On Being Too Attached To Fictional Characters

It might sound silly to some people, but I’ve seen friends and strangers alike being overly attached to fictional characters. In the context of this blog, being too attached to 2D characters from anime or manga. Maybe even games! But I seldom read or hear people complain about characters in games. I wonder why…

This thought crossed my mind every time I read or hear fans complaining about a certain tragedy that has fallen on their favorite characters. Most recently, a friend told me she was scared to read the then latest chapter (probably two weeks ago?) of Naruto because she was scared to find out what’d happened Kakashi. Apparently, our mutual friend had told her that something bad might happened to the character. I didn’t know what to say when she explained her reason. I simply kept quiet.

Fairy Tail: Where Do I Go From Here?

Come to think of it, I never really wrote anything about Fairy Tail. I might not be fully invested in the series, but still I have follow the anime until the end. That’s right – 175 episodes. All watched. It’s pure leisure.

Fairy Tail isn’t any different from other shounen titles. In my opinion, that’s a good thing and a bad thing. It’s a good thing because it feels familiar and I know it won’t go too far off the formulae. At the same time, it’s a bad thing because of the good thing (am I confusing you here?) and that makes it some sort of a clone. It makes it easy for skeptics to say “Oh, that’s just another shounen series. Good guys will win at the end.”

Wonder Worlds of Anime

I’m very sure I’m not the only one who noticed that there are a lot of anime recently set in a futuristic setting. By setting, I mean story world. The kind of world I don’t mind living in, especially with all those cool gadgets and technology to play with. It’s easy for me to go gaga over stuff like that so please excuse me.

This leads me to think about one of the reasons why I love watching anime so much. Each anime is a story told in a fantasy world that exercises imagination.

Hoshiko’s Anime Time Management

This post is written as part of a project organized by Kai. Gotta say, Kai’s invitation’s timing is just right because this is something I’ve been thinking about lately.

Compared to last year, I’ve less free time on hand, which also means less time for anime and other related hobbies. Okay, before I go any further into how I manage my time when it comes to anime and the likes, I shall roughly talk about my usually fixed schedule. I have a day job as software engineer, working only on weekdays, eight to five. After work, I will go for a quick jog or just work out on my stationary bike or do some strength exercises for about 30 minutes. When all that plus more is done, thanks to short commute time in my city, it will be about 7.30 to 8pm. As for weekends, I’ll go for a two-hour badminton session with colleagues on Saturday and doing absolutely nothing on Sunday. I need my rest. This is my usually fixed schedule.

One Piece’s Roronoa Zoro

I took these pictures a looooong time ago. I remember posting it in Figure.fm couple years ago but maybe under a different username or something. I was going through my folders in my trusty lappie when I stumbled upon this. I figured since I’ve never actually posted the pictures on this blog, I might as well do it now.

Oh, how can I forget to introduce this figure? It’s MegaHouse’s Excellent Model Portrait of Pirates “Strong Edition” Roronoa Zoro Version 2. Phew, that’s a long name. Without further ado, here are the rest of pictures of this lovely figure.

Kawaii Attack!!! My Favorite Mascots

Over the years of my own anime fandom, I’ve seen countless of what I call as mascots in anime of various genres. These mascots usually have no significant roles in an anime as their major role is to exhibit cuteness to the audience. Of course, as always, there are exceptions and I can think of one special character right now.

This post shall include a list of mascots I find oh-so-adorable and they are not rank in any particular order. Let’s get drown in high level of cuteness, shall we?

One Piece: Straw Hat Pirates Are Back With New Looks!

If you’re the manga reader or also the manga reader of One Piece, then you probably won’t feel the excitement as much as the anime only fans. Unless, of course, you’re like me! A year ago around this time, Straw Hat Pirates were already reunited in the manga and heading towards to their next adventure. Now that this is getting animated, I’m so, so excited.

I’ve already written a post about the change in the Straw Hat Pirates about a year ago but what I didn’t do was to show you the change. Having said that, I’ll leave you some screenshots I’ve captured from episode 517 and 518. This is the new Straw Hat Pirates, baby!

How Do You Pick Your Anime?

A few weeks into anime summer season, I’m seeing my to-watch list just grows insanely. It’s a bit scary since I don’t have the luxury of time to be watching everything that’s currently on my list. Of course, I have my strategy. The ones I really like I’ll watch them on weekly basis. The ones I like enough to be following but not crazy enough about them, then maybe I’ll gather a few episodes before watching them. Maybe two, three episodes? Or maybe more. I’m like ten episodes behind Hanasaku Iroha, but fear not for I shall catch up soon. I just need to buy a bag of popcorn and then wait till the weekend arrives. I hope this weekend’s weather is cool. I don’t like to marathon a series under a hot, humid weather. Note to self: buy popcorn.

One Piece 3D: Straw Hat Chase

I didn’t even know there’s a movie 11 -_-. Must be out of touch with One Piece movie news. I like One Piece: Strong World a lot. I think it’s one of the best One Piece movies out there, and after watching Straw Hat Chase, Strong World remains my favorite One Piece movie. >.<

The attractive point of Straw Hat Chase is 3D. Don’t worry, you don’t have to purchase those magic glasses to watch it. Think Reese Witherspoon’s Monsters vs Aliens and you’ll know what I mean. In my opinion, being 3D has its pros and cons. Yes, it is the attractive point of this movie but it’s probably the only reason I watch it. It made the action scenes a whole lot cooler and scenery came to live. But it also made casual movements of the characters look a bit weird and stiff. It’s not a complain. I’m just used to seeing them in 2D, that’s all. In other words, it’s a mixed bag. Their efforts are not unappreciated.

Warnings!!! Loads of screenshots so spoilers ahead!!!!

Luffy’s Friends’ Reactions After The Math

Finally, Luffy’s crew found out about Ace’s death. We’ve seen how the world reacted to his death right? So it’s time to see how those close to Luffy received the news. I find it touching that the crew’s first thought was about Luffy. They felt for Luffy. I bet they know Luffy’s taking it harder than anyone else. Of course, they were shocked about the news, but they don’t really know Ace. I mean, they met at Alabasta and that’s about it.