Anime

Blogger Aesthetic Award

/ aceshadowdragon / 5 Comments

Hey there! I was nominated by Emily @ Embuhlee liest for this award. Thanks Emmy!

The Rules:

  • Collect any number of images that you feel represent you as a person—your personality, aspirations, favourite things, anything at all that makes you you.
  • Put your chosen images together into a collage of whatever size and shape you find pleasing.
  • Share your masterpiece with everyone, in all the places.
  • Maybe nominate other bloggers as a way to tell them, “Hey, you, I think you’re awesome, and we should celebrate that awesomeness.”
  • Share these rules (and maybe the below tips, if you’re feeling helpful).

Tips:

My Aesthetic:

I couldn’t fit all of my pictures into one collage, so they’re separated into two. One’s a bit more ‘serious’ and one’s a bit more ‘nerdy’.

award-for-blog

award-for-blog-2

I Nominate:

As usual, if you’ve already been nominated and don’t wish to post again, or just don’t want to participate, that’s perfectly fine, of course! :)

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Blogger Recognition Reward…With Something Extra

/ aceshadowdragon / 6 Comments

Blogger Recognition AwardI was nominated for the Blogger Recognition Award by Emily @ Embulee liest and Jess @ Life: Books, The Arts. and Nature. Two different people! I feel so loved… xD

The rules for this award are as follows:

  • Select 15 other blogs you want to give the award to. Do some digging if you must! Find those blogs. You cannot nominate yourself or the person who has nominated you.
  • Write a post to show off your award! Give a brief story of how your blog got started, and give a piece or two of advice to new bloggers. Thank whoever nominated you, and provide a link to their blog. List who you’ve nominated in the post.
  • Make sure to also attach the award itself! (You can do this by right-clicking, saving, and uploading the image above).
  • Comment on each blog and let them know you’ve nominated them. Provide a link to the award post you created.
  • Provide a link to the original post on Edge of Night. That way, anyone can find the original guidelines and post if needed, and we can keep it from mutating and becoming confusing! (It happens LOL).

How My Blog Was Born:

There’s really not much of a story here, unfortunately. My good friend Emily, one of the lovely people who nominated me for this award, began her own blog and I happened to find out about it soon after. I enjoy Emmy’s ramblings and told her so. She proceeded to pester me about creating my own blog but I wasn’t sure. As many of the people who follow me know, I’m a major procrastinator, so I didn’t think keeping up a blog was my kind of thing (honestly, I’m a bit surprised I’ve stuck with it as long as I have). But reading has always been a passion of mine and I thought what the heck, why not? I wouldn’t mind reading about people, besides Emily, ramble on about books. And I’m fairly good at rambling myself. So, after a good deal of peer pressure from Emmy, I began my blog. I don’t post as often as I would like, but I greatly enjoy reading the posts of others. I hope to be a part of the blogging community for a good while longer.

My Advice:

Honestly, I’m not all that great at giving advice. Or, at least I don’t think I am. I would much rather prefer simply listening to people than giving them feedback. But I’ll give it a whirl. My advice it to just be yourself. Don’t worry about the number of likes or followers you have. Do your own thing. As long as you’re happy with it, who cares what other people think? Sure, blogging is as much about interacting with others as it is posting your thoughts on certain subjects, but if you’re not posting what you want to post then what’s the point? Plus, everyone I’ve interacted with on here is so incredibly nice, so if you’re afraid of what others will have to say about your thoughts…don’t be. I feel like this is what a lot of people are saying, but it’s freakin’ great advice. So listen to it.

Nominations:

Guess what? I don’t have any. My laziness is kicking in, plus I feel like a lot of people have already been nominated for this award, so I’m not picking anyone specific. If you’re reading this right now and haven’t been nominated, I nominate you. If you want a chance to tell your story and give your own bit of advice, then do it! I hereby give you permission to do so! Go my pretties, go! *maniacal laughter in the background* Eh hem…but yeah. That about wraps it up for this award.

Happy reading, all! :)

Also, this doesn’t have to do with the award at all, but I just found this through a friend on Facebook…I thought I would share it with you all. Some of you will get it…some of you won’t. But it’s fantastic.

TV Shows/Anime That I’m Currently Watching/Caught Up On

/ aceshadowdragon / 6 Comments

Hello all! Three posts in one day. I think that’s a record for me. Anyway, I’ve been wanting to do a post like this for awhile now, but I just haven’t gotten around to it. I’ve seen a couple others do it and thought it’d be neat to talk a bit about the TV shows and stuff I’m currently watching so that I can discuss the shows with other people that are also watching them! Whoo! Here we go then.

On-Going TV Shows That I’m Currently Watching:

Royal Pains. I’ve been watching this show ever since it started airing. I’m usually not a fan of doctor-type shows, since I don’t like the whole hospital atmosphere, but I really really enjoy this one. Probably because it rarely takes place in an actual hospital.

Yes, I watch Teen Wolf. What can I say? I love werewolves.

Melissa and Joey. I watched the ABC Family movie Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence starred in, My Fake Fiance, and when I saw they were staring in a show together I had to watch it.

Baby Daddy. Again, this starred Jean-Luc Bilodeau, who also starred in ABC Family’s show Kyle XY, so I wanted to check this one out too.

I’ve been wanting to watch Supernatural for awhile now, and finally started it last year. I’ve only watched the first four seasons, but I’m steadily catching up. It’s amazing.

GAH! I love love love this show! <3 Still need to watch the 10th season though…

Completed TV Shows That I’m Currently Watching:

I’ve also been plugging away at Friends. I’ve seen a few episodes here and there but wanted to start watching them in order, cause I’m special like that, so yeah. Working on it.

On-Going TV Shows That I’m Currently Caught Up On:

Fairy tales coming to life, yo.

Who doesn’t want to know? ;D

Gotta keep up with the Marvel Universe.

Haven’t read the books. Probably never will, honestly. I’m too invested in the show and I heard it’s quite different.

Spin-off of The Vampire Diaries. I was actually enjoying this one more than the one above this past season.

Stephen Amell is smoking hot. And he takes his shirt off a lot in this show. But beyond that, the show itself is also amazing.

Spin-off of Arrow. Great characters in this one as well, and it’s more on the humorous side.

Reign is more entertainment than actual history, but it’s still fun to watch.

Once again, fairy tales! Definitely darker than Once Upon a Time. I just caught up on this one and SHIT WENT DOWN. Someone please talk to me if they’ve watched it and are also caught up. PLEASE!

Anime That I’m Currently Watching:

I’m still working on Hunter x Hunter. I got distracted with everything else I’ve been watching so I put this one on hold for a bit. Still am in love with it, and will hopefully catch up soon.

I’m on the second season of Durarara!! It’s currently airing and I think I’m only one episode behind…

Honestly, I didn’t think I would ever get into a sports anime, but Kuroko’s Basketball is definitely one of my favorite anime’s now. I’m currently still catching up on the third season.

I was planning on watching Attack on Titan eventually, but my co-worker and I got bored at work and began watching this whenever work slows down. I’m loving the story so far. I wasn’t a huge fan of the main characters at first, but they’re growing on me now, and some of the ones introduced later on are definitely more likable.

And that about wraps that up! Yes, I watch waaaaay too many shows. I know. But as I mentioned earlier, if you happen to watch any of these and would like to discuss them, that’d be awesome! :D

Anime Review – Hunter x Hunter (Part 2)

/ aceshadowdragon / Leave a comment

Okay, well I’m not as lazy as I thought. Although I said I may write another review once I’ve finished watching this series, I’ve decided to do it a bit earlier. My previous review was on the Hunter Exam arc (ep. 1-21), but this one will focus on the next three: the Zoldyck Family arc (ep. 22-26), the Heavens Arena arc (ep. 27-38), and the Yorknew City arc (ep. 39-58).

In my other review I expressed that I was really loving this show. I said I hoped it only got better from the first arc. Guess what? IT DOES! I’d like to think I’ve watched my fair share of anime, and I have to say this one is turning out to be one of my favorites.

BE WARNED:  This review will contain spoilers, so if you haven’t watched this anime before and are planning to, I would suggest you don’t read any further. If you don’t care, feel free to continue reading! :)

 

The Zoldyck Family Arc

This arc is short, including only five episodes. I can’t quite remember if it’s revealed at the end of the first arc, or the beginning of this one, but it’s now known that Killua comes from a family of professional assassins. It’s not all that surprising, considering some of Killua’s actions during the first arc. After facing his brother and failing the Hunter Exam, Killua returns home. Gon, having been unconscious during the event that led to Killua’s failure, heard what happened and decides to go ‘rescue’ him. Leorio and Kurapika join him.

Killua was a bit of a mystery in the first arc, so I enjoyed these episodes because you get a glimpse into a bit of his background. Having met one of his brother’s in the previous arc, I’m sure people were curious to find out what the other members of his family are like. You don’t get to meet every member but you are introduced to most of them, including his brother Milluki, his mother, Kikyo, his brother, Kalluto, his grandfather, Zeno, and his father, Silva. These few episodes give you a taste of their personalities and why Killua is the way he is.

The Heavens Arena Arc

After Killua rejoins the group, Leorio and Kurapika decide to go their own ways. Gon and Killua wish to train more, and make some money, so Killua suggests they head to Heavens Arena, where people can make money by fighting one another as they ascend the giant tower. While there, they meet a few new characters and once again encounter Hisoka. Due to the events in the first arc, Gon is in Hisoka’s debt and the only way he’ll be able to repay that debt is when he can punch Hisoka in the face. That’s one of the main reasons he’s been training so hard.

During their training, the two boys learn about Nen, a technique which allows a person to manipulate their own life force. After being taught this ability, they are able to defeat more difficult foes. Impressed, Hisoka invites Gon to fight him.

The fight between Hisoka and Gon is definitely one of my favorite parts in the anime so far. They are two of my favorite characters. Hisoka is one of the creepiest (if you watch it you’ll see why) ‘villains’…ever, but that just makes him an even better antagonist. Gon manages to punch Hisoka and return his tag. Unfortunately, he doesn’t win the fight. Deciding it’s time to leave Heavens Arena, the boys take their winnings and head back to Gon’s home on Whale Island. There they find a clue left by Gon’s father, Ging.

The Yorknew City Arc

This arc focuses mainly on Kurapika and the Phantom Troupe, the group of Nen users that murdered his people, leaving him the sole survivor of the Kurta clan. Back at the end of the Zoldyck Family arc, the four main characters promise to meet back up in Yorknew City on September 1st, due to some information Hisoka gave Kurapika during the final stage of the Hunter Exam.

It’s known that an underground auction is happening in the city. Kurapika finds a job as a bodyguard for someone with connections to the auction, and Gon and Killua wish to attend the auction to gain access to a video game called Greed Island, due to the clue from Ging. Leorio also comes back into the picture to help out.

This arc is extremely fast-paced and just as great as the others. You get to witness Kurapika’s development during the past six months (he’s pretty bad-ass now, not that he wasn’t before) and you get an intimate look at most of the Troupe members. I enjoy books and anime that focus on the side of both the protagonists and the antagonists.

I don’t want to spoil anything else, so I won’t go into further detail about this arc. But it’s awesome. So go watch it. Like, right now. Seriously. GO!

And that’s about it! I’ll probably write a review for the last three arcs as well, although that may take awhile since I still have…90 episodes to watch. And I’m watching other things at the moment as well. But it will get written! Eventually! :D

Thanks for reading!

Anime Review – Hunter x Hunter

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I mentioned in my first post that I may do an occasional TV show or anime review, so that’s what this is! So if you aren’t interested in this post because it’s not about books feel free to ignore it.

ANYWAY.

This is a review on the first 21 episodes of Hunter x Hunter. Instead of seasons it seems to go by arcs, so in other words this review focuses on the Hunter Exam arc.

Hunter-x-Hunter-1
A summary of the show:

The story begins with a young boy named Gon Freecss, who one day discovers that his father, whom he thought was dead, is in fact alive and well. He learns that his father, Ging, is a legendary “Hunter”, an individual who has proven themselves an elite member of humanity. Despite the fact that Ging left his son with his relatives in order to pursue his own dreams, Gon becomes determined to follow in his father’s footsteps, pass the rigorous “Hunter Examination”, and eventually find his father to become a Hunter in his own right. (wikipedia)

I’ve been meaning to watch this anime for awhile now but just never got around to it. I SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN AROUND TO IT. I know I’m only twenty-one episodes in, but I really enjoyed those first twenty-one episodes. I’m crossing my fingers that it will only get better from here.

So this arc focuses on Gon taking the Hunter Exam. The exam contains multiple phases and each year they are completely different, giving no advantage to those who have taken it many times. I won’t go into detail about the phases, don’t want to spoil anything, but I would definitely not be able to pass the exam (though I suppose that’s not saying much…*lazy*).

This anime is full of action, humor, and fantasy. So far I love the story and all the different characters. It can be a bit cheesy at times, but what anime isn’t?

Make sure if you decide to watch it, watch the one with 148 episodes that began in 2011. There is an older version with 62 episodes, but it doesn’t stay faithful to the manga. This one does. The first 100 episodes can be found on Netflix, otherwise all 148 can be found on Crunchyroll.

I’ll write a little about the main characters. They include Gon, Kurapika, Leorio, and Killua.

Gon_DesignGon is a cheerful, energetic, and friendly kid. He’s a bit simple-minded but is determined to pass the exam so that he can become a Hunter like his father, who he knows pretty much nothing about. He’s extremely loyal to his friends, rather impulsive, and doesn’t always think things through.

While on his way to take the exam, Gon comes across Kurapika and Leorio.

Kurapika_DesignKurapika is a slightly more serious character. He’s intelligent and level-headed, not being one to rush into things without thinking it through first, unlike Gon. Due to his tragic past, however, he has a tendency to lose control of himself in emotional situations.

Leorio_DesignLeorio comes off as a narcissistic young man who appears to value money over everything else. He’s stubborn and easily riled up. He butts heads with Kurapika at first, but once he gets to know the others he is nothing but loyal. He is also the comic relief in most situations.

Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio meet Killua during the first phase.

Killua_Design

Killua is a bit of a mystery in the beginning. He appears to be similar to Gon – cheerful, energetic, and mischievous. Later on it is revealed that he has a more sinister side. He takes an immediate interest in Gon due to the fact that they are the same age.

So far Gon and Killua are my favorite characters, along with the main antagonist thus far, Hisoka.

And that about wraps it up. If you’re in to anime and are looking for something to watch, check Hunter x Hunter out. I may write another review when I finish watching all 148 episodes, but then again I may not. Just depends on how lazy I’m feeling by then. Thanks for reading!