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Nutty

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Everything posted by Nutty

  1. BanG Dream! (Bandori) I've been really getting into it recently. It's a cute and stress free rhythm game that also has a gatcha element which as pretty decent rates. As a collector I find pleasure in a accumulating band members and forming neat bands for events and so on. The original and cover songs are surprisingly amazing too. It's on mobile too so it's super accessible and can be played anywhere and on the go. Highly recommend checking it out if you guys haven't! Minecraft, I love that game! I would be playing right now but I'm waiting for the server I play on to update to 1.13. What are you working on?
  2. Kaori from Your Lie In April. As much as I love her character, I feel as though her death really added to the impact and significance of her limited time spent playing music and with Arima. She's the bright light in a series filled with themes of childhood trauma and anxiety. And just like a firefly (which she compared herself to) she lit up the darkness and faded into the night. Her death was truly heartwrenching, poetic, and beautiful.
  3. It’s heartwarming, heart-wrenching, honest, realistic, innocent… yet melancholic at the same time. That said, I do not think words alone are enough to do justice to White Album 2. At its heart, White Album 2 is about 3 close friends spending their last days in school together, and tackles themes of friendship, love, and separation through its masterful incorporation of music. Personally, I feel that music amines are the ones that work the best in invoking emotions into the viewer. But even with that said, White Album 2 couldn’t have touched me as much if it purely relied on its music. Upon viewing the show for the second time, I realized that the creators of the show are excellent in understanding the shows mood and effectively using it to create more tension or alleviate it if need be. A lot of the episodes start without an OP which allows some of the more emotive episodes to intrinsically seep into one another. The ED of the show – “Sayonara no Koto” was only played at the end of episode 3 to achieve its maximum effect too. These are the little things that I didn’t notice my first time round and only realized its importance after my second viewing of it. Though, one thing I did notice during my first viewing of White Album 2 was the melancholic undertone it carried right from episode 1. I went into the series expecting a more lighthearted, happy anime but it immediately suggested otherwise through the shot compositions and musical score. Although I didn’t know what it was going to be, I sensed an approaching winter right from the start. And man, thank goodness I was prepared for the snow. It may not seem like it, but I think of White Album 2 as one of the best anime series I have ever seen and consider it near perfect. But even though my fingers are itching to do it, I cannot bring myself to over-analyze the show and extract it for all its worth; since I genuinely see the show as a living, breathing thing due to the incredible amount of respect given to the characters as human beings. Other than them having a background, reasons for why they are who they are, and believable emotional and ideological conflicts – the way the story is presented without being too “in-your-face” about their true emotions or reasoning behind certain decisions. This may seem trivial, but I have never once felt like I knew everything there is to know about the characters; which resulted in be subconsciously getting more and more invested in them – because unknowingly, I was getting to know someone new and slowly see them open up. I have a very intimate connection with this show as I literally watched the characters practice, and make music the show presents. I, as an audience member, got to see the characters interactions between practices, the hardships, and the fun they had… I never felt left out. And that’s why, when the curtains drew open, and the music played – I felt happy. And when silence filled the show – it was deafening. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I wrote this piece as a part of my anime marathon to watch all of my favorite shows and write about them in around 1 month. This is my second, out of fourteen pieces to write and publish on here and my blog https://nutmegsjuice.wordpress.com/blog/ ... Wish me luck But more importantly, what are your thoughts on White Album 2? I personally can't get enough of it and get the goosebumps just thinking of the last scene. I'd love to know how many more fans are out there!
  4. Bright character colours, contrasting the rather monotone and dull backgrounds of Kiznaiver prominently set up our cast to take center stage. The spotlight is on them - and them alone. But as emotions well up, and pain blurs the lines of their relationships; they find themselves whirling into a never ending vortex of bonds, love, scars and pain… Now doesn’t that sound angsty? The excellent use of colour, and how it perfectly invokes characters emotions through visuals was something I was planning to write about when I re-watched Kiznaiver today. And I wasn’t wrong, as I do give full credit to the team that worked on the show for that; as it was one of the more visually stimulating ones that I have seen as of late. However, it really seems like the unavoidable topic to address when mentioning Kiznaiver is its blatant intent at being a philosophy-filled, 12 episode explanation on the fact that relationships won’t work without pain. Conceptually, this show had no obligation to be as dramatic as it turned out to be. Yet, the characters were intentionally connected through pain. Yet, they were intentionally put together as total mismatches. And yet, they were intentionally put through stress to test their bonds. So if you think about it, isn’t this set-up something a similar show would have? But instead of having all of it be forced, count it off as just a mere coincidence that these people got together; and a mere coincidence that drama was involved – and at the end of the day, conclude with showing that friendships will last if you persevere? Kiznaiver knows the kind of picture it wants to paint at the end of the day, and sets up its colours upfront before turning, morphing, and rotating the wheel of teenage drama. Some would prefer for the colours to be left alone – so they could naturally observe which of them would leak into one another; which of them would mix, and which of them won’t. While others may be enthralled by the repetitive and heavy cycle, as they to find their own colours from within the swirling display of fluorescent the show presents as teenage emotions. When looking at Kiznaiver: Some choose to look at it as is, and see a cluster of smudges and missed potential. While others may chose to look at it with its intentions in mind, revealing what seems to be – a kaleidoscopic stare at teenage angst. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ My feelings are indeed quite mixed, which explains what I wrote... What did you think of Kiznaiver?
  5. Yup. Sakura Trick has quite a bit of fanservice, but it was something that I too already expected before starting the series. Surprisingly enough, it also contained a decent amount of character development admits all of it and also had something meaningful to say about bisexual love, which caught me off-guard. I'd love to hear your thoughts on Kiznaiver! After all, I love talking about anime. Especially the ones I'm very fond of
  6. Yup. They had millions of posters promoting the release in Akihabara. Which would have been hype, if I wasn't leaving Japan on the 26th...
  7. Sakurai Trick is average to good depending on how much you like your yuri. Personally, I quite liked it for the innocent yet compelling relationship between the main leads. The Monogatari Series is always solid. It has a wonderfully composed OST(original sound track) and well thought-out characters. However, the presentation of the story may or may not be your type; so you'll have to give it a shot yourself to find out. Kiznaiver is just beautiful to look at. It can/ is supposed to get very melodramatic at times but some people don't like it for that reason. I loved the series and rated it highly, so I definitely recommend you check it out if you don't mind the drama.
  8. The 2017 Summer Anime Season started off strongly, with quite a number of shows that have gained my interest instantly; and quite a number that seem interesting enough to keep watching. So with the number of new releases dying down, I think that this would be the optimal time to get my first impressions of it out. As usual, my goal with these kinds of posts are to introduce to you some of the shows that I will be watching this season – for those of you who don’t have time to check all of the premiers out. Moreover, I will be explaining what’s to be expected out of these shows and why I like them in the first place, in order help you decide whether or not to check them out. This selection was made after viewing, and dropping, around a dozen or so newly released shows. So without further ado, these are the ones that stood out to me. Ballroom e Youkoso Source: Manga Along with Kakegurui, this show probably had the strongest premier this season. The artwork is sharp and expressive while still retaining a very human, and down-to earth feeling; and the characters and story do seem to have a lot of potential. Given, the underdog story has been re-told countless amounts of times before and may be considered overused by some. However, it is still effective (from a storytelling perspective) to get the viewer automatically invested in a character, and is up to the rest of the show to build upon that investment. With Ballroom e Youkoso – I have the confidence that it will do so beautifully. Isekai Shokudou Source: Light Novel This anime is a food anime at heart, but what makes it stand out is the little “twist” of having different entities, from different walks of life taste the delicious food prepared every week. There is just this light-hearted delight from watching other life forms gobble down a scrumptious looking plate of human food. Along with that, we are treated to their backstories, personality, and how they got to the restaurant in the first place. If you are looking for something episodic and easily digestible to watch, I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up this anime. Kakegurui Source: Manga There was a lot of hype coming from the manga community even before this anime aired, so I just had to check and see what all the hype was for. And thank god I did, because this anime certainly justifies the excitement people had for it. I would recommend this anime to others as a “more condensed and refined version of No Game No Life” as it is able to instil immense amounts of tension, excitement and border-line fear into the viewer in each and every gambling scene. This anime may not be for fans of the more light-hearted genres, since it tends to try and invoke extreme emotions in the viewer through almost devil-like facial expressions the characters often put on, and the growing steaks each time the main character gambles. I am assuming that that the series will have an episodic format of storytelling – with new opponents each and every week, which is awesome, because that means more gambling; and gambling is what this anime excels at. Watch the OP, and if you don’t like the show by then, it is safe to say that you may as well just drop it. But if you loved the vibe from the OP – watch on! I know I will most certainly be doing so. Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e Source: Light Novel I am usually sceptical when it comes to light novel anime adaptations. Especially light novel anime adaptations that are set in high schools, and are solely about high school life. However, what sets this show apart from the multitude of similar ones is its premise. As a bunch of mismatched, lazy and even naughty students earn their pocket money each month based on the class’s performance as a whole. This is yet another underdog story of students whom have been placed in the lowest ranked class; but the characters are interesting and I enjoy how they play off one another, so I’ll be sticking around to see how the progress. “Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e” translates to “Classroom Of The Elite” in English, and I am definitely excited to witness D-class’s transformation into that.
  9. It will take too long if I am going to explain why I love each and every series so much, so I won't do that But here is the list of shows that got me into anime. I hope you love them as much as I did! Romance: - Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso (watch this before anything else) - Toradora - Sakurasuo no Pet na Kanojo Action/ Adventure: - Nantasu no Taizai - Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch Food Anime : - Shokugeki no Souma
  10. Nutty

    Writing

    My romance with writing has been a long, yet recently reinvigorate one. During my time in primary school, I had started keeping a diary. Inconsistently updated, but a diary nonetheless. I wrote songs too. They were often alternative lyrics to songs I heard on the radio. These were my little side projects. In school, I consistently scored amongst the top for English in my class. I always came either first or second, but I absolutely wanted to be number one. And that is probably what fueled my attitude towards self-improvement in my English. So there's that. I used to like writing, purely because I though of it as a good way to attain good grades and then boast to my childhood peers But as time went on, it started to get boring, repetitive and tiring. Because gone were my little passionate side-projects, rather, I spent all my writing time on assignments and write-ups. Our relationship weakened. But recently, my interest in writing has picked up; which is entirely due to anime. A quote that I often love to use to describe my attitude towards anime is: "I love watching anime, but what I love more than that - is talking about it." Talking - to be specific refers to discussion, leaning more towards the in-depth side, rather than casual conversations. Due to this need, and the fact that I don't have much people to talk to IRL about anime; I started writing. At first, I wrote long posts for online forums but then quickly realized that I wanted to do this as a full-fledged hobby and have it be easily accessible to others. That is the reason I created my blog, and joined more discussion-based forums like this one, I still like to write long posts (idk whether people read them, but whatever, I like writing ). But now, more often than not, I am seeking to improve myself with every single post. Rather than just posting for the sake of doing so (which is totally fine). I do have a lot of writing projects planned for the future. One of them includes a collaboration with another writer I met online, which will be held of a date that's undecided yet. The latter, and more exciting one of the two involves me re-watching, and writing about all of my favorite (14) anime this summer. The aim for me doing this is to help me have a record of what I love about those series at this moment in time in order for me to finalize my top 10 favorite anime list. More importantly, I aim to convey what I love about those series to others and experiment with my writing style in each and every piece I write. I also want to improve a lot of my basic skills such as different sentence structures, appropriate punctuation etc. So in many ways, it would be a fun and educational summer Even after that, I intend to continue with the writing collaborations and constantly update my blog. I don't see my escalating relationship with writing slowing down anytime soon.
  11. Haha! Don't worry, I felt that all the way through writing mine Anyway, thanks guys for hosting this competition. I really appreciate it! If possible, I would love to participate in more AF competitions in the future I read through all the entries too. Good job everyone! Your pieces were great!
  12. I have actually spent a decent amount of time throughout the last few months coming up with a potential anime I would make. After viewing a lot of anime, I think it would only be natural to have thoughts of the sort. Originally, I had only thought about writing the story/script for the anime, and left myself to thinking about actually producing it later on. This thread really prompted me to think about my envisioned story as an actual anime more. So thanks Cy~, you really know how to pick the right questions to ask! This is the first time I am writing my ideas down, so it would be easier for me in bullet points. Story -- Around 39 episodes long. One season, with no continuation. -- The genres it will fit in will be somewhere in between Slice Of Life, Drama and Romance -- Core themes would be about friendship, love and family. -- Revolves around an ensemble cast of about 5-8 teenagers in high school. -- There will be love triangles, unrequited love etc. but the people the main cast of characters fall for needn't be in the main cast itself. Characters are allowed to find love outside their main circle of friends. Also, not everybody will want to/ be in love. -- Will be rated R, since I will want to include a bit of sex and mild nudity. -- It will start off slowly with a primarily Slice Of Life feel to it. So the characters, and the dynamic between them can be developed before jumping into the meat of the story entirely. This will take around 12 episodes at least. -- The middle episodes of 12 - 27 or so will be individual character(s) arcs as we follow them for around 2-4 episodes each and experience their individual thoughts/ perspectives of school, friends, family... The period we experience with different characters will be in chronological order but can overlap. Meaning that the audience can view the same event twice through many different perspectives. The goal of doing this is to give the viewer a more personal connection to the characters and show them the fact that the same issue can be looked at may different ways. (This also helps sell character merchandise ) -- The final 12 or so episodes will be taking advantage of all of the character development done in prior ones. Characters will go through ideological conflicts about morals, their future, love etc. to heighten the drama. This will be effective because the viewer will know where each and every character is coming from and empathize that way. There is not anyone that is definitively right or wrong. The conflicts will resolve towards the end of the series... somehow or another. (I haven't thought much about the ending yet, so please bear with me.) Characters (It won't be ultra-specific since I haven't thought about this to great length before.) -- The main pairing would either be a straight one or a yuri one. I honestly can't decide, although I am slightly leaning towards yuri - due to the fact that there aren't many of those in anime. Also, I find yuri really appealing and attractive as a male viewer. This relationship would be developed throughout the course of the first 24 episodes, and they would be a pair by the final arc. -- If the main pairing is not a yuri one, there will still definitely be one among the main cast. This relationship will be developed by episode 24, and then be allowed to run its course for the rest of the series. -- The characters will be diverse, but not too diverse. I want it to be actually believable that a group of people like this IRL would be friends. So they need to have a reason to be friends with the rest of the main cast. -- They will be intelligent and self-aware, to an extent. I really dislike it when characters are plain dumb in anime, since it's hardly believable that those kinds of people really exist. And I do feel that characters need to be like real people in primarily Slice Of Life and Drama anime. So these characters may not understand their feelings/ thoughts at first, but they will want to find out. -- They need to have backbone. By this, I mean they wouldn't be completely hopeless without the others around. They need to be wholesome people on their own. (That's also another reason for the individual character arcs. -- The characters will also be mature. I think that is needed for a more psychological/ dramatic Slice Of Life anime like this one. Plus, high-schoolers in Japan are also kind of considered adults. -- There will be a girl that does cute stuff. That's needed. But not because she's dumb or anything. Rather, she likes doing it, or wants to appear that way to the people around her. Art -- Two words. Studio Shaft. -- I want every shot to be interesting (The Monogatari Series). Plus, I like my visual metaphors (The ef Series). -- I also really like their willingness to change things in the OP and ED to suit the state of the show better. Music -- Composed by Satoru Kousaki as he has the ability to craft deeply emotional and moving classical pieces and more poppy and fun counterparts to suit the show. -- Will avoid using overly high-pitched and squeaky J-Pop for the OP and EDs. OPs and EDs -- One for the first 12-ish episodes. -- One for each character arc in the mid-section of the series that fully captures the characters in a short few minutes. -- One for the last arc. -- They will also evolve and change depending on the state of the show. --- That's the rough idea for now. I may develop it more in the future and eventually put it into actual words. I may not even go through with this concept at all. But right now, if I were to make an anime - it would be this one.
  13. These are three of my favorite from the genre: Another (Series) Personally, I would consider this the least scary out of the three, but it still holds up pretty well. It has quite a large cast of characters, so seeing interact and play off one another was quite interesting. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (Series) There are two 24-ish episode long seasons - so there's plenty to watch there. This is one of my favorite horror anime's because of the lingering dread and mystery the show emphasizes on throughout. You also get to see the cast of characters thoroughly explored through seeing how they react to different situations. It will get bloody at times. And when it does, man is it awesome. I highly recommend this one if you're a hardcore fan of horror (or just good anime in general). Perfect Blue (Movie) This is ranked among my all-time favorite movies, period. It is a masterful psychological thriller that has a lot of elements that's very reminiscent of horror. Reality literally warps before your eyes, as you are thrown into uncertainty and try to figure out what is going on while the imminent dread builds up. Perfect Blue takes you on one hell of a ride, an if you can spare 1 hour and 30 minutes; I absolutely recommend it.
  14. Just finished watching Wolf Children. Left me with a myriad of positive emotions. Such a beautiful anime.. I'll be smiling in bed tonight :)

  15. Spent an entire afternoon writing a letter to Senpai. Pretty satisfied with what I came up with :D

    1. zoop

      zoop

      Like a boss!!

  16. Anyone know what the "Levels" mean? I noticed that I was Level 2 a while ago, but now I'm a Level 3. I don't know what prompted the change.

    1. Show previous comments  1 more
    2. Nutty

      Nutty

      Hmmm... Maybe because you have a custom title?

    3. Viper

      Viper

      Yes that's probably why

    4. Kohloo

      Kohloo

      Yeah the custom title takes the spot where the level is usually displayed

  17. Well, the thing is, SAO has a huge fan base. One of the largest in all of anime. So naturally, there will be a lot of haters, and people that adore the show. I consider SAO overrated due to the sheer amount of cosplays it gets at conventions. Not as much as Attack on Titan gets, but still up there. Plus, it has been ranked among the most popular, and most favorited series by MyAnimeList users.
  18. Hmmm... I think I should actually work on making my profile page half-decent lmao. I have been neglecting it for way too long :P

    1. zoop

      zoop

      You've got a nice background, at least. Info page could always use a little sprucing up, though. :) I don't really bother with profile covers, myself. The editor is an infernal contraption that does what it wants, and the covers themselves look different depending on the theme you use.

    2. zoop

      zoop

      It's basically a giant abomination of inconvenience that refuses to cooperate. :'(

    3. Nutty

      Nutty

      Yeah, I will work on that :D As for profile covers - I'll just never, ever, ever, ever touch them :P Since I'm quite bad with tech myself.

  19. Overrated? Look, I understand why it is so popular, and why people like it so much. But it is by no means, the "objectively" best anime that a lot of people hail it to be.
  20. Agreed. I reside around that part of Asia too, so the culture from where I'm at is pretty similar. Personally, I am very open about my love for anime, even going as far as to try and convince people in which never even gave anime a chance to check it out. As of late, I have even started to watch anime with my mom and dad (after much persuasion) and I think they are growing fond of it. With my friends and people I meet face-to-face, I would usually share my love of anime with them rather than hide it. And of course, I would not feel comfortable watching anime in front of total strangers since I wouldn't like to be misunderstood for someone who is only into "fanservice", "cartoons", and "cute girls." If I am going to pour hours into something I am truly passionate about - I absolutely see no need to hide it
  21. Judging purely by the characters I know in the list, I'd say its really accurate. Especially Yuuko from the ef series. She didn't deserve what came her way at all
  22. Yup. Procrastination is my literal middle name, so I will have to settle on something and get it to you guys soon
  23. I looked through your list and noticed that you haven't watched one of my favorite romance anime's - ef: a Tale of Memories and ef: a Tale of Melodies. The 2 season long anime series is largely about romance and centers around a few male protagonists. The visual and aural presentation is stellar and I would strongly recommend it
  24. Space Patrol Luluco. Although it is not even close to being believable (I don't think the show was made for that anyway), it is most definitely massive in scope and epic in the way it presents the show
  25. I expect a lot of people to disagree; but Kiznaiver is a really great anime in my opinion. People usually criticize Kiznaiver for being too melodramatic and exaggerated, which I do agree with to an extent - but not entirely. And it is also not to say that I dislike the melodrama present in the show, in fact, I would argue that the show is made for it. Noriko is a character in the series that a lot of people blame for the excessive drama that ensues. That may be the case, but that is why I like her (to put it bluntly). I wholeheartedly connect with this show on an emotional level. That's why I like it so much; and a mere short post like this won't nearly do it justice. But I will be writing about why I love Kiznaiver after re-watching it this summer along with my other favorites. So I guess you'll find out why think it is extremely underrated then
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