Armageddon 2012 Part Two

Ok, so more Armageddon!! Well, so first off, I should just say that yes I did cosplay, but there are no photos, which isn't a bad thing. All I will say is that I got to put my nekomimi to good use...

So, obviously it was a lot of fun, I got to look at heaps of different displays to do with anime and manga and to lesser extent, sci-fi. So, i managed to get my hands on some manga for a decent price. I got the first two volumes of Sakura-hime, which I haven't had the chance to read yet, and the 1st volume of Sailor Moon (for old time sakes), Some miniature pokemon figurines, a Vampire Knight post (photo to be uploaded soon) and some other stuff. It sure makes a difference when I have money, usually I don't have money to spare to really get anything from these conventions, so it was nice.

There were a lot of fellow cosplayers, the best of which was a Jesus with a light saber, I will say that it was possibly the highlight of the day! Overall it was was a good day.

I have finished reading the 'Snow Drop' manhwa, so I will probably talk about that later. Anyways, that's about it for now, until next time :)

Armageddon 2012 Part 1

Ohmigod! I was lucky enough to be able to go to Armageddon today, which is a convention for anime and sci-fi plus other popular culture, and can I just say it was AMAZING!! Although I don't have much time right now, so unfortunately this is all I will say now, but I will try to talk about it in more detail in the next day (hopefully) but at the latest, Tuesday! So Watch this space

Anyways, that's about it for now, until next time :)

Battling the Cold

If I havent't said it before, then I will say it now, but Melbourne is just way too cold during winter. I had to venture outside today and I deeply regret it. I wish summer would come, just not January, because January means the Australian Open here, and it always gets strangely hot for those two weeks.

Anyway, as previously mentioned, I have been reading and have now finished Handsome Girlfriend. My only criticism is the ending, but I tend to find a lot of Yoshizumi Wataru's works to be quite rushed and open ended. I think an extra chapter or two showing whether or not the characters succeeded in their chosen professions would have been nice because the end just leaves you assuming everything works out for everyone. Anyway the story begins with Mio and Ichiya at the beginning of beginning their respective careers. The most simple way to put this is that the story chronicles the two main characters relationship with each other and the relationships and bonds they develop with those around them who also work within the entertainment industry, both in the spotlight and behind the scenes. What I did find confusing about the story is the timeline. I found it very confusing, because one minute they are 15, then next they are 17 and I am sitting there thinking, when did this happen? Anyway, it was a cute story none the less.

I have also read Sugar Princess by Nakajo Hisaya, which is "on hiatus" after two volumes. Firstly, the chapters are very short, only 20 pages long, which makes this a quick read, but because of this, I feel that the story lacks depth. Even though it is on hiatus, it doesn't mean it will ever be continued, which also is a problem because the end of the second volume is platformed for that story extension. Anyway, the story is about Maaya, a middle school girl who has never ice skated before. At the rink, where she skates for the first time, she catches the eye of a scout who encourages her to take it up as a sport. She agrees, meeting Shun, a high school student who is adament he will never skate pairs again. After the provisionary owner of the rink announces he plans to close down the rink, the condition is set that if Maaya and Shun are able to place at a local exhibition competition. They practice a routine that Shun did with his former pairs partner, his deceased sister Aya. By the time of the competition they are confident of placing in the competition, until the MD that contains their music for their routine goes missing. They quickly find a substitute MD and perform and place second in the competition, saiving the ice rink, until the provisionary owner claims that their lack of responsibility for losing the MD is unacceptable and that their deal is null and void. It is then that it is revealed the provisionary owner stole the MD to sabotage Maaya and Shun and then the real owner emerges saying he never intends to close the ice rink. The story is put on hiatus when it seems that Maaya and Shun will continue skating as a pair. Obviously you can see how this can be continued, as Maaya is still an amatuer and a bunch of professional skaters were introduced, clearly meant to becoming a major factor further along the story when Maaya and Shun become more elite in the ice skating world.

Anyway, that's about it for now, until next time :)

Lady GaGa 2012!!

So as previously mentioned, the other night I attended Lady Gaga's first of five Melbourne concerts. I have previously gone to her 2010 concert which I thoroughly enjoyed, and she definitely did not disappoint this time round either. As I predicted, the concert not only consisted of her singing and dancing but also a narrative about her little monsters slowly becoming the dominating species. The beginning was awesome, because I got to see a unicorn even though it wasn't real. My seats weren't the greatest (death by mosh wasn't an option, so i chose to buy seated tickets) but the show was still magnificent.

Anyway, since attending the concert, it as come to my attention that one song she performed was somewhat controversial. At the time, when Gaga was talking about the song, I thought it may have been a setup as some shows (mainly circus performances) use this ploy to gain audience attention. Thinking back, I guess I was slightly stupid seeing as Gaga already draws enough attention to herself as an artist as it is, so there is no need as to why she would need to use such ploys. Anyway, it has been in the news, her song 'Princess Die' which she said may or may not be on her next album, but the song is about death, mainly suicide. Anyways, I actually filmed the performance of the song, so I am one lucky duck that I was a part of the audience for something so unique and apparently controversial, so here it is:

Other than that, I have a few other videos from the concert, these are amateur videos shot on my phone, so they aren't the best of quality, but just a taste of what I experienced:

On another note, Usagi drop is taking a while for me to read, it's not that I haven't had time, it's just that it's once of those series that takes a while to read chapters. With any luck I should be done by tomorrow :)

Anyway that is about it for now, until next time :)

Loosing Sleep

Ok, so I am a bit angry at the moment, but I think it is within reason. I had to spend a whole day renovating a house for someone I don't even know for free. I don't understand why I had to get up at some early hour, travel to this random's house and help them renovate a home so they can live in it, I mean, if I was actually a tradie that was professional and got paid, I wouldn't have an issue, but why couldn't these people do it themselves, especially when it takes up my time and not theirs >_<

On another note, I get to go to Lady GaGa's first Melbourne show tonight, so I am just a bit excited! I went to her last Melbourne show in 2010 and that was amazing. It seems the concerts I go to have a high performance value. I also went to Katy Perry last year and both her and GaGa have shows that have them singing, but also the added narrative in the concert, so it is almost like you get two shows in one, so yeah, looking forward to it.

Moving on, due to my schedule of renovating randoms houses, I haven't had much time to read, but I have read Yumemiru Taiyou by Takano Ichigo. I could tell from the beginning I would like this story, because this is by the same mangaka as Orange! It is complete at around 10 volumes but scans are only done thus far up to chapter 33 (volume 8). The story is about the lead girl, Shimana, who decides she would like to leave home due to recent changes in her family. When she runs away, she runs into a strange man wearing a kimono who offers her a place to live ( a boarding house of sorts). After a few conditions are met, Shimana moves in. As the story progresses, Shimana starts to crush on Asahi (not the beer) only to have her heart broken. After a while, despite a pursuant Zen, she develops feelings for Taiga (weird man in the kimono) and confesses to him. Although Taiga accepts somewhat, he admits that 'he likes her, but doesn't like her in that way' but that he will try, also, we are introduced to Taiga's father, who is hell bent on some plan to bind Taiga to him by removing him from his current surroundings. Up to the scans, it is obvious that Taiga likes Shimana, but hasn't figured it out for himself, which is really cute! I know how it end because bxsweebly translated the back end of the series, although, from my plot summary, I think it is obvious how it would end. Personally, I adore this series, however it seems that others don't agree because they don't like the ending. It is a shoujo series, so don't expect a complicated plot with dark undertones, because if you are, I think you are reading the wrong genre.

Next on the list is Usagi Drop, It is complete at 9 volumes in Japanese and scans and is something for the older readers considering the plot.

Anyways, that's about it for now, until next time :)