Rising from the Ashes

Hero - Super Cell

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Never Ending Dreams that Will Soon be a Reality

For the past week, there has been a dream that i kept on having every night. Well i wouldn't call it a dream "per se". More like my overly active imagination at work almost every night. It was a scene that i'm doing in my story and believe it or not it took me a week to finally perfect it. Been running my software program in my head to get the best desirable ending for it though and it pushed my brain to the limit of exhaustion.

I can't count the number of times I changed the story in my head and thinking back now, it got better as the days went on. Still, it was something that was too much of a hassle and i was worried for a sec that it might affect the way i do things. But I'm glad that everything is finished and i can move on to the next chapter of my life.

Now back to Anime Reviews =)



When i first started to watch certain anime series (which was a few years ago) I preferred to watch fantasy type animes or just any anime that has a cute story (and drawings if i can find one). To name a few, i was quite interested in the story of Kamichama Karin and the anime that came after it which was Shugo Chara.

Well I'll start with Kamichama Karin First

Karin Hanazono (Her full name also means "The Flower Bell of the Flower Garden")is a girl that is able to transform to a Goddess through the power of a ring. So what kind of girl is she? your typical main heroine...clumsy, stupid at times, has bad grades at school and most of all...has a "transformation sequence" <---hahaha

Her Life only got more complicated when she was able to transform as a goddess and Kazune Kujyou took her in. If Karin is your typical Heroine, then this guy is the typical lead actor. Good Looking, Good Grades, Good Manners and has a very perverted side when exposed to "alcohol". There were a few interesting facts about the story which meant that the past and future were constantly engaged with each other. Yeah and surprisingly enough, they even got married some time in the future.

Another interesting fact is that the girl that is living with them Himeka Kujyou was in some case their "daughter". Well it is best to watch the anime or read the manga to get what i mean because you won't get any spoilers from me. Karin's relationship with Kazune slowly developed as they spend more time with each other and the story behind it is pretty cute. They often fight at times but still get along well in the end.

Their arch enemy the Karasuma's are also out to get the power of the rings and they are pretty nice for some bad guys, if i do say so myself.

As the good and bad gods and goddesses battle it out for the power of the rings, the story slowly unfolds and more secrets are revealed as time went on. This is one of the anime that i really enjoyed a few years ago and i highly recommend it to people that likes to watch something worth watching. That being said, If you're looking for something light and fun to watch then Kamichama Karin will be just right for you.


I think at some point (If you like to watch anime) you might have encountered the anime title Shugo Chara.



Each Child has an egg in their heart and these eggs can hatch and become "Guardian Characters". These characters will help you become the thing that you wanted to become the most. For example a doctor, a singer and even an actor.

This is the story about a girl named Amu Hinamori who has a very interesting personality. She is referred to as "Cool and Spicy" in her school and is very popular among the students. But there is more to Amu than meets the eye. In truth, she only wants to make friends but she doesn't know how to do it. This led to to creation of an outer shell which is her "cool and spicy" self.

She wished to be more honest with herself and when she woke up the next morning she found three eggs lying beside her (The shells are the symbol of Hearts, Spade and Clover). These eggs contain the peppy Guardian Character "Ran" the Artistic and Cool "Miki" and the Charming and very Good with anything to do with household basics "Su" (In the later part of the story, she will have a fourth egg which will be called "Dia")

With the help of her Guardian Characters she is able to be more lively, more artistic and more homely (which is the dream of almost every teenage girl). She later meets the mysterious character Ikuto Tsukiyomi who are after her "eggs" at first and later becomes one of Amu's well....Amu's you know *wink wink*.

Of course, their are other characters which also wields the power of the guardian characters and they took Amu to be part of their team. The King "Tadase Hotori" The Queen "Nadeshiko Fujisaki" The Jack "Kukai Soma" and the Baby xD! "Yaya Yuiki". Amu is also referred in the story as the "Joker" because of having acquired three guardian eggs in her posession.

She later found out that their is an egg called the embryo that is able to make any wish come true. That is also the egg on which the evil organization is after and they are doing everything in their power to get it. For those that like to watch long series then this one will fit that description perfectly. Shugo Chara has three seasons and you will enjoy all of them.

As for me...still struggling with my Self Study Japanese Lessons and doing my best not to forget about the things i've learned so far. Hope you guys have a great week and till next time...


Keep the Flames Burning!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

So Near Yet so Far



Valentines come and go and the same can be said for the other days of the year. We have birthdays, anniversaries, monthsaries and other type of events that happens once a year. The thing is, i just realized that it was valentines day already after eating a chocolate that my sister gave me. Well actually, that chocolate was from a "boy--->friend" of hers from school (Nothing special really, the guy just gave her chocolate for 2 consecutive years during valentines day). Yesh~ Being the good brother that i am, i took the liberty of eating it for her. No, i only ate half of it...it's bitter :P

Anyways, as i was saying. I think i'll try to widen my horizon this year, like i promised i would and look at things that i've never seen before. That also involves going into a relationship "if given the chance" and continue with my three year plan to success.

Going steady with my japanese memorization plan and i'm starting to be more familiar with the characters. Sentence construction is still so~so and i'm still a long way from getting to the level that i want to achieve. More or less it will take me at least 2-4 months more to perfect it and the sooner the better.

I looked at my tummy today and i noticed that it became a lil smaller. O_o I'm going to buy a tape measure by tomorrow just to be sure and it just means that my exercises during the weeee hours of the night, has finally paid off.

I can't help but think that doing something that you really want to do and aiming for something that is beyond your reach, can be stressful and motivational at the same time. I don't know exactly how to put it into words, but meh~ i guess it can't be helped.

Still reading a lot of manga's at the moment because of lack of anime to watch. I'll try to find something good to recommend to you guys soon, but for now i have to take my leave and hit the japanese book once again.

Till then~

Keep the Flames Burning!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

If the World was Divided into Three...then it would had been Heaven, Hell and Me



I managed to do most of my goals at the start of the year and I am happy with what I have done so far. Been pretty busy with my online job and that is good because everyone needs $_$ On the Lighter side of things, i manage to memorize Hiragana and Katakana *Congratulates Myself*. The thing is, i still need to use it for sentence construction and that is where the hard part goes in.

Self studying may have its merits but it still lacks what they call "Guidance" so to speak. I've been learning Japanese with my own style and so far it has been good. But then again, it is best to have someone that actually knows how to "speak the language" for a more positive approach. I bought a Japanese English dictionary during the weekends and it is the type of dictionary that also have Japanese characters in it. I don't want to tackle Kanji right now because even if i did, it will take me longer than constructing sentences in Japanese.

I think it will take a while because, i still don't know the meaning behind the words even if i manage to read them (reading them in very slow mode @__@ still messing up some of the characters especially the "J" "D" "B" "P" "Z" .

Looks like i still need to take classes for proper speech and that will be....somewhere around...May-July. Hopefully, i will be able to find an easier way to learn the language and I really want to get things rolling so to speak.

No "FINISHED" Anime's had caught my attention so far and i am currently watching the recent anime titles like Star Driver Kagayaki (Galactic Pretty Boy? xD!) , Dragon Crisis (Sweet lil romance), Kore Wa Zombie Desuka (Zombie Mahou Soujo rocks!), Level E (NO effort is to great in seeing others suffer), Gosick (Shinku!! *slap* That is not Rosenmaiden!) and of course To Aru No Majutsu Index (Gotta see that bite every once in a while).

Although Manga reading is still an alternative, i wish that i can find other anime's to watch every now and then. The story that I'm making is now put on hold until i learn the basics of sentence construction in Japanese. Still, the Editing and Remodeling of the Story is still going on "In My Brain" and i had been constantly making a lot of changes here and there. I am now currently at Chapter 20 with 230 pages. Not bad if i do say so myself xD! For now, I'll leave you guys to your workings and hope that everyone of you will have a great week ahead of you.

Till then,

Keep the FLames Burning!

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Did I Pass? Yes my Lord!!

This week has been a good one and I'm glad that my sister's "Final defense" on her Major subject is finally over. She was so happy that she will be able to graduate after 2 months time and I'm happy for her. Seeing her all stressed out and not getting enough sleep because of the things she need to finish, sometimes reminds me of what i used to be a few years ago.

Still, life doesn't end after graduation and it is just the start of entering the so called "Real World". Welcome to the society my little sister =)
For now she is sleeping happily and that is fine with me.



Now back to my Anime Reviews.
Umi Monogatari (Sea Side Story) proved to be a good example of a simple, yet very touching story. A story about the people of the sea and the sky people (people of the land/surface). As i had first said in my previous post, it all started when a ring fell into the ocean and two mermaids found it. These two mermaids are Marin and Urin. They find the ring very pretty and tried their best to find the owner of the ring, which means they have to go to the surface in search for her.

It seems that the owner of the ring is a person that constantly emits an evil aura. Her name was Miyamori, Kanon. The two were glad that they were able to find the owner of the ring and guess what happened after they returned it? Yeah...the evil girl threw it once again.

Again, these two kind hearted mermaids looked for the ring. Feeling a little guilty of what she did, Kanon decided to see if the two girls that she met are still looking for her ring. Urin, the younger mermaid found the ring under what seems to be a sarcophagus/coffin. She did everything to recover it (kicking, pushing) and broke the seal by accident. The Coffin holds an evil being that is called "Sedna". She was released from the Prison and this is where everything started.

Fate being the fickle lady that she was, brought together the two priestess from the Sea and Land. Yes, they are Marin (Sea Priestess) and Kanon (Sky Priestess).

I really liked the opening and ending song of this anime and I sometimes play it nonstop, whenever i work or is writing my story.If you're looking for something "light" to watch then Umi Monogatari will fit the picture perfectly.

The next Anime that i am going to feature today is the Black Butler anime AKA. Kuroshitsuji.



In Victorian-era Europe, a young boy called Ciel Phantomhive contracted a Demon named Michaelis, Sebastian. The reason? to exact revenge on those that took away everything from him.

For Years, the Phantomhive family has served the Queen in taking care of "cases" that requires "special attention". They are the watchdog of the kingdom and holds a very high rank even among nobles. Their family was destroyed and their mansion was burned down by a fire. Ciel after contracting the Demon Sebastian, restored the Phantomhive estate to its rightful state and dealt with the cases the Queen has issued to him.

Of course, Sebastian (the butler) doesn't serve Ciel because he wants to. In return for his "Topnotch service" he is going to eat Ciel's soul after he carried out his revenge. Sebastian is no ordinary butler, he is one Hell of a Butler and can perform almost everything. From cooking, fighting, stitching and all around housework he always do it in style.

One thing led to another and Ciel's past is revealed to him. He was able to carry out his vengeance in the end and was taken by Sebastian to be eaten. Unfortunately for our butler, it seems that something happened to Ciel's soul and he wasn't able to eat it. That story is for season 2 of Kuroshitsuji and you won't get any spoilers from me =P

I'm a little stuck on the story that i am writing at the moment and it seems that i am having a hard time in making my scenarios connect. I've been running different simulations using my imagination and still i wasn't able to get a satisfactory result. I hope that i'll be able to cross this hurdle in a day or two and be able to continue with my story.

My self learning japanese lessons is doing well and i think i almost finished memorizing "Hiragana". Still a long, long, long, way to go but I'm getting there. I just don't want to slap myself over and over for not getting the symbols right from time to time.

Still, it had been a great week. I hope that the following week will be sunny and bright and may all your "Christmases" be white. Lol, just kidding.

Till next time,

Keep the Flames Burning!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Have a Taste of Someone Else's Imagination =)

Have you ever tried reading a book? Do stories interest you? What kind of stories do you like? If you don't like stories, then what kind of things interest you? Whenever you open a page, What goes in your mind? Do you understand the meaning behind those words that you're reading? Does it tell you something about the author/writer that wrote it?

I like to read, i like to delve into someone else's imagination and picture the words they have written. Sometimes, those stories leave me hurt, angered, happy, sad and lonely but that just shows how good the story is. That is also the reason why a certain anime greatly took my interest.



The title of this anime is Bungaku Shoujo (Literature Girl. It is a story about a girl that loves stories so much that she can't help but eat them. Yes, a girl that lives on eating pages of books. I don't really know how she can survive with just pages alone, but that is what makes this story interesting.

Touko Amano is a girl that likes to snack on stories. When i meant snack, she literally eats them. Her father told her that she shouldn't eat pages of books in front of other people. He added that she should only do it in front of the person that she likes the most. Well i guess her dad has a point, if someone see's you eating a page wouldn't that make you a weird person?

Well moving on, she went to her friend's work place (I think her friend is an Editor)and found a story in the "Rejected Pile" of stories. That story made an impact on her and she insisted that it was given another chance. Surprisingly, the story made its debut and she was very happy about it. The title of the story is called Sora ni Niteiru "Similar to the Sky" and it was very popular.

Touko's acting brother Ryuuto Sakurai told her that she might have found her "writer". Although not knowing whether the author is a boy or a girl, she tried her best to know the name of the author. Her friend the Editor wasn't able to give her all the details but told her the pen name that the author use and it is "Miu Inoue".

She later found out that Miu Inoue won't be writing any more stories and she was shocked. Surprisingly, The Wheels of Fate started moving and the two of them met.

Konoha Inoue was the name of the author of the book and he was a boy. He was Touko's underclassman and he stopped writing due to a very personal reason. To know this reason, you should watch the Bungaku Shoujo Memoire(Composed of 3 Ova's presenting the Girls around Konoha Inoue.

Touko then invited him to join the literature club, on which she is the only member. Everyday after class, he writes story for her and she snacks on them.

After you finished watching the Ova's please watch the "Bungaku Shoujo Movie". It is the final installment on the Bungaku Shoujo series.



I really enjoyed watching this anime because it was simple and yet it was filling.
Some people may like it, some may not. Still, i highly recommend this to anyone that appreciates something good to watch. I hope that you'll enjoy watching it, just as much as I did.

I am now currently watching Umi Monogatari ~Anata ga Ite Kureta Koto~ or "Sea Story: That You Were There For Me" and i think i will enjoy this show.



This is a story about Mermaids? Yes, but they're not the typical "tailed mermaids" that you're so used in watching. The story started with a ring falling under the sea and two mermaids found it. They then decided to return the ring to the surface and that is the start of something "un-expected".

I still don't know the full details of the story and i can't tell if it's good or bad at the moment. But, I think this story is great and I'll be posting my review of it by next week as well.




I'm still more On Manga's at the moment and I'm happy because i found the third sequel to the Manga i am currently reading. It has a different title and i only came to it by sheer chance. My story is also progressing well and I am very satisfied on how things turned out. Still having problems with character names and the likes, but I'm sure everything will be alright.

Till then, Keep the Flames Burning!

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Unexpected and Seemingly Sudden Changes

The past few days had been good and i am proud to say that I've been able to stick to my exercise routine and lowered my "Carbo" intake. It wasn't that easy but I'm starting to feel the effects of my hard work ^_^

Now to start this week's blog, i would like to point out the confusion that happened a few days ago, about the change in Zodiac signs. Many people had been "Depressed" or affected by the sudden change in their beliefs and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the new Signs had shaken them.



Think about it, you were a Gemini you're whole life then you suddenly turned into a Taurus. An Aries that became a Pisces, the look on my Mom's and sister's faces when they saw their beloved signs changed was a little funny. Of course, they do not really believe in Zodiacs and Horoscopes and the likes. The change in signs just gave them mixed emotions and uncertainty on the things that they didn't care about until a few days ago.

>__> so why do i look un-affected? It's simple...I'm still a Leo so I'm un-affected (FUWAHAHAHAAHAHAHHA <--- Ebil Laugh).

Well anyways, since I'm exempted from all the Chaos that is caused by the change of zodiacs, I plan to continue the things that i plan to do without any worries (^O^)V

Putting that aside, i know that a lot of people are still having doubts whether they should continue believing their old zodiac signs or embrace the new ones that was presented until recently. Astronomers and Astrologers confirmed that this was "Old News". Even so, the sheer impact of this change has been phenomenal. What would you think would happen if "ET's /Extra terrestrials" went to a broadcasting network and proclaimed that they are going to build a resort here in our planet?

I can't imagine the faces that people would make and the chaos that will follow it will be catastrophic. People panic because of a lot of things and when things go out of control "They Snap!".

Personally, i still think that you should believe on what you think is right. It doesn't matter if your Zodiac changed, Just continue to be who you are and that is more than enough.

Ok back to Anime Reviews!

I've been watching the New Anime's that has started this January and it's still to early to comment whether they are good or not. I've been disappointed with some of the new releases and surprised by the others. It's a shame but i can't comment about something that is not yet finished and it's still to early to judge because "Anime's" are not a book.

So what have i been doing lately?
Reading a lot of Manga's.
Yes! I went back to reading different type of Manga's to boost my imagination. The story that i am currently writing now is going at a good pace and i think i will be able to finish it in 2-3 more months (crosses fingers). I think i will be able to finish at least 50-80 chapters before the story is finished. Oh well, as long as it's finished then that's fine with me.

I didn't like reading short stories before, but now i enjoyed reading them. I especially like those stories that made my heart "skip a beat". It's refreshing, it feels good and it's really help relax your mind after a hard day of.....doing whatever you're doing =P

What was i looking for? I am trying to capture and visualize the concept of "Cute girls do cute things in cute ways".
Well anyways, no Anime Reviews for this week but i hope you guys enjoyed reading my post.

Till next time...

Keep the Flames Burning!!

Friday, January 7, 2011

Losing Sight of Your Goal

The New Year has passed and now it's 2011 the year of the Golden Rabbit.

(I copy pasted the information about the Year of the Rabbit from another site. Just to give you a taste of the Chinese culture and see the prediction for this year).

According to Chinese tradition, the Rabbit brings a year in which you can catch your breath and calm your nerves. It is a time for negotiation. Don't try to force issues, because if you do you will ultimately fail. To gain the greatest benefits from this time, focus on home, family, security, diplomacy, and your relationships with women and children. Make it a goal to create a safe, peaceful lifestyle, so you will be able to calmly deal with any problem that may arise.

(end of copy paste)

This year is the start of my Three year plan to change myself and "accomplish" something worth doing. Of course, it's not easy to control my food urges and exercising everyday can be a pain. However, i find it important to train my state of mind because their are times when i feel like if i don't do this, i will start to waver and lose sight of what I'm striving to achieve.

Honestly, it is really hard to acquire a new skill. But, it's not impossible. I've been thinking a lot lately and i decided to tackle things one step at a time. Just like practicing on how to type using the keyboard. A few years ago, i would just use my fingers to push the button whenever i type. In short, I still don't recognize the position of the keys in the keyboard.

I think it took me 2 or 3 months to memorize the keys and be able to type at an average pace.I don't have that much free time to practice typing when i was younger, because i prefer to play games. Still, i managed to acquire the skill that is important in my line of work as of now. When you put it that way, it means that humans can do anything that they want to do, as long as they are "serious" in doing it.

Learning another language is hard work, but like i said it is not impossible. I think I understand that you can't "expect" to learn a language in just a short amount of time, if you're not serious about it. Dedication, Determination, Motivation, Passion, Belief and Perseverance, words that have different meanings but can be used to achieve the same ending.

I expected that things will be hard, but it was a lot harder than i expected. Still, i hope and pray that I will be able to accomplish the things that i started.

Ok! back to the Anime Reviews =)

There were 2 shows that I was looking forward to watch before and after the year was over. The first was the Angel Beats Ova "Stairway to Heaven" and Gundam 00 "The Awakening of TrailBlazer" (the Movie).

Ok, this is my personal opinion and I have the "right" to say what i want to say (especially because this is my blog).



When i watched Angel Beats "Stairway to Heaven" i was GREATLY disappointed. Why? I had high expectations for the Ova and to me it was a complete Rip-off. I'm not saying that it was a bad Ova, it just didn't fit the story that i have in mind. The other reason is probably because of my "interest" for Angel Beats. This show is one of my favorites and that is what made the dissapointment even greater. Sure, i missed seeing the usual characters and their crazyness. But still, a dissapointment is still a dissapointment.

Now Gundam 00 TrailBlazer was something unexpected. I think this is the first time in the History of the Gundam Generation, on which the existence of Aliens (ELS to be exact) are introduced in the story. I mean, yeah humans get to live in space and such and it is not impossible to encounter other life forms. The thing that really took my interest is how humans can work together for a common goal.




Think about it, All of humanity's greatest warriors going to battle to protect the Planet? Even for the Gundam Series this is something very unexpected. It was such a nice show and you can feel the tension for the battle of survival.

It was very refreshing and i enjoyed every bit of it. The ending was a little..."unexpected" as well. It was an "open ending" and i was like...Thats it? lol! Anyway, I still liked on how the show turned out and for a Gundam Fan like me, it was worth watching.


The New Anime's lined up for January is coming up one by one and i managed to watch the first episodes of the shows that i am looking forward to see. The first episodes of Gosick, Yumekui Merry was quite entertaining and i am looking forward in the weekly updates that is about to come. The anime series of Belzebub, Fractale, Dragon Crisis and the rest on my anime list will be released within the end of the week as well.

Till then, i bid you a great week everyone.

Keep the Flames Burning!