November was a mixof good and bad -- and also a mix of busy. *sigh*. I don't think I'll be able to escape from being busy for the rest of the year.
Outings/Events in November:
- My sister and I tried insulating my windows with bubble wrap. Hopefully that will keep some of the cold air out.
- Had an unexpected vacation where I pretty much hibernated.
- Had a nightmare that messed up my emotions pretty bad for a while. *sigh* XP
- Helped my sister at a Japanese bazaar event. I bought some yummy foods and ran into an old friend. It was really nice.
- Attended a friend's wedding reception. I wore a long black dress, which I nicknamed the "witch's dress" -- the fabric is a bit thick-feeling and a bit shiny.
- Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
achievements / news: -Got my main character's crafter levels allll to 60, yay! -Attended the FC's Thanksgiving dinner event with my main character that was followed up with the FC leader stripping! Hahaha XD I also created a macro to change my character into a bikini while doing a kissing emote but I'm not going to get into that, hehehe. ;) -Met a random player while on my main character who straight out said he liked me! That's never happened to me before, hahaha. I warned him not to fall for me (big reason being that he said that before even getting to know me, plus another reason), but that I'd be fine being friends. He told me to watch this movie called Crows Zero and said "let's meet tomorrow at the same time". Well, the next day I logged on at the same time and he wasn't there. What a flakey butt! :P
Exposures:
- (3DS) Badge Arcade
-- Yes, my sister and I finally took the plunge and tried this out. I already bought a couple plays with real money, hahaha. I don't mind supporting Nintendo from time to time. But I will definitely set a limit of how many plays I can buy each year.
Finished...
Watching:
- (Movie): Taken 3
-- It was terrible. So terrible. My eyes and mind kinda shut down during the action scenes. But now I've completed the trilogy and I don't have to think about it. Liam Neeson was still great as usual.
- (Movie): Crows Zero -- Well, I watched it. It was a little weird, but overall I really liked it. I liked both Serizawa and Genji, so I couldn't really root for either side. I also really liked Ken-san and his convictions at the end.
- (Movie): The Final Destination (Final Destination 4)
-- Just terrible.
- (Movie): Final Destination 5
-- This was much better than the 4th movie. The deaths were still cheesy, but I liked the way the plot went.
- (Movie): Edge of Tomorrow -- I found this more comedic than anything. It was an okay movie. Quite entertaining.
- (Movie): Searching for Bobby Fischer -- I had this on my radar ever since I watched the trailer for it many, many, many years ago. I enjoyed it, especially the final game. I used to play chess back in elementary school so it was very nostalgic. I don't really play anymore, but the game still interests me.
- (Movie): Natural Born Killers -- It's not really my kind of movie. It's a bit too crazy and wild.
- (Movie): Fever Pitch -- I watched this for Colin Firth. I didn't really enjoy it. It might be a bit more enjoyable for Arsenal F.C. fans. It was neat to see Mark Strong in the movie.
- (Movie): A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child -- This was cheesy like the other sequels, though this felt a bit more unnerving than the last movie.
- (Anime): Shakugan no Shana (Season 1) -- Finally I finish watching this. It was okay, but I enjoyed the 2 licensed novels a lot more. I don't think I'll be continuing with the 2nd season for this series.
- (Anime): New Kimagure Orange Road: Summer's Beginning -- I never watched the anime series, so it was difficult for me to get into it.The animation quality was nice, and the song "Kyosuke Number 1" was really nice, but... I didn't like it overall.
- (Anime): Persona 3 The Movie -#1 Birth of Spring- -- I LOVED this! It had all kinds of fanservice for me. And no, I'm not talking about watermelon-sized chests or topless guys. It's the kind of fanservice that comes from (at least to me) being an SMT fan (all the nods to the Persona 3 video game... <3). I'm a bit glad I watched this by myself so nobody could hear me squeeing all over the place, hahaha. I also really enjoyed Yuki's personality. Now I want to play through Persona 3 again. xD
- (Anime): Moribito - Guardian of the Spirit -- This was a pretty standard anime, but it was done well. Good action, nice moments, awesome main character, beautiful music -- I'd recommend it for one at least one watch-through.
- (Anime): Attack on Titan
-- Yes, I finally got around to watching the series. Wow, what an emotional, intense experience. I really liked it, despite its horror and sadness. My favourite characters are hands down Mikasa and Levi.
Playing:
- (PS4): Hatoful Boyfriend -- This is entertaining. Sometimes sweet. Sometimes tender. But wayyy too short, in my opinion. I wanted more characterization. The first bird I went for was Ryouta. Then Nageki. I may try for Yuuya on my third playthrough.
Reading:
- Nothing at this time.
Currently...
Playing (not all at once):
- (PS4): Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below - (PS3): Borderlands 2 - (PS3): Steins; Gate - (3DS): Bravely Default - (3DS): Liberation Maiden - (3DS): Fantasy Life - (3DS): Senran Kagura Burst - (GBA): The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition - (PSP): Persona - (PSP): Crush - (PSVita): Persona 4 Golden - (Wii): Fortune Street - (PS2): Atelier Iris 2 - (PC): UnEpic - (PC): King's Bounty: The Legend - (Mobile): Dragon Quest
That's
it for November. Here are a couple pics I took this month plus a Youtube video I like to watch / listen to every now and then.
One of the food items at the staff Holiday party. It was really yummy!
Me (with a gray box over my face) at the staff Holiday party. This is probably the most dressed up I've been so far to anything work-related, lol. I love wearing ties, hehehe :3
Chris Stuckmann's review on Taken 3. This pretty much sums up how I feel about the movie, lol.
Thanks
for reading! As always, feel free to comment if you have anything to say, and
have a good rest of the week! :)
So I had a pretty fun time these past two days -- so much that I want to document some memories of them. So... this entry is more for me -- I'm not sure how interesting it would be for you. FRIDAY NOVEMBER 27, 2015 Nothing spectacular happened at work, so let's just skip that. I'll just say I was so crazy busy at work that day that I couldn't even take a break to eat lunch (*sigh*). After work that day, though, was the staff Holiday party. Usually I'm very weary when it comes to staff parties. Well, I was still very weary. I've mentioned many times in past entries that I am a shy girl -- social events aren't really my thing, unless it involves something that I find fun, like playing video games or watching anime or karaoking, etc. Anywho, I wasn't really looking forward to the event. The only saving grace in my mind was that my sister was invited to the party. I thought, 'Okay, at least there will be somebody I can stick with the whole night who won't feel uncomfortable or that I'm bothering her.'
The party was held at this place called The Drake Hotel. It's this swanky-looking hotel that also has rooms for clubbing. Anyway, at the party, I was lucky to sit with a couple co-workers I did chat with from time to time. In addition to sitting with my sister, sitting with them really helped make the whole night more bearable and actually pretty fun. Now I'll just list a couple moments that I want to always remember (for whatever reason): -I asked my co-worker if his orange-coloured drink (a Manhattan) was good and he said, "Yeah, you want to try a sip?". So I took his drink and took a sip and immediately scrunched up my face -- it was so bitter. I handed it back to him, and another co-worker put his red-coloured drink in front of me (a Negroni) and said, "Here. Wash out the flavour with this." Cautiously and hesitantly, I took a sip and coughed. My throat felt like it was burning. I considered that my bit of entertainment for my co-workers, hahaha. -When we first entered the party room we were given five raffle tickets and three drink tickets. Off to the right end were two tables with maybe 10 raffle prizes. To enter, we drop our tickets into whichever prize we want to try winning. If we wanted to, we could drop all five tickets into one prize. This year, I wasn't really feeling anything too strong from any of the prizes (I may talk about this in a future blog), so I spread out my entries, dropping one ticket into multiple prizes. Later that night, my co-worker offered to trade his five raffle tickets for my three drink tickets. I agreed and told him, "I'll drop one in the Ultimate Shaving Kit (a raffle prize). If I win it, it's yours." Well... guess who won the Ultimate Shaving Kit?? ;) I also won something from my batch of tickets: a tiny fridge / cooler thing. It's mainly for storing drinks, but I'll probably end up using it for something else... like keeping my clothes cool during the Summer (hahaha, just kidding... I think). At the end of the party, I went back to my sister's place and I got exposed to a song that really spoke to me. I find it so sad and positive at the same time, I like it so much. What song is it? I'm keeping it secret for now. ;) SATURDAY NOVEMBER 28, 2015 This day, my sister, her hubby, our friend, and I tried our hand at another real-life room escape (though it was our friend's first time). We went to the same place as the last time, but we tried The Syndicate mission. If you're curious, here is the blog entry of my first experience, spoiler-free. We failed the mission, but it was sooooo fun! I'm not sure how helpful I was this time, but I totally enjoyed crawling around the place (because this mission called for some crawling). There was also a MacGyver situation that I missed (since I was in another room), but got to hear about afterwards (I totally wished I saw it -- my friend was laughing a lot when he watched it). If we do this room again, I am definitely crawling around again. It was so immersive and so fun ;)
And that's it for this blog. Thanks for reading! Have a good rest of the weekend and I'll see you tomorrow when my end-of-month blog goes up :)
So here's my updated "Christmas" wishlist... just in time for Christmas! Hahaha, as I've said in my last wishlist entry, this is really for fun -- I don't expect anybody reading
this to buy me anything. I mean, I'm already so happy and appreciative that you are taking the time to read this space... how could I ask for anything more? :) <3
But, just as I mentioned in my last entry, this could give you an idea of some things I like or some things that are currently on my radar. And just like last time, this wishlist is actually good for any gift-giving occasion, not just for Christmas. ;)
I'll mention items from the old blog that still applies, though I will remove all commentary. Check the old blog for commentary on them.
The Always-Good-for-Me-Gifts
Now these gifts are always appreciated because I use / consume these throughout the year.
From the old blog: -Chapters gift card -Amazon gift card -Cineplex gift card -PSN game card
-Potato Chips (nothing cheese-flavoured or spicy / hot)
-USB Keys / Memory-Storing Devices
NEW: -Final Fantasy XIV time cards: Well, until I stop playing the game, I will always need to be in-stock of this, hahaha. I don't feel very comfortable having the subscription charged to my credit card. Plus, it makes it easier for me to take short breaks when the subscription runs out. -Nintendo eShop cards: Now with more games being only released digitally, I need this. Also, I like getting those nifty 3DS themes every now and then. The 3DS themes I have so far and really like are: -AA [Ace Attorney] Trilogy Main Characters -Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker Theme -Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth
The Easy-But-Lazy-to-Get
These
items I will most likely get myself down the line -- the big question
is when. And the problem is if I hold out for too long, these could become rare and hard to get. From the old blog: -Persona 4 Arena artbook -Shining Force Feather artbook
NEW:
-Yo-Kai Watch (3DS): I actually thought I had this pre-ordered, but I guess I forgot. Woops, hahaha. I really do want to experience this and see why Japan is crazy about this series.
-Iron Man 1 movie (Blu-Ray or DVD):
I know it's been out for a long time now, but I still haven't picked it up. And I've been kinda itching to watch it again. Out of the three, I like Iron Man 1 the most. Iron Man is still my favourite Avenger. :) (GOT!)
-Dark Pit amiibo: I think he is the last amiibo that I really, really want. Pit just looks cool, hahaha.
The Easy-to-Find-But-Expensive
So this list is really more to remind me of what I still want to get for myself. I never expect anybody to get these for me, unless it came from a group of people.
From the old blog: -Good, warm gloves -Wii U -A good microphone
-Black Lagoon soundtrack
NEW:
-Levi PVC figure: After watching Season 1 of Attack on Titan, I really wanted a figure of Levi -- particularly the one pictured above. It's done by Sentinel.
-Mikasa Ackerman PVC figure: Ditto with Mikasa. I love her character so much! <3 And just like with Levi, I particularly want the figure that's pictured above. It's done by Good Smile Company.
-Persona 3 The Movie #2 Midsummer Knight's Dream Blu-Ray: I placed this here because paying $60 US for a Blu-Ray is -- well -- expensive! On top of that, I don't think any Canadian retailers carry this (correct me if I am wrong!) so I'll have to get it from the US, which means paying shipping plus customs on top of that $60 US price tag. Yup. Expensive! Hahaha. (GOT!)
-A good external computer hard drive: I've been running out of space on my computer for a while now, so this would be really welcomed, hahaha.
The Hard-to-Find
This list will probably always be pretty short. I'm usually on top of getting whatever rare stuff I want that gets released, so long as I can afford it and am aware of its existence.
From the old blog: -Kazuma Kaneko Works III Art Book
NEW:
-Seirei no Moribito soundtracks: There are some really lovely tunes from this anime series --tunes that I wouldn't mind listening to over and over again. Here, have a listen to one of its tracks:
Shikou no Yari.
I really like its intensity.
And *sigh*, the CDs have been out-of-print for a long time. Fingers crossed that I find this during my trip in Japan next year! ><
-Persona Q-themed 3DS XL: Well, it is hard-to-find for me, since it was never released in Canada. And the US retailers won't ship it to Canada (correct me if I'm wrong!), so... I'm pretty much stuck. :( And, as always, Time is still the best gift of all for me.
Being able to create a lovely memory with those I care about -- sharing that Life between us -- it's just priceless. <3 Thanks for reading! What sort of things are on your wishlist this year? Feel free to comment about anything, and have a great week! :)
Language(s) Watched: Japanese with English subtitles; English Dub Licensed? (As of this entry): YES
Genre(s): Comedy, Family, Science Fiction, Action
Overall Impression: It was a very refreshing movie. I highly recommend it!
SPOILER ALERT WARNING!!
This
review will contain some spoilers -- or rather, there will be a
"Spoilers" section at the end of the review to go into further detail
about certain things. There may still be slight spoilers throughout the
review, but I've tried my best to keep them at a minimum.
PERSONAL STANDING (Pre-exposures, thoughts, etc.)
I actually knew almost nothing about this title. It was on sale about 3-4 years ago during Rightstuf's Holiday Sale, and I bought it after reading a brief synopsis and seeing the generally high ratings on Anime News Network. I don't know -- sometimes that's all it takes for me to decide to take the plunge and try something new. One amusing thing is that the synopsis I remember reading on Anime News Network all those years ago was very different from the actual movie. I... probably read the synopsis to another anime and thought it was for Summer Wars, haha.
STORY
In Summer Wars, Kenji Koiso agrees to help Natsuki Shinohara as Natsuki's relatives gather from all over to celebrate Great-Grandmother's 90th birthday. While there, disaster strikes as the online social network Oz is hacked into, interfering with their celebration plans, and ultimately, endangering the world. More happens, but I will leave it at that. I'll just say that the story, while not what I was expecting, was engaging and interesting.
THE WORLD OF OZ
Welcome to Oz!
Oz is the online world in Summer Wars. I think if such a place existed in real life, I'd probably end up spending a good chunk of my time on there. Besides being able to customize your avatar in what looks like to be a thousand different ways and having access to so much information and services, the idea that any language could be instantly translated to your language -- breaking down what I think is one of the largest communication barriers -- is soo cool.
Showcasing some of the customization options for an avatar in Oz.
ITS REFRESHING TONE
To me, Summer Wars was very refreshing. I think it's due to the overall plot, the characters, and the general lightness in the movie. Even during the hard moments, I still had this small feeling that things will still be okay (I will mention why I feel that in the "Spoilers" section). Also to me, there was this subtlety in character expressions and reactions that felt very genuine. When they were sad or happy, I really felt it. I don't know if I am explaining this properly. It's like... I just felt this light, calm, freeing sensation when watching the movie.
PACING
The first time I watched Summer Wars, I thought the pacing was a bit slow. When I watched it for a second time, I thought the pacing was good. Something is always happening in there.
ANIMATION
I just have to say that the animation is great. The action sequences are so fluid and the little touches to a character's expression (like when a character blushes) are really nice.
CHARACTERS
There are a ton of characters in Summer Wars, the main main ones being Kenji, Natsuki, Sakae (the Great-Grandmother), Sakuma (Kenji's friend), and Kazuma (Natsuki's relative). While not every character gets super-developed, many have their own distinct flair and are generally likeable. I think most of the movie's charm comes from the characters interacting with each other because they are different and carry their own opinions and values.
MUSIC
I love the music in Summer Wars. It's a mix of traditional-sounding symphonic pieces, slow piano, and techno, industrial-feeling numbers. All the tracks did a very good job at enhancing the emotion / atmosphere for their respective scene.
Below are a couple of tracks that I really, really like. I've also listed a couple more tracks in the "Spoilers" section.
"King Kazma"
I really like the first 43 seconds.
"Everyone's Courage"
It's so beautiful.
JAPANESE / ENGLISH DUBBING
I think both the Japanese dubbing and English dubbing are done well. So... feel free to choose whichever dubbing you prefer -- either choice should be satisfactory.
SUMMER WARS AND THE MANGA
I
actually haven't read the manga, so I can't comment on this. I'm just
leaving this as a placeholder until I do (if I ever get the chance!).
BLU-RAY EXTRA CONTENT
There were some extra content on the Blu-Ray version. It's most likely on the DVD version as well, but I can't say for sure.
I am going to say as a blanket statement that the interviews with the voice actors were interesting. They are short enough to check out and all the interviews are English subtitled. One really neat thing was that they showed many clips of the voice actors actually working so you get to see their working environment and what they saw on-screen while delivering their lines. I really liked seeing the clips where almost all the voice actors were present to voice a scene with all the family members. Sooo many people in one room, hahaha.
I have no comments about the Trailers and TV spots.
Interview with Ryunosuke Kamiki (Kenji Koiso) (6 mins) -- He gets pretty animated when voice-acting.
Interview with Nanami Sakuraba (Natsuki Shinohara) (2 mins) -- This was Nanami's first time voice-acting.
Interview with Mitsuki Tanimura (Kazuma Ikezawa) (5 mins) -- I didn't know that Kazuma was voiced by a female, though I am not surprised.
Interview with Ayumu Saito (Wabisuke Jinnouchi) (3 mins) -- This was Ayumu's first time voice-acting, and he was asked to do it.
Interview with Sumiko Fuji (Sakae Jinnouchi [Grandma]) (5.5 mins) -- It was neat when Sumiko spoke about the differences in delivering lines when voice-acting and delivering lines when live-acting.
Interview with Mamoru Hosada (Director) (13 mins) -- This interview was okay. The first half was about film festivals, and the second half was a light comparison between his previous work, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, and Summer Wars.
Teaser Trailer (1.5 mins)
Teaser TV Spot (0.5 mins)
Original Trailer (2 mins)
Original TV Spots (2 mins)
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Summer Wars is a really lovely movie. If you are looking for something light and refreshing, watch this, hahaha. I just gotta say -- for the longest time, I've wanted to learn how to play Hanafuda. After watching Summer Wars, I really wanted to learn! And just for fun, I'll list some touching moments in the "Spoilers" section.
Thanks for reading! If you want some more input about something I didn't cover, feel free to ask. :)
So I'll do the scrolly thing and the
"Spoilers" section will appear after that. Then I'll add some more
scrolly things after the "Spoilers" section in case anybody wants to
comment, but not see the spoilers.
Even during the hard moments, I still had this small feeling that things will still be okay.
I probably didn't have to put this in the "Spoilers" section but I'd rather you watch the movie and come to your own conclusions first. Even during the hard moments, I still had this small feeling that things will still be okay... because the characters are there for each other. This theme of family unity and support -- of being there for each other -- I really like it. I kinda think this is also why I think Summer Warsis refreshing. I don't remember watching any other anime that focused so much on the strong bond of family.
I've also listed a couple more tracks.
I put these tracks here because I'd rather you hear these tracks as they were incorporated in the movie first. I think hearing it before watching the movie could take away from the track's impact on the scene.
"150 Million Miracles"
This is so nice. Sooo uplifting.
"Bokura no Natsu no Yume" by Tatsuro Yamashita
This is the ending theme, and _yes_ I think it's best to hear this track first where it's placed in the movie (at the end, hahaha). I love this song so much. After watching the movie I went online and
ordered the CD single. I want to try karaoking to this!! <3
And just for fun, I'll list some touching moments.
-When Sakae passed away and Natsuki was asking Kenji to help make the tears go away.
-When Natsuki was facing Love Machine and wagered her family.
-When Natsuki was down to 74 accounts against Love Machine and then a random German user offered his account, which led to millions of users all around the world offering their accounts. Just the idea of strangers putting their faith and trust in somebody else and the idea of global unity -- it really gets to me. :')
That's it for the spoilers. Thanks again for reading and feel
free to comment :D
Me (with a gray box over my face) at the staff Holiday party.
