Chihayafuru 2 episode 7

   Once again, I am dumbfounded by how much this episode presents in terms of its character development.  On one hand, we see how Chihaya's sister is influenced by her younger sister, and on the other, we see how Chihaya's mother wants to make up for all the time she has not spent on Chihaya.  Then again, that just comes to show how influential Chihaya's frank nature is.  However, better scenes come in the second half of this episode.  We see how a club that just popped out of nowhere gave their utmost support and gratitude to Chihaya and co after receiving their kindness.  Only after watching that scene, I realised how Chihaya and her friends never got any support aside from their advisor and karuta society's colleagues.

    Now onto the two main catches of this episode.  The first one is probably the one where they head off to the nationals.  We can see how much this means to them since they did not make the cut last year (from Chihayafuru 1st season) and how they are all prepared to face the hurdles.

    The second one is probably the part where Chihaya discovered she liked Arata.  It may seem foolish but more often than not, those around us have a better view of how we behave and what ticks us.  Then again, my heart goes out to Taichi.  How I see it, he will never secure a spot in Chihaya's heart.  She does not even realise the affection Taichi has been showing so obtrusively.  I seriously can't wait for next week to watch the next episode as they are going to participate in the competition and perhaps we'll see more of the queen and her relationship with Arata.

Chihayafuru Episode 5 & 6

     Have you ever experienced a feeling that is so powerful that it can be compared to having an orgasm?  If you haven't, then watching these two episodes will provide you with such an ecstasy tantamount to the experience described.  Now, on to the pictures:

     So, what makes these 2 episodes so nice that I had to post them side by side?  You see, these two episodes have to go hand in hand if they were to present a clear picture.  On one hand, we see how the true aces face off each other in a battle of wits; on the other, we see how each character progressed in the past year they had been training.  Out of all the characters, Chihaya and Taichi showed the most improvements, especially Chihaya who transcended to a totally new level!  The battle between each character was demystified so clearly that you will be glued to the screen literary to find out the result of the battles.

    However, a good anime should have another element that gives it an edge over the others.  For chihayafuru, nothing could be better than pure honest romance.  To be honest, it breaks my heart to see Taichi continuing his unrequited love.  Chihaya must have sensed the affection emanating from Taichi and yet, she shows her adoring face whenever Arata's name is mentioned.  In that sense, I really admire Taichi for being so fixated on one person only and not showing off despite his popularity with girls/women.

   Chihayafuru sure keeps me on the edge of my seat as I await the next episode and see what it brings to the current development of the story, especially the relationship between Arata and Shinobu.  Until next week, cherio.

Chihayafuru Season 2 blogging

      It has been quite some time since I sat on the edge of my chair while watching an anime.  Chihayafuru S2 blasted off with the introduction of the lovely and memorable members from Mizusawa Karuta Club as well as some new faces.  However, after coming so far, this episode nailed the development of one of the main characters perfectly!

       For those Chihayafuru fans out there, it does not come as something new knowing that Taichi has been struggling to get into the A-class players list.  However, as pointed out in this episode, he does not lack the skills, he simply lack the conviction that he is great!  Towards the end, he was brought to full realisation by his teammates as well as his friends that he is not alone.  The part where Chihaya offered her handkerchief to Taichi was simply magnificent, considering that Taichi has had an eye for Chihaya since he was young.  That must have given him a huge boost in mental support.

      As far as the character development goes, we can see that Oe is very particular about the rhythm of poems and Shimizu has found another new passion for Karuta if she ever wants to win the favour of Taichi.  Chihayafuru was good but Chihayafuru is even better!  I am looking forward to reviewing the subsequent episodes this anime has to offer!  Take care guys.

境界

悲哀呀，有时和一些没有文化的人谈天真的是让我想作呕。他们一不爽就用粗口或是贬低你的家庭/宗族。庄子公元前298年说的话至今还是很中用的，在陆地上蹦跳的麻雀是不会懂得鹏鸟的执着的。和朋友或亲人谈话时也会发现同样的症状的。当你看到的东西多了以后，接触的东西多了以后，理解扩繁了，你会察觉到有些对话你是在是应付不来。并不是说你不懂，而是你会发觉那些人说的话根本毫无意义。举个例子，我上个星期和一些朋友谈话时，发觉到有某个人不停的抱怨。当时我就对她说了，“人间必定有不满足的地方，要懂得体谅。”然而，她还是不停的唠叨。后来就发现了，跟境界低的人，怎样都是无法和他们说道理的。

所以呢，我老爸虽然比我年老，但经验也比我丰富多了。他当我还在读高中时就和我说过了，我会跟着成长找到不同的朋友。现在想想，还真是呢。有时跟以前的朋友谈世间的东西他们根本完全不懂，难矣哉。算了，人非圣贤，孰无能过。只要他们做人能堂堂正正就行了。所以呢，读者们，提高自己的境界吧！正如学习如逆水行舟，不进则退。保重！

Time beyond time

Time 时钟 時間 Zeit temps...

So many terms to describe the one thing that has been known to us since the prehistoric age, time.  Men are slaves to time; beasts are at the mercy of time; success is determined by time; time is always of the essence.  No matter what we do, time will always be there to bind us and move us towards our destruction.  Even the most successful person in the world is nothing more than a bacterium in the face of time.  So, the only thing we can do is to struggle within the time frame allocated to us and make the most of it.  Other than that, demise abounds.  That being said, how can we escape the clutches of time?  Simple, we master time itself!  I believe a lot of you have watched sci-fi movies whereby time machines were made to alter the designation of time.  But the message in between the lines is, control time itself.  When one can successfully control time, one will be able to become the master of life and death.  Fast forwarding an event, going back in time or even halting the flow of time itself will no longer be a fantasy but a reality.

However, the day a person can do that, that person will become God.  In the Christian's creed, no human can come close to God.  So I challenge you young minds now, become God and overturn any doctrine that you were exposed to!

A good animation

Alas, a good animation, so hard to come across and yet, when you do, it ends so abruptly as it has come.  Once again, the season of new animations has arrived, this time bringing with it heaps of novelties and inspirations that may leave you in awe.  However, as we are all well aware of, not all animations are good and worthwhile to watch.  So, the major question is, how do you identify a good animation?

Well, this is a very subjective question and everyone has their own criteria for determining whether an animation is good or not.  Personally, I like animations that have a story to tell.  It doesn't have to be action packed or thrilling, a good story will automatically capture the viewer's attention as well as deliver something that the viewers will not forget.  Furthermore, a good animation, by virtue, must have good and intricately drawn sketches.  Colourations must be awesome too!  If not, why bother calling it an animation.

Finally, since I am a guy, the girls in the animations must be cute!!  However, the definition of cute has been changing for quite some time now in the animation world.  Before the 21st century, girls with big eyes were considered cute, but towards the 21st, the demand for anime girls increases, more realistic looking anime girls were introduced into the spectrum and has been like that since.

 In short, a good animation comprises different standards but at the end of the day, you will set your own standards for a good animation.  I will leave you with my favourite animation up till this day.

Decisions

Do you believe in fate?  More often than not, we will come across a situation whereby we need to make a decision and usually, this decision will directly affect the later steps we take.  Thus, I urge you all to think things through before giving an answer.  You have to always bear in mind that life is a one way road, there's no U-turn.  If, somehow, you screw up, what should you do?  You proceed and make sure that the next decision you make is not as shitty as the previous.  Life will find a way.