Category: happy

Unique Anime that I Recommend

jared315Leave a comment

Devil Man Crybaby

Devil Man Crybaby is an anime that is not only incredibly intriguing to look at but also explores values of anti-war, puberty, and LGBTQ values. The anime follows a boy, Akira Fudo, who once was small, scrawny, and empathetic, but soon has the power of satan bestowed upon him. The anime deals with his coming to power as well as him having to deal with others who have been given similar powers. The anime also explores nihilistic values and the absurdity of religion. I really enjoyed watching this anime, and it’s only 10 episodes so I think it should definitely be an anime added to your watchlist.

8.8/10

Photo Cred: IMDB

MEGALOBOX

Boxing is filled with, speeding gloves whizzing past one face, enough power to concuss a person; Megalo boxing is the same, only with advanced machinery to make people hit harder and move faster. MEGALOBOX documents the underground life of Junk Dog, and the professional life of Joe, the same man. He’s truly an enigma, only being allowed to compete in the Megalo boxing championship when he forges an id. This anime has fast-paced action, as well as people getting the shit beaten out of them, and not to mention the animation, but it is absolutely fantastic (on the same level as Cowboy Bebop). It’s quite an invigorating anime to watch.

8.9/10

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/12/Megalo_Box_poster.jpg

Kakegurui

Kakegurui is an anime about a school of gambling, where people can even gamble off their human rights. It has many scenes of complex and entertaining games, and with the tension of betting lives, it combines to create an electrifying viewing experience. The show documents the gambling of multiple students, the most notable being Yumeko Jabami. Yumeko Jabami is a compulsive gambler to the most extreme degree, constantly and consistently making irresponsible and potentially detrimental bets. The anime is intellectual and entertaining, with the games persistently being complex.

8.8/10

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMmRhZDI4ODItYTAzMC00NWQ1LTk1MTctZWYyMDY3ZTU3NWFiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzgxODM4NjM@.V1.jpg

Chip Review

jared315Leave a comment

Kettle: Sea Salt and Vinegar

Sitting here in Journalism, eating some Salt and Vinegar chips and writing a blog, so you know I gotta do a chip review. Kettle chips are known to be the best, their immaculate crunch and their explosive flavors. Sea salt and Vinegar is the best of Kettle. The sweet vinegar taste on the chips perfectly contrasts the saltiness, accompanied by the crisp, this chip has reached the utmost peak of all snacks. The texture and sediment on the chip is a small con, as one needs a napkin or a sink nearby to clean their hands, however, it doesn’t put a dent in the pros of flavor and texture. Kettle: Sea Salt and Vinegar chips are the best chips known to man, and nobody can make me think different.

9.8/10

photo credit: Amazon

Anime I would Recommend to Anyone

jared315Leave a comment

Mob Psycho 100

This Anime is a classic. If somebody were to ask me “What anime should I watch?” and I knew they were new to anime, Mob Psycho 100 is one of the first anime I would think of. It should be one of the first anime that a new anime watcher should see. It has a funny, upbeat, yet deep, and meaningful story as well as unique and awe-inspiring animation. It has a plethora of characters that represent many walks of life, and many types of people. This show about a talented young Esper is incredibly entertaining, and it brings up big issues with the perception of oneself. Mob despite his talent and power, is timid and bullied, because he is different. This show has spirits, curses, and more espers. I would absolutely recommend this show to anyone who hasn’t seen it.

9.0/10

photo credit: imdb

Magi

Magi is another anime I would recommend to anyone. It’s a fantasy anime with dungeons and djinns. Dungeon Capturers attempt to get through dangerous dungeons to gain access to the power of djinns. Djinns are massive magical beings that are kept with metal vessels on the dungeon capturers body and giving them magical powers. This series is split into three shows, all of which are incredibly creative and enticing. Magi perfectly uses magic powers, overpowered characters, and war politics to create a cohesive and congenial anime.

8.9/10

photo credit: imdb

Anime That I’ve Recently Watched

jared315Leave a comment

Other than rewatching and still going through Hunter x Hunter and One Piece, I have been pretty invigorated in anime. Although the subculture has not been filled with the best new anime this year, I am finding shows that I am loving. Some of these shows might not be for everybody but they are all unique and great in their own way.

Ranking of Kings

This anime from 2021 is special. It follows a decently simple design with its fable format. This anime is made to resonate with real-world emotions and difficulties that many may face such as depression and hopelessness. It opens up the world to disabilities and the difficulties of trying to work around them. The protagonist in this story Bojji is both deaf and mute, as well as is especially weak in a world sanctioned by power. Despite his setbacks in life he decides to work to become the best version of himself. This feel-good story is accompanied by a unique animation style that is enticing to the highest degree. The show has not ended yet but I am highly anticipating the finale.

9.1/10

Hajime No Ippo

This anime is a story of a rising superstar. A hard-hitting boxing talent is known as Ippo Makuonochi, and his journey to the Flyweight Title of Japan. This show is made for fans of boxing, bringing in-depth details of fighting, training, and experience in the fighting world. It’s a feel-good anime with an almost dangerously optimistic outlook on brain damage in the sport (until it’s explored at the end of the second season). I personally enjoyed this anime because of the evolutions the characters go through. The anime and the sport are both about harnessing talent and power to become something unintelligible. I would definitely recommend this anime to anybody that is a fan of boxing.

9.1/10

Space Dandy

Space Dandy, although not being a show that I’ve recently seen, it is something that I feel I must recommend. This show follows a classic blueprint similar to that of Cowboy Bebop, where a group of three eccentric characters travels through space collecting aliens from around the galaxy. This layout can feel overdone or boring to some, however, I don’t believe this to be an anime based on its plot, but rather on its animation. Every episode is created with a different director, writer, animation director, and storyboard director. This show about “A dandy guy in space” became grounds for many animators to build careers for themselves in the anime/manga world. This mysterious show about mysterious characters makes you ask questions with seemingly no answer other than weird space jibber-jabber, but every episode still finds its way to leave a viewer incredibly satisfied with the 20 minutes they spent watching an episode. The show is fantastic and I recommend it to anybody and everybody (I also recommend not skip the intro song as it is fire.

9.2/10

Why MMA is the Best Sport Known to Man

jared315Leave a comment

When many are told to think of sports that need extreme technicality, many people’s first thoughts would go to sports like golf, fencing, or F1 racing, however, my first and undisputed choice would be MMA. It is most definitely the most technical sport in the world, requiring multiple Olympic skills as well as multiple martial arts that can take years to learn. MMA doesn’t necessarily require profession in every single useful style of combat, but to stand a chance in an octagon, one must have mastery of some striking technique as well as a grappling technique. If a person enters the cage with a heavy background in wrestling and is completely lacking in defense and striking technique, they’re most likely leaving the cage with some fractured facial bones. The thing is, is that this would be the most likely outcome, but in a fight, nothing can be predicted. If the wrestler who only focuses on his wrestling is able to take down his opponent successfully he has a chance. If he lands a few punches in the ground and pound, as well as tiring his opponent on the ground, he has an even greater chance of submitting his opponent. MMA can go any way, it is a constant game of chess where every movement changes the possibilities of the match. One bad movement, with bad defense, while a fighter is fatigued can end a fight in a moment, but that’s only if they get caught in their blunder. This makes MMA a technical sport, however, if you want to make it more technical with advanced striking techniques like creating efficient combos where no movement is wasted, connecting the ending of one punch or kick, with the starting movement of your next strike, as well as taking into account the reaction and movement of the opponent. Things such as feints and reactions to feints can’t go unnoticed. Sharp observers and champions such as Isreal Adesanya and Sean O’Malley are masters of taking advantage of their opponent’s reactions and body language, while more instinctual fighters such as Kevin Holland, Jon Jones, and Jose Aldo are great at taking advantage of their opponents in quick thinking exchanges. It’s a brutal yet beautiful sport, that perfectly ties together technicality and intensity.

Photo credit: CBS Sports

A Sky Full of Stars

ojaipizzaLeave a comment

I have two other brothers, and they always did everything better than me; which I always feel so much pressure doing something with them. I always doubt my ability to do anything, like anything. I began the thought of I just can’t do it right. This year, I become a senior, ready for college. You have no idea how much pressure I have on myself. I don’t want to give up and go to random college, meantime, I still keep believing that there is a 1 percent possibility I can make something beautiful. A couple of weeks ago, Penn State needs a requirement of 120 scores for the English Language Proficiency. I spent my own money and took it almost twenty times, my highest score is 115 still couldn’t reach 120. Penn State can be an easy school that most everyone can get into. However, I’m still stuck in that dumb English test and couldn’t think of any way to improve it. Recently, most of the decisions came out, I got rejected by UIUC and LMU. I am not surprised at all because I know those types of good schools won’t accept me. Until this Tuesday, I got an email from Syracuse University. I just want to say, I think I’m dreaming right now. I got accepted! At that time, I told myself that I’m not that bad, not bad. Meanwhile, I’m so thankful that my brother and friends are there always supporting me. I just can’t believe it, really can’t. I can say I am really proud of myself, and I should love myself more.

Photo Credit: Stars

Poem

im6footLeave a comment

I’m alone in the dark

Scared of the ocean because of shark(s)

I have a dog, she goes “bark”

I’m walking my dog, gotta embark

In school my friends said I was a narc

Fireworks; spark

Traveling international, Denmark

My teachers yell at me because of my remark(s)

I walk my dog in the park

I know a kid named Mark

After this I’m starting my villain arc

pc: flickr.com

Escaping the pit of despair

navraj22Leave a comment
@benjimanz

“Ya sista doesn’t even have seasonal depression like this” @newyorknico @meals_by_cug #foryou #fypシ #impressions #duster

♬ Constellations – Duster
VC: Benjimanz//Tik Tok

Seasonal depression is wild. I’m not a depressed person, don’t really have reason to be depressed, and have never been depressed, but this winter I was feeling kinda sad I’m not even gonna front. Since the start of December, I had a fog hanging over me. I lost my drive to seek new relationships and became content with what I had, which was a good thing in some aspects, but I was incredibly unmotivated. I was bogged down by hours of college work, AP classes, soccer practices, and late nights during the school week. On the weekend, I would drive down to LA and it would feel like I had to choose between my family and friends when spending time with people. I was in the pit of despair.

All of the sudden, I have snapped out of it. I have moved past soccer, college apps, and have embraced senioritis. This has given me time to meditate during the school week and afforded me much more clarity. I have also started sleeping in LA on Sunday nights, which gives me more time to balance hanging with family and friends. Also, my convertible whose clutch I totally melted a month ago is back from the shop so I can take friends out in it. ALSO, I have a new friend who is the perfect candidate for a cruise in the Boxster.

Everything is coming up, Alden. I don’t know how things just magically turned around, but I’m here to ride out this wave of good energy.

MeditatingAF

navraj22Leave a comment

Mondays are stressful. I wake up in my comfortable room in my house in LA. I throw all my stuff into a bag, inevitably forgetting something important. This week it was my Xbox. I then jam my various bags of shit into my truck and go straight to school. This week, when I got to school I was blessed to learn I have 3 tests on Friday, and that the 3 English essays I was supposed to be working on were also due Friday. It was also the first day of golf practice. I have blogged on end about the irony in the fact that golf, my leisure activity, doesn’t give me anything but stress.

I made it through the school day and found myself at golf practice, with a deeeeeeeeeep pit of anxiety forming in my gut. I couldn’t focus on playing and left halfway through practice. I had a talk with my friend schmogan (real navraj22 fans will get it) before I left practice about how he has used meditation to feel more in control of his life. When I got home, I was greeted with more stress. I had to entertain my grandparent’s questions they ask every day, “when do you hear from colleges,” “are you warm back there,” “did you have enough to eat.” It’s so annoying. That’s a story for another blog.

Anyways, that night, I did my homework, (none of those things due Friday though), and practiced meditation for the first time. I am using Calm, an app, with a 30-day introductory course. I am on day 4 and it’s going so well. I have been able to manage my stress so much better, and have felt like I am more in control. I got all my English stuff done early in the week and my Friday has been great. I just bombed 2/3 of those tests, but I’m not worried.

Big-up meditation yo.

PC:NPR

Catalina Island, My Favorite Corner of the Earth

ojaipizzaLeave a comment

This is my second time going to Catalina Island for a camping trip at the little harbor, the first time was two years ago before the pandemic really affect the travel policy. It was a little stressful before I went on the trip because I will be miss a lot of class. After I come back from the trip there will be two days of school and then Winter breaks will begin. In this case, every teacher decided to give a student test before the break started. I just took the AP Statistics test in class today, and I barely study. I mean I am already done applying to colleges, so I don’t think the rest of my grades will affect their decision.

I feel like I went back home when I went back to Catalina Island again. To be honest, there are not many fun activities can do on Catalina Island. We only do hiking and some activities at the beach. However, the place was just so quiet and beautiful which is why I love it so much. It might be boring if you go there by yourself, but going there with your best friends will be a totally different story. I love the places where I can hang out with my friends where no one is around interrupting us and we can truly be ourselves. It’s so nice I can come back again with my friends, and it probably still be one of my favorite places on Earth.

Photo Credit: Catalina Island