Category Archives: Anime & Manga

Fangirl #21 – HOUJI SADOJIMA <3

Okay. So I actually have something to fangirl about (The regular updating this when I bought comics thing kinda stopped when…I stopped buying comics regularly. Or rather, I got an account at Jmanga, so my budget is between two awesome comic services instead of just one…so I’m counting my pennies, so to speak. XD *thumbs up*)

So let’s start with the quick things before I dissolve into squee-crazy land:

Comics

I think I just have a thing for guys named "Donald" <3 Either way, he's awesome.

Thor: First Thunder

Got this on a Comixology .99 cent sale (Oh how I love those things–I’m sorry Marvel, but $3.99 is too much for a digital comic.) & I’ve only read the first issue out of the 5, but I like it so far. It’s a re-telling of the Donald Blake version of Thor finding the staff/hammer & even includes a copy of the original version.

Wasn’t too crazy about the art style–but I LOVE the Donald Blake secret identity when it comes to Thor. The intelligent doctor with a walking stick, who turns into Thy/Thou Thor? Win all around. Plus, it looks like Loki is the main villain which should always happen. Thor and Loki forever.

If you haven’t figured it out by now–I really, really like Thor. He’s 90% of the reason I read anything by Marvel. (The other 10% involves the movies, Iron Man & Captain America.)

Manga/Anime

Hetalia

Nothing in particular, but lately I just can’t seem to get enough of Spain & Romano. <3

He is way too cute for his own good.

Recorder and Randsell

I like this series/manga a little too much to be healthy. I don’t know what it is about a ten year old who looks twenty and a his older sister who looks ten that’s so hilarious/heartwarming, but it is. o_o And his crush on his little classmate is so adorable. XD

My only complaint is that it’s so short. I don’t mind the 4-panel strips/manga part so much, but the 3 minute anime episodes aren’t enough. The sketch style comedy is fine, but gimmie more. It’s Hetalia all over again with it’s 5 minute episodes–only two minutes shorter. At least now with the Hetalia DVDs I can watch them all in a row. Still–at least Recorder & Randsell got a second season green lit. :D

Madoka Magica

Heh. I’m watching it as Crunchyroll gives it to me, so I’m only on episode 6 but yeah. Madoka Magica. I can’t tell if this series is living up to the hype or what. But it’s good. XD

I miss Mami though. *twitches* Why do I even bother liking characters? They always, always end up leaving me. XD

And Kyuubei is evil. EVIL.

Alright. Here’s the important part:

Houji Sadojima

Houji Sadojima is a character from Rurouni Kenshin–specifically he’s one of the followers of Shishio, and hangs out on equal grounds with Yumi.

Houji Sadojima was my hands down favorite character in Kenshin and him, Shishio and Yumi was my power trio for the series. I loved them. I actually cosplayed once as Shishio and begged & pleaded for my good friend to cosplay as my Houji. (She was awesome by the way–I don’t care what anyone says: her costume was dead on! *hugs*)

I can not physically picture Shishio without Houji and Yumi right behind him. It’s not possible.

Needless to say, when I caught that “The Secret Life of Characters: 33” in Volume 13 that says Houji was one of the author’s favorite characters–glee. And that wasn’t even the best part – during the ending of the Kyoto Arc where they all meet up in Hell? Biggest “Awwwww~~~” Cooing moment in Kenshin. I squealed like the little fangirl I was.

My only concession was that I preferred him breaking his own fingers in the anime instead of ripping his nails off in the manga. That was a tad creepy. XD

What’s the point of all this? THIS NEWS POST. Did you see it? Here it is, right here:

Houji. Shishio. Yumi. They must come in a set.

A Houji figurine exists. The character most people don’t remember, or refer to as “That whiny, creepy guy?” He has a figure. Out of all the characters in that show, they actually kept this little trio in tact. <3 <3 <3

SQUEE. *giggles*

I want. I want. I want.

…I also want that new Shishio figurine, but that’s another story.

Uh. I think I’m done now. Right. Totally an adult right here. Yup.

Katsucon 18 – 2012

Another year, another Katsucon. Katsucon will always have a special place for me, because it was the first Anime Convention I ever attended back when it was still in Crystal City DC!

…the Gaylord Hotel in National Harbor is much nicer for the record. Man do I love that place. Perfect spot for the convention. <3

Moving on.

Friday

Arrived the earliest I’ve ever arrived at this convention-12:30pm. I blame my brother driving. XD We spent most of the day running around the Dealer’s Room and Artist Alley where I was greeted by an awesome surprise from Erin of Tamuran! :D

BLISS:

Bliss. That's Bliss.

Yeah. That guy found a real sphere of Chalcedony (what Bliss is made from)–and it is awesome. Even got one with a scratch on it:

Still awesome.

Yes, I did end up showing it off to everyone who knew who Bliss was. *cough* Lots of fun that. Yes, lots of fun.

I wore these all Friday and Saturday! :D

And of course, stopped by to say hello to TechnoAngel where my brother got a Brony button, and then next door I said ‘ello to Megami of Annie where I got a cute pair of cat ears! :D

Jealous of her sewing talents. >.>

Let’s see…finished up Friday with watching Trigun: Badlands Rumble. Been a while since I spent some time with Vash and co. and it was as great as I remember it being.

Also: Wolfwood. Wolfwood. Missed him so. XD

The rest of the day was Game Room fun (yay Rhythm games) and sleeping.

Saturday

AMV contest all the way. XD

Then more shopping and spending too much money.

Followed by watching Great Teacher Onizuka: The Movie (Live Action)–which was actually pretty good. I’m always a bit sketchy with Japanese Live Action shows. It’s not that they’re bad or anything, I’m just not a huge fan of the acting style–but it worked really well here and Onizuka was a sweetheart as always. :) Good movie.

At this point, we had a bit of a crisis with the plumbing in our room, and almost had to switch. Which would have sucked since we got an awesome balcony room overlooking the atrium this year. So cool to have an indoor balcony. <3 But it was all fixed and we got to keep the room. Yay!

We then watched some Madoka Magica and a little Antique Bakery. So lots of Video Room time this year for us! XD

Sunday

The usual. Wake up, pack like mad, and then do one last run through the dealer’s room! :D

Which means:

The Haul

This isn’t everything–I actually got a grab box with a ton of comics in it, but I did’t feel like taking a picture of everything that was in that thing. o_o

Moving on:

I love .hack anything.

I’ve been a huge fan of the .hack// series since I first caught .hack//Sign on Toonami. I then played through the first four set of games thanks to Creed (Thank you again! *hugs them*) & after that I dug into Roots & the .hack//GU games (My favorites). However! While I owned all the DVD’s to .hack//Sign, I was kinda broke when .hack//roots came out. *sniff* So, I’m really happy to have found all six individual DVDs. Normally I’d just get a box set, but I’m like part-OCD, so if I have Sign as individual DVDs, Roots needed to be the same. *foam*

I just like Keys.

Key necklace. I like keys. Love old fashioned looking Keys. No, it has nothing to do with Kingdom Hearts and an obsession I had with the Lady Luck therefore making any Key that has a card-deck theme of some sort irresistible. No, never.

Bros

Tee hee hee. I have Furuichi and Oga. <3 They’re so cute and little and I shall keep them hooked together like the best friends that they are. *pokes them*

Manga is good.

Yeah, so almost all my money this year went to Manga. After Tokyopop and its subdivision Blu went kaput, I decided this was probably my chance to snag a bunch of titles before I’m forced to hunt them down on Ebay. I read all of them before I got home. XD

And of Course, Misato

Last but not least, my Misato figurine! It’s not a convention unless I come home with a figure of her. XD I’m up to Five! :D They need to start releasing more, too. I’ve gotten around to the point where I’m seeing duplicates. o_o

Conclusion

Awesome convention. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m watching .hack//Roots. XD

Fangirl #20 – Anime Again!

So, been re-attacking Crunchyroll like a maniac~ My “You Can’t Buy Comics Until You Finish Editing” stipulation resulted in…procrastinating with anime instead! :D

Hunter x Hunter

Leorio (Blue Suit) & Kurapika (White pants) are the favs.

My first experience I had with Hunter x Hunter was the first anime series–good show, but a bit dragging. It sort of had that “the characters are awesome, the story is good, but it takes too long to get anything done” vibe. But it was still good & had that same great fighting/humor mix that Yu Yu Hakusho brought to the table (naturally, since they’re by the same person XD).

So, when I saw Hunter x Hunter on Crunchyroll, I figured they just got the license for the old show. But I looked at it again and noticed a difference in animation, and went “Huh.” Watched the first episode and realized…No. No it’s not the same show. XD I should pay more attention, or I would have already known this is a new retelling of the story, closer to the manga. And it. is. awesome.

They’ve cut the unnecessary stuff short, and really tightened up the storyline. The end result is amazing–especially since it doesn’t feel rushed, either. I also love the new opening & ending themes, animation boost, and of course–Hisoka’s theme music. :D

Shugo Chara!

He wins all. <3 Kiseki.

I tried watching Shugo Chara a while ago. I got through two episodes–decided the show was cute, but couldn’t figure out why it was so popular.

I started to re-watch the series with my brother, and had more or less the same opinion. Until we pushed forward to episode 3 and all became clear. It stopped being ‘kinda cute’ and delved straight into ‘that’s awesome’ laughter. The ‘Guardian’ Characters started to shine through and show their true personalities, and it just seemed to take a notch up in the humor. :3

One moment in particular won me over and is the reason I’ve made it to the twenties, episode wise. I won’t spoil it, but let’s just say Tadase & Kiseki became my favorite characters after Amu calls him “Prince.” :P

Though, Nikaidou-sensei & Ikuto are definitely up there in ‘fangirl-worthy’ moments. :D Can’t wait to watch more of the series.

Antique Bakery

This is one of those shows that’s just good.

I adored the manga, loved the anime, and finally got my own copy of the DVDs this week. (I hear the live action shows are also really good, but I haven’t had a chance to check those out…)

It’s heartwarming, funny, and mouth-watering with the detailed cakes, treats, and sexy garçon uniforms. ;)

Anyway, I’m enjoying watching it a second time through & if you have a chance to check it out, I highly recommend it!

(I’d fangirl more, but I don’t think I’d ever stop. Because seriously, between Tachibana, Ono, Chiikage, and Kanda I don’t think I’d know where to start or stop. XD)

Fangirl #19 – Mixed Bag

Bit of a mix this week as I’m banning myself from buying any new comics until I get my second draft to an editor…

Didn’t stop me from procrastinating in other ways! :D And you’ll see my new format–disorganization away! :D Bold Title..then what I think about it–go!

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

I am totally all over the blind bags being on sale. Iv’e gone a little nuts with them. (They are so cute.) Thankfully, by bag 16 or so, I had a Rarity, an Applejack and a Fluttershy–so for the most part, now they’re just ‘I see it so I support it’ sort of buys. XD

But speaking of the cartoon–Today’s episode? Applejacks’ episode, “The Last Roundup” –man was that a great episode. I know everyone’s going crazy about the Derpy thing (I too almost did a spit take hearing that was made canon), but I really liked the main Applejack story, too. Those bits on the cherry farm were hilarious.

And you know, Applejack is great.

Hetalia: Season 3

Man I love this show. So glad I pre-ordered the DVDs from Funimation. *hugs them* I watched the entire third season in a row…and then realized there was a fourth one. *didn’t realize that all of World Series was two seasons, not one*

Love that stuff. And I do like the English dub–it’s funny in a different way from the original dialogue so it’s like getting two great shows in one! :D

Beelzebub

This is one of those series where I wait a few months and just catch up with a bunch of episodes at once. (Like right now).

It’s still funny, and Furuichi is getting a lot of screen time in the 40’s–which is amazing. (He is my favorite character. <3)

The only downfall is it makes me want to break out my Yu Yu Hakusho DVDs. XD

Anime in General

Seriously. If you like anime and don’t have an account at Funimation or Crunchyroll or both–you’re missing out. They’ve pretty much made fan subs obsolete AND you get to support all your favorite shows. Do this. If you support them, maybe they’ll get their hands on all the great ADV & Bandai shows that aren’t around anymore. T_T

Deathstroke #5

Cristoph got a decent send off, and that’s all I can ask for. *sniff* Good issue.

Comics in General

It is the year of the Liefeld for me–discovered him with Hawk & Dove, and now he’s everywhere. Not a bad thing–he’s taking over for Deathstroke (I read that anyway), and I’m gaining interest in Hawkman now that he’s taking over for that. Should be fun. :D

Random:

Also–I can’t wait for my Transformers Prime Season 1 box set to show up. But that’s in march.

Liliy is a Fangirl #11

And we’re back again – that lovely post of the week. On time. Hurrah! So let’s get this party started~

Anime

Midori Days: I made it through one episode–and it was hilarious. I need time to sit down and watch the rest of the 12 episodes in a row. Who would have thought a girl stuck on a punk’s right hand could be so cute? (Don’t ask – just watch it.)

Cartoons

Adventure Time: Okay–that episode with Susan? Where Finn had his cap off and we saw his new shorter hair cut? Super cute. But not as cute as when Finn felt under Susan’s hat at the end of the episode. So. Cute.

Why aren’t you watching Adventure Time?

Green Lantern: So, the new 3D animated series arrived to Cartoon Network today, and I ended up catching the second half. What I saw wasn’t bad, actually. And I LOVE Razor. He’s just so cute and full of angst. *pinches his little cheeks*

Comics

In addition to my two regular pick-ups for Week 2, I’ve also been slowly collecting the 2010 Birds of Prey series (Hawk & Dove obsession continuing.) Since it’s only like 15 issues, I’m just going to wait until the end and give it its own blog post.

Moving on. XD

Have I mentioned how much I love Cristoph? Because seriously. How can you not love a guy who just chills with Slade while he's workin' out?

Deathstroke #3: Definitely made up for Issue #2’s bore-fest. Not only did we get a lot of action with our new purple-themed villain…whose name I can’t recall, but that’s not the point. He’s purple and teal and huge. XD

We got to see a new guy named Peabody whose pretty cool in his own right–builds equipment, awesome. [“Precision.” -Peabody] And Slade’s off on a reputation building binge. Not to sure how I like it, but I can work with it because Cristoph and Peabody are cool. And you know, it’s Slade. I’m sorry, but if the Teen Titans cartoon did anything for me, it was make me a HUGE fan of Slade Wilson. Which is also why I never refer to him as Deathstroke.

But as for the issue, they tied the story back to Issue #1 which was actually pretty cool & a neat twist. Definitely helps remove the ‘it’s just Slade fighting’ vibe.

Also, there’s this:

Who says only the guys get the fan service in DC comics? They're clearly not looking at what I am. Now excuse me while I drool over men probably well over twice my age. Curse you comics. Curse you!

But, this week wasn’t all about Slade and his sexy, sexy-ness–we also have more Teenage excitement!

I think this is the definition of "Adorkable"

Superboy #3: This was a fun issue. We’re getting a bit of dumb, dorky Superboy and it’s great. He’s so cute and clueless and he finally feels more like Superboy.

His first foray into the outside world went well, I think–and it’s getting a little more clear how he goes from jail duty to fighting and running into the Teen Titans in a couple weeks.

Though the stuff with Red threw me, I’ll admit that. This probably has to do with the fact I had no idea Red existed as a character in the DC universe outside of Superboy until I saw an off hand question in an interview if she still had her powers. Well, she apparently still has them–if they resemble what she had before, I don’t know. So I guess I get to learn as I go along.

Also, Red & Rose hangin’ out is awesome. They need to sit back and snark far more often.

…now if you’ll excuse, l’m going to go stare at that clip of Slade, Cristoph and Peabody and their suggestive-when-out-of-context dialogue. :D

patchwork

patches of the life of liliy