self-embodiment of perfection

A decoy of various anime characters   For a long time, my default answer to "What's your favorite anime?" was Naruto. At that time, I had only seen the OG but it was a comfort anime and had become really special to me, even though I saw it in my 30s for the first time. Naruto and his Rasengan After I saw Attack on Titan and Vinland Saga back-to-back, they became my1a and 1b answer for favorite anime--and have been for at least 6 months now. Attack on Titan: Misaka, Armin, Levi, and Eren Thorfinn across the years, Vinland Saga But now, a new challenger appears. It worked its way into my heart in 2024 with my first watch-through, cosplay, and beginning of the manga. It's Haikyu!! Haikyuu's Karasuno High School Volleyball team More than just a sports anime, this is an anime (and manga) with great storytelling, heartwarming emotions, lovable characters, and an inspirational message that goes beyond just "I've got to get stronger". It manages to combine t...

Mob Psycho 100 cast The first time I watched Mob Psycho (in 2023), I liked it but didn't love it. I wanted to love it the way everyone else did, but I had a major problem: I couldn't relate to Mob. I could not understand why he wouldn't use his powers, even when he was in danger, even when others were in danger. Well, he would use them, but not to actively harm another human being. It was maddening to me. Sometimes violence IS the answer, I reasoned. It was frustrating to see him refuse to solve problems in a way that felt so obvious. Then I watched Vinland Saga's 2 seasons. My current rewatch of Mob makes a lot more sense. There's more than one way to be strong, as Thorfinn taught us. In fact, it's not always about winning. Certainly not with brute strength or intimidation. He truly opened my eyes to what pacifism can look like, especially in a world where fighting was not only common, it was expected. Mob's 2nd season is a perfect encapsulation of what the...

- The Disastrous Life of Saiki K - This one came out of nowhere. I watched the first two episodes and thought the MC was way too overpowered, even for a "gag anime" as it later refers to itself. I don't know what compelled me to pick it back up, but I did. It's hilarious, it's light and easy to watch, it's highly bingable, it's smart, and it features some of my favorite Japanese VAs. The Disastrous Life of Saiki K  - Mob Psycho 100 (Rewatch) - I picked this up again because I have to be honest, I was in peak shonen mood when I first watched it and felt it deserved more attention. Even though I knew it was anti-traditional shonen, like One Punch Man, I kept wanting fights. I wanted the point to be that Mob realizes it's okay to use his powers and be strong by standing up to others. I did watch all 3 seasons and still enjoyed it, especially his relationship with Regen, my favorite character, but I felt I was missing out on the greater themes of the sho...

True form Mahito  One year after the Shibuya incident re-aired, I rewatched it. To be more accurate, I rewatched the last few episodes a year after they aired. The other episodes, before Mahito starts losing the 2 v 1 vs Yuji and Todo, I had rewatched at least once.  It's physically painful to watch him get beaten up. It's frustrating to watch Todo and Yuji succeed with their plot armor. It doesn't often feel like a fair battle given the circumstances, skills, and abilities of all 3 fighters. Beyond that, it's just utterly embarrassing to watch how desperate and pathetic Mahito acts in his final moments. I'm also angry that Gege wasted Mahito. He was the strongest cursed spirit. He was built up as the leader of the disaster curses. He was fast to learn and faster to adapt. Gege could have really drawn that out. Maybe I'm just selfish and wanted more time with him. I'm also insanely salty that one black flash by Yuji knocked Mahito out of his true form and ba...

Psycho-Pass It was a visceral hit to the gut. A crime in the middle of a public scene. The shock of seeing this seemingly random woman being beaten over and over. The annoying, robotic voice of one of the drones asking if she's in distress. Telling her to seek mental care, as she's being raped and beaten. The crowd watches, stone-faced, some recording with their phones. No one helps her or calls for help. It was absolutely heart-wrenching and frustrating. Tears came to my eyes at how unfair and how brutish it was, even for something animated and fictional. Later, one of the detectives pointed out that no one helped because this act was so far outside the normal for the public to see that they probably didn't know what to do (I'm paraphrasing). I think it's such a bullshit answer honestly. I tend to think humans are inherently good and that if anything stops them in their tracks, it's just fright. Then again, the Bystander Effect is a real and studied thing. The ...

  It's been many, MANY months since I decided to rewatch the OG Naruto instead of moving onto Shippuden. Let me tell you--they just don't make anime like this anymore. You probably already know this. But there's something so charming about older anime. They are slower, more earnest, more straight-forward in a lot of ways. But they trust you to pick up the story and understand without having it spoonfed to you or all shoved in your face at once, lest you get bored. My theory is because they were made during the height of Cable TV, kids had no choice but to just sit and watch these full episodes and long ass arcs.  I just finished the Konoha Crush Arc, where Orochimaru and his crew infiltrate the Leaf Village, wreak havoc, kill the Third Hokage, and then dip. Also, Naruto and Gaara's sand monster go head-to-head (with some help from the Chief Toad). That's pretty significant. Actually, that's more of the focus of the arc. The last episode of this arc (ep. 80: ...

 I generally find the concept of self-love to be cringe and unattainable. Ew, I'm supposed to love myself? I'd rather die. Self-love sounds like thinking you always look hot and not letting anything get to you. I couldn't imagine responding to someone that I love myself and that's why I did something. But maybe I could learn to not hate myself. That sounded more attainable. This year has been an empowering year for me full of growth, discovery, and self-expression. Along with that has come mistakes, arguments, lost friendships, failed relationships, a lot of insecurity, self-doubt, and my old friend, self-hate. So this month I have slowly, and very sloppily, tried to reconnect with myself. What gives me light, what makes me me, who am I when I'm not with my friends or a romantic partner, what do I like, what do I want, from life, from myself. When I say this has happened sloppily I mean non-linear, imperfectly, taking two steps back and maybe a half step forward som...