Complete, Is It Really Complete?

Naruto Shippuuden had recently ended its fillers spanning over more than 10 episodes. I stopped watching the fillers midway because I thought there are better shows to watch than to watch some pointless fillers. I should probably tell you that I don’t really mind fillers all that much, it’s only Naruto’s and Bleach’s long fillers that I hate. Now, Naruto Shippuuden has started a new arc which I believe will continue with the actual storyline. I’m tempted to skip the remaining 11 episodes worth of fillers I have not watched, and I most likely will. If I do, I wonder if I could enter the latest episode in the progress section for Naruto Shippuuden at my MAL account…

As I wrestle with the idea, I thought of discussing it here. I’m really, really curious how would you guys handle this.

Bleach Movie 4: The Hell Chapter

I haven’t been following Bleach anime for a few months already, and it was only fairly recent that I’ve picked up the manga series again after dropping it months back. When it comes to Bleach, the things I like most are the character style and overall vibe of the series – the modern feel, the coolness of some of the major characters. The story not so much. Anyway, I decided to watch the movie a few weeks ago. That should be fun.

Instead of writing about the movie, I’ll list down the thoughts I’ve jotted down as I was watching it. A different way of telling what I think about the series! By the way, it’s spoiler-ish.

A Stronger Naruto Now

Nothing is boring in Naruto these days. Ever since the war started in manga, new discoveries and suspense dominated much of the chapters. This week, we finally get to see just how much Naruto has grown since his fight with Pain.

Let’s talk a walk down the memory lane and see just how much Naruto has grown since day one.

He pretty much sucked at his now well used technique. This was Naruto’s level of skill way back in the days. I think I’ve seen worse clones from him. This was the only picture I could find from the Internet.

Driven to succeed, he honed his skills and mastered several other techniques along the way.

Bootleg Trouble

I don’t know about you but for me, I love good deals. Sometime ago, I was hunting for a Kurosaki Ichigo’s figure. To be more specific, I was hunting for this. A MegaHouse 1/8 scale figure. I saw it at a few local toy stores and boy, it’s expensive. It costs about 150rm-200rm. That’s a lot – about my monthly lunch expenses. So I hesitated.

Then, I was browsing a Malaysian-based online auction website and lo and behold, I saw the very same model selling at half the price. You see, I was basically a noob at the time. I never suspected anything fishy going on. It’s normal to see something selling at a cheaper price online. Besides, I was just starting to collect figures and wasn’t familiar with “the scene”. Soooo….I didn’t know it was a bootleg. The seller conveniently neglected to tell me.

Hoshiko’s History with Anime

Since I have the day off from work and there’s nothing better to do at the moment, I decided to write this post in response to Nopy’s project which I stumbled upon after reading Yi’s post. It’s a good reason for me to reflect back these past years how much I’ve grown in this hobby.

I’d like to say I started with Doraemon but I barely remember anything about it except for maybe the word “Doraemon” (duh) and “Nobita”. Yeaps, the two characters’ names are all that I can remember. I can’t even remember their personalities. I was still a kid when I was watching the BM-dubbed Doraemon every weekend mainly to pass time. This is why whenever I was asked which anime I first saw, my immediate response will always be Naruto!

Manga & Me in 2010

I was introduced to anime first. I have always thought that moving pictures are way much better than still pictures. I even think that I get more with anime than I do with manga. With that reason alone, I avoided manga until this year. My reasoning has a flaw. It’s probably true that I get more with anime if it is a shōnen manga. More action, that is. Know what I mean? This is not likely the case with manga of other genre. For instance, Hatsukoi Limited and Nodama Cantabile offered more in manga than in anime. I learn firsthand what the characters were thinking. That’ll make a lot of sense when I see some of their behaviors and reactions. But their thoughts are seldom conveyed in anime.

Bleach is Nowhere Near End

“It’s about halfway through the story at the moment.

…

At the very least, I’ll be doing it for another 10 years.”

- Tite Kubo

I swear the pictures below depicted exactly how I felt when I read the news here. (NOTE: The link content is probably NSFW. I read the article by chance, luckily at home. Tee-hee! The dangers of links!!)

The cutest Naruto form

I can’t refrain myself from posting this extraordinarily cute image. This is the cutest Naruto form I’ve ever seen. It appears in this week’s Naruto manga chapter 519. He’s progressing very well. I’m liking the fact that the war isn’t one-sided. There’s win and loss at both ends. Unlike Bleach that painted the bad guys a little too powerful. Since Madara hasn’t make his move yet, so it may be too early to say that. I certainly can’t wait for Naruto and Madara match!

Reasons why I dropped Bleach

At one point, I consider myself a faithful follower of the big three – One Piece, Bleach and Naruto. I speak nothing but their goodness. I help spread the love of these shōnen anime/manga. Mostly anime.

Things started to change late last year or early this year. I cannot pinpoint the accurate timing, but I’m pretty sure it’s within the last 12 months. Bleach started to get boring and too predictable. Yes, anime/manga of this genre are usually predictable but boring? I don’t think so. I continued following the series despite that. Weeks after weeks, I get disappointed with its plot development. It occurred to me what really drew me to Bleach was the skills flaunted by the soul reapers, and I wasn’t even given that. Coupled with shitty storyline, I decided enough is enough.