Memory Lane

Childhood classic

Legend of Korra: A New Spiritual Age

It was great seeing Uncle Iroh again, he was the main highlight of this episode. Jinora was also great during this episode and she's very mature and wise despite her young age; even more so than Korra. If anything this episode was a build up for what's to come next. Overall, it was a solid episode. 

Legend of Korra: The Guide

All I can say is finally! Now we're getting somewhere! Korra as a character was really enjoyable this episode for once this entire season. She was patient, mature, and on point. Mako on the other hand is a major douche bag. Even though I do prefer Masami over Makorra. I don't like the fact that Asami is eagerly running back into his arms after it's only been a week since Mako broke up with Korra. I mean, does Asami not even value her and Korra's friendship anymore? Idk I really think Mako doesn't deserve either of the girls and I can only pray that the pending love triangle of doom is not brought back into the equation because I got my fill of it during the first season. I sure in hell DO NOT want Korra to get back together with Mako. Korra is in it's final stretch of episodes and things can only get better from here on out. I'm actually excited for the upcoming episodes of Korra more so than I was before.

Halloween

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2013!!!

K-Drama Special

This year it can be said without a doubt that SBS has been dominating the k-drama ratings chart especially during their Wednesday/Thursday drama line-up.

Skip Beat Chapter 205

In this chapter, Kuon(Ren) comes face to face with Kyoko but he has to feign ignorance because he can't let his identity be exposed, but being the gentlemen that he is he couldn't leave Kyoko down in the dumps and in her depressed state. I'm really interested in how the next chapter will unfold hopefully there will be some huge developments. 

Beyond: Two Souls Mini-Review

Quanticdream has done it once again and has delivered another one of their signature gaming cinematic masterpieces. Beyond Two Souls was a joy ride with it's up's, down's, and twists and turns. I really enjoyed the relationship/bond between Jodie and Aiden. On the shipping side of things I really like Jay/Jodie but I'm also okay with Ryan/Jodie it's just I like Jay/Jodie together as a couple more so over the latter pairing. 

Verdict

The quality of this game is superb and astounding. I really became emotionally invested into the characters and story. This game is a definite must buy. 

Score: 9.3

Legend of Korra: Beginnings Part I & Part II

All I can say about these two episodes are wow! These two episodes were not only beautifully animated but also helped to put the Legend of Korra back on track, and hopefully the ensuing episodes to come will also be on the same caliber as these two episodes in terms of quality and story-telling. The origin story of the 1st Avatar was brilliantly orchestrated and laid out. I really came to like Wan not only as a character but as a person too. He made a costly mistake and instead of running away from the problems he's caused he decided to own up to his mistakes and make things right again. What a sweetheart! Now I can only hope that Korra after witnessing the origins of the Avatar will come to respect the Avatar lineage more so than she did before and live up to her expectations and fulfill her duties properly as the current Avatar.   

Shipping Cafe #10

SoulxMaka

These two are absolutely adorable together as a couple. Their close relationship was displayed quite a bit in the manga and even though they didn't kiss because Soul Eater is a shounen manga and romance is not heavily on the menu. At the end of the manga I can safely say that a possible romantic relationship in the future was hinted at.  

2013 Fall Animes

2013 Fall Animes That I'm Interested In: 

1. Diabolik Lovers

2. Kill la Kill

3. Kikou Shoujo Wakizutsukanai

4. Galilei Donna

5. Magi Second Season

6. Tokyo Ravens

7. Golden Time

8. Strike the Blood

9. Kyoukai no Kanata

10. Walkure Romanze

11. Neppu Kairiku Bushiroad

12. Samurai Flamenco 

Gu Family Book

I've just recently finished watching this drama after what felt like a long hiatus from when I first started watching it. This drama was a mixed-bag of good and bad. The story for the most part is interesting and to a degree endearing.Which tells the tale of a half-human and half gumiho (fox demon). Personally, I think the drama overstayed its welcome. I think it didn't need 24 episodes and could have easily wrapped up everything with either 20 or 21 episodes. At a certain point, I found myself caring more for Kang Chi's parents and their tragic love story over his own story. In fact, I'd much rather have had the drama focusing on the parents and not even bring the son into the equation. I love Lee Seung Gi as an actor and he did the best that he could with the character that he had to portray, but something about Kang Chi as a character just kinda rubbed me the wrong way.

I wished that there were more action scenes or something to spice things up a bit. I was really looking forward to Suzy's character Yeo Wool to be a bad-ass female warrior, and at times she did hold her own, but in the end she was reduced to somewhat of a damsel in distress. One major factor working in the favor of this k-drama was the ost which by the way was superb.

Verdict

This drama was kind of a hit or miss for me. I mean, it's watchable and I was able to successfully make it through all 24 episodes in one piece, but at times this drama made me so frustrated with some of the characters' actions. I'd much rather the story have been about Wol-Ryung and Seo hwa instead of focusing on their son Kang Chi.

Score: 7.5

Legend of Korra: The Sting

In this episode, Masami was on the rise while Makorra continues to sink into the deep depths of the ocean waters. Varrick being a villian could be spotted from a mile away I already put it together when Mako suspected that the Northern Water tribe wasn't behind the bombing attack. I was glad that Bolin told Mako off after the past couple of episodes Mako acted like a jerk to him. Korra getting amnesia is a welcome change of pace hopefully we'll get good character building and development because as much as I hate to say it Korra is dragging her show down and has become very unlikable and that's very sad to see. This season has really become very predictable and has lost a lot of complexity that the lst season had done so well. It's such a shame to see how piss-pour the writing for this show has become... :( 

Memory Lane #09

W.i.t.c.h.

I remember back in the day when I'd wake up early on Saturday mornings in time just to tune into this show. That was of course when the Saturday morning cartoon show line-up was worth watching and getting up early for compared to the current Saturday morning cartoon line-up.

I Hear Your Voice

Is this the real life? Or is this just fantasy? I fell so hard in love with this drama <3

This drama was just pure perfection all around. I can definitely see why this drama has been winning all of the awards of late and why it's become one of this year's popular-hit dramas. I don't want to give too much away but the story, ost, characters, and actors/actresses were superb. I have never fan-girled so frequently or have ever become so giddy like I did when I was watching this drama. After I started watching the lst episode I immediately became hooked.

Verdict

If you're in the neighborhood and need a k-drama to watch then look no further if you haven't watched this drama yet I highly recommend that you do. I'm sure you won't regret it except for the after-effects(k-drama withdrawal syndrome) once you finish the drama could become quite deadly... 

Score: A well deserved 10

Legend of Korra: Peacekeepers

So far, season 2 of the Legend of Korra to be honest has not been all that great. I really dislike how the writer's have written Korra's character this season it just really irritates me. The one great thing about this episode was the Makorra break-up of course it probably won't last for too long, but I don't care I was ecstatic when it happened. I really hope that this season will get better once we get into the spirit world arc of it because all of this political/diplomatic turmoil is definitely not Korra's strong suit or the least bit interesting to say the least. But at least we got to see General Iroh even though the animation on him looked weird. O_O

Shingeki No Kyojin

Review

This anime blew me away in more ways than one. From the story, to the characters, animation, and ost. The main story is basically this humanity is at war with these giants/colossal titans. These titans eat humans for really no concrete reason other than for pleasure. When I first started watching this anime I became so hooked and I could definitely see the whole buzz surrounding this anime. This anime will probably evoke so many different emotions from you, and if a show can do that then in my opinion that's great story-telling.

Ships

As far as my ships go my main ships are Levi/Mikasa, Eren/Mikasa, and Levi/Mikasa/Eren (OT3). I really love the dynamic between these three characters and how well I know they can work together to accomplish anything. I do have other ships within this fandom, but these are my three top ships.

Verdict

I was very sad to see this anime come to an end, but that's what the manga, fanart, and fanfiction are for, right? If you haven't watched this anime yet I highly recommend it. 

Score: 9.5

Legend of Korra: Civil Wars Part II

Civil Wars Part II

So far this episode was my favorite out of all the episodes that have aired as of now. The story is finally staring to pick up and the action as well. There was a nice amount of action and teamwork displayed within this episode by Team Avatar. I'm still hoping that during this season Bolin will get some great character development. Also, it was great to see Asami back in action. At first, I was all for Bolin/Eska but seeing how she's so abusive and heavily into bondage I just had to abandon ship.

Legend of Korra: Civil Wars Part I

Civil Wars Part I

In this episode, Korra was quite the jerk to everyone. Also, it's pretty easy to see that Korra's uncle is manipulating her. Mako gives horrible dating advice and his overall character is just a big meh. This season so far is definitely dealing with more of the political duties of the avatar more than anything.   

2013 Tokyo Game Show

Tokyo Game Show

I know it's been roughly a week since the Tokyo Game Show, but I still wanted to do just a quick little post about it.

This year's Tokyo Game Show was definitely more eventful than last year's that's for sure. Many interesting things were showcased and the batch of Lightning Returns news that was revealed was good, but still no mentioning of Vanille at all. I also thought the tgs trailer for LR was a little lacking as well.

Shipping Cafe #09

Pairing: NoelxYeul

Intriguingly enough this pairing is not a really popular pairing within the FFXIII fandom. I guess for most it was just a too conventional pairing, but don't get me wrong this pairing does have a pretty good number of people that ship it, but it's at the bottom of the barrel compared to the likes of Noerah and Noehopu. 

As I was playing FFXIII-2 I could easily see the connection between these two characters and it's appeal for a potentially romantic relationship. Personally, for me it's a ship that I can see either in a platonic/sibling-like light or in a romantic light. I don't know but towards the end of the game it kinda sounded like Noel shipped Yeul with Caius by the words he said to him. 

In the end, I'm perfectly okay and fine with Noel and Yeul as a couple.

Skip Beat Chapter 204

Things are finally heating up literally. So, in this chapter Kyoko took a trip to Guam to film for some drama, and low and behold as she strolled down a more secluded part of the beach she stumbles upon a beautiful creature freshly emerging from the water known as Tsuruga Ren. As usual, the mangeka has left the reader on a nail-biting cliff-hanger. I'm eagerly looking forward to the next chapter.  

The Legend of Korra Season 2 Premiere

Yesterday was the highly anticipated season 2 premiere of the Legend of Korra. My thoughts regarding the one-hour season premiere is as follows; I think that the season is off to a pretty good start, I felt that there was just too much unnecessary humor that was added in, I really hope that Bolin will get some good character development and not just be reduced to the comic-relief character archetype, I still don't particularly care for the bland relationship between Mako and Korra I find it to be uninteresting to say the least and unhealthy, I love the twins they amuse me, and it's very clear that Korra's uncle has an ulterior motive. I personally think that he wants to rule over both the Northern and Southern Watertribes. 

Memory Lane #08

Sailor Moon

Talk about one of the most recognized animes to date. If you're a 90's kid then the name Sailor Moon surely resonates with you in someway or fashion. This show was awesome it had everything; romance, friendship, action, adventure, and magical girl elements. The theme song is catchy as hell and the animation is absolutely gorgeous.  

Persona

Persona Series

I first was introduced to the Persona Series surprisingly and oddly enough through a Final Fantasy XIII-2 game demo on YouTube. In the comments someone commented that the music in the demo reminded them of the music in Persona 4. So, naturally my interest was piqued and I decided to check out this so called Persona 4 game and listened to the soundtrack of the game and thus the first game that I was introduced to in the Persona game series was Persona 4. I fell so in love with the music that I decided to actually watch a full walkthrough of the game and after that I've become a fan of the Persona series, and went on to eventually check out the other games in the Persona series.

The Persona series of games is a very unique and interesting jrpg. With it's intricate stories, characters, art style, and game-play mechanics that sets it apart from it's other jrpg counterparts.  

Skip Beat Chapter 203

In this chapter, Kyoko comes to terms with her feelings for Ren and ultimately decides that she will continue to love him from afar, and keep her feelings for him to herself. I guess it's a good thing that Kyoko has finally acknowledged her romantic interest in Ren and her solution to the situation was a easy and obvious choice. The drama and angst seems to never end between these two. I hope that the both of them will have a bright future together and that we can finally reach a breaking point in this manga regarding their relationship.

Memory Lane #07

Avatar the Last Airbender

I really can't say it more than enough, but they just don't make animated shows like they used to. This show is a masterpiece within it's self everything from the story, to the characters, music, and art direction is superb.  

Veronica Mars

I only decided to watch this show because I was curious about it, and wanted to know why the fan base of this show felt so strongly about it. I can safely say that the show Veronica Mars has it's ups and downs, and it has an occasional mix of good and bad. First of I'd like to say that my overall favorite season of this show is hands down season 1. The other seasons felt disconnected to me and the characters weren't as tightly bound, and showed up little to none or were all over the place. I also sometimes found myself becoming extremely bored when watching some of the episodes. As far as Veronica's love life goes I really like her and Duncan together, and after that I like Veronica and Piz together. I really don't like Veronica and Logan together because it just spells unnecessary drama, angst, and disaster. I have this ominous feeling that Veronica and Logan will get back together again in the upcoming film and I cringe at the thought of it alone. The season that had the best finale was definitely season 2, followed by season 1, and than season 3. 

 Verdict

After watching all 3 seasons I guess I can kinda see why this show was popular around the time that it aired, but I really wished that Veronica took some form of martial arts, or at least carried a pistol or something with her when she works these sometimes life threatening and endangering cases because a little-bitty taser isn't going to cut it. 

Score: 7.5

1 Year Anniversary

Today officially marks the 1 year anniversary of when I first started this blog.

Soul Eater Manga Finale

Well, another great manga series has come to an end. I really enjoyed reading Soul Eater and getting the chance to experience it's unique story, settings, and characters.

Shipping Cafe #08

Pairing: NoelxLightning

Series: Final Fantasy XIII

I fell in love with this ship from a very early stage. I unconsciously shipped these two together before the game even came out. I think the scene that really got me hooked onto this ship was the heart pounding scene where Lightning rescues Noel as he was falling into Valhalla. I know I'm in the minority when it comes to the FFXIII fandom about actually shipping this particular ship, and most people either ship Noel with Serah or Hope, but those ships just don't work for me. I think that Noel and Lightning have a special connection, and have a lot of untapped romantic potential. So, if Lightning doesn't end up with Hope the next best choice for her would be Noel hands down. 

Deadman Wonderland

Just recently, this manga ended and therefore another great manga series has come to an end. I've also watched the anime for this manga, but the manga is hands down way better than the anime of course. 

Shin Megami Tensei Persona 2

Persona 2 Innocent Sin

I am an avid fan of the Persona Series of games developed by Atlus, and Persona 2 is comprised of two games in the series. First off, when it comes to which game between the two I prefer over the other I would have to say that I liked Persona 2 Innocent Sin way better than Persona 2 Eternal Punishment. The main silent protagonist Tatsuya, the characters, and overall story and plot was quite endearing and interesting. Also, the music was great as always.

Persona 2 Eternal Punishment

This game acts as the sequel game to Persona 2 Innocent Sin and is a continuation of that story, but this time Maya acts as the silent protagonist. This also marks the first time in the series that the main protagonist was female. This game is definitely more challenging than it's predecessor, and the story is a little bit  more harder to follow and is not nearly as endearing as Innocent Sin's story. I also like this game but it's severely lacking in many departments, but is still an overall good game.   

Summer Movie Round-Up

Below you will find a mini-overview of what I thought of some of the Summer movies that I was interested in or went to see in theaters.

Pacific Rim

When I went to see this movie I didn't have to many expectations for it to be honest but this film surprised me in a good way, and I actually enjoyed it a lot. So, I definitely think that if you haven't seen this movie yet you should go see it at least once while it's still playing in theaters.

The Lone Ranger

This movie had me bored to tears throughout most of the movie. There were just so many elements that did not mesh together well for this film and took away from the cinematic experience. I really did enjoy the final moments of the film with the fast-paced action sequences and hearing the lone ranger theme song was pretty cool. Overall, it isn't worth it to see this movie in theaters so don't even bother going to see it.

Man Of Steel

I really did enjoy Man of Steel for the most part despite it's flaws and it was a great reboot movie for the Superman character. Personally, I think that this movie was better than Iron Man 3.

Note: I originally was going to see The Wolverine, but opted out of seeing it and will view the movie at a later time.

San Diego Comic-Con 2013

Highlights

1. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Trailer

2. Square-Enix Booth

3. The Legend of Korra Panel

4. World's Finest Movie Batman/Superman

5. DC Animated Movies

Favorite South Korean Variety Shows

Below is a list of some of the South-Korean variety shows that I enjoy watching.

1. Running Man

2. Happy Together

3. Star King

4. Strong Heart

Skip Beat Chapter 202

In this chapter, the president of LME(Lori) confronts Kyoko about her blossoming feelings for Ren, and he gets all philosophical on her. Kyoko breaks down into tears because she doesn't want to become a fool in love again, and in the end Lori presents her with a choice regarding her feelings for Ren. I know that the road hasn't been exactly smooth sailing for this romance between Ren and Kyoko, but then again nothing in life ever is. I really hope that we'll reach a resolution real soon regarding this because this manga has really dragged this aspect out and for long enough.

ATLA: The Search Part 2

Part two of the search showcased some great revelations and revealed why Zuko's mom was banished from the Fire Nation. The story just keeps getting better and better, and I'm looking forward to the epic conclusion of this story that will be available in October. 

Btooom!

Wow!! This anime is very brilliant and addicting. Btooom reminds me very much of the Battle Royal Series, but on a much grittier scale. This anime is very much adult-oriented and has a lot of adult themes. When I started watching this anime I became hooked and didn't want to stop watching an episode for a second. The characters and story are interesting and very much action-oriented.

Verdict

This anime is awesome and I would recommend it to other people.

Score: 9.1

Fan-fiction

When it comes to fan-fiction there can be at times a lot of planning that goes into the process, and when you're writing it yourself you can sometimes find it to be a quite taxing process. I applaud all of the fanfic writers that can pump out the chapters of their stories with ease. I don't know I think these days I enjoy reading fan-fictions more than actually writing them.