Hibike Euphorium: Unlikeable Characters No?

Maybe I’m used to likeable characters from days of K-ON! or any other club-centric anime, which explains why watching Hibike! Euphorium can be a little hard. From the first episode until now, I couldn’t find myself invest in any of the characters. My definition of invest as in like, support, cheer, etc. For example, I thought it was fun to watch Hirasawa Yui explore music and learning to have fun playing guitar. Or how I would cheer for Kuroko and his team in all of their basketball games.

In Hibike! Euphorium, I don’t find such characters. I don’t find this feeling. Watching the series at this point is only to find out how far the club will go and grow out from their very messed up state. As the matter of fact, I hated Kumiko at the start of the series.

What Makes An Anime Memorable?

Sure, I’ve talked about the top 5 anime I’ll rewatch countless times because I just adore it so much. Or maybe how I’d choose which anime to watch and I tend to stick my favorite genres. I won’t hesitate to give other genres a go, of course. Otherwise, I won’t be watching Haganai or Mayo Chiki. They’re not that bad. I have a habit of ranking my favorite anime of the year too.

But what make an anime memorable? Memorable, as in easily remembered. What makes it stands out more than the rest? An anime season consists of a lot of series so it needs that extra special something to stand out from the rest. After thinking for a while, I decided I have a list if a few criteria that makes an anime memorable for me.

It’s The K-ON Girls Again!!

Finally the K-ON movie has reached our shores, so to speak. After it was released last year in Japan, most K-ON fans outside Japan has been eagerly waiting for its arrival. I must say, I’m pleased with the movie. I won’t go so far as to say that it’s worth the wait, but it’s a movie worth considering. Especially if you’re already familiar with K-ON franchise.

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.

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.

Relaxing with A Channel

Like it or hate it, it’s your call. I know there are a lot who got sick and tired of slice-of-life anime. For me, all I can say is it depends on how the series is delivered.

A Channel, to me, did a great job. If you’re looking for an anime with substance, there isn’t any here. But if you’re looking for an anime to unwind, here it is. A Channel is one of the good ones out there. I know it’s hard to compare now that slice-of-life has become repetitive across different anime titles but I really enjoyed this one.

When A Seiyū Surprise You

The anime industry is full of talented seiyū. Be it veterans or newcomers, they have this cunning ability to catch you off guard at times. Meaning to say, you can never guess it is he or she who breathe life into the 2D characters. I have encountered many jaw-dropping experiences myself. I lost count the number of times it happened. However, I remember clearly my first surprise.

You see, I was never really into knowing about voice actors. I was only interested how will a story be delivered so I never bothered to check out the cast. Then came one day when I was told the voice actor for Naruto‘s Gaara and Bamboo Blade‘s Dan-kun is one and the same person. Ishida Akira.

Seeing The K-ON Girls Again

I’m sure the title of this post dropped some, if not enough, hints to tell you, my readers, that this post is about the 27th episode of K-ON!!. Well, it’ll not be a review per se – just some afterthoughts that I have. I probably suck at keeping myself updated with OVAs, OADs, extra episode releases and whatnot. Usually, I read tweets, Facebook statuses or blog posts of fellow anime fans to gather these updates. So, I’d like to take this opportunity to express my utmost gratitude – Thank You.

Warnings – spoilers ahead.

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!

Nendoroid Puchi K-ON!

My Nendoroid Puchi has arrived on Wednesday after a few weeks since its released in Japan. I ordered it from a Malaysian-based figurine seller. The price was reasonable and I don’t have to worry about having to deal with the customs. Customs and currency exchange rates are the reasons I’m not very keen on buying figurines from well-known international sites.

By the way, I bought these from Dinokun.com Otaku House. He’s (I think it’s a he?) a very efficient, friendly and trustworthy seller. I recommend him to anyone who wants to buy anime figurines in Malaysia and who are like me – doesn’t want to deal with customs and whatnot. He’s also available at Lowyat Forum under the nickname porkchop. Just so you know, I recommend this seller willingly – without any special treatment or whatnot from the seller.