TL;DR I watch anime.
To me, Anime is never just a hobby, nor a pastime. It is a part of my life. Anime to me is an investment, an experience, a life's journey - one which never bores. Crudely speaking, I love anime to the EXTREME!!! (unintended Ryohei pun) I barely, however, have time to watch Anime because of my studies, and that is why my days are still progressing that slowly. (Update for WY 2017-2019: Thanks to mandatory military conscription, the time I really do have to watch anime is greatly shortened, to my chagrin. Coupled with the decreasing standards of anime on average, I am taking a slower pace to this medium unlike before.)
Each and every Anime titles have their own particular charm. To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to watch anime. The plot executions are unprecedentedly mind-breaking and concise along with dialogue and conversations that are addicting, most of which will go over a typical viewer's head. The moods and settings enthralling, music fitting and stimulating which draws heavy similarities to the madeleines featured in Marcel Proust's "In Search of Lost Time", for instance. Last but not least, the fans understand the attempts of the industry to inject life into their characters, making for brilliant character development. I’m smirking right now just imagining one of those addlepated simpletons writhing in anger for they do not realise that I am referencing to a copypasta. Well, my points are valid for the good titles the industry has offered.
Besides Anime, I love spending time on video games and on my saxophone. My gaming repertoire are mostly JRPGs; I'm an avid fan of Final Fantasy (every main series title, and some side-games such as Crisis Core) and Persona, also touched on Disgaea and Valkyria, and a long-time 'Pokemon Trainer'. I have also played some computer games such as Stepmania (still stuck between KB and Pad...currently can only manage to get an 'A' for Kannazuki no Miko Opening Expert Level in OD Mix 1 Pad...UPDATE 24/12/2014 Finally did a AA.), but I generally avoid MMOs and FPSs, they aren't my cup of tea.
The fields of study I am currently interested in are neurology and pharmacology.
Favourite series? There's D.Gray Man, being the first (it is actually Doraemon but whatever) anime I have ever come across and the series which unlocked my perception of the potential of anime. I am a strong believer that most anime out there are good, and the best five which I have selected are obviously the recognisable ones. However, the five titles there aren't necessarily the five which I give the best ratings for. All five of them (maybe with the exception of Monster) have their inherent flaws, yet their flaws seem to make me even more resolute to give them the credit they deserve, to be in my top five favourites of all time. I seriously doubt they can be changed that easily, as long as they remain there. In no way am I implying that the others are undeserving of praise.
Like again, fiction exists solely to express opinions, before being appreciated, critiqued, and possibly deconstructed. Nietzsche once mentioned, “There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.” What is that madness?
- Anime ratings...
MAL allowing all to rate anime freely is a pretty contentious issue. I have seen various users deride the system for allowing certain low-substance titles that succeed in catering to the popular demand to stand out, and vice-versa. They bash other users for having "shit taste" while claiming to have a superior intellect to enjoy only good anime. I might have used to think on a similar vein as well, but not anymore, for the freedom to rate regardless of varying "tastes" is what makes MAL fundamentally attractive. However, like a historian, we should always consider rating a title by accepting different aspects and perspectives, not just on how much one enjoys it. Viewers should not also shun shows by their covers or appearances, but at least give some chance before dropping a series that proves itself to be...lazy. Bad criticism plagues MAL forums as well. Unsubstantiated remarks on certain shows or episodes, for instance, do make certain discussions look like witchhunts. To counter those destructive comments, how about considering giving constructive feedback? There is always room for improvement. Constructive feedback is highly appreciated.
- Preferences?
I do not have much of a bias nor preference towards or against any particular genre, as I tend to watch any title that comes and goes. In terms of my current seasonal "repertoire", I go for at least:
2 Mystery/Horror/Suspense/Psychological title,
2 Sci-fi/Mecha,
1 Action,
1 Slice-of-Life RomCom,
1 Action RomCom,
1 Ecchi/Harem (applicable to RomCom),
1 Adventure,
1 Hybrid Slice-of-Life (Usually with supernatural/fantasy/philosophical elements to it),
and if applicable, 1 external genre such as Hentai Historical or Shounen-ai.
- ANIME MILESTONES
(Do note that this can get rather inconsistent at times, as there can be more than one anime completed per day, which ends up making me confused, and many-a-times certain OVAs and Specials which are supposedly completed ended up having a continuation episode or so, screwing up the entire order once again.)
(EDIT 28/7/2015: After a tough decision made between my comrades and I, we have come to a consensus that these milestones should only include TV series with some standalone movie exceptions [i.e. Ghost in the Shell movies, Kaze Tachinu, P3 movie] As a result, the inconsistencies will be removed, resulting in my milestones to depreciate from a near-500 to 300-odd.)
1st ANIME COMPLETED:
(Those times when I chased the entire season on TV...in dubs! Was known as Digimon Data Squad in dubs, btw.)
25th ANIME COMPLETED:
(I'd say definitively that Clannad brought the RomCom as a staple in my repertoire of anime preferences since 2011. Fuko's arc, surprisingly, was the only part that got me teared up in the entire of the first season...)
50th ANIME COMPLETED:
(This was one of the first few shows I had the opportunity to download into my first smartphone and watch on the bus trip to Malaysia with no access to convenient 3G. Pretty mediocre show, thinking back.)
75th ANIME COMPLETED:
(Am I one of the very few that ships Akuto with the witch Lily? Regardless, the OVA for this was the bomb for me and my Sec 2 class back then. Sharing one of the screenshots on the class group got me all the controversy.)
100th ANIME COMPLETED:
(The Dusk Maiden remains one of the last few post-evaluative solid 9s on my list precisely because of how well the psychological twists were melded into the plot. One of my recommending list staples.)
125th ANIME COMPLETED:
(KIRAAAAAAAA!!! ATHRUUUUUUN!!! ...Besides the apparent teen angst portrayed realistically in both Seed and GSD, Seed is a pretty tightly-written series that regenerated interest for Gundam within the mainstream consciousness. I enjoyed it as well.)
150th ANIME COMPLETED:
(Remember that time when you were expecting a lighthearted RomCom and the first episode emptied whatever soul you had? Kotoura-san was the one.)
175th ANIME COMPLETED:
(Say NO to Tsurumaki's directing!!!)
200th ANIME COMPLETED:
(Why did I even watch this...)
225th ANIME COMPLETED:
(These milestones just go to show that I have watched both the great and the not-so-great titles.)
250th ANIME COMPLETED:
(Is it just me or was I confused at the end? For...not being such an end? Probably one of the very few titles I felt had an unintentionally inconclusive end.)
275th ANIME COMPLETED:
(One of the few RomComs which actually teared me up, unsurprisingly.)
300th ANIME COMPLETED:
(While I get thoroughly emotional with the removal of Seikai no Senki II due to the milestone revision, Kanon is nonetheless a truly prestigious title to be placed here. Hands down to the quintessential Key's work: Kanon. In my opinion, the 2002 title had a place to compete against this even when watched back-to-back, contrary to what most reviewers would say. Hell, there were even some aspects that are better!)
325th ANIME COMPLETED:
(Not a very exciting sequel, so to say. Can't really expect much of this unusually-overhyped title, anyways.)
350th ANIME COMPLETED:
(A good revival on the Gundam franchise, at least since 00. Not a spectacular anime, but definitely does stand out in various aspects such as the characters. Anticipating the sequel!)
375th ANIME COMPLETED:
(While the first half of this sequel had a narrative power as fluent in dictum as one of my top favourites in recent times: Rakugo Shinjuu, the second half falls short to its constant out-of-focus and cliched tropes, disappointingly.)
400th ANIME COMPLETED:
(Aren't highschool boys supposed to be the boring species on this planet?)
425th ANIME COMPLETED:
(The fact that all the characters are so flawed, makes it such a punching slapstick.)
- Music? Yeah.
(selected only Japanese songs to fit the theme of MAL)
- Trivia
With all the due love I have for Japan, there are still the three things I will NEVER tolerate about Japan. No, it's not about WWII or Japanese chikans, contrary to popular belief. Click the button at your own risk.
- Japanese POLITICS
- Bad Cosplay
- Vocaloid
Nippon ichi anyways.
As much as I do sound like a hypocrite (maybe I do), I have never been to Japan. Overseas? Only to three other countries... (update from 1/12/2014: add Taiwan to the list. Sure had many Japanese wannabes over there. To the extent that it is nauseating. Excellent country otherwise. MUCH good food.)
Recently addicted to building gunpla. Lel.
I have a proper youtube account, although most vids are not of my own work. Don't try to copyright claim them though...
GRAYREBORNNHY, signing off. More trivia coming soon...
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