It isn't a treat yo self day, it's a treat yo mama day! Take her out for some fancy steak breakfast!

Mutta gives Hibito less credit than he deserves. He’s a good younger brother, even though he’s rather unrealistic and stubborn. This time around we get to hear from his own mind, rather than Mu-chan nitpicking on his little bro! It’s a nice change of pace and taught us an interesting habit of Mutta’s when he’s feeling down (other than avoid the issue and be a derp). It’s almost cute, and you’d think that the episode would lead into another series adorkable and funny antics of Mutta…

Instead of his usual goofy self, he sat and cried in the shower like Tobias Funke, something I’m sure a lot of us are guilty of. It really tugged at the heartstrings, didn’t it? And the worst part is that Mutta’s concerns are absolutely legitimate. He chose violence, and something like that is hard to argue in favor of, setting the chivalry and kinship aside. This was pretty much my expression during the shower scene >>

But the two old people are back, with old people is wisdom and revelation and happiness, right? (And humor. Those two were pretty funny, with the casino/purse joke lol.) NOPE, the mangaka/writers/whoever were like, screw it, let’s put Mutta in some kind of dangerous situation to mess with the audience’s emotions, and leave it at a cliffhanger, too. Making it really obvious the Fire Extinguisher Man would play a part in the episode didn’t downplay the moment at all. Of course, there’s no doubt that in the next episode Mutta will use his unique memory and attention to detail to easily apprehend the criminal on live TV, which will impress the board back at JAXA as well as heighten his moral. This way he gets to one-up his little brother and to help prove himself the “big brother” he idealistically strives to be.

Even if I’m wrong, getting this feeling of suspense out of me would be great! What a hyped-up cliffhanger. Rather than what happens to Mutta (there’s no way something bad can happen to him, right…?), the reaction from the JAXA selection committee is the key. If saving a bunch of good folk from a fire-extinguishing weirdo isn’t enough to convince Tanuma and the “more than half” of the committee voting for Sawaki, then  it’ll be another couple of years or even more for Mutta for accomplish his dreams!

I know that feel, spacebro.......

Weirdly enough, I didn’t feel any hatred against Haru’s and Hime’s relationship nor did I feel any hatred against Haru himself. On the contrary, I actually enjoyed seeing their interactions in the hospital together so I guess that’s good for my overall enjoyment in the near future. Speaking of characters, Kuroyukihime has stolen my heart in episode 6 with her pony tail and adorable facial expressions! Though she’ll never reach the level of Mio Akiyama (no other female will ever surpass Mio and that’s a fact!) I do consider her one of the most attractive females I’ve seen (in term of my standards). Any favourites so far fellow readers?

HNNNNNNGGGGG~~!!! <3 <3 <3

As for episode 6 itself, I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would considering I stated in my previous post that I’m only in it for the fighting. The simple fact that Accel World has appealed to me through scenes that don’t involve fighting is proof to myself that I’m now enjoying the show not just for one aspect which is another good sign. Sure I can’t forgive how they had to use the cliche boy-falls-over-girl-and-gropes-her tactic but that’s a minor issue in term of Accel World as a whole. What appealed to me the most in this episode was Taku.

This can be taken out of context so easily... are you thinking what I'm thinking? ;D

We might believe that Taku has changed for the better good and point out that it’s evident in episode 6 that he has good intentions for helping Haruyuki reach Level 2. Even so, something’s missing in the picture. Trusting that Hadena’s subs are accurate, why would Vanquish declare a stay of execution for Taku? Why did Taku wish for Vanquish to not say he’s letting him go? Why did Taku ask  for more time? Why did he quit Kendo? And why does Kuroyukihime think he’s suspicious even after all he has done for Haruyuki? My guess is that Taku is trying to win their trust; acting as a double agent. The sad thing is, I get the impression that he’ll gain Kuroyukihime’s trust in episode 7 and in turn will be able to act as a true double agent for Vanquish. What are your thoughts on this matter guys?

Are you sure you want to delete? Yes...HOLY SHIT UNDO UNDO UNDO!!! (Happens to us all the time...)

Rating: I’ve decided to give it 8 out of 10. Slow as it seemed to be, it was to be expected from episode 5 so I’m not too worried about it. In fact, I enjoyed the slow pacing in episode 6 as we’re finally progressing at a good rate story-wise and character wise too. Finishing off with a twist, I’m curious as to see what will happen between Taku and Kuroyuki. Of course, I can’t forget about the ‘Bouncer’ who’s quite an interesting character. At least she’s more interesting that Chiyu at the moment. Being 24 episodes long and still without a full cast, we might be in for another slow paced episode. Then again, if they can continue to intrigue us like how episode 6 hasthen I wouldn’t mind their choice of pacing.

Episode 6 did a great job in concluding Rea’s hide-and-seek dilemma while also leaving us with an interesting twist at the end. That being Rea’s slight ‘arousal’ from licking Furuya’s blood. Personally I had thought the definition of an ‘actual’ zombie (in terms of Sankarea’s world) was in fact some sex-driven individual but now I doubt that slightly with what we saw at the end. Nevertheless, as slow paced episode 6 was; in terms of story progression and entertainment value, it did not fail to deliver.

I’ve begun to ignore most of Sankarea’s continuous attempts (well… try to at least) at ruining their own show with fan service and in turn, I’ve started to acknowledge Wanko as a character in Sankarea not just for the sake of fan service. What intrigued me was the fact that Wanko held some romantic jealousy even though she’s listed as Furuya’s cousin, so is this a form of forbidden love or maybe she’s not actually Furuya’s cousin at all but a childhood friend of his (which is possibly what episode 7 is trying to depict in their title)? Even so, I’m just glad at least one of the 3 characters I don’t care about is now someone I acknowledge as a proper character. You’re gonna either had good characters that contribute to the story or not have them at all or else it’ll ruin peoples overall enjoyment.

Rating: I’ve decided to give it 8 out of 10. It was surely interesting knowing how Furuya’s grandpa ‘created’ a resurrection potion but the idea of having a flaw to it allowed more potential development in either story and/or character to take place in the near future to come which I felt it was a great way to keep things going. I love and admire how Sankarea can continue to use such a slow paced feel to their advantage; capturing the romantic feel between Furuya and Rea beautifully. Of course, the selected BGM’s had a big role in delivering those feelings out of the screen. I only wish that Sankarea continues to amaze us with their animation quality and romantic development without the unnecessary fan service. Then again, this is all me blabbing on about what I think is right or wrong so what about you guys? Do you mind the fan service in Sankarea?

Men In Black 3

With the conclusion in episode 6, we’re finally getting somewhere with story progression! Yeah I know 90% of you out there aren’t as happy as me with these turn of events but seriously, the story in Kore wa Zombie isn’t so bad guys. Sure it does feel as if they’re throwing it in randomly considering we all view Zombie as a very not-so-serious series, but as much as it chooses to be serious, it still has comedy here and there. In other words, I’m asking of you all to try and enjoy the rest of the series for whatever it becomes (unless they pull off another advertising episode for the sake of selling their character singles…).

How did this...

...turn into this!?

Now that Mysteltainn has been fixed, it was satisfying getting to see Aikawa back in action against what I consider to be one of the coolest megalo’s we’ve seen so far. It’s a fricken raccoon with a pistol! How cool is that!? *ahem* Alright, maybe I got a bit too excited there but as I said, I’ve really missed seeing Aikawa with his masou shoujo powers PLUS what’s with that twist at the end!? I know Christ hasn’t had much air time but far… that evil gaze really left an impression on me. I’m more than curious as to see what will develop in the future episodes to come!

Hey look! Aikawa's acting like a zombie! Oh wait...

Rating: I’ve decided to give it 8 out of 10. The episode had more than just comedy mixed into it; displaying a curious start to the story behind Kore wa Zombie – Of the Dead! I know most of you might not agree with me on this matter but I’ve always admired the ability to turn something as comedic as Kore wa Zombie into an actual story while keeping it funny. As lacking or uninteresting the story may become, that’s only due to our initial beliefs that Kore wa Zombie shouldn’t be a serious series at all. We got some good moments here and there in the first season, so why not in season 2 as well?

Kore wa Zombie really is something you’d enjoy mainly for the comedy but also for their characters. I’m sure you’ll all agree with me about how well done they portrayed Euu’s development in season 1 right? *silence…* Well even so, you can definitely tell how much I really enjoyed this episode for the comedy and also my desire for a story progression to begin. I doubt the next episode will be full on story so for those who’ve enjoyed the comedy immensely, rest assured.

Fun fact: If you reverse the chant Aiwaka says to transform, you’ll get “Raburi de Chamigu Dakedo Watashi(w)a shi o yobu mono!” which translates to “I am lovely and charming but I am the one who calls upon death!” Interesting isn’t it? Gotta give my thanks to SPIRAL over at CSW Blog for picking up on this.

You sure it didn't mean "call upon sparkly rainbow lights" Spiral? ;P

F@#% this, I quit!

I’m feeling it guys… that GC feeling of cheesiness especially in episode 4. It didn’t work in their favor making Haruyuki even more of an unlikable character considering I wanted to roast that fat boy for making my Kuroyukihime cry! What should’ve been a sad and teary moment between Kuroyukihime and Haruyuki when she confessed her love for him (as if you like him Kuroyuki!), I found it very mediocre. The same goes for Accel World’s (failed) attempt at making episode 4 ‘funny’. Maybe it was my initially high expectations from episode 1 that have ruined my overall enjoyment, maybe it’s something else. Even so, I was close to dropping Accel World and would’ve done so if I hadn’t already downloaded episode 5. After finally kicking things off the way I imagined it in episode 5, I’m finally looking forward to Accel World.

I, myself associate Accel World as an ‘action packed’ series so in terms of all the school-life stuff they’ve been showing us, I had no interest in them. I’m sure if you’re one of the many who only watched BRS for the fighting then you’ll know what I mean. In all honesty, I loved seeing Haruyuki getting beaten up. Yeah I know, sadistic isn’t it? But to clarify, what I meant was that I loved Cyan Pile’s special moves and most definitely Kuroyukihime’s ‘Burst Link form’ which – although I knew what it looked like already – looks awesome right? It’s so bad ass I can’t get over it! I’m glad we’re finally getting some decent story progression happening and to make things even more awesome, we got to see an adorable twin tailed Kuroyukihime~! Can’t wait to hear what her real name is (even though I strongly feel that they should’ve ended it with the revelation of the name since now when I watch the next episode, it wouldn’t feel like anything special).

YESSSSS~! TAKE THAT HARUYUKI-KUN!!!

Rating: Refusing to give an overall rating for how differently opinionated I am of the two, episode 4 gets 5 out of 10 while episode 5 gets 7 out of 10. The fact that I didn’t want to give an overall rating was because I really hated the development of Haruyuki’s character in episode 4 from being a cowardly, weak, chubby boy to some know-it-all, bratty kid who made Kuroyukihime cry while episode 5 delivered what I wished to see in Accel World. What I also didn’t like about episode 4 was how they randomly tried to incorporate comedy for such a story that doesn’t need comedy at all. Seriously, I didn’t walk into this thinking it’d try to make us laugh for more than half of an episode.

Putting that aside, I was patiently looking forward to the fighting in Accel World and they did justice for me in episode 5. With all the explanation out of the way and the revelation of Kuruyukihime’s true battle form, the fight between Cyan Pile and Silver Crow was a sight to behold (nothing special but still enjoyable). Not only that, we finally got some decent progression with the story than the previous 4 episodes had offered us which is definitely a big plus considering they’re up to the 5th episode in this 24 episode long series. Let’s just hope for the best in the upcoming episodes and if there’s anything you’d like to say – whatever it may be – please do drop a comment!

PS: I’m not actually quitting…

...who was she again?

RECAP OF EPISODE 4: Haru learns that actions are stronger than words, while Yuki understands that Haru really wants to learn how to be human. Haru doesn't get rid of the water gun in the end, though... (I missed the post because I went on a roadtrip with my own gay fishing BFFs, yay!)

Despite the amazingly animated visual metaphors, the eccentric and rather cutesy characters, the dericious bromance between cute high school boys, and the wacky premise & plot of Tsuritama, I just can’t get myself to like this show as much as I feel like I should. There’s a lot of factors working in it’s favor, but there are some things that bother me too much. Well, it’s actually only Haru, but… 

Haru’s actually much more tolerable these episodes, thanks to Grandma and Yuki from the touching fourth episode. In fact, he seemed to have developed much more than Yuki. Natsuki’s developed more, too! I was confused when Natsuki was all smiles and sunshine to both of them in this episode, although looking back at the last episode he seemed to smile a lot more than his episode 1-3 self. It was so creepy and somewhat jarring. Casting into the bucket suddenly makes him stop being so tsuntsun? Seeing as how the focus seemed to shift to Akira at the end, Yuki’s character will probably be the last one to go through any fundamental character developments, aside from this episode’s I CAN SCREAM AT PEOPLE AND BE A MAN OF THE SEA!!1!11 lesson.

Tsuritama’s focus on character development and relationship building creates sentimentality that fans of the show probably feed off of. For me, this episode’s diabetes-inducing sentimentality has been unfortunately underwhelming. Perhaps I’ve become tolerant of the cuteness I raved over in the third episode’s post, or maybe I just don’t care too much for Yuki, as cute as the kid is. But, as mentioned earlier, Haru’s “alien” cringe-worthy weirdness has toned down, and the show isn’t boring. So, really, it’s not bad. There are a few things I still watch Tsuritama for.

♥ Vivi’s Husband ♥ is one !!!  ♥_♥ Excuse me for the overuse of heart symbols, but man, Sugita’s voice is pretty hot. ♥ The way Akira said, “I look forward to fishing with you,” was sexier than it should have been. (This is why I don’t write about Gintama. Half of all of my posts would be dedicated to Sugita.) But almost half way through and we’re still unsure of this guy’s background despite how sexaaay he is, unsure of when he’ll join our gay fishing bros, and still unsure of what the hell is going on in the show. Aliens? Capturing a giant fish? Secret – possibly evil – duck organization?

Luckily, despite the lack of some really weird plot progression and character revelations, this episode still had its usual Animal Crossing-vibe to it that makes it somewhat fun to watch. It’s cute and quirky, with some weird characters, bright colors, and quaint BGM filling the void of a slow-moving plot; and, hey, some fishing, too! But this episode’s touching, climatic moment was subpar to the previous two episodes’ – Yuki jumping in after Haru thinking he drowned, Yuki successfully pulling off the Enoshima Bowl! move. Introduce more of the story, more emotion, some action! I want some more d’aaaaw moments or WTF moments. Doesn’t have to be both, but really awesome animation and a duck isn’t going to cut it. There’s still a chance for me to fall back in love with Tsuritama again, but I need more to work with than a bunch of characters I don’t care about that much.

fuck yuki what the heo happened to ur hands r u ok

AMANDA WALLER IS THAT YOU???

Getting the right references is always tough when applying for a job, and professors make it sound like a big deal so I’m assuming good references are important. Which makes me wonder how the whole reference system is in Japan, or with JAXA in general. Why did the old man have to sneak off to Mutta’s old place and record an employee, as opposed to having the whole board call them? Having a former boss bad-mouth you and a violent history against said boss is practically instant K.O., but if I were to call his references (and if they were his former co-workers) to explain the situation and vouch for Mutta to the whole board, it would seem a lot more credible than some sketchy recording LOL. Or better yet, cross-examine the ex-boss for more details. But I guess it’s not as dramatic as having an old man heading towards the workplace while reminiscing about Afro & his little bro, Spike.

Even though this episode was just a little slower for me than usual – maybe because a character other than Mutta has been given a good amount of screen time – it helped put Mutta back into the running towards his astronomical dreams! It’s not 100% sure, but having that one cool old man on Mu-chan’s side raises the possibility from 0.01% to maybe a whooping 10% ! This is a clear case of nepotism,  but I’m not complaining, the old guy is the best. “These are the kids who end up being astronauts.” Foreshadowing, or simply a character getting our hopes up with cool lines?

We get a lot of Mutta mulling things over in this episode! Though, it’s usually like that, isn’t it? Space Brothers is a strangely slow-paced show. So far in this episode, nothing extraordinarily eventful happened. But it never feels too slow, never feels boring. It’s hard to find something to write about it though, aside from asking the obvious, making myself out to sound like a broken record–how will Mutta make it? Will he make it?

What I got most from this episode is that one of the board members mentioned that most people actually voted for Mutta prior to finding out about the headbutting incident, despite Mutta’s derpiness, and actually laughed at his shampoo story (not exactly in a mocking, “omg what a dumbass” way). The ending of the last episode and previous episodes gave off the impression that the whole board didn’t think too highly of Mutta (compared to the other candidates). So from here on I think Mutta’s going to get it. I did have my doubts before, but if the board members are going to be entertained by some silly story about lathering hair then they would probably be impressed by a gutsy guy who would headbutt their boss for the sake of his brother.

I recommend the space center to anyone visiting Texas, it's AWESOME

….

Okay, that might just be me, but the point is: wouldn’t history be more fun if the people you were learning about were pretty, sparkly bishounen? And actually, wouldn’t it be nice if the history was overshadowed by supernatural blood-thirsty vampire creatures and demons trying to take over the world? If you agree, then Hakuoki might just be the perfect game to play under your desk when the teacher isn’t looking~! (*Note: Sekijitsu does not condone playing otome games in class….but Elyon does.)

I wouldn't mind a history class like this...

 The story starts out with your typical self-insert protagonist devoid of any personality traveling to Kyoto in search of her father, a doctor who has recently gone missing. Once there, she finds herself being attacked by two men, only to be saved by a bunch of crazy-ass albino mofo’s who cut down the assailants, then turn around and attack her. She is then rescued for the second time in three minutes by a group of warriors known as the Shinsengumi, who take her back to their lair and debate killing her since those crazy albinos are linked to a dark secret that they don’t want anyone to know. Thankfully, she’s spared when they realize that her father is, coincidentally, the same man they’re looking for too.

From there, the story branches out with multiple routes, and the direction it takes depends on what choices you make (like any otome game.) One wrong move could mean the death of you and your love interest, so it’s imperative that you choose wisely (or use a walkthrough.) To be honest though, I didn’t think getting the good ends were too terribly difficult without a walkthrough as long as you know which guy you’re going after. One thing you absolutely do not want to do is try to play through the game unsure of what you want, because that will more than likely lead you to a bad end.

For an otome game, Hakuoki is considerably tame when it comes to the lovey dovey stuff. The romance is a big part of it, obviously, but it isn’t all that defines Hakuoki, and I can understand why: as one of the first otome games to be released in English, it stands to reason that they would choose to bring over something that could still appeal to a wider spectrum of people. That being said though, I couldn’t help but feel as though the romance is really the main selling point, and by shying away from that it feels kind of like it wasn’t quite as satisfying as it could have been, especially since many of the romantic scenarios felt a bit too contrived, almost as if they were only adding them in because they had to.

Another thing to note is that if you like your otome games cute and fluffy, look elsewhere, because your kokoro will shatter right after it’s done dokidoki-ing. Even most of the “good” endings are still tragic, though I’m not going to get too into why, lest I spoil any of the endings.

One of the best plot twists was Saito's weird ear fetish pfff

Hakuoki is unique in that it actually has a very well-written, historically inspired script, unlike most otome games that thrive off of pretty art and cute scenes. Historical accuracy is….errrrrrr not something you should expect to be perfect, but the story is compelling and engrossing, sucking you into a dark and dangerous world of intrigue and suspense and making you eager to play each and every route to have a complete story. Admittedly, some of the supernatural elements are a bit hokey, but it did make the story a lot more interesting, so I didn’t particularly mind them.

The characters are, surprisingly, one of the best aspects of the game. They’re much more than the same tired tropes we’ve come to expect from otome games, and each one is given a lot of depth in their respective routes. I found myself having to take long breaks between routes because I was too attached to one character to move on to another (this was especially true with Okita for me.)

I confess that I secretly really want a twincest route where Kaoru is chasable.

The art is gorgeous, although I was a bit disappointed with how limited some of the background art was. You will see the same few pieces of scenery throughout the entire game, but I suppose, in contrast, it makes the CG stand out more. And don’t get me wrong: the CG is absolutely stunning at times, and the characters look as pretty as one would expect from an otome game.

Aside from the art, the acting is really spectacular. Thankfully, they decided not to dub over the original Japanese voices, so we’re treated to some ear candy by Toriumi Kousuke, Miki Shinichiro, and various other respectable seiyuu who all manage to breathe life into their characters.

"Except not really because you need that to suck me off"

Should you play it?

Saito is kawaii.....

Overall, playing Hakuoki is an interesting experience. It’s different from the usual otome game, which may please some and turn others off. Considering the fact that otome games in English are so rare, I would definitely recommend trying it out, even if it isn’t the best of the genre.

I wholeheartedly recommend that any otome game fans go buy the game and prove that there is a market for this stuff, because it would be really nice if we could get more translations in the future! It’s only like $30, and it comes with a fancy art book and soundtrack, so it’s definitely worth it!!

Oh, and just on a side note, you might have noticed that I’m back from the ridiculously long hiatus I unintentionally ended up taking, and I look forward to writing again! I really missed all of you!! ;A; So, now that I’m back: Should I review more otome/BL games? Is anyone interested in seeing that on Sekijitsu? Please vote and let me know!!

Second semester of senior year at a glance

a) Time

This is the big one for most, but the reason I’m writing this post is that this isn’t an issue for me anymore. I have loads of free time. I’m rolling in it. All I do at school is slack off and nap, with the occasional soul-destroying calculus midterm here and there. But there’s something still that makes writing/blogging difficult. Instead I’ll point you towards a great post that Tofu wrote about balancing anime and time management. Also, I want to blame any craziness in this post on my teachers. Especially the one at 10:59.

b) Fear and standards

To tell you the truth, a big part of it is just me being a wimp. That moment before I hit publish always scares me, if I’ve put a lot of myself into an entry and now I’m sending it out into the internet for public scrutiny. There are times when I try to generalize my opinion, make it a little more conventional to avoid conflict, obey the regular rules of grammar, and other crazy stuff like that. Am I being a little bit too weird? Too blunt? Too random? Too cheesy? Too generic? I’m not sure if writing completely for myself is a good thing, but if at least one person out there finds me a little entertaining or a tad bit interesting, that’s good enough for me.

If what I’m writing doesn’t live up to my own standards, I can’t physically bring myself to keep at it. I can’t just write without thinking of editing it later, which is probably the reason I’ll finish Nanowrimo when the US switches to the metric system and another Firefly movie is made. It has to be the perfect final result when I put down the first words, and that’s impossible. That mentality also makes it hard to write pretty much anything. That’s a personal challenge I want to overcome. To just let go of my nitpicky brain and write without a care in the world.

Which, to some degree, is what this post is a product of. So maybe that’s not such a good thing…

I love this picture, but FE7 will always be the best. So many ships.

c) Comments

I kinda think of the commenter-blogger relationship like a game of Harvest Moon. (I apologize for the next few video game comparisons I’m about to make.) Yknow how if you stop giving the villagers gifts for a while, they stop liking you? Or in Animal Crossing when they can move out FOREVER?! When I was eight years old that kept me awake at night. I love you guys. Unless you’re that stubborn weirdass pig that I was constantly trying to get to move out but he never did. But seriously, I am as obsessive about not losing commenters as I am at keeping every single Fire Emblem character alive at all costs, even it’s some bearded axe user that I haven’t used, ever.

The equivalent of obsessively making sure that I maintain some pixels’ affection for me is like this, but instead of throwing colorful grass at you or a dead fish thats been sitting in my bag for a while or showing you one of my chickens, I return comments. I try, at least. Unless your name is Rick. God, I hated that guy.

A more accurate depiction of what writing is like

d) Fighting the urge to multitask

I have the approximate attention span of someone watching an Old Spice commercial. I can’t watch anime on my computer without inevitably opening another window to multitask while a show is playing. Otherwise, it’s impossible– I always find myself drifting off. Strangely enough, the solution to a lot of my problems has been… my five year old first gen iPod touch. (I wish five years wasn’t so long in the tech world.) I’ve been typing up drafts in my email app and for some reason it does wonders. I can actually concentrate because it doesn’t feel like I’m Writing Something, thus getting rid of all that perfectionist crap from point b).

Typing out the first words on my iPod also helps me just get down those first words. They’re the hardest, but once I get started, the rest isn’t so bad. (And then I can’t seem to stop, which is another problem entirely.) There’s nothing more terrifying than staring at that completely blank word document, while all the distractions/other stuff I could work on the computer at any given time begin weighing on my mind. Getting away from the laptop is the only way to get me to stop multitasking. Let me tell you, it even made it easy to get past the slower first episodes of Kimi to Boku, which is, by the way, a surprisingly sweet and funny slice-of-life, haters.

This entire post, actually, was typed out entirely on my iPod at three in the morning, because I only ever get the urge to write things at the most inconvenient of times. (Aka in the ten minutes I get ready for school or when I’m in the shower.) So I apologize for the occasional bout of craziness or any incoherent thoughts… So much for looking nice for the Tourney visitors.

A less accurate depiction of what writing is like. Except for the vacantly staring into space part

e) The best part about blogging

When your jumbled thoughts suddenly start to fit together. When you get a surprisingly great response from readers. When you write something that you can be proud of. When you get to meet and talk with all sorts of awesome people. When you get into that typing frenzy where all the words just come pouring out of your brain. When you look back at your posts two years ago and wonder how in the world you improved that much.

When it becomes a sort of collection of thoughts that show what kind of person you were at any given time. Most of my writing for school purposes has gone in the trash throughout the years. With blogging, the words are the ones that you chose to write, and the ones that you publish will always be there. For me, at least, it’s the only way to see how my writing’s changed over time. And changed it has.

I wonder if I’ll ever settle down with a consistent writing style. After two years, it’s changed from fangirly to overly sentimental to a more honest, sometimes cynical, sometimes offbeat mix between all of the above. I’ve never written a summary, and I don’t have enough confidence in my ability to truly analyze something with depth and clarity. So for now, my posts will just offer a random couple of hundred-word glimpses of what makes me tick. What I know for sure is that I don’t want one of my posts to look like anyone else could’ve written it. I want to write the same way that I talk. So it might get random, it might be sappy, not very funny, loose with sentence with structure and the like, but that, I think, I can do.

The Aniblog Tourney brings back all sorts of memories. Especially given that they’re what brought me here now in the first place, two years after Sekijitsu was the last-minute entry and the very first matchup.

My reckless fifteen-year-old self was hypnotized by the jaw-dropping graphics (oh Sekijitsu, you beautiful thing, you), saw that it was hiring, sent in an email with so much enthusiasm that it would probably make me cringe to read it now, and what followed were several late night/early morning cross-continent msn conversations, one particularly random one which ended up leading us to some friendships with folks at Metanorn and Daifuuku, several wildly unsuccessful attempts on my part at consistently blogging shows (and I don’t even want to talk about my Kaichou wa Maid-sama episodics *shudder*), and then some posts that I look back on and think, wow, I wrote that?

And not always in a bad way.

Even if that’s the only thing I’d ever get from blogging (and it definitely isn’t), but if it was, well… I think that’s enough to make it all worth it.

What about you?

P.S. Check out some of our best posts and vote for us!

Welcome, frequent visitors and tourney visitors alike! To frequent visitors: we’re in the Aniblog Tournament. You can vote for us if you’re interested. Other than that, there’s probably not much in this post that you don’t know. We’ll make that up to you in the upcoming weeks with some new editorials. To tourney visitors: you’ve got blogs to blast through, so we’ll keep this brief.

Thanks for coming! We write about anime, usually anime episodic posts. On occasion we write about manga, visual novels, and time management. Also, we work as a team. We have six current writers, and we run the gamut from moe fans to sports fans to elitists to pervs. Since we all have different tastes and voices, here’re some highlights from the current staff:

Bass (fish, responsible for our kickass graphics and sleeping on the job)

• The 7 Days of Eyeshield 21
• Review: Un-Go 
• Rediscovering the Manga Love through Apps

Follow Bass on Twitter @Bassun

Elyon (fujoshi, responsible for spastic and eloquent fangirling)

• Elyon versus Renn – Top 10 Male Characters
• Elyon’s Top 5 Shoujo Anime
• Elyon’s Top 10 Anime Ever!

Follow Elyon on Twitter @Elyandere

Mint (voice of reason, responsible for good writing and good taste)

• Recommendation: Pandora Hearts
• Review: 5 Centimeters per Second
• Mint’s Top 7 OTP’s – A Valentine’s Day special
• The Hardest Part About Blogging

Follow Mint on Twitter @21pages

Renn (editor, responsible for this post, editorial gold mine)

• Review: Mawaru Penguindrum
• Renn’s Winter 2012 Roundup
• 6 Reasons to Try The Legend of Korra

Follow Renn on Twitter @RennB1

Tofu (superman, responsible for most of the posts here, as well as our most popular posts)

• Review: Hotarubi no Mori e
• Review: Little Busters
• Tofu’s Top 10 Anime of 2011
• Tofu’s guide to time management

Follow Tofu on Twitter @TofuZz

Vivi (fashionista, could single-handedly make us look cool)

• Live Action Review: Ashita no Joe
• Recommendations for manga from heaven
• Review: Welcome to the Space Show
• Game Review: Ib

Follow Vivi on Twitter @coolstoryaniki

Remember to check out our competitor if you plan on voting! This time, we’re up against Hanners’ Anime ‘Blog, home of some of the quickest episode impressions in the anisphere. If you wish to know more about the Seki-Dan, please feel free to check out The Team page.

Thanks for visiting, and thanks for reading!

Jump in guns blazin'! That's how we ROLL!!