Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun: The First New Anime I've Liked in a Long Time

I finished watching all thirteen episodes of Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun today and enjoyed it immensely. Yes! Finally, I found a new anime that I really liked! (I was afraid I had outgrown anime for a bit there.)

What did I like about it? Well, aside from the fact that it's a romantic comedy, slice of life type of anime which I am a sucker for...

1. The unpredictable and humorous way the plot develops. It's actually borderline crazy at times, but really fun!
2. The characters' personalities. They break the norm. They don't always act the way you'd expect. They're honest and straightforward, and they seem to have this kind of wacky wisdom, if that makes any sense. 
3. The way the characters' relationships develop. How do I describe it?... Comedy and light drama are perfectly combined. The story doesn't feel heavy or contrived.
4. The art style. I'd like to learn how to draw anime characters that look like Haru Yoshida and Kenji Yamaguchi. Come to think of it, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun reminds me of Durarara - I loved the way the characters were drawn in it as well.
5. The story's fast pace. I don't remember getting bored or impatient for development at any point.
6. It's a relatively new anime. It was originally broadcasted from October to December 2012.

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun (The Monster Next To Me)

I'm definitely going to read the manga since the anime covered only about half of what had been published in the manga at that time. I should take note of the mangaka's name and look for other titles from him/her as well.

Ah... I'm so relieved. There's still anime and manga out there for me. (^_^)

Have I Outgrown Anime?

Sigh... Lately I haven't been interested in any new anime. I'm looking for anime with substance, where the characters have depth and relationships are developed. (By relationships, I mean how characters connect to one another, be it in a romantic or non-romantic level.) I just can't get interested in anime where the fight scenes drag on and on anymore. I stopped watching them when I found myself fast-forwarding through the long fight scenes in Bleach and becoming impatient as to when the storyline will finally progress. Have I outgrown anime, I wonder?

But no. I will continue to search for anime like Nana, Rurouni Kenshin, Paradise Kiss, Nodame Cantabile, Beck, Kimi ni Todoke, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Code Geass, Death Note, and Ouran High School Host Club. I will continue to look for anime with psychological and mental battles, not just purely physical ones. They must be out there somewhere.

Ichi Rittoru no Namida (1 Liter of Tears)

I don't really like sob stories and tear jerkers that much, and yet this Japanese drama had me hooked through all 11 episodes. In the end I ended up crying a lot more than one liter of tears, and yet I felt good after watching the entire series.

Wish the relationship between Haruto and Aya had been developed a bit further though. I'm a sucker for romance. Hehe.

Awesome Grell Sutcliff Cosplay

Grell Sutcliff

Found this really awesome cosplay of Kuroshitsuji's Grell Sutcliff. So awesome he even got Sebastian Michaelis fangirling over him! Haha! :D





It's like Grell in the flesh, isn't it? :D

Hottest Anime Guys Photo Gallery Update

Ah, gomen! I haven't been working on the Top 50 Hottest Anime Guys Photo Gallery I promised. Hontou ni gomen!

Real life has gotten all of my time and energy lately, but I'm sure things will turn out fine. Now if I can just muster up a bit more energy to finish that photo gallery...