Yu-chan no Megane

What is it about the ridiculous penchant of Naruto’s mangaka for killing off my favourite characters? I mean, first it’s Zabuza (I liked him… and of course there was the slight yaoi implication with Haku that I just could not ignore). Next, it was Sandaime. He was like a grandfather to me for crying out loud! Then, there was Gekkou Hayate. He was just sickly, c’mon. After that, Sasori.

I suppose in shounen mangas of such nature, people do get killed off. However, Naruto has a bad track record for killing off people I actually like. Bleach doesn’t at the very least. They’ve only killed off annoying twits. Except maybe Grimmjow. I hope he isn’t dead. (I don’t follow the manga so I don’t know. Don’t tell me.)

But… you made me put off watching Shippuuden for 3-4 weeks because I couldn’t bear watching the father of an unborn child die such a twisted horrifying death.

(Admittedly, I haven’t had much time to watch anything lately… except Gintama… due to my current workload.)

Please don’t let the Sarutobi clan die. Kurenai will not have a miscarriage! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR…

Here’s an almost play-by-play experience while watching the 4 episodes it took for Asuma to fight, die and get a mention of a funeral. At the point where I’m at, Shikamaru hasn’t said a thing to Kurenai yet. Will he take Asuma’s place? (Although he’s probably still a kid and that would be gross, not to mention illegal.) DUN DUN DUN!

“I can’t believe it’s all going to end.”

“It’s not.”

*insert gruesome maniacal laughter*

“And I can’t believe I’ve been given airtime to be part of this homoerotic mumbo-jumbo.”

Wrestling begins, albeit from a distance

One can only hope this really is glorified “Whack-a-mole”… (>_<;)

Even with just a severed head, Hidan is annoying as hell. I must admit to liking his style of speech though.

Not for long though. Hidan gets his head sewn back. Is this some sort of plot hole?

Odds for tentacle rape… oh about 100 to 1

Asumaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!11!!!!1!!!!!

“No… Shikamaru… anything but that…”

*gurgle*

ZOMG!

Poignant scenery #1: grave of Sandaime = foreshadowing of impending death

Poignant scenery #2: pensive Sandaime rock carving… leaves tossed by the wind = impending death

Asuma’s last words, peppered with pseudo-lightheartedness and animation studio’s bid to prolong viewer agony

A final smoke, made possible by his shogi companion

Cliche: death always brings rain because Mother Nature is crying over the loss of a great shinobi

At least, someone is. SOB! (T_T)

I know it’s a little bit irreverent, but honestly, if I caption this seriously, I’m going to bawl.

In all seriousness, I’m going to kick up some major fuss if they ever think of killing off Kakashi, Sai, Itachi, Neji, Naruto, Tsunade and the deliciously suave Genma. (I know something does happen to Itachi later on — was spoilered by a pal.)

This leads me to talk about generally very unsatisfying manga/anime. Or habits of mangaka/anime production companies in general.

1. Filler episodes

I cannot possibly compute the number of weeks that Naruto and Bleach were on fillers. The only beef I generally had while they were happily fillering was the lack of continuity and the degree of inane crap that continued to spew forth. Week after week. D.Gray-man certainly didn’t suffer from this issue (although its craptastic ending really takes the cake).

This obviously happens because the anime catches up with the manga way too fast. Not the fault of the mangaka in question, but at least decent plots could be developed in between that makes everyone happy.

2. Character deaths

I suppose they do this only to keep people interested (and pissed off). Or else fake deaths… Deidara anybody? Aizen ring a bell?

It’s not absolutely necessary to sacrifice some of these people. However, I must admit the impact is greater when Sandaime sacrificed himself in order to render Orochimaru semi-useless. How he must be turning cartwheels in his grave right now to know that it hasn’t really had that much of an effect on his serpentine disciple.

3. Sudden “WT…” endings or “huh that’s it?” type finales

The former refers to anime like D.Gray-man. Seriously, could they have done a worse job at it? I think not. Despite the fact that the anime was rapidly catching up with the manga, they could’ve decided to insert a filler arc or two. Generally DGM’s filler arcs were pretty decent. Half the time I couldn’t tell they were fillers (I don’t keep up with the manga). I refuse to understand why they couldn’t do the same here.

The latter refers to typical harem-type anime that generate from dating sim games. By very virtue of the game, you don’t get the protagonist ending up with anyone in particular. While this is characteristic of playing a dating sim, since player choices affect the end result, it’s pretty annoying in anime. I need closure already, Neo Angelique Abyss, etc.

While it looks like I have tons of gripes, I really do love manga and anime. There are many pleasant experiences I’ve had watching some of them. Ouran High School Host Club was fun although it didn’t quite follow through with the manga which is still ongoing. Nodame Cantabile never ceases to have me in stiches and it seems there’s a new Paris season! (I know what I’ll be watching during the December hols.)

*DISCLAIMER: I don’t know much about the workings between mangaka/anime and/or the entire processes involved, so don’t get all batshit crazy on me if you’re a purist. I’m merely stating an opinion. Perhaps if I understood things better I’d change my mind. Then again, maybe not. That Zabuza killing still hits a raw nerve.

It’s been approximately 3 weeks since the last update and I’ve been relatively busy with a number of things. At the moment though, I’m enjoying the quiet environment at the airport, Terminal 3.

The new flat is almost ready! I’m really looking forward to moving in. The wooden laminate flooring makes the entire house so zen. I’m so eager to plonk my futon on it and have a good Japanese-y sleep. I managed to take some photos of the place but none of them turned out too well without decent lighting, except this one. You’ll note that due to the renovation still in progress, it’s pretty much a mess.

But surely you can tell it’s starting to look really good. (*^_^*)   I can’t wait to move in and make myself at home. I’ve got plenty of visitors lined up, eager to stop by. I don’t mind that so much as long as I get enough time to tidy up and unpack all the crap I’ve accumulated over the past few years. And also in the few months that I’ve been renting a room in Woodlands. (=_=;)

On to other things. The last time I visited The Central @ Clarke Quay, I walked away with a couple of photos of cosplayers. This time, while I didn’t walk away with much, I did try the pizzeria on the first floor which sold gourmet pizza by slices. Delicious stuff.

All photos taken with my shiny red Sony T700. Pretty, no?

This has been, what I’d consider, a relatively less than stellar day.

Right off the bat, during my usual Friday music lesson with the upper level, I was railed at by someone over the silliest rearrangement of locations possible. Now, I learnt later that this person is extremely straightforward.

Mind you, I really don’t mind it when someone is being straightforward. In fact, I rather prefer it in comparison to going around in circles. However, there’s a huge difference between being politely direct and plain rude. I really dislike arguing in front of the kids, so I simply took it like the punchbag that I must have appeared to be.

This made me think of two things, quite instinctively. I questioned my perspective… was I being unreasonable in the first place and secondly, was I being Christ-like throughout the entire process. Of course I could barely make amends before the person in question stormed out. Sigh. Obviously, I could have swapped back, but the move would make the kids restless and, as a result, noisy.

I’d already known that the bunch I was in charge of today was going to be restless and moreover, I needed to instruct in music while the PSLE was on. Time is certainly not on my side due to the long PSLE marking break and the subsequent examinations. Since they need time for the group assessment, I can’t possibly leave them alone doing other pieces of work while I wait for PSLE to be over.

ANYWAY, I also figure I’m not being terribly Christ-like by ranting on this blog. He would’ve taken it like the man He was/is. My only excuse is that I need an outlet.

To make matters worse, my kid pooped in the computer lab (into his pants at least). He’d gone once just a couple of minutes before to pee, then he approached me to ask me whether he could go again. Obviously, being the astute teacher that I am, I said no. AND HE SAID OKAY. ARG! If it was that urgent, I imagine it would only have been logical for him to explain himself. But noooooooooo. He’s terrified I’d go all Godzilla on him and eat him up for breakfast.

So yes. Thankfully, it was the end of the day and it was settled reasonably easily with his mum picking him up. My colleague told me that in the middle of lessons, they would quite literally hose him down! (>_<;) That’s not pretty…

Tomorrow: marking @ Starbucks or the library because it’s too noisy over here at home.

I can’t wait to move into my new place. Seriously.

I’m honestly beginning to think that my love for shopping knows no bounds. I have a few expensive loves which, I obviously realise, cause my wallet to explode in abject misery. Here’s my ridiculous list:

• Branded bags (e.g. Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Burburry, etc etc)
• Gadgets (e.g. mobile phones, computers, cameras, peripherals, etc)
• DVDs and CDs (some Japanese imports)

If that’s not enough to blow the bank, I’ve also added musical instruments to my list. I’m currently looking for a synthesizer, preferably a Korg. I’ve always wanted one and no, I’m not buying it just for the heck of it. I do play these instruments. I’ve also got a nifty Yamaha APX700 electric performance acoustic and a violin which I can barely screech on.

Don’t forget my eternal love for great Japanese food.

In other words, I’m pretty much screwed.

Nonetheless, I’m on the lookout for a secondhand Korg in decent condition. If I had the means I’d buy a shiny new one. The little brother tells me it’s practically droolsome. Naturally, I’m inclined to believe him as he’s quite the musical guru.

Here are a couple pictures of some instruments.

My APX700 in Sandburst. Plays and sounds like a dream. Pity my current lack of mad skillz.

And on my wishlist:

Notice how the coolest instruments are always featured on black backgrounds?