Friday, October 7, 2016

Occult Academy has a weird ending music image


So I re-watched Occult Academy because I love the TV show. It's about friendship, love, jealousy and then redemption. It's everything I wish my life consisted of. The occult realm already seems to hover over me...I just miss my good witch friends to help keep me connected to this flawed world....Wonder how they are doing...

But what's the deal with the ending tune's image of a little Asian girl and boy laying very still in the grass? It's eery and unsettling. I feel like they died and then lived in a parallel universe where the occult academy story takes place. And what is the deal with Maya's dad building her the academy? So she only exists in this city because the university is like her connection to this world?

Mmmmmmmm, Well anyways, it was/is a great show. The mini stories within the big story all touch up on what it means to belong, be human, have feelings for another human and how to redeem your humanity when you have messed up. Good show, I highly recommend it.

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Yoshinaga-san'Chi No Gargoyle is pretty insightful with their mini stories

http://sockshare.net/watch/vMpraq1d-yoshinaga-san-chi-no-gargoyle/episode-7.html

How many anime touch the topic of trauma or ptsd? This one does.
For simple anime animation I can say that I've never met such kindhearted anime characters in any realm of my imagination. The gargoyle that protects the main character is loving and patient. The main character is a cute, tomboyish little girl who has a sensitive, meek brother. I love how it showcases different aspects of humanity without being too cheesy or cliche. When I was growing up I was a sometimes, loud, obnoxious child full of questions. When I didn't get my way sometimes I would loudly pout, stomp my feet and even throw a tantrum. That kind of attitude did not agree with my folks and a smack on the butt or a time-out would reset me back to my decency but that was all a normal part of growing up.

Anyways I like this show. It's not cliche and its still family friendly and good-hearted even though it touches upon serious matter at times.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoshinaga-san_Chi_no_Gargoyle

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Redline = Easy on the eyes linear, detailed art

Drawing by: Click
Redline is not really my type of movie. That's why I decided to watch it, I am trying to expand my horizons.
I love the detailed, over-proportioned limbs and hand art. I love the thick black lines encircling the scenes and characters.

Story-wise? Eh. It's cool. Redline makes me think of a flat red line in the hospital but the movie isn't about this at all....
This is deff more of a macho, protagonist hero kind of story for people who like that vintage, classic story type. The art is fantastic though. I love how weird and strange and yet humanistic the characters are. 

Idk. Nothing else to say here really.

Summer Wars anime movie was awesome and cool


What I thought while watching this movie and my analyses:

Kazuma reminds me of a Mexican/Native American or some tan friend I used to have...Maybe still have if he hasn't forgotten about me the way I did....I can't help not knowing because of all the accidents that have interrupted my brain and timeline at times...
He reminds me of someone that was mean to me, but not mean in a "I want to hurt you" kind of way, but more like "don't bother me" sort of way. And being surrounded by men who wanted to touch me, woo me, date me, grope me etc....I liked his don't bother me attitude more because it worked with my "I don't want to be bothered or touched" mood. After a while of living in his house, or near him we became friends. Kazuma's expression is almost identical to his...I just don't remember his name but I remember his face somewhat....It pains me not to remember everything fully but I know he was a good person and this fact alone makes me miss my friend.

This movie is amazing. It's so full of life and humanity. It also is full of abstract mental goodies! It's also such a thorough slice of Japanese life cartoon that I loved watching the background environment that depicts Japanese style and flavor. It's also easy to see/follow what the Grandma was thinking when she snapped and tried to hurt her step-grandson. She couldn't bare the thought of the world's chaos being tied to her because Japanese folks are a very proud, honorable people. It also makes sense that she didn't really want to hurt him because she loved him but she was just ashamed for him and herself that he had made this grave error in judgement to try and help out the family with money. The animators and storyboard writers really know how to explain different mindsets and showcase their culture's life through animation. These people are incredibly talented, I think they are some of the best animators of our time! 

Also it was incredibly interesting to view the different abstract concepts that were subtly introduced in the anime. Like, for example:
1) Was the world descending into chaos because the baseball star was playing badly or was he playing badly because the world was melting into a mess?
2) One person can affect the world but the world also affects each of us differently and individually.
3) Motivation might be made up of small, white, good lies but that's okay because when cheering people up it does have to do with what they want/need to hear and not what reality has already hurt them with. Positive pick me-ups are invaluable and necessary.
4) Each of us have a large network of people we carry with us that can influence us/we can influence them vice versa etc
5) Japanese people are more aware of traumatic, dangerous catastrophes and are sensitive to what if-scenarios because they have already seen a very dark/gory side to humans during the world wars. This is why the illustrators are not afraid to think outside the box, showcasing what could happen might inspire others to keep this from happening.
6) When tragedy strikes people band together. Kazuma's family reminded me of my Canadian family. I miss my family in Canada, it's also a very large and sometimes obnoxious bunch lol
7) I love how it showed how anxious the heroes were in the movie. Being a hero is not easy. Caring about the future of your family, yourself, the world is not easy. Also when everything goes wrong, your brain taps into what I call an "I need you God right now" mode and no matter what you just cannot help but pray and God answers. I don't care if your a Christian, atheist or a believer of another religion when you need that extra ounce of hope we-humans turn to God and he delivers. The movie shows this several times when the characters are almost frozen in fear in a very touchy, scary situation. That extra ounce of hope can come from external sources like family, random strangers etc but regardless of how its delivered-it gets delivered. 

I also loved how this movie portrayed a near futuristic future so realistically. Even if our technology is super advanced and we are all connected online, it won't take away some of the more traditional things in human life like family meeting, tradition, houses and memories.

I really loved this movie. I think everyone should watch this Summer Wars movie. Towards the end I cried and it felt good to know that my humanity is still alive. I was scared for the female protagonist when she was playing the Koi game, I didn't want her to loose and even though I knew she had to win it was still scary to think that she might not. I had genuine anxiety waiting to see what would happen and it felt great to worry about someone else for a change.

Monday, October 3, 2016

The Garden of Words is good but I can't really empathize with it

This movie, The Garden of Words was awesome for just one reason. It reminded me of the way I used to think when I was 17 years old. I was always in my head. My thoughts drifted with the clouds, high above the ground and always scanned for the future ahead.
I miss being 17. When I was 17 I had a family and tons of friends but I never felt like I belonged with them. I got along with older people because their lives excited me about my own future possibilities, and the people my age didn't quite care about the future...
It's weird but-the more you think about something, the less likely it happens. My life rule used to be, think about it, believe it, act towards it and it will happen. But I started caring so much, and started being so good at predicting my own future that somewhere along the way people became jealous and killed this life rule of mine.
Now it seems like the rule is don't think about it, don't plan ahead and eventually you will find yourself there and be able to enjoy the moment. If I think about it too much I don't end up enjoying the present.
And yet I remember being 17, feeling like an outcast and yet not really being as much of an outcast as I thought....but I do love being alone in my mind... I remember being in love with my mind then as well. I could silently sit in a corner, inside myself and stare at the thoughts whizzing past me. My own little world. I found freedom inside my mind and no one was ever able to enter it quite the way I do. I miss being free and I miss my state of mind. I don't think I can truly be Jennifer without this.

Also the movie reminded me of Charlie my ex-boyfriend. He reminded me of the immature male protagonist in the anime. The whole time I am thinking I wish I could sit around and do nothing, say nothing and only enjoy the company of a friendly person my age....Keyword: My age. Till I found out that the other protagonist, the teacher was way older than the kid and somehow they fell in love with each other....Eh. I remember being young but when I fell in love with my teacher I wasn't that young. I was like 19.
Idk. I was never much for emotional outbursts without directions. When I am volatile everyone knows why. I tell people and I give them warning signs before I explode. I don't just get angry and walk away and somehow hope that my lover will run after me because they care enough to become mind readers for my sake. It's great when people can be mind readers but you don't have to be in order to understand me because I tell you exactly how I feel and where I stand on issues and in life.
No. I am not like Charlie. I am not a volatile, immature child. I never was. I know now that what he needed was someone like the teacher in the movie but that's not really my personality. It's one thing to have one or two emotional outburst a month, but Charlie had them a few times a week. I wasn't raised in this manner. If I couldn't justify my emotions I would get a beating and a time-out. I wasn't allowed to just get angry because I felt angry. I had to have a reason. It also does not matter what state of mind I have and what psychiatry drugs I am on, I am still not allowed to have a random emotional break down just because I am affected by people, events and happenings around me. Those were never good reasons for outbursts in my family and in my world. My first love and my teacher understood this, but Charlie did not even though he stated he understood, he really didn't understand me.


So Idk about being able to fully empathize with the movie The Garden of Words. I feel like the movie is about a pubescent teen turning on the cusp of being an adult who has mommy issues and wants/needs the approval of a beautiful older, smart woman in order to be able to fully evolve into the young man he is meant to be. I can't really relate with this but-
The movie is beautifully animated though. I always wonder what makes animated cartoons better than real people. Is it the simple fact that the animation is more aesthetically appealing or is it because things are drawn in a simpler way and so easier on the mind? Either way it was easy to watch. I loved how every panel was a work of digital art. I love when anime takes their time on the scenic panels. I hope to be able to draw like this someday.

A sketch to help me understand why, who, what



I am thinking of illustrating another manga. But I am not sure of the concept yet. Maybe if I write down all the ideas surrounding this concept I can organize my thoughts and figure out how to proceed with all this new information.

Sometimes I know where I want to go with a certain story idea but then a new piece of information will deviate me from this story and make me think of another story idea. I have so many ideas that they tend to blend together unless I sit down and manually organize my thoughts.

What if once upon a time ago a girl saved someone. Then she gained a friend but then she accidentally made him angry and for a while there was blood raining down from the sky. Then the misunderstanding got cleared up and the person and her became friends again. Then there was love. Maybe not directly with this person but everyone had love and everything seemed pretty okay.
Then dead bodies started showing up again and the girl wants to understand if this is all in her mind, or what if these bodies are not even real and someone is playing a mean sort of prank maybe they are latex/special effects stuff. And if it is a prank-who is responsible and why? or Is her friend the killer? If he is her friend then why is he putting gory stuff like this in her room? Why does he want her to see this stuff? Or why is he even chopping people up in the first place? What does that have to do with her? Is he killing people to keep her alive? Is it someone she knows or is friends with? Is it someone else? Why does she have to store this in her mind? Why did this all stop in the first place and why is it back? Is this regulated? Why would doctors and guards not do anything if they knew about it? What does it all mean? Why her? Why doesn't this stuff happen to someone else?

Maybe this could be a psychological thriller mystery manga....

Sunday, October 2, 2016

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children seems to have been taken straight out of my mind

When I watched  Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children movie today all I could think was...
1. Didn't I have a dream about this/these scenarios before?
2. Did I write this book and someone stole the manuscript?
3. When I was a child my brother and I got lost exploring once-probably more than once honestly...
4. Didn't I discover a church too when I was a child? Or was it my brother?
5. Didn't I scare everyone once when they wonder where the heck I had been all day? Or was it my brother?
6. Did I find my brother alone by the church once or did he find me or did I run back and tell everyone I had time-traveled to a different section or time?
7. I remember running back home and being like MOM-DAD!! I met these amazing people blah blah blah
8. I have a crazy, vivid, powerful imagination.
9. This is the power of ________.
 10. Was I in a coma and did someone build  me a mental arena where I explored places and had to make decisions that impacted the world when I snapped out of it? 
11. in the dream-world I got tired of saving the world once and I decided to run back to Emma to live with her forever.
12. My brother or me befriended dead kids or spirits. 
13. Nature can hear my thoughts.
14. Loops. I've used that term before....Gotta find all the loops to find the best timeline!
15. This movie is just  bunch of my dreams stitched together...Minus the bad people and the eating eyes thing.


Idk. I was too distracted by how creepy and realistic the movie was to my childhood isolation daydreams that I couldn't enjoy it fully. It was a good movie. I love how the main character is humanly creeped out by some of the children at first, and how he pushes past this fact to get to know them and befriend them. I love how human that is. It's not easy being open minded sometimes but what if you had a mouth in the back of your head and had never encountered another boy your age? How would you feel if you knew you were different but all you wanted was a friend anyways?
The boys and girls deserve respect. They are humans too and I am glad the protagonist of the story overcomes prejudice and the conventional feeling of wanting to surround himself only with normal people in order to make new stranger friends. 

Saturday, October 1, 2016

Chaika The Coffin Princess

I thought this would be a normal, fantasy anime that would only be mildly interesting but eventually loose my interest.
Boy, was I wrong! I love everything about this anime television show! 
I love how cute and simply Chaika Trabant speaks. I love the banter between siblings and even the way Chaika's honesty opens the frank, earnest door in Tooru, one of the protagonist in the story. I love the interesting concept of Unicorn's being cannibal in nature and dangerous. I love how wizards have guns instead of wands in this story. There are so many "different" concepts beautifully strung together like a candy coated necklace of whimsical energy in this anime that I am constantly being surprised by the artist's innovation and never bored. I don't see myself getting tired of this anime anytime soon, and I cannot wait to cosplay as one of the Chaikas! 



Thursday, September 29, 2016

Food Wars and not spilling the beans on secret recipes

Have you ever loved someone or something so much you just wish everyone knew about it? *sigh* This happens to me way too often. I am always having to make-up stories just to explain something so incredulous that no one would believe me anyways.
And thus, vague references is the adult way to go about explaining a concept that could very well bring hope back into that person's life.
We need the story-tellers in this world. I've written essays on the importance of lessons well learned and experiences well shared. The truth is golden. But a well dressed story "based" in truth is very close to gold. Let's say its silver. And we need these silver stories to protect and inspire the ignorant masses on Earth.
I just wish I wasn't so worn out sometimes. My brain is tired. It's been abused way too often just for being beautiful. I've suffered for knowing too much at times and for not knowing enough! Telling a lie is hard for me, the truth has always been easier to say. Lying is exhausting. Lying has a negative connotation to it and I've always been reprimanded against lying. I used to have to pass tests as a child to prove to others I was not a liar. So when it comes time to tell someone an uplifting story it always pains me to hide the complete truth.
But at the same time I know it must be done to protect the rarest recipes on Earth from greedy human hands.



Food wars reminded me of this. I wish I could tell everyone where to find hope, love and knowledge but at the same time some people don't deserve to know. Not all dishes are enjoyed the same way because not all taste buds appreciate the same food.
That's why when my friend Sarah thinks she has found the perfect dish it doesn't quite appeal to me in the same way. Or when Irish at the Safe Harbor dorms starts flirting with Eminem that experience doesn't register as fun. My best experiences are intellectual dishes worthy of nothing short of academic merits. I love to learn and knowledge is the warmest, most satisfying nutritious dish of all. It can be found in any culture, color or style. It's always delicious to learn that the world is a never-ending chef of mysterious surprises. I appreciate these cooks. I've learned that judging people really is counter-productive and that assumptions should be given out with caution. It's also a good idea to take your time tasting a meal. Like the parents of our youth have told us, take your time eating because your stomach digests easier this way.
I need time to digest every good, neutral and negative experience I've had in life. It's done quite a number on my brain and even though it is still big and beautiful it's also a bit bruised and sore from working so much. I need to start healing it so I can keep growing and protecting what I love. I want to become a better liar. It used to be so easy to tell a white lie but somehow people were not satisfied with not knowing what I thought and they hurt me. They hurt the part of me I never was comfortable doing anyways. In order to heal my brain I am going to try reading again.
I want to run to the best chefs I know and ask them to help me heal but they are busy fighting their own food wars. The master chefs I love are so incredibly intelligent most of them go undetected by food critics! They are only known by the locals and guarded for being so delicious. The locals don't want everyone to flood the restaurant and take up all the best seats in the diner and that is understandable. I want to promote what I love but sometimes all I can do is look up at the sky and nod a smile in gratitude for being lucky enough to have experienced one of the best dishes in the world. Those master chefs are inspiring. I almost want to dine forever in their halls but even they know that a foodie like me needs to keep on exploring till I can't anymore. Because once in a while a mention to a passing, depressed and starving stranger is acceptable. It keeps the diner in business and that stranger from dying of hunger, and the beauty of that diner's menu is utilized in the right way. 
Maybe my job is to keep that knowledge well guarded till it is used to save hungry, starving customers of knowledge and love.
I am not certain. I can only make an assumption to why I couldn't find my way back to that diner by asking the locals. I guess they felt I've had enough of the menu to keep me full for awhile.

All these food and chef parables....You all must be wandering what in the world am I really talking about....Well, this is my brain right now watching anime lol.

Friday, September 16, 2016

Daily drawing image entry #1

I once knew a man who laughed like a boy and seldom smiled.
He was a general in a world of sheep.
I was passion in a world asleep.

Together we learned what it meant to love and suffer for one another.
I must have understood then why I had to burn for him but that knowledge is lost to me now.
All I have are fragmented memories of a man I loved with all my heart.


My heart has deep moody blue eyes, curly brown hair and pouty lips that rival the sun when they smile.


Dream Eater Merry Anime was just "Okay." The manga is better

The show had so much potential. When it was interesting it was amazing, but most of the episodes do not take place in the dream world and when it does, the character count does not fluctuate a whole lot. The characters after episode 5 stay the same for the rest of the season loosing the cool notion that the show will be flooded with interesting demons, creatures and monsters.

Overall the premise is great but the show does not do much to develop it's story into a unique gem. This mine does not get mined. The potential turns into boredom instead of a gem. There are too many episodes where nothing happens and all the show demonstrates is sweet but boring platonic, everyday mundane interaction. Nothing is truly said that brings the audience closer to unraveling the mystery of Merry. In-fact the last episode of the show reveals nothing about her past, all it does is leave you wondering why the producers of the anime felt the need to blue ball everyone into watching an anime with no proper ending. And worse of all, there is no season 2. There is no solving any of the mysteries that the show hinted at or bamboozled you into believing it would solve or explain eventually. In order to get any kind of closure you have to search for the manga online. Which I found.

The manga is so much better! It explains more, and the events are not out of alignment like in the anime. There are more creatures and demons and the story is so much more detailed and eventful.
I strongly advise that you all check it out!


Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Yumekui Merry (Dream Eater Merry)

Credit: fursen3.deviantart.com
   

               I decided to start my anime binge watching week by browsing through the Amazon Prime Video content available to me as a fellow subscriber. I actually purchased Amazon Prime on accident. It was free to use as a student and when the trial was over, Amazon charged me for the entire year all at once. So now I am stuck with Prime for a year-might as well make the best of it!
               Amazon does not have as much as Hulu, but they might have a small upper-hand over Netflix. I've found their movies and anime series to be on the not so mainstream side of the anime fandom. For a casual otaku fangirl like me, this proves to be a very happy accident indeed. Now I am free to peruse the pages of all the anime shows I have never heard of and have yet to visually devour. This makes for a very happy Amazon Prime subscriber!

Look at the unique detail in her eyes! So cool.
   
      Dream Eater Merry caught my eye right away. I am drawing an online manga that deals with the demon world and the concept of someone aka main character Yumeji, Fujiwara possessing the ability to know, ahead of time what someone will dream of that very night (including himself) super interesting! I've always wanted to incorporate dreams and here is an anime that beat me to the punch! Also the anime art is very easy on the eyes, with the characters possessing wide, bright eyes and cute, detailed, unique outfits. I love Merry's pointy ears. Super kawaii!
       I've only watched two episodes so far but the story is captivating from the start if you like dream worlds, heroic and villainous demons and unique spins on mainstream concepts like two realms coexisting. For example the human world and the shadow world etc.
     
      I keep wanting to see what Yumeji will do with his weird gift. So far he has had some scary encounters with creepy, masks and talking cats but what else is out there in the dream world? Will his powers unlock into something more awesome and unforeseen? Is Merry another bad dream demon or is she truly benevolent and Yumeji's friend?
     I can't wait to see what's next! I am also hoping that the show is filled with more unique monsters and creatures. I love watching stuff I have not seen or thought of before, those artists that blow my mind with creativity like that are truly masters at drawing.

If Iam going to be denied social interaction

               If Iam going to be denied social interaction I might as well lay back and start truly immersing myself in the Otaku culture other Hikikomori enjoy.


                 I always thought of myself as more of a casual otaku fan chick but lately it has gotten continuously harder to interact with the social world around me. I have lost the desire to "try" and make new friends. Everytime I "try" I end up getting raped by a male I thought was like me. Florida is not kind to otaku hipsters with a beautiful figure. The men almost are insulted when I ignore them. When I try to explain that we are not compatible they think that claiming they watched Dragonball Z or Naruto once upon a time ago is enough kudos to date me. I thought Florida was part of America, I did not realize that I've been living in cavemen era where men choose and women shut up and follow. If this is the case then I do not want to be known as a "Floridian". I do not want to be anything but what my heart desires. Lately it's human beings that are kind regardless of how I dress, interact or socialize but those are very rare- so rare I am thinking of trying to pick up new friends at homeless shelters because those men and women are just as lonely as I am and willing to be JUST nice. Recently I had my laptop stolen by one such homeless man when I thought I had made a platonic friend but other than this those bums have been kinder than the rich Christians nearing their end of days which make up the majority of the population in the Tampa Bay area. If that sentence does not speak volume about the Florida culture I am surrounded by I do not know how to paint a clearer picture.

          Let me explain just how much I have tried to be a normal 20 something year old chick. I have tried to use Okcupid, plentyoffish, Christianmingle, and even almost bought a membership to match.com. No such luck has been found on any of those sites. No men or women seem to understand what an "otaku" likes. When I try to tell or explain to them just what I want. It's as if I am not speaking English! No one gets me or what I am saying.
          Then I tried asking my so called police friends if they had any reformed bad boys wanting a good nerdy girl. Nothing. The doctors in my family think I should just take my "pills" and shut up. My guy friends who are not married have a lolita complex and just want to screw me. My ex just wants to use me. My chick friends are married and are annoyed at my lack of growth and childish idealistic ways. My best friend who actually gets me sighs at my naivete and prays for me before going to bed every night. Lord knows I miss him but as an important government employee he has important things to attend to and I missed the boat on being his main squeeze. Nevertheless I still pine and whine with nostalgia for our past. If you have ever watched Sense8 he has the personality of Wolfgang with an intellectual brain. I could talk about him for hours on end...When I am confronted by men I feel no chemistry, mentally or physically for I end up doing just this.
          There isn't a group in the Tampa Bay area that doesn't know who and why I love him and yet....My parents do nothing when ignorant and un-intellectual bullies try to justify their claim to me. I ball my hands into a fist, shoot them a nasty glare and shout "NO means NO!" I do not want a macho, latin bully. I do not want an ignorant, immature jock.
          I want a compassionate Light Yagami. I want an intellectual Vegeta.

And I've also tried to find him at school, the library, the greyhound station, Metrocon and at Barnes N' Nobles with no luck to be found. Clubs and bars where I've worked for more than 3 years have not yielded any results.
         Florida's social culture is now dead to me. If I do not meet this "special mate to be" in college I will truly become more hikikomori in nature. Technically I will be more of a Freeter but you get the picture.
         Anyways, there might still be hope in the future to meet someone smart and have an actual social life when I travel to different states to attend anime conventions but right now I am giving up the hope that I honestly deserve. I should get a reward for matching the police, my ex's brother, my best friend and Steph up with partners. Jewish culture states that if an unselfish person has that kind of luck matchmaking others she is destined for love and heaven will smile upon her.
Well, Jewish heaven where is my special good-natured, good hearted, smarty-pants?

Till then its all about anime television shows now. I have given up doing anything social except for when I have school. The next few entries will be about my favorite anime television shows and what I have found to my liking. Hope you tune-in then!
TTYL friends (I hope you all are) ("^__^")