Japan Blog Matsuri: Hoshiko’s Reasons for Visiting Japan

I’m going to Japan in less than four years. That’s the plan. And it’s going to happen!

I found out about Japan Blog Matsuri through Justin’s post in Organization Anti-Social. He really is an expert in discovering new blogs and stuff. I’ve been meaning to write a post on this topic but kept procrastinating.  It is hosted by A Modern Girl. When I saw Kuuki and Nopy have it up on their blogs, I know I should type away my own post A.S.A.P.

My reasons are largely influenced by my hobbies I suppose. Not all, but most. =) The most important thing for me is to experience and see firsthand the things I see around the Internet. The list of reasons below is not sorted in any particular order, just whichever that came first to mind.

Hanasaku Iroha Episode 1: Sixteen Years of Age, Spring, Still Buds

I am blown away by the artwork. Absolutely blown away. This series wasn’t on my to-watch list. I read a few reviews about it and they are generally positive so I decided to give it try. I was already blown away when I saw the screenshots, but now that I’ve watched it personally, I’m utterly speechless. It’s just so beautiful. It’s very detailed. I like how they took the effort to draw and color each shots so beautifully. I’m truly impressed. Truly, truly impressed.

Okay, I sounded like I might continue watching this series only cuz the art is amazingly pretty. But it is. It is that pretty. Omg, I’m..never mind – if I continue on, I’ll never stop gushing about the prettiness of the series.

Warnings – possible spoilers ahead.

Otaku in Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai

Kyōsuke Kōsaka, a normal seventeen-year-old high school student living in Chiba, has not gotten along with his younger sister Kirino in years. For longer than he can remember, Kirino has ignored his comings and goings and looked at him with spurning eyes. It seemed as if the relationship between Kyōsuke and his sister, now fourteen, would continue this way forever. One day however, Kyōsuke finds a DVD case of a magical girl anime which had fallen in his house’s entrance way. To Kyōsuke’s surprise, he finds a hidden eroge inside the case and he soon learns that both the DVD and the eroge belong to Kirino. That night, Kirino brings Kyōsuke to her room and reveals herself to be an otaku with an extensive collection of moe anime and younger sister-themed eroges she has been collecting in secret. Kyōsuke quickly becomes Kirino’s confidant for her secret hobby.

– Wikipedia

Warnings – there may be spoilers ahead. I don’t think I have the talent to ramble about an anime without providing references to it.

Clannad After Story Afterthoughts

A sequel to the recently wrapped anime based on the Key Clannad franchise. After Story is a path that opens in the original visual novel after all the other paths have been opened.

Life continues on for Tomoya. A few months have passed since he confessed his love to Nagisa. Now entering the second semester, he continues to meet a variety of different people, expanding his own world in the process. As well, Tomoya and Nagisa’s relationship begins to enter a level of intimacy unlike before. Through his relationship with Nagisa, and his various encounters, Tomoya begins to understand the meaning and importance of family. Unfortunately, as Tomoya and Nagisa begin their own family together, they are faced with many hardships and challenges along the way.

– AnimeNewsNetwork

Warnings – there may be spoilers ahead. I don’t think I have the talent to ramble about an anime without providing references to it.

Ramblings on Clannad

Tomoya Okazaki is a third year high school student resentful of his life. His mother passed away from a car accident when he was younger, causing his father to resort to alcohol and gambling. This results in fights between the two until Tomoya’s shoulder is injured in a fight. Since then, Tomoya has had distant relationships with his father, causing him to become a delinquent over time. While on a walk to school, he meets a strange girl named Nagisa Furukawa who is a year older, but is repeating due to illness. Due to this, she is often alone as most of her friends have moved on. The two begin hanging out and slowly, as time goes by, Tomoya finds his life shifting in a new direction.

– AnimeNewsNetwork

Warnings – there may be spoilers ahead. I don’t think I have the talent to ramble about an anime without providing references to it.