Easygoing

It's been a while since I last had one of these very easygoing, informal, and impulsive posts, so enjoy it while you can. The way things are panning out, this may be the last post of February, and in that case you won't hear from me until March. But let's put that aside and dip into the juicier core of this post.

Uhhhmmmm, what have I been preoccupied with lately...? I had a sudden rush of inspiration to pick up a programming language (it will also help if I decide to go into comp sci), so I have been slowly picking away at an online Python course. For a person who only has a very small background in HTML it's hard to adapt to, but hopefully I'll catch on soon enough.

Now that the spring athletic season is coming up I've become a lot more involved with some school teams. If I make the ultimate team I'll be funneling most of my effort and time into that. On the side I'm helping with volleyball coaching and dropping in badminton practices every now and then to help out. My body isn't in the greatest shape so this is a good chance to get fit and fulfill my DPA requirements.

For everything else that doesn't need a paragraph of explaining: school is going well, I have a sore throat, and I'm slowly trying to claw together the mess that is my life. Until next time my compadre.

Haze

Things are...

hazy. Like much of my youth, anything and everything could change before my eyes. I am dumb and I am (or I would like to think so) learning.

Many aspects of my life have been and are hazy. With the new semester I thought I could keep my windshield from fogging up, but the glass is definitely starting to blur and the road is becoming a haze. Lately I have been trying to finish all the little errands, but for some reason I am always stopped.

For that express reason I am going to try and get everything off my plate by the end of this week. It's a great opportunity to do so, because my brother's birthday is next week and I can finish off this week and find presents for him at the same time.

That's everything that I feel like blogging about today, not that anything was particularly relevant or interesting to you. I haven't said this in a while, but I do appreciate your attention. I'm feeling a bit better and tonight I land at a very respectable 8.2. Won't know when another post like this will appear, but let's hope to meet there again?

No Filter (#8): Complex

The complex in question is a related group of emotionally significant ideas that are completely or partly repressed and that cause psychic conflict leading to abnormal mental states or behaviour.

I don't have a complex, but I am complex. At times I think that I may be afflicted by several complexes, and the rest of the time I feel normal. Recently I have been experiencing this devastating mood swings that turn a sweet day into a sour one. I haven't discovered the root cause of it all, but I suspect that it has something to do with my "pseudo complex" and tendency to over-analyze.

What is this pseudo complex that I speak of?

After some brief reading of various complexes and disorders, I can't really put a finger on what I'm feeling. I am sure that all humans experience the same emotions as me, and that I come off as pretentious when I claim to have a complex, even if I dub it a pseudo complex.

I cannot stand being inferior or "second" in terms of importance and priority. Actually, let me refine that. Say I am talking to a person (whether it be in person or off a messaging platform), and out of nowhere that person expresses concern or some sort of positive feeling towards a third party. This makes me feel terrible. It is as if I am unimportant, and that I mean nothing, and these sentiments, these thoughts, they are disgusting.

But I can't help it. Along with this, I read into things much too far, and make assumptions that ultimately ruin a relationship.

Sorry, this sounds like whining. I'll stop here. It's the ramblings of a sulky teenager who has nothing to be upset about.

Check

Things have been progressing slowly, and more recently, the pressure of school has taken its toll on me. Even though I am a good year and half away from graduating, there is this immense weight on my chest that keeps irking me. With many of my friends applying and stressing over university/college applications, I cannot help but feel worried about my future as well. As of now there are only a few options that have been outlined for me.

My eyesight has deteriorated sometime in the past few months, and at times I struggle to clearly read out what is written on the board. Granted, I do sit in the back of the class for two of my three classes, however it worries me. There have also been arrangements for me to get braces, so it seems like everything involving my personal health has been a bit out of my control.

Ventures in terms of my relationships with others have been going well, and is one of the things that I have control of. This particular field has never proven to be an area of concern to me, and I doubt that it will.

Self-image and confidence have been wavering. This is brought on by a lack of motivation in school, and my health. I could definitely feel much better about myself, but this is what I have to work with for the time being.

There you have it. A small check on my life. Much more can be said, but these are the most pressing matters at the time. Feeling a bit mopey from this, but still a solid 8 for tonight. Hopefully you will still be around for the next post.

Winter 2016 First Impressions

- WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS -

This season I'm watching a total of two anime. Get ready for a wild and crazy ride.

MyAnimeList

Winter 2016 Final Thoughts (will update)

This Season:
Boku dake ga Inai Machi
Musaigen no Phantom World

Boku dake ga Inai Machi (ongoing, 4/12)

I Rate: 9.4/10.0
One Sentence: Watch it.

Boku dake ga Inai Machi, aka Erased, has had an insane amount of success and popularity since its very first episode. In only four episodes, the anime has already soared up to rank 11 on MaL. The episodes are extremely high quality on a consistent basis, and A-1 Pictures has shown no flaws in one of their latest productions.

Erased has a hell of a first episode, and the consecutive episodes have not dropped in quality. Our main character is Satoru Fujinuma, a young adult who has lost his passion of becoming a manga artist and now delivers pizzas to get by. What makes Fujinuma special however, is his strange phenomenon (he calls it Revival) of being whipped back a short period in time whenever an large accident occurs. Despite his nature, he always gets involved, typically injuring himself in the process.

The story begins when he comes home to discover that his mother has been murdered by a serial killer (never caught) who was also responsible for a string of disappearances when Fujinuma was in elementary school. As you may have guessed, Revival takes place, however this time it takes him back all the way to his days in elementary school, and one month before the disappearances. With this new chance, Fujinuma takes on the task of attempting to change the future, and prevent the disappearances (along with his mother's death) from happening.

All of the characters have a certain complexity to them. Naturally our main characters are the most detailed and fleshed out, but they are accompanied by other very promising and interesting characters. Fujinuma fits into the category of "pessimistic, dreary, methodical main characters", however he shows a more compassionate and soft side to him, which is glaringly obvious when he goes back in time. Hinazuki, one of the girls who disappears, shares many of the old-Fujinuma characteristics, including a surprisingly kind-hearted and caring side. We see Hinazuki in a very different light, as Fujinuma is aware that she will disappear, and that puts a nice twist on things.

The soundtracks have been very fitting for their scenes, and the opening and ending both sound above average. Voice actors have played their roles masterfully and it's nice to hear a fresh voice actors for our main character, Fujinuma. While the art isn't anything spectacularly pretty or flashy, the animation and style are very solid and work well with Erased.

It is an understatement to say that Erased has already stolen the hearts of many. With only four episodes released, it is already a strong candidate for the best anime of the year. If A-1 Pictures continually has a strong showing from Erased and keeps up with the quality, there is no doubt that they will have a masterpiece by the end of it.

Best Girl: Kayo Hinazuki


Musaigen no Phantom World (ongoing, 4/?)

I Rate: 6.7/10.0
One Sentence: Low quality production coming out from KyoAni, filled with lots of pandering to the fans.

Musaigen no Phantom World is a surprisingly terrible production, considering that it is coming from the Kyoto Animation. By the standards of KyoAni, there is a lot of "fanservice", which is the sole reason why I cannot enjoy something like Musaigen no Phantom World.

Putting aside the blatant pandering to viewers, there is a relatively compelling premise that involves spiritual entities, called Phantoms, that humans can see after a viral outbreak of some sort. Really, there is an interesting universe with the Phantoms, but it is hard to appreciate when viewed in a comedic light. How the anime has played out so far is the team of Haruhiko, Mai, and Reina adventure off to defeat various phantoms and typically there is some sort of moral message behind it. I expect the anime to continue this way, in an episodic format.

Generic characters are straight out of a mould, and aren't captivating. There has been some development with Reina's backstory, however I can't tell if that will be an isolated event or if the history of every character will be revealed.

Can't say I hate or love the opening and ending themes, seeing as I rarely pay attention to them. Soundtrack doesn't seem to be present, but I'm sure that if you listen enough you'll find it somewhere. The one thing that I will always praise KyoAni for is their animation and art, and I hate to say it, but Musaigen no Phantom World looks great (as expected).

Definitely recommend to skip rather than spend time watching (unless you're into mindless content and cute girls doing and wearing suggestive things). Time to hole up and wait for the next KyoAni production.

Best Girl: Reina Izumi (same VA as Ayase, so I've got that going for me)