2013 count



- Games: [Devil Survivor 2,SMT Strange Journey]


- Anime: [OreShura, Sukunai, Sukunai Next, Robotics Notes, Kokoro Connect, Kotoura-San, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun,Oreimo S2, Hataraku Maou-sama, Yahari Ore no Seishun, Devil Survivor 2, Valvrave the Liberator,Mirai Nikki, Aku No Hana, Suisei no Gargantia, Neko Stone Cat, Accel World, Kimi No Iru Machi, Watamote, Kara No KyouKai, Attack On Titan]

- Manga: [Kimi No Iru Machi (caught up with the series), Gantz, Bakuman ]

- Shows: [Walking Dead S1-S3, Mad Men S1-S6, Arrested Dev S4, The Borgias S1-S3, GoT S3, Plebs S1, BBT S6, Community S4 , Dexter Season 1-8, Season 1-2 of 24, Breaking Bad]

- Movies: [ 2001 Space Odyssey, Captain America, Thor, Avengers]

- Books:[Royal Assasin, Assassin's Quest, Timescape, The Forever War, Sputnik Sweetheart]

- Audio Books: [Steve Jobs, Masters of Doom, The Time Machine, A Picture of Dorian Gray, Alexander the Great (Jacob Abbot), History of Julius Caesar (Jacob Abbot), Children of God (MDR)]



2013 - ongoing



- Games: [Guildwars 2, Tales of the Abyss, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Pokemon Platinum]

- Anime:[Attack on Titan, Majestic Prince, Gin No Saji, Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyou]

- Anime Catchup: [Hyouka, Black Lagoon, Banner of the Stars]

- Shows:[ Homeland, BBT S7]

- Books:[A Step Further out, Crossing the Chasm, Thinking fast and slow, Don Quixote,The Stand (stephen king), Leviathans Wake]

- Audio Books: [Heart of Darkness, William the conqueror (Jacob Abbot), Norwegian Wood]



This is going to be a quicker update. I'm heading towards the winter season so it's all about bunkering down and getting things done.



Watamote:



A great series, it highlights how pointless lives of certain types of otaku's really are, how we meld into to the wallpaper, but regardless of this, our lives are just as arbitrary and meaningful in their own ways, the only difference is we tend to go it alone. it's being alone that's the hard part and the show highlights that in a comical yet sad way.



Kimi No Iru Machi:



Sometimes it's just nice to see that it works out for two people who are in love and are their first real loves.



Sputnik Sweetheart:



A book about loneliness, I can't exactly relate to the main character who seems to have this active sex life, but is utterly friend-zoned by the one girl who he has a deep meaningful connection with (she's a lesbian). It's a good read because it depicts what it's like to have a deep connection with someone and then have it abruptly severed. The main character only realises this after the fact, and a small tragedy unfolds, the women he is in love, who is also his best friend disappears, he realises how much she means to him at the end of the book. She suddenly calls him out of nowhere out of the blue in the last page.



However the ending is ominous, he's looking at his blood and narrating how there's no blood, that it must have all seeped in. So kind of makes me think he was finally able to "reach her" and the phone call was his delusion right before he died. I think he did commit suicide at the end. Which is a tragic end, the author tells us a hard truth, that perhaps for some of us there is only one other person that can understand us, or that we have one thing that makes us, and losing that person like the main character, or think (like Miu does in the story), will destroy you, and all you have left in life is waiting out the days. I can relate to this. But it's still tragic that he had to die. (or at least that's how I'm reading it).



- here is where I took a couple weeks break and came back to finish off this post -



In that period of time I realised something about Murakami, that when he writes characters, he isn't afraid to leave them broken, or destroy them in unsightly ways, and in that respect so many of his scenarios hit home. He takes direct shots at the heart, and that's why his stories are great. Because they have this clarity of emotion that is almost raw, and you just think to yourself, "he knows" he isn't writing it from some wild imagination, this is experience in writing, something only this HE can deliver.



The other thing is I like how he writers writers, characters that writers just like he is, it's almost semi-autobiographical in a sense. To compliment that, I also like how he writers "readers", characters who love to read, I like how they are always reading, surrounded by books, almost like the reader themselves. I picked up a thing or two about the love of books, always be reading, reading something, be within an arms reach of a book. Whilst the story is sombre, there is life in his ideas and romance of writers and readers that brings a warm glow to those who've read his books.



Watamote (part 2 of the rant):



I've had a lot more to think about Watamote. The heroine (anti heroine?)Koroki is quite frankly the picture of the shy person. A person filled with so much inner dialogue, and fails to actualise any of it in the real world. It's almost pointing out that it's such a waste, she IS an interesting person, but lacks the ability to be interesting around other people, and that's a real shame because you can tell she really wants friends.



I liked this show, what can I saw, she's "one of us", the otaku generation who grew up on the internet watching anime, playing computer games, collecting magic. So I guess I identify a lot with her plight. But still, she's an extreme case with just the one friend.



On the final episode there's a moment where she has a bit of inner dialogue, a resolution of sorts, she realises that she loves how her life is, and screw it if she has no friends, because she's going to enjoy it the only way she knows how. I felt a little respect for her, but nevertheless, she's got a long and arduous journey ahead of her. Perhaps she will find someone after all. I really want to see her end up happy, but I doubt the author would do that to her character.



Bakuman:



I completely forgot that I had finished reading this series. I was almost on a binge, I devoured bakuman, originally I wanted to watch the anime but I buckled because I'd previously read Death Note by this mangaka and I couldn't help myself. I love his zany characters the most. L from Death Note and now Eiji Nizuma from Bakuman.



There's something about the way this mangaka writes "Genius' characters. They have this quality to them, they are "free", you can see it in the "unnatural" ways those character literally move, they walk funny, have incredibly elaborate mannerisms as well, which makes them curious and a spectacle at the same time, you never know what they are going to say or do next, but you wait in anticipation and they never fail to deliver. His genius's are free to be themselves I guess, and they are comfortable being alone, they don't suffer the maladies of the common man at all, they are brilliant at the thing they do best and they are completely absorbed, the things they produce are almost an art form not just standard work, and they almost always think completely differently.



I love his genius characters, they are curious and inspiring at the same time. Between the lines I feel like he is saying, so what you weird? you're weird because you're so far past regular thinking that it manifests itself physically and the normal rules don't even apply any more.



In terms of the plot, that didn't interest me too much, the two main protagonists become famous and rich and marry their loves. It's happy happy lala-land stuff and there isn't enough conflict of the type that actually matters, relationships don't ever pan out the way you want them but for these guys they pan out perfectly, which for me was probably what the story needed, so I'm not going to complain. What I enjoyed was the aforementioned theme of the genius and at the same time the theme of hard work.



Two people, one who creates the engine, and the other that makes it sing. I've always thought that this was the perfect ingredient to build something amazing and beautiful. I don't have a "second" in my life, and two main protagonists make me sad to know how much they achieved together.



Kara No KyouKai:



Ufotable, the guys who brought us fate stay night and lunar legend. It's exactly what I expected to be. Quiet, haunting, poignant moments. The directors really know how to make good use of silence and stillness, and altogether there are many beautiful moments in the anime. The relationships are tragic as expected, I think..(it's hard to tell) that it ended on a happy note this one. Would I recommend it to anyone? if they are in the mood for something slow and somewhat deep, probably then.



Attack On Titan:



I loved this first season. I have great expectations for this. I can't possibly write all that I want to here, perhaps next time.



Breaking Bad and 24 seasons 1 and 2



Same as above, will rant later.



Random ramblings:



Personal



- getting antsy. NEED TO COMPLETE MY NOTES PROJECT. this is all I'm going to say. I need to complete this ..as soon as possible.
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