The Mysterious Photograph

First off, sorry for the long silence! Summer vacation was so very relaxing that I’ve been lying around just watching television (anime marathons!), reading books and manga, going out with friends, watching movies at that brand new theater just 5 minutes away (which used to be 40 minutes), and learning how to cook omurices. Anyway, now that I’ve got my long overdue fill of vacationing and pure bliss of relaxation, it’s time that I get back to my blog, and this time, I’ll be talking about episode 6 of the drool-worthy series, Mysterious Girlfriend X.

A Childhood Dream of Space Exploration

Like most people, I once dreamt of becoming an astronaut. The prospect of blasting off into space to go boldly where  no man have ever gone before is thrilling and a magnificent worthy goal, to say the least. Space Brothers offers a fun and realistic look into the trials undertaken by aspiring astronauts, and at the end of the trials, the dream would be realized by only a select few.

Reciting Poems in Karuta

When it comes to playing karuta, in the end, it all comes down to the fastest player with precise, calculating movements. One critical skill for karuta is hearing, as players must go for a matching card upon the certified reader’s rendition of the karuta card drawn out. As hearing is very important, the reader must take care to recite the poems with care and timing so as not to interrupt the flow of a karuta match, and thus the reader is critical to karuta.

Religious Motifs in Rinne no Lagrange

The number, 3, is a unique number. It is the smallest balanced number, a rigid number from which one can begin to form an enclosed shape, most notably a triangle. This triple concept is very useful for structuring storytelling (beginning, middle, end) and enhancing the story making it inherently more satisfying or effective. Interestingly enough, you will also see many myths, legends, or religions in our world that involves trinity as opposed to a simpler, yet complex dual system, such as yin and yang.

The Sound of Life in Mushishi

Can you hear?

In my first foray into the wonderful enchanting world of Mushishi, I was treated to a very rare instance of deafness in anime. In episode 3 of Mushishi, Tender Horns (sub here or dub here), we delve into the concept of sound and silence along with a hint of a fascinating biological theme. Naturally, I have a great deal of interest in this episode and thus shall explore this lulling sublime story about a boy and his mother.

The iDOLM@STER 19 ~ Kaguya-hime?

Episode 19, this time, delves more into the personality of one of my top favorite characters, Shijou Takane. I enjoyed this episode immensely, and I was very pleased to note so many references from Shijou Takane’s characteristics and comments to The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, more specifically, Kaguya-hime. So, as a lover of Japanese folk tales, I was compelled to do an episodic post for this particular episode!

That Serene Snowy Feeling…

After watching a wide variety of anime, I have noticed that there seems to be some scenes that are far more common than others. Some very popular scenes used are some of the most cliché scenes, such as a beach scene and a hot spring scene. We know much about these scenes, so I won’t bother going into much depth into those. Instead, I am entertaining the thought of seeing some more different, rare scenes implemented in anime more often. One of those scenes that I would love to see implemented in anime series more often involves winter, my favorite season.