So, it’s finally happening. You know how when you start to REALLY get into this anime stuffs and in a wave of passion you declare that you’re going to Japan only to have the reality of life smack you down? Yeah. Suck it, reality. For two weeks (may 14/15-28), I am gonna EFF UP JAPAN.

Now I’ve been out of country before (England) but I was a wee lad and I was with my family. This time, I’m all by myself. Problem with going by myself -and considering that it’s me- is that I’m pretty noobish to this traveling abroad thing. I have no idea what to do. So here I am, asking the community I once considered as close as a brother/sister -now you guys are more like a cousin- for some help.

What do I bring? Practical things like a plug adapter? Impractical things like my Aya Hirano photobook in case I randomly run into her? Do you have tips? Keep one of those lame ass traveler’s packs? Bring a credit card? I need to look up what traveler’s checks are. Where should I go? If you’ve been to Japan already, tell me things I should know!

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I haven’t written a post in over a year. This blog is dead. To me and about 5 other people, we will look back on this website and think “Natsukashii~” (Get it? Because it’s the name AND the expression! THAT’S how clever I once was). Others will look back, and scoff, especially after that last attempt to be funny. I doubt don’t think anyone during my “time” (which I have deemed The Golden Age of ani-blogging) still blogs, either. Well, I can’t say “doubt” because I haven’t actually checked, but I think it’s a safe assumption. I also think it is okay to claim that I am officially an “oldbie” now. I don’t even know if Lolikit still blogs, and he’s the one who hosts me. What I DO know, is that my hero Garten doesn’t blog anymore. I always wanted to meet him, shake his hand, thank him, kidnap him, and have him tell me bed time stories… anything. Unfortunately, that stuff wont happen and  it seems I’m going off on a tangent already, so I’ll get to that in a bit. I need to set it all up first:

The other day, I was killing time before going out to dinner, so I decided to check up on Anime Nano. After skimming the first two pages, NOTHING was familiar to me. “How could that even be possible?”, I asked myself, but with more profanity and saying something entirely different (the idea is the same though). I used to check Anime News Network, Blogsuki, Animeblogger.net, Anime Nano, Tokyo Toshokan, and all these different blogs religiously. I would put aside at least an hour everyday to go through the works and catch up on the latest news and start downloading the “it” shows. I WAS AT THE TOP OF MY GAME. I KNEW WHAT EVERYONE WAS TALKING ABOUT. I WAS THE SHIT (hence the caps).

Now, I go to none of them, and recognize nothing (here, caps are only at the beginning of the sentence and proper nouns). (more…)

…that was until I read the recently translated chapter of Nana.  THEN the results ended in tears.  My boyfriend had the nerve to question my mental health!  Arse!  Okay so read chapter 78 and not be pissed….

I actually HAVE been away from civilised internet connections for quite some time, hence the lack of blogging activity, however I can’t reveal any details of my time away.  To do so would be a breach of national security in some random country you don’t care about…

Anyway, that aside.  I am back (and yes I pity all of you for having to put up with my dumb rants) and I need to blog like a maniac.  While I was away someone brainwashed me into liking Cat Street, and then they made a drama out of it… get ready to be inflicted by my fangirlisim.  AND YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE?!

I LOL now…  Love & Martinis,

Newt (New With Tags)

There’s a friending meme spreading around the Livejournal fangirl blogs where one lists down a series that she feel has a small fandom, and through the meme, eventually meets other like-minded individuals who also enjoy the anime/manga, thus making small fandom feel not-so small.

(Though, of course you have the one kid who puts down Code Geass as a “small fandom,” to the bemusement and confusion of all.)

Has this been important to you?  Is it important to you that there are a lot of other people who also like the same series as you do?

Having a Livejournal vs. an anime blog, the online community dynamics are remarkably different.  Through LJ, you can add a particular series on your “interests list” and discover other people who have put it down on their own profiles.  That’s not the case with the anime blogosphere, where it can take many pages of reading through someone’s blog (or archives) to really figure out if you have things in common. It’s easier to feel alone in the otakusphere, especially if you’re blogging about a series or a topic that isn’t on the radar of the average blogger.

When I used to write-up episodic summaries, I did feel somewhat weird that I would be the only person writing up Show X, when everybody else was writing about Show Y. (Granted, there were far less anime blogs then, but there I am sounding like an old fogey again.)  Was I so weird that my tastes only gravitated to shows that no one in their right mind would watch?

To be honest though, there’s a lot to be said for liking obscure things. Even this past Otakon, I met a couple of girls who were diehard Immortal Rain cosplayer/fans. When they realized that I had the only fansite devoted to the series, it was instant recognition. It definitely had the feeling of being in a secret club where you don’t even know who the other members are, but when you see each other, it’s almost like you’ve known each other forever. If you’re in a small fandom, you feel a greater solidarity with the other fans, who have probably felt just as isolated as you have, so knowing that you share this interest is the one way of reaching out.

So maybe it’s not so bad to admit that you like a series that only five people have read. I would even suggest writing and blogging so that you always end up as one of the first hits on any search engine, not just Google. Fans are created everyday, and what may have been a small fandom today may be tomorrow’s next big thing.

Taking pages out of Os and Newt, this blogger shares some of the animu world’s awesomest opening music evah.

Okay. Maybe not. But still, they rock.

Never mind the animation sequence. Sure, they are shiny, and they set the tone of the show. Forget that. We’re here to focus on the music tracks.

From bubble gum to punk, from instrumentals to alternative, anime openings are dime a dozen. Most are crap. A few are true gems. Some are forgettable competence. Some are catchy as hell. And then some are musical head-turners, pregnant with unidentified emotion, where one delves further to unlock its mysteries. This is not that list. With a notable exception, I listen to these tracks while I sit back, relax, and enjoy a cold bottle of beer. Think bars with live bands.

Mood and personalities direct our responses to otic preferences. What I enjoy listening while driving differs from the work playlist or from gym music. Keep in mind, what works for me may not work for you.

Tracks are listed in no particular order. More after the jump.

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I hope no-one minds me doing this, but I thought I’d share a few fun things with my fellow fans every now and then. (Gee I hope this works…)

First Up: I absolutely love Vampire Knight (like duh, Newt + Vampires = Awesome), however the ED theme from the anime is freaking wonderful. Therefore I think it is ringtone worthy. Download (see link below) and transfer to your phone (like I really have no idea) and then we will all be an army of undead awesomeness…. or not.

DOWNLOAD: Still Doll – Ending Theme Vampire Knight

While Ten can post coherent thoughts and opinions regarding series, I generally fail.  So instead I’ll do a roundup of what ridiculous self involved manga that have caught my eye recently..  

(Sorry no caps/Illustrations tonight cos’ I sorta suck!) (more…)

OKay, so I’ll be honest here… I need a little inspiration.  I am a bit of a drama ho’ yo, so what I’m looking for are some recommendations for some good live action errr Action!  Be it a good movie or even the most archaic drama series – I’m in, I’ve recently got all nostalgic on some older series so I am pretty much open to all suggestions (especially since my touch of death last post killed this blog LOL).  So suggest away as I am hoping my ole live action buddy Os will also be inspired in free for all drama goodness.   

PS:  Sorry but Swans ‘fricken’ Crossing DOES NOT COUNT!

Okay, so I don’t know about you, nor my fellow bloggers for that case, but every now and then I get the retro bug for some classic animation.  Some of which aren’t necessarily from the land of the Rising Sun, however they still hold a special place in my dvd rack heart.  Recently, after talking with my brother (who will by the way disavow any knowledge of watching any of these series), I went on a bit of a mission to track down a few favourites.  Ahh the internets, goddess of all our lost years, yea remember so well.

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This guy is so popular, getting his picture used twice in a row

Firstly, this is a tribute of sorts to Author as once again, I’ll try to imitate his way of posting. You know the phrase “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”. Yeah, this is it. Of course, to his credit, I will be nowhere as efficient as him. He is just too good at these kinds of things. Plus, I want to clear the air on this matter. Anywho, on with this post.

In my latest post, I seem to have struck a chord with Author.

I liked the classic Naruto. And seeing the ridiculous hate makes me want to wear a headband, just to piss off those who think they are better than me. My favourite tee is “Imagine: no liberals :-)”, for the same reason.

Now Author is jumping the gun a bit here. He is assuming that I am calling all Naruto fans “Narutards” and I look down on them. Not necessarily true on two fronts: I admitted many times that I have this elitist streak in me. Unless I can visibly see that I am inferior to them in terms of ani-knowledge, # shows seen, # of manga read, etc etc, then I will continue to assume that I am “better” -of course this only applies to real life. There are so many freaks on the interweb, I dare not make this assumption here. Look at the blogosphere. I pale in comparison to many-.

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