Monday, July 26, 2010

Discovering more about Japan's culture

With so many things to love about Japan, the country has become a popular place for people to flock in. One would just wish he or she would live there to relish the delicacies of Japanese culture.

Speaking of Japanese culture, I just watched the TV show entitled "Culture: Japan", hosted by popular blogger Danny Choo and K-On voice actress Satomi Oda. The show features some of the stuff that make the land of the rising sun very famous. Here are a few of them featured in the episode:

Cosplay: Popular Pinoy cosplayer Alodia Gonsiengfiao was featured there, with a sneak peek about her home which is also a workshop for her cosplay sorties.

Anime Figures: Mr. Choo was granted permission for a tour about Good Smile Company, the guys behind some of the most renowned anime figurines. The show even featured a few of the figure collectors and Amiami rated the top 10 best figurines to look out for.

Anime: DigitalHolywood was included there also, which served as a training ground for all future animators all over the globe.

Student Life: Fujisawa High School was indeed a school of its own kind, which allowed students to create their own time tables to suit their interests. 

I sure hope there will be another episode of the show, so that viewers everywhere would savor more about the Japanese pop culture. I hope this will spark your interest... ^^

For more about Danny Choo's blog, you can visit dannychoo.com

Oh, and here's Alodia's website for an added bonus: alodiagosiengfiao.com

Friday, July 16, 2010

Of sibling relationships (in anime)

One of the plots you would usually see in anime shows is family relationships, particularly towards siblings. Most of them have featured characters that have either brothers or sisters, or even both. The closeness between them are somehow similar in real life, wherein it differs depending on the situation. It's somehow complicated, but let me simplify this: either they became allies or enemies, and, in some cases, they remained close even though they could not reunite due to unfortunate circumstances.

Here are a few examples:

First on the list is Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha from Naruto. I know how you guys feel when you discover that Itachi's the one responsible for the extermination of their clan. The usual reaction would be anger and retribution for the dead, and it goes the same for Sasuke against Itachi.

Another is Makoto and Kyoichi Shido from Idaten Jump. At first, Makoto wondered if the masked rider is really her brother and why she could not see him immediately, but after rediscovering her MTB bike and removing the masked man's helm, it was indeed a miracle that her guess was right, and she understood the reasons as to why Kyoichi had to conceal his face and go on separate ways from her and his friends, especially if it involves Team ST.

Lastly, there goes Tyson and Hiro from Beyblade G-Revolution. Hiro may seem to be a bad guy at first, especially when he defeats Ray and watches Tyson battling against other beybladers, much to the Tyson's chagrin, but at the regional finals, when he reveals his face to Tyson at last, it was indeed a tearful reunion. After all, one must sometimes camouflage to keep an eye on the person he or she loves most.

So there you have it, folks, the application of real - life sibling relationships in anime shows. Whether it's sibling rivalry, discord, or close bonds, what matters the most is that family is one important factor in one's life, and one must be glad to have grown-up with family members.

That's all, folks! Gotta continue my Beybade G-Revolution marathon! ^^

Friday, July 9, 2010

Interest in Beyblade rekindled

I first discovered Beyblade years ago through watching adventures of Tyson and his crew of beybladers. When you hear the word 'Beyblade', the first thing that would come into your mind would be spinning tops on the field striking against one another until only one top remains spinning with the others being rendered to standstill. What got me hooked on the series was the intense action, the competition to see who will stand the best among all, all while imparting lessons of sportsmanship, friendship and fair play.

And so once again, I was drawn again into the world of spinning tops through the latest Beyblade spin-off, Metal Fight Beyblade. It was first aired last Wednesday through Cartoon Network, and boy, I was once again hooked with the action that was brought by the battle that Tyson and his friends first commenced. Only this time, a new protagonist emerged, by the name of Ginga Hagane, together with his Beyblade, Storm Pegasus.

 


























I really adored Ginga and considered him as my most favorite character there because of his extraordinary skills in beyblading, especially when Storm Pegasus unleashed its most powerful attacks. More importantly, he taught Kenta, the short kid who's also a beyblader, that a beyblade's true strength lies within the heart. No wonder he would sometimes stare at the stars during his usual strolls and considered Pegasus as his comrade (Yep, the bit beasts are based on constellations, different from the previous Beyblade shows wherein the four Chinese mythology beasts were the bit beasts of the main protagonists.)


I'm really getting hooked on it right now! I can't wait to see more of the action! Yeehaw!


That's all for now! Ciao! ^^

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Witnessing a lot of endings

They say that all good things must come to an end, and it does happen all the time. In my case, I have seen some anime shows that I've watched in both Animax and Cartoon Network reaching their final moments. Good thing they turn out to be enjoyable, although not that happy and not that bittersweet.

The first on the list in Tengen Toppa Gurren Langann. The main antagonist was finally defeated and both Simon and Nia were finally married, but sadly, her life was put to an end. On the final scenes after the ending song, the characters had grown and aged, but they had become better persons, especially Simon who passed on some words of wisdom to the kid as they watched the robots fly off into space.

Next is the latest season of Pokemon, Diamond and Pearl. Although Ash and his latest rival were still in each other's throats during the tag team battle, they managed to win the championships and win the prize. I couldn't wait to see what will happen next! ^^

Then there's Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood. The main villain finally got the taste of its own medicine by being brought into despair, and Ed and Al were back to their normal selves. Can't tell you how, but it's worth the trouble. The last episode will be shown on Friday.

In Romeo x Juliet (Yes, there's also an anime version of the Shakespeare classic), the tides were turned to the Capulets and Lord Montague finally confessed the truth to Romeo about the tree that held the world in place that was about to wither, that once it is dead, the apocalypse will happen. I would say that the ending will be heart-stopping and shocking.

Well, that's all I could remember. What's important is that whatever the result will be on the grand finale, we must accept it as it is.

That's all! ^^