twitter.

I’ve been thinking about the future directions of my blog and social media accounts. Stay tuned for a post about that in the near future.

4. I am still enjoying the little things in life. This was one of the points I made in last year’s post. The people around me have told me that they’ve noticed this about me, and I’m grateful for what I have and who I am today.

Please let me know how 2021 has been for you. Send me a link if you make a post like this!

[Review] Light on Series: The Long Night (2020)

Light on Series: The Long Night is a highly-rated, dark, and suspenseful crime thriller. I really enjoyed this Chinese series and finished in two or three days.

Synopsis: Zhang Chao creates a scene at a subway station, and the bomb squad is called. When they open Zhang Chao’s suitcase, they find that there’s no bomb, but a body inside. On the surface, there is overwhelming evidence that Zhang Chao murdered the victim, Jiang Yang. There is a problem: Zhang Chao was hours away from the time of Jiang Yang’s death. To make matters worse, an anonymous person is sending a piece of a photograph to the media every few days; a building will explode if the media refuses to print it. To unravel the cause of Jiang Yang’s death, Yan Liang is called to help the police force. He must learn everything about Jiang Yang before the complete photograph is released to the public.

The show alternates between three stories and time periods.

Story #1: In the modified reports, Hou Gui Ping raped a woman and killed himself out of guilt. This story tells what actually happened.

Story #2: Jiang Yang and Zhu Wei investigate the true cause of Hou Gui Ping’s death.

Story #3: Present day; Yan Liang and his team investigate Jiang Yang’s murder.

I’ve never seen a story told in this format. You get to know all three stories in-depth, and I felt attached to all the characters.

Bai Yu plays Jiang Yang. I’ve seen a few of his earlier dramas (Detective L, Guardian, Fairyland Lovers, Love O2O) and this drama is nothing like them. It’s serious, dark, and more realistic. His acting is brilliant in this one.

If you are like stories about a person dedicating their entire life to something, this show is for you. To clear Hou Gui Ping’s name, Jiang Yang pours his life into this case. He meets so much resistance and pushback from different parties. He is stubborn, so incredibly stubborn. He loses so much, yet he never gives up. There were many times when I wondered if it was even worth it. He wasn’t even close to Hou Gui Ping, but he believes in his work. He believes in justice.

This is not a “happy” show, but it’s still very suspenseful and entertaining to watch. The show is artful in how they split up the three stories. You don’t learn everything at once, as it switches back and forth between the stories. Like the photograph puzzle mystery, you don’t learn the complete story until the end of the series.

I absolutely recommend The Long Night.

[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.

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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.

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I recommend this anime! Not only is it interesting, but it also made me think a lot about classism and “good vs. evil” issues.

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Slight spoilers for Season 2, which will come out in Spring 2021:

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The appearance of Mycroft Holmes!

Finally, a cute screencap of Holmes and Watson:

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The Girl From the Other Side OVA – Review

The Girl From the Other Side OVA is a 10-minute animated short based on the manga.

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The first I noticed was the art. It’s very similar to the manga. I think this is very unique. Another thing is that the characters don’t talk. Instead, they convey everything through their actions.

We see an encounter between a human girl and a beast.

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Whenever the beast touches a living thing, that thing is cursed. In these 10 minutes, we see that the little girl lives with the beast. The beast acts as her guardian. They live peacefully but the beast tries his best to avoid touching her, even though he wishes he could.

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If you have 10 minutes to spare, I recommend watching this. It’s only 10 minutes. In fact, my only complaint is that it’s too short! I hope we will get an anime adaptation of the entire story.

The Case Files of Jeweler Richard: Closing Thoughts

Also known as Housekishou Richard-shi no Nazo Kantei.

This anime has 12 episodes. The first eight episodes follow the same formula: A customer has an inquiry about a gemstone and then Richard and Seigi help the customer. We learn about the history of the gemstone and some interesting facts.

Things drastically changed in episodes 9-10. Spoilers ahead.

Episode 9

Richard disappears from Seigi’s life all of a sudden. Seigi doesn’t know why. A month passes and Seigi is miserable. Prior to this part, I didn’t think of this anime as a BL. Heck, I didn’t even think it was fujo bait. Seigi was interested in Tanimoto, the girl in the screencaps. After Richard left, it was 100% about Richard. Now that I’ve completed the series, I think that one thing is clear: Seigi is in love with Richard.

When Seigi learns that Richard is in London, he boards a plane to find him.

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Tanimoto knows.

Episode 10

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Jeffrey knows.

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The gemstone exchange was so most romantic and meaningful. We know how important and special gemstones are because of the history and meanings attached to them. The entire show showed us this. Richard entrusted Seigi with a family heirloom while Seigi gave Richard a ring that belonged to his grandmother. The series could have ended here. It’s perfect.

Episodes 11 and 12 tied some loose ends regarding Richard and Seigi’s personal affairs. Episode 11 was focused on Richard’s family and past while episode 12 was focused on Seigi’s.

Episode 12

It’s obvious how Seigi feels, but what about Richard? I feel like this episode really showed us the answer. Just like how Seigi went to London and was there for Richard, Richard helped Seigi with his inner turmoil and family matters.

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There were some very wholesome scenes. While the ending of episode 10 was great, episodes 11 and 12 made the series feel complete.

I really did not expect to see Seigi and Richard’s relationship unfold like this. The most we see is a hug but these two would do anything for each other.

Review: My Fantastic Mrs Right: Season 1 (2020)

Episodes watched: 6/12

Synopsis: Mi Xiao Qi drops from the sky and lands in Bei Yue Kingdom of Kun Peng Continent. She’s a young woman, except she’s turned into a fat cat. When she transforms back into her human form, she must meet her fated lover and make him fall in love with her. Together with her fated one, they must find the four pieces of the magical jade. Otherwise, she will die!

Thoughts: This kind of drama seemed like my kind of show. I really enjoyed the historical comedy drama, The Eternal Love, so I thought that I would love this one too. The first couple of episodes were funny, but it became less funny later on.

My main problem with this drama is that there is no flow. The writing is all over the place. Things progress quite quickly and it seems so unrealistic. I feel like the characters do have good chemistry, but the drama does not do a very good job at portraying that. I understand that this drama is meant to be fun and silly, but the flaws take away from the enjoyment of the show.

On the flip side, I really like the characters. Xiao Qi in her cat form is adorable. The idea of the drama is hilarious, but the execution was poorly done.

Final verdict: 6.5/10 Dropped.

Death Note: Special One-Shot 2020 Review

Death Note is one of my favourite anime and has been one of my favourites since I was in elementary school. A new one-shot was recently released. It takes place after the events of the series. Spoilers ahead, read at your own risk!

Thoughts: I thought that the idea of selling a Death Note was interesting, especially to governments across the globe. Not everyone is as righteous as Light Yagami. Some people are more concerned with money, this is reality. It was cool to see Donald Trump, Xi Jinping and Shinzo Abe in manga. This made the reading experience feel more relevant to real life.

It was interesting that Trump was the one who ended up purchasing the Death Note. The payment method was also interesting. With so many people in that region, it would be nearly impossible to track down the seller. The seller had calculated that he would forget his memories of the Death Note so that he could spend his money worry-free. This would also make it difficult for the investigation team to track the seller. 

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Another interesting thing is that Kira is taught in schools and is mentioned in books. He left a legacy, but it seems like everyone is taught that he was evil. 

Another interesting thing is what Ryuk said about the changing times. He said that if Light did all the stuff he did, there is a higher chance that he would be caught now because of advancements in technology. Even posting things on the Internet is a lot more challenging. If Light picked up a Death Note in 2020, I wonder how he would utilize it and make his presence known to the world. 

I expected more engagement from the investigation team. They were nowhere to be seen when Ryuk met up with Trump. If I recall correctly, the investigation team worked for the government. They were powerless in this one-shot, which was disappointing. 

Another disappointing thing was the addition of new rules. It deviated too far from the original.

In the end, Ryuk kills off Minoru Tanaka. This was expected. I think Minoru was quite optimistic to think that he could sell the Death Note and carry on with his life like nothing happened. I don’t think his death was surprising at all. 

It is important to remember that this is a one-shot. Of the Death Note one-shots I have read, I definitely enjoyed this one of the most. There are page limits in one-shots; only so much can happen in 80-something pages. Despite a couple of disappointing things about this one, it gave me more things to think about. Honestly, I’m just happy that the original creators posted something Death Note related again. This is a series that people will never lose interest in. People will always come back to Death Note because it has that kind of impact on you. These are my personal feelings about this series. 

You can read the Death Note One-Shot for free here.

Anime Review: Carole & Tuesday

Premiered: Spring 2019

Episode count: 24

Synopsis: Tuesday ran away from home to pursue her dream in music. She meets Carole, who also has a passion for music. They become good friends and together, they make their mark into the music industry dominated by AI in this metropolis on Mars.

Thoughts: I really, really recommend Carole & Tuesday. I think it’s such a well made anime. What struck me the most about this anime was definitely the music. Well over twenty songs were released, which is a lot of content! I love all the songs so much and I think that some songs are so meaningful.

You really come to like the characters. I like that the show did not just focus on Carole and Tuesday. A lot of the other characters got the spotlight and we got to look into their struggles and life challenges. The art style took a while to get used to, but now it feels refreshing.

I’ve cried a couple of times while watching this anime. I think the build up to the last episode was excellent and it felt really emotional. It really tied everything together, and it made a huge impact to the series as a whole. The theme of music being universal and having the ability to influence the lives of people across the world was interesting to watch, especially during the period of political unrest in the show. I can’t stop raving about this anime. Give it a try.

Some of my favourite songs from the anime:

• Round & Laundry
• Someday I’ll Find My Way Home
• Unbreakable
• Move Mountains
• Lost My Way
• Light a Fire
• The Loneliest Girl
• Mother

First Impressions: Babylon Episodes 1-3

Babylon is a currently airing anime from this Fall 2019 season. The premise sounded interesting on MAL, so I decided to give it a watch. I did not really have any expectations going in, but it blew my mind. The first episode left off on a cliffhanger, which made me immediately watch the second episode. Then the third episode. Now I’m impatiently waiting for the next episode to come out.

Synopsis: Zen Seizaki is a prosecutor and is assigned to investigate a pharmaceutical company that is suspected of paying universities to exaggerate the effectiveness of their new drug. While investigating the company, he finds a suspicious page covered in blood, hair, nails and skin. The sheet has the letter ‘F’ written all over it. He realizes that things are more serious than he originally thought.

Thoughts: The art style and animation are great. The mature art style suits the more serious atmosphere. I really like the protagonist, Zen, because he is reliable and has a strong sense of justice. Anything can happen in this anime. That being said, there were a lot of twists and turns that kept the suspense going. I think I’ve become quite good at predicting shows, but I felt a lot of surprise at the reveals. Each episode leaves off on a cliffhanger, so it might be wise to wait until all the episodes are out. It’s too late for me, so I’m just going to watch it whenever an episode is released, then wait in anticipation for the next episode.

I never thought that this one case about the pharmaceutical company would turn into this whole other mess. It’s a messy web that’s intertwined with so many different things and people. I’m curious as to where they will take this story. I definitely recommend this anime, especially if you like mystery and suspense.

There are some graphic scenes in this anime, such as nudity, sex, death, and drugs. That being said, this show is not appropriate for younger audiences.

Thoughts: Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii: Youth (Wotakoi OVA)

Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii: Youth is the OVA for Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii. You would have to watch Wotakoi first in order for the OVA to make better sense but it could arguably stand alone on its own.

Synposis: Hanako Koyanagi tells Narumi and Hirotaka about her high school days and how she met Tarou Kabakura on the volleyball courts.

Thoughts: This was great because Koyanagi and Kabakura don’t get as much screen time in Wotakoi compared to Narumi and Hirotaka. If you enjoyed the Koyanagi x Kabakura pairing or want to learn more about their story, this OVA is for you. It was interesting to see what the characters were like in high school and how they became a couple. Koyanagi looked so adorable with her short hair cut! I think their love story is sweet.

While I’m waiting for Wotakoi season 2 and hoping to see progress in Nao and Kou’s relationship, this OVA was a sweet episode. I recommend this if you liked Wotakoi!