Hetalia!: Pasta!

Alright. Need a good, light hearted anime for spring? Time to get out of those depressing, romantic anime with tragic heroes and unnaturally beautiful kiss scenes, and watch something uppity and hilarious. And controversial. On that note, let's talk about one of the more controversial anime that I've watched: Hetalia! (exclamation point included). Hetalia! is a historical satire on the world's countries, starting at the Treaty of Versailles with many flash backs even to Ancient Rome (since alot of the countries have disputes with each other dating back even further). In the show, each country is represented by a single person, and they are named Germany, Japan, Italy, etc. And as you can assume, that's where the controversy starts.

The characters are meant to be very stereotypical of their nation. For example, Germany is a tough as nails blonde man that likes to spit out words like, "Fire Death Team!" and "Shut up you doomkompfs!!" ('scuse my lack of correct German spelling). Japan is very quiet, choosing to "sense the mood and refrain from speaking," never really giving anyone a straight answer to anything, like "I'll think about it." And Italy. Ohhhh Italy. Well, if anyone remembers world history before WWII, Italy basically allied with Germany, though there really wasn't anything too great about them besides their abundance in art and culture. So Italy, is, in this series, a lovable pansy, idiot, and coward. And Germany bangs his head against the wall many times as he attempts to make him grow a pair and stop mass producing white flags. Obviously, many countries or people of other countries get pissed about their own portrayals, however the show makes fun of EVERYONE! I mean, America is one of the biggest idiots in the series (I wonder why), and the Japanese make fun of the Japanese...and they made the show! So take a chill pill...

Anyway, you gain a level of intelligence as well, for those who may hate history (me) and refuse to listen to a 70 something geezer lecture on Winston Churchill's growing waist line (me). It's just down right hilarious. So many quotable moments in the show, and their even better provided they are spoken with the accents (Prussia and Italy are my favorite).

Todd Haberkorn is Italy...best decision ever. Kinda funny story: the other actor who was in the running against Haberkorn was known other than the voice of Edward Elric himself...and now he plays Greece on the show (lol). Any who, the accents are hilarious (Germany's is pretty accurate), the variety of voices is refreshing and even more awesome when they interact with each other. Oh, and J. Michael Tatum is France. Another great decision. I salute you Funimation.

So if you want some great historical humor and great VA's then please watch Hetalia!. The episodes are only 5 minutes anyway. Idk but in the spring, I don't wanna be depressed or get hooked on to a never ending series that requires me to watch every single episode or else I don't know what the hell is going on. And I've asked other anime watchers their opinion as well. The response is unanimous: Hetalia! is amazing :)

Some clips for y'all!

ToraDora!: Get your favorite blanket and ice cream ready

I know I’ve been reviewing a lot of longer series, but now time for a fairly short anime (the usual 26 episodes) that holds a special place in my heart: ToraDora! (exclamation point included). Now for any male readers, you may wanna stop right here, because this is one of the more romantic animes (shoujo), and I’m going to take the opportunity to gush on every adorable aspect of this show.

ToraDora! is a show about highschooler Ryuugi, whose “scary” looking eyes have always made him misunderstood by others, when he really is a nice guy with major neat freak issues. He meets Taiga, who is perhaps the opposite in personality: lazy, feisty, impatient, demanding, and not even five feet. They form an unlikely friendship due to the fact that they have a crush on each other’s best friend, but they soon find that this connection makes them both grow and find out what’s really important (daww).

So, let’s start with animation: I can’t get enough. Though it is still on the flat side of things, little details in light and shading add an overall roundness to the characters, which appeals to my eye. Taiga’s hair, for one, is so awesomely untamed and gorgeous, it’d give JLo a run for her money. And Ryuugi’s eyes (bless his heart) are perfect for his character, being at first glance terrifying (especially when he’s attacking a stain), but very sweet when you stare into them.

The plotline is that of a feel good, romantic comedy. Taiga and Ryuugi’s dynamic is both interesting and hilarious to watch, as Ryuugi takes it upon himself to watch over her and try to understand her behind her tough as nails attitude. Funny fleeting moments and meaningful confrontations make this anime a pleasure to watch.

And P.S: this has one of my favorite kiss scenes of all time. Can you guess whom it’s with?

Commoner's Coffee: Ouran High School Host Club

A vlog about the anime, Ouran High School Host Club. Watch the clip below that too! It's quite funny :)

Just some art schtuff...

Hey everyone. Just thought I'd post some anime fan art I've done before. Some aren't quite finished but I'll show them anyway lol Enjoy!

Dattebayo!!...or Something

So. Naruto. Arguably the most popular (and one of the longest running) series in the anime world. Because its frickin impossible to summarize, I'm just gonna say there's ninjas, one's named Naruto, he has a fox demon in him, people want to use him for his powers, the whole second season is about a great ninja war and trying to win get back his friend Sasuke who turned evil (also a long story). Go to Wikipedia, they have a great summary.
To start out, the voice actors are incredible. I mean, they have to be. It's Naruto. Maile Flannagan seems to have dedicated her whole career to the role of Naruto (yes she is a girl playing a boy, don't question it), and she provides the right amount of humor, seriousness, anger, and love that comes with his character. Sasuke is played by another very popular voice actor named Yuri Lowenthal, who gives the actor an appropriate emo/revenge obsessed attitude, with a hint of being a badass. There are too many characters to name and with their respected VA's, so I'm just gonna suggest you look up Shikamaru, Sakura, Kakashi, and Sai's voices.
The animation: much improved. As you may or may not know, Naruto was split into two series: Naruto and Naruto Shippuden. The animation is ten times better in the second series, shifting between different styles for each episode. I tend to gravitate towards the more simplistic style used for more battle related episodes were there is alot of movement, but thats just me.
The plot: Well obviously if it wasn't extremely interesting, I wouldn't be still into it after a few hundred episodes. Everyone has a difficult past (minus Sakura, but whatever), and everyone is connected through some way. The series simply keeps making you ask how and why.
While I know this is broad, the series is just to difficult to talk about everything, so I encourage you to start from episode one. Oh, and Vic Mignonga and Travis Willingham star in it somethings :)

I've attached an AMV (anime music video) that I believe captures the series "awesome" factor when it comes to fights.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood: Drink Your Milk Kids

I guess I'll start this series of reviews with one of the best: Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. By far one of the highest rated shounen anime out there, with some of the most famous voice actors in the business. The story takes place in the fictional nation of Athestrist ('scuse the spelling) where alchemy exists and is often used for scientific and military purposes. Kinda like magic, but if magic was scientific (I tuned out when the show went over the periodic table...chemistry wasn't good to me). The plot follows two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric (very Japanese), who attempt to bring back their deceased mother by trying the taboo of all alchemists: human transmutation. However, such a feat (they failed by the way) causes Al his body, and Ed his leg and arm (he sacrifices his arm to bind Al's soul to a suit of armor conviently located in the room). Way to go Ed. After years of PT (with new metal limbs called auto mail) and Al patiently waiting as a walking tin can, Ed becomes a state alchemist for the military in order to find a way to get their bodies back as well as search for the possible missing ingredient for human transmutation: the philosopher's stone.
Now, please don't judge the summary. It's a long show and there are a lot of details that I don't really wanna get into, but for a detailed summary, there's a beautiful thing called Google. Anyway, I have to say this will forever be one of my favorite shows. The animation is beautiful (super important because I usually won't watch something if the animation doesn't appeal to be). Its simple, without making the characters flat or with oddly shaped faces (eh em, Pokemon) and the coloring suits the characters beautifully (Ed's red coat, and his wonderful golden hair... :) ). The characterization makes you smile and emotionally connected to each character...with the exception of Mei because she's just annoying. Ed's short rants have to be one of the funniest things ever, and there are tons of them on YouTube as well as videos where fans ask Vic (his voice actor) to mimic the lines. The long running gag on his height balances the show's seriousness, along with other comedic themes (Winry's rage when Ed damages her auto mail). However, the story shines through as the best feature. It even brought my cousin to tears, and she never cries...like ever. Each character has a Scar-ed past (Get it? Cause...there's a character...named Scar...just watch it) due to the Ishvalan war and every one has a goal, whether it is evil or good. And they stick to it.
I guess this anime is also dear to me because it introduced me to my favorite voice actors. Laura Bailey, with one of the most seductive, dangerous voices I've ever heard as Lust. Travis Willingham, one of the funniest guys ever with a deep voice that could make you swoon or laugh like crazy (Roy Mustang). Todd Habberkorn, with the best-matter-o-fact voice as well as angry cool guy voice. He is also a funny dude (Ling). J. Michael Tatum: OMG the nicest, cleverest, and one of the most talented voice actors in the business, with a range that will blow your mind (Scar). And last but certainly not least, Vic Mignonga. Remember the name. He will be mentioned a lot in this blog. This guy has such a wide range of voices and characters, but one of my favorite will always be Ed's: that immature but determined (and often hilariously infuriated) personality that could not have been portrayed by a better guy.
Needless to say, I love this anime to death, and I recommend it for people who aren't sure about anime or think it's too weird. After all, this show is what got me hooked in the first place.
(PS: You won't understand the title of this post til you see the show lol)

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! Here I'm gonna talk about various animes that I have watched, including the basic plot and what my personally opinion is on the show. I may even include some manga reviews but we shall see :). I will also share some fan art since I tend to draw anime styles that I like. Thanks for reading!