The Liebster Still Lingers (Liebster Award)

Konbanwa, minna, today I bring you my last nomination from the Liebster Award’s returning wave. The nomination was granted to me by a blogger buddy whom, though I’ve just met, have already had great conversations with. Marvelously Mismatched is her blog name and she recently wrote about her exhausting 5-hour dress shopping nightmare. I could tell you the rest, but you’d do yourself a good chuckle if you read it for yourself here.

Since this thing has already been in circulation for a while, and because I’m in a little bit of a hurry to catch a dinner with friends, I thought I would just answer her questions and provide eleven random facts. I hope that doesn’t disappoint anybody ;_;

    1. What is the weirdest thing someone has ever said to you?

Hmm, that depends . . . I don’t really keep track of this stuff either. If we’re not considering the context of the conversation, I think memes are pretty weird things to spouted on by people. A classmate of mine during class has also given me some quotes from various hentai as compliments, thinking that I wouldn’t know what she was saying . . . yeah . . . I’ll leave those out to avoid further cheek blushing o_o

    2. What would be the last thing you did if the world was going to end?

If we’re saying that planet Earth would just simply explooodde . . . I could say sit around with my family like cornered mice and pray for divine intervention, but why be boring? Time permitting, I’d watch the ends of The End of Evangelion, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and Steins;Gate in that order. Yep, I sound like one crazy ********

    3. White chocolate or milk chocolate?

White with cereal and meals, chocolate as a snack. Done.

    4. If you could make any character come to life who would it be and why?

Anime only? Kyubey, hehehehe, let’s all become magical girls together.

    5. What’s one thing you can’t live without?

Besides the necessities, cause duh, but my iPad, which is the vault of my mind and the seal of my heart’s desires . . . we’re joined at the hip. 🙂

    6. What character most resembles you?

Ahh, this question returns. I’ll say Shu Ouma for now.

    7. Do you have a pet peeve and if so what is it?

So I have a small anime collection (which is steadily growing, mind you) that I probably treasure more than a newborn child. Whenever some filthy casual just comes along latches their talons on a $70 collector’s box, ripping it off the shelf as the paper on the bottom of the box scratches and fades away, I absolutely snap. Please ask next time, and gently slide the DVD out – we’re not in any hurry, I mean, it’s not like the world is ending or anything . . .

    8. If you could live anywhere in the world where would you live?

Either in a fancy apartment or a mansion here in the U.S., Europe, or Japan. That’s considering having the language fluent and being able to blend into the crowds well. >.<

    9. Are you a cat or dog person?

Cats, we’ve talked about this my blogger friends.

    10. What’s the most embracing (do you mean embarrassing?) thing that’s ever happened to you?

I mean, my life right now is one big slapstick comedy, so everything I do is embarrassing yet pretty normal 😀

    11. What is something or somethings you’ve never done but want to?

HAVE A YOUTUBE CHANNEL WITH TONS OF SUBSCRIBERS! It sounds like a bucket of fun, but man, do I have the guts . . . ?

And now I have eleven random facts about me:

1. I made a buttercream frosted cake for a mini summer/anime party with my siblings and it was gone within two days. This was three days ago -_-
2. I prefer real-life conversations where the other party asks me the questions.
3. I love to swim, even though I’m quite mediocre
4. Watching video games has always been enjoyable for me, but playing them, meh.
5. My birthday is rapidly approaching . . . kinda 😀
6. I have two cats, one gray, one orange
7. I’m currently reading Ethan Frome as a summer reading for school and so far, I die a little inside each time I turn a page.
8. One of my favorite book series is the Ranger’s Apprentice by John Flanagan. I read all 12 books and have not come across anything better so far.
9. I meet with a small RPG group every other Friday or so at my house. I’m the DM, wooot!
10. I carry around this 4 foot-ish bamboo stick that my mom bought at ACE Hardware for absolutely no reason
11. I played Beyblade when I was in middle school – A true metal fight blader at heart!

And that’s all there is! Thank you Marvelously Mismatched for the nomination. I’m glad you think my blog is worthy of the award. Hopefully my not nominating other bloggers doesn’t throw off the balance of the universe 🙂 I’ll keep it quick, so until next time, this has been

– Takuto, your host

End of July Update 8/5/15

Hello helloooo, it’s update time ~

Another precious month of my summer as slipped by me . . . WHERE did the time go?? My fun summer life form is running low on HP, and in about a week it will reach zero. The cup’s almost out of coffee. The river’s almost all dried up. Why??? Because school starts soon (BOOOOO)! But don’t worry, I’ll still make room for anime between all of my homework.

For those wondering, my simulcast break has been absolutely wonderful. Like most, I hope that the season summer continues to be great so that by the end, I’ll have several more cool shows to watch, not that my list needs anymore ;). I have a couple of special announcements at the end of the update, so read on!

To the update, we got our recently finished shows:

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (and R2) – Ah man, what to say? Bloody fantastic show from start to finish, I couldn’t have been happier. It was quite the undertaking, considering its 50-episode stretch, but oh boy was it worth it. I suppose I could just flaunt on and on about how much I love mecha now, and proclaim like a love-struck weeaboo that I know all of the ins-and-outs to the genre, but you’d be much better off simply reading my review of the series here 🙂

ALDNOAH.ZERO Episodes 1-6 English Dub – These were just my brief thoughts over the new dub for an anime that I enjoy, click here for more info

Puella Magi Madoka Magica Part 3: Rebellion – Okay, so I am one of the few who freakin’ loves this film, so it was a joy when the Blu-ray arrived in the mail. I had seen it previously subbed, and the English dub was incredible! All of the actresses did amazing jobs with their characters, Homura and Sayaka especially holy crap! I’ll probably never review this film just because I can’t ever wrap my thoughts into a nice bundle like with most anime, so yeah. I do like the premise of how the film ends – how Homura reveals her true love for Madoka since I felt the series kinda dropped that – but it was a little extreme in terms of execution for my tastes >.< Still, so happy to actually own the movie!

A Certain Magical Index: The Miracle of Endymion – I know this film is a boat shot full of holes, but I seriously love this franchise too much to judge. As long as I see the Railgun in action, I’m good for another six months. Like Rebellion, the animation is gorgeous, so that made the watch even more enjoyable. I love me Raildex 😀

Currently Watching:

Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma – In the last couple of episodes, Soma’s master chef-of-a-father returns from the U.S. to test his son’s new abilities. The gang is also back at the school, which means stuff’s probably going down in the next couple of episodes. I think the show is still kickin’, and I haven’t got sick of it yet!

The Heroic Legend of Arslan – Hmm, this show on the other hand feels like it’s wasting my time. I mean, I still enjoy the story about Arslan growing stronger to become king, but there’s not enough bonding with Arslan’s party and development for him, so I find it somewhat hard to appreciate him. Agh, I digress, it’s okay.

Nagi no Asukara: A lull in the Sea – So this show has been on my watch list since the dawn of time, so I thought I’d get on it since a) I’m on my simulcast break and b) It was recently released with an English dub. I’m four or five episodes in, and OH MY GAWD that art makes Takuto drool 😛 Such a pretty show, and the characters and story aren’t half bad either. I pretty sure I’m in for a good ride

Now for those special announcements! One, I FINALLY FINISHED the Sword Art Online Light Novel: Aincrad Volume One! You probably don’t remember, but it was that DAMNED book I had been trying to cut down since I started blogging, and it’s finally OVER!! My brother bought me the second novel, so I will be starting that as soon as I finish my summer reading school books.

Two: This award floated back to the surface, and what do ya know, I had recently been nominated for the Liebster award again! Hooray! You can read my nomination right here if you’d like

And three: Ever since I started watching anime, I’ve kept and recorded a list of all of the anime I have ever watched and the season and year that I watched them in (because I think season affects the mood the series has on me or something). The list is pretty defunct now, considering that I have a MyAnimeList account to keep an even more specific account of my watching. But since it can’t sort the shows in the order that you watched them (alphabetical listing only), I still keep that my scratch list on hand as a memento.

Anyway, my point is that according to my lil’ list, I am on anime number 99, which I have designated to Nagi-Asu. When I hit 100, I’ll probably have a mini party of some kind because, why not!? 100 anime is a huge accomplishment for me! I have a pretty darn good idea as to what show I’ll watch for my 100th, but as my followers and friends, I’d like you guys to put down your recommendation for my next anime to watch! Also, if you remember your 99th anime, what did you watch?

I think that’s all I have to say for now. Until I finish Nagi-Asu, I won’t be reviewing anything . . . maybe another “Cafe Talk,” perhaps? How have all of you been? I’ve noticed we’ve recruited quite a few more customers to the cafe – you’ve chosen the right spot to hang out! Hehe, but seriously, thank you guys 😀 How has your summer gone besides so damn fast!? Let me know in the comments so that we can chat, but speaking of chatting with friends, real quick, my pal LitaKino uploaded a video on her YouTube channel as a live chat with the hilarious Gigi from AnimePalooza and a couple others. If you have the time or are looking for a dorky laugh or two, check out her video! Alright, now I’m done. Stay cool in this hot weather, and until next time, this has been

– Takuto, your host

I Broke the System (Liebster Award Follow-up)

So after I wrote up my last Liebster Nomination post by One Stop for all EnterTainmenT, I thought, huh, this felt a lot shorter than my first ever Liebster Nomination. Turns out it was shorter – a whole segment shorter, might I add. On HimAwARi’s award rules, it’s missing the “11 facts about you” part (either that or I copied it wrong), so today, I will be filling you all in with random stuff about me.

And of course, this is not an excuse to ‘not write’ reviews . . . 🙂

1. Lines annoy me, but crowds make me cringe.

2. I just finished performing for a friend-of-my-mom’s wedding. My bro, sis, and myself played classical pieces as a quartet trio. It went well.

3. There’s nothing better than watching anime during a nice long rain . . . to bad it NEVER showers where I’m at.

4. Although Negima!? and Steins;Gate among a few others got me into anime, it was A Certain Scientific Railgun that gave my watching the momentum I needed to continue.

5. I am actually quite young, but I feel so, so old.

6. YouTube is equivalent to oxygen at this point, in that I consume it every day and honestly can’t live without it.

7. Have you ever online shopped, added a sh*t ton of items to your cart, glanced at the total, laughed, then exited out? That’s my life right there.

8. According to my ratchet anime list that, by the way, contains the all of the shows I have watched and the season I watched them in (because I think the season reflects the mood or something), I am watching anime number 99, Nagi-Asu. I plan on celebrating with my 100th, but I’m not sure how yet . . .

9. Though I haven’t done it enough to truly say, I have enjoyed my cosplay experience thus far. Something about putting on a costume and acting as your favorite character(s) pleases me. I mean, we should all try to have fun, right?

10. I will be watching the Madoka Magica: Rebellion dub today because I bought it on Blu-ray because I AM A DIEHARD FAN AND WILL PAY $40 FOR THIS FILM. 😀

11. Lately, I have been doing (or die trying) to fit in light morning exercises to, ahem, “stay in shape.” I looked fine before, if I do say so myself, but I think these ‘workouts’ have been slowly helping . . . yeah, helping me become exhausted.

That’s all for now! For my nominees, you can either add on these 11 facts to your posts and rules or just forget about them – sorry for the forgetfulness and for breaking the system, but in a way it wasn’t entirely my fault. I just knew that something was missing! Haha, till next time everyone.

– Takuto, your host

Bringin’ It Back (Liebster Award)

Hi all, I couldn’t have been happier to, after finishing my lengthy Code Geass review, be celebrated with a nomination. It’s the Liebster Award, it has come back again . . . WOOT! Today’s nomination comes from HimAwARi of One Stop for all EnterTainmenT who if I am correct just started up their blog in June. Though still early, there are a few notable top anime lists for certain genres, a couple reviews, and some other life posts for you all to check out on their blog. Keep up the great work, and thank you so much for this nomination!

Now let’s get these questions rollin’:

          1. Favorite YouTuber

Dammit. Alright, I’ll have to go with Slightly Otaku. They are a zany trio of anime fans that unbox anime. The three are hilarious, and function best when they’re all there, but due to a recent hospital fee(s), they’ve had to cut back and sell off a few. I recently bought a Psycho-Pass limited edition box from Adrian, the one who owns the collection, to support his channel. I think they’re back in business now! Even though videos aren’t put up often, I still have been getting kick outta them for what, 2.5 years now? They’re fantastic, and you should join their 3,224 subscribers as soon as you can for instant hilarity!

          2. Cats or Dogs?

Cats. Most dogs just . . . bother me.

          3. Most favorite anime opening or ending song.

Wow, you’re really on a roll, aren’t you? Hehe, naw, just kidding. At this exact moment, I can’t stop listening to Kalafina’s “Heavenly Blue.” It’s the opening for ALDNOAH.ZERO.

          4. Most favorite quote

This one’s actually from an anime which I’m sure you’ve all heard of: Ouran High School Host Club. In one episode, the observant Kyoya -senpai goes on to explain the pros of having different personas at the Host Club, to which he remarks, “It’s all about variety.” I’ve taken this quote to heart ever since I noticed it the second time around, and have applied it to trying new, different things.

          5. An anime/manga/movie character you resemble the most. (not physical features)

At this moment and probably for the foreseeable future, Shu Ouma. Introverted, creative with music, and usually thrown into mayhem when he’d rather be alone . . . unless he’s quietly in the club room with a cute girl . . .

          6. Most favorite soundtrack.

Right now, since everything seems to be temporary with me, I’ve still got the kicks from Code Geass‘s orchestral epicness! I’ve been listening to this thing with a few friends as we played some RPG. Fantastic stuff ~

          7.  Swords or Guns?

It depends, really. Mami Tomoe – bring out the gun fight! Sinon, you too! But then you got Kirito and Tales of franchise. Hmm, I’ll have to go with guns for now . . . I mean, swords . . . sure . . .

          8. How were you introduced to anime?

Like the Otaku Judge said, “we have porn to thank for my love of anime.” For a better “grasp” on the situation, read here.

          9. Which is your favorite sports?

Swimming. I’m on the small team where I live and it’s pretty fun.

          10. On a range of 1-10 rate on how much you socialize with people.

I’d say I’m a solid 5. Come up and chat with me and we’re all fine and dandy, but I won’t go out of my way and force myself into conversation if I don’t have to.

          11. Which genre do you prefer the most?

Do I prefer? Well, I prefer any anime that actually gives me a complete god damn story at this point xD! But I tend to lean towards that mind-blowing or set in a dystopia.

Now for the nominees. Since I’ve already nominated people in the past, I’ve just got a few, and here they are:

UEM!

Otaku Rui

The Huge Anime Fan

British Otaku

mirrorpurple

If you’ve already been nominated and you’re on the list, no problem, just comment below with a link to your Liebster Award Nomination post because I want to read it! For everyone, if there is a question here that you feel the need to answer, feel free – comment away! 🙂

Questions for my nominees (again, you can simply comment below with an answer to one if you have already been nominated):

1. What do you think of mecha anime?

2. What is one trope in anime that you haven’t got tired of yet?

3. *gasps* The wind just flipped her skirt up, what do you do?!

4. Magic or science, anime-wise?

5. What is one club in an anime that you wish you could be a member of?

6. Current favorite anime OP/ED?

7. What is one of your favorite endings to a movie/anime/game/book?

8. If you could travel back in time and give yourself a piece of advice, what would it be?

9. Suppose you had an infinite amount of time to rewatch one anime, what would you choose?

10. How often do you read manga?

11. If this café served actual beverages/food by an anime character to you, what would you order and from whom??

Official Rules of the Liebster Award:

If you have been nominated for The Liebster Award AND YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT, write a blog post about the Liebster award in which you:

• Thank the person who nominated you, and post a link to their blog on your blog.
• Display the award on your blog — by including it in your post and/or displaying it using a “widget” or a “gadget”.
• Answer 11 questions about yourself, which will be provided to you by the person who nominated you.
• Nominate 5 – 11 blogs that you feel deserve the award, who have a less than 1000 followers.
• Create a new list of 11 questions for the blogger to answer.
• List these rules in your post (You can copy and paste from here.) Once you have written and published it, you then have to:
• Inform the people/blogs that you nominated that they have been nominated for the Liebster award and provide a link for them to your post so that they can learn about it (they might not have ever heard of it!).

Thank you so much HimAwARi for allowing me to reflect with this nomination – I wouldn’t be writing this post if It weren’t for you :D! I hope you all enjoyed reading, stay awesome, and until next time, this has been

– Takuto, your host

I’ve Been Nominated!? (Liebster Award)

A while back I was nominated for the Liebster Award, and I’m now finally following through with what that entails. Before I start, I would like to thank anyone who has stopped in and read my material, commented, liked, and even followed since I started. A special thanks goes to LitaKino, for without her, I would not be writing this post. Thanks LitaKino!

To the questions!!

1. What made you start your anime blog?

Well, I’ve always wanted a small café or business, the kind where everyone knows each other, etc. I honestly want to start a YouTube channel, as videos are easier to watch and tend to attract more customers 😉 but I thought I’d start solid with a blog first, then build up from there if I got more into it. The blog also functions as a file for my anime adventure through time and space, logging my exact opinions the moment I finish a show!

2. Ice cream or pie?

Ice cream for sure – I always like picking at a good ol’ slice of pie, but for some reason I can never finish it!

3. What is the most expensive thing anime-wise you have bought?

                If we’re talking single items, then that would be Sentai Filmwork’s recent Collector’s Edition release of Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions!, which cost me about $80.00. For complete series, I own Aniplex of America’s DVD release of Fate/Zero Seasons 1 & 2, which cost me about $130.00. Both totally worth the purchase though!

4. What other hobbies do you have?

I collect anime, play the cello, competitively swim, and read, write, draw, and play guitar on the side. I’m never bored.

5. What is your current opinion on how the world is?

Preface stage. There is a lot of tension building up everywhere, good and bad, and I know it’s leading up to something terrifyingly gigantic that will change our world on a global scale . . .

6. Do you have a favorite genre of anime you like to watch?

I really enjoy intense psychological thrillers that change my perspective on the world. But after watching them, I force myself to watch something fluffy or slice-of-life afterwords. They both come hand-in-hand.

7. Is there an anime character you really would like to cosplay?

Too many to count! Eren Yeager (Attack on Titan), Saber (Fate/Zero), Shion (No.6) and the list goes on. However, I will be wearing a Tennouzu First High School uniform from Guilty Crown as a casual cosplay for Shu Ouma!

8. What is one anime thing you are stalking to buy currently?

Log Horizon: Collection 1 on Blu-ray. It will be mine.

9. Do you think wordpress is an easy blog site to use?

I’ve never been good with web design stuff, so considering that I’m finding my way around it quite well must count for something!

10. Do you have any favorite anime reviewers you love to follow?

I love to follow all of my followers and then some on this blog! On YouTube, the infamous Arkada of Glass Reflection. He’s been an idol for a while now. I also enjoy stalking Slightly Otaku from YouTube with their anime unboxings and hilarious thoughts.

11. Do you have an anime crush?

I’d be lying if I said no, but I’d be a hooker if I said yes because I crush on everyone boy and girl LOL. Sinon (SAO II), Saber, are to name a few . . . I’ll save the rest for a later date 😉

Facts about me!!

1. I’ve always wanted a YouTube channel, but I’ve never started for some reason
2. I tend to like most of all things related to anime – Yaoi not “un-included”
3. If you do not stop me – I will buy it
4. While I run this little café, I actually don’t care much for straight-up coffee. It’s good, sure, but yeah
5. I’d be willing to sacrifice possessions, memories, and even a few people (I’m not crazy I swear!!) just for a long rainy day
6. If I could be in any anime I’d be in A Certain Scientific Railgun’s Academy City as an esper
7. I occasionally enjoy chick-flicks, my favorite being Monster In Law
8. When I eventually do, I want die EPICALLY (again, not crazy at all)
9. I do this little Anime Movie Theater with my siblings where I pick 5 to 10 shows, print posters, they buy tickets that fund the anime I buy, and we watch them together >.< otakus unite! The next Theater Premiere is this summer and it’ll probably be one of our last 😥
10. I’ve been trying to write my own light novel series, as I can draw, but a manga would take forever. Like the Survey Corps and the Titans, I’m fighting a losing battle
11. I love wedding cake and Steins;Gate is real.

Heads up, I will recommend these people regardless of them having 1,000 followers or not.

And now for a few people whom I nominate, as they deserve to be read from more often:

Danineko’s Otaku Blog – the cute blog of a South African otaku

The Otaku Judge – a reviewer with truthful things to be said about a variety of shows

tcondon1 – “review all the things” great day-by-day episode reviews

Rocco B – though they’re not anime I’m watching, humorous episode reviews and just overall thoughtful

thelimitlessimagination – ponderous thoughts in a fan-loving shoujo style

ZeAnime – interesting news in the anime and Japanese community

Shay-shay’s Anime Blog – blogger with cool topic ideas and just fun reads like challenges and fanfic

LitaKino – back at ‘cha for fangirling to the max and for being an awesome blogger friend

If you’ve already been nominated and you’re on the list, no problem, just comment below with a link to your Liebster Award Nomination post because I want to read it! If there is a question here that you feel the need to answer, feel free – comment away! 🙂

Questions for my nominees (again, you can simply comment below with an answer to one if you have already been nominated):

1. What is your favorite Japanese animation studio?
2. What do you do for fun besides anime stuff?
3. Cats or dogs?
4. Yaoi or Yuri >.< or none!?
5. What was the first anime you have watched?
6. What do you like most about anime?
7. Do you see yourself still with anime ten years down the line?
8. What do you think of fanservice in anime?
9. What anime made you scratch your head for a while?
10. Do you recommend anime to non anime fans around you, or do you keep it to yourself?
11. If this café served actual beverages/food by an anime character to you, what would you order and from whom??

Official Rules of the Liebster Award:

If you have been nominated for The Liebster Award AND YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT, write a blog post about the Liebster award in which you:

• Thank the person who nominated you, and post a link to their blog on your blog.
• Display the award on your blog — by including it in your post and/or displaying it using a “widget” or a “gadget”. (Note that the best way to do this is to save the image to your own computer and then upload it to your blog post.)
• Answer 11 questions about yourself, which will be provided to you by the person who nominated you.
• Provide 11 random facts about yourself.
• Nominate 5 – 11 blogs that you feel deserve the award, who have a less than 1000 followers. (Note that you can always ask the blog owner this since not all blogs display a widget that lets the readers know this information!)
• Create a new list of questions for the blogger to answer.
• List these rules in your post (You can copy and paste from here.) Once you have written and published it, you then have to:
• Inform the people/blogs that you nominated that they have been nominated for the Liebster award and provide a link for them to your post so that they can learn about it (they might not have ever heard of it!).

 

You all have such interesting blogs; each having something to admire! I would like to thank LitaKino again for the nomination – it’s such a wonderful thing for a small-town blogging community. I have had a lot of fun writing this, and I hope you have had fun reading this! Catch me in my anime reviews and as always, until next time, this has been

– Takuto, your host