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.
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.
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.
I started watching Attack On Titan a few days ago and I really like it so far. I’m not super far in – I’m on episode 11 right now – but I thought it’d be cool to list my favorite characters so far and see how the list changes as I keep watching. I’m not gonna make a specific order because honestly a lot of them are tied for their rankings. There might be spoilers in here, but only for like the very beginning of the series.
Mikasa
Mikasa is probably my #1 right now. I really like her. She’s super powerful and hardcore, but she shows her emotions too. I like how she’s basically a big sister to Armin and Eren and loves them like they’re her family but she will also smack them if they’re being stupid. Eren especially just needs to be smacked sometimes, and Mikasa will do it without hesitation. She’s so cool.
I love Armin. He’s almost always scared and crying, but he’s also brave and really smart. I also love his relationships with Eren and Mikasa. They’re always encouraging him and telling him how important he is and he’s always managing to save them with his smart plans. Poor Armin is just a little insecure blond boy. He needs more confidence. I’m excited to see how he grows throughout the series.
Levi has only been on screen like two times so far but I like him. Mostly because he’s super powerful and really caring. Also, he’s hot. I don’t know, he hasn’t really been developed yet. I’ll probably have valid reasons to like him further into the show.
Jean is cool. I first started liking him when they were in the boot camp and he was pretty much the only person who wasn’t a jerk to Eren, Armin, and Mikasa. He’s had good character development so far, too. He’s definitely a leader, even if he denies it.
Those are my favorite characters so far. Eren isn’t in there because I think he’s whiny and kind of annoying. I’ll make an update of my favorite characters after I finish the series so I can see what’s changed.
Here’s a My Hero Academia-centered post because I love it. There might be some spoilers, so probably don’t read this if you don’t want the show to be spoiled for you.
Number 5- Make My Story by Lenny code fiction (Episodes 52-63)
While this intro isn’t super flashy, I really like it. The song is catchy, and the intro shows all of the characters who matter during the Provisional Training License arc. It foreshadows that Bakugo will find out about One for All and become closer to Midoriya in a way that doesn’t spoil anything plot-wise. Also, I’m a sucker for transitions that go from showing All Might to Midoriya, so I love the beginning when All Might’s hair turns to the top of the hood of Midoriya’s costume.
Number 4- Singin’ in the Sky/空に歌えば by amazarashi (Episodes 27-38)
I love this song. It’s beautiful and meaningful while still being upbeat. The intro almost comes out of nowhere because of how abruptly the song starts and I love that. The only thing about it is that it’s actually a perfect intro song for the Shie Hassaikai arc. I mean, the English translation of the lyrics is literally, “Inevitable, inevitable. The future is determined, so rebel against it.” That’s literally a perfect description of Midoriya’s fight with Chisaki when he defies Sir Nighteye’s vision and changes the future.
However, besides the song choice, the intro is awesome. The intro goes from the Stain/Internship arc to the final exams arc, and it weaves in both arcs seamlessly. It shows all of class 1A showing off their quirks and looking super cool. I love the ending when they’re all looking up to the graffiti “Plus Ultra” and Midoriya has One For All activated in his arm. It’s showing that a big part of the episodes that the intro leads into is Midoriya finally learning to control his quirk without hurting himself, and everyone looking at their schools motto is symbolic of their aspirations to become the best of the best.
Number 3- Peace Sign by Kenshi Yonezu (Episodes 14-26)
Peace Sign is my second-favorite song from My Hero Academia. I can’t even describe how good it is. If you listen to it, you’ll know what I mean. And I love seeing class 1A not in the middle of a life or death battle with villains, so the visuals in the intro are some of my favorites too. It’s exciting and makes you want to see what happens at the sports festival. Overall, it’s a perfect example of a good intro.
Number 2- ODD FUTURE by UVERworld (Episodes 39-51)
As I said before, I really like the abrupt start of intro songs, so I love ODD FUTURE. The visual of Nana Shimura and All Might in the beginning is so nice but always makes me a little sad because All Might clearly looked up to her so much and she didn’t get to see how amazing he became. I love seeing Shigaraki with All for One reaching through the portal to put a hand on his head for the same reason. Whether they’re good or bad guys, the mentor-student dynamic always makes me unreasonably happy. The ending is probably why this is my number 2 intro. Midoriya stands up and reveals that he’s standing in front of All Might, then they both pose heroically. I love their father-son relationship.
Number 1- THE DAY by Porno Graffitti (Episodes 1-13)
I think everyone who’s watched every season of the show expected this. Do I even have to explain this one? THE DAY is indisputably the best intro in the series. The song is a bop, the visuals are super cool, and it introduces every student in class 1A. As I mentioned before, I love the transitions between All Might and Midoriya, so the punch at the end where Midoriya’s arm flickers back and forth between it being his arm and being All Might’s arm makes me so happy that I want to scream into a pillow. THE DAY is obviously the best song used in the series, and it’s probably one of my favorite songs of all time.
Last night I got home and figured I’d watch a single episode of Squid Games before I did my homework.
6 hours later, it was 12:22 and I had finished the series. I knew I had homework. Homework I wanted to do. I knew it would take an hour or two, but I just kept watching. I ended up going to sleep at 1:30, throwing to the wayside the two supplemental essays I had planned to draft.
This morning, I absolutely mashed snooze on my alarm. I woke up at 7:30, the time that I need to leave my house to make it to school. I showered and ended up leaving at 7:45 getting here decently late.
The show was so good. I think because of the language barrier, some of the cues that would have made the storyline more obvious didn’t hit me, or the millions of others watching the show right now. I asked a Korean friend about his take on it and he said it was super obvious the whole time, but all of the twists didn’t hit me.
The binge I got caught in was not so good. I wanted to stop watching but I just didn’t. I still got the truly necessary work done but as usual, my head was barely above the water that is missing homework and B’s.
This is something I want to gain more control over, but can’t seem to achieve. I think it might be because I tend to be able to do work very well at the last moment. I have operated this way my whole life with a lot of things, but with certain things, like projects and papers, I know I should be starting earlier.
Especially heading into college, I want to be able to get things done early. I say early, but this definition of early refers to what I would imagine is everyone else’s regular.
I am slowly getting better at managing my time, some days go fine, but oftentimes, say once a week, I push things to the side and get LAZY.
February has brought about the time to create senior pages. I have spent time scrolling through my camera roll, searching for the perfect photos that can encapsulate four years of high school into a single 8″x10″ page.
I found photos of my friends. Photos of projects I had done in art class. Photos I had taken for AP World History projects. Sifting through hundreds of memories to find the most valuable moments has proven to be more difficult than I had thought. I have narrowed it down to about forty photographs, which, if I were to use them all, would be about a centimeter wide each.
While small on paper, many memories still remain as vivid as the day I experienced them. I remember carving pumpkins at my freshman Halloween dance. Is that memory less valuable than the time I hung my art in an exhibit? Do I feature friends, experiences, or accomplishments? What photograph will take up the most space?
As I sift through the photos, I imagine what words will be written on a page. I could write a classic senior quote, a thank you to those who helped me through school, or simply my name in a basic font.
I know my senior page will encapsulate my high school experience as I remember it. I just need to find what moment will serve as the biggest picture.
This year I learned that there are two types of Christmas trees: a noble and a douglas.
I was standing in the parking lot of Lowe’s, searching the fenced in barn for this year’s tree. To my left, there were the douglasses. I knew that any one of them would look great in my living room. They had the classic Christmas tree feel, and I felt satisfied with the quality.
Then, I looked to my right. Propped along the wooden fences were the plush, green noble trees. And they were, indeed, noble. The trees looked as though they came straight out of a holiday hallmark movie. The branches looked as though they grew to meet cold winter snow, and I could not picture any kind of tree that represented the holiday better.
I again turned to my left. The douglass trees then looked drab. Dying, even. The only thing that made them more appealing than the tall nobles was the pricetag. I sorted through each of them, however, and found one that would suit my living room. I admired it and it’s imperfections seemed to disappear. But I again turned towards the nobles.
The contrast in beauty was striking. The tree I had found did not seem as beautiful anymore.
Since this global pandemic situation, I can say that I’ve been pretty inactive. I have no motivation to be active at this point. It is not a good time to go out and have fun with friends, and I can see my flaps on the belly clearly, so I decided to start home workouts. I do not have a lot of experience in this field, so I had to look up some videos on Youtube, and as I expected there were millions of videos of workouts that you can do by yourself. I decided to do 100 pushups every day and some cardio.
I do not know If I can keep up with this routine for months, but I will try my best to get in shape, so I don’t have to struggle when I go back to school.
I believe it is worth time, so I suggest you guys do it too. Exercises vitalize your body and mind.
I truly hope everyone is safe, and this situation will get better soon.
I’ve been trying to get my dad to stop eating meat since I was four years old. We traveled to Ireland and I remember watching him eat bacon day after day and wanting nothing more than for him to understand the terrible health risks. I’ve always been worried about his health… His “weight loss” diets would always consist of meats and cheese (protein fads) along with Diet Ginger Ale… He would lose weight and looked fit so it worked for him, but I became more and more worried.
I tried to explain to him that natural sugars are okay and animal products were truly the problem. He was raised in a family of ten siblings so if he didn’t eat what was served (unhealthy crappy foods) he wouldn’t eat, period. Meats, processed foods and dairy was on the menu during his upbringing. So when I was young he was hard on me for my decisions because he simply didn’t have the proper knowledge.
As I got older he started to support my lifestyle more and more, eventually taking me to vegan festivals and even dining with me to enjoy high quality vegan foods. He even asked me where he could get a metal straw to help with plastic pollution. I figured this was as far as he would ever go. I accepted this reality and kind of gave up on him, sadly. I figured he would never change and that was okay…Because everyone is different right?
When I got the call last month…it was my dad on the phone telling me he is going plant based after watching “The Game Changers” documentary on Netflix. I was in utter shock. Out of everyone in my life, he would have been the last person on my list I would ever expect to go vegan. For me, this showed me hope for humanity! He is the most “manly” guy I’ve ever met so for him to make this change is amazing. With all the stereotypes about vegan guys being weak, feminine and all that other nonsense animal product companies endorse, this shows me how anyone can do it just letting go of their ego. My dad said, “All the research supports the vegan diet and this way of life is by far the most healthy. I have always known that you are on the right track. Now I am seeing that eating plant based can even build muscle, strength and healthy blood flow. It seems that it can also lower my cholesterol which is elevated at this time. I am so proud of you for paving the way. You are a great inspiration to me and I’m never eating meat again.”
A lot of the time people will tell me they would totally go vegan if they could, but it would be “too hard,” “I tried and just couldn’t” or it’s not the time and they will eventually make the switch… But the time is now. We have the resources. Nobody cares about getting the right nutrients until veganism comes up. People will be eating McDonald’s all day and act like veganism would just be detrimental to their health. Another excuse is that it’s too expensive. It is simply not expensive to go to your local grocery store and buy a can of beans or some vegetables. Research the right foods and stop saying you “can’t.” Stop making excuses to make yourself feel like a better person because it is total BS.
This is a lifestyle. And yes, changing your lifestyle is a big deal but crucial for your health and well being. This switch will change your life, and the ones in it, but only for the better. I hope my dad can be an inspirational success story and help you and your family on your own health journeys.
The sixth season of BoJack Horsemanhas just arrived. It’s a story about a horse… man.
Season 6 is going to be the last season of the masterpiece. It really makes you think when you watch BoJack Horseman. It makes you think about your life, it shows how BoJack lives in all of us.
Creating a connection between the audience and the characters is, I believe, a prime goal for the shows. Why else would we watch it, just to see strangers suffer?
However, there is more to it. There is something about BoJack Horseman that haunts you. Some say it’s the Nihilism, to that, I partly agree. But what if life is indeed meaningless? Then it wouldn’t be Nihilism at all. It would just be… life.
BoJack Horseman is not just a show. It may be the most realistic fiction there is, and that’s why we love it. We savor the realism in the story of BoJack Horseman, and suffer for it.
I hope for BoJack to get a happy ending, and for all of us, too.
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