[AOW] Silver Spoon

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Rarely does an anime catch my attention these days to where I have to marathon it. Silver Spoon is the first anime in a long time that is just feel good and makes me want to do what has been done in the anime- learn various agriculture business' such as dairy farming and how to raise pigs to make them into bacon. I may be too late to learn such things, but one can dream can't they? Anywhosildoodles, this one is by the same manga-ka as Fullmetal Alchemist buuuut it's very different from that.

[previous AOW's] 

 Type: Manga Adaptation

Genre(s): Comedy, School

# of Episode(s):22

Synopsis:

Yugo Hachiken dreams of life separated from his family, so he takes the initiative by enrolling in an agriculture school. He thinks, with his talent in studying, no problems will arise no matter what kind of school he attends. He is proven wrong very quickly. Raised as a city boy, he is forced to uncover the inconvenient truth about agricultural life. Enjoy the story of Hachiken, as he tries to keep up with his new friends, farmers' heirs, who are already accustomed to the harsh world of farming. With no clear goals or understanding of farming life, how will Hachiken survive this new, cruel reality? The story of a sweat, tear, and mud-stained youth begins!

[AOW] Prison School

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I really wanted to be disgusted and turned off by this anime just based on the trailers and media hype around it... but after watching the first 4 episodes I was hooked. Luckily for me the manga is getting an English release thanks to the folks over at Yen Press. I might have to order it online because despite volume 1 having released in July, $20 is a hefty sum for some manga. I'm actually really loving this anime. Maybe because I've been on a mature trip lately with what I've been reading and I'm not really into the teenagery romance anime lately, nor the overly ecchi that seems to be so saturated in the market these days (probably why I haven't watched any of Monster Girls yet). Anyways, if you also seem to be turned off from this anime without having watched any of it, I encourage you to give it a chance. (note: there is an uncensored version coming out but I've been watching the censored version as episodes come out. There are also some English language releases)

[previous AOW's]

  

Type: Manga Adaptation

Genre(s): Comedy, Romance, School, Seinen, Ecchi

# of Episode(s): 12

Synopsis:

On the outskirts of Tokyo stands Hachimitsu Private Academy, a storied all-girls boarding school for elite young women full of potential and good breeding. But as the new school year rolls around, one tradition is going out the window: For the first time in the school's long history, boys are being allowed to enroll. But on the first day of school, only five boys make the cut. Kiyoshi Fujino, one of the lucky few, is thrilled by this discovery, his heart leaping with joy at the thought of being surrounded by all those girls, day in and day out. But little does he know of the shocking fate that awaits him.

[AOW] K

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Lately I've been tuned in an out of the anime scene more than normal, so instead of watching current series as they come out I've been holding off on them until all the episodes are out or I'll forget about the series long enough until a dub or sub version has been released on Netflix. K is one of these anime... it came out long enough ago I just completely forgot to go back and watch it until a few days ago while building a gundam kit. Since it's a nice short series it proved to be the perfect length for a mini marathon. Best part is a second season is getting ready to premier!

[previous AOW's]

Type: Manga Adaptation

Genre(s): Action, Supernatural, Super Power

# of Episode(s): 13

Synopsis:

Set in a world where history has taken a slightly different course from the one we're familiar with, K follows the story of a young boy whose life is caught in a psychic war between seven kings. Ashinaka High School is known for its unique setting: the entire campus is built on an island. Yashiro Isana, aka Shiro, is having lunch with a cat on one of the school rooftops. After his lunch break, Shiro goes on an errand for his classmate Kukuri to prepare for their upcoming school festival, only to be chased by some intimidating-looking men.

[AOW] Oh! My Goddess (TV)

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This anime goes by several other titles such as Aa! Megami-sama, Ah! My Goddess... but I chose Oh! My Goddess because that is the version of the English title I have always known this franchise by. I have never had the chance to watch all of the TV version; though I am currently working my way through it now. The dub is fantastic. Usually if I am watching a series through for the first time I'll watch it it's native tongue (unless the series was released both in English and Japanese I'll typically try out the English first). With Oh! My Goddess I've heard nothing but good things about the dub so I thought why not watch it in English so if I need to I can blog and do other things while watching ^_^ This anime has a very iconic opening them so I've decided to feature that as the video this week. Let me know if you too love this series as so many do. It's a "harem" done right.

[previous AOW's]

Type: Manga Adaptation

Genre(s): Comedy, Romance, Magic, Supernatural

# of Episode(s): 46 +special eps

Synopsis:

When Keiichi found his grandpa's diary and saw a treasure map inside, Skuld and Urd started to feel a great urge to search it. With the company of his friends, Keiichi arrives to Honda Inn, the place indicated on the map. Once the party is inside, they meet Honda Chieko, who seems to share a certain promise with Keiichi. Apart from all that confusion, it's time for Keiichi to have enough courage to say the words "I love you" to Belldandy.

[AOW] Your Lie in April (3/22-28/2015)

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I try to rarely feature anime I haven't at least seen the first episode of, but since this gem of a series was recommended to me by several of my good anime watching friends I decided to feature it the same week I'm going to be starting it. I did watch half an episode back when this premiered but for some reason I never finished the episode... nor did I remember about the series. Maybe the episodes I had got deleted when I lost a good chunk of my anime a few months ago. oh well! I'm going to be watching it now and that's all that matters :3 You might notice this anime started in fall of 2014 but didn't finish until March 20th 2015. Kind of strange since it's only 22 episodes. Maybe there was a delay or something between episodes!

[previous AOW's]

 

Type: Manga Adaptation

Genre(s): Drama, Romance, Shonen, Slice of Life, Music

# of Episode(s): 22

Synopsis:

Piano prodigy Arima Kosei dominated the competition and all child musicians knew his name. But after his mother, who was also his instructor, passed away, he had a mental breakdown while performing at a recital that resulted in him no longer being able to hear the sound of his piano even though his hearing was perfectly fine. Even two years later, Kosei hasn't touched the piano and views the world in monotone, and without any flair or color. He was content at living out his life with his good friends Tsubaki and Watari until, one day, a girl changed everything. Miyazono Kaori is a pretty, free spirited violinist whose playing style reflects her personality. Kaori helps Kosei return to the music world and show that it should be free and mold breaking unlike the structured and rigid style Kosei was used to.

[AOW] Shinmai Maou no Testament (2/15-21/2015)

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Normally these "why'd I bother" specials are of an anime I already finished watching. I believe in giving each series a full watch through before I can declare if it really was a waste of my precious anime watching time, but this anime is a special case because it's still airing and yet I still find myself making sure I at least have the episodes to watch when I need something to either not pay too close attention to or if I'm out of current anime to watch. From what my boyfee has told me, this anime is way too much like Highschool DxD which seems to be madly popular with the male anime watching demographic though I do know some females who have enjoyed it... which sadly gives me even more of a reason to never bother watching Highschool DxD if it is so similar to SMnT.

For the most part, I have nothing really so say about this anime other than it's really not my cup-o-tea. I'm not saying this just because it's so fan servicy, but because the story is so over done. There's nothing really original or an original take on such a plot so this one sits in the "pretty boring" pile of series'.

 

Type: Light novel Adaptation

Genre(s): Action, Ecchi, Harem

# of Episode(s): 12

Synopsis:

"Hey, you said you wanted a little sister, right?" First-year high school student, Toujo Basara, was suddenly asked by his father and fell into a state of panic. On top of that, the eccentric father told him he will be getting remarried.
He then departed overseas after bringing Basara two beautiful step-sisters. But Mio and Maria's true forms are actually the newbie Demon Lord and a succubus!?
Read more at MAL

 

[FigureReview] Gloomy Bear x Super Sonico (GBG Racing PVC figure)

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Konnichiwa minna-san, it is I Akia here with something you don't see too often on this here blog- a figure review. I've been wanting to do one of these for a while buuuuut I was waiting for a figure I haven't seen many reviews of on this interwebs; this opportunity presented itself when my local anime goods shop Robo Gato announced he'd be selling the Gloomy Bear x Super Sonico (Gloomy Bear Grand Prix) Taito prize figure (boy that is super a mouth full of a name) and then my lovely boyfriend bought her for me. She was a fair price ($40) considering a shop like this not only has to pay more for the figure than you would in Japan but also has to pay some sort of shipping. I've checked out a few listings online. She's usually in the $35+ price range with $8+ shipping so time and money was saved by getting her locally. If you'd like to see the pictures in more detail, all you have to do is click on them to get the full size view :3

~~~Packaging~~~ 

Considering this is a prize figure, it has some pretty nice packaging which shows that this Sonico has an outfit based on one that already exists (as you can see on the sides of the box). Also, the box shows the figure to scale... which was a bit surprising cause I thought she'd be a bit bigger cause other prize figures I've purchased were bigger. I normally don't keep the box for prize figures but I like this one enough that I will prob keep it while I have the space.

~~~The Figure~~~

Unlike other Sonico figures, this one is not a cast off. The only lose pieces of PVC are the skirt and part of the belt; otherwise everything else is solid or painted on. This is the first prize figure I own that has some loose pieces, but I think this is a plus. The lose skirt gives her a more realistic look. The buttons look a little odd and the detailing on the blood is a little off but overall this is a well made figure especially since she is a prize figure. Prize figures usually have a lot more mispaintings and a lack of detail. I'm really happy with her even though she is a bit smaller than I was expecting.

~~~Some Details~~~

The only off detail is the blood drippings coloring is a bit off from the lines but this doesn't really effect the look of the figure from a distance. Her skirt does move but you can't fully take it off without breaking it, and the belt also has some movability. overall the figure is made up of solid and painted PVC. I really like the way her headphones are en-cooperated as part of the bear ears. Most of the Sonico figures I find her signature headphones stand out too much which is not the case with this one. Possibly the best detail on her is her pantsu. The only detail I wish was done better was the buttons on her shirt. They don't look bad from at least a small distance but when you look at her chest up close the buttons are a bit of an eye sore. Her shoes are also nicely done. Instead of being a solid piece of white, some grey detail was added to the bottom to give some depth. 

Overall though, very nicely done details!

[AOW] Super Sonico the Animation (2/8-14/2015)

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Not going to lie... I was really hyped for Sonico the Anime when it was first announced. I've always liked her voluptuous character design that made her look more like a real girl than most of these skinny anime b**ches with bewbs running around like %90 of the time they are meant to be eye candy. Too bad her character in the anime is too much of a ditz and cat lover :/ I still really like her tho... just this anime ended up feeling like a waste of potential. If you're looking for a good idol anime you're much better off checking out LoveLive! or Idol Master; heck you could even try out K-on! or even the lesser known Mermaid Melody.

[previous AOW's]

I do not have much to say about this anime... because I was just so let down. I might give it another watch one day just to see Sonico moving on screen but otherwise I'd rather spend my time watching other idol anime.

 

Type: Game Adaptation

Genre(s): Music, Slice of Life

# of Episode(s): 12

Synopsis:

A series featuring Super Sonico, the mascot girl of Nitroplus.
Read more at MAL

 

Desk Diary #2

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My desk was starting to be overrun by books so I decided to add a plastic shelf to it for the figures... I was also having a hard time seeing them when my laptop was open! I love looking at my figures, it's like they're giving me encouragement to get up and do something with my life which lately has been doing a lot of cardio to shed some weight.

Been digging KanCole art lately so set one as my wallpaper.

 Using one of those plastic shelfs for garage storage cuase I'm

not made of money. Have had this shelf for almost 5 years.

From left to right:

Miyuki from Lucky Star with my fav Fruits Basket couple.

Elsie from The World God Only Knows.

Koaru from Evangelion and a Clamp chess piece.

A Lucky Star x Haruhi prize figure.

From Left to Right:

My stack of books containing ones from my 100 Book Challenge and more.

My workout mini-journal.

Still using my Saber Lily mouse pad.

Haven't changed my Mushi-uta lock screen.

100 Book Challenge [2015]

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I've decided to embark on and epic page by page journey called the "100 Book Challenge" as part of my goal to start reading more. I'll be re-reading a lot of my favorites so those will be marked with a lovely ♥ . Dates are start dates and when I finished a book. I'll be trying to read at least 30 new books during this challenge! Some of these new books you make think are iffy reads (such as 50 Shades of Grey) but I'm trying to broaden my reading horizons by giving other genres a chance. Books in the "To Read" list are listed in no particular order.. All links are for the most part to the official pages for the books or a place where you can purchase the tiles online. Some of this are short novellas or light novels. You can embark on this as well if you'd like, if you do please comment below so I can keep up with your journey as well :3 Be sure to check back on this post often! I'll be working on blog posts to go along with this one as I go through this challenge.

Challenge started officially on Feb 2, 2015!

Be sure to also check out my manga challenge where I'll be re-reading EVERYTHING on my shelf.

♥ Extras by Scott Westerfeld (2/2/2015)
 50 Shades of Grey by EL James (2/3/2015)

American Gods by Niel Gaiman (12/2014)

 The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith (10/2014)

Kitchen Princess: Search for the Angel Cake by Miyuki Kobayashi

All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

Blog Posts that go with this Challenge:

Desk (more like room) Diary #1 // Some Otaku-esque Ramblin'

Hey there all my Nettaversers~ Sorry I've been gone from blogging since October 2014! Seems like the past few months went by in a flash mainly because of the holidays and my recent achievement of finding a pretty fantastic partner to spend my days with (aka a "boyfriend"). I've stayed active on my FB fan page and over on Instagram, so you should go follow me on those for your R//W[G] fix during these blogging dead periods I tend to go through. Also I've been playing some Idol maker games lately such as LoveLive! School Idol Festival (add me with this code -> 480629603) and some Im@s games; it's been fun playing as producer. Nice break from always being a lawyer (I really like the Phoenix Wright series). Since I've gotten a new day to day partner who tends to come over a lot, I ended up having to change around my room so I could add a second desk (though its a folding card table, but this has allowed me to add some figures for display), this also helped with my packing. I'm getting prepared to hopefully join the Army or some other branch of the military so I've started packing away a lot of my otaku goodies for storage. I know, that sounds really sad but it had to be done! I'm sorry if the post ends up really long (& if the images are sub par quality... I used a camera phone) and doesn't go anywhere... I just felt like posting something that wasn't an AOW as my return post~ Enjoy Minna-san.

My new laptop wallpaper :3

View of the bed when you walk into the door.

Oh look, Lavender is relaxing~~

Lately I've been trying to find some VN/Eroge to play when I stumbled on an article that stated Neko Paradise had received an official English translation thanks to the lovely folks over at Steam Greenlight. I got it, so now it's on my desktop ready to play (as you can see from the cat paw icon on the right). If you'd like to snag a copy for yourself, head over here. I'm not sure if a physical copy can be bought. This is also a very short eroge (only about 2-10 hours of gameplay) so if you're looking for something as lengthy as say Fate/Stay Night you're getting the wrong game! I've had a pillow from the game for a few years before learning it was from a little series called Neko Works. I don't know much about it beyond this, but I've called the pink haired girl Sakura and the darker haired one Lavender... but now I know their real names are Vanilla and Chocolate. I'm going to stick to my names for the pillow tho cause they've been given personalities over these past 5 years that I don't think the game will change for me. Lavender has always been my #1 waifu (don't get me wrong, I like dudes but even I know when a girl is cute. If I was a guy I'd tap that!) with Nia following in second place.

From Left to right: My main "claw machine" girlies are a Lucky Star x Yuki from Haruhi cross over figure, Elsie from The World God Only Knows and Maid Nia from Gurren Lagann. I wanted to get the Yoko one as well... but I had to choose one so of course I'd go for my anime waifu Nia! Next to them sits my Luna pillow and some ASVAB study guides plus a few other odds and ends. I'm currently using a Saber mouse pad and a handy star clip to keep my wired mouse in check. I used to use a wireless mouse, but the batteries would often die at the worst moments such as when I was in the middle of a League of Legends match! If you'd like to add me, my summoner name is MashimaruSan. I mainly play mages such as Annie, Ahri, Vel'Koz and Nami but I'm trying to broaden my horizons when it comes to champions and lanes I play.

Mushi-uta is one of my all time favorite anime even though it was highly unliked when it came out. I haven't really gotten around to ready the light novels because I'd really like a second season one day... even though it's going on 6 years since the first season was released back in 2009. Since my hopes will probably never be meet, I've kept an image from the series as my laptops lock screen since getting it. My spare phone is used as an anime clock for no real reason other than I like the visual. I do have the MiraiClock app as well which is made by the same company as the one you see in this picture, but I'm in a cat girl mood right now so I'm keeping this one on for now.

My second desk has a much simplier set up cause it's mainly used by my partner. He's been playing a lot of Battlfield lately. I originally had the TV on the book shelf beside the desk but he refused to play Xbox on the bed, so I moved it onto the desk. I have a extra computer screen stored where it was for now until I can find a power cord for it that seems to have been misplaced when my roomates moved out. He has a much nicer laptop than I do, but I still love my Vaio. Put Sonico on the deck for him cause she's a cutie and Toad just cause he needed a nice place to sit. You can see the main chunk of my game collection on the shelf. I love my 3DS more than anything I own because it's gotten the most use out of all my tech.

Well I'm going to end here. One of my favorite wallscrolls is the one I have of Kirino cosplaying. Oreimo is possibly my all time favorite anime about an otaku, it really started my craze with anime of it's kind and helped me not be embaressed for liking galgames and eroge even if I was playing to get some girls heart despite being straight IRL.