Fun Stuff: 30 Day Anime Challenge

For those of you who enjoyed the 30 Day Shipping Challenge, here's one focused on anime in general. I personally have a great time digging through my memories of watching my favorite shows to pull up the answers to the questions and recalling the things I loved the most. So let's give this one a shot!

Day 1 - Very first anime: Technically Sailor Moon and Pokemon when I was a young 'un, but in my more adult career of watching anime, it was Tales of Symphonia, as I detailed in my first post. It was so much fun seeing a game I loved animated that I checked out other series, including Bleach, Gakuen Heaven, xxxHolic, etc. But the very first were definitely the good old nineties classics. 

Ah, nostalgia. Brings back those good old grade school days.

Day 2 - Favorite anime you’ve watched so far: Definitely xxxHolic. I am obsessed with Yuuko, Watanuki, and Doumeki, so I was absolutely ecstatic to see them in the animated form. I was also pleased with how well the first two seasons stuck to canon and kept the filler to a minimum. Also, the use of Suga Shikao for opening themes? Um, YES!

Day 3 - Your anime crush: Oh, I definitely have plenty. Ogami from Sakura Wars, Hakkai from Saiyuki, Kyoya from Ouran High School Host Club, Yuri from Tales of Vesperia, Kotetsu from Tiger & Bunny... the list goes on

Day 4 - Anime you’re ashamed you enjoyed: Hmmm... I don't know, I don't really get ashamed of things I enjoy. With Tsubasa, I, along with many of CLAMP's fangirls, was disappointed by the filler and veering from canon, but I still enjoyed it aside from the many problems... mainly because of the soundtrack and the absolute joy of seeing Fai D Flourite animated.

 
Day 5 - Anime character you feel you are most like (or wish you were): I feel a kinship with Franz from Gankutsuou. We both like to be the voice of reason to our hot headed friends, and have a tendency of keeping our heart to ourselves. We both have someone we love very passionately, but realize we aren't the right person to make that person happy. Instead we do everything we can to ensure they are happy, even if our own happiness takes a backseat.

Franz does get minus points for engaging in needless self-sacrifice, though

  Day 6 - Most annoying anime character: I tend to have a problem with clingy jealous girls and guys. Sodia from Tales of Vesperia comes to mind (although I suppose that's the video game rather than the anime). And Yokozawa from Sekaiichi Hatsukoi before he finds his own romance and gets over Takano.

Day 7 - Favorite anime couple: Kurogane and Fai from Tsubasa. So deep and complex, it makes me drool with all of the fanfiction possibilities. 

Day 8 - Most epic scene ever: One of my favorites is when Light is trying to figure out how to keep Ray Penbar's lady love from reporting to the police what she knows about Kira in Death Note. The mental work that went into stopping her is just astounding, and the pacing and tension of the scene is brilliant.

Day 9 - Saddest anime scene: Since I've already gone on and on in other postings about my sad Tomoya/Nagisa scene in CLANNAD, I'll pick a different one this time: Subaru and Seishirou in X. All of their interactions together. The scene where Subaru broods on his ailing heart. The scene where we learn that Subaru can no longer make his barrier because he lost the thing he wanted to protect and has pretty much lost his usefulness as a Dragon of Heaven. Gaaaah, Subaru.

Ah, those two...

Day 10 - Favorite slice of life anime: Now that I think of it, I watch very few things without fantasy elements. Does Kuragehime count? If so, then totally Kuragehime.

 
Day 11 - Favorite mech series: Code Geass has a pretty awesome use of mechs going for it, but I like the personality of the machines in Gurren Lagann. Especially the incorporation of Kamina's shades onto the machine.

Day 12 - An ecchi picture from your favorite series: Ummm... let's just have kinky Watanuki and Doumeki from a doujinshi

 
Day 13 - Cosplay of your ‘waifu’ or Husbando’: I don't want to post someone's photo without permission, but if I did, it would most definitely be a Ranulf cosplay from Fire Emblem.

 
Day 14 - Current (or most recent) anime wallpaper: To go along with the fanfic I'm writing, One Soul

This is 100% in character too, which makes it even better

Day 15 - Post a cute Neko-girl: NOPE! Let's do a neko boy!

Day 16 - Post a kigurumi cosplay of your favorite anime character: Don't want to post someone without their permission

Day 17 - Favorite tsundere: Hiro-san from Junjou Romantica, of course. I love it when he orders flowers for Nowaki and then orders him not to get a big head over it. Nowaki still tackles him and announces that he's so happy he could die.

Day 18 - Something moe: Finland!

Day 19 - Mandatory swimsuit post: How about the pool scene from Toradora?

Day 20 - Favorite shoujo anime: Fruits Basket. My god, Fruits Basket. Although the series is incomplete, I just love the characters and romance so much that I can't be mad at the show. It would be nice if they animated the amazing ending the manga gives us.

Day 21 - Best yandere character: Belarus, naturally. 

Day 22 - Favorite boy’s love couple (or yuri couple, if you don’t like that sort of thing): Well, I love my KuroFai, but that's not a real BL series. So how about Kisa and Yukina from Sekaiichi Hatsukoi?

 
Day 23 - Anime you think had the best, or most intriguing art: Gankutsuou hands down. Especially the clothing designs of Haydee, as well as Albert's pirate outfit.

So awesome... it's even better when you see it in movement

Day 24 - Favorite anime hero or heroine: Lloyd Irving from Tales of Symphonia is a pretty excellent hero. I'm also rather fond of Vash from Trigun. And Kenshin from Rurouni Kenshin.

 
Day 25 - Best anime villain: Ulquiorra from Bleach. His final scene... hot damn. He really does perfectly personify emptiness, and of course the fact that he's voiced by Daisuke Namikawa doesn't hurt!

Day 26 - Your favorite harem anime: I demand reverse harem! And as far as that goes, Ouran High School Host Club does it best.

Day 27 - Favorite anime opening theme song: Oooh, this is a toughie. Durarara does an excellent job with their track by Theatre Brook, and I'm rather fond of 19sai from xxxHolic. But really, does anything beat the Pokemon theme song?

 
Day 28 - Favorite pokemon: Bulbasaur!

Day 29 - Favorite school uniform: I'm going to have to go with CLANNAD

Day 30 - Anime character you want to cosplay: Euphemia from Code Geass. Costume is already on order!

Fun Stuff: 30 Day Shipping Challenge

I certainly had fun last time with Shipping Rouelette, so here's another fun thing to try with the joy of shipping: the 30 Day Shipping Challenge! Perfect for blogs, twitter, and fan communities, the 30 Day Shipping Challenge is a conversation starter about favorite and least favorite anime and manga pairings, who's hot and who's not. Of course, you can expect opinions to vary and arguments to start, but go ahead and like what you like and hate what you hate: you'll probably find plenty of people who share your opinions as well.

Since I'll be posting all thirty questions, I might as well knock all the answers out briefly for my own entertainment. Shipping is something I love to support, and since it comes with the territory of fanfiction writing, I have plenty of my own couples that I follow through thick and thin!

Day 1: What is your current favorite ship?
None other than Kurogane and Fai from Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle by my favorite mangaka group, CLAMP. I love a pairing with a complex history and emotional baggage, and these two fulfill all the requirements. On one hand, you have teasing, happy Fai, whose smiles mask a painful history and a wish that may end up destroying him, and on the other you have Kurogane, a gruff and temperamental man who sees through the facade and tries to reach the person Fai is afraid of revealing. A beautiful pairing in every way, and the best (in my opinion) that CLAMP has written.

  

Day 2: What was your very first ship?
Rogue and Gambit from the old X-men animation on FOX. I used to watch that show all the time with my brothers and swooned over the cajun charmer and his troubled Southern belle sweetheart. Of course, the fact that Rogue can't touch people with her bare skin keeps the romance rather tame, but the show found a way to sneak a few kisses in. THANK GOD! 

Day 3: A pairing that needs to happen now.
America and England from Hetalia. England is clearly hot for the United States, but America has a tendency of ignoring the atmosphere and shooting his former caretaker down. Poor England! But if they can work through their issues, they'd make an excellent alliance, so let's get to work on that, America!

Day 4: The pairing with the most chemistry.
Holo and Lawrence from Spice & Wolf. As I mentioned on my posting on this series, Holo is practically oozing with feminine wiles, and she uses them to quite an effect on her traveling partner. Even Lawrence himself is overwhelmed by the chemistry half the time, and it just keeps getting better as the episodes go on.

Day 5: The pairing with the least chemistry.
Emil and Marta from Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. Don't get me wrong, I like both characters. Just not together. Marta is way too much for meek Emil, and even when Emil mans up, it still feels like he's being led along by the nose by her. I prefer Marta with Emil's Ratatosk identity, which puts them on more equal footing (once Ratatosk lessens up on the jerkiness).

Day 6: The best kiss. Hiro and Nowaki's kiss in Junjou Romantica after Nowaki comes home from America and Hiro keeps him from leaving the apartment after treating him coldly. Hiro does his best to resist, but gets pulled in by Nowaki's charm. And who wouldn't? That kiss is smokin, as is the one in the library when they make up 100%.

Day 7: The most heartbreaking scene. Tomoya proposing to Nagisa in CLANNAD. And everything that comes after. But that scene in particular gets me every time. *Sniffle*

Day 8: The pairing with the most baggage.

Seishirou and Subaru from Tokyo Babylon and X. Without getting too spoilery for Tokyo Babylon which will be posted on soon, their past relationship involves a lethal bet, a few missing eye balls, hidden identities, betrayal, broken arms, a dead twin, and a more than one death wish. Oh, CLAMP. 

Day 9: The most believable relationship.

Colette and Lloyd from Tales of Symphonia. They're childhood friends, Lloyd is extremely devoted to Colette to the extent where he places saving her above almost everything else, Colette is determined to see through her duty for the sole sake of protecting the world he lives in so he can be happy, and she's pretty much the easiest person for him to become soulmates with in-game. In the animation, the scene where he finds out she's lost her voice is one of the most touching I've seen.

Day 10: Why aren’t these two married?

Rita and Estelle from Tales of Vesperia. They're best friends. Rita is tsundere for Estelle. Their life goal is to raise a child together. Even Yuri refers to them as 'Ristelle'. Just get married you two!

Day 11: What is your dream pairing?

Eirika and Seth from Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones. The ultimate lady-and-her-knight pairing. Plus their conversations are adorable.

Day 12: Who had the best wedding?

Alistair and Lady Cousland from Dragon Age. It doesn't happen in-game unless you download a mod, but the mod is AWESOME. It's a beautiful royal wedding, and the looks on Alistair and Lady Cousland's faces are absolutely perfect. Well worth the download.

Day 13: What is your favorite movie pairing?

Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy from the movie adaptation of Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice. Both the Colin Firth and the Keira Knightley versions portray it excellently, especially the first proposal scene where Darcy gets shot down. This is definitely one of the most classic pairings of all time for a reason!

Day 14: What is your favorite book pairing?

Jena and Costin from Juliet Marillier's Wildwood Dancing. All of her books are must-reads for fantasy fans, and this relationship is my favorite of all her couples. And Costin spends the majority of the novel as a FROG, and it's still one of the most romantic and well done pairings I have ever read.

Day 15: What is your favorite real life pairing?

My brother and his wife. One day I would love to be as happy as the two of them.

Day 16: What is the absolute worst pairing?

Ike and Elincia from Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn. It's not a canon pairing, but plenty of people support it as the traditional princess/hero set up. Which is nice and all, but what the heck about Soren and Geoffrey who clearly have feelings for Ike and Elincia respectively? And what about Ike's hatred of nobility, titles, and living in court? There's no way it would work, in my opinion.

Day 17: A pairing you never thought would work, but did.

Makoto and Chiaki from The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. I thought she'd managed to mess it up with all her time skipping, and then I was convinced he was going to leave her without a proper goodbye. I was so relieved when the end indicated that they had a fair chance of reuniting in the future.

Day 18: What is the cutest pairing?

Kaoru and Kenshin from Rurouni Kenshin. Kenshin himself is adorable as it is, but the genuine feeling he shows her in the last few arcs is truly moving. I would trade places with her any day; who wouldn't want to be the most important person to Kenshin?

Day 19: A pairing you’ve rooted for since the beginning.

Taiga and Ryuuji from Toradora! They started the series with feelings for two completely different people, but I was always pulling for them to realize that all of their sexual tension was aimed at each other. Although I do feel a bit sorry for Minori, who loved both of them, although she takes the high road and wishes for their happiness together.

Day 20: The can’t-stand-the-sexual-tension pairing.

Kyo and Tohru from Fruits Basket. After exploding with unresolved sexual tension the whole series, it was agony waiting for him to get a hold of his feelings and accept the kindness she gave him. It probably took a lot out of him to hold back for so long.

Day 21: A pairing you like and no one else understands why.

Hawke and Sebastian from Dragon Age II. My favorite is pairing fem Hawke with Fenris and male Hawke with Anders or Isabela, but I also have absolutely no problem romancing Sebastian. As a total pervert, my friends don't understand how I can be okay with the chaste relationship that goes along with him. I just think it's cute, is all.

Day 22: A pairing you hate and no one understands why.

Again, Emil and Marta. I almost always go the canon route, so people are usually surprised that I refused the game's official couple.

Day 23: A crazy love triangle/quadrilateral that worked out great.

Eagle Vision, Hikaru, and Lantis take the best route in the Magic Knight Rayearth manga: make it a threesome! Or at least that's what Hikaru oh-so-innocently implies. All three people seem to have feelings for one another, so it all works out.

Day 24: A crazy love triangle/quadrilateral that worked out badly.

Watanuki, Himawari, Kohane, and Doumeki from xxxHolic. Watanuki likes Himawari, Himawari mildly likes Watanuki but is bad luck to him, and Kohane and Doumeki both really like Watanuki. SPOILER: Watanuki ends of having to freeze his lifespan and never leave Yuuko's shop to sort out the craziness of Tsubasa, leaving him an eternal teenager while all his friends grow old. Himawari gets married to someone else, Kohane and Doumeki get hitched so they can produce offspring to watch over Watanuki after they die so he won't have to be alone. Watanuki himself potentially takes a third option and develops feelings for Yuuko depending on how you read it, but I've always interpreted his love for her as intense devotion to an important mentor (since Yuuko already has Clow, and is never going to return to the shop no matter how long he waits judging by CLAMP universe rules). SPOILER END.

Day 25: A pairing that was/would-be adorable, but could never work out.

Franz and Albert from Gankutsuou. Poor Franz is in love with Albert, and Albert would certainly benefit from loving him back since Franz is the sensible one of the two of them, and if Albert had only listened to Franz from the start, a lot of bad things would not have happened. However, Albert likes Eugenie, and has hero worship verging on an intense mancrush on the Count, so Franz is out of luck.

Day 26: A pairing that you hated and ended up loving.

Gin and Rangiku from Bleach. I didn't understand why people supported them until I got to the backstory. Gin is still a jackass, but he's her jackass. Sometimes, you just can't help who you fall in love with.

Day 27: A pairing that you loved and ended up hating.

Harry and Hermione from Harry Potter, because I fell for the main character/main girl allure. But as the series progressed, I just wasn't getting romance vibes from their characters, and ended up switching gears with them.

Day 28: A pairing that you will never understand.

The people who support Fai and Chii from Tsubasa. Um, guys, remember a little person called Hideki who is Chii's person just for me? Or how CLAMP doesn't break up canon pairings even in the space-time? Or how Fai made Chii to resemble someone he's related to?

Day 29: What ship had the bed proposal?

I've actually never seen or read a bed proposal to my recollection, so this one I'll have to pass on.

Day 30: Your favorite pairing forever and ever and ever!

Ike and Soren from Fire Emblem. *Pokes 'What's not to love about love?' post*

No way to make love not break our hearts

This time around I will be discussing CLANNAD season one and After Story, and I feel like I should give those who have never seen it before a fair warning. CLANNAD is, on the surface, a very sweet and tender-hearted school life/romance series which documents rough-around-the-edges but extremely sweet Tomoya Okazaki and sickly nice girl Nagisa Furukawa as they try to make Nagisa's dream of reinstating their high school's drama club come true. However, CLANNAD is not all fun and games and tender, fuzzy moments. This series, especially once it reaches the After Story, is heartbreaking. If you have a soul and emotions, you will probably cry. The later episodes twist your heart and won't let go, giving you one relentlessly aching scenario after another. But don't let this scare you off. The way the show breaks your heart is so beautiful and poignant that the tears are worth it. The characters are dynamic and lovable, and it won't take you long before you become emotionally invested in them, especially when the central plotline of the two main characters begins to develop. Their pain becomes your pain, and that's why the tears they cause are fitting rather than annoying.

Our main characters: Tomoya and Nagisa

Along with Tomoya and Nagisa and their quest to reform the drama club, the plot focuses on a small harem of girls-- Ryou, Kyou, Kotomi, Fuko, and Tomoyo-- as well as Tomoya's best friend Sunohara and his lil sis Mei, who each have their lives changed through their interactions with Tomoya. Tomoya, though somewhat of a delinquent and snarker, is a deeply empathetic young man who cannot help but reach out to those who struggle to find their footing on their own. Tomoya's efforts to make the people around him find peace with themselves makes him popular with the ladies in his life, but it more importantly creates an atmosphere of compassion and positivity that ends up having a huge effect later in the series.

CLANNAD's female cast, whose lives change thanks to Tomoya's compassionate heart

CLANNAD the animation is based off a visual novel where the reader can interact and have a degree of control over who Tomoya gives his heart to. However, there is one female standing head and shoulders above all the others when it comes to the canon choice, and that is Nagisa, whose plot develops along with Tomoya's into the After Story, where she becomes the center of his world in more than one sense. In the anime, the other girls cherish a flame for Tomoya, but end up with their hopes crushed in one fell swoop when they witness the usually laid back Tomoya almost attack someone who accidentally hurts Nagisa during a sporting event. By the final episode of season one, Tomoya makes his feelings for Nagisa official and asks her to be his girlfriend. From this point onward they become inseparable, though neither one of them is very good at physically manifesting their affection. In other words, there are very few kisses in this show. Sorry!

Season one mostly covers Tomoya's relationships with his classmates and Nagisa, and one of the longest and cutest arcs features the enigmatic Fuko, a little firecracker of girl with an obsession for starfish. As it turns out (spoiler), she is actually the comatose sister of a former teacher at the high school, whose spirit has decided to go on an out-of-body adventure to make sure her sister finds happiness and doesn't waste her life worrying over her unresponsive body in the hospital. After they help her achieve her goal, neither Tomoya nor Nagisa are able to remember her due to the fact that spirits aren't supposed to be lurking around the physical world, but Fuko still pops up from time to time whenever she decides the protagonists can use a hand (usually with humorous results). Spoiler end!

Fuko's arc is by far among the cutest and most touching of the series

At this point, CLANNAD is still straight forward and light-hearted, even though some of the backstory material (particularly Kotomi's) gets pretty heavy. At the same time, the viewer cannot help but be aware that there is another level to this story that has yet to manifest itself. Many of the episodes start off with a young girl and a sentient robot made of scrap living alone in a world of illusions, but this haunting image at first does not seem to relate back to the main story. It isn't until the later episodes of season one that it is revealed that Nagisa has a deep connection to this vision, although she does not know where it came from or what exactly it means.

What these images signify is the biggest mystery viewers are left with in Season 1

MAJOR SPOILER START

From here, we move into After Story territory. I would advise anyone who hasn't watched the show but wants to one day to stop reading now. These aren't just spoilers. They are SPOILERS of the massive variety. If you first learn what happens only through my simple summary language, it ruins the beauty and emotional impact of seeing it first hand. So don't say I didn't warn you.

After Story starts off with two more arcs to give Tomoya the chance to build up more positive emotions for what's to come. The first features repairing the brother-sister relationship between Sunohara and Mei, and the second involves classmate Yukine and her involvement with two rival gangs. These are both good storylines, but the real meat of After Story begins when Nagisa's illness returns, and she is forced to temporarily drop out of school while Tomoya graduates and starts life in the real world, including getting his own apartment.

In these episodes, Tomoya displays wisdom and maturity that proves he has grown from the apathetic student he was in the first season. When he starts his job as an electrician, he finds it more and more difficult to spare Nagisa as much time as he used to, but at the same time he realizes he can't approach his job or his relationship half-heartedly. He puts his all into his work, and when his duties start pushing Nagisa to the side, he remembers that his job is partially to provide a future for her, a gesture which becomes meaningless if he fails to make her a priority.

As Tomoya enters the adult world, After Story begins to tackle more mature themes

Then, things come to a head when Tomoya's dead beat dad gets arrested, which causes him to lose face in front of his co-workers and neighbors and destroys his opportunity for promotion. Insulted and humiliated, Tomoya heads to the holding facility to confront his father about how he's ruined the family name and selfishly interfered in Tomoya's life, and as his emotions bottle up an explode, Nagisa stays faithfully by his side, providing the comfort and tenderness he needs to stay sane. When Nagisa holds onto him after he snaps and bloodies his fist by punching a wall, Tomoya realizes he cannot remain whole without Nagisa in his life. He proposes, and she says yes in one of the most heartwarming scenes I have ever witnessed. Tomoya is bruised and exhausted, and Nagisa is afraid for his sake, but the love they share is the one thing strong enough to keep them steady even in the midst of a bleak, unhappy situation. The proposal could not have been timed or portrayed better... in fact, I'm tearing up just thinking about it. This show knows how to tug on my heartstrings like no other.

So Tomoya and Nagisa get hitched, and live contentedly together as a couple. Then Nagisa makes the decision that life would be even more perfect with a baby in tow. As a woman, I can't really blame her, but it's of course generally not a very good idea for an ill and physically weak young woman to pop out babies without at least consulting a doctor first. Tomoya and Nagisa learn this the hard way. Nagisa gets her wish and becomes pregnant (after barely even kissing the entire season, sex still finds a way!), and very soon after she announces this, she has a relapse of her illness. Nagisa's parents and Tomoya realize her chances of surviving her pregnancy might not be too good unless she opts for an abortion, but Nagisa wants this baby and holds out for whatever chance she has. She and Tomoya decide together that they will name their child Ushio, and Tomoya is left to hope against hope that Nagisa will survive to be Ushio's proud and healthy mother.

Nagisa's sickness has already prevented her from graduating in a timely manner and living like an average young woman

This is when everything goes downhill. Words can't really express how painful it is to watch Nagisa look at her husband and daughter in a haze without having the strength to carry on and live to witness the rest of their life together. Tomoya's agony is palpable, and even though it is difficult to watch him spiral out of control and give up his daughter to be raised by her grandparents, it isn't hard to understand why he would do such a thing. Nagisa had been the most important thing to him from the very beginning, and losing her is equivalent to him losing his entire family. She was real to him; compared to her, Ushio is a stranger who brings back painful memories and reminds him of everything he could have had if Nagisa had survived.

Thankfully, he comes back from the dead and is brought into the difficult task of becoming a part of his daughter's life. It is agonizing for them both at first; Ushio is unfamiliar with her gruff and distant father, and Tomoya isn't sure how to be a part of her life without being constantly reminded of how empty his heart is without Nagisa. Even so, it is obvious that they both desperately need each other, and both find it necessary to happily remember Nagisa in order to move on together and rebuild a family. The section where Tomoya recounts all the things he loved about Nagisa to Ushio is painful and beautiful in equal measure, and I bawled my eyes out along with him.

Ushio's precious treasure: the first toy given to her by her father

Things seem to look up for Tomoya once Ushio is back in his life, but CLANNAD is merciless. Ushio inherited her mother's weak constitution, and succumbs to a similar fever to the one that claimed Nagisa's life. Tomoya is horribly shaken. After losing Nagisa, he understands that Ushio could be lost just as easily. The one piece of happiness he has left is slowly fragmenting in his hands, and there is nothing he can do to save Ushio or himself.

When winter comes, Tomoya himself becomes sick-- most likely from heartache at what has become of his world and precious family. It is clear that Ushio won't last much longer, and it is all Tomoya can do to fulfill her last wish of traveling with him one more time. He takes her outside, and she asks him to let her walk on her own two feet, even though she has grown incredibly weak. Ushio stumbles over and over again, and eventually falls at her father's feet. She can go no further, and the only thing he can do to ease her pain is tell her that they've reached their destination, and are now in a happier, more peaceful place.

Like her mother before her, Ushio doesn't survive. And this time neither does Tomoya. He collapses in a heap and fades away alongside his daughter, wondering if he made a mistake reaching out to Nagisa in high school. Perhaps if he had never acted, she would have survived and lived to be happy.

Many cultures and traditions believe that words have a firm power over the world, and that thinking and speaking negatively distorts the shape of reality and makes growth and change impossible. On the opposite side of the coin, thinking and speaking positively opens up the world and makes things that seem unreachable close and obtainable. Both of these ideas play a role in shaping the fate of the shattered and hopeless Tomoya, whose words and actions have been both negative and positive in turn.

First, we return to the world of illusions where the girl (who notably resembles Nagisa and Ushio) is dying as the scrap robot tries to find a way to take her to the world where he feels they need to go. The girl clings to the robot while humming Nagisa's trademark “Dango Daikazoku” song, and tells him that their lives were once a part of another world, and they can't stay here any longer. The dream world begins to collapse, and the girl calls the robot 'Papa' as she slowly fades away, indicating that her soul is the same as Ushio's, and the robot's is the same as Tomoya's. Once the dream world is shattered, the robot's soul joins with Tomoya's in the past, at the very moment when he is deciding whether or not to call out to Nagisa and set the chain of events of their relationship in motion.

The lights in the real and illusory world play a key role in Tomoya's life

As he watches his future wife, Tomoya succumbs to the negative power of his words and thoughts. He loves her more than anything, but he thinks his decision to be with her is what destroyed her life, and he cannot bear to make the same decision again, even if his happiness depends on it. He continues to watch her silently, refusing to sacrifice her for his own sake once again, but as she begins to walk away, he realizes that what they shared was more powerful than life or death, and that he would gladly experience any amount of pain if it meant that they could be together with whatever amount of time they have. He at last calls out to her, and she turns around to tell him that she is happy he chose her, and that this time around he won't have to be afraid that he made the wrong choice. By purging the worst and most bitter of his regrets, Tomoya sets himself free of the negative outcome of his doubts and allows himself to be pulled back through time by the memory of Nagisa.

If you were given the chance to redo a painful choice, how would you respond?

When he resurfaces, he's back at Nagisa's side at the moment she's giving birth to Ushio. He's lost his memories of the future he had once undergone, but a part of him is terrified that he's seconds away from losing her forever. However, something is different this time; Nagisa reawakens after losing consciousness, and wants to hold and bathe her daughter. The happy couple looks outside their window to see orbs of light soaring across the city, a mark of what has changed since the first time these events unfolded.

The orbs of light represent the positive thoughts, words, and actions Tomoya has taken on the behalf of others, which are finally able to shape his fate now that he has let go of the darkness inside of his heart. In a sense, he is being lifted from a self-inflicted curse brought about by his decision not to fully reach out and take his happiness without wondering what could have been. The imagery in this scene is beautiful and moving, the perfect way to put a close on such an emotional series.

Positive actions have power: power to change, and pave the road to a better future

As an English major, I adore the idea of having words and thoughts mean the difference between happiness and unhappiness. Tomoya's inability to accept that his relationship with Nagisa is a beneficial and necessary thing in a sense poisons his life and prevents it from reaching a happy conclusion. He can't go through the world thinking that he is a destructive presence to both Nagisa and Ushio, and that by changing Nagisa's life for the better, he was ultimately responsible for her destruction. Ushio's sacrifice in the illusionary world gives him the chance to try again and realize for himself that no matter what happens and what ending his life reaches, it is meaningless unless he accepts that Nagisa needs to be a part of it. The conclusion he reaches is powerful enough to dispel the curse placed on his fate, and all the good he's done in the lives of others is paid back to him when the things most precious to him are saved.

Now that I've blabbed for so long, it's probably time to stop being so spoilerific and reach my own conclusion to this post!

END OF SPOILERS

CLANNAD is quite possibly among the best and most beautiful series I have ever watched. I have rarely been so moved as I was by the way the message and characters were used to emphasize how our happiness is dependent on what we do for others, and most importantly, what we do to make life worth living for ourselves. Tomoya and Nagisa are characters I won't soon forget, and one day I hope to reach the level of maturity where I can be content with the decisions I've made in my life, even the difficult ones, just as the protagonists were at the show's conclusion. This is what excellent storytelling is all about, so thank you CLANNAD!

On a lighter note, next up will be... Junjou Romantica!

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!