As for anime, I've got a few series I've got my eye on, though most are carry over from last semester.
The ones I'm downloading currently are Death Note, Bartender, ARIA: The Natural, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, Pumpkin Scissors, Kanon, and Bleach (finally fillers are over!). The only show I've managed to stay current with is Kanon so I guess that shows my alliances lie with the cute and the Uguuu~ ^_^. I'm almost caught up with Higurashi as well, but a new episode came out today that I haven't found time to watch yet.
Some thoughts on shows I've finished recently: (Shuffle!, Mushishi, and NHK ni Youkoso!)
Shuffle was very good for a harem, ecchi romance series and even has some good plot and shows some balls by having the main character NOT end up with who everyone thinks he will! Also, the whole style of the show changes dramatically later on and it becomes very dark and serious to counter-act the gratuitous panty-shots and obligatory trips to the beach that come standard with all ecchi romance series. I found it quite enjoyable.
Mushishi was simply amazing from one end to the other. The show starts out with a man named Ginko who travels the country dealing with Mushi which are mystical creatures composed of almost pure life force. These creature usually live in harmony with nature, including humans, but sometimes the Mushi will over step their bounds and directly interfere with human villages and that's when Ginko and other Mushishi like him step in to try and restore the balance. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. The show does not put humanity on any sort of pedestal and humans are sometimes just as guilty of overstepping their bounds as the Mushi. No real plot is ever developed and none is honestly needed. The rich beauty of the world of Mushi and Mushishi that was created is reason enough to watch. Mushishi ends as it began: soothing but filled with incredible imagery of nature and the fanciful Mushi and animals that inhabit it. This series has earned a place as one of my all time favorite anime and I highly recommend giving it a chance.
Finally, a show I've never even talked about here: NHK ni Youkoso! (Welcome to the NHK)
NHK is a show about a young man living in an apartment alone. He stopped going to college quite some time ago and now only goes outside at night to shop at the neighborhood convenience store. Then, one day he meets a young girl, and his life begins to change. This girl discovers that he is a hikikomori (hermit) and concocts a plan to rid him of his isolation. In his attempts to prove to her that he is not a hikikomori, he discovers that his next door neighbor is actually an old friend from highschool and a hopeless otaku to boot! They come up with the idea to create the world's greatest hentai game and he uses it as an excuse that he isn't in fact a hikikomori, but this is not enough to dissuade the young girl, and she finally forces him to agree to meet her every night in a nearby park to hold classes to teach him how to be a functional member of society again. Over time, the two come to have feelings for each other and the truth about why the girl chose him for her "Project" comes to light, as well as some dark secrets she had been hiding. Not to give anything away, I'll stop here, but this show features probably the most dysfunctional relationships possible. Overall, a really good show. As for the title, NHK is a conspiracy dreamed up by one of the characters and stands for "Nihon Hikikomori Kyoukai" (roughly "Japan Hermit Society") whose purpose is to make millions of people in Japan into hikikomori by showing attractive anime and otherwise inhibiting free will. This is not to be confused with real NHK, "Nihon Housou Kyoukai" or the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).
Well, that ran on a little longer than I expected. So just one picture tonight. Hey, be glad you're getting anything at all. ;)
I went home last weekend, and on Sunday I woke up to a fresh layer of snow outside as well as this. It's our apple tree outside my bedroom window, and every little lump in that tree is actually a cardinal! I don't think I've ever seen so many of those birds in one place before. We do see them regularly, but usually just one, two at a time if you're lucky. This tree had probably a dozen in it at one time!
Well, that's it for now. I'll try to keep this up, but no guarantees, ya know. Until next time.
No comments:
Post a Comment