The Late Spring Break Post

Hey all, it feels as if I haven't made a post in a while, so this one is the result of some sort of guilt in not doing so. The largest reason that can be attributed to why I have been inactive here is because of my lack of items to write about. Long ago I decided to stray away from the daily meanderings of my life and to write insightful and thought provoking content, but I've come to discover that isn't my style.

I'd like to say that I will be posting more, but I can't guarantee that. The blog could go under a period of inactivity for a while, seeing probably no more than a post every week or so, but hey, who knows? That being the case, I'll write about what I have in store for the rest of Spring Break and leave it at that.

Essentially my goals for Spring Break were to

• enjoy and learn from my volunteering experience at Adanac Park Lodge (APL)
• learn how to play Ultimate with the Alpha school team at a tournament
• climb back to Platinum in League of Legends

The first two items will be taking place the second week of the break, and as such, I have been trying to slowly climb my way up the ranked ladder in League of Legends (to partial success). I'm pretty excited to immerse myself in the environment at APL and see what I can do to help out, and I've always wanted to get better at Ultimate, so next week looks to be relatively fun for me.

I'm currently helping host a League of Legends tournament as a head of Alpha eSports, and I have to say, things have not been running smoothly. A few new teams have really made things messy, and it's difficult to handle. However I can say that from this experience I'll have to focus more on communication and clarity with those involved in the tournament. I took care of a lot of things myself and could have contacted the players more, regarding tournament rules and etiquette.

Anyhow, that's all you'll be hearing from me. Hope you're enjoying your break (that is, if you have one), and you can except to hear from me sometime in the future.

WS (#1): Boku dake ga Inai Machi is Murderously Good

The sudden and unprecedented success of Boku dake ga Inai Machi (also known as Erased) has startled the anime world and its loyal following, receiving immense acclaim and praise from many. Erased has soared to the top charts of MyAnimeList, currently sitting at #5 on the Top Anime Series list. What makes this feat even more impressive is the fact that the anime has only aired 9 out of 12 episodes, and is currently ongoing. There is something to be said when a new and fresh anime can demolish and bulldoze over countless other series in a matter of nine weeks.

Now the question is: What makes Boku dake ga Inai Machi so good?

If I had to narrow it down to points, it would follow something along the lines of:

• intriguing and sinister story that is open for plot twists
• likable and dynamic characters that one can relate with
• near-perfect atmosphere and mood work
• heart-warming moments
• heart-tearing moments
• crazy cliffhangers every episode

But what good can points do when you have a fully-fledged summary of various aspects of said anime?

Story

In Boku dake ga Inai Machi, we follow a 29 year old small-time manga artist who has isolated himself from the world and spends his days working at a pizzeria. Satoru Fujinuma doesn't have much going for him in life. One notable thing about Satoru is that whenever a disaster occurs in his vicinity, he will be thrown back in time, and given the chance to prevent it from happening, a phenomenon he dubs "Revival."

What seems to be an "ordinary" disaster blows up into something more, and soon Satoru finds himself 18 years in the past, right in the middle of a series of kidnappings and murders.

As a person who has never delved into series like Steins' Gate, the concept of time travel in anime is fresh and new. For that reason, the story of Boku dake ga Inai Machi has captivated me. There is a certain charm to any anime that involves deaths or the threatening of life (it's an acquired taste), and this anime really provides in that department.

There is a certain urgency in the air due to the fact that Satoru already knows what will transpire, and he needs to get a particular event done by a particular date, which is an aspect of Boku dake ga Inai Machi that I find interesting, to say at the very least. When all's said and done, I'm finding the story compelling and keeping me on the edge of my seat.

Characters
There are some characteristics of certain characters that are a bit of a stretch, but for the most part, we have a large amount of realistic, complex, and layered characters. All of the characters are set up ambiguously as to lure the viewer into a sense of false safety or alarm. Really at this point any person asides from Satoru, his mother, and the kidnapping victims could turn out to be working behind the scenes with the kidnapper.

Development has been going at a great pace, and I'm enjoying what Boku dake ga Inai Machi is doing to the viewer.

Sound
The soundtrack for Boku dake ga Inai Machi has been great so far, and I am thoroughly enjoying the opening and ending themes, along with background music accompaniment. We are also greeted by some completely new voice actors, who have been doing a killer job for their first roles.

Art/Animation
At first glance the art style doesn't look anything special, but A-1 Pictures has done a marvelous job with the fine details, and it's solid animation overall. The facial expressions are strong points coming from Boku dake ga Inai Machi, and prominent scenes definitely get a bit more attention when it comes to animation.

Personal Enjoyment
Boku dake ga Inai Machi is something that I look forward to every week, and something that I watch as soon as I can. While I think that it is currently being overhyped (and I am scared for unrealistically high expectations, which could mean that people magnify the flaws instead), it has proven itself to be one of the most prominent anime that we've seen in a while. I highly recommend anybody who watches anime (even as a side hobby) to give Boku dake ga Inai Machi a try.

Give em the good ol' 9.3.

Boku dake ga Inai Machi on MyAnimeList