After 2 years…!

I finally found the ENGLISH Translation for Suki Dakara, my phenomenal theme song for the year 2008. Thanks to http://namiichan.wordpress.com, I finally have it. This song is sooooo memorable for me because it was especially dedicated for a certain someone last 2008. During those times, I thought this song would be the right one for you even though I barely knew the English meaning. :) To *****, Stay happy and successful! This one’s for you, though I’m finally over you…

 

See you later, we waved our hands
the figure of your back is already like that,
swaying, it becomes small in the evening wave of people

The words you gave me, one by one
remembering them, I closed my eyes
even though only the happy thoughts should be here
I become uneasy, I wonder why my heart quivers

I want to tell you more, these feelings overflowing like that
because I love you, because I love you
because I absolutely love you

Turning around and running off
I want to go and chase after you but
the loneliness of evening swallowed that kind of courage

Within your smiling face, I am there
just a little bit separated
it’s like I’ve become a lost child, about to cry
if I were docile, I could live even without these kind of feelings

Only an empty me exists here, crying out
because I love you, because I love you
because I absolutely love you

Omokage- Reminiscence

Main Entry:

rem·i·nis·cence

Pronunciation:

\-ˈni-s^ən(t)s\

Function:

noun

Date:

1589

1: apprehension of a Platonic idea as if it had been known in a previous existence

2 a: recall to mind of a long-forgotten experience or fact b: the process or practice of thinking or telling about past experiences

3 a: a remembered experience b: an account of a memorable experience —often used in plural4: something so like another as to be regarded as an unconscious repetition, imitation, or survival

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reminiscence

 

 

It’s not about that word. It’s about this song, and it has suddenly came out from reading two words from somewhere in the net: true north. The song is entitled Omokage and this was Shaman King’s second ending song. My mind has been filled by anime and anime alone for the second half of my current existence—meaning since I reached the age of 10 or 11. From that period of time, many animes dominated my existence—to the point that it became my defining ‘characteristic’ up to this time.

One of the most popular defining anime was Shaman King, the anime that started my fanfiction.net career (if that’s how we term it). It was that time when I transferred to a new school, and everything was new. Shaman King was aired and became the reason that I rush out of II-OL Rosary’s classroom every afternoon, the reason why I became close friends with Katrina and Loren, and the reason why my desk was filled with vandals of ヨウ beneath the plastic cover and all the rest of fangirlish stuffs I was in to during 2nd year high school.

I liked everything about Shaman King, although now, as I look back, it’s not really an admirable plot to begin with. It is finally plain in my sight now. The greatness about Yoh Asakura has been trampled by Uchiha Sasuke, and now, by several living guys in my age group. But what remained in my memory was this song, this one rendered by Megumi Hayashibara as Kyouyama Anna’s seiyuu:

 

Original / Romaji Lyrics
English Translation

kagami ni utsuru yokogao ni
kimi o kasanete
My heart is breaking.
surinuketeyuku kaze no you ni
tsukami kirenai
Why is it you?

at the side view of the face reflected in the mirror
I place you over it and
my heart is breaking
like the passing wind
I can't catch it
why is it you?

todoku koto no nai yubisaki
hitori ni giri shimeteru
kawasu koto no nai kotoba o
yozora no hoshi ni nagashi

the finger tips that will never reach
I hold them alone
the words that will never be exchanged are
drifted into the stars in the night sky

mou furimukanai
Ah kanashimi sae   setsunasa sae
kimi to umareta akashi
Ah tadayotteiru
kokoro no kiri no hate
I made up my mind.

I won't turn back
ah even sadness, even loneliness
is the proof that we were born
ah the flowing
end of my heart
I made up my mind

nani mo iwanai kuchibiru no
oku de kanjiru
You are my true north.
kimi no koe o kizandeiru
kotoba ijou ni
I know enough.

the lips that will never say anything
I feel it deep within
you are my true north
leaving your voice
more than words
I know enough

aishiteru to tsubuyaku yori
kitto kokoro ga yureru
koishiteru to tsutaeru yori
kizuna ga fukaku natte

instead of whispering that you love me
my heart is probably swaying
instead of saying you're in love
the relationship gets deeper

ima hitori ja nai
Ah kanashimi sae   setsunasa sae
norikoete ike sou de
Ah mune ni daita
kimi no omokage ima
I will take it there.

I'm not alone now
ah even sadness, even loneliness
seems like it can be endured
ah held it to myself
your reminiscent and now
I will take it there

mou furimukanai
Ah kanashimi sae   setsunasa sae
kimi to umareta akashi
Ah tadayotteiru
kokoro no kiri no hate
Ah kanashimi sae   setsunasa sae
norikoete ike sou de
Ah mune ni daita
kimi no omokage ima
I will take it there.

I won't turn back
ah even sadness, even loneliness
is the proof that we were born
ah the flowing
end of my heart
ah even sadness, even loneliness
seems like it can be endured
ah held it to myself
your reminiscent and now
I will take it there

Transliterated by P Whalan pdwhalan@bigpond.net.au>

Translated by mink309


http://minknokobeya.wordpress.com/

 

It wasn’t for the tune that I was hooked in this song, but at the time I was writing Shaman King fanfics, I somewhat associated this song to Kyouyama Anna. If there was one female anime character I could closely relate myself with, it must be her (besides Tsukamoto Tenma).

Since Shaman King wave has long gone and I’ve parted ways with the “addicts” we were before, it might seem easier to forget this. But still, the melody lingers in my head as if it was only now that I’m hearing it for the first time.

All About “J”

Yes, this letter has been invading my mind for the past 7 years now. What’s with this letter that almost everything related to the things that make me go in hanyaan mode involves it? Hmn. Let me enumerate some of it, but please, do not react violently.

 

1. First off is the set of “Johns” in our 2nd year OL Rosary classroom. :)
2. Next is the J’s in my closest guy friends’ names (June, JM, John Gerard, JJJ…).
3. Then third would be initial J of the hated person I had in 3rd year Rose of Lima (no name dropping :D)
4. Followed by my first boyfriend’s first name during 4th year high school
5. Then the nickname of one of my suitors starts with it,
6. Add up to the list would be the name of my first Asian guy idol and crush, Mr. Jerry Yan
7. Seconded by Jay Chou during 4th year high school, thanks to Inital D Live Action (and JKP for introducing him)
8. Then another hated person for end of High School :)
9. And yet another, why would I forget, my first crush during Elementary school, James…
10. Don’t forget High School’s viral J crush :D
11. College days had more than 7 friends with the J initial (JR, Jill, Jester, and a lot more).
12. Had another J Chinese (this time Mainland) crush, he is Jun Ning
13. Ooh, speaking of Jun, my other hot Japanese guy during High School is Arashi’s Jun Matsumoto (Tsukasa of HYD)
14. Then Jun Pyo and Ji Hoo comes along during College (BBF)
15. Still, JS is my current boyfriend,
16. At College, encountered many Jose’s in NCPAG (yea you know who you are :))
17. At UP, encountered the JJ’s in this recent UP Fair (Jumping Jologs, XD)
18. And finally, J is the first letter of my favorite country, JAPAN :)

 

I know there would be more to this that I haven’t included, but this shall do for the meantime. I should add to this if anything comes my way related to this.

Sore ga, ai deshou

My Plurk has this for its title since it’s an FMP layout design. It fits the site most, since it’s all about Sagara and Chidori, also the song is the theme of one of its arcs. This song has also been in my playlist for quite some time already, and I keep on singing along it. Somehow, the lyrics just got into me and I could feel that I could totally relate to it. So here I am, stating its English translation and I will try to analyze what made me feel that way…

Even if there are days when the tears roll down my cheeks
I want to have your back all for myself, but

Because I have you, because I have tomorrow
because I can't live on all alone
I feel you so close by me, I guess that's love
Because you know how much pain tears can bring
I want to find a smile in your transparent eyes
as I search for a definite meaning in them

because kindness is also cruel sometimes
I lose sight of the answer the more I search for it

If you can see the rainbow in the town after the rain
let's start walking now, something is about to begin

Because I have you, because I have tomorrow
because I can't live on all alone
I feel you so close by me, I guess that's love
Because you know how much pain tears can bring
I want to find a smile in your transparent eyes
as I search for a definite meaning in them

Although it'd be good if these feelings found their way into your heart
without me needing to speak a word,

The color of the town changes little by little but
see, our memories have again increased by one

Because now I can embrace every word that you said
I'm sure that we'll come closer to each other
I guess that's love
Even if a tomorrow that nobody knows is waiting for us
it's all right, don't cry anymore
we'll join hands
and keep walking on forever

It isn't something that builds up in an instant
but a feeling that grows a little at a time,
the feeling called love

I don’t think I could feel something like this in my life. It’s so much deeper than I thought! Anyway, this song really is something. And it fits the Kaname-Sousuke relationship. Shimokawa Mikuni made the best rendition for it. :)

Ozine Fest 2009

Ooooh! I’m so happy. Not because of the Ozine madness earlier (well, there were lots of FLAWS in the programme. I don’t think that anime cons should last for 3 days if it will only cover the elimination rounds for the Battle of the Bands when the leads are SINTUNADO ~ sorry but that’s how it actually was ~). I was quite disappointed by the singer of a certain band when they sang the Nana OST songs by OLIVIA. Aw. I was sooo disappointed. The voice was obviously not good. I was soooooo disappointed, grr. But the instrumental is good. Hmn.

What I loved most is the Gundam for free thingy. They’re quite cute. Now I have three of them (well, we did 2 of them earlier plus the taller one XD):

 

Yay!! Anyway, we went home early because I had this bad cold. Grr. I want to come again tomorrow, but I have other plans. :)

Crescendo

I just checked some comment on my Facebook. Len is my primary photo, and I’m proud of it :) Anyone could be his fan. Who couldn’t resist his charm?

Anyway, this post is not about Len, nor La Corda D’oro ~Primo passo~. It’s about the word itself in the title—crescendo. I tried to recall my music lessons, or something that would remind me of its meaning, but I couldn’t relate anything to it but the crescent. So I decided to google it. Lol.

And so I came up with the meaning about peak, climax, and intensity. So there it went, I thought of all other things that I could associate to it. I can’t think of anything but the song! The first lines reverberate in my head.

ichibyou goto ni kimi ga ITOSHIIzutto... mune no kodou ga hibiite irufutari de aruku kaerimichi futo damarikomubukiyou de tsutaerarenai omoi

And so there it went. I still couldn’t think of anything properly, thanks to these past few days. Ignore mantra shall be done. Thanks for the reminder. And so the mantra goes along with the song…

 

One More Chance

The best of romances,
deserve second chances

I don’t believe in this line of a certain song. And also, I don’t like the concept of the John Lloyd-Bea film with the same title in my post.  As my friend said, it’s mostly about love lost… and found.

Once you lose something, it’s never coming back to you.

But if you insist of getting it back, chances are it will work—but most of the things that are essential have already flown away. You’ll only have something that’s a mere per cent of what you actually lost.

You will acquire it, but not of the same value.

Just like when Syaoran traded his existence in Sakura’s heart in return for the chance to travel around the dimensions and gather her memories—it won’t return: their love for each other.

I know it’s another thing, but it is how actually things work around here. Pretty much the morale of the anime. And trust me, I experienced that already.

Second chances are not good. They are for the worst.

Hiram

Kanina, nagkaroon kami ng maikling pananatili sa SM Megamall dahil nanood nga kami ng sine at naglakwatsa, pati bumili rin ng kung anu-anong makakain. Pagkarating namin nahanap kagad namin yung mga kasama sa paggala, na di nagtagal e humiwalay rin sa amin. Tapos nun kinatagpo namin yung kaklase ko, at dun sa French Baker naganap ang aming transaksyon—ng mga anime DVDs. Ayos naman kasi nakuha ko yung case na may mga favoried oldies ko, gaya ng Evangelion. Natutuwa ako dahil pinahiram nya ako. :) Di man lang ako nakapagpasalamat.

Tapos ayun na nga nagkakilala na silang lahat at siyempre naipakita ko na rin sa kanya ang ilang katotohan sa mga naikuwento ko. Tapos nung nakalingap yung isa, nag-usap kami ni klasmeyt. Sabi nya, masyado raw mabait para sakin yung kasama ko. At tinawanan pa nya ako. Sabay amin din niyang hindi niya maintindihan ang pinanggagalingan nung mga hinain ko noon. Tapos, sabi pa niya, inaantagonize ko pa siya. Ngek. Sabi ko, di naman e. Sabay ayun bumalik siya na me dalang shiny coins na 5. Natuwa yung kaklase ko tas nagpalitan sila.

Supermarket ang susunod naming tinira. Ok naman. Maraming nabiling pang pagkain. Ang lamig don. Gamit na gamit yung jacket. Haha. Umalis din pagkatapos nun yung kaklase ko tapos kami diretso na sa sinehan. Maganda yung pelikulang Bride Wars. Ang ganda ng kwento, pati yung inasahan kong twist na si Emma ay makakatuluyan yung kapatid ni Liv. Hehe.

Ayos naman tong araw na to, basta kelangan ko lang naman sigurong mapanuod lahat ng nahiram ko bago matapos ang Marso. Kasi, bakasyon na. :)

Programs

Right now, I’m aimlessly installing programs in my PC. I’m also unaware on how much space is left on both my drives. The seeders have long gone, and here I am again with the very low speed of 7.0 kbps.

I’m in need of anime karaoke mp3s. Especially Kaze no machi he of Tsubasa RC. Grr. Can’t create a nice mix of a mono thingy. Whatever. This doesn’t concern me anymore.

Wakatte Ita Hazu

As I turned the shuffle on, most songs that I haven’t listened to for a long time suddenly play and gets my attention. This is one of the songs that was introduced to me by my classmate and close buddy when we were in 3rd year high school. Later on, it was one of my favorites, and even some of my friends loved it as well. This song has such nice lyrics about losing someone you love, and whatever is felt by that broken-hearted one. Here goes the English translation (care of animelyrics.com):

The laughing voices
of lovers passing by
makes me get all choked up.

Even though the rain has stopped
on this weekend afternoon,
I'm walking the streets all alone,
even though
I want to be with you.

I should have known this.
If I fell in love with you that much,
I would hurt just as much.

Even though I know it's heart-wrenching,
I keep thinking only of you,
even when
I can't see you.

Even though
I know I shouldn't think about
how I wish we could always be together,

Even now, the voice of my heart,
which I've tried to suppress,
seems to overflow
endlessly...
so much so that it hurts.

I should have known.
I just can't keep my love for you
inside, all to myself.

But now, it's a precious thought.
I believe in the truth
only I see,
and keep on loving you.

I should have known.
I just can't keep my love for you
inside, all to myself.

But now, it's a precious thought.
I believe in the truth only I see,
and keep on loving you.

Thinking

Can’t seem to place another good title for this post. I’ve been writing nonstop today here (well, there are stops). I have a goal of completing at least 200 posts till the New Year’s but then I didn’t quite make it. Anyway, I might fail on tomorrows 131 exam. I have no idea why I don’t seem to be interested in studying right now. Was I thinking of something else that I want to do so it hindered my studying mode? Or did I really lack the motivation to pursue my studies?

Honestly up to now I don’t know yet if I wanted Public Administration as my final course in life. I always wanted to pursue a writing career or something in the broadcast communication, or maybe the best I could think that I madly like is about computers. But unfortunately for me I wasn’t accepted because of the sad marks and red ones I had in my first two years. It’s my entire fault anyway.

I know that I want to be someone proficient in the Japanese language because of my anime fanaticism. I became an otaku at an early age, and from the time I wanted to sing anime songs all day and the time that I wanna read and understand its lyrics, I have built the interest within me.

Too bad I can’t pursue some studies of it since it doesn’t seem important to my incoming career as a public servant of the Philippine people. Haha.

Some Screen Caps

While it’s true that I’ve finished the entire Sakura Taisen video releases in anime, I really still can’t get over the missing links on the Sakura Taisen pairings—especially my favorite and the most obvious one: SakuraXOhgami.

Let me share some of the scenes of their first meeting:



 

 

 

 

 

 

These scenes were from the anime. Here’s from the OVAs:

More SakuraXOhgami:

Hana Yori Dango Final: The Movie

I could still remember the thrill and tears HYD 2 brought me when it had its TV finale- the 11th episode of the second season. This live action series surely brought the heck of fanaticism I had for Meteor Garden and even tripled it. The cast was outstanding, and of course, a Japanese comic book turned to a Japanese drama is just the right match. I do believe that the portrayal of the actors in the series really had the closest link to the original story and cast. It was a success, indeed.

A few months ago, last 2008, TBS finally released its cinematic finale—in the title HYD Final. This has been an intriguing finale for us fans and the like since this is the direct sequel to the wonderful series. A few trailers were watched out, and finally someone uploaded a subbed movie in Yahoo! Video—later on, it was compiled at MySoju.com.

I personally love fansubs release, but to have it solely posted on a streaming site made my watching of HYD the movie almost impossible. I hate streaming. In fact, I rather download that stream videos. For me, any video or film or series that appealed to me should be treasured forever—so in case I wanna watch it all over again, I have instant copy. And it also adds to my archives of past shows. That is why I desperately looked for torrents with subs, but to no avail.

I decided that my wait for it won’t be resolved by searching. And now, I decided to try the streams and watch them. But now, I’m bummed again since it’s LQ and has a low resolution. How I wish someone creates a torrent and sub or if possible, a DVD rip of this film. I know it’s piracy, but hey, who doesn’t turn to it nowadays? I’m pretty sure everyone who is an avid internet user has tried illegal downloading even for once in their net lives.

Same goes for the kapamilya teleseryes I’ve been wanting to have—however, I have the torrents but no seeders. I’ve been uploading to people and I can’t even increase my percentage of Sana Maulit Muli. Aw, it’s too terrible. Good thing, My Girl Pinoy Version has a sole seeder. I tried my best to “call out” to the seeders in iPmart, but no one responds. Last night, there has been one, but sadly it was ended only a few minutes after. My current level now is 1.5%. That is out of the 10 GB something total of the series. I’m so upset about it.

Oh well, here goes my online community. Till later. :D

Anime Song of the Month (January)

slow- Yamato Nadeshiko Shichihenge OP song- sung by Kiyoharu

Original / Romaji Lyrics
English Translation

Ah kimi wo omou yoru wa, amaku kaoru kaze no naka ni
nagusameru you na yasashisa ga boku wo toorisugiru yo

Ah, on the nights that I think of you, in a sweetly smelling breeze,
A comforting kindness will pass through me

kimi ga iru to kikoeteta
uta ni natta waraikoe
kazaru kotoba nande nanimo nai
jikan wa tomatte SUROU de nagareteru

I could hear when you were there,
Laughter that turned into a song,
There were no elaborate words,
Time stops, and is flowing slowly

ima no boku wa kodoku to iu jiyuu sakara hagurete shimatta ato

Now I have opposed and strayed from the freedom called loneliness

itai hodo shitteru yo
kaiwa ga togirete shimattara, kanashii tte

I know just how painful it is
If a conversation is interrupted, it's sad...

ima no bokura wa, kuukyo to iu jinsei kara degakete shimatta ato

Now we've departed from the life called emptiness

Ah kimi wo omou yoru wa, amaku kaoru kaze no naka ni
fureatta koro no omokage ga boku wo sukou you ni
Ah kimi ga utau no nara haruka todoke kaze wo matotte
nagusameru you na yasashisa ga boku wo toorisugiru yo

Ah, on the nights that I think of you, in a sweetly smelling breeze,
Traces of you from the time we touched save me
Ah, if you sing, it will be carried to me, wrapped in the distant wind
A comforting kindness will pass through me

hanareta tte heiki da ne

When we were apart it was okay, wasn't it?

omoide wa iroasenai

Our feelings won't fade

Ah, kimi wo omou yoru wa, amaku kaoru kaze no naka de
kieru riyuu mo nai omokage ga boku wo sukou you ni
Ah ashita ki ga tsuitara, imi wo ushinau kotoba wa atta?
tsuketashita you na ayamachi ga boku ni katarikakeru yo
Ah ano hi onaji yume ga ima wa tooi kaze no naka ni
dakedo kimi no mirai, shiawase ga zutto tsuzuku you ni
Ah kimi yo utaeru nara, wazuka todoite kage wo nutte
nagusameru you na yasashisa ga kokoro, toorisugiru yo

Itoshisa wo boku ni kizamitsukeru yo

Ah, on the nights that I think of you, in a sweetly smelling breeze,
There isn't a disappearing reason, traces of you save me,
Ah, if I come to myself tomorrow, have the words lost meaning?
If the mistakes that added up spoke to me,
Ah, our shared dreams from those days are now in the distant wind,
But your future and happiness will go on forever,
Ah, if you can sing to me, I'll go towards your image that reaches me just a little,
A comforting kindness will pass through my heart.

Translated and transliterated by Anyaaa

http://www.darknight-alchemist.deviantart.com

Simply Addictive

Songs of the Japanese people had invaded my mind since the beginning of my otaku career. Everyday, it's sure for a Japanese song to play continuously in my mind. That is what we termed as a "virus" when we were in 5th grade. Back then, the term "LSS" or "Last Song Syndrome" hasn't been coined yet. And also, back then, we rely on Tape recordings or Cassette Tapes to be exact for our song needs. We record the TV songs of the anime series we loved to watch.

The simplemindedness we had was trivial to how we loved the Japanese culture. Oftentimes, like how the fan my friend JM was for TTK to the point of having dreams with them also happened to me when we were 10 years old. I told Kog and Jeanne Frances every single Weiss Kreuz crossover with Escaflowne dreams I had, and those dreams occur in episodes. My imagination ran wild during those times. As I recall, there was this weird dream about the Weiss Kreuz guys being chased by Merle of Escaflowne, and they were... selling deodorants. I could only laugh at the plots of my dreams. To us, they must be real. And they must be happening.

Singing anime songs had been a daily ritual for us back then. Whether it be a solo, duet, or trio we would sing our hearts while remembering the episode yesterday, chatting on it even through the telephone. Anime endings or finales would make our hearts cry our and of course, literally we cried. Sentimentality among us ruled as we reminisce the episodes, or even as we talked of our dreams about them. They seemed real in our own paradise.

Indeed, anime has brought us all of the happiness we could remember with our strong and close ties with each other. And through the years, we still remember what kinds of addicts we were. During our high school we were separated upon my transfer to another school. But we never forget. Oftentimes, our topic would still be the same on our phone calls and YM sessions. We never forgot about them. If an anime character we loved celebrates his or her birthday, we greet each other with that. They are all special to us. Hence, simply addictive would be the term. Over and over, these things fill our hearts with little joys.

We love anime. :)

Geki! Teikoku Kageki-dan

Sakura Taisen would be my Year-Ender anime. It's really a fond memory of my first year in high school. We used to roleplay Sakura Taisen without the costumes of course. My friends and I adored the characters and so we thought of ourselves as the main characters of the anime for a while. Although it didn't last that long compared to our Slam Dunk and Hunter X Hunter addiction, it was fun. I could still remember who we are back then: I play Shinguuji Sakura, Kog plays Iris Chateubriand, Zoren is Tachibana Maria, and Ruth is Kanzaki Sumire.

I really haven't watched the entire series back then because of school. It was so busy during high school and I don't have a stable internet access, knowledge of downloads, and my own PC back then.

So now that I have the resources, I decided that I should download the OVAs as well. Even the movie of course. As the year ends, I will continue the Sakura Taisen marathon. :)

Ken Hidaka's Birthday

Hail to Ken Hidaka-- the precursor of my anime crushes, my first true love and forever will be my anime love. His brown eyes and hair had first attracted me when I was a 5th grader at Pasig Christian Academy.

From the moment I saw him on GMA 7, I knew it was love. I have fallen for an anime character madly for the first time, and thus I branded him as mine. Following that, the OKAY barkada came about-- Omi, Ken, Aya, Yohji-- but later on we decided to remove Yohji since he's not cute for us. The barkada became OKAV then-- Omi Tsukiyono of Weiss Kreuz, Ken Hidaka of Weiss Kreuz, Aya/Ran of Weiss Kreuz, Van Fanel of Escaflowne. Each letter corresponded to each member's "love" way back then.

Many anime crushes had followed Ken, but no one of them replaced him in the top spot. At some point, I almost rejected him. This was when the time Slam Dunk came to local Philippine Television. I fell for Rukawa Kaede's charm. He became the number one crush for 2 school years. Then Yoh Asakura came and replaced him. That was another 1 and a half year, because Uchiha Sasuke arrived. My world was shook. Sasuke-kun became the number one crush, and I therefore named him as the Ultimate Anime Crush. No other anime character removed him from the spot. Up to this point, 4 years standing, Sasuke-kun is still the anime crush.

I decided to keep Ken Hidaka, of course. He's so memorable. My addiction of him lasted for a good 2 years, but no one really replaced him as my one true love in anime.

Rave Master Mania: Anime of the Month 2

I guess I have just made Shakugan no Shana the anime of the month of December earlier this month. But now, I've downloaded Rave Master anime episodes 1-51 and it lingered my system. So I have to thank Evil-Empire and VN Manga for the Manga I downloaded from them. I had finished up to the 26th Volume, and since volume 27 is on its way to scanlation, I just decided that I will buy Volumes 27 to 35 as my gift to ME and to add up to my 2009 wishlist.

Rave's plot is not as simple as getting all the Holy Brings (Rave) and defeating evil. It has a wide range of themes. From friendship to romance, the story encompasses almost all the human emotions. It's a good read, and personally, I don't think it's a dull shonen anime. It's one of the best.

And so it's official. I'm getting the rest of Rave manga volumes that I haven't read. :)

Shabutaro

Shabutaro. That's the peculiar name I gave our new dog even though he has his own name written in his "papers". The name is something I picked up from Rave Master (Groove Adventure Rave)'s 4th anime episode. Haru named Plue "Shabutaro" before he met Shiba and after he "fished" Plue from the sea.

Like Plue, our Shabutaro doesn't speak. He is weird-looking, being a part of the Pug family (huh?) and he doesn't even bark! He's so annoying sometimes because he's too playful. My stamina doesn't work well when I'm with Shabutaro. I wonder if he also likes sweets and lollipops.

His original name is Lassy. For me, it's so girlish. Lass=girl. And to name a male dog like that is something weird. So then, I decided to keep on calling him Shabutaro. And now, he's used to it. When I yell out "Shabutaro!", he looks my way. I'm glad it worked.

Kimi Ga Iru: Who are the guys behind this wonderful J-rock song?!

I'm feeling restless. It's because up to now, I do not have any other information about the band Galla who sung Initial D Second Stage songs "Kimi ga Iru" and "Kiseki no Hana". The guys who sung that, aka the band itself Galla, has no link or whatsoever that I could find and grasp. Too bad, for when I watched the MV of "Kimi ga Iru" (in Initial D, the ending song), I found them cute (especially the lead singer). I resolved into getting mp3s, thanks to the ID collection several years ago... but still, I want to know about the band.

My resolve is that I'll ask some forums and the Yahoo! Answers. If answers will come out, I'm lucky. If not, I won't stop researching!

My inspiration in doing so is my recent ClubBox discovery of "Freedom!" mp3.

With hard work and enthusiasm, I could find out almost everything!

Haha. ^_^