I had planned to watch ef ever since some bloggers started talking about it, but I also firmly etched in my mind that I will wait until the final episode of ef has been aired. Since the final episode aired some time ago, I started watching ef three days ago. By then there were eleven episodes subbed, so I dutifully downloaded each one. I ventured to marathon the series, but changed my mind after I watched the first episode: it was heavy and relatively emotional without the light-hearted interpellation that characterized Honey and Clover. Consequently, the first episode cemented my decision to view the series piecemeal, one to two episodes at most in one sitting.

These are ef’s main girls.

(Totali,)

As much as I want to talk about anime, it is quite unfortunate that the series I have had been following religiously were not yet updated recently. The latest installment of Kimikiss ~ pure rouge has not yet been subbed. Moyashimon has had not been updated for quite some time, and it is sad, because I want to see more of Mamiko Noto as Aoi Muto in action. I find that her voice in that series is something novel from the voices that she usually performs. Catchphrase has also failed to update Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro for almost three weeks, so I have had to stall my viewing at the latest episode.As for Shakugan no Shana II, although I do follow it, I view the series in blocks of five episodes: nothing much happens in the first place; it is safe to assume that there is a greater chance of something happening within five episodes than it is within only one. This practice would at least make me believe I am not wasting my time, albeit illusively.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE!

It was quite a surprise for me that after I wrote my previous post regarding my blog’s organization, I thought of two highly disparate, and obviously unformed ideas that I planned to write posts on. This is the first; maybe after a day or so, I can also finalize the second fledgling post. (more…)

I was just thinking whether it would be better to have set dates where I will post regarding a specific aspect of the different media I am tackling directly or tangentially in this blog. That way, it would prepare the reader if he is going to expect a post juxtaposing an anime series or components of an anime and the relevant literature that parallels whatever it is I am talking about, a critique and exploration of anime as simply anime, or discussions and vivisections of current issues in anime blogging.

I thought of this scheduling primarily because I wanted to consistently write posts that juxtapose literature with anime. The problem is, before I can finish the relevant books and other written works to posit and to proffer a good comparison, I am often befuddled with new ideas that explore either only anime blogging in and of itself, reactions to current occurrences, or simply ideas regarding anime that I have thought of as disjointed to literature, such as my previous post.

My attempt at somewhat organizing this, the Smorgasbord, failed. It was too aimless, at least for me, and I found that if I just avoided playing DotA I always had a lot of time to think through and explore different aspects of anime as well as its relation to other media. The posts within the last two months have been relatively consistent, so I know I can be organized enough to be consistent with my posts. I want to ask opinions from you, however: what do you think about this? (I think my posts would be better labeled if I posted regarding literature on Mondays [or any other day], reactions to the occurrences in blogs on another day, etc. I think one gets the idea.)

P.S. Some days ago, I downloaded Notepad++ as a substitute to the regular Notepad program found in Windows systems. I love its tabbed interface, as well as its many other tools that help me write in a more organized manner. It is a great program, and I recommend that one use it.

Anime is a potent medium. Sadly, however, it is one of the most misunderstood media there are. I believe this primarily stems from how it is introduced to most people. Often, casual anime fans introduce anime to their friends by inviting them to watch Naruto or Bleach. They will probably say that the fight scenes are awesome and well-crafted. Later on, however, a lot of these people will equate anime primarily to well-choreographed and astounding action as well as a medium that is incomparable to those recognized by many people to be at the pinnacle, such as literature, drama, poetry, and the like. Most of them will also quip that this medium is only focused only on kids, and thus appreciating or enjoying this medium is roughly equivalent to being retarded or puerile. I find that there are a lot of detractors of anime series primarily because of this. (more…)

Saturnine linked to an article of his trying to promote community among the anime bloggers on IRC. I do not read his blog, reasons stemming from his demeanor on IRC to his general treatment of other anime bloggers. I clicked that specific post of his, however, and I was filled with horror.

I do not write troll posts: I deem myself somewhat more intelligent than that, but this occurrence simply filled me with bile and with disgust. I felt that it was like Adolf Hitler promoting community within anime blogging. One may ask: why do I compare saturnine with Adolf Hitler? His demeanor in that post of his was highly contrary to any altruistic or benevolent behaviour in the IRC channel of animebloggers hosted under Maestro: the channel is located at #animeblogger on irc.irchighway.net. People can check us out there. I am quite jovial and facile in the channel, and yes, sometimes I reach extremes of being quite stupid, but I enter to chat and to joke with my fellow bloggers, and sometimes discuss matters that are relevant to our interests, not be in an English class or a class of manners. Saturnine, on the other hand, is a curmudgeon who offends many people’s sensibilities. (I say this without vitriol; I cannot find another more fitting word.) I believe he has trolled everyone except a few regulars of that channel, and I believe that those regulars can attest to this.

I speak of this in all honesty: saturnine lashes with harsh words at almost everyone, and I find that a character like this cannot ever promote community. Can you imagine someone like Adolf Hitler talking about the union of the human race? I sure cannot. This is similarly the reason why I can never believe that he wrote that. I would highly promote what he proposed in that post of his if Jeff Lawson wrote it; right now, I feel too surprised that he even had the gall to write a post like that.

I wish most of you people will listen to me. I believe that if you follow his exhortations, you will just be like Hitler’s people: it will probably merely be a confederacy of dunces.

I am inviting a lot of flak from the community, imagined or otherwise; feel free to heap your insults with your comments.

Have a nice day.

These past few days, I have been reading some T.S. Eliot. One may have known him from his masterwork The Waste Land, or perhaps a poem of his discussed even in basic literature classes, vivisected as well as praised by many literary critics which is The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. I have read and reviewed the poem for five times at the very least: what I was reminded of when I read the poem recently was the paralysis or the indecision that pervades and characterizes most generic harem leads as well as leads of most romance series in anime, harem or not. (more…)

As much as the contrary suggests otherwise, I major in Biology. As I have written countless times before, however, I am discontented with it, but since I graduate in little more than a year (as well as slacked considerably the year before as an act of revolt against my parents), I look forward to the future. (To make a long story short, I never wanted to be in Biology. I preferred Literature or English much more; things happen, however, and here I am.) (more…)

It has almost been two years since I started writing a blog. What initially were spiels regarding literature and computers had evolved, through time, to be a blog about anime. It all started with a post defending Rozen Maiden; thence on I ventured into writing a proper anime blog. I was initially hosted at Wordpress; what made me persevere through those formative times was that as time passed, I became more and more popular to the sphere of anime blogging: at my apex I belonged to Wordpress’s Top Blogs. It was an achievement for me, and this was what allowed me to persist despite everything. In time, I moved to animeblogger.net with the kindness of Maestro, but I sadly lost some readership after the move. I can only guess, but I think primarily writing only editorials was the reason. (more…)

Caveat: this post is only tangentially about anime. However, I thought that if I don’t write this down I may just forget it. And I don’t want that to happen.

As a person, I am quite introverted: I spend my time mostly alone, brooding about different ideas and thoughts. I rarely go out to shop or to gimmick: frankly, they only cost me money and time. I am not a materialistic person: the only time I bought something was because I wanted to help, and it turned out even that attempt was a failure (since what I bought was fake). I guess I am very simple as a person: I appreciate my blog, one of my outlets as well as a conduit for communication, being read. I love writing, and I love anime. (more…)