Happy New Year

Out with the old and in with the new...As 2012 comes to a close and 2013 begins, I look back at what a hell 2012 has been.

There were many times in the past year when I wondered just what did I do to have all kinds of misfortunes happen to me and my family. I can safely say that 2012 was definitely among the worst years I've lived through.

Still, 2012 did not pass without some good memories or blessings. I did get to meet one of the celebrities I had wanted to meet for a long while, Asakawa Yuu. I got to watch my new favorite anime Sword Art Online and read the light novels. Then there's things like being able to have a job and a roof over my head. Those are always blessings.

I'm a little scared to think of what will happen in 2013, much of the issues I had with 2012 are still not resolved. This makes me shudder in thinking of what might happen in the coming year. It is my hope that the fates may smile upon me and grant me good fortune this coming year.

And to all of you, I have much hope that 2012 did not treat any of you too harshly, and that 2013 will be a much better year than 2012. So to everyone of you, may you have a Happy New Year.

Merry Christmas

It's that time of year again...while I am not terribly religious or into the Christmas season, I do recognize that it is a special time of year where you spend time with your family and friends. It is also a time to make your "Christmas wishes" and hope that they will come true.

I am pretty sure most everyone knows the reason for the holiday of Christmas, but I think that Christmas transcends religion and has become just an integral part of all cultures. If not, then non-Christian countries like Japan wouldn't have so much fun celebrating it too. After all, the Japanese do go all out on this holiday as well.

Rather than something religious, I do think that what makes Christmas so great that even non-religious people are willing to celebrate it is just that it is the single time of year when maybe hope and goodwill are at its strongest - we all are (even just a little bit) nicer to our fellow man. It's a time when magic seems to be possible.

So with that, I wish that all your Christmas dreams do come true. Please be safe and have a wonderful holiday season. Merry Christmas!

Artist Commissions

What kind of situation have you imagined your favorite character being in that was never in an anime or manga setting? What can you imagine your favorite character doing if he/she met you?

Two dragons battling for a single guy...how lucky he is!

For some of us, it can be hard to visualize our favorite characters outside of anime and manga in situations that never happen...or for some of us, we like to visualize what would happen if they were standing right in front of us. If we relied on the creators of our favorite characters to indulge all of our fantasies, I'm sorry to say many of us would be sorely disappointed.

Medaka ready to serve in her roll as president

Anyway, with anime and cartoons, it is possible for a person to recreate characters in liking and situation, limited only by their imagination and skill. These people are fan artists. Using their skills, it is possible for them to take an idea for a character and use magic to create something new outside of what what was possible in the anime. Sometimes, these artists are willing to take requests (sometimes with a little donation) and work their magic for other people. Commissioning an artist enables people like me, whose artistic talent is a bit lacking, to see our favorite characters differently or under special circumstances.

Amazing picture of my favorite MG, the Anubis, in all her tsundere glory!

One of my favorite fan artists is Butter-T. The style with which he draws various characters is very beautiful. I closely follow his work on a forum I belong to and absolutely love the quality of his work. He has done many characters from anime and other sources, and he also does original characters too. Because of his amazing talent, I have even commissioned a couple works from him.

My commission of Morrigan Aensland...damn she's so sexy!

Overall, commissioning an artist or even just following one is a great way to indulge yourself even deeper into the world(s) of your favorite characters. If you want to check out more of Butter-T's works, check out his Facebook page at Butter-T's Facebook. Just be aware that some of his work is not suitable for minors (and it's in another language).

All the images on this page are copyright of Butter-T.

Sword Art Online (Again!)

I know that I've posted about this anime, but by far the best anime this season is Sword Art Online. The anime is currently on its 22nd episode and the 23rd episode is set to release tomorrow. With 25 episodes planned (according to the episode list on Anime News Network) I am filled with anxiety as the end could be near for what could easily be one of my most favored anime.

There is a light of hope though, according to the seiyuu (voice actor) list, there is one character/seiyuu match up that interested me. Miyuki Sawashiro will be voicing Sinon. The seiyuu's name isn't particularly the interesting part. However, the name Sinon is the part that interested me most. The anime will end at Sword Art Online's second story arc, but the character Sinon doesn't appear until the third. It means there are definitely future plans for the series.

By the way, on a side note, if you love Sword Art Online, please check out Baka-Tsuki Translation Project for the Sword Art Online light novels. The light novels written by Reki Kawahara have been translated for non-Japanese people to enjoy. The light novels go further in-depth and further into the story than the anime.