"Clannad" Review

Aah the first anime I've watched since FMA (I think?). I kept telling myself that I wouldn't start another anime until I finished my FMA/FMA:B comparison, but that didn't really happen... oh well. 

I am soooo glad that I watched "Clannad" (thanks to James over at J and J Productions!) It was a very fun show. It absolutely makes it into my "top 10" list of animated TV (as in, not just anime, but other shows as well. Like TCW and ATLA)! There is a very fun feel to it, and it kept me on the edge wondering "what happens next?"

Alright, onto the review!

sorry, i lost the source :(

Synopsis ( I can't find a good one, so I guess I have to write my own lol):
High school senior Tomoya Okazaki is bored with his life. His school has nothing to offer, he and his father have a distant relationship, and his one friend only adds to his trouble. In a chance meeting with a strange girl, Nagisa Furukawa, his life gets turned upside down. The show follows their journey to revive the drama club, help classmates, and unravel a strange mystery.

(how was that for my first time?)


Genre: 
Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Romance, School, Slice of Life, Supernatural

This is absolutely one of the best animes I've seen, and would recommend it to anyone who is already into anime. I don't think it would be the best thing to start out with, but if you can handle the moe style, then go for it! 

Warnings: Very little violence, other than some over-exaggerated cartoon violence.

Because no one would ever survive that

There is very little foul language (much less than you would find at a real high school, that's for sure). 
I feel that it might have been because I was watching the english dub, but there were quite a few references to a god that the characters pray to, but it does not listen/care. I personally just attribute that to the dub, and the fact that really, whichever god they're praying to is probably a deity of one of Japan's main religions, seeing as only 2% of the population is actually Christian. I really don't know what to make of it, honestly. It felt kind of out of place in the story. It's very minor- I just thought I would mention it.

Plot and Production:
The plot is well thought out, and each episode flowed smoothly into the next. I feel like there are two main parts to the show, the first half: a mystery, and the second half: achieving a goal. The underlying mysteries constantly has viewers questioning the direction of the plot, because there are so many possible outcomes! Though some aspects are predictable, it doesn't leave a feeling of "ugh, the writers should be more creative".

Obviously this show is heavily moe, but the animation is sharp and relatively smooth. It's more of a matter of if you can tolerate the huge eyes and crazy effects! I watched the English dub, and thought that the voice acting was awesome! The actors all did a great job, and they didn't pull out of the story at all (you know, like make me realize that they are recording in a booth, not being their characters... that feeling, yeah...)

Characters:
The word "clannad" comes from Gaelic roots, meaning "family". This is most defiantly a fitting name for the show, as it is about a group of friends that have a very family-like dynamic (Kyou and Tomoya are totally mom and dad). There are LOTS AND LOTS OF CHARACTERS, so I'm grouping families together!

Tomoya Okazaki

Tomoya Okazaki, our lovable, sarcastic delinquent, is the lead of the series. He is a quick thinker, and helps a number of friends through the series. He rarely looks for a fight, but will fight back when attacked first. Much of the story revolves around him learning about his friends, their past, and helping them. He's an interesting character, and David Matranga's acting is very good, and possibly better than the two other anime's I've seen him in. (he was also in Angel Beats and Hakuouki)

Nagisa Furukawa

This cutie here, Nagisa Furukawa, is the leading lady of the show. Though she might seem shy, her dream is to start the drama club back up. She cares deeply for other people, and is overall a very likable character. Her most obvious flaw is that she worries to much, and is very self conscious, which is a foil to Tomoyas confidence. It's hard not to like her, especially since she loves almost everyone she meets, always trying to see the good in people.

Akio and Sanae Furukawa

Nagisa's parents. My OTP of the series. They are adorable and make me do this:

Ryou and Kyou Fujibayashi

The twins are the last characters I'm going to mention, because there are SO many other great characters, and this post would take forever if I don't stop.
So yes. The twins.
Kyou (right) is very protective of Ryou (left), who is much more quiet than her older sister. They are both wonderful characters, but I feel that Kyou gets more character development, because she bonds with Tomoya more (like I said- the mom and dad of the group), and is much more... loud. Yeah. She's loud. I love her to pieces.
And Ryou is smart and adorable, so it's all good.

Availability:

Available on Hulu instant play, Netflix DVD, and AnimeFreak

___________________________

Alright, well, now I'm off to start the sequel- Clannad: After Story!

Azula (and Aang) Cosplay Pt. 2- Drafting Armor Patterns

Alright, part 2! Yay! On Wednesday Dad brought me home some old blueprints (he's in construction) so that I could start drafting my costume,

Ok, first I want to say that for lunch on Thursday i had only round foods, and I'm super proud of myself. Yep. ok, moving on...

So, I spent the past few days making the patterns for the armor. I feel very lucky that I got most of the measurements right on the first try!

My materials- I also ended up using an Exacto Knife to cut the pattern, instead of scissors.

Here's the pattern I found online. Most of my measurements were pretty similar.

I didn't like how it turned out at first, so I trimmed it up...

Next I made the collar

Pedicure break! I've been doing the same color since CVI...

Back/Front pannels

The whole thing!

Close up of the belt buckle- the fire nation phoenix!
I used a cup to outline it and cut it.

So, yeah! The costume's coming along great, and I have the measurements for Aang.

Azula and Aang Cosplays Pt. 1

Alright, here we go on my next big cosplay endeavor! I'm planning on going to Kraken Con on April 6, so I don't have a lot of time to pull this together. Fortunately, I have a two week break, so I should be able to get it done.

I also have to convince my brother to be Aang.

AZULA

Costume plans/notes

Materials (already have):

• Amour
• One yard of vinyl 
• Iron on interfacing
• yellow and orange ribbon or some similar lining
• velcro/clips (I haven't totally figured out how I'm going to keep it all on)
• Mom got me this lovely wig in black for Christmas. It's perfect!
• Black boots (supposedly... I have yet to ask Mom if I can use hers :p)
• Jumper Skirt
• Fabric choice 1,  choice 2 (idk which one I like better... what do y'all think?)
• Plastic boning
• iron-on interfacing
• yellow ribbon 
• Red shirt/pants (LIGHT FABRIC)
• I'm planning on just buying and modifying this, since I don't have time to make it all by scratch
• Gloves
• I honestly have no idea what to do here. Funny, I hate having to deal with gloves in cosplay, but all of my major projects have gloves :p
• Belt
• I'll either make it out of leather or up-cycle an old belt.
• Props
• I'm thinking about making some sort of flame prop... maybe like this

My uncle is going to help with all of the leather work, and I'll keep y'all updated on that. As with any cosplayer, I want to add my own creative spin on the costume. I feel like, if ATLA were real, the fabrics of the Fire Nation royals would be very ornate- that's why I really want to use Jacquard fabric. I've also been inspired by this cosplay to maybe add some design to the armor:

AANG

Ok, in all honesty, I haven't even asked my brother about this. But he loves ATLA, so he may agree to do it. I honestly think his season 3 outfit would be easiest (and I also really want to paint the scar on his back)

Obviously he would need a bald cap, and the pants would just be grey/black sweats. The top would be more difficult, because it would need to be held in place... I want to go with a simple fabric, sticking with Airbender tradition. I have no clue what we're going to do about the boots.

So, yeah, tell me what you think, and any suggestions would be much appreciated! And feel free to ask any questions!

(and i have no idea why the link colors are so inconsistent...)

January/February Art 2014

Because I've been so busy these past two months, I didn't get a lot of art time.

Here are some doodles from geometry... 

I think it's time to re-do my TARDIS cosplay

OK! On to the actual art! Kicked off the year with one of my favorite super heroes- Storm! 

Storm

Sam and Daniel

Oh, goodness I love those dorks :p (Sam and Daniel from SG-1)

Moonshadow

Listened to my Cat Stevens album while drawing this. I've always connected "Moonshadow" with islands/tropics/sailing, so yeah.., Moonshadow.

Greed Ling

Finished FMA: Brotherhood, and went to work on this.

Adventure

My current state of mind

Captain Carter and Lieutenant Hawkeye

Idk how else to title this one... "Shaak's Favorite Blonde Military Ladie's Club"?

You don't understand how much I love these two

Al Armor/Body

Got my little bro into FMA, and I watched some of it with him.
Oh, man, the 2003 version is just full of feels.
But this piece was inspired by Brotherhood.
Yay.

Well, that's it. Have a good week everyone! And pray that our production of "Into the Woods" goes well (thurs. fri. sat.)!

~Shaak 

Companions

Companions

A "Doctor Who" one shot

By Shaak Ti

This FanFic takes place not long after the events of "Angels Take Manhatten". I was having an overload of feels from Amy and Rory leaving, so I write this. Found it in my Google Drive and decided to post it (sometime my drive feels more like a buried treasure than a bunch of old papers/random stuff :p)

It had been three days since Amy and Rory had been taken away from him. Three long, sad days. There was no life to the TARDIS anymore, without his companions. River needed to be dropped off at some rich lady's ball in the 1700's, so there was no comfort to be found in her. No, it was just him. The last time lord, the lonely mad man with a box. "The raggedy Doctor", he heard the name in Amy's voice and it brought tears to his eyes. It was time. Time to add the Girl Who Waited and the Last Centurion to the room of companions.

The Doctor groaned as he stood. He must have been sitting on that bench for hours, or maybe just a few minutes. It was hard to tell, being lost in thought like that. He walked through one of the TARDIS's many maze-like corridors, ending at an ornate wooden door. With heavy hearts he grasped the cool brass knob and opened it. There he stood, taking in everything. It wasn't often that he went into this room that was thick with memories, losses, and a little glimmer of happiness. He grabbed a large frame out of a small closet to the right of the door. This will do.

Much time (or no time at all? You never really can tell in the TARDIS) later the frame was filled with wonderful pictures of Rory, Amy, River and the Doctor. He hung the picture on an empty space on the wall. It was funny, only when he lost the companion was there room for one more picture.

He stepped back and admired his work, sadness again clutching it's cold fist around his hearts. Then he looked to the corner of his eye, as he had told Amy to do some time close to 100 years ago. That was a big mistake. There she was, smiling with that beautiful smile of hers, wearing a pink 1950's dress, holding onto the Doctor as they parked for a quick picture on the Queens coronation day.

Rose.

That was it. He couldn't take any more. The tears were few, and they fell without a sound. Oh, Rose, I'm so, so sorry. I... His thoughts were cut short, as he picked up a dead rose lying on the floor. Attached to it was a note that he had written long ago.

Rose,

Oh my dear Rose, I am so sorry. If I could go back in time and change what happened, I would. But I can't. You understand why, don't you? I have the most powerful time traveling device ever, and I can't get you back. Seems rather silly, doesn't it? I only wish I could see you one more time. I don't know why I'm writing this, I know you'll never receive it. But I love you, Rose. I really, really do.

-The Doctor

He put the note back down and then noticed that the back had been written on, too. That's funny, I don't remember writing on the back...

Dear Doctor,

I doubt you will ever receive this, but who knows. It may cross galaxy's and parallel universes to end at you psychic paper. I hope it does. The date here is July 8, 2007. Exactly one year after I got stuck here. I don't blame you, Doctor, I really don't. Mickey, or Ricky as he goes by now, got married last week. I was one of the bridesmaids. Mum and Dad are doing great, but I miss you. I miss you alot.

Love,

Rose

PS. Here I am, 3 years later. I found this note in a drawer, and on the back there was a note from you. I hope you got this. And you know what has happened in between. Go, fly off in your blue box and save the galaxy. Do it for me.

"I love you too," he whispered. And off he went to fulfill Roses request to save the stars, and Amy's: to find a new companion.

And the Raggedy Doctor always kept them close to his hearts.

________________

What's funny is that there was a room similar to the one I described in a later episode of DW, the one when Clara found the heart of the TARDIS or whatever. Yep.

I'll try to have my art up this weekend, but life is crazy busy right now, so I have a few scheduled posts (art, another creative writing assignment I found... things like that). I have my b-day party this weekend (so excited!) and then the load in for the play. Next week will be full of extra rehearsals, and then, on the 6th, 7th, and 8th, we have our actual performances. I'm so excited!

"Angel Beats" Review

I was never really planning on watching "Angel Beats". I knew it was popular, and it kept showing up on my Netflix feed, but it just never made it on my list of "must see animes". Well, a few weeks ago, my cousin Katie suggested it to me, and since I had just finished "Evangelion" (which is amazing. BTW), I figured I would give it a try. I liked it. I'm not going to say that it will ever be in my top 10 list or anything, but it was really good, with great character growth and a generally light plot. Heck, I even cried in the end (and not feels/internal crying, I bawled like a baby). It's a fun, short show that I recommend to anyone who likes a bit of action and sci-fi thrown into the a school-life show!

Source

Alright, on to the review!

Synopsis:
"Otonashi awakens only to learn he is dead. A rifle-toting girl named Yuri explains that they are in the afterlife, and Otonashi realizes the only thing he can remember about himself is his name. Yuri tells him that she leads the Shinda Sekai Sensen (Afterlife Battlefront) and wages war against a girl named Tenshi. Unable to believe Yuri's claims that Tenshi is evil, Otonashi attempts to speak with her, but the encounter doesn't go as he intended."
Read more at http://myanimelist.net/anime/6547/Angel_Beats!#iQDb8rg0KYrWTXqH.99

Warnings:
Swearing: not any more than the other shows I've reviewed. I feel like it may have been less, but I'm not sure. (Ok, I'm going to make a page that has how I rate stuff on it... that sounds good).

All of these characters are dead. They are living in a strange high school afterlife. They cannot die in the after life, so they are constantly "killed" in violent ways... run through with a knife, drown, fall off a building... but they don't actually die. Make sense? It's like their all Rory Williams-Pond or something.

Some of the characters have flashbacks to their earthly life and how they died. One girl's siblings are brutally murdered. Nobody commits suicide in their real life, btw, just thought I'd throw that out there.

Availability:
It's a relatively popular anime, but I heard that it was taken off of Netflix. I watched it on animefreak.

Characters:
There are sooo many great characters in this show. I really wish there had been two seasons, because it would have been easier to explain everyones back story better.

SNK and other things

I watched the first episode of Attack on Titan (or SNK, whichever you prefer), and I loved it.

This is a problem.

I don't want to get emotionally involved with characters I know are going to die.

But I need to watch this show.

I need to cosplay from it.

Cosplay

*evil cackle as I begin to draw plans for cosplay stuff*



So, I'm still a bit under the weather, and as you can see from above, I started a new show...
Not much else has happened. I did finish my Spider-Man comic, and now I can't wait to go back to the comic store!

I need to finish drivers ed, so that I can be driving by next April... it's a bit off from my birthday, but that's OK. I will still be driving.

I can't think of much else that's going on, other than I'm starting to get my college list together.

Alright, have a great week, everyone!

"Hakuouki" Review

So after FMA, I was a little lost. I wanted to watch FMA: Brotherhood, but I needed time in between the series. I didn't feel like watching something super cute and girly like "Fruits Basket", either. Fortunately, my friends General Snips and May came to the rescue with "Hakuouki". I absolutely loved this show, and it was a nice break from the fast pace of FMA. Because of school starting, and being busy during summer it took me forever to watch, and I watched half of it in Japanese with the subtitles, but I remember most of it.

(Source)

Synopsis:
The protagonist, Yukimura Chizuru, is the daughter of a doctor who works in Edo. The father leaves Edo to work as a volunteer doctor and moves to Kyoto without his daughter. As time passes by, Chizuru starts worrying about losing contact with her father, so she decides to go to Kyoto in search of him. On the way, Chizuru is attacked by few criminals and witnesses a fight between an oni and the Shinsengumi. Taking her into custody and saving her, the Shinsengumi debate on what to do with Chizuru when they discover that she is the daughter of the doctor they are also looking for. So they decide to become Chizuru's protectors and help her look for her father (the doctor). Lots of events happen while she stays with the Shinsengumi, as they discover mysterious secrets and also fight against the Bakumatsu group. 
from: Here

It is based off of the real life Shinsengumi Samuri group, which was started in the early/mid 1800's. Go check out this page for more information of the Shinsengumi and the character's real-life counterparts.

Warnings:
This show is about samurai and a rebellion and changing times, so there is quite a bit of sword fighting/blood/injuries and deaths. One of the characters has tuberculosis, and there are quite a few scenes where he is seen coughing up blood. There's no super intense gore or anything that I can remember.

On a moral level, it takes place/was made in Japan, so the obvious religion and mythology come into play occasionally. There are creatures referred to as "Oni" or "Demons", and some people try to re-create those creatures. They come out as somewhat vampire like. Ok, let me explain. They are created killing machines, and sometimes they loose their grip on reality and go into a rage that can only be stopped by drinking blood. As you can imagine, this can cause a number of problems when some of the members of the Shinsingumi are turned into these half-demons.

 I have to admit, I am really bad at remembering if there is swearing in anything. It goes in one ear and out the other. But I wrote myself a note! So now i know to say "there is some foul language, but honestly, it's not much worse than most other animes I have reviewed so far." So there you go.

Oh, and you may need a box of tissues and chocolate for the second season. Just sayin', especially if you get attached to any of the characters.

Availability:
I believe you can buy it on Amazon, but I watched the subs on YouTube, and the English dub on an off-site, so if you want a link for that I can send it to you. It's not exactly a popular/well known show, so it's not available on most sites like Netflix or Hulu.

Characters:

Chizuru Yukimura

Daww... she's such a cutie

Our heroine is a strong and complex character who is very well written, animated, and acted. Some people say she is weak willed and pathetic. I say that for a woman of Imperial Japan, she is extremely strong and has completely destroyed all gender roles of her time. Yeah, she's my favorite character of the show.

Let's take a moment to appreciate how great a character she is! (BECAUSE HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE HER SHES JUST TOO CUTE!!!)

Well, she's a bit clumsy :) (Go watch the video it's priceless)

But she's strong, too. Ok, I'm done ranting about her.

Toshizo Hijikata

You really could smile more

HIjakata is the Vice-Commander of the Shinsingumi.  At first his character seems cold and distant, but as time goes on he becomes a likable character. Personally, he isn't my favorite, but I did like him. He has a few surprising character traits, though, and the audience gets to know him better in the second season. He is generally refered to as Hijikata

Souji Okita

Bby you're my favorite :'(

Souji Okita, commander of the first unit, is a good natured, though often sarcastic, character. He instantly became my favorite... which I guess just goes to show that I always fall in love with the ones with the most tragic plot. He is alternately called by Okita and Souji. Okita is his family name.

Sanosuke Harada

Idk if i ship or bro-ship him with Chizuru

Sanosuke Harada is the tallest among the commanders. He is easily the most cheerful of the group, and is often making jokes with the others. He becomes very close with Chizuru, and I love how their relationship grows throughout the series. He is also very close with  He's my third favorite :). He is generally referred to as Sano, but Harada is also common.

Saitou Hajime

Haha, this scene ^.^

Saitou Hajime is the leader of the third division. He is a master swordsman, and is one of the best of the best in the Shinsingumi. His talent lies in quickly cutting down his enemy in one move, a style called Iaijutsu. Though he is an excellent warrior, he seems to be rather shy. The times he does talk, though, he usually has something important to say. He looooves swords. I think it would be fair to say he is much like us fangirls... once he starts talking about swords, he doesn't stop! He really is a great character, and I probably would have liked him even more if he had more screen time. He and Souji have a close friendship, and he is mostly called Saitou.

I now realize I have written more about him than any other character... haha, and I thought there wouldn't be much to say about him! 

Heisuke Toudou

He's almost as cute a Chizuru... almost...

Heiskue Toudou (or Todo, but I guess the spelling is irrelevant) is the the youngest of the commanders, being only 18. He's energetic, out going, friendly, and is a bit of a prankster. He, Sano, and Shinpachi are very close friends *can you hear that? that's me crying my eyes out over my perfect BroT3*. Sometimes he is called Heisuke, sometimes he is called Toudou.

Shinpachi Nagakura

And the last member of the epic 3

Shinpachi Nagakura is a relatively light hearted character, and enjoys having a good time with his friends and comrades. As I said earlier, he, Sano, and Heisuke have a close relationship. He is most commonly called Shinpachi.

I believe that I have covered the most important characters. A little side note: there is an OVA for each of the main characters. They are the ultimate source ship and bro-ship material.

Well, I'll spare you from the "not so spoiler free end" after this long post. Instead, I have a few questions about the way I do these reviews:
Should I make them less biased or more personal?
Does the lay-out work and make sense?
Is there something I should add/not do?
Should I go from a more Christian-like stand point?
Should I talk about acting/production quality?
What can I do to improve the reviews?

I would love it if you shared input!