Anime blog that focuses on Yuri and School Girl Slice of Life Anime and Editorials
Yep, it’s that time of year again with the wave of competitive e-drama from 2010 known as the Aniblogosphere Tourney. Since then, the blogosphere landscape has changed significantly with some blogs dying and new ones popping up while others improve. With 2012 being a big year for bloggers, I want to share how people can improve themselves, especially for the newcomers who have yet grasp the joys of blogging and writing good posts. (Image Source)
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Considering how quiet it is since I’m only watching two shows this season, I spent majority of my time playing more Idolmaster 2 last week. Just yesterday, I wrapped up my 5th play through before the spring semester starts. I had lots of fun conquering all of Japan with my idols in that produce (except the capital region as there is no reward). Aside from that, it’s back to college studies and studying more Japanese so I can expand my knowledge of the language with the hope of understanding more of the story later.
Also happening this week, I will write reviews for the Fall Anime, write more editorials and the Japanese Self Study Progress Part III. So, look forward to that. (In addition, some stuff about SOPA/PIPA after the jump) (Image Source).
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Have you ever dream of raising a Japanese pop idol? If so, Idolmaster is the game that allows you to. Surprisingly, I haven’t heard much about the game even though I have seen other fellow anime bloggers played the actual game. This is mostly because typical Namco refuses to localize the game (and others) for obvious reasons and that it’s originally on the Xbox 360, a console I do not want to own. Sure, a PSP version of the original game and the Nintendo DS spinoff, Dearly Stars eventually came out. What made me interested in playing the game is the Anime that recently finished. When I heard that there is a Playstation 3 version of the second game, I just had to play it. It basically motivated me to learn Japanese and thus, I gave it a spin.
The iDOLM@STER 2 is a “second vision” game in the series that puts a lot of emphasis on “Unity” (or 団結) as shown in the Anime. In this game, you have to create an idol unit with three members (leader and two sub members) and manage them so you achieve the top position in the Idol Academy. Like in the older games, the choices you make are crucial in order to succeed. Since I played the game for most of my winter vacation, I may as well share my thoughts about the gameplay rather than writing a full review.
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As the Winter Anime Season starts, I may as well resume my weekly digests since the Power Rankings restarted shortly after the New Year’s break. Since I’m only covering two shows presently, I will resume finishing my backlog to fill in the remaining stuff I can blog during the week. Starting next week, I’ll continue where I left off with True Tears and Tears to Tiara. These titles will not appear in the ranked episodes since they aren’t current shows. In addition, I will come up with a redesign for the third anniversary before February. Don’t worry though, I will modify one of the old banners and change from the Christmas one as a placeholder until February begins.
In addition, I’m planning to post the third Japanese Self-Study progress later this week and thoughts about Idolmaster 2. I just got sidetracked with video games and winter break that I haven’t been updating lately. With the spring semester happening pretty soon, hopefully I can restore my regular blogging patterns (Image Source).
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Before I go overboard with video games and completely forget about the year-end post, I may as well do it now so I can bring in the next year on a high note.
Although 2011 was a very eventual year with a big Earthquake in Japan that occurred in March of this year and some disasters that hit close to home like Hurricane Irene and the October Snow Storm, it was a very good year for Anime. While noitaminA had many disappointments, there have been some great shows, most notably Madoka Magica, which aired earlier this year. So for a further ado, I’ll share my thoughts about the year as a whole and some accomplishments. (Image Source)
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Well, I hope everyone had a nice Christmas. For me, not much has happened except my parents and sister watched a few movies while I play with video games and my new iPhone. Of course, one of those games I finally get a chance to play with is of course アイドルマスター２ on the Playstation 3. Yep, it’s that game, which the anime is based on and I have to say that I’m impressed with it so far. Although my Japanese skills needs more work, the girls looked cute and most importantly, it’s a fun game (except the know fact that I suck at the dance lessons). Still, I won’t write my first impressions until I get further into the game, which might take a week. Nevertheless, I’ll keep everyone posted.
If you are curious on what I’m producing, the unit name is “Flower Princess” (花姫), which consists of Takane (Leader), Haruka and Mami.
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アニメの１２日 – 二部
Today is the day before Christmas and to celebrate it, I’m looking back at the reminder of the moments in this year’s Anime that made it awesome. This includes Croisee, Ano Hana, Fate/zero, Idolmaster, Hourou Musuko and Madoka Magica.
If you don’t know what this project is all about, I highly suggest checking out the prelude (Image Source).
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Since finals are over, I can finally relax. With Christmas coming upon us in six more days, I still have unfinished business such as the Secret Santa Anime, which is collecting dust and the last part of the 12 Days of Anime Project. Hopefully they will get done in the next three days so I can end of the year editorials and of course, games.
Just as a notice, because of Christmas lands on a weekend this year, Fate/zero Episode 13 post will get delayed until Monday. Otherwise, enjoy the Secret Santa posts as they come this Saturday (Image Source).
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アニメの１２日 – 一部
Christmas is almost here and to celebrate it, I’m taking a look back at the first 6 notable events that grabbed my attention or surprised me. This includes Fractale, Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai, Hanasaku Iroha, Working Second Season, A Channel and Gosick.
If you don’t know what this project is all about, I highly suggest checking out the prelude. (Image Source)
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Following the eventual week, I’m pleased to announce that my mother’s operation went fine and recovering. As for me, finals have finally come in full force since today marks the end of classes. Therefore, I won’t blog at least until Thursday when I expect to complete most of the finals. Once that gets finished, I will concentrate on completing the first level Japanese course textbook, Secret Santa Anime I haven’t touched and the 12 Days of Anime Blogging Project. (Image Source)
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As the fall semester comes to a close, it appears that things are only going to get busier. Once finals are over, I’ll play catch up on marathoning the Secret Santa Anime I have been sitting on along with finishing the first level of Genki I in my Japanese self-study. Hopefully I can get that done before I start my video gaming binge after Christmas.
Also this morning, my mother went into surgery as mentioned earlier… I’ll keep everyone posted on the status. (Image Source)
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For those who are in America, I hope everyone had a nice Turkey Day. My Thanksgiving weekend was quiet as I spent most of my time playing Minecraft. In addition, the holiday shopping got completed rather quickly since I knew what I want. Unlike last year, I brought no Anime, but instead a good number of games including a Playstation 3 version of Idolm@ster 2!
In addition, “The Idolmaster Animation Master 5” released yesterday in Japan and I ordered a first press release of the disc. I can’t wait to hear the full versions of Heart of Marionette (マリオネットの心) and Myself Rest@rt (自分REST@RT) since I heard from other people that they sound excellent.
On a serious note, my mom goes for surgery to remove a Stage I Kidney Cancer next Monday. From the day of its discovery, we have been a bit anxious. Hopefully, she will have a speedy recovery once it gets taken cared of. (Image Source)
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Subsequently after the downtime that caused a significant drop in hits, I’m plan to fight with the hosting company so I can get a prorated refund and move to a more reliable shared hosting for another year. Although a VPS is nice and all, I need to learn how to set one up locally before actually taking a risk.
During the downtime, I have taken the plunge and brought the fifth Idolmaster Animation Master, which contains a few notable songs from Episode 13. I promise to post pictures of it once it gets released (and no, not like this).
On the brighter note, last week’s anime was exciting with Mini-Ika returning and most importantly, the Chihaya episode. (Image Source)
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First off, I apologize for making a statement (including the complaints on Twitter) in the last post that wasn’t called for and got scalded for in the past. I admit that I have gone through a rough weekend regarding some stress in the family regarding an illness along with someone crashing into my mother’s car while making an illegal U-turn. Therefore, I wasn’t in my state of mind. Going forwards, I will not complain about it in the future if it happens again (everyone should heed this warning, especially those who complained about it on Anime Suki Forums).
Aside from that, the stuff that happened last week was exciting despite Ika Musume Second Season not airing. (Image Source)
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In recent years, shows involving schoolgirls doing cute things have become considerably popular, especially in the second half of the 2000s. Although some people argue that these works don’t have any substance, for others, it gives a feeling of happiness and refreshment. Shows like K-ON, Hidamari Sketch, Sketchbook, Tamayura, and A Channel along with the acclaimed Aria series and Ikoku Meiro no Croisèe, which don’t set at a school setting. So, what are in these shows that give this present feeling?
Iyashikei (癒し系), which means “healing series” in Japanese is what it says on the box. It’s a genre that focuses on the lighthearted aspects of life with little to no conflict. If you look further, there are several qualities in this genre, which contributes to feeling such as the emphasis on friendship, the setting and an easy-going feeling. (Image Source)
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Miraculously, our power finally returned on Monday after I spent two nights sitting in a cold, dark room. Thankfully, there were no trick-or-treaters this year, so we didn’t have to go through the annoyance of the doorbell ringing every minute and having to pass out candy.
Aside from that, Ika Musume finally comes back from hiatus to make our day brighter along with Ritsuko’s comeback as an idol. Fate/zero on the other hand, it was somewhat disappointing, but still remains strong show. In addition to this, I will share this year’s pick for the Aniblogger Secret Santa project. (Image Source)
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Tomorrow is Halloween. So, this weeks picture fits the mood with Makoto and Hibiki wearing the “My Dear Vampire” outfit from The iDOLM@STER 2. On a side note, the PlayStation 3 version of the game came out last Thursday in Japan. Hopefully I’ll get a copy to play around at years end.
Despite the lack of Ika Musume 2 and a snowstorm that hit the Northeast, which knocked out our power for over 24 hours, this week’s Anime had very exciting developments. Makoto finally gets some time in the spotlight along with Iskander’s/Rider’s epic attack against Berserker. (Image Source)
Note: The Fate/zero Episode 5 post is delayed until tomorrow, unless the power comes back on tonight.
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What is this? Are you doing weekly digests now?
Considering that I’m now taking part in the Anime Power Rankings, the answer is yes. A fellow Animeblogger named kevo runs these rankings to see how the currently airing shows are doing at a particular week. Given that I want to share my reasoning behind these votes and possibly add brief thoughts of episodes from older seasons that aren’t part of the rankings, I decided on doing it. This is how it’s going to work:
So, let’s get started, shall we? (Image Source used in this post)
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In the past, Kyoto Animation has made a few notable slice of life shows involving a bunch of schoolgirls. Particularly, Lucky Star and K-ON is their most popular works in the genre. With the production of Nichijou, it takes a slightly different take of the genre opposed to gradual character development and references from the Otaku subculture. Instead, it focuses mostly on slapstick comedy sketches that place characters in wacky situations. (Image Source)
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In the past few years, the Slice of Life genre gained a lot of popularity. Many of these shows while similar have unique stories. As I explained in my editorial about the genre back in 2010, there is really no defined definition of what makes a show a Slice of Life.
In particular, Kyoto Animation has pushed few of the most popular shows of this genre. Lucky Star and K-On has a huge following for cute characters, but both of them have two different premises. The former focuses on the anime subculture and the latter, the true essence of friendship. On the other hand, Nichijou takes a spin of the genre with less emphasis on characters and more on ingenious comedy (Image Source).
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Believe it or not, summer is more than half way done. Although I haven’t watched much from the summer lineup since I went on a two-week vacation late last month, the shows that I watched were very enjoyable. Out of the show from this season’s lineup, I have watched Ikoku Meiro no Croisèe and The iDOLM@STER along with two shows from last season. (Image Source)
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During the Fall 2010 Anime Season, I have taken a brief look of some the opening and ending songs I heard from the shows I were watching. Since I only covered a few shows last winter like Madoka Magica, Hourou Musuko and Fractale (Gosick is left out since the ending theme single came out in the spring), I decided not to focus on it. However, I have published a full review on Madoka Magica’s opening song, “Connect” at Anime Instrumentality and you should check it out!
For the Spring 2011 Season, there was a good number of opening and ending songs I liked. Out of the songs that released and listened to during spring, I liked “secret base ~kimi ga kureta mono~” (Ai Kayano, Haruka Tomatsu, Saori Hayami), “Scarlet Knight” (Nana Mizuki), “Hazy” (sphere), “Scarlet Ballet” (May’n), and “Spread Wings” (Aki Misato). For each song, I will share my thoughts about them briefly. (Image Source)
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In the past few weeks, there has been some discussion on why fans decide to blog about Anime. It’s true that blogging takes time and dedication, but there are many reasons why people continue to do it.
For me, I have been blogging for nearly 2 years and a half now and I have my own reasons for blog. I decide to do it not for popularity, but to enhance my experience as a fan of Anime. (Image Source)
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First in the summer vacation marathon, I have watched the Nanoha movie (most namely, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The Movie 1st), which focused on the events involving Nanoha’s befriending of Fate in the original season. Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha has been a very enjoyable magical girl series to me as it differs to the traditional genre. It caters to the moe crowd while appealing to others with a rather complex magic system (with some elements of mecha), males using magic and of course yuri. Of course, the first season of Nanoha is not entirely flawless since the animation was lackluster and some important details were left unexplained until the movie came out…
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