#wonder if ive got any other visual novels laying around

[uncultureddoubloon]

I want to do Something, but nothing is appealing to or grabbing me right now

[stimyulus]

INTRO TO ANIME: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE

want to get into anime? well, you’ve come to the right place BUD. below, i have some personal recommendations for people who don’t know where to start/wondering where to go from x, y, or z

ESSENTIALS (these shows are classics/must-watches in order to be ‘initiated’ into anime. once u watch these, u can start branching off into ur personal taste more):

COWBOY BEBOP - a space odyssey. beautiful, tragic, and groovy as hell -inspired by jazz, specifically bebop (hence the name) as well as western culture, bebop is a perfect entry level anime for someone not fully used to anime tropes and whatnot. i would recommend the english dub for THIS anime and only a handful of others, mostly because of stephen blum’s amazing job at voicing spike. if you really dig this anime and want more like it, i would watch samurai champloo. it is bebop’s spiritual successor in some sense. both have a trio of misfits each on their own individual journey, and both are inspired by western culture and music. champloo has more of a hip-hop spin, which is pretty cool. 

AKIRA - this is a movie, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a classic. it actually inspired 2012′s chronicle. this movie is important in multiple aspects, one of them being the animation, which was insanely impressive given the time period it was made in. they also spent hella money making it, so ig thats the tradeoff. i dont rly wanna say much about the movie, just go watch it for yourself. (i watched the sub for this)

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD - this one is kind of an investment. clocking in at around 64 episodes, its pretty daunting, especially for someone just getting into anime. however, i promise you, it is most definitely worth its time. an expansive, yet intimate story, fma:b is the perfect blend of action/adventure and all the warm & fuzzy shit that makes u wanna listen to blonde while laying on ur bed. it also has significantly more “anime” tropes than the first two i’ve mentioned, but it’s not to the point where it is overpowering or annoying, which can be the case for some recent shows dropping these days. fma:b is set in a world where alchemy is the main form of science. it’s basically magic, though. the way the uncover the story is really interesting and the payoff is really great. this one is a keeper, and a great gateway drug to “real” anime.

also, i would just watch a handful of ghibli movies. princess mononoke, castle in the sky, kiki’s delivery service, spirited away, nausica valley of the wind, howl’s moving castle

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HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (this is the stuff you want to start watching once u finish the essentials. some of them might be a bit lower quality than the essentials, but MOST of them are AS good, or if not better than some of the essentials. the only reason i have them in here is because they usually are more enjoyable after getting ur feet kinda wet in the anime world first.)

JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE - i don’t even know where to start with jojo. just do yourself a favor and watch it. part 5 never.

MOB PSYCHO 100 - this one is fire too. made by the same artist as one punch man, this anime is short and sweet. art style is hella dope

GARDEN OF WORDS (KOTONOHA NO NIWA) - same studio who made kimi no na wa. the animation is suuuuuuuper fucking sexy. it’s classified as a “movie”, but its only like 40 something minutes long. its a pretty relaxing watch, although i will admit its more shine than substance, at least in terms of story. 

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION (AND THE END OF EVANGELION, MAKE SURE TO WATCH THE EOE RIGHT AFTER THE SHOW) - nge is another anime for the CULTURE. this show shaped many character archetypes still seen today, and is highly praised for its topics and dark, psychological tone, mostly seen in the second half of the show, which hits the fucking rails. ive also noticed this show is quite polarizing, but you’ll find more people in the love camp than cynical camp on this one. also, do not watch this unless ur depressed or want to be depressed, bc it will fuck u up 

BOKU NO HERO ACADEMIA (MY HERO ACADEMY) - this is a rather recent show (actually, probably the most recent one on this list), and despite the large amount of garbage being put out these days, this one is something really special. think anime sky high. or anime harry potter for kids w superpowers. that’s pretty much all you need to know. there’s two seasons and they are currently making a 3rd one i believe. this anime gets me hella fucking hyped, so if u like fights, check this one out. fighting isnt a main aspect of the show, but when they do it, they fucking execute it really well.

PARASYTE - i havent seen this one in a while, but i remember really enjoying it. its about these parasites than land on earth, one of which infects the main character, who manages to isolate it to his right hand. he then goes on a bloody rampage.  its also kinda creepy but the payoff is pretty decent iirc

THE TATAMI GALAXY - i watched this one a couple months ago. its 11 episodes long, but it packs in a lot of content, mainly due to the supersonic dialogue. seriously, you’ll need to get used to how fast everyone talks. once u do though, it’s decently manageable. tatami galaxy is about a 3rd yr college student who wonders what his life would’ve been like if he joined x y or z club during freshman year. its a great coming of age story, and also really fucking quirky. the art style is unique and really dope. soundtrack is fire too. 

STEINS;GATE - this is a TIME TRAVEL ANIME. and its a giant mindfuck. iirc, it was based off of a visual novel. the main character is hit or miss in terms of tolerability. main girl is a super queen. some people i’ve talked to dropped this show before getting to the second half, which is kinda understandable, but i promise you, keep sticking with this anime. once shit hits the fan, its really hard to put this one down.

YOUR LIE IN APRIL (SHIGATSU WA KIMI NO USO) - your lie in april i watched pretty early on in my “anime career”. its inspirational and heartbreaking. watch if it u want something different from action/adventure. obviously, the music in this show is really on point. i dont know much about classical, but they were playing some slaps

HAIKYUU - SPORTS!!!!! haikyuu is about a high school volleyball team trying to get to nationals. seems like a simple story, but the games get hella fucking hype and all the characters are super likeable in their own way. watch this one if u want some mega bromance vibes

well, that’s all i have to offer. i hope you got at least a decent idea of where you want to start. if you have any other questions/recommendation requests, pls feel free to msg me

[create-ninety]

Wednesday 20th February, ’19. 10am.

There’s nothing quite like going to a gig at a small venue in a trendy part of town to make you feel like a geriatric.

While I was getting ready for the event, I was wondering if I was going too casual – I was wearing a plain t-shirt with black jeans and an oversized floral blazer. Turns out I should have gone in what I normally wear as pyjamas! There were kids (I say kids, because while there were definitely a few ‘older’ people in the crowd, the majority looked like they were born this side of the century) wearing what I can only describe as their dorky mum’s clothes from the seventies. It was bizarre. Lucie and I stood to the side in a somewhat demure fashion by comparison, me sipping on non-alcoholic beer, and Lucie overheating from a temperature brought on by a nasty cold.

We both agreed that, if we were born when they were, it’s this kind of crowd we probably would have found ourselves in. Perhaps it’s because they were wearing exactly what we were wearing, once upon a time. I can imagine this isn’t a unique experience for people who find themselves looking over their shoulder at the next generation and wonder what the hell is going on.

The show itself was great – the band were amazing. I’ve seen them three times now and each time they’ve got better. The audience loved the performance and it was actually quite inspiring to see people passionate about their art in action. And it was obviously the kind of crowd that didn’t bat an eyelid that I was draped over completely over Lucie, which is always a plus.

When we got home, we lay awake talking about it the performers. I wondered what the process is that gets a person to the point where they feel confident enough to get on stage and perform in front of others. Essentially saying, “I am confident enough that my work is good enough to not only subject you to, but I am compelling enough to perform it in front of others.”

That’s a pretty brave thing, for anyone to do. To be inviting open criticism and to stand up and project vulnerability. I do, genuinely, marvel at musicians and stage actors who have to suspend what can only be described as ‘normal reality’ to sing, move about, and create a large amount of sound – something that in any other situation would be wildly inappropriate and strange. And yet there we all were, gathered around a stage, making noise for individuals who were inhabiting that space of vulnerability. I’ve decided that, for me, it’s actually less about hearing the music of the artists when I see the live show, and more about watching and observing the emotions that they’re going through, as they do it. And you can see it on their faces. The nerves, the little shakes, the awkward chatter between songs when the polished performance of practiced routine is paused.

Lucie pointed out to me that writing a novel isn’t so different to that.

In some ways, perhaps not, but by and large I think there are some key differences.

I think that if you’re a creative person by nature, then creativity has the opportunity to express itself in several key ways: as an actor, a musician, a visual artist, or a writer. Each of those could be called spheres with smaller subsets breaking off (stage actors vs film actors, painters vs photographers, poets vs fiction writers, and so on). I suppose it just depends what vehicle you ultimately are drawn to and prefer as your mode of expression. Because ultimately, the point of anything creative is fundamentally the same: it’s just that, expression. You are expressing something emotive, experiential, a message, something others might relate to. And each of those spheres give you the option to do it, but with completely different methods of execution.

When I was growing up I played with all of the different spheres and I can see them all, now, as different sizes and at varying distances from me. At certain points in my life I’ve actually valued them and explored them in different orders. Some have increased in resolution and texture while others have stayed smaller and smoother.

The smallest of my creative spheres, the one most under-developed and child-like, is visual art. I’m not bad at basic sketching or copying something. And I can stare at a piece of art and try and pull out its meaning. But when I was young, the pleasure I’d get from mixing paint or translating an emotion onto a canvas or something else just wasn’t very high for me. So I didn’t spend time doing it. There were moments where I’d develop a surge in interest (this still happens) – I’d go and buy watercolours and start painting for fun, or I’d be obsessed with sketching raccoons or something. But it’s always fleeting, and ultimately, not really something that I have been able to use as the best means of my expression.

I found a lot of joy in stage acting and performing when I was young, right up to my teenage years. I would include public speaking in this. I found it exciting. I liked playing characters with interesting stories, and I liked to turn different emotions on and off to create scenes with others. I liked finding mirrors of myself in characters, and ‘becoming them’, for a short time, was a small reprieve from myself. But sometimes it was hard to occupy the emotions of a character when my own were trying to take centre stage, so to speak. In my last year of high school when I was arguably involved in the most theatre I’d ever done – I was the lead role in my drama class’ final show, I was in a speech finals competition, I was sitting a speech and drama exam that had multiple theatrical components, I was in our school production, and in an improv team – I was stressed as hell. I realised, ultimately, I didn’t like standing up in front of others to be scrutinised as a version of myself that wasn’t me. I didn’t like that there was a ‘right way’ to act, and a ‘wrong way’. Because, well, there’s a director telling you what to do and how to do it. And so when I left school, I stopped any form of acting. I thought about joining a theatre company but I didn’t. I almost studied Theatre at uni, but I didn’t. It just wasn’t the creative vehicle for expression for me and I dropped it all together. I think, as a result, that acting is now my least valued and explored sphere.

Music, on the other hand, was something I discovered in my late teens. I’d tried piano earlier but didn’t like it, because I was taught classical, which to me was basically mathematics with your fingers. I wasn’t good at translating the written music to something that requires you to be so profoundly dextrous. Years later I would discover tab, and learn the general principles of music accidentally. I realised that chords are the foundation of all music, and that chords translate across all string and wind instruments, including the piano. Once I understood that, and once I was able to master basic dexterity and rhythm, music became the most wonderful tool of expression. I was able to write lyrics, write melodies, and then later on, piece them all together to make a song on my computer. I must have made hundreds. I did struggle to ‘finish’ one, though, and my desire to perform them never became overwhelming enough to take it to the next level. For me, it really was just means to express something. I liked the personal nature of it. I liked the different emotions that could be conveyed through the different sounds and instruments. Sharing the songs with anyone was always a profoundly terrifying experience: the music was an extension of myself, as if I had translated my own identity and ‘suffering’ into sound – and for others to hear it, and to judge it, would be for them to judge me.  And so the music sphere for me has grown large, but it has stayed at the same size for some years now. I pick up the guitar when I’m feeling emotional. Or when I want to put music to a poem. And when I see musicians perform, I see love for the vehicle. I often dream about writing an album to compliment a film. I suppose that now, there is actually the option to actually produce music without having to perform at all – you can do it all digitally. But I don’t think that I love it enough to put it out there. There is so much music available. I don’t think that what I create would be contributing to anything other than my own creative expression. And so, it’s for that reason, while it’s fun to dream, I think – unless I suddenly have unlimited free time and money – that it’s something I’ll never take further than just tinkering around when I fancy.

Writing, for me, is the perfect mode of expression. It’s a completely internal process. With music there is this external component, which I think is ultimately what turns me off about it, but with writing, it can be done completely behind a veil. When it is released into the world, it’s consumed by a reader internally. You are not the work. The work is as separate from you as possible (perhaps in many ways like visual art). This is what appeals to me so deeply. That I get to have a personal, raw, emotive and transformative experience writing something and exploring it in a depth that has so many layers of meaning. And when someone reads it, the work becomes a personal experience for them. You are just a a vehicle for the expression. My physical form, my personal likes and dislikes and expressions, are not relevant to the ideas being put out into the world. And I love this. Writing also carries with it the highest possibility for profound connection: books take a long time to be read, and upon each separate reading, new meaning can be found and uncovered. The same can be said for all the spheres, absolutely – I’ve certainly spent hours listening to the same song and attached various meanings to it, and felt connections to musicians I’ve never met  – but there is something unique about a narrative with a character who goes on a journey. I would argue that in a book you can still experience all five senses, but in an abstract way.

I don’t like the thought of who I am as a person getting in the way of the message. I want to place the art and the ideas at the centre of the experience. When you involve yourself – in a way that musicians and actors have to do – then you become consumable. And that is a scary concept for me. One could argue that the person performing is actually, themselves, part of the art - I would imagine this to be true - but I think this is what differentiates the spheres.

And, more than anything, writing is as automatic and as essential to me as breathing. Or eating. It’s just something that’s part of my day and necessary for normal functioning. For people who master the other spheres, you can see that they have this feeling about their own medium. I saw it on the faces of the performers last night. They live and breathe music. Their instruments are extensions of their identities that they have to exorcise. When I scroll through the Instagram profiles of visual artists, their dedication to the craft is demonstrated through the picture after picture after picture of their creations.

And, finally, I am now – perhaps like the musicians – confident enough to think that my work is good enough. I also think it’s now good enough for others. So yes, maybe I am more like the musicians than I think.