Anime Fandom [Recap of 2008]
It's a New Year and I hope very well that I stay in good health (sort of) and find time to go back to college for the purpose of academic pursuits (and not screw it up this time around). The only way life will go the way I want it to is if I do something about it and I will because lethargy and disinterest can only give you fleeting possessions and wasted time (this truth resonates). So by this year, I'm fixing my errors and (1) changing my 'fuck me, fuck everything' attitude (2) stop avoiding personal conversations with God (3) start finishing my Death Note stories and also stories in other fandoms long overdue. To all my LJ friends and fellow writers, here's to us and new fandom beginnings and real-life crises hopefully absolved and learned.
Ten Favourite Characters:
01. L (Death Note)
02. Ciel Phantomhive (Kuroshitsuji)
03. Sunako Nakahara (The Wallflower)
04. Roy Mustang (Full Metal Alchemist!)
05. Ai Enma (Jigoku Shoujo)
06. Genjyo Sanzo (Saiyuki series)
07. Kunimitsu Tezuka (Prince of Tennis)
08. Kyouya Ootori (Ouran Kouku Hostabu)
09. Misa Amane (Death Note)
10. Zero Kiriyuu (Vampire Knight)
Expound as to why: This list fraught me with the difficulty of ranking my favorite characters from many fandoms. Some are featured because they perplexed me to no end (L, Ciel Phantomhive, Ai Enma , Roy Mustang and Misa Amane). Others induce part-sexual obsessions (Genjyo Sanzo, Kunimitsu Tezuka, Kyouya Ootori and Zero Kiriyuu) and the other one is a character I related to in many personal areas (Sunako Nakahara).
Five Favourite Pairings:
01. Kyohei Takano x Sunako Nakahara (The Wallflower)
02. Zero x Yuuki (Vampire Knight)
03. Len Tsukumori x Kahoko Hino (Kiniro no Corda)
04. Sebastian x Ciel (Kuroshitusji)
05. Shinichi Kudoh x Ran Mouri x Conan Edogawa (Case Closed)
Expound as to why: My first choice is deliriously addictive. The second and third choices actually remind me of each other, regarding the status of their relationships in their respective canon (not to mention Zero looks a lot like Tsukimori most of the time). The fourth one is a guilty pleasure because of the homoerotic implications concerning the cited pairing, canon-wise. The fifth one was inspired to be put on the list because I've recently finished watching the ten [Detective Conan] movies and they were dripping with superb awesome!
Three Favourite Manga:
01. Yamato Nadeshiko Shichihenge
02. Saiyuki
03. Kuroshitsuji
Expound as to why: This is also another irritating dilemma for me. I've read a total number of 42 mangas from 2007-2008 and I decided that the basis should be the mangas that touched me in a real, personal level (Yamanade), a long-time favorite series (Saiyuki), and recent material I was into on 2008 (Kuroshitsuji).
Three Favourite Anime:
01. Death Note
02. Sayonara Zetsubou-sensei
03. Jigoku Shoujo Futakamori
Expound as to why: I think this was easy for me to discern. Death Note anime was splendid and compelling (twice the manga's integrity, in my opinion). Sayonara Zetsubou-sensei is"epic-win"satire (It does have many clever and insane moments of social commentary and spite and the animation is low-budget yet visually-stunning). Jigoku Shoujo Futakamori is a better improvement than the first series (plot-wise because the episodes don't have a repetive rhythm anymore and the writers experimented with a wider range of themes and characters).
First Fandom of 2008:
Recently hooked in with Vampire Knight.
Expound as to why: Thanks to Viola-chan. She cured me from that crippling disease of the Twilight mania that made me bleed through the eyes and shit brick (honestly, my comfort zone and threshold of pain are tested simultaneously). If I want a decent vampire-romantic-gothic material, VK seems to be a good way to go.
Favourite Main Character of 2008:
Ciel Phantomhive of Black Butler (Kuroshitsuji manga version)
Expound as to why: Why yes, I am aware that Black Butler is not completely a very original work since it does have a nostalgic essence of Hellsing and Godchild. But it proves to be praise-worthy because the characters are dimensional and mysterious especially the lead shota elite Ciel who struck me as a more dangerously impassive Near. He's a damaged good and he adds to the story's eerie Victorian goth setting.
Favourite Villain of 2008:
Lust from Full Metal Alchemist is still a long-time, irreplaceable favorite in this category because she was hateful at first until I got to sympathize with her goals and motives.
Favourite Video Game Character of 2008:
Rin from Togainu no chi. Because he looks like a doll and he's so cheery.
Favourite Game of 2008:
Togainu no chi. Post-apocalyptic setting with a sprinkle of BL!
Favourite Het Couple of 2008:
[Near x Misa] because I had fun writing a romantic angle about them. There is so much potential here, a uncharted territory I'm still trying to expose through writing "Her God is my Enemy." Besides, I like 'older woman-younger man' relationships.
Favourite GL Couple of 2008:
[Maria x Yuuki] was conceivable to me for quite sometime. "I kissed a girl" plays inside my head whenever the two of them enters a scene together in the anime.
Favourite BL Couple of 2008:
[Keisuke x Akira] because they make me swoon so bad I got a concussion one time (true story: I was jumping on the bed, squeeing and I hit my head and scattered my brain matter).
Fandom That You Never Expected To Get Into:
Prince of Tennis! Because I usually ignore sports anime (Slam Dunk, Hungry Heart) but I got more than what I bargained for, given that, when I started watching the series, I've already fixed low expectations. But then I was hooked up yet chose to deny it for weeks (because I can't believe Tezuka is responsible for the extinction of dinosaurs by raining tennis balls on the earth's surface) but why let my penchant for this series be ruined because of the silly, exaggerated emphasis on the game scenes of the anime creators?
Fandom That Made An Unexpected Comeback In Your Life:
xxxholic. I’ve been reading a manga that surpassed this lately but I picked this up again and remembered how much I love the story and art work. This is by CLAMP so it never disappoints my appetite for the strange.
Fandom That Inspired The Most Crack:
Death Note. I reread my first stories “A Different Kind of Sweet” and “Dirty Little Whore” just today and I just realized how OOC, fluffs and lulz had ensued in the old days!
Last Fandom of 2008:
Kiniro no Corda. I promise to get back to it because once I took a break from RPG-ing this series, its fandom also suffered.
Overall Ten Favourite Anime Fandoms of 2008:
Death Note, Saiyuki, Full Metal Alchemist, Kuroshitsuji, Prince of Tennis, xxxholic, Kiniro no Corda, Vampire Knight, Ouran High school Host Club and Yu Yu Hakusho.
Anime Predictions for 2009:
When Kuroshitsuji comes up with more manga volumes, I’ll start formulating my own coherent (and not just superfluous fluff) ideas for its fandom. I also plan to devote my time familiarizing myself with Vampire Knight because there are many angles in the story and characters that are worth exploring. I was also recommended Code Geass and Katekyo Hitman Reborn! so I’ll follow through those as well (since I enjoy reading the doujinshi versions anyway).
My first anime conversation of 2009 was about...
Vampire Knight with my auntie because I’m trying to get her off the Twilight series addiction.
Ten Favourite Characters:
01. L (Death Note)
02. Ciel Phantomhive (Kuroshitsuji)
03. Sunako Nakahara (The Wallflower)
04. Roy Mustang (Full Metal Alchemist!)
05. Ai Enma (Jigoku Shoujo)
06. Genjyo Sanzo (Saiyuki series)
07. Kunimitsu Tezuka (Prince of Tennis)
08. Kyouya Ootori (Ouran Kouku Hostabu)
09. Misa Amane (Death Note)
10. Zero Kiriyuu (Vampire Knight)
Expound as to why: This list fraught me with the difficulty of ranking my favorite characters from many fandoms. Some are featured because they perplexed me to no end (L, Ciel Phantomhive, Ai Enma , Roy Mustang and Misa Amane). Others induce part-sexual obsessions (Genjyo Sanzo, Kunimitsu Tezuka, Kyouya Ootori and Zero Kiriyuu) and the other one is a character I related to in many personal areas (Sunako Nakahara).
Five Favourite Pairings:
01. Kyohei Takano x Sunako Nakahara (The Wallflower)
02. Zero x Yuuki (Vampire Knight)
03. Len Tsukumori x Kahoko Hino (Kiniro no Corda)
04. Sebastian x Ciel (Kuroshitusji)
05. Shinichi Kudoh x Ran Mouri x Conan Edogawa (Case Closed)
Expound as to why: My first choice is deliriously addictive. The second and third choices actually remind me of each other, regarding the status of their relationships in their respective canon (not to mention Zero looks a lot like Tsukimori most of the time). The fourth one is a guilty pleasure because of the homoerotic implications concerning the cited pairing, canon-wise. The fifth one was inspired to be put on the list because I've recently finished watching the ten [Detective Conan] movies and they were dripping with superb awesome!
Three Favourite Manga:
01. Yamato Nadeshiko Shichihenge
02. Saiyuki
03. Kuroshitsuji
Expound as to why: This is also another irritating dilemma for me. I've read a total number of 42 mangas from 2007-2008 and I decided that the basis should be the mangas that touched me in a real, personal level (Yamanade), a long-time favorite series (Saiyuki), and recent material I was into on 2008 (Kuroshitsuji).
Three Favourite Anime:
01. Death Note
02. Sayonara Zetsubou-sensei
03. Jigoku Shoujo Futakamori
Expound as to why: I think this was easy for me to discern. Death Note anime was splendid and compelling (twice the manga's integrity, in my opinion). Sayonara Zetsubou-sensei is"epic-win"satire (It does have many clever and insane moments of social commentary and spite and the animation is low-budget yet visually-stunning). Jigoku Shoujo Futakamori is a better improvement than the first series (plot-wise because the episodes don't have a repetive rhythm anymore and the writers experimented with a wider range of themes and characters).
First Fandom of 2008:
Recently hooked in with Vampire Knight.
Expound as to why: Thanks to Viola-chan. She cured me from that crippling disease of the Twilight mania that made me bleed through the eyes and shit brick (honestly, my comfort zone and threshold of pain are tested simultaneously). If I want a decent vampire-romantic-gothic material, VK seems to be a good way to go.
Favourite Main Character of 2008:
Ciel Phantomhive of Black Butler (Kuroshitsuji manga version)
Expound as to why: Why yes, I am aware that Black Butler is not completely a very original work since it does have a nostalgic essence of Hellsing and Godchild. But it proves to be praise-worthy because the characters are dimensional and mysterious especially the lead shota elite Ciel who struck me as a more dangerously impassive Near. He's a damaged good and he adds to the story's eerie Victorian goth setting.
Favourite Villain of 2008:
Lust from Full Metal Alchemist is still a long-time, irreplaceable favorite in this category because she was hateful at first until I got to sympathize with her goals and motives.
Favourite Video Game Character of 2008:
Rin from Togainu no chi. Because he looks like a doll and he's so cheery.
Favourite Game of 2008:
Togainu no chi. Post-apocalyptic setting with a sprinkle of BL!
Favourite Het Couple of 2008:
[Near x Misa] because I had fun writing a romantic angle about them. There is so much potential here, a uncharted territory I'm still trying to expose through writing "Her God is my Enemy." Besides, I like 'older woman-younger man' relationships.
Favourite GL Couple of 2008:
[Maria x Yuuki] was conceivable to me for quite sometime. "I kissed a girl" plays inside my head whenever the two of them enters a scene together in the anime.
Favourite BL Couple of 2008:
[Keisuke x Akira] because they make me swoon so bad I got a concussion one time (true story: I was jumping on the bed, squeeing and I hit my head and scattered my brain matter).
Fandom That You Never Expected To Get Into:
Prince of Tennis! Because I usually ignore sports anime (Slam Dunk, Hungry Heart) but I got more than what I bargained for, given that, when I started watching the series, I've already fixed low expectations. But then I was hooked up yet chose to deny it for weeks (because I can't believe Tezuka is responsible for the extinction of dinosaurs by raining tennis balls on the earth's surface) but why let my penchant for this series be ruined because of the silly, exaggerated emphasis on the game scenes of the anime creators?
Fandom That Made An Unexpected Comeback In Your Life:
xxxholic. I’ve been reading a manga that surpassed this lately but I picked this up again and remembered how much I love the story and art work. This is by CLAMP so it never disappoints my appetite for the strange.
Fandom That Inspired The Most Crack:
Death Note. I reread my first stories “A Different Kind of Sweet” and “Dirty Little Whore” just today and I just realized how OOC, fluffs and lulz had ensued in the old days!
Last Fandom of 2008:
Kiniro no Corda. I promise to get back to it because once I took a break from RPG-ing this series, its fandom also suffered.
Overall Ten Favourite Anime Fandoms of 2008:
Death Note, Saiyuki, Full Metal Alchemist, Kuroshitsuji, Prince of Tennis, xxxholic, Kiniro no Corda, Vampire Knight, Ouran High school Host Club and Yu Yu Hakusho.
Anime Predictions for 2009:
When Kuroshitsuji comes up with more manga volumes, I’ll start formulating my own coherent (and not just superfluous fluff) ideas for its fandom. I also plan to devote my time familiarizing myself with Vampire Knight because there are many angles in the story and characters that are worth exploring. I was also recommended Code Geass and Katekyo Hitman Reborn! so I’ll follow through those as well (since I enjoy reading the doujinshi versions anyway).
My first anime conversation of 2009 was about...
Vampire Knight with my auntie because I’m trying to get her off the Twilight series addiction.