Happy New Year's eve! Are you doing anything special today? I'll be staying at home, prepping my stuffs for the New Year, and just goofing off. December was a very busy month. Quite a number of hang outs and lots of shoppings. I had a hang out / outing every weekend, which is very rare for me. December was also the homestretch for my New Year's Resolutions. Hopefully next year's December won't be so frantic this way!
Outings/Events in December:
- Hung out with friends overall x4. - Joined in a soccer game with co-workers. It was fun! But my feet and legs are bruised -- they are still bruised now >___<;;. - Joined in on the Christmas stream and Cheffcon stream for StephenGeorg. Super fun times! Cheffcon is an event where Stephen, Mal, and their friends gather together and hang out for... about a week? - Sent bits on Twitch for the first time. My message was: My family doesn't really celebrate Christmas so I'm happy to be spending it with you all ^^ So excited for Cheffcon! And you can call me Iron9Girl, haha :3. Just to clarify one thing... "Iron9Girl"is NOT how to pronounce my name, hahaha. I thought it would be easier for them to pronounce that way, which is why I said I could be called Iron9Girl... I also like how original that interpretation is for my name, so I don't mind it. :3 - Gifted Community subs for the first time on Twitch. It was during the Christmas stream, so I thought: why not? :) - Had a game day with friends. We played Super Smash Bros. Ultimate! - Participated in "Dirty Secret Santa" at work. I drew a number "2", so I had to strategize on how to participate later in the game. My strategy worked! I started with some fancy shiraz... then stole a pair of earrings (just to be nice -- I don't have pierced ears and the guy I stole the earrings from didn't have pierced ears either)... then stole The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy novel... then ended up with some bath / shower set from Body Shop. - Bumped into a co-worker outside of work. It was a really funny coincidence! :3. - Gave birthday beats to two co-worker friends :3 - Had an early Christmas gathering with friends. - Karaoked with friends. - Stayed over at my sister's place x1. - Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn achievements / news: -I did the Starlight event and then my subscription expired.
- Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius achievements / news: -My rank is currently 173 (yay I can leave the game alone for 14 hours 40 mins) -I'm happy with my 7-star Lotus Mage Fina! -I won't go too crazy on the Kingdom Hearts banner that's going on right now. Gotta save my lapis and tickets for other upcoming banners!
Exposures:
- (Game): Super Smash Brothers Ultimate -- This was really fun to play. I want to learn to main Ness, Isabelle, and Joker once he becomes available. Hopefully I'll have a Switch by then!
- (PS4): Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight -- This was okay. I wasn't that connected with many of the tracks, but I enjoyed interacting with the characters and seeing them dance. I'll still be playing this until I get all the trophies.
Reading:
- (Book): This be book bad translation, video games! by Clyde Mandelin & Tony Kuchar -- This is a book looking at some really bad video game translations through the years. Some of the examples here are really amusing and funny.
Currently...
Playing (not all at once):
- (PS4): Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below - (PS4): iDOLM@STER: Platinum Stars - (PS4): Fez - (PS4): Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls - (PS4): Nights of Azure - (PS4): Plague Inc.: Evolved - (PS3): Borderlands 2 - (PS2): Drakengard - (PS2): Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis - (Xbox 360): Magna Carta II - (3DS): Story of Seasons - (3DS): Culdcept Revolt - (3DS): Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker - (GBA): The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition - (PSP): Persona - (Wii): Fortune Street - (PC): UnEpic - (PC): King's Bounty: The Legend - (PC): Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (When They Cry)
Watching:
- (TV Show): The Walking Dead (Season 7) - (TV Show): Orphan Black (Season 3) - (TV Show): Criminal Minds (Season 12 - Episode 22) - (TV Show): Six Feet Under (Season 1 - Episode 3) - (TV Show): X-Files (Season 11) - (TV Show): The Strain (Season 2) - (TV Show): Galavant (Season 1 - Episode 5) - (TV Show): Game of Thrones (Season 5) - (Anime): Log Horizon (episode 3) - (Anime): Attack on Titan: Season 2 (episode 8) - (YouTube): StephenVlogs (Day 410)
Reading:
- (Comic): Bodie Troll by Jay Fosgitt
That's it for December. Here are a few pics I took this month, plus a YouTube video.
One of the matches for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. I had to cover up a couple of the player names. I don't remember who won... but it was a fun and confusing match, hahaha.
Something that I backed on Kickstarter arrived! I can't wait to try this out! With people, of course, lol
A Bit message I sent during the Cheffcon stream.
Dan is the guy wearing the grey shirt with his arms folded.
To give some context, everybody except for Dan were sent Bit messages
cursing them with toast during the stream. So I sent a message just for Dan! ^__^
As "promised"... a pic of myself at the office holiday party.
I'm still not ready to show my face, hahaha.
My 7-star Lotus Mage Fina! xD
The demon I really wanted in Dx2. Squeee, Alice!!!! xD
"I AM DAN" from StephenVlog.
This was one of the first videos I ever watched from StephenVlog, and I still find it funny now.
Thanks for reading! As usual, if you have any questions / comments about anything, feel free. :) Happy New Year's eve and until next time! It will be the super long blog I do every year. Stay safe! :3
Well, this will be a very short one. The holidays has just started for me -- I don't have to go to work for the next 1.5 weeks! Woooot! But -- I'm not gonna be able to fully relax just yet. I still have a bunch of New Year's Resolutions to work on. I already know I won't be able to finish them all, but I want to get as much done as possible. On top of all that, my feet are healing from I guess too much overexertion from playing soccer two weeks ago (I'll go a bit more in detail during my recap blog of December), so regardless of if I wanted to go out, I'm gonna be stuck at home for most of the holidays. I just hope they heal up before the holidays are over. ._____. A couple things I'll be looking forward to during this holiday, once I get to relax (aside from my staple "play video games"): 1. Catch StephenGeorg's Twitch streams He streams (often with his wife Mal) every Tuesday and Thursday from 9-9:30 AM EST, so... I miss it almost every time 'cuz I'm at work. Sometimes I listen in while working, but very rarely. Now I'll be able to catch it while it's happening and make comments and such. I can't wait! And yes, they will be streaming on Christmas ^___^ 2. Watch more Game of Thrones A co-worker has lent me some of the seasons and frankly, I'm very hooked. I should blog my general impressions of each season as I go through since I'm sure my alliances with certain characters will change throughout. I'd want to do some hanging out as well during the holidays... but I think that's gonna depend on the state of my feet u__u That's it for this blog -- I need to get back to my New Year's Resolutions! Thank you for reading! If you are on holidays as well, take care, stay warm, and be safe! *huuuuuuuuuuuugs* Have an early Merry Christmas and until next time :)
Language(s) Watched: Japanese with English subtitles Licensed? (As of this entry): YES
Genre(s): Comedy, Drama, Suspense, Romance
Overall Impression: Beautiful. Just beautiful.
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.)
All I knew about Your Name. was that it was Makoto Shinkai's 6th major work, that it was gaining praises every which way, and that it involved some kind of body-swapping premise between a boy and a girl.
Despite the praises, I was a little hesitant to watch Your Name. Makoto Shinkai has been a hit-or-miss director for me, with every of his odd-numbered works hitting a strong chord in me, but with every of his even-numbered works leaving me pretty dissatisfied (I plan to blog about this in the future). So with Your Name. being Shinkai's 6th work, I was a little scared that I'd be disappointed somehow.
Fortunately, my sister acquired the Blu-Ray and lent it to me as soon as she got it. It took me three weeks to get around to actually watching it... but I did, and now I'm blogging about it!
STORY
In Your Name., Taki (a boy who lives in Tokyo) and Mitsuha (a girl who lives in rural town Itomori) experience a strange phenomenon where a few days a week, they wake up in each other's bodies and go through the day as the other person. Once they realize what's going on, they attempt to communicate and help each other get through the day in the other person's body until one day, the phenomenon stops.
This story -- with its bizarre-at-first-glance premise -- is very beautiful, satisfying, and unique. Certain moments were predictable, while others were not. I'll mention the moments I couldn't predict in the "Spoilers" section.
THE CONCEPT OF BODY-SWAPPING
While the idea of body-swapping is not original for me, I think Your Name. handled it in a very original way. One major aspect that I think allowed for a different approach, was the fact that Taki and Mitsuha do not know each other at all. It's not like when they return to their original bodies, they can meet each other in-person to discuss what just happened. They have to find other means to communicate while in the other person's body, and then hope the person will actually see/receive the message when they are back in their original bodies.
It's a very interesting way of character interaction, as well as getting insight into a person's life... and getting insight into the character when they wake up in each other's bodies.
ANIMATION
I just have to say that the animation is really nice! That's all I have to say here, hahaha. :)
CHARACTERS
The star characters in Your Name. are of course Mitsuha and Taki, and the friends and family in each other's lives. On the surface, there doesn't seem to be much character development for Mitsuha and Taki, but I believe a lot gets conveyed -- through Mitsuha and Taki's reactions and actions while in each other's bodies, their friends and family's reactions to Mitsuha and Taki when they are in their original body AND when they are not, Mitsuha and Taki's reactions when hearing what the other person did while in their body, and then their messages to each other.
I like both Mitsuha and Taki, though I do have to say... I'll say it in the "Spoilers" section.
MUSIC
The music is wonderful. They tend to be light and upbeat piano and string pieces, with a few light and poppy vocal tracks thrown in. At first I thought the vocal tracks wouldn't work, but they do. There are also some bittersweet tracks and ones that invoke yearning, determination, and suspense. All and all, a soundtrack that works great at conveying all the emotions in Your Name..
Below are a couple of tracks that I really, really like.
"Theme of Mitsuha"
It sounds so beautiful, but also a little sad.
"Sparkle (Movie version"
It's very nice. I really like the piano.
JAPANESE / ENGLISH DUBBING
I'm leaving this as a placeholder until my own copy of Your Name. arrives (I already returned the Blu-Ray to my sister). So far I've only watched the Japanese dubbing with English subtitles, but I do plan to watch this in English dubbing just to see how it's like.
YOUR NAME. AND THE LIGHT NOVELS
I'm leaving this as a placeholder until I read the two light novels (I've ordered them so they are coming!).
Edit -- February 6, 2019 -- I have read the novels, and below are my thoughts.
Your name. by Makoto Shinkai -- This is pretty much a straight up novel version of the movie. Out of all novel adaptations I've read so far, this was the first time I didn't feel "dragged down" just because I watched the movie. After watching a movie, if I read the novel adaptation I often feel a bit impatient about getting to the next part in the movie. I didn't feel that with Your name.. The novel's pacing moved along very well and more or less matched beat to beat with the movie.
Regarding whether to read the novel or watch the movie, it's really up to you. There was a slight nuance to the ending, which I preferred in the novel. I'll mention it in the "Spoilers" section.
Your name. Another Side: Earthbound by Arata Kanoh -- This is a collection of side stories looking at the various events in Your name. but through other characters' perspectives. Some of the stories were a little slow-paced, but overall it was very interesting and amusing. I especially enjoyed Yotsuha and Toshiki's stories.
For anybody wanting more insight into the Your name. universe, this is highly recommended.
YOUR NAME. AND THE MANGA
I'm leaving this as a placeholder until I read the manga.
YOUR NAME. AND THE LIVE-ACTION MOVIE
I've read that a North American live-action movie of this is in the works. If it actually does come out in theatres, I'll leave my thoughts about it here.
BLU-RAY EXTRA CONTENT
There were some extra content on the Blu-Ray... but I didn't get to watch them before returning the Blu-Ray to my sister. ;__; For now, I'll leave this as placeholder until I do get to watch them.
Interview with Makoto Shinkai (x mins) -- Placeholder.
If you haven't watched Your Name. yet -- go and watch it! Even if you don't normally watch anime -- go and watch it! It is a great movie and is totally worth experiencing at least once. Makoto Shinkai, thank you for creating something so lovely. *tips my hat* I have to say one more thing 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.
There were two major moments I couldn't predict: 1. When Taki travelled to Itomori only to find it decimated from the comet and that Mitsuha died from it. When I saw that moment, it was like a swift, hard punch in the gut. I cried hard, thinking about what Taki could be feeling. He wanted to meet somebody very important to him and then he realized that he will never be able to. The revelation that they body-swapped during different timelines (3 years apart) also added to the notion that Taki and Mitsuha would never be able to meet and recognize each other. 2. When Mitsuha looked at her hand, hoping to read Taki's name (because she forgot his name), but Taki had actually left the message "I love you". That really tugged at my heartstrings. *sniffle*
I like both Mitsuha and Taki, though I do have to say...
Taki is such a perv! Stop touching Mitsuha's boobs every time you wake up as her!!!! Hahaha. >:O
I have to say one more thing.
I have to say: kudos to Makoto Shinkai for finally creating a story that ends happily!!!! Where the main guy and main girl meet each other in the end and a relationship could possibly flourish together. To the best of my recollection, all of his major works up until the time of this writing (except for maybe The Place Promised in Our Early Days -- I don't remember that movie very well) have revolved around either unrequited love, or love where the characters could never be together due to other external aspects.
So... thank you for letting Mitsuha and Taki find each other in the end! *bows*
There was a slight nuance to the ending, which I preferred in the novel.
This is a really minor thing, but I enjoyed it a lot more in the novel. In the movie, when Taki and Mitsuha finally meet face-to-face in the end, they exchange some words, and then say "What's your name?".
In the novel, they meet face-to-face but they don't exchange some words. They quietly express that they've found what they were looking -- and then say "What's your name?". To me, I think this scene is sweeter and more powerful.
I was... heavily debating whether to blog this week or not, 'cuz things have been so busy for me lately. There are too many things to do and not enough time to do them! This entry may not be interesting for you. u___u;
Joker as DLC in Super Smash Brothers Ultimate
So... a couple days ago, I found out that Joker from Persona 5 would be a DLC character for Super Smash Brothers Ultimate. The moment I saw this piece of news, I was floored like you couldn't believe! I was super shocked -- and also super excited. Even though Nintendo and Atlus have collaborated on a video game in the past, I never imagined this would ever happen. Because... the Super Smash Brothers games are family-friendly and Persona games are not... Persona games are edgy, twisted, sometimes light, but often dark and dealing with mature themes (some of the reasons why I love the Persona games).
I really hope this helps in creating more awareness for the Persona games. Even though I think it's popular and well-known, it might actually still be a niche series, especially for the younger audience (if I'm wrong, please prove me wrong! I'll be happy if you do).
Whenever Joker is released, I'm gonna do my best to main him! Now I just need to get myself a Switch... and the actual game... or I'll just crash a friend's place and main him that way, hahaha... :3
Persona 3 Dancing in Moonlight
Well, I got Persona Dancing: Endless Night Collection for the PS4 this week. It's a collection which contains Persona 3 Dancing in Moonlight, a digital copy of Persona 4 Dancing All Night, and Persona 5 Dancing in Starlight. These are spin-off rhythm games featuring the characters and arranged / remixed music from their respective game. Since I usually like starting from the beginning, I started playing Persona 3 Dancing in Moonlight.
My initial impressions of the game are... well... just okay. I love that I can listen to the Japanese voicing with English subtitles. I love that I can interact with various characters, especially with Mitsuru. I love that the characters dance (even though I'm too busy pressing notes to really see them dancing), but... the song list itself just isn't cutting it for me all that much. I think out of all the songs I've played so far (over 20 songs I think), there are around 3-4 songs that I really, really enjoy.
Despite the song list, though, I'm gonna keep at it -- I want to try to get the Platinum trophy, or as close as I can to the Platinum trophy.
I also have to say: playing this really makes me want to re-play Persona 3!
That's it for this blog. Thanks for reading!
As usual, if you have any questions / comments, feel free.
Take care, have a good week, and until next time! :)
So here's an updated "Christmas" wishlist. Again, as I've said in my last wishlist blogs, this is just for fun -- I don't expect anybody reading this to buy me anything. It is just fun to dream sometimes and well -- just by reading this blog you have already given me a really wonderful gift! If this is your first time here, keep reading to find out what I mean ;) There aren't too many things listed this time, since my room is still running out of space very badly. I'd love to put on my wishlist an empty room to just store my stuffs, but I'm not going to do that! I gotta keep this list at least somewhat real, hahaha. :3
As mentioned in my last entries, 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 blogs that still apply, though I will remove all commentary. Check the old blogs for commentary on them. If you are curious at all, below are links to my old wishlist entries: "Christmas" Wishlist 2013 "Christmas" Wishlist 2015
The Always-Good-for-Me-Gifts
Now these gifts are always appreciated because I use / consume these throughout the year.
From the old blogs: -Chapters gift card -PSN game card
-Potato Chips (nothing cheese-flavoured or spicy / hot)
NEW: -iTunes gift card: I kinda just like the versatility with this gift card. I can buy songs off, well, iTunes, and I can sometimes rent movies digitally for very cheap. Since I only buy songs that I really, really like and rent movies when they are very cheap, an iTunes gift card can last quite a long time. -Google Play gift card: Similar to the iTunes gift card, I like the versatility with this one. Also... since I am wayyyy too addicted to Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius, and with SINoALICE coming in the new year, I might end up going through these more frequently. Also, I discovered recently that I can purchase / rent shows / movies off of YouTube with Google Play funds, meaning... well... Google's gonna be getting a lot of my money, hahaha... ^-^''
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 blogs: -Nothing from the old blogs
NEW:
-428: Shibuya Scramble soundtrack: No matter what anybody says, I love the soundtrack to 428: Shibuya Scramble! It's varied enough and is able to evoke a bunch of different emotions from me. Even talking about this makes me want to play through the game again, 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 blogs: -Good, warm gloves (if wind can cut through them, they are not warm... u__u) -A good external computer hard drive
NEW:
-Nintendo Switch: It seems like I like listing Nintendo consoles on my wishlist (I listed the Wii U in my previous wishlist). I'm just very laxed with getting them myself, 'cuz my Wii is still hooked up to the TV and I still have games to play on it. I want a Nintendo Switch mainly for the new Smash Brothers game plus Shin Megami Tensei V... and for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, now that I had a chance to play it a few days ago.
-Some kind of digital camera: Well, with my phone doing a horrible job of recording my last couple karaoke sessions (the audio kept fluctuating between soft and loud), I'm starting to think I should get a digital camera just for recording. 'Cuz, well... I wanna keep a record of my singing voice while it's still kinda decent... I do have videos already from past karaoke sessions, but I want some recordings of recent songs, too.
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 -Persona Q-themed 3DS XL
NEW:
-Surprisingly, nothing this time. I was tempted to list the Solaire Amiibo, since I think having a Solaire figure would be really awesome. But... another Solaire figure exists on Fangamer and is in-stock. Now, if that were to sell out and I can't find any other places but eBay listing it and I don't have one yet, I'll be sure to mention a Solaire figure in my future "Christmas" wishlist blog. And, as always, as I've said in both my previous blogs, Time is the best gift of all for me. I don't think that would ever change. Maybe I'll go a bit more in-depth about why in a future blog. So... to you who have given a bit of your own time to read this blog (and any other entries you may have read) -- thank you for the wonderful gift! *bows* ^____^ <3 What sort of things are on your wishlist this year? Feel free to comment about anything. Take care and until next time! :)
