Soooo, it's my 100th post on this blog of mine, and I wanted to celebrate in a very special way! Since 100 is the magic number, I've compiled 10 top ten lists of Asian pop culture things I love- anime, manga, music, bishounens, etc- as a way to sum up all the things I've been talking about on my blog. So, without further ado, here's your chance to learn a little about the world of Quickand2thePointless!
When it comes to anime, I love supernatural/fantasy elements, male leads (not that I don't love the ladies, but Japan is a bit heavy on the fan-service, dependent types, and I like a gal who can define herself- like xxxHolic's Yuuko), and plots that lead to unique perspectives on human emotions and behavior.
The characters I love the most are strong-willed, independent, and though they are burdened by their pasts and regrets, they actively seek paths of redemption or develop to the point where they can come to terms with who they are and the world they live in.
Just a sample of what's been on my playlist lately!
With music, I tend to gravitate towards two sounds-- either the type of pop music that reminds me of my boy band obsessed childhood during the days of NSYNC and Backstreet Boys, or inspired singer-songwriter type tracks which break through the language barrier and still manage to tell a beautiful story.
Tales of Symphonia, Golden Sun, Fire Emblem, Sakura Wars, Arc Rise Fantasia, Pokemon, Dragon Age, Monkey Island, Soul Calibur, and Street Fighter
I'm a bit limited when it comes to games, since the only consoles I have access to are the Gameboy Advance, Wii (and thus GameCube), and my trusty PC. Nonetheless, I'm a huge fan of JRPGs, strategy/tactics based adventures, and anything with fantasy elements and beautiful artwork.
Besides my obvious love for beautiful men, I also enjoy plotlines that teach me about Japanese history and folklore, as well as stories that make me laugh or tug at my heartstrings. Romances are always appreciated (hence the shounen and shoujo-ai), but shoujo didn't make the list this time since, as stated earlier, I'm not a huge fan on Japanese leading ladies (exceptions do exist, such as Toradora and Ouran High School Host Club). As a huge fan of Asian music, music themed shows are always, always on my list!
If we're being completely honest... I love CLAMP. Fruits Basket is also the first manga series I ever completed, and it immediately hooked me by pairing shoujo with the supernatural elements I love so much in the other series I read.
Sebastian (Black Butler), Doumeki (xxxHolic), Keith (Tiger & Bunny), Greece (Hetalia), Sanzo (Saiyuki), Kyoya (Ouran High School Host Club), Kaname (Vampire Knight), Kratos (Tales of Symphonia), Lantis (Magic Knight Rayearth), Haruka (Tactics)
Looks like I'm shallow! But when it comes to personality, I like a little bit of stoicism that hides a truly sweet personality, a little bit of gruffness, but someone who turns out being a little bit of a doof when you get to know them better.
Nico Touches the Walls, Shikao Suga, SHINee, YUI, Big Bang, Asian Kung-Fu Generation, Yuya Matsushita, Epik High, Maaya Sakamoto, Miss A.
I love all kinds of music, and these artists span all my favorite genres: alternative rock, dance pop, singer-songwriter, hip pop, throwback rap, and straight up vocal talent.
All of these have been featured as a Theme Spotlight for a reason: I love them each!
Anime themes really need to suit the atmosphere of the show, and quite a few of these were picked because of how well they achieved that purpose- I especially get into the theme if it is paired with a brilliant opening/closing video, or if the lyrics meaningfully tie back into the message of the show. I also like a bit of fun in my music, which is probably why "Kimi ni Mune Kyun" continues to be one of my favorites.
Clearly, I love how CLAMP does their slash pairings, but when it comes to het, I LOVE vitriolic couples that leave you wondering whether they'll get together in the end (although I suppose Chi and Hideki don't exactly fall into this). I love it when both the male and female characters have difficult personalities, but still find a way to make it work. As for my CLAMP... I love it when couples suffer and sacrifice for each other, always fighting for the futures that make them happy, even when it doesn't turn out the way they want it to.
There's nothing I hate more than people who brush off hobbies of reading manga and watching anime as 'childish' or 'just reading comic books'. As an English major, the first thing that comes to my mind is: What on earth is wrong with reading comic books? There is virtue in all kinds of reading and literature, and manga in particular has a bevy of teachings and morals that are on par with those in great works of literature. Besides, here in the West we rarely get a taste of Eastern culture and philosophies in places outside of school. Manga has in many ways exposed me to ideas I would have never thought of on my own, and that is an experience very far from childish. There are many quotes I have uncovered in anime and manga that have influenced me as both a person and a fan or writing, and I'm sure that most fans have had similar experiences. In this posting, I would like to share some of my favorites from the shows/games I love and keep coming back to. These are the ones that have stayed on the top of my head and made me think, and I hope as I continue to read and watch and reread and rewatch that I'll be able to add more to my collection of wisdom (and the walls of my dorm!). Please note that translations vary: some are from the published versions, some are fan translations. The integrity of the statement should still be intact, even if its not the 'official' translation. 1. "Even if you protect the weak and the ones you love by sacrificing of yourself with the compassion of the Buddha himself, sorrow will remain in those people. They will never be truly happy. Even if you quell danger with your fierce anger, sacrificing your life... it is only for one short moment in time, and time goes on. The will to live is the heart of existence. Do not forget that" -Hiko Seijuro from Rurouni Kenshin Why it rules: In anime, manga, literature, and life there are people in the world who are death seekers (people who have lost their purpose and motivation and are all right with the idea of dying regardless of the feelings of those who love them) or who place their survival as secondary to someone else. We all have a little bit of this inside us. There are several people I would willingly take a bullet for, and as a society as a whole, we often see nothing wrong with taking actions such as these. In fact, Maximilian Kolbe's sainthood in the Catholic church has a lot to do with his decision to give up his life for the sake of a stranger in Auschwitz. We love sacrifice and see it as the ultimate symbol of kindness and friendship, but what Master Hiko reminds us is that there are always people left behind in these instances who are filled with guilt at being sacrificed for, and are kept from being able to find happiness. Oftentimes, they find themselves resenting the person for throwing themselves away and diminishing their own value. Whatever your perceptions of sacrifices are, several characters have faced the brunt of them in anime and manga (Franz and Albert from Gankutsuou, Seishriou and Subaru from Tokyo Babylon and X, Natalia and Asch from Tales of the Abyss come to mind), and it makes one question whether or not sacrifice is a kindness or a cruelty.
Master Hiko's words of wisdom encourages Kenshin not to treat his life lightly and cause Kaoru and the people who love him pain.
2. "The thing that makes that person special, the things that make him different from the rest is that he is him. I have found him: the things that he can't do because he is him, the things that he can do because he is him. I fell in love with him because he is that person. And I believe he will find them: the things I can do because I am me and the things I can't do because I am me, and then... hopefully he will love me... because I am me." -from 'A City With No People' in Chobits Why it rules: I'm sure it's not uncommon for people to date/be involved with someone who asks 'Why do you have to be so ____?" or "I don't like it how you ____". Sure, there are plenty of things about us that bother other people and habits that we would be better off correcting. But a person who truly loves us will take the time to realize what we are and are not capable of doing, and respect us all the same. The things that define who we truly are (rather than habits and conditions that are temporary and changeable) should not be brushed aside because they do not suit someone else's tastes. As another guru Dr. Seuss once said, "Be yourself, because the people who mind don't matter, and the people that matter don't mind."
This story within a story offers the insights that make Chobits so thought provoking
3. "Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality." -Aster and Richter Abend from Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World Why it rules: This oft repeated line from the game probably drove a few fans crazy, but I personally took it to heart even though between Richter, Emil, Marta, etc. the saying was drummed quite forcefully into the players' heads. However, truer words were never spoken over and over again. Most dreams we have, be it personal or professional, aren't going to come true if we sit by passively and wait. And to take action and make a difficult ambition or hope more than just a private wish, what do we need? We need many things, in truth, but courage is number one on the list. If you're not brave enough to step up and own your wish, then there's really no point in wishing it to begin with (unless it's a pipe dream, although those also serve to motivate people towards achievable goals). These words certainly had an effect on Emil, and on Richter as well, and led them both to overcome prejudices and self-inflicted doubt to fight for the side they believed in.
If you ever forget these words, Emil will be happy to have ten flashbacks to Richter saying it to him.
4. "If you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha. If you meet your father, kill your father. Free of everything, you are bound by nothing. Live the life that was given to you." -as repeated by Koumyou Sanzo in Saiyuki Why it rules: It seems like a cold hearted statement on the surface, and it is often used as such by Genjyo Sanzo when he is attempting to distance himself from his companions in order not to burden them with having dependence on him (the sacrifice of Koumyou Sanzo on his behalf was the cause of this, which makes an interesting connection to quote one), but this quote is actually quite good advice for those of us who rely overmuch on the influence of others on our lives (family, religion, peers, media, etc). We don't necessarily have to go around killing these connections (the quote isn't meant to be taken THAT literally) or ignoring them completely, but it is important to be aware of them and how they take us down paths that we would never choose ourselves if it was up to only us and what motivates us inside. There is virtue in guiding ourselves rather than being guided by others, and in recognizing the life we want rather than the one others want for us.
Koumyou's words have a huge impact on how Sanzo chooses to live his adult life.
5. "No one should tell you how to mourn. And when someone says 'move on', you take their hand and say, 'my choice'" - Aveline from Dragon Age II Why it rules: While not an anime example, this line is too excellent for me not to include it. Aveline is addressing Hawke during a particularly painful time in his/her life, and shares a story of how when she was younger and read with her father, he would not turn the page until she guided his hand to indicate that she was ready. In a similar way, we cannot always allow others to move us forward when we are mourning, and 'turn the page' before we are ready to move on. In a similar fashion to the quote above, the way we live our lives is ultimately our choice, and even if we allow others to choose for us, we have chosen or consented to submit our will to their guidance. If we want to live this life given to us, our hands should be the one moving the page forward, even if it does so grasping on to someone else's.
Aveline's advice is rare moment of tenderness from the typically solid woman.
6. "The instant one gives up, that is when it all ends. Keep wishing. Wish strongly! Wish hard! Do not let it matter what kind of being you are! Do not let it matter what pressures others put on you! Continue to wish for that which your heart truly desires!" -Ashura (of Shura Country) from Tsubasa Why it rules: This advice, given to Syaoran before Ashura submits to death at having failed to realize the impossible wish of reviving someone who had died, is something completely consistent with CLAMP philosophy, and with many of the other philosophies already expressed here. Ashura's wish was one he/she (oh, the challenges of English not having a suitable androgynous pronoun) knew could not be achieved, but the fact that he/she held onto it as a true desire of the heart speaks strongly to the importance of not compromising a wish for the sake of anything, even the demands of the world. The moment of giving up on an authentic and important wish really is a moment of no return. As one of my favorite bands Jimmy Eat World puts it, "When you let go, then that's where time will stand".
Syaoran respects Ashura's wish by never giving up the true desire of his heart during the events of Tsubasa.
That's all for now, but as with my theme spotlights, I hope to post more great quotes in the future!
Once a year, my university's Anime
Club hosts our own miniature version of Animarithon, where we sit
around and watch anime together from three in the afternoon to three
in the morning. This year was particularly good; we got to see
selections from Space Brothers, Full Metal Panic, CLANNAD (I
picked that one out), Gurren Lagann, Gotham Knight, Guilty
Crown, and various
reincarnations of the original Pokemon. There
was also a raffle for club members, with prizes including DVDs, manga
series, novelty items, and school uniform t-shirts up for grabs. My
own raffle ticket was picked midway through the night while there was
still a considerable collection of prizes to choose from. I was torn
between a DVD of Case Closed/Detective Conan episodesand a similar collection of
Saiyuki which included
a mini notebook featuring the main characters on the side. I ended up
taking a gamble on Saiyuki after
realizing that the plot focused on a group of four bishounens
traveling on an epic journey to the west together. I like bishes a
lot, okay? So sue me.
With bishies like that, it has to be good. Go Team Sanzo!
It
was a gamble that paid off in the end, although it was a longer
journey than I thought it would be. I had no idea that Saiyuki
would end up being such a long
series, especially considering the relatively small number of Saiyuki
manga released, at least
compared to series like Naruto and
Bleach, which can
pretty much take up a whole shelf at the bookstore. I also took a bit
of a hiatus from the show after I started watching it, but I'll get
to that later.
Saiyuki,
based off Chinese novel Journey to the West, follows
grumpy monk Genjyo Sanzo as he makes his way to Shangri-La
accompanied by affable demons Sha Gojyo (the skirtchaser), Cho Hakkai
(the sexy smiler), and Son Goku (the cute scamp) in order to
investigate the recent change in the demon population. Demons and
humans used to be able to get along swimmingly, but sinister waves
originating from an elaborate experiment to revive evil Demon Lord
Gyumaoh have been destroying the demons' sense of self and leading
them to openly attack their human neighbors. The demons in the Sanzo
party are exempt due to their strong sense of identity as well as the
nature of their powers, which similarly applies to the demons in
charge of the revival experiment, including evil matriarch Gyokumen
Koushou, redheaded stepson Kougaiji, bratty lil cutie Lirin,
Kougaiji's devoted guard Dokugakuji, and team medic Yaone.
Team Kougaiji vs. Team Sanzo. And just where are your fingers going, Kougaiji-sama?
Naturally, the
journey is far from easy. Sanzo is in charge of protecting a founding
scripture of the Buddhist faith, a scripture that contains a power so
great that several parties are after it, first and foremost being the
Shangri-La group led by Lady Gyokumen Koushou, one of Gyumaoh's
concubines. While she sits around having her nails painted, she
orders her stepson Kougaiji to do her dirty work. Kougaiji is a
genuinely nice demon who loathes his sinister stepmom with a passion,
but if he does his part in reviving his father Gyumaoh, Lady Gyokumen
will undo the seal placed over his mother and set her free (yup, he's
a total mama's boy).
Kougaiji
and co end up attacking Sanzo and co several times, but these fights
usually end up in draws, or with one side retreating in order to care
for an injured party member. This is in fact a reoccurring theme
throughout the anime. Each arc or continuation of Saiyuki
(Reload, Gunlock, etc) features
baddies who enjoy taking their time actually reaching the final
battle with the Sanzo group, instead fighting until one side is half
dead and then inevitably yelling out, “I'm letting you go this
time! Next time I'll take the scripture without fail!” before
retreating. And yes, Kougaiji, Homura, and Dokugaku, you are most
definitely the main culprits.
Much of the anime
is actually filler (and most of it is fairly good, although there are
several cases of repetitiveness), but the main themes of the
relationship between the main party, their feelings about demons, and
their battles with their own past and current identities stays pretty
standard throughout. Here is a closer look at our boys (their pasts
are spoilered, but since these details are brought up fairly early in
both the manga and the anime, it's nothing too alarming):
Genjyo
Sanzo: Sanzo, as the one
initially requested by the three aspects of the Buddhist faith to
undertake the journey, is the de facto leader of the group. He is
prickly and irreverent, even though as a monk you would expect a bald
head and pious attitude to go along with his flowing robes and Maten
sutra. However, Sanzo unabashedly drinks, smokes, swears, has a full
head of blonde hair, and gambles (and, if Gojyo is to be believed,
might be batting for the other team). As it so happens, Sanzo isn't a
monk because he's particularly fond of Buddhism. As a child, he was
abandoned and tossed into the river like trash, and ended up nearby
the temple of a Sanzo priest, Koumyou Sanzo. Koumyou takes the young
boy under his wing, causing several of the other monks to instantly
dislike him and give him the mean-spirited name Koryuu, meaning
'River Orphan'. Young Koryuu doesn't really care all that much; his
master is a good, supportive guy, and that's all the care and
consideration our hero needs.
Are people born badass or do they have badass thrust upon them? I'm thinkin both in Sanzo's case
His lack of
religiousness aside, Koryuu is trained by Koumyou as his successor to
the Sanzo title, which manages to piss off the monks even further.
Before they can do anything about it, however, Koumyou bestows the
Sanzo name and chakra upon Koryuu, and shortly after dies protecting
Koryuu and the founding scriptures from demon bandits. In order to
atone for being unable to protect his master and his master's
scripture, the Seiten sutra, Koryuu, now Genjyo Sanzo, leaves the
temple to chase down the missing sutra.
With a few incidents like these on the side.
Before
the current timeline begins, Sanzo hears an unknown voice calling out
to him over and over again. When he is annoyed enough to look for the
source, he finds Son Goku imprisoned on a mountain, the very same
place where he has been for the past 500 years. Goku claims not to
have been calling out about anything, but Sanzo takes him along for
the ride anyways, figuring the voice he heard had to be indicative of
something. A later
mission brings the two in contact with Gojyo and Hakkai, but that
particular incident falls more under Hakkai's back story.
Sanzo is portrayed
as largely apathetic and sometimes even downright violent towards his
companions, but at heart, this persona is quite far from the truth.
Because of what happened to his master, Sanzo is extremely resistant
to relying on people and having people rely on him. He treats his
companions with indifference and smacks them with his paper fan of
doom to keep them from developing emotional dependance on him, but
when it comes down to it, if they are seriously in danger, he will
not hesitate to extend himself to help them.
Many of Sanzo's hang ups sprout from the tragedies of his childhood
SPOILER:
As we learn in Saiyuki Gaiden and
the Homura arc of the anime, in his former life, Sanzo was a minor
god known as 'Konzen,' the aimless nephew of the Merciful Goddess. He
didn't have very much going on with his life, so his aunt/uncle
(she's a hermaphrodite in the manga, but since her boobs are her most
distinguishing feature, I'm going to refer to her using feminine
pronouns) put him in charge of Goku, a taboo child born of the excess
energy of the earth itself. Konzen is at first resistant to having
the little monkey in his care, but grows to dote on him as if he were
a son or little bro. Unfortunately, Goku is also a being known as
Seiten Taisei, whose destructive powers manifests itself whenever his
power limiter crown is removed. Konzen and friends (including the
past Gojyo and Hakkai) protect Goku from the rage of the heavens
after he unintentionally goes on a killing spree, but they each end
up banished as a result. In his next life as Sanzo, Konzen is led to
find Goku where he has been imprisoned by the deities, and their
group is reunited. D'awww. SPOILER END.
Son
Goku: As
already mentioned, Goku was imprisoned due to being a heretical,
taboo child, and was rescued by Sanzo, and then eventually joined
together with the rest of the dudes in order to journey west.
Although Sanzo is the leader of the little group, Goku is the
powerhouse. The majority of the strongest enemies latch on to him as
The One to Beat, which is a fair assumption to make on their part.
He's a beast with his battle rod Nyoi-Bo, and when his power limiter
comes off, prepare to have your ass thoroughly kicked. Whenever the
group matches off against the Gyumaoh demons, he's usually the battle
partner of Kougaiji himself.
Sanzo may be team leader, but Goku provides the muscle to their battles.
Despite his strength, Goku starts off as the biggest doof of the
group. He has a one track mind about food, and enjoys picking fights
with Gojyo and annoying the crap out of Sanzo. However, he is
probably the member most willing to show affection to his companions,
especially Sanzo. As the anime and especially the manga progress, he
becomes less of an idiot, and more sensitive to the pressing issue at
hand of what humanity means, and what place demons have in the world.
SPOILER: The details of his early history can be found in the Sanzo
spoiler section, but it should be noted that Goku has no memories of
this part of his life, at least not until much later in the story. An
observant viewer/reader can probably note the differences between
when Goku goes into demon mode and when Hakkai does and guess that
something is a wee bit different about him. Unlike Sanzo, he retains
his former name of 'Goku,' which Konzen!Sanzo had given him waaay
back in the day when Goku wanted to have a name to give to his BFF
War Prince Natauku. D'awww. SPOILER END.
Out of all the men, Goku has more to him than meets the eye.
Sha
Gojyo: Gojyo
is a half-demon pervert born of a demon daddy and his human mistress.
He is referred to as a kappa/water sprite, mostly because that's what
he was in the original Chinese novel, and there is also a possibility
his late father was a water demon. Unfortunately for Gojyo,
half-demons are taboo, and they cannot exactly hide their identity
because they are born with red hair and eyes which give them away.
Because of this, he is used to being ostracized, although the biggest
downer factor of his life originates with his demon step-mother, the
true wife of his father. Step-mommy dearest hates his guts because he
is a reminder of her husband's human lover, and she shows her
distaste by beating and emotionally abusing him. When she reaches her
breaking point, she tries to kill him, and though Gojyo is okay with
the idea of dying if it means she will stop crying and being unhappy,
his step-bro Jien stabs his mom before she can finish Gojyo off.
Jien hasn't exactly had it easy, especially since the only way he
could pacify his mother when she started hurting Gojyo was by
sleeping with her, but he is so ashamed of the murder that he runs
off and leaves poor Gojyo by himself. Gojyo's constant flirting with
every lady he meets probably has a little something to do with his
inability to win his step-mother's affections, as it is shown several
times that he views his step-mother's death as the most traumatic
experience of his life.
Gojyo: our mandatory perv
Gojyo enjoys spending his time drinking, smoking, and gambling, and
surprisingly lives with Hakkai, even though he seems annoyed whenever
he has to hang around dudes (which is all the time). As we learn in
Hakkai's back story, Gojyo was the one to provide him shelter when he
was in hiding, so the guys go pretty far back, and are generally
quite cordial with one another. Since he is a half-demon unlike
Hakkai and Goku, he doesn't need power limiters, but happens to
naturally kick ass with his sickle-and-chain weapon. Because he
doesn't attract the Big Bads as often as Goku does and isn't as
conspicuous as Sanzo, he is often the one left standing after their
major battles.
But bad news for Gojyo: Kougaiji's main man Dokugakuji is his long
lost brother Jien. So whenever the two teams are fighting each other,
the brothers are left to duke it out, even though they both clearly
care about the other's well being. In fact, one of the causes of
Dokugaku's unwavering loyalty to Kougaiji is the fact that he can't
forgive himself for all the damage that was done to Gojyo in his
childhood, and wants a chance to redeem himself. But of course, Sanzo
Group and Kougaiji Group are pretty much incapable of killing each
other because then the series would end and they wouldn't be allowed
to say “I'll take the scripture next time without fail!” anymore.
After a mama-drama filled past, Gojyo just wants a little lovin
SPOILER: In his previous life, Gojyo was badass general Kenren, and
was buddies with Hakkai's previous self, Tenpou. He is very much like
his reincarnation in the sense that they are both irreverent perverts
who get bored if they aren't starting shit with someone. They both
follow their own rules, and damn the consequences to hell (which
results in imprisonment for Kenren, although he is eventually
released). Like the others, he ends up banished from heaven for
protecting Goku, but he still gets to spend his next life picking on
the little monkey just like he did in the heavens. D'aww. SPOILER
END.
Cho
Hakkai: Cho
Hakkai (my favorite character) is not at all what he appears to be on
the surface. Out of the Sanzo group, he is the politest and most
mommy-like guy, and he usually has a smile on his face, even when
everyone else is causing trouble. He is an ace at gambling, but he
doesn't smoke or chase skirts, and spends half his time picking up
the other guys' messes along with his cute pet dragon Hakuryuu (who
can transform into the company's jeep). Even when he's kicking enemy
butt with his concentrated chi, he has a habit of battling very
politely, even asking about the baddies' condition or apologizing for
getting messy. When he battles his Kougaiji group counterpart, Yaone,
it gets all the more hilarious, because she's almost as polite and
calm as he is.
Hakkai provides the nurturing the an unruly group of guys needs.
But naturally, this attitude of Hakkai's is a bit of a cover to
repress the bad memories of his past. Back in the day, Hakkai was a
human known as Cho Gonou, and grew up as a cynical little twit in a
local orphanage until he eventually mellowed out a bit and became a
school teacher. He had a beautiful lover named Kanan, who
unfortunately turned out to be his separated at birth elder sister
(they grew up in different orphanages and had no idea about each
other's existence, only finding out they're related after the fact).
While Gonou is off working, Kanan is kidnapped and raped by a demon
noble, and when he at last is able to rescue her, she kills herself
right in front of his eyes so she won't have to bear the demon's
child. Gonou goes nuts and begins to kill all of the demons in the
area, ending up with a total death count of one thousand (and he did
it single-handedly, too!). Alas, if a human kills one thousand
demons, they become a demon themselves, and this is the fate that
befalls poor Gonou.
He is later found half-dead by Gojyo, who gives him shelter and
takes care of him while he recovers. However, Gonou is being
investigated by Sanzo and Goku and hunted down by surviving demons,
so he runs off and attempts to atone for his crimes first by ripping
out his right eye, and then by trying to rip out his left (CLAMP, did
you secretly write this scene?). Thankfully for my poor
sensibilities, Goku stops him short and gets Gonou to kill himself
metaphorically rather than literally, and Gonou is reborn as Cho
Hakkai, the nice and smiley guy we know and love now. But don't let
the pretty smile fool you: when Hakkai removes his limiters or is
pissed for some reason or another, he goes berserk and will kill you
with a complacently killer smile that could put the fear of god in
the hearts of even the freakiest baddie.
Hakkai's grin veils a bitter past, although his optimism wins out in the end.
SPOILER: Hakkai's former life was spent as deity General Tenpou, who
is just as cool as Hakkai, but not quite as straight laced. He smokes
with as much fervor as second life Gojyo and Sanzo, all while buried
under a pile of books and looking like a sexy, lovable dweeb. Like
Hakkai, he has a nurturing personality, and tends to look after
Kenren!Gojyo whenever he gets himself in trouble. But of course, he
is a major ass-kicker, possibly even more than all the other guys,
excluding Goku when in full on Seiten Taisei mode. D'awww? SPOILER
END.
I loved the manga to death, and the premise of the series was
something that hooked me from the very beginning. Pairing bishies,
battles-to-the-supposed-death, and questioning the fine line between
good/bad, human/inhuman, and living for others/living for the self is
always welcome by me, and I liked how there were very few
stereotypical evil characters, especially among the Big Bads of each
arc (although Lady Gyokumen Koushu and Ni Jianyi easily win the Crazy
Magnificent Bastard Award). HOWEVER, the anime got off to a bad start
with me, first and foremost because of the horrible animation
utilized in the beginning. It was one of those scenarios where they
went out of their way not to animate anything they didn't have to,
which ended up with a lot of sequences of staring into a character's
unmoving eyes so that the act of talking didn't have to be rendered.
There was also this rather odd technique used where a shot of the
characters would be on screen, and then floating boxes of their faces
would start sailing around. I'm a stickler for the animation being
just as excellent as the text, so I was going half-crazy watching my
beloved characters being so poorly represented. I had to give up at
one point because I couldn't take it anymore, even though I wanted to
keep watching because of the excellent plotline I was already
familiar with from the manga. Luckily, I gave it another shot, and
the animation slowly started getting better part way through the
first season.
Sometimes a guy just can't decide if he wants to be gruff or pretty
But
on the other hand, the series through the beginning and continuing on
through Reload and
Gunlock struggled
with consistency in character design, made most notable through
Sanzo. Just look at that poor guy's face in close ups compared to
when he's more in the background, and you'll see what I mean. And
then compare how he looks in the original season to how he looks in
Reload. I
would say it's somewhat disturbing, but that would be too polite.
Sanzo is a prince of bishies, so such crimes to his beautiful face
should not be tolerated. Right, creepy puppet guy from Gunlock?
Speaking
of Gunlock, people
who like their anime to be as manga-canon as possible (*raises hand*)
might end up disappointed by some of the arcs, namely the 'Even a
Worm'/Hazel arc. Going by the manga, this was supposed to be our big
moment to learn the background of Ni Jianyi, but the anime included
his part minimally and made the arc more about Hazel and Gato than
about how Sanzo and Ni Jianyi's pasts intersect. A real missed
opportunity, if you ask me.
Also,
Saiyuki has
yet to be resolved in either the anime or the manga. We leave off
with the boys still traveling west (if they just stole Kougaiji's
dragons, they could have reached Shangri-La in the first volume, but
alas, it is not the destination that matters, but the journey
itself). This truly kills me, because I want to know how things will
resolve between the Kougaiji Group and the Sanzo Group, because they
could totally be BFFs if Kougaiji wasn't so fixated on having his
mother released (a valid desire on his part, but still). My
prediction is Sanzo and/or Kougaiji will end up incapacitated in the
final battle, someone will announce that they will get the scripture
next time without fail, and everyone will end up best friends.
To
make a long story short, Saiyuki
is
a fabulous adventure, but if you want to get into the anime, you're
going to have to make it through a handful of craptastically animated
episodes and a whole lot of filler of varying quality. The manga is
the safest bet, but don't count the anime out: I ended up curled on
the couch watching with rapt attention on several occasions, and it
is definitely on my rewatch list should the occasion ever arise
(although I'll probably skip the bad animation parts).
After talking about FAKE, now I want to get 'FOR REAL'! This track by Hidenori Tokuyama from the first season of Saiyuki is hard driving and energetic, much like the four main men of the show's Sanzo Team. Goku, Sanzo, Gojyo, and Hakkai are far from tame and dainty, so this song matches their tough and relentless quest to the West through demons, figures from their past, and even the occasional case of in-fighting. Usually after a handful of episodes, I feel okay skipping the theme song every once in awhile, but this song is one I was happy to listen to over and over again. Fo real.
These boys are going to make it West no matter what it takes. A good soundtrack always makes the journey more enjoyable.
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:
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:
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
