Got to love the Tsun-tsuns...

One of my favorite character types is the tsundere. What exactly is a tsundere? Well...

"I'll describe this topic... since it figures that you wouldn't know what a Tsundere is. Look, if you really must know, I suppose that I'll tell you. Just... consider yourself lucky that I just happen to have an article handy, o-okay! ^blush
 
Baka.

 ...ahem..." (from Tsundere - Television Tropes and Idioms)

Right...so if you didn't quite get it, tsunderes are characters that run "hot and cold." These characters possess the traits of tsuntsun (aloof or irritable) and deredere (lovestruck). Often times, they go back and forth between these two personalities, usually when a special person is involved.

Ryouko Ookami usually portrays a grumpy pessimism

In any case, my favorite type of character is the Type A Tsundere (the Tsun-tsun). These characters initially start of with a harsh facade to the world. They look strong, independent, and usually have a sort of grumpy pessimism. When in contact with their special person, their mode usually switches to a softer, weaker persona. It is this disparity in their outward self and inward self that I really love.

Natsuno Kirihime, a huge Tsuntsun

Some examples of a Type A Tsundere are Ryouko Ookami from Ookami-san, Motoko Aoyama from Love Hina, Rin Tohsaka from Fate/Stay Night, Asuna from Sword Art Online, and most recently, Natsuno Kirihime from Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyou!.

Final Fantasy

Probably one of the most popular RPG franchises is SquareEnix's Final Fantasy. It was originally started in the late 80's, and over the years it has grown to become a huge franchise with over 20 titles. It has also spawned a couple of movies and even one anime series.

Most installments of each game consist of their own cast of characters, game mechanics, and story. This makes the games stand alone (you won't need to play Final Fantasy IV in order to play Final Fantasy V).

Anyway, I have played most of the games for the series (though recently I have not completed any of the newer titles due to various reasons). There are many things that I love about Final Fantasy, foremost being the intricate stories that each title brings. Another main factor that I love about the franchise is the fact that their characters are well-developed and add to the stories' greatness.

My favorite title of the series would have to be Final Fantasy VII. I know that there are a lot of people who would disagree (mainly for the fact that a lot of people do assert that FFVII was the best). In my opinion, I just love it so much because I thought the story was very engaging. I also love the characters very much. As a side note, FFVII is also the only game that almost made me want to "rage-quit" the game. The materia system also happened to be one of my favorite game systems because it allowed for vast customization on all your characters.

If you love great stories and RPGs, please do check out Final Fantasy. Most of the titles can be found on the Sony systems (Playstation).

The Greatest Teacher in all Japan

Just recently I got around to watching one of my favorite animes. This anime is about an ex-biker gang leader who became a teacher. Some of you may know that the anime I am talking about is GTO or Great Teacher Onizuka.

As I mentioned above the anime is about Eikichi Onizuka, a ex-biker gang leader. For someone who was once a delinquent, school was probably the last place he'd end up. Despite very little social grace and stunningly low intelligence, he manages to work his way through college and try out teaching (just so he could have a chance at high school girls).

Anyway, the series follows his adventures in becoming the greatest teacher in all Japan. What he lacks as a traditional teacher, he makes up for as a friend. Though he is not very capable at teaching book smarts, his life lessons work miracles in the lives of the children he teaches.

In all this was a great series. While the anime did not nearly cover as much as the manga, it does follow the manga faithfully. Despite some of the outrageous, nonsensical antics of Onizuka at times, you do get a sense of value in listening to his lessons.

If you have the budget (or some way to watch this series), I do think this is one that is very enjoyable. Give it a chance, and maybe you'll wish you had a teacher like this "Greatest Teacher in all Japan!"

Highschool DxD NEW

One of the new Summer 2013 anime that I have been watching is Highschool DxD New. This anime is the second season of the Highschool DxD anime and serves as a continuation of that story.

The story of the second season once again follows the perverted reincarnated devil, Issei Hyoudo, in his quest to become a harem king. He is the servant of Rias Gremory, a devil and the club president of the Occult Research Club at his school. At the beginning of the anime, the Gremory clan is face with the existence of holy swords (to be specific the replicated swords of Excalibur).

This series features a lot of fan service (similar to season one). While the story is not bad, it does at times suffer due to the blatant amount of fan service stuffed into the anime. This is especially the case when Issei becomes so focused on using his special ability, Dress Break. Getting around such bland fan service can be a bit trying.

On a somewhat related note, I have been also watching an anime called Free! (about a high school boys' swim club). Whenever I watch that series, I feel my pride as a man drop, but Highschool DxD returns it to normal with all the fan service.

After watching season one, I am curious to learn how season two fares. Though this is the case, I do enjoy the story. With that being the case, I will definitely follow this series this summer.

Inu to Hasami Tsukaiyou

Is there one thing that you must absolutely do before dying? It could be meeting your true love or maybe visiting a foreign country. In the case of Kazuhito Harumi, he simply can't die until he reads the last book in a unfinished series by his favorite author, Shinobu Akiyama. However, during a robbery, he shot and killed. Before passing on, his desire to read that one book overcomes death and he is reincarnated...as a dachshund.

After being resurrected, he is taken in by Kirihime Natsuno, the only person in the world who can hear his thoughts. It just so happens that she is also the real scissors-wielding identity of Shinobu Akiyama. That's the basis for the story Inu to Hasami Tsukaiyou. 

The story looks to be pretty good, despite the mixed reviews I have been seeing. I was a little hesitant to view this anime at first, but after watching the first episode, I believe I will continue watching it. 

Welcome to the League of Legends...

Boom!...headshot. That is a quote from one of my favorite characters in a free-to-play online game that I have been a fan of for quite a while. The game - League of Legends - is a great online game in which you control a champion and attack a base to win the game. Sounds simple, right? Well, the enemy has champions of their own ready to kill your champion and attack your base too.

There are well over 100 champions to choose from during a game. Each champion has a unique skill set to master, and with it a set role to play on a team. In my case, my favorite character, Caitlyn the Sheriff of Piltover, is an AD Ranged Carry. In other words, she's a ranged champion that specializes in attack damage. While it says she's a carry (she usually starts off weaker than other characters) I do find her skill set and play style more to my liking than any other champion.

Caitlyn, the Sheriff of Piltover

My other favorite champion, oddly enough, is Caitlyn's partner, Vi. According to the lore (each champion also comes with his/her/its own back story. In this case, Caitlyn and Vi are the dynamic duo of "Good Cop, Bad Cop" for the town of Piltover. Where Caitlyn uses ranged attacks, Vi gets into the thick of things and smashes them with her fists.

Vi, Caitlyn's partner

Anyway, League of Legends is a great free game to try out. However, while it is free to play, in order to continuously play a champion you like, you have to purchase them with either Riot Points (RP - a point system based on the use of real money) or Influence Points (IP - a point system based on how much you play). If you don't want to buy anything, you can still play the game. Each week, the game has a set of ten free champions to use.

This week's (6/17 - 6/23) free champion rotation

If you'd like to try out this game, point your browsers over to www.leagueoflegends.com or just click this link here. See you on the Fields of Justice!

Summer Anime 2013

As the spring season starts coming to a close, I am now looking forward to new anime that will start in the summer. While I am hoping that a few of the current spring anime continue on (Shingeki no Kyojin, Suisei no Gargantia, and Date A Live), I do look forward to seeing what new anime will fuel my addiction.

The first one that comes to mind is Kami Nomizo Shiru Sekai (The World God Only Knows) 3. This is the third season of Keima Katsuragi's exploits as the Capturing God. As a continuation of the last season. Keima will continue to have girls fall in love with him for the purpose of capturing loose souls. However, this time, there will be an extra catch... Season 3 will start to touch upon the goddess arc. Since I have been a big fan of this series, this was one that I definitely looked forward to.

What would you do if you found a magical doll that came to life? For most people this is a scary prospect. Anyway, the anime Rosen Maiden is about a boy who is very much into the occult due to some issues. One day, he is sent a doll. When he winds the doll up, she comes alive. The boy is then thrust deeper into the realm of the occult after becoming her servant. This Rosen Maiden anime is actually a reboot of the previous two series. According to what I read, the original cast has returned to reprise their voice roles for the characters of this anime. I very much look forward to seeing the new updated version of Rosen Maiden.

Issei is not your typical high school student. He is more perverted than most, but that's not what makes him so special. Issei is a demon and a possessor of a sacred gear. This is the premise for Highschool DxD. This season, the anime will continue with its second season. Issei will continue his story with Rias Gremory and the others of the Occult Research Club as they battle the forces of Light and the Fallen Angels. While this anime is primarily about fan service (lots and lots of it), it does have an okay story which I enjoyed in the first season. 

Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Ilya is another byproduct of TYPE-MOON's Fate series. Rather than starring Shirou and Saber, this series will focus on Ilyasviel. While not relating to main story of Fate, this series will be the telling of the young Ilya becoming a magical girl (think something like Sailor Moon) and fighting the forces of evil. Anyway, as a TYPE-MOON fan, I feel the need to check this anime out. 

There are quite a number of other anime set to be released this coming summer, but these are the ones I am definitely planning on checking out.