Hey guys! I'm pretty delayed but since it's still the last week of February, I can still catch up with this brand new review. Since February is considered the love month, then I have prepared an anime film with an interesting love story, and it is The Last: Naruto the Movie. I know, it is a pretty weird choice but it is essentially a romantic story. It is directed by Tsuneo Kobayashi (The Twelve Kingdoms) and the story is created by none other Masashi Kishimoto. An interesting fact about this movie that it is the first Naruto film that is canon; meaning the events that occurred in this movie took place in between the last two chapters of the manga. So I guess I have a right to correlate the film's story to the manga.
Okay let me break it down for you: The story of Naruto and Hinata takes place two years after the Fourth Shinobi War. Everything was peaceful until a strange shinobi named Toneri appears and decides to use the forces of the moon and the power of the Byakugan to "renew" humanity.
I’m a
bookworm and I am proud to call myself as such. If it weren’t for reading, I would have failed
almost every spelling test I got in the first and second grade, and I would not
have my own sense of imagination. Reading helped me build wonderful things in
my own head, and it kinda built my personality. So in short, it has made me the
person I am today. But there will be times when reading will give me a horrible
feeling. There will be small instances when I will feel distaste whenever I set
my eyes on a book. Why is that? Well, if reading comes with good stuff, it can
come with bad things too.
I will probably say the most obvious reasons as
early as now. The first reason is simple; books are effin’ expensive. I hate
how a simple joy in life called a book would cost as much as a Hipster graphic
tee in H&M. That’s how crazy the economy is, nowadays, and that’s probably
why Youtubers and celebrities suddenly have the burning passion for writing.
Also, books have the ability to make my life look like a dull page, and I
mostly read fiction. I read fantasy novels that have all the magic, the sci-fi,
the dramatic heroes, the over-cliched romances, and the suspense. Most
protagonists in high fantasy novels will disagree with me on this one but,
their live are awesome. I would trade my soul just to have one simple adventure
that involves dungeons and fairies (wait that somehow didn’t come out right).
Unfortunately, in the end I will be slapped by reality and be reminded that
there will never ever be a portal that will take me to an amazing fictitious
world. But just once, I want my life to be like YA novel. I want to walk down
in the hallways, meet a satyr telling me I’m an extraordinary demigod and I’m
needed to save the world. It may sound like a heavy burden, but I would take
this heavy burden over final exams. But again, no. I’m my own writer of my very
own story. So I guess it’s up to me to make my lifetime extraordinary.
I sometimes hate reading because I know I will never
get a satisfying ending and this happened half the time I’ve been a bookworm,
which has been almost two decades. If I don’t get the ending I want, it’s
either I have to wait for the sequel in a year or two or I don’t get a round
two or three at all. That alone irks me. It sounds selfish that I’m being
choosy when it comes to endings, but books are forms of entertainment.
Therefore, they must entertain me. How can I enjoy knowing my favorite
character died? How can I be happy not knowing things are going to be okay in
the next book? Those thoughts tend to drive me nuts. Don’t even try judging me,
I know you’ve been down this path too. Every reader goes through this. And if
you haven’t, then let me warn you now; there will come a time when you’re
reading a book and you won’t like where the plot is going at all. It’s pretty
similar to watching the Game of Thrones, trust me.
In connection to storylines, I hate going on a book
hiatus. This usually happens whenever I read book series. I have to wait at
least year, if I want to know what happens next. The wait can be the definition
of torment itself. It has made me detest waiting. Especially when the story is
getting really good, but then it ends in a cliffhanger. I don’t know with you
but it can be the worst feeling the world! Finishing a book with a cliffhanger
is the equivalent of watching a horror film. It’s going to take time for you to
get back to your regular sleeping pattern (assuming you have one), because you
will be staying up all night coming up with theories and guesses on what’s
going to happen next. Sometimes, I just can’t stand waiting and talking about
it. I just cheat on this book series with another, and that doesn’t help at all
because this other book likes bringing out cliff hangers, too and I still lose.
I also hate it when a book suddenly gets into the
concept of death. It has become an insane trend in between novels lately.
Whether it’s about a dystopian world or a kid who’s got an incurable disease,
somebody has to die. What’s worse is that whoever dies is someone that we care about because the writers know
that if they kill of an insignificant character, nobody will give a damn and
quickly move on (well that’s what usually happens, anyway). It’s their sly
tactic to make us savor their books so we can talk about it more, because this
will create more buzz, then more people will be curious about it, which will
make them buy the books until they cry about it, and the whole cycle goes on
repeat. It’s basically an indirect marketing strategy, because thanks to our
“feels”, we are promoting the books for the writers. Luckily most of the books
celebrated are really good ones.
And there you have it. A fangirl explaining why she
sometimes hates reading. If you can relate to anything that I just said, feel
free to comment about your misgivings on reading on my Disqus (yay! I has
Disqus) account, which will feature this very topic. That is it and till the
next post~
Remember when I fangirled about the announcement of The Mortal Instruments becoming a TV series? Well guess what, it actually pushed through and after all the casting announcements and progress, we finally get a glimpse of a teaser and a legit trailer! Unless you're one of those people who went to New York Comic Con, then oh, well. You already.
Now I am well pleased with the very first teaser. For me, all the colors and all that mystic shiz going on accurately captured the vibes of the TMI series, at least for the first book. Also, for once, the casting is pretty good. Isabelle finally looks Isabelle, Clary's hair color is correct, and so on. My only concern now for the show is that if it will also be able to transition into a much darker and eerie tone, like that of the movie. The problem with the movie was that it was trying too hard to be scary and kinda dark. The Mortal Instruments has that very element but it is wrapped around with some light and vibrant stuff. Kinda like ecstasy, but not really. The teaser is able to give me that very feel, but I'm really hoping for some serious things to happen, because as of now it really aims to cater to a much younger audience. I am honestly hoping they would be able to make the show look enticing for adults too, because the series deals with also very mature topics as the story progresses.
And then we have the trailer. Honestly, this very trailer kinda reduced my excitement. First and foremost, we again talk about casting choices. Kat McNamara pulled off the Clary look, but the acting skills? I'm not so sure about that. Her acting technique seems a bit ten times more awkward compared to what Lily Collins offered. Her screams and yells were too sweet-sounding, and Clary Fray is anything but sweet. Unfortunately, the trailer only showed her frightened side, but as they put in more teasers, I'd like to see another angle of Kat McNamara as Clary, preferably her stubborn side. I also have a good feeling about Harry Shum Jr. and Dom Sherwood who are playing Magnus and Jace, respectively. Harry, for me, will somehow never pull off the complete Magnus look compared to Godfrey Gao, but his acting was really good. It is the first time I've seen him act in such a setting, and so far I like what I see. As for Dom Sherwood, we only get to see barely a glimpse of his character. He managed to say a line that was very Jace ("What? No thank you?"), and that's probably the only Jace line I've ever heard. The rest was him explaining what Shadowhunters are. Mostly, the trailer and teaser highly focuses on Clary, who is obviously the main protagonist. I didn't get to see much Jace, and it is something that I still look forward to because he's also a very major character. Apart from that, I think he did okay. So apart from the eerie element, I am very concerned with the acting. Yes, I am looking at you, Kat. I will be watching each and everyone of the cast, especially her.
I do hope that the next trailers will reveal the other characters as well. I am also kinda disappointed that these guys do not have accents anymore. Having accents almost seemed like a shadowhunter trademark to me. But, whatever. Shadowhunters will premiere on ABC Family this January of 2016, and this time, I will lower my expectations for this. I get that most of these actors and actresses are still not that established, so I will cut them slack. But it's very important that they do the storytelling right. I'm not saying that it should be book accurate, but hopefully it would still be very interesting and that they will be transition to different types of tones.
Here ye! Here ye! We have a new Jace, and that means...aww, Jamie Campbell will not be our Jace.
Recently ABC Family announced that Dominic Sherweood shall be our brand new Jace for the Shadowhunter series! And honestly, I know nothing about this guy.
Since I love The Mortal Instruments so much, I took the liberty to do a little bit of research on him. Aside from being the boyfriend of the adorable Sarah Hyland, he was born and raised in Southeast England. And this makes him fit the role of Jace well, since Jace has English blood. But then again, if the series still intends to make all the Shadowhunters sound European, then yes we will get more accents than we bargained for.
I also checked the movies and televisions series he has done, and he's actually the guy in Vampire Academy (You know, the weird emo guy who stays in the library all the time). And he's also the guy who.....
Got that James Dean daydream look in his eyes! That's right, folks. Our beloved new Jace is the same two-colored eyed man in Taylor Swift's artsy music video, "Style". And as most Shadowhunter fans know, Jace has golden-like eyes, and he has neither. Looks like you still need contacts, buddy.
And so far, that's all I know about him. Hopefully we will receive more announcements about the upcoming show and hopefully a new casting for Clary Fray. So my question for you is, do you think Dominic Sherwood will do Jace justice? I know it's too soon to tell, but if we got more suggestions or if we still want Jamie back, then it's better to voice out those opinions now while the production is still young. As for me, I'm fine with it as long as they get him to look more like Jace. As for his acting skills, I don't have much worries. He may not have a very credible background on it, but I've seen him done the stoic bad boy archetype before. However, Jace is not exactly stoic, right? So I guess the question I have for him is that if he can pull off the troll, tormented, narcissistic, obsessive-compulsive, pretty boy.
I know that Avengers: Age of Ultron is just a week away and everyone is absolutely excited to see another clash of heroes and squads working together, but allow me this. After a millenium... we are getting the Batman Vs. Superman trailer we all deserve.
...Well almost.
Unlike the Star Wars trailer, fans will not have a hard time analyzing this trailer frame by frame. Not only because it is twenty seconds long, but also it is literally a teaser. This teaser has definitely outdone its right as a freakin' teaser. It was total tease! Like seriously! What you see is what you get...for now.
Luckily, we will get a slightly bigger picture of it by Monday once they release the official trailer. But for now, let's keep our fingers crossed weirdos. It's finally happening. The DC crossover we have all been waiting for. It's time for them to shine, suckers.
Then again, it's kind of funny that we are having our anticipated DC trailer on the same week as the Avengers film, right? Haha, I see what you did there business people.
One of the weirdest things I've ever did while I was going through puberty, was to base my standards for a potential life partner on my fandoms. Mostly anime shows. Back then, I thought it would be really great to just wait and see if I can actually have my very own carbon copy of Gaara of the Sand from Naruto. But you know, life happened and I completely forgot what kind of attributes I look for in a man.
Many of us do this all the time. This fictional character or person is so perfect, you just need someone like this in your life. Let's be real here; as a girl with random cliched thoughts, it would be amazing to wake up every morning to a Ryan Gosling-looking guy who can cook you breakfast every morning and rant about ducks while you read about The Tale of Two Cities. That's basically the effect our fandoms can have on most of us. Fandoms make us go beyond our imagination. We want their reality to become our reality. But let's be more specific and talk about love here.
Every fandom has their own definition of love and romance. And as members of each fandom, we have our own way of interpreting them. So here are my very own lovely interpretations on some of the most famous and cliched romantic fandoms ever! I won't be surprised if you disagree with me, though.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus- "You know a guy is dam serious about you when he gives up the gift of immortality--or at least, a major part of himself, just to be with you."
Twilight Saga- "You need a super perfect, protective guy and you have to be naive and surprisingly attractive in order to have the best mysterious romance of your life."
If you haven't really based your ideal girl or guy on the shows and books you love, then wow. I actually admire you. Many would want a girl who can play video games, because of Sword Art Online. Girls dream to meet the man of their dreams in a gloomy courtyard of some academy that they thought they would dread. I'm not saying that's it is abnormal to think that way, because it happens a lot. It somehow irritates me when a character is perceived as too hot or too perfect. It makes me feel conflicted, actually. I love how they're described, but I hate how it tries to ingrain into my mind that I need to marry someone who is almost like this character. In other words, fandoms like that encourages other girls like me that they should pick this mysterious, complicated god-like man with a high disposable income and the ability to come up with romantic gimmicks over a very simple guy who may not have much to offer but only has the sweet intention of getting to know you because to him you're pretty special. If every girl in the world would always chose this god, then yeah...nice guys will end up finishing last, unfortunately.
Whether we like it or not, the realities of our fandoms is so much different from the reality we are currently in. Because in the end, finding someone who has the hair of Jace Herondale, the kind nature of Peeta Mellark, has the rock-hard abs of any vampire, and the flawless talent of Daniel Grigori, is almost impossible. If you have someone who is as majestic as that, then congratulations. But if you're that frustrated person who thinks they can't have a love life, I say don't fret. I know, who am I--a random person on the internet--to tell you this? Trust me, I used to be that girl who would make those lists about what she wants in a man. So, hang in there. Your man (or girl) will come. And if that person does not have the gorgeous features that you were expecting, then I guess it won't matter once he or she comes along. Which is why, I challenge everyone lurking on the internet to do one task...Don't come up with standards.
Do not raise them, nor lower them. Just come clean and see what kind of partner you will attract. Because every great story every told always has an element of surprise. Yes, even love stories. Bella never expected to have a man like Edward Cullen. Percy Jackson thought he would never amount to anything until he received the best underwater kiss of his life from the girl he's cared about since they were kids. And Felicity Smoak probably just wanted a boyfriend, not two chiseled vigilante businessmen. These characters only did their thing, and love came to them just naturally. They didn't do any sort of voodoo, nor did they bother to wait. They just continued being awesome. And that's something you can also do. Don't spend your precious free time thinking of what your future husband or wife should be like. Be yourself and let the story of your life surprise you.
When it comes to our beloved fandoms, we are ruthless.
The love we have for fictional characters can be easily compared to the love a mother has for her children. Anyone who dares to get in the way of that love...is asking for a death wish.
If a person with not much knowledge about fandoms triest to insult us...they can be easily forgiven. Why? Well, they don't know any better. Come on, we're not that heartless.
BUT...if a fellow person with a certain range of fandoms dares to insult any of my fandoms...even if it is just about single strand of Killian's hair ...there will be blood.
Anyone who has a love for anything that's not real, getsinto fandom wars. It happens all the time. There was the war of the directioners and directionators; A war between DC and Marvel (Team DC for layf); A war between bookworms about Pro-John Green and Anti-John Green; A war between Team Jacob, Team Edward, Team Peeta, and Team Gale deciding who rules the YA fiction world; even Stephen King and George R.R. Martin are creating their own wars. And sadly, their war is something that not even the great Gandalf himself can pass through.
We all want to prove that our fandoms are the best. That our taste in books, movies, music, and TV series are superb than anyone else's. Waging war against other fandoms though is ironically, like a double-edged sword. It creates both harm and good. Up till now, I am not sure if it is generating more harm than good, or vice versa. These wars, exercises our minds. I thought I would forever be the girl who can't speak her mind. But when it comes to fandom wars, I go full-on Amazonian mode for the books and series that I love. And as much as possible, I try to do it in a healthy way. I end up explaining why this show is good, why the characters are not what they seem. I am not only using voice via social media, I am developing a critical mind. Yes, believe me, there are plenty of other ways of being intelligent other than trying to get straight A's on college algebra. That's what makes Fandom Wars good. Our right to express anything we want, is being used at its best advantage.
However, you know what they say. Too much of something can also be a bad thing. Now, the bad thing about Fandom Wars is that they can get so out of hand, to the point we become demons. We terrorize others by swearing, insults, and even cyberbullying others. All because we want to rub it in everyone's faces that Game of Thrones is the best TV show, that One Direction is the best boy band, that no novel series can ever compare to what John Green writes, and that this character is the worst.
I am not saying we should all stop being mean to each other, because that can't be done right away. We are all very convinced that social media can help us take advantage of the opinions and inner voices we thought we never had in the first place. And for now, we do not want to let go of that very idea. Social media has somehow made us feel powerful. We can easily criticize one thing and get away with it. We can bash this celebrity and there's nothing anyone can do about it because it is your opinion. Same goes in fandom wars. I can easily say that Tyrion Lannister is the worst character ever, and you can easily tell me that Arrow is the worst DC-adapted show in history. We can go on and on about what we want to believe in. But in the end, nothing much is going to change. No fandom will win. Will that very idea give us a reason to stop fighting?
Do you know that feeling when you finish this book or TV series that you love and then you learn that the next installment comes in a year or two? I hate it when that happens.
As people with fandoms, dealing with hiatus is something that we have to see through in the end. Writers and creators do this for fun so they can build up the suspense and this will make us want more of what they're producing. And don't get me wrong, I appreciate the idea of holding on to the edge of my seat; I just don't like experiencing it because it can kill me. For years and years, I spend every year anticipating for the next book, the next season, or even a brand new release. Wow, Tama. What the heck are you doing with your life?
Surprisingly, we can deal with hiatus. The itching impatience is still there, but fangirls and fanboys can definitely hold out for a year (unless you're part of the Game of Thrones fandom). Assuming we need at least a year to wait for the next big thing, there are stages in a fan's year as to how they keep themselves busy. Luckily, we can measure that in months. Yes my fellow fandom-crazed freaks. We wait in months. Not in decades. Months.
If the art of fangirling needs math (oh no, not this again), we only need to remember five numbers: 2, 3,4,2,1.
Obviously, it takes a lot of time for us to take in a series of unfortunate events. People working on our fandoms nowadays know how to tug on our feels, to the point it becomes unacceptable. So yes, it takes time for one to let things sink in. But that is far from over. We need to keep talking about it until we run out of saliva. In these five months, we do headcanons, probably fanfiction, lurk in Tumblr, and devise theories. We do this...just to feel something.
But we are human too and we get tired. So we take a break, and being the inner lazy people we all are....a week is not enough. We need four months. Hopefully during this time, we try to keep up with our boring lives. Then at a certain point in time, our fandoms will randomly announce that they're going to arrive really soon and this is means that the hiatus is almost drawing to a close. We wake up from our realities and become reckless once again. We lurk in the internet, talk about it some more, come up with wild theories that can pierce our hearts--we do all of this... just to feel something. It also takes a lot of time for us to emotionally prepare ourselves for the worst, of course.
This kind of hiatus does not really feel like you're living the hobo life. You still communicate, you do not just twiddle your thumbs, sometimes you eat out your feelings, and you learn how to prepare especially when it comes to purchasing issues! It doesn't really sound that bad, at all. And during our 4-month break, we explore other things due to our boredom. And again, that's not bad. Discovery is part of life, after all. See what hiatuses can do to us?
Now if you think you cannot survive a hiatus, never fear. I repeat, discovery is part of life. So here's what you can do during your year of hiatus:
1.) Don't just stick to the internet. Join a group. Or at least, find friends you can talk to about it. It's like therapy only better. 2.) Look for other fandoms to annoy. Trying a new fandom may sound like a forbidden temptation, but it never hurts to expand your interests.
and finally...
3.) Evaluate your life. Usually, when we succumb ourselves to something that is totally addicting, we forget what is really going on. I know it sucks but...wake up. Life can be beautiful if you change up your perspective, which is something that fandoms teach us.
Have you experienced witnessing your favorite book in the entire world be turned into a movie or a TV series? If you did, were you satisfied by the media's adaptation of it? Now that is a question.
I can't count how many times my favorite books and comics got turned into film, TV series, or even animated features. A summary of my verdicts were 50/50. Some adaptations were really good or a-okay, and some were just terrible. But I think most of us can relate to the situation, wherein the movie adaptation completely ruins the book(s).
Lemme share all of you a simple story. Before I officially became demigod, I watched The Lightning Thief before even reading the Percy Jackson and the Olympian series. My thoughts on the movie? It was fine. Interesting, but it didn't wrap up my mind. A year later, my friend recommended the Percy Jackson series to me and she lent me all her five books. After reading the first book, I was immediately hooked. I was mesmerized by how much depth most of the characters had, enticed by Riordan's writing style, and overwhelmed by the Greek Mythology references. Overall, I fell in love with the Percy Jackson series and I officially declared myself as a demigod.
But right after I read the first book, the first thought that came to my mind before everything else was this, "Oh my god, the movie ruined the book."
The moral of the story? If you want to start on a book series and you learn that it became or is becoming a movie or a TV show, start with the movie or TV first. You will encounter spoilers, no doubt. But you will be spared from the feeling of disappointment. The question is, why do movie adaptations suck?
When I learned that The Mortal Instruments Series was going to have its own movie adaptation, I emotionally prepared myself for the worst. A huge part of me knew it was going to be terrible. A lot of people of the TMI fandom knew that, too. So they bombarded Cassandra Clare, who is the amazing writer of the Shadowhunter series--with lots of questions regarding the movie. Obviously, most of my fellow shadowhunters were concern who was going to play the main characters and how much of the plot is going to be in the movie. But in the end, Clare's answer is always said that it is out of her hands because she already sold the rights of her book to the filmmakers, and that the ones producing the film have the last say on what's going to happen in the script. I have to admit, that did not make me feel better. The good news was that Clare was highly involved in the production, but that did not stop the film from its downfall. I guess the main point of this story was to tell you that it is actually up to the filmmakers on how the story goes. Like, no matter how genius and creative the story is to you, they still have the power to change it. After all, to them it is just an adaptation. I don't know if they know how much these stories mean to us.
I guess I will never understand how the film industry dissects a plot from a book, but I do understand why we end up getting disappointed. It is because our imagination will never theirs. You can say that is the main challenge when you attempt to make a book series into a movie. If you want to make it a big hit, you should be fully aware that your target audience will be the readers. Don't just research the fandom, be the fandom. Because chances are a reader's vision is far different from a director's vision. However, I think trying to understand a reader's vision is...impossible. Because you're not just focusing on one member of the fandom, but thousands. Millions. Probably billions of readers. And each of us have a different version of this scenario. Each of us have a different idea of what our favorite hot male character would look like. Each of us have a different interpretation of what this feeling in the book is trying to express. And most of the time, our imaginations are just insane. They're so insane, they can't be comprehended in reality..sadly. The way people from fandoms envision their favorite characters is like how a women would set impossibly high standards for a mate. That's why most movies seem like they ruined our favorite books, somehow. Our standards are just way too high.
It is normal to fangirl urges when you become a student. I mean, as young (foolish) folks, students need some inspiration or entertainment while subjects and deadlines try to mess up their minds. Trust me, I've been there. I know the feeling when a book I read is much more exciting than the book report (but don't get me wrong, I enjoyed many reading assignments back in my day). Even if the "Fangirl Ego" (which I would like to call) seems like a very powerful entity that somehow controls every inch of your body and free will, that doesn't mean there are no limitations. Of course there are, and as humans we need to put extra effort into stopping our fandoms from completely ruining our lives. Yes, it is not the intention of the Doctor to ruin your life. The only person who gets in our way is us; our Fangirl Ego. The question is, how do we stop it?
Now these steps do not guarantee success. Consider them as suggestions that you may attempt to do. Always remember that fighting the Fangirl Ego is never easy.
1.) Never personalize your school stuff! It may seem like the most fun part to look forward to when you prepare for school, but believe me...it will ruin your life. If all your stuff has the face of Tom Hiddleston, then kiss your concentration goodbye! Also, school materials don't last forever. You end up throwing them away or they deteriorate on their own and at their own time. So it is pretty much a waste of cut-out magazines and effort, as well as money. No offense. If you must personalize your school things, I suggest to stick to minimal fandom references (such as a logo) and make all the color schemes and design show your personality. But if you must have something to stare at while you need some motivation in studying, then a a few photos inside your binder won't hurt. Actually, make that one.
2.) Never touch anything fandom-related during busy periods! When you have an exam or a pile of major projects to finish...then put away those series and books. I'm sorry, but the only way to get rid of Fangirl Ego (even if it is just for a very short while) is to keep that girl in the closet alongside all your guilty pleasures. I know a lot of people who nearly did not graduate because of fandoms. Yes, those situations exist, especially if you're the type who lacks self-control. If you do need a substance of some self-control pill, then I suggest to consider keeping them away for a short period. Then once all your responsibilities are dealt with, then you can binge watch or read to your heart's content.
3.) Never expect everyone to understand you! Each fandom contains a whole new set of extensive vocabulary. Eventually you will adapt it and only 1 out of 10 people will be able to comprehend what you are trying to say. You can't expect the muggles to keep up with your thang.
4.) Never assume that conversion is easy! Everyone has their own different tastes, and chances of you having similar interests (or fandoms, in our case) with the classmate next to you is one in a million. However, it is not bad to share to them what you like. But you cannot expect them to have an interest, right away. Converting a fellow person into a certain fandom is a hit or miss; either they like it or they don't. It would seem exciting when someone develops a liking to your all-time favorite shows, but you can't expect something like this to happen all the time. Unless, you are really persuasive.
5.) Never hide your fandoms from anyone! Come as you are. The third tip may imply that you should not reveal your fandoms to class, but that is not the case. In fact, let anyone know what you like. Do not shame your fandoms, because it looks weird to other mundanes. Let them judge! It will not kill you! Back in high school, I would initially hide my obsession for anime from basically, everyone. I did that because I wanted to look pleasing and hopefully, appealing. However, that gave me a hard time to look for friends I can totally relate to. When I brought out my interests, then bam! I got new friends just like that. So don't keep them in the dark. Never keep your fandoms to yourself. It's more fun and exciting with a good friend who can understand all your feels.
Most of us would develop our love for certain fandoms at an early age, and we end up blaming books, TV series, video games, and many other medium for this kind of feeling. But at the same time, we end up loving them. Having your very own fandom is like being in a love-hate relationship, only we experience it a tenfold (and if not, probably more. May God forbid). Loving your fandoms, that's not a problem. But making it a top priority? Now that's an issue that we cannot easily avoid, especially when the story of the Supernatural Brothers seems a hundred times more interesting than yours.
I'm sure you know where I am going with this; just like screwed-up relationships we see on drama series, fandoms have the tendency to ruin our lives. And we can turn everything backwards all we want, but we know that we give those fandoms the power to rule our lives. We just tend to deny it, most of the time. We give so much love and attention to this Television series and the next thing you know, you end up watching four seasons in less than three days. Not only that, you get slapped by the realization that you got other "important" things to do like schoolwork or actual work, or saving your relationship from drowning (but then it becomes too late, because your girlfriend/boyfriend sees what a total bum you are). I guess that fundamental question is, can we really focus on our fandoms and reality at the same time?
The answer is yes. Believe it or not, you can have your Hogwarts Life and your Career Life at the same time. It's just a matter of balancing your time. I know that is easier said than done, but there are plenty of healthy ways to do so without trying to put too much focus into one thing. And this is based on my experience. My life story may not be exactly the same as yours, but I guess it is something you can learn from.
Distribute your priorities, equallyNow this is the first and most difficult step, and don't say you don't know why. Dividing your time for life and your fandoms...? That's not easy! If you're one of those people who keep saying, "One More Episode" then I wish you luck as you take on this step. Give each of your priorities the same weight. Don't give this thing more importance than the other, or else you will go mad. I'm sure I am not the only who has experienced such turmoil. There is nothing wrong in planning out how many hours or days you want to dedicate yourself to something. It does not automatically make you a control freak, I'm sure. Besides, it is a whole lot better to plan ahead rather than pressuring yourself to do something last minute. As much as it is difficult to do, don't give all your attention to your fandoms. Do not give all your attention to certain aspects of your life, either. Get a planner of your own and pan out all the things you have to do and want to do. At least, that's what I did. Call me a nerd for saying this, but having a planner is a total life saver.
Fandom as an inspiration I'll admit. There were many times I would prefer to bury my head into an nonexistent, fictitious, fantastic world rather than burying it into my textbooks. I just get really annoyed by the fact that reading about Shadowhunters and Demigods are much more interesting than figuring out the puzzling (and unnerving) sorcery called Trigonometry. Admit it, you underwent this, too. But what really would fascinate me aside from the stories, are the characters themselves. People like Hermione Granger, Annabeth Chase, and Tessa Gray....they impressed me. From that, that feeling turned into admiration. Then I aspired to become a very diverse, independent, and headstrong individual. So in a way, my fandoms became apart of my life in such a way that they served as inspiration for the way I live my life and how I deliver myself. And it turned out really good. You could say I have books to thank for my very own character development.
Go beyond Fandoms and explore Life Afterwards, I decided to step out my comfort zone and become acquainted with the real world. Now how did I incorporate my fandoms, you ask? Well, let's face one fact here; we can learn a lot of things from our fandoms and if you dig a little deeper, we realize how much of these discoveries can still be applied in real life. So the first thing to do is close that book or turn off that television or computer (but certainly not now, You gotta read till the end before you can do so), and look at real life in such a way you see your fandoms. Real life can be an adventure and all you have to do is look. The next thing you know, you met the Edward Cullen of your life or you're in the place where they shot the scenes of Lord of the Rings, living your own Hobbit-like journey. Basically, life is just as interesting as your fandoms. So try to look at your school, work, or family in a completely different angle. Along the way, you will learn and try new things, and sometimes they end up twice as exciting as the book you are currently reading because you are actually doing it.
And there you have it. This is how I dealt with my fandom addiction before it could get any worse. Like I said, this is just how I dealt with it, so you don't necessarily have to do everything I did. In the end, it is your choice on how you want to live your life. But if you had a different way of dealing fandom addiction, then feel free to share your story on the comments below! Till the next post~
It's been a while since I blogged. Let's say I've been enjoying my holiday break and tried to have a life (not really). I know it's kind of too late to reminisce about 2014 now, but I am going to do it anyway. Last year was actually a very pleasant. It may have not been that eventful, but most of the memories for I have for 2014 were full of bliss. I reached my second year, I turned 20, I got brand new pets, I discovered cosmetics, I learned many things, and I started this blog to share many of the things I learned...and cherish. So yeah, it was a good year.
So for this post, I would like to talk about all the books I managed to read for 2014. I saw Rick Riordan do something similar to this and I thought why not share my reading list. I may have not read thirty books like he did, but I still think it is worth sharing.
1.) The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto At the beginning of the year, I sort of made a resolution that I would read a book that's beyond my comfort zone; meaning I would read a completely different author, since I was so used to Riordan, Clare, Rowling, and all those amazing authors. Then one fateful school day, I encounter this in a secondhand book sale. It's a simple story about a frustrated artist who recently lost her mother and then meets this male medical student with a tortured past. Sounds like a pretty generic love story to most people but as I started reading it, it wasn't. Yoshimoto had a different way of writing it. The situations were pretty simple, but each word was heavy with the sorrows and whatever feelings the characters were having. Whilst reading this I could mentally hear dramatic violin and piano music playing. The story was that dramatic. It would be cliche for me to say that this isn't a typical love story. In its own way, it is like every love story ever told but I've never seen a relationship between two characters that is filled with so much sincerity. Most love stories I've read are bursting with passion, but the love these characters had was so sincere, simple, sad, but absolutely beautiful. Reading this was a refreshing experience and a good way to start the year.
2.) The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman Believe it or not, this was my first Neil Gaiman book. And before reading this over the summer, I have always wanted to try one of his works. In this very odd tale, we have a boy named Nobody Owens, who grew up in a graveyard. In this coming-of-age story, I was so overwhelmed with how the main character was raised. And I was immediately drawn by the plot the moment I read the first chapter. The beginning had an eerie aura to it, which I enjoyed. I almost forgot what it was like to read something strange but interesting. But in the end, it gave me a glimpse of what it's really like to grow up and live. Now that I'm two decades old, I fully grasped what Gaiman meant at the end of the story. If that's really the message he wanted to evoke here...
3.) Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan Okay, I honestly do not know how to explain the plot of this book. All I can tell you is that it is the very last book of The Heroes of Olympus series, which is the sequel series to Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Basically the entire series revolves around Greek and Roman mythology, with young Greek and Roman demigods as the main characters of the story. Riordan has never failed to impress me with not only his witty writing skills, but also how he has managed to make something modern out of something that is absolutely ancient, which are the elements of Greek and Roman mythology. I love how he builds the suspense (campers, let's give him a hand for this, even if we suffered every year. If you know what I mean), and the character developments in these books are well written, especially in the last book. The Blood of Olympus gave me a chance to appreciate other characters, which did not have much appearances in the other books. And to be honest, I was emotionally preparing myself to cry every time I turned to the next page. The suspense that he has been building up for years has finally led to the pages of final book, and Rick can be very good with surprises.
4.) Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
The first thing I said to myself when I first saw this book was, "Wow. This is my book" Why? Well, this story is about Cath, a fangirl who writes fanfiction about her ultimate fandom. Just like the main character, I'm a fangirl who has a hard time of letting go of a fandom. The only difference between her and I is that I have multiple fandoms. She only has one. Plus, I do not write authentic slash fanfiction that can reach the parts of Japan. I do not know if you consider this as a Chick Literature, but if it is then it is the best one I've ever read. Perhaps the reason behind this is because I could relate to everything Cath went through. I know what it's like to write fanfiction, I know what it's like to really love a fandom and become very attached to it, and I know the feeling when your talents are being put into question. Cath's life was almost similar to my life. But what I really love most about this book was that Cath did not easily say that she was awkward in every situation, she demonstrated it. She fully expanded how she felt in every chapter and I was able to grasp it. I just love how Rainbow showed the life of an Otaku (introverted people who stay in their room and spend most of their time, being passionate towards their interests or hobbies), and I just love how she showed how human we Otakus actually are. She showed that we Otakus, do not just selfishly love our fandoms. We bleed for friendship, we bleed for accomplishments, we bleed for a life, we bleed for love. Being an Otaku is not that easy, you guys.
I know what you guys are saying... Tama? You call this a reading list? What happened? Haha, I apologize. I am actually disappointed with myself because this is all that I've read for the year. I would usually read more than this. I guess this is what happens when you have a smartphone and 24/7 WiFi. This year, I would like to try more books. I don't know if I should consider this as a New Year's resolution, because they usually do not end well. But I will try to read more this year. And currently, I am starting with this:
5.) The Mortal Instruments: City of Heavenly Fire Just like the Blood of Olympus, this is the final installment to the Mortal Instruments series (gah, I can't believe my favorite series ended this year!). How am I holding up with this book? Not so well, since my feels are just overflowing my house at the moment. But it's getting good, so far. Good job at breaking my heart, Clare.
As you all know...Naruto has officially ended! And you know what that means? It's time to fangirl...and possibly cry. Up till now, I am still trying to process the fact the manga is over and that the very last movie of Naruto is coming up real soon. I don't know where to begin, since I've been a Narutard since high school. Moreover, I don't know what I should say because one of the characteristics of a basic fangirl is that you can't help but feel speechless all the time when it comes to your fandoms. Like, despite the flaws, everything seems perfect for you no matter what. Anyway, let's get to the manga first.
Basically the very last chapter of Naruto tells all of us what happens to them in the future. They get married, have kids, get important jobs, yadda yadda. If you think about it, that's a pretty simple and boring way to end a manga that has been running for more than a decade. But hey, this is just an extra chapter and the conclusion to every conflict in this manga has already been resolved in the previous chapters. Kishimoto is kind enough to spare us the feels and filled us in with the future of our beloved characters.
What I like about this chapter is simple: all my expectations have been met. My OTPs became canon (which is a personal achievement for the Naurhina and Sasusaku fans out there. Rejoice!), Gaara is presumed single, and Naruto becomes hokage. I know, most of you think that making the protagonist get his ultimate dream, makes the whole Naruto series far too predictable. But give him a break. He's been through a lot for the past seven hundred chapters. Personally, I think he deserves to get what he wants after losing an arm and for many times, his life (and certain loved ones that should not be mentioned). Another thing I like about this chapter are the children/next generation of shinobi. Everyone is just so adorable! It bothers me how the resemblance of some of the characters are so strong, but the perks of this is that I am able to know who married who (gosh, this is like Harry Potter all over again). It even pains me to see some of our elite (Kakashi, the other kages, GAI), getting pretty old. We all knew Kakashi as some sort of Time Lord, who never seemed to age, but wow.... in this chapter, I can finally see it. And I am not so sure how I should feel about that. But at least Kishimoto was being realistic about this chapter. Seeing Anko-sensei gained weight was pretty amusing, to be honest.
I have two favorite scenes, actually. Both of them involve Naruto. First is when Naruto confronts his son, Bolt. Of course, Bolt had to be exactly like his father. Causing trouble in the village, just so he could grab Naruto's attention. But in this very scene, we get to see how Naruto has completely matured as a person and that makes me feel like a proud momma. My next favorite was not really scene but more a panel in the manga. And that's witnessing Naruto using a freakin' laptop. I understand this is Kishimoto's way of saying that the Shinobi villages have been becoming slowly gaining some technological advancement, but I found this panel pretty hilarious. The laptop even resembled a Macbook. Yes, you heard me. A Macbook. They're way more ahead in technology than Korra (Legend of Korra).
The only thing I did not like about it is that it was far too simple. I understand that the story should be until there, but I wish there was more detail in between. The entire chapter felt like a quick run-through on what's going on with everyone and that was just it. In other words, I wish there was more to the chapter aside from catching up with everyone's lives. Like maybe what happened before Naruto became hokage, and what sort of advancement the villages had to go through. they could have explained how they got laptops, for crying out loud.
Speaking of the last chapter, Naruto: The Last is somehow going to be related to that. Everyone's appearances has changed and even though I don't understand the main conflict of this film, I understand that there will be a hint of Naruhina. Heck, they already have designs for their children, so that means they're gonna be in the movie! And that's one thing I am looking forward to! What makes me even more eager and ecstatic for this, are the other character designs that has been going around the net, lately. Unfortunately, I am questioning the character design of Sasuke and Gaara. They look like two shrimps that need to combine so they can have the built of Naruto. But I think Hinata is my favorite character design, so far. Although her gentle nature is still in tact, I can already sense maturity and some impressive character development from this Hyuga girl. Yes, I know, Ino looks hot but for some odd reason, Hinata has caught my full, undivided attention. She looks beautiful. Hopefully, this will reflect in the movie.
I still can't believe that this series has been running for fifteen years. I was sort of expecting this to end, by the time I started working. but wow...this feels like Harry Potter, Heroes of Olympus, The Infernal Devices, and *lists down the rest of my fandoms that have ended* all over again. I'm actually going to miss Naruto, because it came to me during a time that I was very depressed. And just watching ninjas fighting for more than four episodes somehow lifted up my spirits. So here are things that I'm going to miss. Since Naruto has 700 chapters all in all...I'm just going to list a couple of things.
1.) Naruto's sexy jutsu
2.) Gaara
3.) Naruto's "never-gonna-give-up speeches"
4..) Kakashi's random lies
5.) Their hand signs
6.) Team Gai's fountain of youth routine
7.) Rock Lee's determination
8.) The long episodes of fighting
9.) Kakashi's mask
10.) Pakkun
11.) Tsunade's pet pig, whose name skips me unfortunately
12.) The random characters in the filler arcs
13.) Temari's fan
14.) Kankuro's cat ear hoodie
15.) Gaara's Gourd
16.) Gaara.
17.) Sakura's inner demon
18.) Tsunade's breasts
19.) Ramen
20.) Sai's drawings
21.) Kabuto...when he pretended to be good
22.) Orochimaru. I actually miss him.
23.) The Third hokage
24.) The Nine-tailed fox's whining
25.) Killer Bee's messed up raps
26.) His brotherly love with the Raikage
27.) The Raikage because he's awesome
28.) Mizukage's Christmas tree hair
29.) Kisame's sword
30.) Zetsu
31.) just kidding I don't miss him
32.) Itachi's eyebags
33.) Sasuke's duck-butt hair
34.) Neji's girl-like features
35.) Gaara.
36.) The villages even though I have not seen everyone
37.) Choji's fats
38.) Akamaru
39.) Hinata's adorable fainting spells
40.) Shino's emo-ness
41.) Ino's mouth
42.) Shikamaru's hair
43.) People who try to copy Naruto by saying they won't give up ever.
44.) The random dramatic music when something emotional is happening.
45.) Gai and Rock Lee's relationship
46.) Tobi.
47.) Obito
48.) I ain't missing Madara
49.) Jiraiya's pervert-self
50.) Bacchikoi
51.) The random skits at the end of each episode
52.) Yamato's scary eyes that are not really that scary
53.) Sai's random unintentional gay tendencies
54.) Sai's bluntness
55.) Gaara
56.) Sakura's temper
57.) The healing jutsu
58.) Sharingans
59.) Byakugans
60.) Rinnegans
61.) Konan...wait. What happened to her?
62.) Nagato
63.) The Frog Food that they made Naruto ate
64.) Naruto's clones
65.) Sasuke's ridiculous kimono
66.) the characters that stayed officially dead
67.) Gaara's insomnia
68.) Gaara
69.) Sasori's puppets
70.) Deidara's hands
71.) Deidara and Sasori's arguments about art
72.) Deidara's arms
73.) Chunin exams
74.) The sound four
75.) The poor souls who had to resurrected for the freakin' war
76.) The guy who always acts as the proctor for the Chunin exams
77.) Naruto's complains about him just being a genin.
78.) Rasengan
79.) The word Chakra
80.) Dattebayo!
81.) Minato and Kushina cuz they're perfect
82.) The word Jinchuriki
83.) Gaara's Matrix-like, turtleneck outfit
84.) Gaara's hairstyle in chapter 700
85.) Gaara's fangirls
86.) Gaara's dark eye rims
87.) Gaara
88.) The Akatsuki uniform. or the Akatsuki themselves
89.) Sakura's long hair
90.) The filler arcs
91.) Nope I do not miss them
92.) They always get in the way
93.) Like seriously
94.) wait, the anime has not yet ended
95.) oh well
96.) what else do i miss
97.) Konohamaru's scarf
98.) Kakashi's bells
99.) The random piercing on Nagato and his army
100.) GAARA
At the end of the day, I would like to give a salute to Kishimoto, the awesome creator of Naruto. This person has been writing and sketching the story of this unlikely hero for fifteen years, and that's very impressive. Thank you for making my high school life awesome, somehow. And thank you for somehow helping the Narutards find their own ninja way.
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