2/2/15

100 Book Challenge [2015]

[Akia on Facebook][Akia's MyAnimeList][Akia on GoodReads]

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)

All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien


Blog Posts that go with this Challenge:

1/27/15

[AOW] Assassination Classroom (1/25-31/2015)

Well... this has turned more into "anime of the whenever Akia feels like posting one" :/ Gomen, gomen! ANYWAYS, here's the first AOW of the new year :3

[Previous AOWs][Akia's MyAnimeList][Akia on Facebook]

I am probably one of the very few who has not read the manga for this anime, but I've known about it since like I became an otaku online back in 2009. My excitement for this show when it was announced was the most excitement I've experienced since Oreimo and The World God Only Knows were announced to be getting new seasons. I rarely get super excited for an anime because I like to keep my hopes and dreams low so any series can be at least watchable for the first few episodes... but this one just screamed "Alicia (aka Akia) you will LOVE me!!"

 
Type: Manga Adaptation
Genre(s): Action, Comedy, Shonen, School, Supernatural
# of Episode(s): 22 + episode 0
Synopsis:
A humorous and action-packed story about a class of misfits who are trying to kill their new teacher—an alien octopus with bizarre powers and super strength! The teacher has just destroyed the moon and is threatening to destroy the earth—unless his students can destroy him first. What makes things more complicated is that he's the best teacher they've ever had!
Read more at MAL.

1/14/15

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.

10/18/14

[AOW] DearS (10/12-18/2013)

[Previous AOWs][Akia's MyAnimeList][Akia on Facebook]

Yes, those are crickets you're hearing because this show is a HUGE waste of space. What was suppose to be Chobits but with aliens ended up being so bland and try hard there was nothing really to save it other than mediocre animation and a lack luster sound track. You're better off watching Sora no Otoshimono which has some funny jokes despite the lacking story. The only reason to watch DearS might be because it's by Peach-Pit (creators of Shugo Chara and Rozen Maiden), yet I'd have to say you'd be pushing the reason bank if that's the only reason you watch this... or you might be a perv cause this anime trys too hard to be "sexy".


Type: Manga Adaptation
Genre(s): Comedy, Romance, Sci-fi, Harem, Seinin
# of Episode(s):12
Synopsis:
Ikuhara Takeya is a high school student living a normal life. He is not interested in the commotion around a UFO filled with beautiful alien females that crashed on earth a year ago. The aliens, known as DearS, are deciding to take permanent residence on earth. What no one knows is that these aliens are a slave species whose sole purpose is to serve and please their masters. One day, Takeya spots a person shivering behind some bushes. This person, Ren, is one of the DearS, and after being saved by Takeya she chooses him as her master. Takeya, who doesn't know about the master-slave relationship of DearS, tries to teach Ren the normal lifestyle of the people on earth, though he constantly fears that Ren is an evil alien who's trying to brainwash him. Ren, however, isn't like other DearS. She is in fact malfunctioning and is being tracked down by their leader. Meanwhile, Takeya begins to learn more about DearS, and a mythical DearS relationship called “Gift” begins to develop between them.

10/7/14

[AOW] Danna ga Nani o Itteiru ka Wakaranai Ken (10/5-11/2014)

[Previous AOWs][Akia's MyAnimeList][Akia on Facebook]
Last season my favorite anime (Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun) was a short series about a manga creator and the girl who happened to fall for him, and a cast of wacky characters who helped make their life's fun. When that anime ended, a piece of my anime loving heart needed filling. I have yet to watch a single episode of Danna ga Ken, but I have a feeling it's going to be a wacky series that can fill that Nozaki-kun sized hole in my heart.


Type: Manga Adaptation
Genre(s): Comedy, Slice of Life, Seinin
# of Episode(s): ?
Synopsis:
 Kaoru is a serious office lady who's passionate about her job. Her husband Hajime, on the other hand, is a hard-core otaku who lives a nearly shut-in lifestyle. Kaoru worries about her husband, but they get along better than you'd think.

9/23/14

[AOW][Why'd I Bother?] Love Stage!! (9/21-27/2014)

[Previous AOWs][Akia's MyAnimeList][Akia on Facebook]

*sigh* Ok, so this anime isn't bad... the premise is just what get ...s me. I'm not a fan of guy x guy at all so the only reason I even gave this a chance was because I went to a pair of friends apartment where they decided to watch a few episodes (by a few, I mean 6 out of the 10) because of DAIGO being the brother in this show. If it had the main character actually be a girl I'd prob enjoy this series more- in fact, I kind of liked it... then a scene would come into play where the character was basically getting raped. No bueno! ... I might finish this one since I only have 4 episodes left to watch :/ Tho I already know how it ends.

 
Type: Manga Adaptation
Genre(s): Shounen-ai, Comedy, Romance
# of Episode(s):10
Synopsis:
Daydreamer Izumi Sena is the black sheep of his family. With a model for a mother, a singer for a father, and a brother who fronts one of the most popular bands around, you'd think Izumi would be destined for stardom. Despite being born into a family of stars, Izumi has no desire to be in the spotlight, and his only dream is to become a world-class manga artist. But in an unexpected turn of events, Izumi finds himself not only pulled onto the set of a commercial, but forced to dress as a girl! In case the situation wasn't awkward enough, Izumi stumbles into his costar, the handsome Ryoma Ichijo, and it's love at first sight. Or, at least it is for Ryoma, who is so convinced by Izumi's costume, that when the shoot is over, he makes it his life mission to track down the “actress” that sets his heart aflutter. But when Ryoma discovers Izumi's secret, will it be sparks that fly or fists? And will Izumi be able to avoid his destiny as a superstar, or will he be sucked into the same fame-filled life as the rest of his family?
 

9/16/14

[AOW] G.T.O. (9/14-20/2014)

[Previous AOWs][Akia's MyAnimeList][Akia on Facebook]

Lots of today's older anime fans got their start with anime that came out between 1990 through the early 2000s; GTO came out during the last year of the 90s into the first year of the 2000s so this is a prime example of what made anime good during those days... though it is a much more adult series than a lot of the over the top ecchi we get today that is considered "too adult" for children. Honestly, I think too much anime these days have to cater to the otaku who stay at home most of the time either being an actual NEET or borderline; too much anime these days have to focus on the extreme moe nature or being so sexual its as close to the real thing a NEET is going to get :/ This is really disappointing to me because well I'm a girl who happens to have a life outside of watching anime so when I do watch anime I don't want to have to go through episode after episode of cleavage and girls being all turned on for guys... I like anime for the story... though I am guilty of liking some fan service aimed at me every so often (you know like FREE). Anyways, while GTO is full of fan-service and perversion, it's done in a way even I was OK with because the story is just so good. By the way, this anime has the best opening themes ever.


Type: Manga Adaptation
Genre(s): Shounen, Senin, Comedy, Romance, School
# of Episode(s): 43
Synopsis:
Onizuka is a reformed biker gang leader who has his sights set on an honorable new ambition: to become the world's greatest teacher... for the purpose of meeting sexy high school girls. Okay, so he's mostly reformed.
However, strict administrators and a class of ruthless delinquents stand between Onizuka and his goal and they will use any means, however illegal or low, to drive the new teacher away. Perfect, because Onizuka's methods won't be found in any teaching manual; he cares about the difference between legal and illegal activities about as much as he cares for the age difference between himself and a high school girl.
So get ready for math that doesn't add up, language you'd be slapped for using, and biology that would make a grown man blush... unless of course, you're the Great Teacher Onizuka.