Somehow another year has come and gone and Christmas day is once again upon us. While it seemed like the year 2015 was an even steeper uphill battle, I have to look back in fond memory of what has transpired over the past 350 or so days. Granted, there was not a whole lot that I accomplished, but here are some of my most memorable memories from this year.
Work (August)
During the summer I worked as a waiter for a restaurant in North Vancouver and finally got to experience receiving my first paycheck and the stress of working. I stopped working when the school year started, but I gained a fair bit of money (for somebody my age anyways) and experience.
Baby Stephanie (September)
I found out that my aunt was pregnant sometime near the end of the school year, and got reasonably excited. After a few months of patient waiting, a very welcome and loved addition to the family was born in early September. Little Stephanie was brought into the world and she has brought nothing but joy and positive feelings to our family.
There's so much waiting for her when she grows up, and I find it hard to believe that I have the chance to be a significant part of her life. It's absolutely baffling to think that I can give a hand in the development of a baby girl who will hopefully grow into a wonderful and well-mannered woman.
FIGO 2015 (October)
The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics was hosted in Vancouver this year, and somehow I obtained the opportunity to volunteer for this event. The event spanned a week but I ended up being shifted for the first two days (not including an initial training day). Over the course of my time volunteering at the Vancouver Convention Centre I racked up around 30 hours of creditable experience.
Days started early (we're talking 5:00 in the morning) and were tedious. I was thirsty most, if not all of the time, and in general felt terrible. While I definitely did not have the time of my life, I gained some invaluable experience working with foreigners and how a congress event runs.
Desktop (December)
Using the money that I earned from working this summer, I ordered my very first custom parts for a computer. I only got the email saying that the parts were ready for pickup today, so the desktop hasn't exactly been assembled yet, but nonetheless, it's happening. I'm proud that I was able to get enough to fully pay for my own parts (and still have a sizable amount remaining) and I'm super excited.
Merry Christmas!
It's a few hours early but I'll wish you a very Merry Christmas and safe holidays, seeing as I won't be able to do it tomorrow. Thanks for another wonderful year and for keeping up with this terrible blog.
December 24, 2015
December 14, 2015
No Filter (#1): Stagnation
As a 16 year old teenage boy, I am currently living in the stage of life known as adolescence. In the context of Erikson's stages of psychosocial development, the most prominent challenge of my life is fidelity and a sense of identity.
Fidelity, strictly by definition, is "faithfulness to a person, cause, or belief, demonstrated by continuing loyalty and support."
Never have I aligned so strongly agreed with a concept of psychology than the idea of fidelity being the common struggle of all adolescents.
It is true, I do not have the slightest idea as to what I am working towards. There is no feeling of direction, and it is all blind and hopeful wandering. Claiming that my goal in life is to achieve relatively high grades and find success in post-secondary ventures is go-to, but I cannot find motivation to even stand by my "goal".
I am sure that many other boys my age are going through the same thing, and it amazes me that I, along with them, can keep such a facade of being calm and collected on the surface. At times I find myself sinking in the quicksand of despair, where attempts to escape are futile and met with more despair.
However please don't misinterpret this wistful thinking as an indicator of sadness. On the contrary, I am a person who is healthier and happier than most. It goes without a doubt that I experience the sporadic mood shift, but I can sheepishly attribute that to my hormonal system being in overdrive.
There you have it. The thoughts of your average teenage boy (which can reflect those of a girl's, to an extent) who is facing the crisis that is a lack of direction in life.
Fidelity, strictly by definition, is "faithfulness to a person, cause, or belief, demonstrated by continuing loyalty and support."
Never have I aligned so strongly agreed with a concept of psychology than the idea of fidelity being the common struggle of all adolescents.
It is true, I do not have the slightest idea as to what I am working towards. There is no feeling of direction, and it is all blind and hopeful wandering. Claiming that my goal in life is to achieve relatively high grades and find success in post-secondary ventures is go-to, but I cannot find motivation to even stand by my "goal".
I am sure that many other boys my age are going through the same thing, and it amazes me that I, along with them, can keep such a facade of being calm and collected on the surface. At times I find myself sinking in the quicksand of despair, where attempts to escape are futile and met with more despair.
However please don't misinterpret this wistful thinking as an indicator of sadness. On the contrary, I am a person who is healthier and happier than most. It goes without a doubt that I experience the sporadic mood shift, but I can sheepishly attribute that to my hormonal system being in overdrive.
There you have it. The thoughts of your average teenage boy (which can reflect those of a girl's, to an extent) who is facing the crisis that is a lack of direction in life.
December 7, 2015
Changes (Ugh Again?) v.2
So what's the deal this time Kevin?
In my last post, I expressed that I was content with the status of this blog. However it is also worth noting that I came to the realization that blogging should be a passion, not a chore. For that reason, I have come to the conclusion that I should abolish the current system of schedules.
Replacing this will be a system where I can post whenever I want. The content however, should remain roughly the same. It'll consist of various anime reviews and cringey "I feel terrible right now" posts, along with the occasional casual posts. During the "trial run" I dreaded posting on Fridays the most, which is a statement to how much I actually liked my ideas.
No posts this week then?
Yup. The way things are panning out, I won't be posting for the next week as I try to change and play around with a few things. It'll be a welcome break for you, but unfortunately for you, I'll most likely be back by next week.
Seeya loser.
Later suckers, I'm trashing this popsicle stand.
In my last post, I expressed that I was content with the status of this blog. However it is also worth noting that I came to the realization that blogging should be a passion, not a chore. For that reason, I have come to the conclusion that I should abolish the current system of schedules.
Replacing this will be a system where I can post whenever I want. The content however, should remain roughly the same. It'll consist of various anime reviews and cringey "I feel terrible right now" posts, along with the occasional casual posts. During the "trial run" I dreaded posting on Fridays the most, which is a statement to how much I actually liked my ideas.
No posts this week then?
Yup. The way things are panning out, I won't be posting for the next week as I try to change and play around with a few things. It'll be a welcome break for you, but unfortunately for you, I'll most likely be back by next week.
Seeya loser.
Later suckers, I'm trashing this popsicle stand.
December 5, 2015
Noname
Hey! Things on this blog have been coming along (though not as smoothly as planned), and in general, I am satisfied with where it stands. Sure, I would like to see more posts being produced, but the reality is that I can't do it. I recently had an epiphany of sorts, where I realized that blogging become more of a chore than a passion. Having my thoughts and ideas restricted to being expressed on one day of the week was repressing and something that I struggled with. One day I would be worked up about a single thing, but blow it off because it wasn't Monday, and then when Monday rolls around, those intense emotions have vanished.
I do not fully know what point I am attempting to convey to you. What is running through my mind is a remodel of the label system to something with more freedom in terms of when I post. Everything is scattered, but with any luck I'll be able to put these thoughts together.
Posting will most likely be sparse at least for the next week, although that is a relief for many of you.
Farewell comrade, and let us meet when the winds are right one again.
I do not fully know what point I am attempting to convey to you. What is running through my mind is a remodel of the label system to something with more freedom in terms of when I post. Everything is scattered, but with any luck I'll be able to put these thoughts together.
Posting will most likely be sparse at least for the next week, although that is a relief for many of you.
Farewell comrade, and let us meet when the winds are right one again.
December 1, 2015
WW (Week 7): Unexpected Sweetness in Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate
Hello all, and welcome back to another disgusting installation of Weaboo Wednesday. The reason why I haven't been writing lately is because I have been binge watching a romcom anime that goes by the name of Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate, or its shortened form, KoiChoco. It's been an entry in the backlog that I had been longing to get around, and I finally finished last weekend. What I expected was a boring and unoriginal high school romcom, but instead I got something that was more engaging than that.
Story
KoiChoco starts off with quite an interesting hook. A high school student (who is spy by night) has captured evidence of an underground deal between (what we can presume to be) two different school organizations. However she is found out and is run over by a car, and the driver gets out to destroy the evidence, leaving the spy in a coma.
We're taken away from this intro to find out that the focus on the story is, in reality, a group of students in a Food Research Club. Everything and anything that happens in this club is eating and testing out snacks, which means that it is simply a group of friends having fun together. The club is one of many at Takafuji Private Academy, an institution that boasts over 6,000 students and is largely ran by a school government compromised of students. The main conflict rides in when a new presidential election for the school is called, and it is discovered that the leading candidate plans to shut down the Food Research Club. Yuki Ojima, our MC-kun, then runs in to save the day, and reluctantly accepting the position of candidate that is forced onto him by the club.
The rest of the anime (anything that was described above happens during the first few episodes) describes the election and campaigning process, while Yuki grows closer to each respective heroine, helping each one with their problems. The struggles with running such a large student body surface, and MC-kun finds himself having more and more problems as the date of the election nears. Eventually Yuki finds out about the incident, and endangers himself, his close ones, and the election.
For the short 12 episode span KoiChoco had, there was a large amount of great storytelling. The entire time I was watching the anime I felt saddened that such an interesting plot was being condensed into a measly 12 episodes. I think the show would have been better with a longer run, but then again, a lot of things would have been.
Negatives included some cliche and cringey scenes, but those are natural. At times it felt very loose and elements of the story didn't come together completely. I understand that the large character cast was a way of staying faithful to the source material, however it did make for some unnecessary complications. Asides from that, very solid and interesting story coming out of KoiChoco.
Characters
It is hard to create originality in characters, seeing as most things possible have already been done. However, you can still make unoriginal characters interesting with backstory. You have seen all of the characters in KoiChoco in one form or another, but it is their histories that make them multi-dimensional and far from plain.
Let's take MC-kun for example. Yuki Ojima is your standard overbearingly kind high school boy, surrounded by female companions who each have their own reasons for trying to get with him. Sure, we have our straight-out-of-the-factory character, but he's actually got a troubled past. I don't want to say anything in fear of spoiling (even though this diminishes my point), but trust me that he does turn out to be an interesting guy.
But it is impossible to give every character the depth and backstory that they need, and there are really only two or three characters who get that. The rest of the characters remained relatively flat, but were still likable nonetheless.
Sound
The opening theme is addictive and upbeat, and I've quickly come to love it (I'll most likely play the hell out of it on repeat for a while until it becomes dreary). As for the ending theme, nothing wrong there, pretty average stuff. Didn't really notice an amazing soundtrack with profound presence, and therefore there's not too much to say about the music or the sound effects.
There are no annoying voice actors in KoiChoco, and I can as far as to say that all the characters were casted extremely well and the voice actors did an awesome job.
Art/Animation
To add on to the already solid foundation of an anime KoiChoco is, the art and animation are slightly above average. Everything looked natural and there was no choppy animation (everything was reasonably fluid). Aniplex worked with a lighter pastel set of colours in this adaptation, and I thought that it paired well with the overall tone of KoiChoco.
Personal Enjoyment
There were no fatal flaws or anything, but KoiChoco doesn't really go the distance to become a heavenly anime. This can be attributed to its short run, but a lack of sophisticated and complicated plot is the main reason why. I am not saying that the story is simple or anything, it just isn't on that next level.
However the reason why I liked KoiChoco so much was because everything about it spoke to me, and it was a very enjoyable watch. I came in expecting nothing but a run-of-the-mill romcom filled with random panty shots, but instead I found a small gem. While no masterpiece, KoiChoco definitely deserves more praise than it currently gets.
Thanks for the laughs and great times KoiChoco. I'll send you off with a wonderful 7.7/10.0.
KoiChoco on MyAnimeList
Story
KoiChoco starts off with quite an interesting hook. A high school student (who is spy by night) has captured evidence of an underground deal between (what we can presume to be) two different school organizations. However she is found out and is run over by a car, and the driver gets out to destroy the evidence, leaving the spy in a coma.
We're taken away from this intro to find out that the focus on the story is, in reality, a group of students in a Food Research Club. Everything and anything that happens in this club is eating and testing out snacks, which means that it is simply a group of friends having fun together. The club is one of many at Takafuji Private Academy, an institution that boasts over 6,000 students and is largely ran by a school government compromised of students. The main conflict rides in when a new presidential election for the school is called, and it is discovered that the leading candidate plans to shut down the Food Research Club. Yuki Ojima, our MC-kun, then runs in to save the day, and reluctantly accepting the position of candidate that is forced onto him by the club.
For the short 12 episode span KoiChoco had, there was a large amount of great storytelling. The entire time I was watching the anime I felt saddened that such an interesting plot was being condensed into a measly 12 episodes. I think the show would have been better with a longer run, but then again, a lot of things would have been.
Negatives included some cliche and cringey scenes, but those are natural. At times it felt very loose and elements of the story didn't come together completely. I understand that the large character cast was a way of staying faithful to the source material, however it did make for some unnecessary complications. Asides from that, very solid and interesting story coming out of KoiChoco.
It is hard to create originality in characters, seeing as most things possible have already been done. However, you can still make unoriginal characters interesting with backstory. You have seen all of the characters in KoiChoco in one form or another, but it is their histories that make them multi-dimensional and far from plain.
Let's take MC-kun for example. Yuki Ojima is your standard overbearingly kind high school boy, surrounded by female companions who each have their own reasons for trying to get with him. Sure, we have our straight-out-of-the-factory character, but he's actually got a troubled past. I don't want to say anything in fear of spoiling (even though this diminishes my point), but trust me that he does turn out to be an interesting guy.
But it is impossible to give every character the depth and backstory that they need, and there are really only two or three characters who get that. The rest of the characters remained relatively flat, but were still likable nonetheless.
The opening theme is addictive and upbeat, and I've quickly come to love it (I'll most likely play the hell out of it on repeat for a while until it becomes dreary). As for the ending theme, nothing wrong there, pretty average stuff. Didn't really notice an amazing soundtrack with profound presence, and therefore there's not too much to say about the music or the sound effects.
There are no annoying voice actors in KoiChoco, and I can as far as to say that all the characters were casted extremely well and the voice actors did an awesome job.
Art/Animation
To add on to the already solid foundation of an anime KoiChoco is, the art and animation are slightly above average. Everything looked natural and there was no choppy animation (everything was reasonably fluid). Aniplex worked with a lighter pastel set of colours in this adaptation, and I thought that it paired well with the overall tone of KoiChoco.
Personal Enjoyment
There were no fatal flaws or anything, but KoiChoco doesn't really go the distance to become a heavenly anime. This can be attributed to its short run, but a lack of sophisticated and complicated plot is the main reason why. I am not saying that the story is simple or anything, it just isn't on that next level.
However the reason why I liked KoiChoco so much was because everything about it spoke to me, and it was a very enjoyable watch. I came in expecting nothing but a run-of-the-mill romcom filled with random panty shots, but instead I found a small gem. While no masterpiece, KoiChoco definitely deserves more praise than it currently gets.
Thanks for the laughs and great times KoiChoco. I'll send you off with a wonderful 7.7/10.0.
KoiChoco on MyAnimeList
November 23, 2015
RTM (Week 5): Little Gesture | Birthday
Little Gesture
To start off this very short RTM, I would like to express my gratitude to a senior at my volunteer place for graciously giving me chocolate chip cookies. It was an amazing gesture, since you had no idea who I was, and you even had a conversation with me about hunger in your teenage years. Thank you very much for helping move my day along and curbing some of the hunger that I had.
Birthday
As you may or may not know, my birthday passed around last week. It was one of the best birthdays I had in a long time, and I want to take this chance to thank any readers who helped out in making it so. Some fantastic gifts and wishes were given, and my friends did not fail to decorate my locker in a superb fashion for their last year at Alpha. My family did their absolute best in making me feel special (not that they don't the other days of the year), and that touched me.
So thank you all for helping me in my transition to a 16 year old. I'll try my best not to stumble and trip on my way to 17, so hang on for another year. Thank you all once again, and I'll bid you a goodnight, as this is the end of a very short post.
To start off this very short RTM, I would like to express my gratitude to a senior at my volunteer place for graciously giving me chocolate chip cookies. It was an amazing gesture, since you had no idea who I was, and you even had a conversation with me about hunger in your teenage years. Thank you very much for helping move my day along and curbing some of the hunger that I had.
Birthday
As you may or may not know, my birthday passed around last week. It was one of the best birthdays I had in a long time, and I want to take this chance to thank any readers who helped out in making it so. Some fantastic gifts and wishes were given, and my friends did not fail to decorate my locker in a superb fashion for their last year at Alpha. My family did their absolute best in making me feel special (not that they don't the other days of the year), and that touched me.
So thank you all for helping me in my transition to a 16 year old. I'll try my best not to stumble and trip on my way to 17, so hang on for another year. Thank you all once again, and I'll bid you a goodnight, as this is the end of a very short post.
November 18, 2015
WW (Week 6): How I Started
Last week I found out that I'm not cut out for stuff like manga reviews, so until I read some more, I'll be sticking to anime and the lot. That being said, today's post will be about how I got into watching anime. It's somewhat of a bland topic, but I don't have a lot of time tonight, so I can't do something like a full in-depth review. However you can expect something like a review next time around.
As far as my records go (and by "records," I am referring to a Notepad file), I began my dive into the anime world on July 15, 2013, with my first completed anime being Highschool of the Dead. Being exposed to an excessive amount of boobs and a sub-par plot turned me away from anime for a bit, until I gave it a second shot with Sword Art Online.
I ended up absolutely loving it, and for the first time, I experienced the void. There was a period of time where I had an intense longing and craving for more of SAO, and this eventually pushed me to try other anime. Before you knew it, I was binging series and had accumulated a reasonable amount under my belt. I carefully kept track of everything I watched (oblivious to the service that was MyAnimeList) in a Notepad file, and watched as the list grew.
During my early stages, I considered anime as a form of entertainment. It had opened up a whole new world to me, as silly as that sounded. For a long time, I was bewildered to how something I was looking for the whole time was right under my nose. Needless to say, I was hooked. Everything I watched was enjoyable, because I had no prior experience to rightly critique anything.
My very first experience with a bad anime was Amnesia. From that point on, I had furthered my understanding of what made an anime good or bad. I didn't comprehend or make an attempt to learn about genres and distinct elements of an anime, but these were things to come.
I believe it was a bit after this point that I stumbled across some really good series, namely Clannad, Toradora!, and Hyouka. By this time, the medium of anime had become an escape for me. I was glad to "live and grow" with the characters as a form of forgetting how my day had gone. It was not long after watching these heavenly series that I was introduced to airing anime. Once I had established an understanding of how the airing seasons worked, I set out a schedule and watched airing series along with completed ones.
Fast forward about a year and a half and you have me here. There really isn't too much that is different in my schedule, asides from the fact that I am watching much less completed series. However my mentality has changed a large amount. I see anime now as an escape and a side hobby. I now take my time and watch episodes in small amounts, as opposed to binging and making anime a top priority. I have also become much more critical of shows, but because of that, I am able to appreciate everything that I have and will watch.
It would be an overstatement to say that anime is one of my priorities in life. Naturally I view it important and hold it close to my heart because of what it has given me, but it has definitely gone on the back burner.
So there you have it. Not a terrifically special story, but something that I am proud of.
As far as my records go (and by "records," I am referring to a Notepad file), I began my dive into the anime world on July 15, 2013, with my first completed anime being Highschool of the Dead. Being exposed to an excessive amount of boobs and a sub-par plot turned me away from anime for a bit, until I gave it a second shot with Sword Art Online.
I ended up absolutely loving it, and for the first time, I experienced the void. There was a period of time where I had an intense longing and craving for more of SAO, and this eventually pushed me to try other anime. Before you knew it, I was binging series and had accumulated a reasonable amount under my belt. I carefully kept track of everything I watched (oblivious to the service that was MyAnimeList) in a Notepad file, and watched as the list grew.
During my early stages, I considered anime as a form of entertainment. It had opened up a whole new world to me, as silly as that sounded. For a long time, I was bewildered to how something I was looking for the whole time was right under my nose. Needless to say, I was hooked. Everything I watched was enjoyable, because I had no prior experience to rightly critique anything.
My very first experience with a bad anime was Amnesia. From that point on, I had furthered my understanding of what made an anime good or bad. I didn't comprehend or make an attempt to learn about genres and distinct elements of an anime, but these were things to come.
I believe it was a bit after this point that I stumbled across some really good series, namely Clannad, Toradora!, and Hyouka. By this time, the medium of anime had become an escape for me. I was glad to "live and grow" with the characters as a form of forgetting how my day had gone. It was not long after watching these heavenly series that I was introduced to airing anime. Once I had established an understanding of how the airing seasons worked, I set out a schedule and watched airing series along with completed ones.
Fast forward about a year and a half and you have me here. There really isn't too much that is different in my schedule, asides from the fact that I am watching much less completed series. However my mentality has changed a large amount. I see anime now as an escape and a side hobby. I now take my time and watch episodes in small amounts, as opposed to binging and making anime a top priority. I have also become much more critical of shows, but because of that, I am able to appreciate everything that I have and will watch.
It would be an overstatement to say that anime is one of my priorities in life. Naturally I view it important and hold it close to my heart because of what it has given me, but it has definitely gone on the back burner.
So there you have it. Not a terrifically special story, but something that I am proud of.
November 16, 2015
RTM (Week 4): Swing | Problems at Alpha
Swing
Last week I had gotten upset with myself because of a small thing, and it ended up affecting me way more than it should have. I had intended to send a birthday message to person and when I searched for the name, it ended up bringing up another one. For whatever reason, seeing the name set me off and I grew moody and sulky.
Obviously I've gotten over it, but I am still disappointed in myself for dropping my guard. However on a more joyful note, Monday has been great to me for once, and I feel better about myself. In a metaphorical sense, I'm on a swing and currently on a high. I have been volatile as of late, but hopefully I'll even out sometime soon.
Problems at Alpha
Coming out from elementary school, my ideal high school was Burnaby North. My ambitious eyes were set on a large and renowned school, where I would strive to claw and scrape my way to the very top. However, the hand of fate had a different path for my life. One way or another, I ended up at Alpha. Here, I have not only come to change my thoughts of North, but have even come to love and appreciate the school in its entirety.
But it is a love-hate relationship.
While I hold the people, teachers, and atmosphere dear to myself, what Alpha severely lacks is school pride and spirit. To make things worse, there is not a whole lot to be proud of. Alpha has always been terrible at promotion and social media. The largest problem is nobody knows the fundamentals of advertising. Frankly, posters advertising clubs and events are seldom designed in a visually and logically appealing format, announcements are never heard, the television systems are not being used (a true shame), and there is little to no social media presence. Actually, while I'm at it, I may as well underline fully the roots of all these problems.
Design
During my three years at Alpha, I have seen 3 attractive, professional, and attention-grabbing posters. The majority of posters are nothing more than text thrown onto a blank canvas along with some clip art. Before you start calling me out as harsh and overly-critical, I am not blaming those who created the posters. They tried, and I loudly applaud that. Props to you for trying to make our school a better place. But the thing is, nobody has taught you how to do a poster properly. Hell, I look at what some of the graphics class has made and you'd think that after a semester of being on a computer, you would have a comprehension of font and colour choice, but it seems not.
I am not asking for a whole lot. Now, I am no design prodigy, but if you threw me and the poster creators from all the clubs into a room with a single computer, they would come out knowing at least the fundamentals of design. This brings me to my next topic...
Fundamentals
Clubs and councils do a terrible job of teaching publicity how to advertise themselves. Even Students' Council doesn't do much to guide and teach our publicity guy. But this is only one example of a fundamental flaw. Another is prevalent in the social media. The account holder is either a) a staff member, or b) a student. With case a), the content of the account is always too strict and dull, or a cringey attempt at being hip and relatable. In case b), the student is given complete control and represents the school. As you can see, multiple problems spawn from this, especially if the student is not completely trustworthy. How do we solve this?
Communication
There is a clear absence of communication and coordination among all the respective clubs and councils, but an even larger one between the students and administration. I am but only a grade 11 representative, and as a such, I am not classified as an executive member (it is kind of ironic considering I have been in council the longest). To my understanding however, there has not been a single executives meeting (a meeting consisting of exec. members from all clubs and councils). If I am correct in this, it makes me severely depressed and anxious about how we will run our events this year.
There are a lot of problems at Alpha, but I hope that I can get a head start on them this year by taking on more of a leadership role in Students' Council and establishing groundwork for future years to come. Hopefully in my senior year there will be enough done by me so that I can pass the torch down and leave it to the next year. What they decide to do with my work is up to them, but my end goal is to leave an imprint or mark by the time I leave.
Last week I had gotten upset with myself because of a small thing, and it ended up affecting me way more than it should have. I had intended to send a birthday message to person and when I searched for the name, it ended up bringing up another one. For whatever reason, seeing the name set me off and I grew moody and sulky.
Obviously I've gotten over it, but I am still disappointed in myself for dropping my guard. However on a more joyful note, Monday has been great to me for once, and I feel better about myself. In a metaphorical sense, I'm on a swing and currently on a high. I have been volatile as of late, but hopefully I'll even out sometime soon.
Problems at Alpha
Coming out from elementary school, my ideal high school was Burnaby North. My ambitious eyes were set on a large and renowned school, where I would strive to claw and scrape my way to the very top. However, the hand of fate had a different path for my life. One way or another, I ended up at Alpha. Here, I have not only come to change my thoughts of North, but have even come to love and appreciate the school in its entirety.
But it is a love-hate relationship.
While I hold the people, teachers, and atmosphere dear to myself, what Alpha severely lacks is school pride and spirit. To make things worse, there is not a whole lot to be proud of. Alpha has always been terrible at promotion and social media. The largest problem is nobody knows the fundamentals of advertising. Frankly, posters advertising clubs and events are seldom designed in a visually and logically appealing format, announcements are never heard, the television systems are not being used (a true shame), and there is little to no social media presence. Actually, while I'm at it, I may as well underline fully the roots of all these problems.
Design
During my three years at Alpha, I have seen 3 attractive, professional, and attention-grabbing posters. The majority of posters are nothing more than text thrown onto a blank canvas along with some clip art. Before you start calling me out as harsh and overly-critical, I am not blaming those who created the posters. They tried, and I loudly applaud that. Props to you for trying to make our school a better place. But the thing is, nobody has taught you how to do a poster properly. Hell, I look at what some of the graphics class has made and you'd think that after a semester of being on a computer, you would have a comprehension of font and colour choice, but it seems not.
I am not asking for a whole lot. Now, I am no design prodigy, but if you threw me and the poster creators from all the clubs into a room with a single computer, they would come out knowing at least the fundamentals of design. This brings me to my next topic...
Fundamentals
Clubs and councils do a terrible job of teaching publicity how to advertise themselves. Even Students' Council doesn't do much to guide and teach our publicity guy. But this is only one example of a fundamental flaw. Another is prevalent in the social media. The account holder is either a) a staff member, or b) a student. With case a), the content of the account is always too strict and dull, or a cringey attempt at being hip and relatable. In case b), the student is given complete control and represents the school. As you can see, multiple problems spawn from this, especially if the student is not completely trustworthy. How do we solve this?
Communication
There is a clear absence of communication and coordination among all the respective clubs and councils, but an even larger one between the students and administration. I am but only a grade 11 representative, and as a such, I am not classified as an executive member (it is kind of ironic considering I have been in council the longest). To my understanding however, there has not been a single executives meeting (a meeting consisting of exec. members from all clubs and councils). If I am correct in this, it makes me severely depressed and anxious about how we will run our events this year.
There are a lot of problems at Alpha, but I hope that I can get a head start on them this year by taking on more of a leadership role in Students' Council and establishing groundwork for future years to come. Hopefully in my senior year there will be enough done by me so that I can pass the torch down and leave it to the next year. What they decide to do with my work is up to them, but my end goal is to leave an imprint or mark by the time I leave.
November 13, 2015
TRF (Week 2): Spooks 'n Stuff in A Small Talk at the Back of Beyond
A Small Talk at the Back of Beyond is an intriguing little game. Created by scriptwelder, the Flash game starts off with you waking up in a futuristic room. Disorientated, you discover that the only other thing with you is a computer. The AI explains the situation to you, but something about what it says and the environment doesn't quite line up. The rest of the game is up to you.
One of the coolest things about this game is how you play it. The left-hand side of the game is a console that allows you to communicate with the AI, and the right side is the room. Instead of selecting a choice of what you say, you actually type out whatever you want. However there are troubles with this feature, the most obvious being that what you say always doesn't get though.
This may not sound like a enormous problem, but in actuality, it made A Small Talk at the Back of Beyond much more difficult to clear. What was a thoughtful and creative implementation became the biggest problem for the game. If you were one word off from a recognized sentence, the AI wouldn't register and you would be left stumped. Eventually this got to me and I ended up consulting a walkthrough.
Putting the game content and play aside, the pixel art was nice to the eyes and the theme was set up well with chilling music and ambiance. Considering that scriptwelder is a single guy (who supposedly doesn't speak English a whole lot), there have to be huge props given to him. Like any good text adventure, there are multiple endings; some dead ends and two or three actual endings. All of the actual endings were (heart-tearing ultimatum included) a fantastic twist and revelation of the whole thing.
Ultimately you can overlook the problem of player input and play the game. A Small Talk at the Back of Beyond takes little to no time to play, but leaves you wildly questioning yourself after. So if you have a few minutes of your time to spare, why not?
Play It: Armor Games
One of the coolest things about this game is how you play it. The left-hand side of the game is a console that allows you to communicate with the AI, and the right side is the room. Instead of selecting a choice of what you say, you actually type out whatever you want. However there are troubles with this feature, the most obvious being that what you say always doesn't get though.
This may not sound like a enormous problem, but in actuality, it made A Small Talk at the Back of Beyond much more difficult to clear. What was a thoughtful and creative implementation became the biggest problem for the game. If you were one word off from a recognized sentence, the AI wouldn't register and you would be left stumped. Eventually this got to me and I ended up consulting a walkthrough.
Putting the game content and play aside, the pixel art was nice to the eyes and the theme was set up well with chilling music and ambiance. Considering that scriptwelder is a single guy (who supposedly doesn't speak English a whole lot), there have to be huge props given to him. Like any good text adventure, there are multiple endings; some dead ends and two or three actual endings. All of the actual endings were (heart-tearing ultimatum included) a fantastic twist and revelation of the whole thing.
Ultimately you can overlook the problem of player input and play the game. A Small Talk at the Back of Beyond takes little to no time to play, but leaves you wildly questioning yourself after. So if you have a few minutes of your time to spare, why not?
Play It: Armor Games
November 9, 2015
RTM (Week 3): Importance
It's been a while since the last Real Talk Monday post, and maybe this unexpected (or maybe expected, who knows?) post will make you even the tiniest bit happier. Don't misunderstand, I have been trying to push out a RTM lately, but every time I start, I always find a reason to quit. But it's been a whole month since the last installation, so I figure that it's about high time that I get around to finishing one of these posts. Here you have it folks, RTM Week 3: why I feel unimportant.
Maybe it's the just ever so slightly pessimistic mood. It could also be the lack of achievement lately, and if anything, underperformance in multiple areas. You could also go out on a limb and say that it's just a phase, but ultimately, I feel pretty low and insecure right now. Few things carry value to me, and it is getting increasingly more difficult for me to get through the week.
But this post isn't about all that stuff. This post is branching out on one of those areas, which is my latent insecurity.
It's not anything major, simply a lack of confidence. There's been a bad streak lately and naturally, I feel worse about myself. I've been looking to more people for assurance that they care and that they value me highly, because at this point, it doesn't seem that way. However I have found some positive reinforcement by trying to justify my emotions with the fact that others also are this way, and that it is natural.
Everything's hard to put into words. It's an obnoxious and hateful ball of emotions that keeps lashing out and biting me. My vocabulary suddenly seems to disappear, and I'm left with unsatisfactory words to describe how I am feeling. Actually, emotions and non-tangible things are always difficult to translate into words.
That's all. You are now free to go. Thanks for visiting.
Maybe it's the just ever so slightly pessimistic mood. It could also be the lack of achievement lately, and if anything, underperformance in multiple areas. You could also go out on a limb and say that it's just a phase, but ultimately, I feel pretty low and insecure right now. Few things carry value to me, and it is getting increasingly more difficult for me to get through the week.
But this post isn't about all that stuff. This post is branching out on one of those areas, which is my latent insecurity.
It's not anything major, simply a lack of confidence. There's been a bad streak lately and naturally, I feel worse about myself. I've been looking to more people for assurance that they care and that they value me highly, because at this point, it doesn't seem that way. However I have found some positive reinforcement by trying to justify my emotions with the fact that others also are this way, and that it is natural.
Everything's hard to put into words. It's an obnoxious and hateful ball of emotions that keeps lashing out and biting me. My vocabulary suddenly seems to disappear, and I'm left with unsatisfactory words to describe how I am feeling. Actually, emotions and non-tangible things are always difficult to translate into words.
That's all. You are now free to go. Thanks for visiting.
November 4, 2015
WW (Week 5): Why You Should Read Onanie Master Kurosawa
Hello all! I'm back from my mini-hiatus and you can expect posts to start rolling out now. Anyhow, for this edition of Weaboo Wednesday I'll be trying to persuade you to try out Onanie Master Kurosawa, a short and sweet manga that provides an insightful view on high school life. What separates Onanie Master Kurosawa from other manga of its category is its unique premise and characters, and by unique premise, I mean the manga is about masturbation.
Story
Alright, I'll come clean: the manga isn't totally about masturbation. Onanie Master Kurosawa sets itself up to be interesting and different through this move, and this is the largest reason I kept reading. Our main character is Kakeru Kurosawa, and he is the same archetype as Hachiman from Oregairu, in that he does not make contact with anybody and disdains others. However the difference is that Kakeru has a routine of masturbating in a rarely used girls bathroom on the third floor.
Oh boy.
You can guess what happens next. He nearly gets found out and his life is changed from that point on. It becomes a dramatic high school story that centers on bullying, loneliness, revenge, and misunderstanding.
There isn't a whole lot else I can say without spoiling large events in the manga, but it definitely does draw away from the whole masturbation thing (which was only a hook after all) and really becomes a great work of art. Onanie Master Kurosawa is, put simply, a story of growing up.
Characters
It's been a while since I last read the manga, but I can say that the main characters left (and still have) a strong impression on me. To quickly run over the characters, we have Kakeru, our resident masturbator, Maiko Sugawa, a tsundere girl of sorts, Magister Takigawa, an all-around perfect girl, and Aya Kitahara, the girl who stumbles upon Kakeru that one fateful day.
Kakeru shows a great and heart-warming transformation from coldness and indifference to somebody who seems to have finally found a spark in life. The other important characters also go through dynamic changes, and by the end of it all, you're left with some slightly more mature young people.
Art
Alright, now for the art. Like most other independent manga, Onanie Master Kurosawa is in grayscale, but the actual art itself is average. At times, the faces definitely look a bit skewed, but that did not affect my reading in any way. There are some quite well drawn scenes, and they look great, but for the most part, the art is simple.
Personal Enjoyment
I liked Onanie Master Kurosawa an incredible amount because of how much I could relate to it (not so much the masturabting parts... nevermind), and how profound it ended up being. The manga gets really deep and stuff hits the fan at one point, but the ending is warm and happy (not to mention, there's a sort of "light novel" epilogue). Additionally it has a special place in my heart as the first manga I ever completed (not saying much, since I don't have a lot under my belt). So give it a shot, and who knows? You might just find your next favourite thing.
Solid 8.8/10.0 would recommend to anybody looking for an amazing read.
Story
Alright, I'll come clean: the manga isn't totally about masturbation. Onanie Master Kurosawa sets itself up to be interesting and different through this move, and this is the largest reason I kept reading. Our main character is Kakeru Kurosawa, and he is the same archetype as Hachiman from Oregairu, in that he does not make contact with anybody and disdains others. However the difference is that Kakeru has a routine of masturbating in a rarely used girls bathroom on the third floor.
Oh boy.
You can guess what happens next. He nearly gets found out and his life is changed from that point on. It becomes a dramatic high school story that centers on bullying, loneliness, revenge, and misunderstanding.
There isn't a whole lot else I can say without spoiling large events in the manga, but it definitely does draw away from the whole masturbation thing (which was only a hook after all) and really becomes a great work of art. Onanie Master Kurosawa is, put simply, a story of growing up.
It's been a while since I last read the manga, but I can say that the main characters left (and still have) a strong impression on me. To quickly run over the characters, we have Kakeru, our resident masturbator, Maiko Sugawa, a tsundere girl of sorts, Magister Takigawa, an all-around perfect girl, and Aya Kitahara, the girl who stumbles upon Kakeru that one fateful day.
Kakeru shows a great and heart-warming transformation from coldness and indifference to somebody who seems to have finally found a spark in life. The other important characters also go through dynamic changes, and by the end of it all, you're left with some slightly more mature young people.
Art
Alright, now for the art. Like most other independent manga, Onanie Master Kurosawa is in grayscale, but the actual art itself is average. At times, the faces definitely look a bit skewed, but that did not affect my reading in any way. There are some quite well drawn scenes, and they look great, but for the most part, the art is simple.
Personal Enjoyment
I liked Onanie Master Kurosawa an incredible amount because of how much I could relate to it (not so much the masturabting parts... nevermind), and how profound it ended up being. The manga gets really deep and stuff hits the fan at one point, but the ending is warm and happy (not to mention, there's a sort of "light novel" epilogue). Additionally it has a special place in my heart as the first manga I ever completed (not saying much, since I don't have a lot under my belt). So give it a shot, and who knows? You might just find your next favourite thing.
Solid 8.8/10.0 would recommend to anybody looking for an amazing read.
November 1, 2015
Have a (Late) Spooky Halloween
Happy (late) Halloween everybody!
Sorry for the late-ish post. I was out the whole day and thought that I would get home in time to write this before midnight, but as you can see, that's not the case. Hopefully you have had a fantastic Halloween night, even though it has been raining most of the day (and it's really pouring now). However even if you have had a relatively terrible Halloween, what has happened has happened, and it's time to gear up for another month. We're now officially on day number one in November, so throw away your razors and grow out whatever facial hair you're rocking.
Here's to unkempt beards, spooky things, and not getting cavities from any Halloween candy or food. Until next time.
Sorry for the late-ish post. I was out the whole day and thought that I would get home in time to write this before midnight, but as you can see, that's not the case. Hopefully you have had a fantastic Halloween night, even though it has been raining most of the day (and it's really pouring now). However even if you have had a relatively terrible Halloween, what has happened has happened, and it's time to gear up for another month. We're now officially on day number one in November, so throw away your razors and grow out whatever facial hair you're rocking.
Here's to unkempt beards, spooky things, and not getting cavities from any Halloween candy or food. Until next time.
October 28, 2015
Fall 2015 First Impressions
- WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS -
With the end of a season there is another one starting, and obviously this year there is no exception. Looking at the anime that would be airing this season, I couldn't help but feel that everything felt very bleak, not including a few that stood out. I had a relatively slow start to the season, and with everything that's going on, I most likely won't be watching 15+ series (like last season). Who knows though? Might pick up some things halfway into the season. But for now, here are my thoughts on the things I've watched so far.
This Season:
Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu Ka??
Haikyuu!! Season 2
Owari no Seraph: Nagoya Kessen-hen
Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiru
Taimadou Gakuen 35 Shiken Shoutai
Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu Ka??
Haikyuu!! Season 2
Owari no Seraph: Nagoya Kessen-hen
Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiru
Taimadou Gakuen 35 Shiken Shoutai
Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu Ka?? (ongoing, 3/12)
One Sentence: Same moe goodness from the last season that will tug at your heart.
With pretty much the same setup as its predecessor, Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka?? in a steady and fun fashion. Currently the episodes feature two short stories each (which at times are interlinked) and all is as promised: moe cuteness.
All of the characters are back from the first installation, and none of them have changed since. Cocoa is still an affectionate wannabe older sister, Chino remains the quiet and shy type, Rize continues with her gun loving and perfectionist ways, and rest assured, the others are the same.
As expected from a moe anime of its staus, GochiUsa 2 features two theme songs that verge on the edge of being bad. There’s a thin line between cute and cringe, and the two songs sit precariously on that line. But this is a trivial matter. The art in the series has always been very colourful and bright, and the show in general is easy on the eyes.
There is not a whole lot else to say besides the fact that GochiUsa 2 is a bundle of heart-melting goodness. Although I’m not a fan of moe, it is an entertaining watch, and something feel-good to expect on Saturdays.
Best Girl: nobody can resist Chino
Haikyuu!! Season 2 (ongoing, 4/25)
One Sentence: The long awaited second season of volleyball anime Haikyuu!! finally arrives, and so far it is everything that was expected of it.
After a year of waiting, faithful fans of Haikyuu!! are rewarded with a second season to the intense and exhilarating action of the first. As like any other fan, I had high expectations carrying on from the first season, and man, Haikyuu!! Season 2 has not disappointed.
The season starts off a little while after the defeat of Karasuno at the Inter High Preliminaries. Everybody on the squad is looking to overcome personal hurdles and internal problems, and how else to do so through some good old volleyball? Before you know it, Karasuno is off to Tokyo to face off against Nekoma and some renowned private schools. And that’s where we are currently, waiting on episode 5.
There are a few characters introduced in this new season, most notably a new manager for Karasuno, Yacchi Hitoka. She’s had an awesome amount of development for only a few episodes, and it’s great to see new faces. Conversely though, there hasn’t been a whole lot of anybody else on Karasuno (excluding Hinata and Kageyama). However we are just getting our feet wet, so it may just be a mater of timing.
The opening and ending themes for this season are near perfect, exemplifying what Haikyuu!! represents. The music is jumpy and exciting, and the scenes to go with them were great. As with the first season, the animation and artwork remain stupendous, if not even better.
Many enjoy Haikyuu!! because it provides a “home team” to rally and cheer for. It is this connection between viewer and character that makes sports anime shine. For me, there is an even greater personal connection, as I also play volleyball. This connection is truly the icing on the cake for me. Really looking forward to the rest of the season, and how Karasuno will fare in future competitions.
Best Girl: the new manager Hitoka has stolen the crown
Owari no Seraph: Nagoya Kessen-hen (ongoing, 2/12)
One Sentence: Things pick up in the second cour of Owari no Seraph, with hints of internal conflicts on both sides, which will hopefully ramp up to some beautifully destructive ending.
The second season of Owari no Seraph arrives, picking up right where the first left off. While the first season left a slightly sour impression, I thought that there was still great potential in the show, due to the way it ended. There is a great big battle between the humans and vampires, and at the very end of it, you’re not too sure if either side is right or wrong. This is probably the strongest and redeeming point of the series. Hopefully this season will play off this idea and we’re already halfway to a great anime.
Yuu takes on the task of rescuing Mika after discovering that he is alive, but as a vampire. With absolutely no recollection of his demonic state during the battle, he continues on with his training and missions, in hopes that he can become more powerful.
Animation and art are still rigid, as they were last time around. Both aspects are quite well done in fact, and definitely adds to the quality of the anime. The opening and ending themes are not to my taste, and could have been selected better, but are fine in their own rights.
Characters are receiving some development, but a lot more could be used. As of now, the only real sense of growth I can see without looking too hard is Yuu (and it would be a shame if it wasn’t). Most of the characters have been revealed to have pretty tragic backstories, and the ones who have not been probed are secluded in mystery. There is another place that can see some improvement.
Personally I think that this split of Owari no Seraph will turn out at least decent. There has to be a large screw up on the their part to seriously hurt their ratings, and by the looks of it, the very opposite may happen. In a metaphorical sense, all the ingredients are there, and it is only up to the chef now.
Best Girl: returning champ from last season, Shinoa
Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiru (ongoing, 3/12)
One Sentence: Stunning mystery anime that brings to us vibrant artwork, interesting cases, and an underlying backstory to tie it all together.
As one of the few anime that caught my eye while looking through this season’s listing, Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiru (let’s just call it Sakurako-san for the time being) has not disppointed. The anime is about a mysterious woman, Sakurako-san, who has an obsession with bones and skeletons, and her assistant, Shoutarou, a young boy who guides her. Gives off huge Gosick vibes, except the female lead is much better.
Put plainly, the art is anything but plain. Everything looks great, and a lot of the effects are done superbly. Animation appears fluid, and the colours are apporpriate for an anime such as Sakurako-san. I think that the opening theme in particular is extremely profound, and the ending, while not as moving, is still good.
The characters present are all very engaging and relatable, and each of them have enthralling backstories. Seeing the show as it is now, it would be incredelous to not expand on their backgrounds.
As for the mysteries and cases themselves, while not seemingly linked in any way, they are each interesting enough and are solved properly. Sakurako-san will most likely feature individual cases for the first few episodes and later on branch off into some sort of overhanging main plot (so essentially like every other mystery anime out there).
All in all, Sakurako-san provides an immenesely pleasing viewing experience, and I would highly recommend you pick it up if you haven’t already. There are some amazing things happening now, and we can only wait to see what it will bring us later on.
Best Girl: Sakurako is the obvious choice here
Taimadou Gakuen 35 Shiken Shoutai (ongoing, 3/12)
One Sentence: It is your typical boy-at-magical-academy anime, and while I was expecting a meager display, the show is actually enjoyable.
Wait up guys, we still have Taimadou Gakuen 35 Shiken Shoutai left! It’s not actually as bad as we had anticipated! Granted, it is still your unoriginal magic academy anime, and it is only a few episodes in, but would be hard pressed to say I didn’t like it.
Hold on, hold on, don’t get me wrong here. The anime is far from being a masterpiece, but for now, it fulfills my personal enjoyment. Something about the show has a certain charm to it. Maybe it is a matter of time, but hopefully it won’t turn out that way.
Characters are all stereotypical and standard, and there isn’t much to the plot. The OP and ED are both sub-par, and sometimes feel out of place (maybe like a crow at a seagull conference?). And for an additional note, I quite dislike Ohtori’s voice. Something about it really gets to me.
While I amsketpical that I will still enjoy Taimadou Gakuen 35 Shiken Shoutai by the end of fall season, I do want to squeeze a bit more fun out of it before it has to go. It is definitely not a must-watch for the season, but I do think it is one of the more interesting ones.
Best Girl: out of all the archetypes, I like Ikaruga's the best
October 20, 2015
Summer 2015 Final Thoughts (Part 2)
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October 16, 2015
Summer 2015 Final Thoughts (Part 1)
- WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS -
Yet another season has come and gone, and while this summer didn't seem exceedingly spectacular, there were some diamonds in the rough. Shows that started off on a bad note managed to pick up later on during their respective runs, and this time around we were given three absurd shows. This all makes for what will be an exhilarating (and dreadfully extensive) review on the summer 2015 season.
This Season:
Akagami no Shirayuki-hime
Aoharu x Kikanjuu
Charlotte
Classroom Crisis
Danchigai
Gakkou Gurashi!
GATE*
God Eater
Jitsu wa Watashi wa
Aoharu x Kikanjuu
Charlotte
Classroom Crisis
Danchigai
Gakkou Gurashi!
GATE*
God Eater
Jitsu wa Watashi wa
Akagami no Shirayuki-hime (12/12)
One Sentence: A heartwarming and exciting fantasy depicting the growing friendship between Shirayuki, a "commoner", and Zen, the prince of a neighboring nation.
When first watching Akagami no Shirayuki-hime, I was absolutely blown away by the exquisite art. And this still stands true, to the very last episode. Besides wonderful art, the story line was engaging and fun, featuring delightful characters left and right. This airing was most definitely one of the better ones this season, and while it obviously had some flaws, it was an entertaining watch.
If you didn't get the gist of it in the starting paragraph, the art is really pretty. All the colours were soft and neutral, making for an effective contrast with Shirayuki's hair. Essentially the show was super easy on the eyes. Moving onto the soundtrack, it's all very standard stuff. Both the opening and ending pieces match the tone and genre of the show, but that's to be expected.
The largest flaw of the show was in the story, which tended to be sporadic and jumpy. My largest bone to pick is the fact that Zen's older brother is introduced as a sort of conflict, but is never confronted later on. There was the one scene in the last episode where Zen confesses to his brother that he loves Shirayuki and plans to defy social standards, but that felt meek. I thought there should have been more of the brother, as he was an interesting character. I couldn't tell if he was simply toying around with Zen, or if he was an actual antagonist (maybe even both).
All in all, Akagami no Shirayuki-hime was an airing better than most, especially when compared to other anime in the season. If you are a fan of fantasy and not particularly picky about things, you'll actually find the show quite likable.
Best Girl: while there's nobody else to choose, it'd still be Shirayuki
Link to MyAnimeList page
Aoharu x Kikanjuu (12/12)
One Sentence: Pretty much the closest thing you'll get to a new sports anime this season, just throw in some survival games and gender traps and you have Aoharu x Kikanjuu.
Oh boy, where do I even start with this one? Aoharu x Kikanjuu, in its simplest form, is an anime about a group of three who play survival games as a hobby. There are three main characters; Tachibana, the justice-obsessed girl who is mistaken as a boy for the whole show, Matsuoka, a suave and handsome host who is the captain of the team, and Yukimura, a lonely and quiet doujinshi artist.
Aoharu x Kikanjuu leaves a somewhat bitter taste in my mouth, as it doesn't have a whole lot to it. Everything felt very bland and unimportant, and overall made for an uninteresting watch. Let me break it down piece by piece for you.
OP and ED are perfectly fine, no problems on my side. I actually found the art to my personal liking, with everything clear and sharp. The premise of a survival game anime is engaging enough for the curious viewer, and there was some potential for the show. As for the characters, well, to an extent, the characters pull their own weight and don't degrade the show. However, there's one vital aspect that the anime really dropped, and that is the story.
While this review might seem harsh, I don't mean to completely bash on the anime. It was a fun watch to fill up those Friday evenings, even if I did kinda lag behind an episode or two. So, if you're looking for something slightly different, and you don't care too much about what you're watching, then give Aoharu x Kikanjuu a shot. Granted, it won't be anything that will stick in your mind for a long time, but it is something.
Best Girl: Kanae because she's the best friend around
Link to MyAnimeList page
Charlotte (13/13)
One Sentence: Gaping plot holes and a hyperbolic time chamber ruin an otherwise great anime about adolescent teens gaining supernatural powers.
Charlotte was definitely one of the most anticipated anime coming out this season, being only the second original series coming out from Key (the first being Angel Beats!). There are certainly some elements that are from Key, including a promising idea, supernatural themes, and a lot of dying and (not so much) reviving, however it is evident that Charlotte leaves much to be desired.
Let's start off with everything that I thought was completed well/decently. As always, Key never fails to provide a captivating premise, and that was probably the greatest part of Charlotte that I enjoyed. Music and soundtrack are also up to par, with both the OP and ED done beautifully (the electro-esque ED in particular was different in a nice way). Animation and art were both solid, especially considering that they come from P.A. Works (the same studio that did Angel Beats!).
Unfortunately there are no other praises that I can give for this anime.
The first five or six episodes were used (I assume) as a way to introduce characters and help create depth in them. But the problem is it didn't work. Hell, even after a whole series with him, I know literally nothing about Takajou, while Yusa is the equivalent of a useless sidekick (which is unfortunate, seeing as there was a lot of potential here). In fact, the two disappear for half the series, a testament to how much they didn't bring to the show. So in the end, three or so episodes that could have been for the main conflict and story, were wasted.
Still, while the show is stupid and nonsensical at times, it still has its enjoyable and powerful moments. Personally, I found Charlotte entertaining, and enough to capture my attention (which isn't saying much by the way). Sure, it isn't as profound as Angel Beats! (which it will be compared to as a sister anime), but it provides a satisfying watch.
Best Girl: Nao turns really cute and girly near the end, so I've got that going for me
Link to MyAnimeList page
Classroom Crisis (13/13)
One Sentence: Not so much a crisis in the classroom, but more a story of power, greed, and friendship?
As a bit of a confusing watch, I seriously don't know what to say when it comes to the anime known as Classroom Crisis. I detested the first two episodes, found the third tolerable, and gradually warmed up as the series continued. Simply put, it had a slow start, and I didn't like it for that reason.
Now, that doesn't solve everything, and Classroom Crisis is still only a mediocre anime. There is nothing noteworthy about it, and it will be flushed down the drain like other series of its caliber. All of the characters are boring and dull, excluding Nagisa, who actually has a pretty interesting backstory. Story is somewhat interesting, but it is not expressed in such a way that it will have an impact on the viewer.
One nice aspect of the show is the art, which is pretty and pure, featuring a sort of pastel set. OP and ED both are norm and expected. Ultimately, I would recommend you pass on Classroom Crisis when looking for your next anime to watch. There are much better shows out there, but if you do decide to watch it, it is somewhat decent.
Best Girl: Hattori Hanakooooooo (largely because she's a tsundere)
Link to MyAnimeList page
Danchigai (short, 12/12)
I Rate: 7.0/10.0
One Sentence: My guilty pleasure of the season; something is just super cute about the show.
There is nothing else to Danchigai except the trivial and random events in the lives of five siblings. Lot of "wow this is basically incest" stuff, but for some reason it's kinda funny and nice to watch. Pretty good way to take up about 45 minutes of your time if you decide to watch it all in one go (each short is about four minutes). Nothing else to say here.
Best Girl: Mutsuki onee-chan (I'm terrible)
Link to MyAnimeList page
Gakkou Gurashi! (12/12)
One Sentence: An interesting, yet somewhat unsuccessful take on the moe genre, throwing in a zombie apocalypse and the tensions that come with survival.
If there was ever a curveball to start off a season in a strong manner, it would definitely be from Gakkou Gurashi!. The first episode plays the part of your standard moe anime, with an abundance of cute girls with absurdly high pitched voices. We're introduced to the main characters, and catch a glimpse of their daily school lives. Essentially the whole first episode proceeds this way, until the very last few minutes. Over the course of the episode there have been subtle hints that point to something dark, and it's at this point when all of the hints come together. Yuki (the deranged and delusional pink haired girl) goes to close a window, and it's shown that the window is broken. Yet she continues to do so as if the window is perfectly fine, and it is revealed that the school is overrun by zombies.
Certainly the premise is enough to hook pretty much anybody, but how does the show actually fare after?
I believe that the plot for Gakkou Gurashi! was decent. Of course, this anime is the first in uncharted waters, so it's hard to find anything to compare it with. However everything seemed to work in a reasonable order and manner, and I commend the show for trying to create an interesting and engaging story. It's notable that I was somewhat on and off with the anime. At times it felt very well paced and intense, with the other times feeling dreary and boring.
To me, the characters were all likable and they definitely grew on me. I liked the way that each character was assigned a group role of sorts, creating a mutual dependence of every person. It sure isn't a whole lot, but it's something.
Definitely an interesting little show that warrants a watch. While it fails to live up to the excitement and huge twist of episode one, Gakkou Gurashi! is a fascinating anime, and something that will get your brain going.
Best Girl: Rii-san, who seems to face the most inner turmoil and carries heaviness in her heart
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GATE (dropped, 9/12)
One Sentence: Another fantasy-action anime, although in a different tone, which follows the actions of the SDF after a mysterious portal to another dimension opens in Japan.
If the fact that I didn't have enough willpower to get through the last three episodes of GATE didn't already tip you off, let me just say this: GATE isn't an interesting anime. As much as the setting might attract a viewer, the actual anime itself falls flat on its face. All of the characters are jokes and feature zero individuality, with no redeeming traits. To add on, the plot flatlines immediately after the first episode; harshly put, the plot is little more than random and insignificant stories jammed together.
The more I write about GATE, the less I seem to like it. While watching the nine episodes I did manage to swallow down, I thought that I was getting to like the show, but it's apparent that those feelings have long gone. Like Re-Kan!, it joins the infamous (and short) list of anime that I've put on hold (essentially things I'll most likely never finish).
Art was decent, music kinda weird and out of theme. Undoubtedly something that isn't worth your time to watch.
Best Girl: Tuka Luna (aka the blonde elf character), for novelty value
Link to MyAnimeList page
God Eater (ongoing, 9/13)
One Sentence: While not super original, the story and art are captivating enough to lure watchers in and keep them there.
I'll admit it, God Eater is just super fun to watch. This is why my rating might be skewed towards the higher end. It appeals to me because the main elements of the show are all the things that I admire and want. It stars Utusgi Lenka, a badass main character who battles monsters called aragami as an act of revenge (I would assume, we haven't been told his full backstory yet). While traveling at a slow pace compared to the other shows of the season, God Eater seems very quick and intense, and leaves me longing for more.
Let's start off with the elephant in the room: ufotable's bold and striking art.
It's definitely a given that I have gotten used to the art, but what you may not know is that I actually quite like the style in God Eater. Something new and exciting was exactly what I needed to kinda "cleanse my palate" and now it has grown on me. The colours are bleak and blue-ish, locking in with the whole dismal situation of the world, and the art is clear and beautiful. I'd also like to add that the electro music is great and thrilling.
Now for the story. You might say that it is plain, but I believe that's only how it appears on the first layer. What I see is a game of cat and mouse developing, especially with what's been going on with Lindow the past few episodes. There are hints of corruption in Johannes, and it's obvious enough to see that Lenka will be caught up in the middle of all of this, torn between his morals and beliefs and his responsibilities as a God Eater. The best part about all of this is that there is a reason behind it all. Lindow has morals that push him to perform acts that may be considered treason, Johannes lost his significant other to the Oracle Cell, and Lenka just wants to fight aragami.
It's all becoming an intricate web of deception and personal actions, and I can't wait to see how this all fares. The latest episode has also picked things up remarkably, with the last few minutes displaying an Alisa who has been brainwashed to kill Lindow. Things like this are what really keep watchers interested, and I am no exception.
Best Girl: Alisa (so much fan service), but looks like she's gonna get a lot of action next episode
Link to MyAnimeList page
Jitsu wa Watashi wa (13/13)
One Sentence: Dumb slapstick comedy prevails, helping push Jitsu wa Watashi wa to an adequate anime.
There is something off-putting when it comes to the art in Jitsu wa Watashi wa, something that can probably be traced back to the weird colours and eyes. Once again, this took a while to get accustomed to, but once I did, it wasn't a big deal anymore. OP and ED are alright in their own respects, but definitely could have been better.
Really isn't any story in Jitsu wa Watashi wa, except the slight romantic development between all the girls and Kuromine, our spineless main character. At the very end of it, we're given the typical "the guy will probably go with this girl after all, but we're not going to signify anything that confirms this" ending. Nothing outstanding at all.
However the anime did make me chuckle at times, and that has boosted my personal enjoyment, which in turn raises my overall rating of the anime. Something about dumb characters doing dumb things has always been humorous in some way. As for my recommendation, I would say skip it, but hey, it's bearable.
Best Girl: really all of the other ones besides Youko I dislike
Link to MyAnimeList page
- CONTINUED IN PART 2 -
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