Manga Match 36 Love Barometer

Well, I've been busier than ever these days. I don't know how people work and go to school full time. If I had to do this for a sustained amount of time I might actually die. It kind of sucks working three days a week and going to school for the other 4. Seriously draining. On a happier note though, the weather today was really nice. It was clear blue July skies and the planes flying through look suspended in time and space. It kind of how I imagine being a fish and looking up to see a whale above swimming along serenely. I might just have a weird affinity for whales if I'm being honest. Once I wrote a story, god knows it's been a long time since I've written anything, about whales and noise pollution. Well, actually it was for a scholarship contest, but I misread the deadline and never ended up being able to submit it which is a shame. It was pretty good for my writing at the time...not that it's gotten any better because I haven't been writing anything at all recently.

{Spoilers}

I think it's becoming more apparent to me that in a lot of these romance manga/manhwa I've been reading these days there contains this message about judgment and terrible people in this world. A lot of the time the protagonist will be dogged by these judgments and people, and I've just been thinking that this kind of story line is so common and how reading so many of these where the protagonist goes through this similar thing of rumors going around about them and about misunderstandings among other things is really a reminder of how we shouldn't judge people because we don't know their full story. Funny enough though, this kind of mindset makes me overly empathetic and I sometimes fail to cut out toxic people fast enough because I give them too much of the benefit of the doubt. This was so off topic and probably no one understood that train of thought, not even me lol.

Okay, right off the bat I've got to be honest and say the art style didn't really appeal to me at the beginning of the manhwa. I wasn't immediately sucked into this world, and I didn't really know if I wanted to be. I almost didn't even read the entire first chapter before doubting if I would really stick it out until the end. However, I decided to pursue it, just to see how far I could get before something either caught my eye or turned me away from the series altogether. And the thing that caught my eye was Sado's strawberry point. Like his shirt was strawberry themed, his socks, his food, his phone charm. It was a weird thing to hold me to the series, but that's really what made me keep reading. Then, after the strawberry thing wore, off I became attached to this pure romance that was blooming between Chaewoon and Sado. The way that Sado showed his steadfast affection for Chaewoon and the way that they both cared for each other really just did something for my heart. Maybe it was because the creator wrote both of them as such righteous characters that were so admirable that it just seemed so right to see them end up together. Every single scene where they were goofy and in love just left all of these warm fuzzies into my heart that I didn't invite, but ones that just nestled their way in.

And it wasn't just a two dimensional story, no. It held within it commentary on other characters that are prevalent archetypes in romance manhwa like the jealous popular girl and the sleazy guy that everyone falls for. In the case of the guy, it was more of a lesson on how perspective is everything. At the time, when Chaewoon was a freshman she thought that that guy was amazing and all-powerful, but then two years later she was able to step back and with Sado's help, come to realize that in actuality he was just a weak and shallow guy that had no power over her. Sounds kind of cheesy when I recap, but I think if you've ever been through a relationship with a guy kind of like that you'd be reassured. Mhm. And then in the case of the jealous popular girl, Hanna, it goes more into her inferiority complex. Her story probably resonated a little bit too much with me. The whole comparison thing really hit home. Comparison really is the thief of happiness, but for some reason it seems to always come back and haunt me. I'm not trying to say that Hanna wasn't to blame or anything, but she had her reasons for what she did and how she reacted.

And then can we just talk about Sado and his relationship with his family? First of all his relationship with his sisters right away was just the most adorable thing. But then once it goes further into why exactly he's so nice to them and how for the first little while he didn't even know they existed was really shocking and intense. Nevertheless, I'm glad that although Sado's mom and dad were questionable folks, at least he and his sisters had their grandparents and were able to grow up into outstanding members of society with hearts of gold.

So, there's that. I'd like to say that after reading all of these romance manhwa that I've suddenly become some sort of love expert, however that's sadly not the case lol. Oh well heh :') I can't really justify reading all of these, but it's a great way to spend time in my three hour long stats class. *yikes*

Oh, and this has a really great bonus arc at the end. Besides the part where it shows what would've happened if Sado and Chaewoon would've met in high school instead of college, the historical drama bonus arc was amazing. Like A1 quality right there. 10/10 would read the whole series just for that. I mean, it's not even that long, only 60 episodes.

Yep, so if you're looking for a love story so sweet you'll get a toothache (idk what that feels like tbh it's just an expression) this is the love story you're looking for. It's got nice development, a great supporting cast, and many doki-doki times.

TBH I choked when he said the Oxford dictionary was in the pillow. Like honestly I've also thought about sleeping with my textbook underneath my pillow in hopes of information osmosis occurring lol

asdfghjkl; poor Mingyu this pure boi is a very cute cupid and I hope he finds happiness in the future

:') this was just really funny with Sado shining like the sun

Can you tell I only screenshotted really amusing stuff this time? Heh. Also, lowkey I thing Jangyu liked Chaewoon as well :((((( which makes me kind of sad because he's a great guy, but he's even greater for letting Chaewoon x Sado happen

Anime ATM 84 Fireworks {Uchiage Hanabi, Shita kara Miru ka? Yoko kara Miru ka?}

In July I had my first experience seeing an anime movie on the big screen. It was a memorable Tuesday night, in the car with my two high school friends in the seats in front of me, just making it to watch the movie in time with one of my friend's cousin who happens to go to the same uni as me. It's truly a small world.

{Spoilers}

And in the darkened ambiance of the movie theater I witnessed a movie that was probably thought of by someone on LSD. LOL well maybe not quite that, but that's the only way I can really explain it.

The reason I say it was created under the influence of drugs was because it was like a weird mashup of different time travel anime that my friends and I have watched (I say this because afterwards we had a long-winded talk about anime and the movie and how it was Steins Gate-esque (I can't say how true that is because I haven't watched that particular anime yet, but that's what all the guys were saying lol)), Spirited Away (because of that ghost train on the ocean), Free! (because swimming), Nagi no Asukara (because the girl's hair was a similar color and it was in a rural beachy environment), and Disney (because of the weird Cinderella sequence in the middle). You could probably liken it to tons more anime, but the point was it was so eerily familiar, but at the same time such a strange experience that no one really knew how to feel about it. We all just walked out kind of shook. You know what I really like though, that got me interested in the anime? The song they used for publicity. That song really does something for me. But everything other than that just seemed so bizarre.

It was basically just a bunch of misunderstandings and regrets between the two main characters and time travel to make everything more wack. At every point that the MC thought something could've gone better and resulted in a more pleasing outcome he just created an entirely new world in which that "what if" scenario became reality. However, along the way he realized that he couldn't keep running from the reality of the situation because it never felt like winning even if the fake realms held a more favorable outcome. So at the very end when the two of them are swimming in the water and looking at these wack fireworks in the sky, or maybe in the sea who even knows what was really going on, and she asks what kind of world they'll end up in next...you're left hanging. There's no real closure. What was I supposed to learn from that? That something can be visually beautiful and make absolutely no sense otherwise? Yep. That you can't run away from reality? Yep life's already taught me that one plenty of times. That morally there were a lot of questionable things in this anime but they were kind of brushed over because it was from the guy's perspective? Yep. I wonder how this would've turned out if it were told from the girl's POV. I honestly think it would've been more interesting and a more interesting twist. It's like in Haruhi Suzumiya how it would've been more interesting to see Haruhi's POV rather than Kyon's, but we weren't exactly given options to choose from now were we? Alas, what we were handed is what we've got and what I got did not leave me satisfied. It was pretty and that song gets me feeling some type of way whenever I blast it in my car, but I didn't feel like I truly enjoyed watching it.

Also this is so random but I had a life crisis when they started talking about if fireworks were circular or flat from the side. And then it messed with my mind more when he made those different worlds in which sometimes they were circular and sometimes they were flat. I wonder if that was symbolic for something. Like the side character guys who made a bet on whether they were flat or round. What was the point?

Overall, it's a fun watch I guess if you like things that end up ridiculously fantastical and have a grand mashup of a lot of things. I'm sure if you really wanted to there's a lot of things in this movie that you could analyze and unpack, but if that's what you're here for...lol idk where you got the impression that I could provide that kind of quality content for you.

{LOL there's obviously no screenshots since I saw this in theaters sorry}

Anime ATM 83 Yuru Camp

8 July 2018

Hmmmm I had meant to watch an anime or complete a manga earlier on last month to give a more current life update, but with summer school at my local cc and my part-time job, as well as finding time to catch up with the friends in my hometown it's been hard finding time to sit down and relax watching anime. So I made time for family and anime by actually watching this anime with my sister. She's really young still, still an elementary school kid so she gets kind of lonely sometimes because of the age gap between the two of us, what with our interests not overlapping all that much and her boundless energy while mine has slowly withered away into a dismal spark. So yeah, it was a good bonding experience for us to have and I think it's safe to say that she really enjoyed it.

{Spoilers, but this is a slice of life about camping so there's really none lol}

So this is an anime about camping. I first became interested in the anime when I think I saw an Facebook clip of Rin riding on her scooter behind a car when suddenly a dog pops its head out the back window of the car and stares at her and then that car goes away only to reveal another car with dogs in the window and then another car with a pack of dogs peering out the window, and for some reason the dog lover in me just needed to watch this anime to see more of this.

It focuses around this group of high school girls that live in the countryside and love to go camping. This especially focuses on winter camping. I can't really vouch for how accurate or how well this teaches you about camping or gives you false expectations on what camping is like, like my friend A's cousin said it was so inaccurate, but I don't know because I stay inside all day. Literally. My job's inside, my hobbies are all inside activities, etc. And honestly that's all I can really say. It's just a bunch of cute girls discovering the joys of camping. One of the main girls, Rin, is used to camping alone and for most of the show would decline Nadeshiko's invitations to go camping with their school's Outdoor Club. But by the end she's found out about how enjoyable camping with other people is.

Just a warning, this show has absolutely no plot. There is no substance to this show. It's purely fluffy and meant just to be a happy and simple time. Perhaps a show to eat with a meal or give you some inspiration to go outdoors. But really, there's no plot or anything of the sort. It's just camping. And it's got a very relaxing art style, like all the girls have the droopy eyes and are bundled up for the cold. And in this summer heat it really feels refreshing to see these girls all bundled up and cozy. There's just something about the ambiance and the relaxing factor of this anime that I would really recommend. Like the gentle music they play and the scenic shots of Mount Fuji are just so quaint and lovely.

Shimarin is so cute and precious and independent so cool~

these scenic shots thoughhh

If you like cute dogs this is a good show. They're not the focal point but they're still beautiful. Look at Chikuwa wearing a puffer and a bunny ears hat like so precious asdfghjkl;

Manga Match 35 We Broke Up

So yesterday I watched Thor: Ragnarok on Netflix with my dad and he fell asleep in the middle of the movie. LOL I love movie nights with my family. This was super random but ya know sometimes I just have really random thoughts.

{Spoilers except it's so heart-wrenching but at the same time like La La Land heart-wrenching so you lowkey already know what's gonna happen but it still hurts ya know?}

So it starts off with this couple named Woori and Wonyoung and how they were forced to live together due to financial difficulty after they broke up. However, the reason they broke up is the reason why many couples find it difficult to stay together: they got too used to each other. It's the sad truth that after you spend too much time together it can be hard to see what you first liked about the person and keep finding new things to love about them. So in a way you can't really fault either party for the breakup; it was mutual. And so this is the story of how they navigate this weird limbo in which they live with one another but aren't together. Woori eventually finds a new romantic interest in Hyunwoo, and while it seems to go well at first, when they begin to form a more intimate relationship, something's holding Woori back from fully committing to this perfectly nice guy. And at the same time Wonyoung is getting a jumpstart on his music career after so long. And though there are girls interested in him, when he sees Woori so happy with another guy it stirs up those nostalgic feelings of long ago when Woori and he were happily in love. And it's sad really to see your past play out and seeing someone who you were once so close with being happy with someone else. So you can't really help but feel for Wonyoung, or at least that was me. And at the same time Woori was also having a hard time letting go of Wonyoung because he kept giving all the signs of wanting her back. This led to a difficult and very adult situation where the two of them really had to evaluate their relationship where it stood. And that meant that even though the relationship between the two of them could be rekindling, it didn't mean they had to stoke the fire. So instead of getting back together, Woori had to be the adult and tell Wonyoung that whatever bond they had shared in the past was a wonderful thing, but it was still in the past. Even if they got back together, the past would repeat itself and they would run into the same problems. And so the two of them parted ways and were able to grow in their careers and just grow in general into two very successful adults. But it was sad. It was like in La La Land where they could've had a life together if they had just stayed, but they sacrificed that for a successful career. And it leaves a lot of "what if" questions too, which are some of the worst questions. Like what if they had moved out of that shared apartment from the start? What if she had said yes to getting back together? What if Wonyoung didn't have a girlfriend when they met years later at that wedding? What if Woori had stayed with Hyunwoo? What if Woori never dated Hyunwoo in the first place? There's just so many what if's that could've happened that would've resulted in a different outcome. Sure it's a realistic interpretation of what probably would've happened in that situation, but it still makes me sad knowing that their love wasn't meant to last.

Yeah, so if you're looking for a heart-wrenching, La La Land-esque manhwa I think this would be a good one. It's got a pretty engaging storyline and it's just really sad in a way that I don't think I'll ever get sick of. It's a glamorized reality for sure, but I think the aspect of reality it does cover is one that always hits too close to home. It was a good read.

Hngggh Hyunwoo was such a nice guy

LOOK IT'S AN ORANGE MARMALADE REF

Yeah, it just really hit me in the feels this song. This kind of feeling just hits me right in the heart without fail.

Manga Match 34 AFO-Guard

Hello!!!! I've started taking summer classes at my local community college and it's totally brutal. I haven't had much time at all to watch anime with my school work, the fact that it's 3 hours straight of stats 4 days out of the week, and then the 3 or so days I have "free" I'm working at my part-time job so that I can at least help my parents out by paying for community college. Yep, so I've been decently busy since ending my first year of university, but I think it'll be alright.

{Spoilers, but it's a rom-com so you already know what's going to happen}

So there's this horse, excuse me I mean school girl, named Katori and she goes to this really weird co-ed school that made it so that all of the girls need to wear masks in the vicinity of the school in order for their school to be more academic based and not have any romantic encounters. But they're not just any masks, they're really strange. My favorite is the girl that wears a microwave on her head as a mask. At that point I'm not even sure it counts as a mask, more like a helmet, but okay whatever works right? I used to pretend like I could remember everyone's names in these, but I'm only really good at remembering actual people's names who I have met soooooooooo the ugly truth comes out that I really can't remember anyone's names. Well this is awkward. BUT ANYWAYS yeah I really like the microwave girl and I think her awkward romance with the really sporty golden boy is cute. Honestly the three main ships with the student council guy that secretly likes the shrine girl and then microwave girl with sporty golden boy and then the two childhood friends with the horse shtick are all normal in the way that it's a boy and a girl and they like each other, but not normal because they have masks. And for that unusual premise I really enjoyed reading this. Yep, so I just watched mostly for comedic relief...and I might've been reading it instead of studying for finals but it's alright. Heh. Oh and surprisingly the childhood friend trope wasn't my favorite ship this time around. Microwave girl for the win.

Sometimes I just think about Katori and her horse mask. Like honestly I'd like to meet the author and ask, why of all things a horse mask? Okay that was really random, but I don't have much to say about this manga? It was good and served its purpose.

Yep, so if you're looking for your basic slice of life and shoujo manga with a really entertaining twist you should check this one out.