Watching Anime During COVID-19

Whether you are considered "essential" for work, working from home now, or unfortunately lost your job, we are all experiencing some extra time on our hands since leisurely things are closed off from the world due to the current worldwide pandemic that is COVID-19, a type of coronavirus. With this free time we have staying at home, one of the great things about being an otaku during this time is the fact that we can watch anime!

Is Japan Really the Land of Anime?

Many foreign countries have had the pleasure of being introduced to Japanese culture whether it be through food, art and, of course, anime. Anime is the Japanese word for animation (any kind of animation), but to the world outside of Japan it is distinctly referenced to animation from Japan. With that said, would would think something like anime would be all over the place in Japan. The reality of it is that it can actually be pretty had to come by.

Top 5 Romance Anime

I've already done a favorite anime and favorite shojo manga list, so I'm going to try and make this list as different as possible. What I consider to be good romance anime is something that makes me really feel the emotions of love. This is a hard list to make because a lot of romance anime are fused with other genres such as fantasy, slice of life, comedy and drama. You may not see your favorite romance anime in this list because I'm only mentioning my favorites that are really hardcore romance (like I wouldn't suggest these to my guy friends because they'd totally not enjoy these). Let's get this started!

Anime Analysis: Sports Genre Anime

It's been a while since I've done an "anime analysis" post. Anime is not my main focus for my bog but I do love anime and manga, and I do enjoy talking about them so occasionally you'll see an anime related blog post. I didn't really give this "anime analysis" much thought until recently thanks to a few friends of mine from both sides of the spectrum.

I'm going to be casually discussing the workings of the sports genre in anime, and why you should not let one anime ruin your image of all the others (I'll be talking from personal experiences).

My Favorite Shounen Manga

I previously wrote a blog on my favorite manga that are all shojo series which you can read here. I mostly read shojo manga because I get the whole story from the manga unlike the anime that usually stops short. It's the opposite for shounen series. I usually watch shounen anime and barely read the manga. Most of the shounen series involves fighting anyway so I rather just watch the action happen than look though pages. I will consider a series good if it has a great plot. If the series has no plot I just can't get into it. Since this is titled as favorites you know these series I'm about to mention have to be good because I'm super picky about shounen series.

Please keep in mind my list will only consist of series that I have read, so your favorite may not be on this list.

Anime Cafes in Japan

While in Japan, I had the opportunity to experience an anime cafe. My love for Japan started off with anime and manga, so it only seemed natural that I'd want to visit an anime cafe. I always saw them in other articles and pictures and just knew I had to go for myself. Anime cafes are typical cafes but they feature some sort of anime, mostly popular anime. The food, drinks and venue will correspond with the anime theme. These cafes usually have cafe type foods, so don't expect any Japanese food at these places. The big hype about anime cafes is the fact that it celebrates anime.

Top 5 Thriller/Horror Anime

Halloween is always a good time to watch some scary movies, but what's better than that is scary anime! Now, the term scary can't be defined for every person alive. Everybody is going to have their own opinion of what is scary or not. In my opinion, there aren't too many anime out there that are truly scary but there are a ton of anime that freak me out and possibly keep the lights on. I will be giving my top 5 thriller/scary anime that I recommend people to watch if they're looking for something a bit darker and creepy than the usual stuff.

NO SPOILERS!!! Promise!

Anime Analysis: Death Parade

I’ve been asked many times to do anime reviews. I’ve declined these requests because I find reviews to be a pain. Why should I give my opinion on something when people aren’t really interested in my opinion? And not only that, I need to try to sound smart in my review because my pure enjoyment of the anime alone doesn’t count. There are tons of anime that I really like that have a lot of problems in it, but people seem to think if there are a lot of problems with it, then it’s no good. This is why I can’t do reviews. That and it feels like I’m back in my freshman English class critiquing a story for each element such as plot, character, setting, and so on.

I would rather write on a deeper level when it comes to anime because anime is more than a cartoon. Anime has the ability to each people values and lessons in life. I know many anime that has inspired me in ways reality can’t. So instead of anime reviews, you’ll be seeing anime analysis posts from me, starting with this one.

Female Anime Characters as My Role Models

It's amazing how people choose role models. Most of the time they're real people such as family, celebrities, or maybe just a random person they've met. I can't say I truly have a role model who is real. There's not too many people I can actually look up to in real life, as sad as that sounds. The reason for this most likely comes from my own sense of morals I have developed over the years. My morals are greatly influenced by Japanese culture, a culture that is unique to the country. So as you can see, I can't really look up to many people in real life. Don't get me wrong, there are some things I can recognize in a few people that are notable qualities but it doesn't measure up to the nonredeemable parts. But it's okay if I don't have a real life role model. A role model doesn't have to be physically by you all the time, just somebody you can look up to.

I found my role models through anime. I have watched many anime and read a ton of manga. There are so many anime that I've seen that some shows are a distant memory, making room for new shows as they come out. But there are those anime that just stand out and will be remembered forever. I have quite a few anime like this, that were so life changing that I'd never forget the characters' names or the plot of the story. In the anime that are most important to me are characters that I can look up to and really improve myself through their characteristics.

Here are my female anime character role models!

Manga in Japan

Manga are Japanese comics, referred to in America as graphic novels. Manga authors are the most populated authors in Japan, publishing many manga each year. When you go into any bookstore in Japan you can be sure there will be lots of manga on the shelves.

I will talk about manga's role in America at a later time but I'd like to first introduce manga from Japan's standpoint. 

Manga is a common type of book in Japan. Imagine a bookstore in your country. You have your common literature section and then the books start to branch out into sections like young adult, poetry, science, sports, etc. If you've taken notice, literature will most likely be the largest section of all the sections at the bookstore. Now think of that literature section and turn it into manga. That's how it is in Japan. Bookstores in Japan have sections too but manga is the biggest section.

Manga series called Tokyo Crazy Paradise.
Not licensed in America.

It is common to read manga in Japan. There are many Japanese people who read manga whether it be for enjoyment or passing time during their day. Manga is known as the original content to anime, so manga is a great way to get into anime. Nonetheless, in Japan, if you read manga it doesn't mean you like anime. The reason for this is because manga is the common literature in Japan. It is literally everywhere and easy to obtain. This makes manga a popular source for reading material. Anime is still considered a Japanese cartoon no matter its projected audience, so if a person has no interest in watching a cartoon they won't watch anime. Yet, that anime could be derived from a manga. So to restate, just because a person in Japan reads manga doesn't mean they like anime. The two don't equal up in Japan. They are two separate interests.

Manga is a great source of enjoyment in Japan. Of course a Japanese manga is written in Japanese, so you would need to know how to read Japanese. To read Japanese manga you can get by with knowing only hiragana which is the easiest form of reading, in my opinion. There are kanji used in manga but many manga have tiny hiragana next to the kanji so it's a great way to study the language. You'll also have to have a good vocabulary in order to understand the words. If not, you can always have a Japanese to English dictionary on hand to assist you when needed.

Japanese version of the manga Reimei no Arcana (Dawn of the Arcana).

If you ever get to go to Japan I suggest taking a stroll through a book store. It is a sight to see. Maybe even pick up a manga. Even if you may not understand the contents of a manga it can be a great souvenir to bring back with you. And yes, I own a few volumes of Japanese manga.

I hope you enjoyed this post. If you liked this one you should check out of few others I've done. Thanks for reading!

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The Best Ways to Learn Japanese Casually

There are three kinds of people learning Japanese. First, there are the hard core learners. These people have their heads in the books like crazy trying to learn the language. Some even take a big step forward and move to Japan in order to learn and surround themselves in the language. The second kind of people are the ones who took the introduction classes to Japanese in school but never pursued it further, so the only Japanese they know are the extreme basics. This also goes for the people who only watch anime and just retains the basics. And then there are people like me, the ones who casually learn Japanese. These people are not fluent in Japanese but they shouldn't claim to not know Japanese because they've retained and gained more out of the language than most people.

Today I'm going to be discussing my learning process in hopes to help those of you in my situation and for those who simply would like to learn some Japanese easily and with no stress.

Let me explain my situation first. I'm in my mid-twenties right now. I've graduated from college and have a full time job that has nothing to do with my major. I'm happily married and have a ton of friends I still keep up with from college. I've had the wonderful opportunity to study abroad in Japan for a summer and to go back to Japan for my honeymoon. So here's the question, how am I going to learn Japanese? I'm not planning to move to Japan because of my developing life here in America, so I won't learn that way. I can't take classes because it'll cost money that can be better used for life stuff and actual trips to Japan. There are my old textbooks from my Japanese classes I could use, but who has the time to sit down and focus on studying? I wake up, go to work, get home in the evening, blog (my life goal is to become a writer), take care of our dog, spend time with my husband, and then go to bed to do it all over again. One weekends we can substitute work with hanging out with friends since that's the only time I get to see them. I have no time to look at textbooks and learn Japanese that way. I have other ways of learning Japanese and I'd like to share it with you!

Japanese Dramas

Hana Yori Dango
"Boys Over Flowers"

I know what some people are already going to say. "What about anime!?!" There are two things wrong with anime. 1. Anime mostly has casual speaking that can be considered very rude, and if there is polite speaking in an anime it's a soldier of some sort speaking to a captain. This is not useful. 2. Anime is getting so imaginative lately that the vocabulary in them are useless to people wanting to speak Japanese. Now dramas on the other hand are great study guides. With dramas, you are watching real Japanese people speaking Japanese that you should be learning. Listen to their pronunciation and what they're saying. Pause the drama and try to repeat what they said. Watch the same episode of the drama again to get a feel for the vocabulary being used. You'll start to get a grasp of what the actors are saying and you'll be able to say it too.

Maiko Fujita, a J-pop singer.

Japanese Music

I love listening to Japanese music. Not only is it fun but you can learn Japanese this way too. Listen to the words and how the singer is naturally getting his/her words out. Repeatedly listen to the same song over and over again and try to sing along to the music. Then look up the lyrics to the song and sing along with the lyrics in hand. Once you've got the song memorized go back to the lyrics and try to translate them yourself. Look up the real translation and see how you did. Then you can go on to another song and start the process over again.

Phone Apps

Screenshot of the apps on my phone.
And yes, that's my doge.

I finally found an important use for my phone. There are phone apps available to teach you Japanese! Yeah, there are some that are not too good, but I found a few that are actually worth using and that are free!

AnkiDroid- this app is used like flash cards. there are a ton of downloadable flashcards to practice Japanese with. I use the flashcards titled "Human Japanese." These specific cards help me with vocabulary and sentence structure. And just like flashcards if you don't know the answer you can put the card back in the pile to try to answer it again later.

Obenkyo- This is another great app I use. It's a study guide app that let's you test on the material you studied. The tests are multiple choice. The app even takes your score and shows you your progress on the tests. You can test yourself on hiragana, katakana, kanji, numbers, vocabulary, and particles.

Japanese Manga

Japanese and English manga side by side.

This is definitely for the more advanced. To study this way you have to know how to read hiragana and katakana and you have to have a lot of vocabulary down. I have Japanese manga of manga that was translated already in English. What you do is you read the English manga first to get a feel for what kind of vocabulary you'll be using. Then grab a notebook and pen to write your translation of the Japanese manga. Once you're done translating, you can go check yourself using the English translation. I have used this way once so far. It's difficult so only study this way when you are confident about your Japanese reading skills.

I hope these methods help you study Japanese. They're fun and non-traditional ways to study and learn Japanese. These are the only ways I study due to my schedule and I find it helps me retain the Japanese I've learned so far and gain a little more. Remember, if you don't use it you'll lose it. So keep studying and have fun with it.

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My Top 5 Anime for Beginners

Let me start by saying the key to introducing anime to newcomers are getting anime that represents the anime world as a whole and length. The anime world is full of everything, from mechas, to high school life, to the supernatural, and much more. This creates a world of fantasy, and if done well it can be a beautiful thing that is enjoyable to watch. But you shouldn't overload on these qualities on newcomers. You want to ease their way into the anime world by showing them anime they can somehow relate to whether it's through character development or anything typical in a story. Regarding length, you obviously don't want to overwhelm them in episodes. Choose anime that don't go over 100 episodes. You can show them anime with around 12 episodes, but these anime typically don't have enough time for story development which I feel is an important thing to have in anime for newcomers. The anime I choose are about 26 episodes, with two being an exception.

These top five are in no particular order. They are just five anime I feel are perfect for beginners. I'm talking about friends or loved ones who are not anime fans and seem reluctant to give it a try even though it may be important to you. I'm suggesting these five anime from personal experience from a male friend of mine who had no interest in anime even though he as a child he watched Dragonball without knowing it was anime. My friend was so set on not giving anime a try until I showed him these five anime. They each have their own qualities that I feel can reach out to a wide range of audiences.

Let's begin!

1) Ouran High School Host Club

This anime is about a commoner girl who has earned a scholarship to an elite high school full of rich kids. She enters the school with little concern for her appearance as she dresses in the boys uniform due to costs. In the first episode she stumbles upon "the host club, an elite club of rich and handsome boys who have too much time on their hands that entertain young ladies who also have way too much time on their hands." After the girl breaks an 8 million yen vase that she can't repay, she ends up working for the host club as a male host.

The reason why I believe this is a great series for beginners is for the comedy. The characters and the situations they put themselves in are entertaining to watch. If you or your friends like to have good laughs, then this is the anime to watch. Ouran High School Host Club has 26 episodes and is licensed by Funimation. The dubbed and subbed versions can also be viewed on Hulu for free.

2) Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

There are two versions of the anime, both excellent in their own way, but for the purpose of my friend's experience with anime I will be talking about this one. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood follows the original content from the manga series. There are these two brothers trying to bring back their deceased mother using alchemy they've picked up from their father's studies. After their horrible failure in resurrecting their mother, one brother loses an arm and a leg while the other loses his whole body. Luckily, the oldest brother attaches the younger brother's soul to a suit of armor. These brothers set out to find the philosopher's stone, a stone that is said to enhance the powers of an alchemist. While on their journey, they start to uncover secrets of the philosopher's stone.

This series is 64 episodes of intense story and diverse characters that keep you locked into the series. The series is licensed by Funimation and can be watched on Hulu with all episodes subbed and dubbed slowly being released.

3) Cowboy Bebop

This series takes place in the distant future where bounty hunters roam the solar system. The series follows two bounty hunts on their journey to obtain bounty rewards as they come across characters who add a little crazy to their lives.

This classic is a good example of what anime can do. Every anime fan knows this series and is the number one must watch anime on almost every list. It's the most well-known series in the industry for its unique setting and great, memorable characters. This series of 26 episodes is licensed by Funimation and can be streamed on Hulu with all episodes in sub while dub is becoming available.

4) Fruits Basket

Even though this anime is labeled as shojo, it offers a fun and emotional story that can be enjoyed by anyone. Our main character lives in a tent on the property of the Sohma family because her mother passed away and she doesn't want to inconvenience any of her family members. The Sohma boys living on the property takes the girl in and she ends up discovering their family secret: the members of the Sohma family who are cursed change into an animal of the Chinese Zodiac when hugged by the opposite sex. As hilarious as this can be, at moments you can see the struggle of these characters and their situations. 

My friend was doubtful about watching this series purely on it's dvd covers, but once he watched a few episodes he was hooked. I remember my friend even asked to bring my dvds home because he didn't want to wait to watch the end. This anime is also licensed by Funimation and can be found on Hulu in subs and dubs of all 26 episodes.

5) Death Note

This anime is about a high school boy who comes across a notebook called the death note. He uses the book to escaping his boring life and to get rid of all the crime he's surrounded by. The book can kill anyone whose name is written in it. The boy starts to play God with this new found power of the death note. All the suspicious deaths the boy is creating attracts the attention of a genius detective.

This is probably not for a younger audience as there's a lot of violence. It's a thriller anime that has become iconic for the years. It deals with the concept of what a hero is. This anime is licensed by Viz Media, containing 37 episodes. It can be found subbed and dubbed on Hulu.

That's it for my top 5 anime for beginners. I hope this helps with people new to anime or people who want to get others involved in anime. Leave a comment if you'd like of the first anime that got you into the anime scene.

Thanks for reading. Until next time!

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I Like Anime so I Must Like Japan

I’m talking about this in length because I feel it’s very important for people to understand. Let’s be realistic, it doesn’t work that way.

If you decide to go visit Japan only for the reason of liking anime you will most likely be very disappoint. It's okay to like anime, I love anime, but it can't be the only thing. The reason for this is because your expectations are on a different level. Your journey to Japan won’t be like an anime. Anime is a work of fiction set in Japan. These characters you watch from your favorite anime have lives in Japan. You don’t. You live in your home country and you want to go visit Japan. Some of you may not even have Japanese friends to visit. You will either be traveling alone, traveling with a friend or spouse, or you will be meeting up with a friend who moved to Japan. It will be more comforting to travel with someone or to meet up with someone but some people aren’t that fortunate.

Your mind set will be a big factor for whether you enjoy Japan or not. Japan has a lot to other. It’s a country filled with history and a unique culture. Liking anime will not be enough for you to fully enjoy Japan.

Now, this doesn’t apply to everyone but I’ve seen it happen before.

Story time!

I made a friend in my Japanese 1001 class. She really liked anime, and still does. We became really good friends and we both had the desire to travel to Japan. I was fortunate enough to be able to study abroad in Japan. I had a great time and I’m positive that it was due to my interest in the Japanese culture.

My friend swore that she’d go to Japan one day, and she made it happen before she graduated from college. She planned a two week trip to Japan as her graduation present to herself. She worked all the details out knowing where she was going to go, what she was going to visit, and who she was going to stay with. She thought she’d have a great time in Japan because she would be staying with a friend of ours and that he would be able to take her around. She was terribly wrong! Our friend was an English teacher in Japan and had already started a life in Japan with his new friends. He had no time for her, and I don’t blame him. There are a lot of expectations when you're working in Japan (I'll discuss this in a later post).

She luckily got to see a few of the sights but came home a week early from her trip. She claims it was because she missed her boyfriend at the time. That sounded really suspicious to me and my friends because we all knew she never had an attachment to him. I felt her trip was cut short because Japan wasn’t what she expected. Her hopes were probably too high of it being like an anime. I think I even heard her complain once that Japan didn’t have nachos.

My friend wasn’t mentally prepared to go to Japan. Now that I look back on our friendship I never did hear her mention anything about Japan except for anime. That was probably the flaw in her trip. Now she ruined her whole image of Japan and will most likely have no interest to go back. It’s sad to see that happen to her because I know she has dreamed of going to Japan since high school. I don’t want to see that happen to anyone else. It’s sad to see someone’s dream just crumble like that. That’s why I’m advising anyone who is an anime fan to please give the Japanese culture a try if you haven't already. Research Japanese culture from books or going on YouTube, both are great resource. If you need any recommendations I recommend: Rachel and Jun, Sharla in Japan, Tomoko Tomoko, Micaela, and Texan in Tokyo.

I hope this helped you out and made you think a little bit more about Japan as a whole.

Until next time!

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My Favorite Anime

I get asked, "What's your favorite anime?" a lot. It's probably the worst question someone could ask an anime fan. It's just way too hard to pick one to be the best anime. It may be easy to some people, but for me it's just not possible because I love a lot of different anime for different reasons. It's just not a fair question for me. I usually answer by either naming an anime I grew up with like Inuyasha or just say I can't answer. If I were to answer their question it would be really long. They would pretty much get a lecture, it's that long. But it's easy to answer with a blog than talking about it in person.

So here it is, my favorite anime! I'll be naming all my favorite anime from each genre, excluding movie with Studio Ghibli as an exception. Yes, that's how it has to be. Like I said previously I can't name one anime because all my favorites has something to offer that the others just don't have. This list does not have any reflection on the manga. There will be no spoilers in this.
Let's get started!

Action

Kaze no Stigma

The action completes the series as a whole. Fights usually involve elemental powers which is a plus for me. It has other great qualities as an anime that blends in well with the action, nothing seemed forced.

More info: http://myanimelist.net/anime/1691/Kaze_no_Stigma

Adventure

Inuyasha

Inuyasha is a great adventure series. The anime is long, with a total of 193 episodes (not including the movies). Many people complain about the number of episodes but I find it enjoyable because an adventure is supposed to be long. You can see the characters develop and grow throughout the journey. 

More info: http://myanimelist.net/anime/249/InuYasha

Drama

Full Moon wo Sagashite (Full Moon)

Full Moon is an emotional roller-coaster. At times you're happy, then sad. It's like a light switch. I would find myself smiling proudly when the main character got on stage to sing, and then I would cry when circumstances just didn't go her way. You get invested in the main character and hope for the best for her.

More info: http://myanimelist.net/anime/122/Full_Moon_wo_Sagashite

Economical

Spice and Wolf

I had to make up this genre because a lot of anime have been following pursuit of this series, so it deserves its own genre. This anime makes you think in a way that you're trying to predict what the characters are going to do. The two main characters are basically trying to play the trading market. It's almost like they're playing a game. It's very entertaining and a breath of fresh air due to its uniqueness.

More info: http://myanimelist.net/anime/2966/Ookami_to_Koushinryou

Fantasy

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Fullmetal Alchemist had two series. This is the second one, the one that follows the author's original intent. The first one was rushed, making it feel flawed in my opinion. But no matter which series of Fullmetal Alchemist you watch the fantasy is the same. It's a world of science and magic. Things begin to happen that are way beyond one's imagination. It's a fun series with a dark side.

More info: http://myanimelist.net/anime/5114/Fullmetal_Alchemist:_Brotherhood

Historical

Rose of Versailles

This classic shoujo series brings the French Revolution to life. I was never a history buff and history was one of my worst subjects in school, yet I got to enjoy history through anime even though it was stretched out.

More info: http://myanimelist.net/anime/338/Rose_of_Versailles

Horror

Another

I have a weird sense of humor. I find anime horror to be hilarious and cool. Another has a bunch of deaths in it but leaves you wondering the real cause of it all. The deaths are very creative too. For those of you who are reading this but don't like anime there's a novel for Another, so you should check it out.

More info: http://myanimelist.net/anime/11111/Another

Inspirational

Kaleido Star

I made up another genre. It needs to happen though because so many anime have made me wish that I stuck through some clubs/activities in childhood. Kaleido Star is my favorite of them all (even though Glass Mask is right behind this one). Watching the main character try her hardest to get what she wants and works at it leaves me feeling very inspired.

More info: http://myanimelist.net/anime/427/Kaleido_Star

Magical Girl

Tokyo Mew Mew

My reason for giving Tokyo Mew Mew this spot is because it's a magical girl series that would make sense. Every other magical girl series has some magical, fictional creature that bestows girls with powers. In Tokyo Mew Mew the power are given to the girls due to science. I like that difference and it brings a refreshing concept to the magical genre.

More info: http://myanimelist.net/anime/687/Tokyo_Mew_Mew

Mech

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed

Out of all the gundam series I have to choose Mobile Suit Gundam Seed. It's not over kill like the other series. It has a bunch of action, mech fights, and really cool gundams (shout out to Strike Freedom), but it also focuses a lot on the government struggle and the drama between the characters. I haven't seen Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny yet, so what I said is only based on the first one.

And to those who say there are more mech anime than just gundam, you are correct. But I don't find any of those appealing besides Gurren Lagann, but it still has some problems for me. And not only that, but the gundam series made what the mech genre is today.

More info: http://myanimelist.net/anime/93/Mobile_Suit_Gundam_Seed

Psychological

Jigoku Shoujo (Hell Girl)

Psychological can make me think, but it shouldn't leave me hanging without some kind of resolution. That's what most psychological anime do to me, but not this one. Hell Girl is very psychological and doesn't need to use the excuse of being artistic to justify its meaning like some anime do. This anime really makes you think about the good and the bad in people. And I only suggest season one of the anime. The others kind of take a nose dive.

More info: http://myanimelist.net/anime/228/Jigoku_Shoujo

Romance

Fushigi Yugi

This anime gets my heart beating so fast, it's crazy! It's not a typical high school love because it takes place in ancient China. So time-travel plus romance equals amazing! This anime will make you happy, sad, and angry (this can happen all at the same time). It's great to watch and you won't miss out on anything from it's manga counterpart because it follows the exact story.

More info: http://myanimelist.net/anime/123/Fushigi_Yuugi

Samurai

Rurouni Kenshin

There's nothing like a great samurai story. It's historical, it's fun, and you can learn a lot about Japan from it. Rurouni Kenshin is the ideal samurai story. Not only is it a classic anime but it has even inspired Japanese film. 

More info: http://myanimelist.net/anime/45/Rurouni_Kenshin:_Meiji_Kenkaku_Romantan

Slice of Life

Nana

The title Nana comes from the names of the two main characters. They have the same name yet are total opposites. If you're looking for a slice of life anime this is it. These two girls live in an apartment together, so you get to see how they interact with one another and how they have changed each other's lives. 

More info: http://myanimelist.net/anime/877/Nana

Studio Ghibli

Howl's Moving Castle

Studio Ghibli films have become a genre for many anime fans. They bring concepts to their stories that no one anime can bring. My favorite is Howl's Moving Castle (with Spirited Away as a close second, too close). I feel this movie is very under appreciated. This movie keeps my attention and has me on my toes. You'll appreciate Howl's Moving Castle more with each watch. 

More info: http://myanimelist.net/anime/431/Howl_no_Ugoku_Shiro

Supernatural

Chrno Crusade

This anime brings a lot to the table, not just supernatural. But the supernatural parts are what brings this anime to the front of the list. It deals with demons, powers, magical contracts, spirits, religion, and a lot more. This anime excites me and has me on the edge. It's a must watch.

More info: http://myanimelist.net/anime/60/Chrno_Crusade

I hope you enjoyed my list. I totally stretched this list out but there's just way too many anime I like. Sorry if your favorite anime wasn't on here, but that's why it's called "My Favorite Anime." If you'd like to take a look at other anime that I've seen you can go to my profile from myanimelist here: http://myanimelist.net/profile/goddess05991

Also follow me on instagram: https://instagram.com/japantherapy/

Thanks for reading. See you next time!

Tokyopop is Coming Back!

I remember going into my second year of college when Tokyopop stopped publishing manga and closed their website. It was a very sad day for me and many other people. A lot of people gave up on Tokyopop and thought they'd never come back. I didn't give up, but I wasn't very hopeful either. Then I went to Anime Expo last week and found out Tokyopop was hosting a panel. I didn't know what to expect from this panel, what news they could possibly tell me, but to my surprise it was wonderful mews. They're coming back! They have a plan for getting themselves back into the industry and I think it's all a great idea.

Let me start from the beginning.

For those of you who don't know, Tokyopop was, and now is, a manga publishing company. You can only find their books online or at used book stores for now, but back when I first got into manga which was about 10-11 years ago their manga took up a lot of shelf space at book stores. I have some titles from them and still look for more online to collect. They licensed some of my favorite series such as Peach Girl, Girl Got Game, Vampire Game, and Wild Act. What happened to Tokyopop was that they got bankrupt. According to Stu, the CEO of Tokyopop, the bankruptcy happened because he moved too fast with the company. Stu started Tokyopop back in 1997. During that time manga was not as popular in the United States as it is today. Stu had a lot going on with publishing manga, mailing out magazines to loyal customers, managing a forum based website, and publishing original work that was not from Japan. With all that he did and the manga market not being that great at the time you can kind of see how they got into trouble with the business. So Stu had to close down. He sent out a mass letter to all the users of the website (I got the letter). To sum it up the letter said that the company was going bankrupt and that he was moving to Japan. A lot of people took this as him giving up on the company so he could go live in Japan or just him escaping to Japan. This made him very unpopular with people and he is well aware of this, as he as said this at the panel.

But that's all in the past. Now, they're looking to the future and they're going to take it slow this time. The first thing they're doing is creating a mobile app called Pop Comics. Stu got the idea from Japan. In Japan there's a trend going on with mobile publishing. It's a place for people to publish their stories on a phone app for people to read. It's very popular in Japan, and Stu is bringing this concept to America. Pop Comics is going to be in its beta testing phase soon. The people that can use this are people who make their own manga and people who want to read manga. For people interested in using this app it will be free to use for both Android and iPhones. For manga creators, you will have the rights to your work. Tokyopop will not own your work, you own your work. Be on the lookout for more details on Pop Comics if it seems like something you're interested in.

The other news I got from the Tokyopop panel is that they'll start publishing manga in 2016. The reason for it not being sooner is because they need time to obtain titles from Japanese companies. Think about it. When they stopped publishing years ago they couldn't pay the companies they were getting manga titles from. Now they have to build relationships back up with these companies. It's going to be hard because there are other manga publishing companies who have soared in the manga business such as Viz Media, Yen Press, and Kodansha Comics USA. Tokyopop has a lot of catching up to do. They know that too, but they are also aware that they need to take it slow. The manga they'll be publishing are Japanese licensed titles, Hollywood brands, and original stories. For the Japanese licensed titles they'll be obtaining the more obscure and undiscovered gems. If you have any manga suggestions that you know of in Japan that hasn't made in to America yet you can send your suggestions to info@tokyopop.com or communicate with them through their Facebook.

My favorite Tokyopop title.

The last bit of news is they want to go further with their YouTube page. It's not as active as they'd like right now, but they want to change that. One of the guys that works at Tokyopop manages the YouTube account and plans to start doing anime reviews. It's a good idea because reviews are becoming a popular thing in anime. He doesn't have any detailed plans for the review yet but he's taking suggestions for anime.

So look forward to Tokyopop's future. I'm super excited that they're coming back into the industry. I've been missing the manga they brought to the US and can't wait to see what kind of manga they'll be bringing to us. I'll be making suggestions once the time gets closer. I hope Tokyopop gets a lot of support and that they succeed as a business this time.

My AnimeExpo Experience

Going to Anime Expo for 2015 was my first Anime Expo ever. I've been to other anime conventions before such as my small hometown conventions of Mechacon and Louisianime and a big Texas convention called Akon. Akon is the biggest anime convention I've been to before going to Anime Expo. Anime Expo is held in the Los Angeles Convention Center in California, and is known to be the biggest anime convention in North America. It's highly appraised and is compared to San Diego Comic Con in the anime world.

So what was my opinion on Anime Expo? It was okay.

It was extremely crowded. I felt like I was cattle being herded. I had no choice but to go in the direction of the crowd. Not only that but the crowd effected my perception of where I had to be. There were people everywhere! Especially against the walls of the inside of the convention center. They had me thinking they were waiting for a panel since they were by panel rooms, but apparently they were just resting. Yep, if people weren't walking around they made a nice spot for themselves on the floor. Not just the anime convention, but the city itself. Los Angeles is just too crowded with too many cars and too many people. I felt suffocated. My husband was complaining about his bubble being invaded. We were definitely ready to go home by the second to last day of the convention.

I got to meet the industry. I'm really into anime and manga and I follow the company's news all the time to find out what series they're licensing. The big names that were at Anime Expo 2015 were Funimation, Viz, Aniplex, and even Tokyopop made an appearance. This was probably my favorite part of the convention. I got to hear the first of any news and got to see sneak peeks of clips before anyone else. And their booths! Oh those booths. They were more like presentation stands. They were showing clips from their popular anime and had their merchandise in glass cases for everyone to see. If you found something you liked you could buy it then and there. If you weren't interested in buying anything you could always obtain a free poster from them. I think I got more free stuff than actual bought items from the convention.

It had a rough start. On day 1 they didn't open the doors at the scheduled time, or at least that was being said in line. Once I got in the convention my husband and I knew what we wanted to do. We were there to see panels. We probably spent our first hour of the convention trying to find the stupid line for one panel. None of the convention center staff members knew what we were talking about and then the volunteers were always telling us to ask someone else. From crowd chatter we found out panel lines were outside the convention center due to code. The lines were color coded by tape but volunteers still didn't know about what line was for what. My husband and I figured out on our own that one side of the convention center were lines for main events while the other side was for live programming which is what we were looking for. As the next day rolled around the volunteer workers finally got the hang of the line situation but by that time we already figured it out ourselves.

So my overall experience was fine, nothing amazing. As you can tell my favorite part was the industry. I do recommend people go to Anime Expo if you've never went just to get that experience. I don't regret going. But personally I don't think I'll be going back to Anime Expo again. I rather stay at smaller conventions like Mechacon and Akon. I plan to go to more conventions in my life, so I'll be dipping my feet into new conventions all over the country.

Thanks for reading!

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Thanks for the support! Until next time!

Japanese Pop Culture

Japan is a country that's deeply rooted in their traditions, but they've developed an influential pop culture that has reached to many different countries. Whether you are familiar with the pop culture or new to the scene, there's always something to learn.

Fashion

Fashion is the biggest part of the Japanese pop culture. It's very important to the lifestyle they live by. In Japan it is important to look presentable and clean when going out. Not only that, but there are guidelines to their fashion. For men, properly fitted clothes are desirable. For women, you can show as much legs as you'd like but you should cover the chest area. To make the look complete women should wear heels. There are obvious circumstances that will allow these guidelines to bend such as weather and preferences. These are just the typically rule of thumb to Japanese fashion. One of the best stores to shop at is UNIQLO. This a well known store in Japan that has fashionable and cheap clothing.

College students.

Music

Just as America has various genres of music, so does Japan. The most common and talked about genres are J-pop (Japanese pop music), J-rock (Japanese rock music), and Visual Kei (a music and fashion associated with rock style but adds an elaborate sound and look). Japanese music lyrics are very poetic. The lyrics usually talk about nature or emotions. For those of you who may not be familiar with Japanese music here are examples of bands and artists I recommend you to check out:

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu- a popular and well known pop singer famous for her song "PonPonPon."

*Babymetal- a 3 member girl rock band that combines cuteness and the sound of rock into their music.

Stereopony- a girl rock band that has had songs featured in anime. 

Perfume- a pop/techno girl group who is recognized for their unique sound.

*AAA- a pop group of both genders who have been featured in anime and have came out with multiple cds over the years.

*Da-ice- a new boy pop group with great vocals and eye catching choreography. 

*Abingdon Boys School- an alternative boys rock group who is recognized for their iconic songs that are featured in various anime.

                                                                                           *These are my favorites to listen to.

Babymetal (got from an article on Rocketnews24)

Anime

Anime is Japanese animation. It is in fact for all ages, so make sure to check the show's maturity rating. Some of you may have seen anime before without even noticing such as Pokemon, Dragonball, Speed Racer, Astro Boy, Sailor Moon, and Cardcaptor Sakura. These examples are a part of many people's childhood. Anime has evolved since then and has become an art form, always trying to out do themselves. Anime comes in many genres. It is probably the most popular thing about Japanese pop culture. It has migrated to all parts of the world with voice acting in English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Korean, Brazilian, and of course Japanese. Anime has a subculture called cosplay which will be for another post entirely. Here are examples of anime to watch:

Ages 4-12: Pokemon, Yokai Watch, Digimon, Kaleido Star, Tokyo Mew Mew, Glass Mask, Shugo Chara!

Ages 13-17: .hack//, Naruto, Fruits Basket, Full Moon, Inuyasha, D.Grayman, Ouran High School Host Club, Kimi Ni Todoke, Slayers, Trigun.

Ages 18 and older: Hellsing Ultimate, Ghost in the Shell, Elfen Lied, Death Note, Berserk, Ceres Celestial Legend, Attack on Titan, Paradise Kiss.

These anime are recommendations based off of age groups and do not reflect my taste of anime. I will be happy to post about my favorite anime at a later time.

Characters of the series .hack//Legend of the Twilight.

I hope you enjoyed this quick overview of Japanese pop culture. All of these topics can be discussed in more detail which will reappear in later posts.

Sorry for not posting lately! I've been super busy with my cosplay since anime convention season is approaching for me. I will probably be doing a blog post on that relatively soon. I will continue to post as much as I can. Until next time!

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