Fun Stuff: Words of the Wise II

Took me long enough, but today's posting will be Part II of my Words of the Wise anime quotes feature! Time for more gems of insight from anime/manga/game heroes both great and small, twisted and good. As with the previous collection, some of these are pulled from fan translations and others from official translations, but the integrity of the statement should be intact in both cases. Please enjoy!


1. "Teachings that do not speak of pain have no meaning, because humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return." -Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist

Why it rules: These are probably my favorite opening lines from any manga, and for a good reason. Not only does this phrase sum up the Elric brothers' struggles with alchemy, which demands "equivalent exchange" in creation and destruction (in other words, something cannot be created from nothing, and sacrifice of some sort is demanded), but it also provides a viewpoint for examining human reactions to pain, which naturally most of us are averse to. Whenever we encounter pain, we do not understand why we must suffer, especially if we believe there is a benevolent God watching over us. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why me? What is the purpose of suffering, the purpose of living a life where all people must suffer? There are thousands of answers to these questions, and most religions, particularly Buddhism and Christianity, believe human suffering is an inevitability brought about by human nature or original sin. Fullmetal Alchemist's idea of equivalent exchange is a fascinating concept to consider under these terms. Love and suffering, joy and anguish, happiness and sorrow often seem to go hand in hand, and sacrifice plays a central role in each of these emotions. Do we suffer because through gaining one thing precious, we are bound to lose something else? By seeking happiness, do we also seek out our own means of suffering? The answer isn't clear, but this quote is definitely worth dwelling over.

The "Fullmetal Alchemist" nearly lost everything important to him in order to regain a lost life

2. "A great love for someone, a great belief in something, a great desire to pass on a hope... if all of these things surpass time itself and create "you," wouldn't that be wonderful?" -Kurisu Makise from Steins;gate
Why it rules: In the time-traveling universe of Steins;gate, the concern arises that every time you change the past, a new "world line" branches off, forming an alternate future while maintaining a beta line where nothing was changed. Mad scientist Okarin has concerns about losing his love interest Kurisu by returning to the beta line and altering both of their experiences, pasts, and futures, but she wisely consoles him by reminding him that no matter how many different times our consciousness exists in this dimension or another, there are terms which define who we are wherever we are, the things that make you "you" and me "me." Even if we are formed by experiences, parts of us remain inherent to who we are, and those are the things that transcend all other changes and make us unique individuals that cannot be replaced by anyone else.

Kurisu's has faith that Okarin will always be Okarin no matter where he is, and that she will always love him

 3. "If there is someone you want to see, you are no longer alone anymore" - Takashi Natsume from Natsume Yuujinchou
Why it rules: Main character Natsume has every reason to feel lonely: due to his ability to see spirits from a young age, he was ostracized by classmates, foster parents, and strangers  who thought he was a liar for seeing things they could not comprehend themselves. But as he realizes as he grows older, the moment you have some precious enough that you desire to see them, you can no longer consider yourself "alone". Even if you are unable to be with them, the desire itself is what matters. A person who is truly alone has no one they feel comfortable turning to or spending time with, but when you have someone who can fulfill these things within you, you carry the thought of them inside of you and are never without that comforting presence from within.

When Natsume came to terms with his relationships with both humans and youkai such as Nyanko-sensei, he no longer felt as isolated as he did as a child

4. "I see. This. Yes. This thing in my hand is the heart" -Ulquiorra Cifer from Bleach
Why it rules: The Arrancar arcs of Bleach had their moments of cheesiness, but Ulquiorra's dying words to Orihime and Ichigo are actually quite beautiful, especially when considered in context. Earlier in the series, he has a rant against Orihime in which he says, "Hearts, you say? You humans are always so quick to speak of such things, as though you carry your hearts in the very palms of your hands... What is this 'heart'? If I tear open that chest of yours, will I see it there? If I smash open that skull of yours, will I see it there?" Granted, Orihime has well-earned a good chastisement, but in this case, her concern with hearts is real, and Ulquiorra's realization that humankind's fixation with a heart and soul isn't about a physical organ, but a summation of our beliefs, love, desires, etc is the moment when he rises above his nature as Arrancar and can at last understand Orihime's forgiveness towards him and desire to protect her friends. The quote is made especially lovely by the fact that he is reaching out towards Orihime with his hands as he says it, and sees his heart as existing in the hand reaching out to a final desire not to die.

Ulquiorra finally learns the meaning of holding a heart in the palm of a hand

 5. "I won't live as long as you have, and I'll never be as powerful. Things like saving the world and fighting goddesses are just beyond me. They're out of my reach. That's why I've always chosen to fight for the smaller things in life and the people close to me. If that means I have to fight you to protect them, then so be it" Sothe from Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
Why it rules: Sothe has a bit of a rough time in Radiant Dawn what with being accused of having an uncontrollable Ike-obsession and being tied to the pesky Micaiah, but he has some of the greatest lines of the game, especially when he comes to terms with how powerless he is when facing off against enemies such as Ike himself or the ridiculously powerful Dragon King Dheginsea (the man he is speaking to in this quote). Sothe realizes his limitations and weaknesses better than anyone, but sets them aside in order to protect those most precious to him. He'll do anything to save his homeland and Micaiah, even if it means reaching higher than he is able to reach. There is nothing to be ashamed of in pushing yourself on behalf of the people you care about, and there is grace even in the failure to achieve. Even if you're a small fry compared to greater challenges, if you're defending something or someone you believe in, you can rest assured that you are sacrificing for the right thing.

Micaiah sees value in protecting the small things in life, and Sothe adopts her philosophy as well when he grows older

Theme Spotlight: D-Technolife

Bleach has so many opening and closing themes to choose from that it's hard to select just one. I still remember the first time I watched the show and first heard Orange Range's 'Asterik,' which was one of my early experiences with Japanese music, and how amazed I was at how different it was from what I was used to. I couldn't wait to hear more, and I was not disappointed when the show shifted to UVERworld's brilliant 'D-Technolife' for the Soul Society arc. Since then, UVERworld has become one of my favorite j-rock bands, and have led me to discover even more of favorites (NICO Touches the Walls, Asian Kung-Fu Generation, FLOW, etc). So honestly, I owe a lot to my experiences with the music of Bleach. And even though 'D-Technolife' is probably my favorite, there are still so many amazing options from the show. 'Life is like a Boat,' 'MOVIN',' 'Rolling Star,' and 'Kansha' immediately come to mind for me, but honestly, there are so many to choose from that even if you're not interested in the hack-and-slashness of Bleach, just looking into the soundtrack is an experience enough!

But if you don't watch the show, Ichigo will call you out for being a BASTARD!

Well, here we go...

Hello there!

Welcome to the blog of Quickand2thePointless, a twenty-something American chick with an affinity for writing, snarking, and all things anime! For those of you who don't know me from my fanfiction or the crazy thing we call the real world, please let me introduce myself. My name is Julie. Did I mention I like to write? Must be because of the whole English major thing, but honestly, it's been a hobby for pretty much my entire life. My first short story was entitled 'Ship Surprise,' and I wrote it when I was about six years old. It's about two best friends hanging out, and one surprises the other with the fact that she owns a ship. It's still in my closet, in one of my old school notebooks. I'm still convinced that one day it will become the next great American classic, so I'm going to hold onto it until it does.

As far as the anime thing goes, that came later in life. I've been a fan of JRPGs since seventh grade thanks to my random purchase of a Gameboy game called Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones (I picked it up because I liked the cover, so never say you can't judge a book by its cover; you totally can). From there I added a handful of new games to my collection, including all the other FE games I could get my hands on (Blazing Sword, Path of Radiance, Radiant Dawn) as well as titles like Golden Sun and Tales of Symphonia. I was obsessed with the plots and the artwork, but I didn't think to enter the world of anime and manga as the next logical conclusion. I'm a little slow like that sometimes.

The sexiness of the Renais twins... what started it all :)

I ended up making the leap a few years ago when I was camped out in my university's computer lab in order to avoid my roommate from hell. I was sitting in front of the computer with nothing to do, waiting patiently for one in the morning to roll around so the devil sharing my room would be asleep and we wouldn't have to awkwardly ignore one another when I came back. During this time, I somehow ended up on Youtube with 'Tales of Symphonia' typed into the search bar. I had just recently replayed the game, and I was in one of those moods where all I wanted to do was obsess over it while it was still on my mind.

A few Let's Play videos popped up, but what immediately caught my eye was a video called Tales of Symphonia: The Animation. I almost died of joy. Here I was with hours to kill, and one of my favorite video games had its very own TV show? I settled down to watch, and suddenly one in the morning flew by, and I still was in the computer lab, eyes glued to the screen.

Kratos stepped on screen, and the deal was sealed.

The rest, as the saying goes, is history. From Tales of Symphonia, I moved on to shows like Bleach, xxxHolic, and Vampire Knight, and along with my stacks of literary novels, I started picking up FAKE, Chobits, and Fruits Basket from the local library. Once I popped, I sure as hell couldn't stop.

My collection has increased quite a bit since then, and I've bonded with a lot of people who share my hobby, so I've become more and more comfortable talking about it over the years. And thus the idea of this blog was born. I like to keep track of what I watch, as well as what I liked and what I didn't about certain series when I'm deciding what to rewatch or share with my friends. Since I'm planning on tackling a crap load of series over the upcoming months, and I'll be revisiting some of my old favorites with a friend next semester, what better time to start than now?

Of course this could just end up as me talking out into the void, but in case someone actually cares about this, I want to put a few things out there for whoever may be reading. Since anime/manga/JRPGs fall under a wide spectrum filled with tons upon tons of subcategories and genres, I'd like to first give viewers an idea of what kind of things I will be talking about. Here is a brief profile of my tastes, to give you an idea:

THE EVER AMAZING TASTES OF QUICKAND2THEPOINTLESS:

Favorite Manga: Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, xxxHolic, FAKE, Chobits, Saiyuki, Bleach, and Rurouni Kenshin.

Favorite Anime: xxxHolic, Tiger & Bunny, Black Butler, Hetalia, CLANNAD, Tales of Symphonia, X, and Sekaiichi Hatsukoi.

Favorite Games: Tales of Symphonia, Tales of Vesperia, Fire Emblem, Golden Sun, Dragon Age, and Pokemon.

Things I Love in General: School life stories, slice of life, fantasy elements, large groups of bishounens, characters who kick butt with swords, complex plotlines, questioning human nature/values, challenging gender roles, and complicated relationship dynamics.

Favorite Mangaka: CLAMP. Wait, that wasn't obvious?

If that sounds like something you might like, stick around! I'll probably end up blabbing about it longer than you can stand!

Of course, a few warnings/notices probably must be issued considering that this is the internet, where there always exists someone out for blood:

1. There will be spoilers. I will try to mark them. I'm going to be talking about things I've read/seen/played all the way through, or else up to the current installment. I just don't want to give an overview of the premise, but to bring up my opinions on the ending/plot twists/arcs for those who have also gone through them as well. I will try to keep the spoilers at the end of my posts, and indicate when I'm heading into that territory. For things that are less plot driven, this will be much less of a concern.
   
   
2. I support shounen-ai and shoujo-ai pairings. I think all mutual love is beautiful. I get giddy and sappy over a good love scene regardless if it is shounen-ai (boy on boy) or shoujo-ai (girl on girl). Heck, I even support humans hooking up with artificial life/spiritual beings if the mangaka can make a good case for it. However, I only support pairings that have enough text and subtext to prove that feelings do exist (I also follow this rule with het pairings) so don't expect me to ship every pair of best friends I come across (some people really are just friends!). But if I'm being completely honest, about 85% of what I watch seems to have homoerotic subtext of some variety, especially since I love CLAMP so much and anything that features large amounts of bishounens. In any case, if you would like to tell me why homosexuality is wrong, feel free to, but it's really not going to change my mind. Ever since I figured out what it meant (when I was like eleven or so; I told you, I'm a little bit slow), I couldn't figure out why everyone was so freaked out by it. So if I wasn't able to be convinced as a straight laced goody goody Catholic school girl, there's no way I'm going to change my mind as an opinionated, free thinking young woman. Say what you want, but you'll be wasting your time.

   

   Heather and Nephenee: How is this not totally adorable?

   
   
3. I will happily accept recommendations! I already have a huge to-watch list, but I'm open to adding more. However, when I first began my anime watching adventure, I decided I would only tackle one massive series at a time. Out of the biggies (One Piece, Bleach, Naruto, Fairy Tail, etc) I chose Bleach, so I will not even be thinking about the others until I get Ichigo and co. out of the way (which shouldn't be too much longer at this point). When the time comes, I'll choose another one to dedicate time to.
   
   
4. I will swear and get sexual. A little.  I am in my twenties, after all, but I will try to keep it tasteful. There are plenty of words I think are too vulgar to use, even in something like this, but tamer expressions are all right by me.
   
   
5. I like a lot of genres, but there are some things I will not watch. Like Hentai, for example. I don't think I've mentioned this yet, but when I'm not at school, I live with my parents (at least for one more year or so). I like to watch my stuff on the big screen downstairs, and there's no way I'm watching anything suspicious when they are in the same household as me. Implied/censored sex is all right, but anything explicit is not going to be appearing on my TV screen any time soon. Also, any show where the entire plot seems to be “here are a ton of girls with big boobs doing things that make said big boobs bounce and jiggle” is not something I'm interested in. If I want to look at big boobs, I can just sit in front of the mirror all day, which to me sounds like more fun.

   

   This is about as far as I'll go on my TV screen. If my parents walk in, I can just pretend they're practicing for a wrestling meet.

   
   
6. I'm fine with people disagreeing with me. So please do! I love open discussions about the things I love, as long as its respectful and coherent. But as an English major, if you want to win an argument with me, you gotta be armed with evidence and persuasive skills. But if you want to make an argument along the lines of “xxxHolic is stuped, Watanooki is so gay,” I'm not going to rise to the occasion. If you want to argue like a little kid, find a little kid to argue with. It'll probably be more entertaining for you, in the end.
   
   
7. There will be typos. English major does not equal good typist. I also have the hobby of thinking faster than I type, which often leads to amusing errors (such as my personal favorite, 'stumbling into his perv' when I meant to say 'stumbling into his arms'. What the hell was going on in my brain?). But I will try to proofread! And if I'm consistently butchering a name so badly that it doesn't even look like a variation of the correct spelling, please let me know!

I think that about covers it. I hope I can provide someone out there some entertainment, but if not, at least I have indulged in my ramblings, which is always fun. First up will be a recent JRPG pick I've been enjoying, Sakura Wars: So Long My Love, and I hope you enjoy! I certainly plan to!