Kyoukai no Kanata Review

Series: Kyoukai no Kanata

Genre: Slice of Life, Supernatural

Summary: The dark fantasy follows a high school sophomore named Akihito Kanbara. Although the boy appears human, he is half youmu and invulnerable to wounds because he can heal quickly. One day, Akihito meets freshman Mirai Kuriyama when it seems she is about to jump from the school rooftop. Mirai is isolated because of her ability to manipulate blood, which is unique even among members of the spirit world. Disturbing events begin to unfold after Akihito saves Mirai.

Here we have another anime from Kyoto Animation, the company responsible for amazing works such as Chuunibyou, Clannad, Hyouka, and the Haruhi Suzumiya saga, but also created trainwrecks such as Tamako Market and K-On. When I first saw the trailer for Kyoukai no Kanata, I was really impressed by the change in genre that KyoAni was taking. Super natural was a theme lightly touched, the most being in Chuunibyou. After watching the series at first with excitement, I ended it with less satisfaction than before.

Watamote Review

Series: Watamote (Watashi go Motenai no wa Dou Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui!) 

Genre:  Comedy, School, Shounen, Slice of Life
Summary: Kuroki Tomoko is a super popular, high school girl who has had 50 years of dating experience and 100 boys... in the Otome game world. In the real world, she is a 15-year-old shut-in who has all of the qualities of a "mojo" (a gloomy or unpopular woman). However, when school isn't going as she expected, and she isn't as popular as she had thought she was, she takes a look at herself in the mirror for the first time in a few years, and has some shocking revelations... 

Watamote gained extensive popularity very quickly around the internet for its "relatable" stories of geekdom and social awkwardness. Because of this, I was prompted to watch the series to see if I would enjoy it as much as it's been glorified. As I watched it, I didn't feel humored at all. Watamote's reputation covered up its many flaws as an anime. 

Two Door Cinema Club at the Greek Theater

 

On November 2nd, I got the pleasure of going to see Two Door Cinema Club, one of my all time favorite bands, live! I saw them at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles and the bands St. Lucia and Capital Cities performed. The energy was great and even the opening acts were fantastic. It was my first ever concert and needless to say, it was one of the greatest nights of my life. 

Kill La Kill First Impression

 

One of the most anticipated anime for the fall season of 2013 is Trigger's latest creation: Kill la Kill. Fast paced, rash, blunt, exciting, it's been praised as the return of good anime. The first episode instantly got me hooked within the FIRST MINUTE, but there were still some things about it that made me feel wary about how the series will turn out to be overall. 

Soondubuchigae; Favorite Food of the Month

 

The month of October is filled with many lovable things, from pumpkin spice lattes to Halloween candy. So much food filled me up, but my favorite food of the month would have to be something that's hot and spicy enough to warm me up: soondubuchigae!

From Up on Poppy Hill Review

 

Movie: From Up on Poppy Hill

Genre: Historical, Romance, School, Shoujo

Summary: The 1964 Tokyo Olympics represented a new start for Japan—out with the old Meiji-era buildings that reminded citizens of bad times, in with innovation that spoke to the future of a newly peaceful and increasingly prosperous country. 

Umi, a shy teenaged girl, manages a boarding house on the Yokohama seaside. Her father was killed in the war and her mother travels constantly, so in addition to attending high school, Umi must also run the family business. Her classmate Shun, an orphan unsure of his lineage, lives with a few other students in the old high-school clubhouse, a French-style, mansion that's set to be demolished as part of the current modernization project. Shun and his schoolmates refuse to let this happen. 

As much as they fear losing their shelter, they are also appalled at what they see as the erasure of their history. As the students organize a protest, Shun and Umi grow closer. What begins as a friendship develops into something deeper as these two lonely teenagers find a mutual understanding and trust. Yet when Shun starts to investigate his past, secrets emerge that threaten to tear the two apart. 

From Up on Poppy Hill was directed by Goro Miyazaki, Hayao Miyazaki's son. I was pretty interested to see how much of Hayao's legacy he could carry on. This movie looked very promising, but it was simple. The outcome wasn't exactly what I expected, and this goes as a bad and good way. 

Amoeba Records + Hollywood Adventures

Summer has ended and I'm sure for everyone that has been replaced by a dread also known as school. I was definitely not looking forward to going back to days of endless hours of studying, cramming, busy days, and stressful nights. Thus, I decided to spend my last day of freedom at a not-so-little music store in Hollywood: Amoeba Records. 

If you live in Southern California and not under a rock, surely you've heard of what Amoeba Records is. This is THE trendy, go-to music place for anything bands, music, or movie-related. They have pretty much anything you would want to listen to! Not only that, but they sell used albums, making some of the prices a lot cheaper than they normally are. The selection of bands is HUMONGOUS and there are thousands to choose from.