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Tiger & Bunny

Tuesday, November 7, 2017 / No Comments
A previous post of mine mentioned that I have been recommended at least 3 anime to watch to keep myself occupied for the 2 weeks before school starts, and the first one I watched was this! I was hooked and gave it a 9.1/10 rating, and the show gained a new fan.


I was skeptical at first - it was probably the first time for me watching a series where the world centers around heroes and makes use of them to help society, and at the same time profit the ones that are eager to cash in. I could already tell that they are doing the latter from the many sponsor logos shown during the opening credits. Despite that, it's still part of the show's appeal after all - there are fictional and non-fictional sponsors shown, and in the story they are the ones that enable people to become recognised heroes by the city.


The story is set in a fictional city based on real-life New York City. 45 years before, individuals with superpowers start to emerge, termed the NEXT (Noted Entities with Extraordinary Talents). Though not all are able to do so depending on their abilities, there are certain NEXTs who can abuse their powers and deal extensive damage to the city and put the lives of people in danger, which is where the need for heroes come from.


Initially I had been bored during the first episode - until the main character, Wild Tiger changed into civilian clothing and walked around the streets and I decided to stick around at least for him ><! So it seems that Wild Tiger has been a hero for at least a decade, up to this point in time where something major happened in his hero career; arrangements have been made for him to pair with another hero, Barnaby Brooks Jr.


The dynamics between Wild Tiger and Barnaby was rather interesting to watch. Neither of them liked each other, so they don't get along well at all, at least at first. But neither can contest against this arrangement since it is fixed by the company both of them are working for, so we see many problems between them in the early stages of their working relationship. Which means many blunders were made, even when Barnaby has been shown to be a perfectionist. Somehow or the other, they gradually begin to be able to work together and their relationship improves a lot towards the end of the series.


Other than our two main characters, the story develops to show the various personalities of the other heroes and villains, and the struggles they are facing. One thing I like about the series is the kind of struggles presented, and how the characters deal with it. It mostly centres around the family; for example, Wild Tiger himself had to leave his family living in another town, and has difficulties keeping promises to see his family members regularly especially when he wanted to keep his actual job a secret from his daughter.


The show had a rather nail-biting ending, and I heard a second season was supposed to be on the way... but it has been 6 years so I sometimes wonder if plans have not been changed u_u Despite the lack of new content, the show is apparently super popular in Japan still, with new merchandises still being made occasionally as well as a few Tiger and Bunny themed events here and there. I find Tiger and Bunny one of the more promising animated series I've watched in terms of story development, character designs, even the fight scenes - the whole package. You bet I'm still hoping for a sequel after all this time.


Ritsu


Binge A Happy Halloween

Friday, October 27, 2017 / No Comments
The Japanese people never fail to amaze and tempt me with their ever awesomely innovative means of living out their daily lives, and they really take occasions very seriously! Doesn't anybody wish that they could be in Japan this instance? Halloween is a great reason to splurge those dollars and cents on Japanese ideas. What is otherwise a mundane thing gets turned into something so tantalising that one forgets for a moment.


This should effectively ward off the vampires loitering around the neighbourhood. Doritos in Garlic and Pepper! I am not fond of garlic, but the idea sits relatively well for a Halloween party. See how cute the packaging is? There is a flock of bats hovering the skies! Come to think of it, the Doritos do resemble bat wings...


Would you care for some fries drenched in pumpkin and chocolate sauce? Dining at fast food restaurants in Japan must be a blissful feeling, particularly on holidays and such. Seriously, our fries pale too much in comparison! Sure, some people may say that it is just pumpkin and chocolate, but at least it isn't boring. I could easily forgo my diet for this!


Okay, this is killing me. Would anybody eat a squid ink burger? See what I mean? How about a Camembert Chicken burger? Camembert is a type of cow's milk cheese. Just take my money...okay, there isn't a way is there? And the poster alone is enough to kill me over and over...


Shall I go on? While I have no idea if the chicken pieces are any different from the usual, the creative effort is vital in encouraging consumers to take a bucket home. I am no advertising expert, but I like to believe that something like this shouldn't cost an arm or a leg. Besides, this is real eye candy! 


For desserts, I certainly wouldn't mind an entire packet of mini KitKat...Pumpkin Pudding! And the individual wrappers are all different! Okay, please excuse me...I have to wipe the drool off my face. I haven't had a KitKat since...never mind! We need something like this, and more of this!


If anybody is in Japan right now, and happens to drink this...nah, I shall not let out sighs of envy. Nope, I will not.

Eccentrically Yours.

Written by J.Fluffysheep ♪

Death Parade: A Review

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Towards the end of my summer internship, I had around 2 weeks worth of holidays left before school started and I was keen on occupying myself, so I asked for anime recommendations. The first 3 I was to watch was: Tiger and Bunny, Death Parade, My Hero Academia.

It may be a little odd that I'm talking about the second anime I'm watching first, but a few reasons: it's sandwiched between two hero-based animes, so the themes are quite different - after all Death Parade can get a little gory and depressing - so that's my warning if you are intending to watch it!


Interestingly, the original concept was from Madhouse's short film contribution to the Young Animator Training Project, an annual project which supports training animators. The short film was called Death Billiards, and it was then made into an anime series, Death Parade, consisting of 12 episodes in total. There's even a post on the blog already which gives more details about Death Billiard's debut at Anime Mirai.

I notice that the opening song is more cheerful and uplifting compared to the actual anime itself!



The episode often starts with people being brought to the scene, but they do not remember what happened that led them to their current premise. In order to get out of where they were, they have to stake their lives on a game.



Throughout the series the games are shown to be on either extremes - either ones that are peaceful or provoke violence. One thing in common with all the games are that people's memories will gradually be returned as they progress with the game.


We are first shown Quindecim - a bar run by Decim, a seemingly stoic arbiter of souls who have passed on. His superior, Nona, then introduces a girl - who would be his assistant in judgments.

This series is particularly intriguing in its concept of the afterlife, and also how they portray the reactions and emotions of various people from various backgrounds. Imagine being told that you are unable to leave this dark, rather gloomy and suspicious place until you have played a game, which will be "randomly" selected by a roulette. This struck fear in the hearts of many people, with some attempting to find their way out of the place, but always to no avail.



It may start off dark, but there are also amusing and light-hearted moments in store. The arbiters, as compared to the humans, are having a relatively more relaxed time even if their jobs may seem to be tedious at times. For one, they do not function the same way as humans, but do take interest in human items and take on forms of various kinds of humans. Other things that stand out to me would be how Decim and the girl worked, their relationship, and how the series ended.



The ending contains elements of despair and frustration that struck close to home, which resulted in me shedding tears over it. However you interpret it, I think that, and the series as a whole, sends a message - life in itself is a precious and wonderful thing to have despite what one may think.


Of course, the ending is not meant to counsel one how to lead their lives, since to each their own - but it does make one reflect on certain things. Exactly what, I will leave to your interpretation, but I see them as quite important issues. In short, I'm glad to have been introduced to a beautiful and thought-provoking series (though perhaps I should have watched it when I was in a better state of mind. :T)

Rating: 8.5/10

Ritsu


A Peculiar Halloween

Monday, October 23, 2017 / No Comments
Trick or Treat! Halloween is coming, though I don't celebrate the occasion at all. I suppose the closest that I have ever been to Halloween-related was getting free candy as a kid from some event promoter in a shopping mall. Anyway, Halloween parties aren't uncommon here. Almost every party would have a little competition to discover the Best Dressed or Best Halloween Costume, whichever it is called. While I am very certain there is no lack of ideas floating around for people who are into that sort of thing, I thought I would throw in a few suggestions myself since I am feeling a little bored.


For starters, if anybody absolutely hates the idea of all that fancy, gooey make-up and such on the face, it is always possible to go clean. For example, if you have naturally powerful assets like huge goldfish eyes or something, all that is required is just a creepy staring down at people while flashing a thoughtful grin. I wouldn't mind going for that one! ★


Another convenient way of putting together a Halloween get-up is to simply wear a mask, and cover the rest of the body in some dark-coloured fabric. Honestly, you don't even need to resemble anything. Just go around the room solemnly with your cocktail glass or something. ★


But if you are in for some make-up without feeling overwhelmed, how about the strange-looking kid look? It works better if you have longer, messy hair! You just need to work on one side of the face, and wear something long and bulky like your blanket. Drag yourself across the room reluctantly, preferably with one hand sticking out somewhere. ★★


Personally, I wouldn't endorse this act unless I have a secret death wish or something, but it is definitely a creative way to get anybody's attention. Sadako has come a very, very long way, and her legacy continues whether people like it or not. The classic television scene has become a regular fixture of gags and such, though if anybody were to think about it, the stint isn't exactly the smoothest thing. I mean, first of all you need to have really flexible joints. Some experience in yoga or gymnastics is necessary to effectively play the part. ★★★★★

Well, I think I would probably find a couple of horror movies to watch or something on Halloween. Hmm, I should get myself some Halloween candy as well...

Eccentrically Yours.

Written by J.Fluffysheep ♪

AVCon 2017: Adelaide

Sunday, October 22, 2017 / No Comments
Hello my nuggets!

This post is (as usual) overdue and for four months this time.. (இдஇ; )



But anyway! I attended AVCon in Adelaide back in July, and it was pretty nice! Adelaide is a pretty small city so I don't think they have many large events compared to the larger cities. They had an area for 'official' booths, and another for the artists' lane! I did get some merch but not as much as I'd like due to a tight budget. 



This was the internal booth areas! The walking space was huge, so no bumping around even if you had on a super bulky cosplay! To be honest, the merch wasn't all that spectacular, it took much walking until I finally saw something I liked. It wasn't all Japanese centered too, many booths had Supernatural, Teen Wolf, and the likes. 






They had a maid cafe too! 







This was the Artists' Alley!! There were so many cute things!! I saw so many things I wanted to buy but it would have been a hassle transporting back to Singapore, not to mention being on a budget was super painful.. The artists were super friendly and really sweet to let me take photos too! I didn't get much photos because most of the booths were pretty packed, but there were definitely many more booths than what I've pictured! 



Look at these though!! They were quite costly, but it's worth it!! I already have something similar, but the one I've bought before was the all glass version with a Pokemon suspended in the center. It lights up too! I've been meaning to do a quick post on that but it'll have to wait till I get back.. 

There was also the Cosplay Competition, several Anime Screenings, and many Panels to attend, but I decided to walk around instead, so I missed those. I did however, get some pictures of the cosplayers! Most of them were in the Panels I think, so I didn't get that many, but it's alright. 

It was pretty awkward because the ones that were roaming around were mostly taken by professional photographers but they were still really sweet to stop and let me get a quick snap with my phone! The quality of my photos are pretty shitty, to be honest, since the hall was huge and the light was everywhere and I'm a terrible person to not have brought an actual camera. But I hope you'll still enjoy the photos!!


This pair was by far my favorite!! They were actually resting on the bench behind and I initially didn't want to disturb them BUT I HAD TO, THEY WERE TOO ADORABLE. They had a Pokemon backpack too which I got a snap of, but it has somehow disappeared off my storage card? Ugh. 





Some Kuroshitsuji + a Sakura!! I also saw the alice in wonderland Ciel but we nyoomed past each other too fast. 



I swear I had many more photos but I keep losing them? I remember having a whole group of BNHA cosers but they're gone and all I had left were these two uggggh. But either was it was still really cute! I originally did not notice they had an Aizawa with them because he was wearing shades until I spotted the sleeping bag! Also we were on opposite directions of the escalator when I spotted the Shinsou and they were so nice to wait for me to climb back up to the second floor! ( ˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡)













Here are some random ones but aren't they amazing! The Minami coser was actually in the midst of having their meal but still posed for me anyway :') Most of these were snapped real quickly because the cosers were in the middle of something but thank you guys for stopping!! (ㅅ´ ˘ `)







Some of these costumes are really at the next level man, look at the amount of detail on the horned pair!!! The lighting was the worst on that photo and I really wished I got a better one but their costume was A** Sigh, all these cosers are really too adorable!! The IwaOi pair were hilarious! When I asked for a photo Iwa-chan asked Oikawa what expressions Iwa-chan usually make. They ended up giggling but no matter!! They're still cute!! ✧*。٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و✧*。







Tadah~ The HTTYD one was super effort!! Office rolly chairs were used to construct the dragons so it was easier to move them around! I think the cosers were able to sit on the dragons too!! The dinosaurs were a good laugh, they kept bumping into everything. 



These are the last two I have!! The Mustang one was taken just as I was leaving the convention! I also saw some Edwards cosplayers but missed them. All in all AVCon was fun, though the lack of funds to buy merch was a little frustrating. I really wanted to support the artists.. If you guys are ever in the area during AVCon, I would definitely recommend you guys to attend!

For now, nerd out!

Written by: ninetylives