Day 22: EXCALIBUURRRRR

Day 22: Favorite Weapon, Gear, or Armour Used in an Anime

Excalibur is a weapon from the anime Soul Eater.

Does this count? I am counting it. As much as Excalibur has annoyed anime watchers throughout his existence, I have loved him the whole time. He, like all weapons in the Soul Eater universe, transforms into a sword, in this case the legendary weapon Excalibur. His random episodes that pop up here and there are hilarious to me. I love seeing him with King Arthur in the past.

Hate him if you want but he is definitely my favorite "weapon" in any show. 

Excaliburrrr Excaliburrr

Day 21: Professor

Day 21: Favorite Goofy Anime Character- Professor, Nichijou

Professor (Hakase) is one of the main recurring characters in the show Nichijou. Her first name is unknown, being only referred to as Hakase which means Professor, but her last name is Shinonome. 

Finally a legitimate chance to talk about Professor! She is adorably, super smart, and a kid all the way through. Nichijou by nature is a ridiculous show but Professor is by far my favorite character. Her ridiculous inventions and the fact that she is genius who can't be any older than maybe 7 just takes the cake for me.

Day 20: Nanami Takahashi

Day 20: Anime Character that Gets on Your Nerves- Nanami Takahashi, Bokura Ga Ita

Nanami Takahashi is the main character of Bokura ga Ita (We were there).

Day 19: Let's Get EPIC

Day 19: Most Epic Scene Ever

The above GIF is mostly a joke because my favorite epic scene is a spoiler due to it being the last scene in the anime. If you are not a fan of spoilers I am sorry that I don't have something spoiler free except KAMEHAMEHAAAAA!!!!!

Day 18: Supporting Females??

Day 18: Favorite Supporting Female Character- Umm...

I couldn't think of one right off the top of my head which leads me to the conclusion that I don't have a favorite "supporting" female character. Much to my dismay Professor (pictured above) is considered a main and when I thought about it she really is, so there went that idea. So I decided to look into the shows that I have seen and looked for supporting females that I thought were particularly notable to me in some way.

I didn't really find any.

I am not trying to say that there are no good female supporting characters, just that I don't have one that I think sticks out. Most supporting females in anime serve as a rival love interest, overall rival to female main, friend of main (with lots of sub-types of friend character) or sometimes really just as fan-service. Now these are very respectable roles but I noticed a few trends.

Trend #1: If there is a female main character, majority of supporting females are designed to make her look better in some way.  

 Example: Main Female is supposed to look really caring or "righteous" so the supports provide opportunities for MF to show off just how "pure" she is by needing to be saved or being weaker in some way. 

Another example is the "foil character", for those unfamiliar with the term a foil is a character that has contrasting traits to another particularly for the purpose of highlighting the traits of the other character. MF is caring and full of heart so foil character is apathetic. MF is kind and sweet so foil character is rough or "hard" and so on.

Trend #2: If the protagonist is female, often the supporting cast and very often the remaining "main" cast will be primarily male with other females taking a relatively smaller role. 

This is especially common in Shojou anime and even in some cases shounen. (I'm looking at you Soul Eater. Maka is the only female meister of note and Tsubaki gets like one episode focused on her. tsk tsk)

Trend #3: There will be a group of female protagonists but not as many fleshed out "supporting" females

Good examples of this are Nichijou, The iDOLM@STER and Sore ga Seiyuu! They maybe have one or two supporting females that could be considered "rounded" but they are often overshadowed or forgotten because of the group of mains. 

Those were the big three I saw, are there any supporting female trends you have seen? 

Day 17: Undertaker

Day 17: Favorite Male Supporting Character- Undertaker, Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler)

Undertaker is a recurring supporting character in the series Kuroshitsuji, also known as Black Butler.

Day 16: Anime-tion

Day 16: Anime with the Best Animation - Ghibli is King (and some other stuff)

It is pretty undisputed that if you want to see some good animation you look to Studio Ghibli. Other anime movies also have some wonderful animation but Studio Ghibli overshadows almost all the others.

The reason for this is rather interesting. 

As a genre, anime typically uses less frames per second than the large majority of animated shows, particularly western shows. For reference, many animated films have at least 24 frames per second or 12 drawings but this is on the lower side. Anime on the other hand will sometimes run an average 24 fps but main objects will actually only run at 8 or 12 fps (4 to 6 drawings per second) with the background objects running at 6 to 8 fps (3 or 4 drawings per second). Anime will also often use still objects or limited movement with the facial expressions or a small section of the background sometimes being the only real movement in any given frame.

Studio Ghibli and other anime movies will often break from this and go for the more traditional 24 fps because they have more time relative to the length of content in order to ensure smooth animation. This allows for more dynamic frames with consistent art and animation. Giving us the beautiful movies we enjoy so much. 

Day 15: Best Chicken

Day 15: Favorite Animal Sidekick, Pet, or Summoning from Any Anime- Nagoya, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun

Nagoya is the chicken pet/character from Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun. 

Day 14: Let's Watch it Again and Again and Again

Day 14: Anime That Never Gets Old No Matter How Many Times You've Rewatched It- Generic Weeb "Trash"

I have many shows that I would place under this category. The top one being No Game No Life, which no matter how many times I watch it, I always find myself smiling. The pretty art and smart antics of the characters are a joy for me.

Another big one that I often find myself re-watching is Ouran High School Host Club. The above scene is one of my favorites to enact at random times whenever coffee or any similar beverage is present. It's a light-hearted show that has just enough ridiculousness to keep you going back over and over.

The last one I am going to include here (although I could go on for awhile) is Boku Dake Ga Inai Machi (Erased). Even knowing "who done it", the show is a thrilling watch and seems to almost get better with every viewing. If you saw it once and liked it, I would definitely recommend giving it a second watch if you haven't already. It is fun to see how everything comes together and search for little clues at the beginning. 

Day 13: If I Were An Anime Character

Day 13: Anime Character You Are Most Similar To- A Mix

So in the spirit of me continually half-answering or not committing to a single answer to these prompts. I am a pretty solid mix of 3 anime characters. 

Konata Izumi and Patricia(Patty) Martin- Luky Star

These characters are pretty similar in that they both are otaku. The reason I cannot pick who I am more like is that they both have parts of me that are different. 

Patty looks almost exactly like I do in actuality, particularly in my high school days, with the exception of my eyes which are green. She learned her Japanese through anime and manga; I learned mine because of anime and manga but took actual classes. Her taste is Japanese music is limited to bands that make anime themes and this was true of me too until the past few years. She is also very bubbly which I am on the occasion that I am not too tired.

Konata has more of my personality which is sarcastic and often teasing. A chronic procrastinator and expert at all-nighters, that part of Konata is basically the embodiment of my college self. We have a similar taste in anime, video games and manga as well.

Tamaki Suoh- Ouran High School Host Club

For a back story, when I was in high school I was occasionally cast in male roles in my school's productions because of my lower-than-average voice and short hair. I pulled it off splendidly and developed a personality very similar to that of a charming prince when in my drag costumes. In college, this carried on in the way I often treat my female friends which is full of "smooth" compliments and semi-flirtatious remarks. I also share Tamaki's romanticism and occasionally even his ridiculous antics. He was the first character that came to mind for my friends when I asked for their opinion on today's prompt. 

Day 12: Sad Anime Scenes *spoilers*

Day 12- Saddest Anime Scene

I cannot pick one for the life of me. There are so many sad anime scenes that make me bawl my eyes out. From Kanade disappearing in Angel Beats to Ushio dying in Clannad After Story, anime has been making me cry throughout my years of watching. 

Some of my favorites are, and by favorites I mean the ones that make me cry the hardest...

In no particular order:

Day 11: Gurren Lagann

Day 11: Favorite Mech Anime- Tenga Toppa Gurren Lagann

Tenga Toppa Gurren Lagann (known to most as Gurren Lagann) is a mech anime about a boy who is a driller underground when he comes across a strange object that turns out to be a key to a fighting machine! He and his brother-like mentor name it Lagann, using this machine they defend their city from an attack and end up at the surface.

I have not watched a lot of Mech Anime so Gurren Lagann has a head start over the other's given that I have actually completed it. But regardless, Gurren Lagann is a fun watch. It has action, adventure, mechas and pretty ladies what more could you want? From me it is a 8/10.

Day 10: Nabari no Ou

Day 10: Favorite Fighter Anime- Nabari no Ou

Nabari no Ou is about an apathetic boy who is just trying to live his daily life when suddenly he is told he possesses a ninja power that everyone in the ninja world wants. This forces him to branch out of his bubble to protect himself as well as the people around him.

Day 9: Anime Villains

Day 9: Best Anime Villain- 

Day 9: Favorite Anime Villain-

Day 9: Anime Villains- a discussion

Maybe it seems a little cheap to sort of cop out of this day of the challenge but I thought all day about who I thought the best anime villain was. I came up with nothing. It isn't that I don't think anime has some great villains because it honestly does. I just don't think I have any right to be choosing "the best."

My first thought for a solution was that maybe I would choose my favorite. This probably would have worked but I discovered I don't really have one. I think the entire point of a "good" villain is that you sort of hate them a little. But hating a villain isn't enough to make a good character. This brought me to here, writing a post late without any real answer to the question. *sigh* sorry guys. 

But what I can do is talk through the villains I was considering and tell you why I didn't choose them.

*****Spoiler Alert***** Read at Your Own Risk*****

Contender 1: Light Yagami- Death Note

Light starts off being what I picture when I think of a perfect villain. He thinks of himself as being the good guy, he is ruthless, keen, confident, and really plays the "two-faced" role well. The reason I didn't feel right choosing him as the "best anime villain" was that in the end, he becomes really pitiful. After L dies, he get's confident to the point of being lazy, so when Near comes into play he loses form. He becomes hasty and nowhere near as cunning and composed as he was in the first 2/3 of the show. A villain becoming more "insane" can be sometimes be a positive addition to a story but when it happens to Light, whose whole intrigue up to that point is his calm and collected demeanor, it feels sad. His fall into madness has a bunch of good messages about power and morals etc etc so I guess he still has that going for him.

Contender 2: Kayaba Akihiko- Sword Art Online

Kayaba Akihiko gets all sorts of gentlemen points for being one of the most fair villains I have seen. Although he completely doesn't care about any human life (including his own), Sword Art Online was a beatable game, he didn't really do much to get in the way of the players progressing, he accepted defeat gracefully, and he was even helping on the front lines himself (even if he made himself invincible until he fights Kirito) He also was a good "dark side" to Kirito, both sharing the traits of being skilled gamers, introverts, and intelligent with their major difference being Kirito's desire to protect others while Kayaba didn't care about them. I couldn't confidently choose him because he lacked a real "villain vibe", at the end of the day he was just a really apathetic guy who wanted to escape the world so made a difficult (and deadly) game. 

Those were the two closest I could think of but I am 100% sure that I probably missed many good ones. If you have a villain you think is the best let me know! I am really curious to see who other people think were good villains.

Day 8: Zen and Shirayuki

Day 8: Your Favorite Anime Couple: Zen and Shirayuki

Zen Wistaria and Shirayuki are the protagonists of Akagami no Shirayukihime (Snow White with the Red Hair). 

Day 7: Tomoe

Day 7: Your Anime Crush: Tomoe

On Friday I said I wanted to watch Kamisama Kiss in my day 6 post of the anime challenge. This weekend I actually found the time and means to watch it, causing Tomoe to become probably my biggest anime crush ever. 

Day 6: Kamisama Kiss

An Anime You Want to See but Haven't Yet: Kamisama Kiss

Also known as Kamisama Hajimemashita, Kamisama Kiss is about a girl who is homeless and in debt but is offered a place to stay by a man whom she saved from a dog. It turns out to be a shrine and that she had been sent there as a replacement god. If you want to read more, go to MyAnimeList and check it out because I haven't watched it myself. 

Day 5: Fullmetal Alchemist

Anime You Are "Ashamed" You Enjoyed- Fullmetal Alchemist (2003) a.k.a. FMA

I am not actually ashamed that I enjoyed the original Fullmetal Alchemist anime. The part that I typically don't broadcast however is that I prefer it to Brotherhood. *waits for the angry mob to settle down* I understand that many people love Brotherhood for the fact that it follows the manga better. But as I have mentioned in a post before, I don't mind if the anime doesn't follow the manga. As is what happened with the 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist, the anime of an on-going manga will often at some point reach a time when they are out of material, especially when the manga is a monthly. In the case with FMA, the creator of the manga, Hiromu Arakawa gave the anime a green-light to continue past the material that had been written and make their own story. It really shouldn't have been such a big deal that it didn't follow the manga because at the time that part of the manga didn't exist. Brotherhood only ever came about because people wanted the manga's ending instead.

Day 4: Shirayuki

Favorite Female Anime Character Ever: Shirayuki

Shirayuki is the title character of Akagami no Shirayukihime. She is an herbalist and shares the main protagonist role with her love interest, Zen Wistaria. 

Day 3: Kuranosuke Koibuchi

Day 3: Favorite Male Character Ever- Kuranosuke Koibuchi

Kuranosuke is the son of a wealthy family in Kuragehime (Princess Jellyfish) and serves as a main character, close friend, and mentor of the jelly-fish obsessed Tsukimi. 

Day 2: No Game No Life

Favorite Anime you've Watched So Far: No Game No Life

An invincible brother and sister shut-in gaming duo find themselves challenged to an online game of chess. Upon winning they are asked, "what do you think of your world?", and end up being sucked into a surreal world where war is banned and everything is decided through games.

30 day Anime Challenge: Day 1 Soul Eater

I saw this on another site and thought it looked fun so let's give it a shot!

Day 1: Very First Anime You Watched- Soul Eater

At a school designed to create weapons for Death himself, one scythe and his dedicated wielder (meister) work to gather the 99 wicked souls plus one witch soul needed to become a full-fledged Death Scythe. Along with Death's son, and an impulsive-meister-caring-weapon duo, they meet many interesting characters and fight to protect Death City from evil. 

#24 Ouran High School Host Club

An honor student gains a scholarship to an elite academy typically attended by the ultra-rich of Japan. This school-focused student is looking for a place to study but accidentally discovers a host club run by a group of frivolous rich good-looking boys. After accidentally going into an 8 million yen debt with the club, this study-bug ends up having to work for the ridiculous club as a host.

#23 Dog & Scissors

A book loving boy becomes a dog (literally) and is adopted by his favorite author. She can somehow read his mind but it soon turns out that she is sadistic and scissor obsessed, with all of her inspiration springing from bloody crime scenes. The boy (dog) has to constantly dodge her attacks while adjusting to his new life as a puppy.

#22 Tsuritama

A boy moves to a small island to live with his grandmother in hopes of a fresh start. He soon meets an alien from a faraway planet who requests his help in catching a creature that is residing in the nearby waters. Along with a famous fisherman and a fellow classmate, they work together in the hopes of saving the town.

Side Character Sunday Sachiko Yagami

Sachiko Yagami is Light Yagami's mother. She is one of the few characters in the show that is never aware of Light's use of the Death Note. The author of Death Note is known for referring to her as one of the purest characters in the show.

#21 Your Lie in April

A once prodigious pianist lost his ability to hear himself play after the loss of his mother.  However, after meeting a passionate violinist his world starts to slowly come to life again. With her help, he slowly rediscovers what it means to live life fully and play music with love.

Your Lie in April is a lovely anime that can really hit home. Although the music was ultimately beautiful, the scenes of playing piano/violin went on a little long sometimes. But in the end it was a heartfelt show that solidly earns its 9/10 from me.

Weekend Waifu Kaori Miyazono

Kaori Miyazono is one of the main characters of Your Lie in April (Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso). She is an avid violinist with a unique but talented playing style. Her passionate spirit and exuberance is a direct contrast to the "stick to the script" pianist that is the protagonist, effectively changing his life.

Kaori Miyazono is my waifu because her vivacity and spunk is intoxicating to watch. She thinks of others first and is in-general a wonderful friend to those around her. 

Death Note (2017 Netflix Live Adaptation)

A high school student picks up a strange notebook after it fell out of the sky nearby. Shortly after, a death god (shinigami) appears and explains that the note book has the power to kill anyone whose name is written inside. Although apprehensive at first, the student begins passing judgement on the world's criminals. He shows the notebook to one other, a girl, who becomes his accomplice in ridding the world of crime. Before long, a world-renowned detective is hot on his trail and he has to start making tough decisions about this powerful Death Note.

#20 Death Note (anime)

A super-smart high school student happens across a notebook with the power to kill anyone whose name is written inside. He begins to kill off criminals in order to make a new world without crime where he is revered as a god. Before long, an eccentric but genius detective, the best in the world, begins searching for the culprit behind these mysterious deaths.