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.

Blast of Tempest Revistied

A couple weeks ago, I mentioned an anime called Blast of Tempest (Zetsuen no Tempest in Japanese). Just recently, I was amazed at how the story plays out.Throughout the anime, several of the characters will quote lines from the Shakespearean play Hamlet. It seems to play a pivotal role in the story as each event happens, and just recently, a revelation was made to illuminate just how important Hamlet is to the story.

Some of you may be thinking if Hamlet is important to the story, why is this anime called Blast of Tempest? Well, Shakespeare also wrote a play called The Tempest which also will become a major role in the development of the story.

With episode 9, I now realize the importance of all the slow flashbacks that occurred throughout the series. While it wasn't an anime I was watching seriously before, now I do find myself looking forward to how things develop, much more than I do with BTOOOM!.

Happy Thanksgiving

Once again, the holiday season comes around. While it's not my favorite time of year (I really do hate the hustle and bustle of this season), it really is an important time of year.

In any case, though my year has been inexplicably bad, I do have a lot I am thankful for. First and foremost would be the people who support me. Though I have always seemed like I can get things done on my own, the truth is that I would definitely be nowhere if it weren't for the people around me. I may seem capable and confident, but that is only because there are people who believe in me and encourage me. Without them, there definitely would be no me. So, to my family and friends, I thank you so much for always being there for me.

One thing that may seem foolish to people, but nonetheless, I am thankful for anime and Japanese music. There were may times when I received support from the things I love. Not to say that the people around me didn't support me, but that the times I preferred to be alone or could not find the courage to speak out, these things helped me keep my sanity. So thanks to the wonderful people who produce the things that I enjoy.

That is a simplified list of what I am truly thankful for. My real list is quite long as I really do have much to be thankful for. In any case, happy Thanksgiving to all of you. I hope that you have just as much to be thankful for as I do. And with that, I'll leave with a quote from one of my favorite anime series:

"I believe happiness is measured by how many times you say thank you."
- Keiichi Morisato, Oh My Goddess

Blast of Tempest

Lately, I have been getting into a new anime series called Blast of Tempest in addition to BTOOOM!. It a interesting anime that has more of a suspense feel to it.

A mage clan is trying to revive the Tree of Exodus, and in order stop it, the clan leader is tricked and exiled by a subordinate to a deserted island. She, however finds a way to intervene by having a boy named Mahiro work for her. His interests aren't totally unaligned as he needs the clan leader's help in a particular case. During their work, Mahiro runs into Yoshino, a childhood acquaintance. Yoshino joins up with Mahiro and they both work together to stop the tree's revival.

Blast of Tempest follows the two boys Mahiro and Yoshino as they help Hakaze stop the apocalyptic events in motion.

The anime is fairly good, but it does get slow at some points. There is a lot of back story and flashbacks that occur within the show, so sometimes it feels that the flow of the story is interrupted. If you would like to check it out, this anime is aired on Crunchyroll on Thursdays.