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Evil Bunny of Doom

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Blog Entries posted by Evil Bunny of Doom

  1. Evil Bunny of Doom
    1. Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun
    “High school student Chiyo Sakura has a crush on schoolmate Umetarou Nozaki, but when she confesses her love to him, he mistakes her for a fan and gives her an autograph. When she says that she always wants to be with him, he invites her to his house and has her help on some drawings. Chiyo discovers that Nozaki is actually a renowned shoujo manga artist named Sakiko Yumeno. She then agrees to be his assistant in order to get closer to him. As they work on his manga, they encounter other schoolmates who assist them or serve as inspirations for characters in the stories.”
    This is by far the funniest anime I’ve watched until now and definately one of my favourites. It starts seemingly as a romance anime. It doesn’t focus entirely on that, though, but it uses the romance in a humorous way that rarely lets your face take a break from laughing. Even simple everyday tasks (such as sharing an umbrella) are turned into unexpectedly hilarious scenes.
    The special episodes are also great!
    2. Hetalia
    “Based on a popular web-released manga series by Hidekazu Himaruya, this has been described as a “cynical gag” story set in Europe in the years between WW1 and WW2 (1915-1939), using exaggerated caricatures of the different nationalities as portrayed by a gaggle of bishōnen. For example, the Italia Veneziano character is into pasta and women. The Deutsche (German) bishi loves potatoes and sausages, and Nippon is an otaku boy. Installments of the manga have jumped back and forth in setting from the ancient times to modern-day geopolitics. The manga’s title comes the Japanese words for “useless” (hetare) and Italy (Italia).”
    This was the first anime I watched and it still holds a special place in my heart (although it’s not the best one to start with…). It doesn’t really have a plot but it’s composed by small funny scenes and it’s sure to give you a good laugh. The episodes are only 5 minutes each so it’s perfect if you just wanna take a small break from everything.
    The anime consists of six seasons: Axis Powers (1st & 2nd), World Series (3rd & 4rth), The Beautiful World (5th), The World Twinkle (6th). The first four seasons are the best in my opinion. The 6th was also very good, but the 5th one was a bit of a let down so you can just skip it 😛
    There is also a movie, titled ‘Paint it, White’ which I highly recommend.
    3. Yamato Nadeshiko Shichihenge
    “Takano Kyohei, Oda Takenaga, Toyama Yukinojo, and Morii Ranmaru are going to rent a house to go to school for free on the condition that they make the girl of the house a “lady”. However, Nakahara Sunako, the girl living there, is gloomy, weird, and horror movie maniac. She has a trauma of when she was told she was ugly by the boy whom she loved when she was in junior high school. She doesn’t like beautiful things and gets a nosebleed when she looks at something beautiful.”
    This is one of those anime that lack recognition… Not without a reason, though… It’s obvious that the artwork is quite bad. But after 3-4 episodes, you just stop caring. At least I did. And that’s because, other than art, this anime is great! It has tons of funny scenes, mostly caused by Sunako’s eccentric character and her love for creepy stuff. It’s surely worth watching (if your eyes can tolerate it)!
     

    4. Nichijou
    “While the title suggests a story of simple, everyday school life, the contents are more the opposite. The setting is a strange school where you may see the principal wrestle a deer or a robot’s arm hide a rollcake. However there are still normal stories, like making a card castle or taking a test you didn’t study for.”
    Nichijou can only be described with one word: Weird. It always leaves me with a ‘O_O what did I just watch?’ expression. Almost every single thing that happens in the anime is so exaggerated that either makes you roll on the floor laughing or throw your computer out of the window 😛 If you want an anime packed with absolute randomness, Nichijou is the one for you!
  2. Evil Bunny of Doom
    ETYMOLOGY
    Over the years, I’ve heard one too many different opinions about the origins of the word ‘canival’. However, it appears to hail from the late latin words ‘carnem’ (meat) and levare (to remove/ take away) which actually sums up the purpose of the carnival period: to prepare yourself for the Easter fast. The greek word ‘απόκριες’ (apokries) also indicates an abstinence from meat.
    HISTORY
    The celebrations that accompany carnival originate from ancient Greece and the Dionysian rites, that took place in late winter and symbolised the coming of spring. In Athens, specifically, a chariot would make its way to the city while being followed by dancers and singers, who were dressed up in costumes that resembled goats and sang satyrical songs. After the prevalence of Christianism, pagan elements were fused with the new traditions, thus indicating the beggining of the Lent.
    Modern carnival started appearing in Greece during the 19th century, after the Ionian islands were unified with the mainland. The Ionians, that were under heavy italian influence, contributed greatly in shaping contemporary celebrations.
    DURATION
    The duration of the carnival period can vary, depending on Easter. The opening ceremony always takes place on a Saturday night in mid January. The same doesn’t apply for the closing ceremony, though. The Burning of the Carnival King, that marks the end of celebrations, is exactly seven weeks before Easter. If Easter comes late, like this year, carvival can last up to two months!
    CELEBRATIONS
    Different cities host different events and, honestly, there are too many of them to be written here. Therefore, I will only focus on those that take place in the city of Patras, where I live.
    Organisation:
    In order to take part in the parades, you need to sign up in a crew. Crews can be found anywhere in the city and each of them has their own set of costumes for males and females (you can choose whichever you want). Sometimes, crews have more than one costumes to choose from (mostly for females, though :P). You need to pay for your costume (duh!) and price depends on quality as well as the number of members. (If you go with friends as group, you get discount, discount good! *said in russian accent* 😛 )
    Events:
    Opening Ceremony
    One would think that the opening ceremony of such a grand series of events would be rather extravagant and it would feature a variety of shows but, actually, it’s more of a warm-up. It lasts for a few hours only and usually features singing by local singers/bands as well as dancing by some of the cities dance schools. A fireworks display couldn’t be missing of course (this time they went a bit overboard with it, making it even more gorgeous!). This year, we also had an acrobatics show that was a really nice addition
    It’s also the first day we can dress up, although most people go for a simple pair of animal ears or a mask rather than a full costume (at least I think it was, because I’m short and couldn’t see well ._.)
    Smoky Thursday
    After the start of the carvival period, no major events take place until the famous Smoky Thurday. Every meat lover lives for this day. Just like the name says, it’s a Thursday…. a barbequed one! Every store, wheather it is a hair saloon or a bookstore can set up their rotisserie (is this even a word? that’s what google gave me…) and roast dozens after dozens of souvlakia, selling them ridiculously cheap to passerbys, with loud music blasting out from the speakers.
    At schools, students and teachers can dress up however they want. In some elementaries, parents and teachers come and set up the rotisseries in the school yard and give children souvlakia for free, while they are having a party dressed up in their costumes. In middle schools, teachers usually order from a store and students have to pay a small price to get their souvlakia. In high schools…. well, they just let the students off much earlier without giving them any meat. It is a great chance to go out and eat with your friends, though.
    In the city center, certain events are organised for this day. This year we had a comedy wrestling show, in which various weirdos engaged in fake fights to win food. Later in the day, we have the annual ‘Marriage of koulourou*’ (*erm…that can be translated as ‘a woman who sells buns’ or something…?). It’s an old custom that presents a marriage and it takes place in the old part of the city, near the Roman Conservatory. It is based on a local myth, of a naive old woman who fell victim to the pranks of her fellow citizens and was lead to believe that the president of America, Wilson (1913-1921), was going to marry her.
    Hidden Treasure
    It’s a game played by the crew members. They are given hints and visit different locations in the city until they find the treasure and win the prize. Unless you have a ride, don’t participate, it’s suicide.
    Chocolate Wars
    People throwing chocolates. Just that… JUST THAT!!!!
    Children’s Parade
    Also called the ‘little’ parade. Hundreds of children in their costumes join a parade along with their parents. They dance to the music or board one of the floats and lazily wave at the crowd…. (my parents never let me go when I was young…..). The little parade happens a week before the end of carnival.
    Float Parade
    Floats designed by the city’s artistic workshop have their own time in the spotlight the last Friday night before the ending ceremony. They usually feature satyrical themes such as …..wait for it…… politicians! What else?
    Night Parade
    The Saturday night parade is the biggest and most important of all (Note that Patras has the biggest parades in the country 😛 ). You see people flocking downtown in large masses, only stopping to take a selfie or two with their friends. The center gets closed down so cars won’t enter and everyone is able to roam the streets freely. Colorful and creepy costumes flood the place, as everyone is striving to look unique. It’s a great opportunity for otakus to cosplay without getting any odd stares (ok, I take that back, I got a lot of odd stares 😛 ). It’s also not strange if a person completely unknown to you comes to chat or ask for a picture with you because, clearly, your cosplay is so awesome (it’s not like I’m bragging about myself here….). Alcohol is abundant and so are whistles and all kinds of trinkets that make noise. If you’re an old man living downtown, don’t even consider sleeping. Partying lasts until morning 😉
    Big Parade
    I don’t really get why they still call the Sunday parade ‘big’… It’s much smaller that that of the previous night for one simple reason: hangovers!
    Even so, it’s still pleasant to watch or take part in, whatever you prefer.
    Ending Ceremony
    The ending of the carnival period is signaled with the burning of a large gag-statue, the Carnival King. Every year, the artistic workshop makes a different King to be burnt, although it’s usually a famous (and hated) person…like……. wait for it….. a politician! What else? Once the King is on fire, there’s another fireworks display. And after that, it’s all over. See you next year!
    Others
    In between the major events, lots of others are being held like plays, concerts etc.
    THE GOOD SIDE
    Carnival, unlike the western Halloween, lasts for a long period of time, allowing people to live it to the fullest and take part in more events that they can count. You can look however you like and really be yourself without a care in the world. It’s also a huge financial relief to the city since tons of tourists come to visit.
    THE BAD SIDE
    Obviously, all big events have their downsides. The night parade especially, can be quite dangerous. Lots of people means lots of perverts as well. Stick close to your group! And, for God’s sake, when will people realise you can have fun without getting drunk? The 2-3 months after carnival are the ones when the majority of abortions take place….. guess why…
    OVERALL
    Carnival is something I both love and hate at the same time. I love the freedom it gives you but I hate noise and crowded streets. Still, if anyone asked me when is the best period to visit the country, I’d definately choose this (summer sucks). As long as you’re careful, it can be a most joyous experience.
    Stay safe and happy!
    Evil Bunny, signing off~

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