Tenkuru

Recurve archery! I don't have the stamina to run about, so a stationery sport like archery suits me very well. Although I didn't expect it to be this tiring when I decided to do it. In games, archers usually have low strength. That is not true, I can tell you that!

In my opinion, what sets humans an animals apart is the ability to ask questions. This had been discussed on a Vsauce video I watched awhile back. Animals can do all sorts of clever things we humans do.They can use tools, problem solve, communicate, cooperate, exhibit curiosity, plan for the future, and, although we can't know for sure, many animals certainly act as if they feel emotions. Apes have even been taught to use sign language to talk to humans. They used it to answer questions, express emotion or even produce novel thoughts. However, there's something that they've never done. No ape has ever asked a question. They have never ever wondered, out loud, about anything we might know that they don't. This doesn't mean that they aren't curious, they obviously are. They just lack a "Theory of Mind", an understanding that other people have separate minds. Even us humans aren't born with that. Look up the "Salley-Anne" test if you're interested. Animals fail to understand that other individuals have similar cognitive abilities, and can be used as sources of information.

Watched the Little Busters anime, and I loved it. Found out that it's adapted from a visual novel, which is made by a company called KEY. Checked out the Kanon and Clannad anime, which I also liked a lot. Finally decided to give this visual novel thing a go, and tried out the Little Busters VN. It completely blew me away, and I became very interested in this medium. Searched up KEY and the list of games they make. Found Rewrite and fell in love with the art at first sight, so I decided to read it. I didn't sleep that night. And that was how I found my favorite VN, Rewrite

Rewrite looks like your happy slice of life VN during the common route, but it does a huge genre shift once you get into a route. And in the true route, Terra, things do get really dark. It's my all time favorite VN, so I may be biased.

I have no idea if this recommendations might suit your tastes or not, but I'll just put them here because why not. -Symphonic Rain -Rewrite -Narcissu -True Remembrance -Katawa Shoujo -A Profile -Cross Channel

True Remembrance and Symphonic Rain are both great VNs.

That's gotta be one of the most awesome things I've ever seen...

I disliked it a lot, but I recommend people who haven't watch it to at least sit through it once.

Haha, love seeing how excited you are over this! But man 87.5 cm is really short though, never seen someone this short in my life, let alone a 23 year old.

I know how you feel. I'm so busy I'm sleeping 2 hours a day. Sometimes I don't even have time to eat and go 12 hours without meals. Although I'm studying something different from you, game development. I know that pain...

I've always had a preference of loli characters over the more mature ones. My first favorite loli will definitely be Kudryavka Noumi from Little Busters!

I loved Rewrite's long common route. It was really hilarious and relaxing. Was even kinda sad when it ended! Although I can see how some people might find them to be needless and boring...

Light novels, in itself, is already a niche medium outside of Japan. Most of the otakus that I've met are into VNs, manga, anime and games. I rarely see people that read LNs, and if they do, it's usually for a light-hearted read or due to an anime adaptation. However, even in this already undistinguished genre, there are some fantastic light novels that I feel are hidden from the eyes of everyone. At first, I was thinking about writing a review for each of the novels. However I realized that I'm not good at reviewing or recommending stuff, I'll just end up selling the novel short. So I won't even bother to try. I feel that no matter how I express it, words won't do them justice. You'll need to read them on your own to experience just how great they truly are. Whenever I read something amazing, I always feel like I have to share it with someone else. So I'll be glad if even one person enjoyed them! (WIP) Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria (The Empty Box and the Zeroth Maria) Information: Volumes: 7 Status: 7 volumes released, 7 volumes fan translated Authors: Mikage Eiji (Story), Tetsuo (Art) Genres: Action, Mystery, Drama, Horror, Romance, School, Supernatural, Psychological, Thriller Synopsis: Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria, or The Empty Box and The Zeroth Maria, tells the sinister story of Kazuki Hoshino, who is almost madly attached to his everyday life, and his antagonist Aya Otonashi, who suddenly transfers into his class—for the 13,118th time. She majestically announces to "break" him, without paying heed to anyone else around them. This is but the start of a dark roller coaster ride that turns the two against themselves, the people around them and the one who may be god. Read on as their relationship slowly changes and they go against their most basic values in their struggle against the world itself. Personal Opinion: HakoMari is the best work of fiction I've ever seen, not just the best light novel. You should definitely give it a shot, if you don't mind it being very dark. People like to throw around the word 'masterpiece' a lot when it comes to describing works that they like, but HakoMari is about the only thing that I would dare call a masterpiece. The way the author writes really draws you into the deep and complex story. He loves to lead you in with clues and then surprises you at every turn.The characters are all fleshed out and very unique, although they seemed like your cliche stereotypes at first. If you like intelligent stuff, this is definitely for you. Time loops, psychological warfare, philosophy, human relationships, ethnics and morals, etc. Reviews: MAL: http://myanimelist.net/manga/55215/Utsuro_no_Hako_to_Zero_no_Maria Baka-Updates: http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=53868 Ame no Hi no Iris (Iris on Rainy Days) Information: Volumes: 1 Chapters: 5 Status: 1 volume released, 1 volume fan translated Authors: Matsuyama Takeshi (Story), Hirasato (Art) Genres: Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi, Slice of Life, Psychological Synopsis: The story is centered around a cute android who initially had a happy life with her master who dearly loved her. But she was then struck by a series of misfortunes and ended up in a robot-equivalent of concentration camp. Through experiencing and witnessing the sufferings towards herself as well as the people/robots around her, she eventually gained a better appreciation of life. Personal Opinion: When I started reading Iris on Rainy Days, I went into it expecting a light-hearted slice-of-life novel of a cute android with a little drama in it. What I got was a story that took me on a roller coaster ride of emotions. When reading this short novel, sometimes you'll feel a heartwarming sensation, sometimes you might feel despair, and other times you might be on the edge of your sit. Don't be fooled by it's cutesy appearance, because it contains a really beautiful story within. Reviews: MAL: http://myanimelist.net/manga/56923/Ame_no_Hi_no_Iris Baka-Updates: http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=74021 Gekkou (Moonlight) Information: Volumes: 1 Chapters: 11 Status: 1 volume released, 1 volume fan translated Authors: Mamiya Natsuki (Story), Shiromiso (Art) Genres: Comedy, Mystery, Romance, School, Shounen Synopsis: Gekkou, or "Moonlight", is about the peculiar relationship between a cynical boy and a perfect girl. Said cynical boy is Nonomiya who spends day in day out in boredom, taking refuge from his dull life in his imagination. One fateful day, he happens upon the notebook of the much-rumored beauty Youko Tsukimori, neglected on the ground. Poking out from it is a scrap of paper with the unexpected title "Murder Recipe". His interest ignited, he immediately stuffs it into his pocket, only to find out the promising recipe contains nothing but scenarios that may or may not lead to deadly accidents, not even worthy of being called a plan. When he tentatively asks her about it the next day, she hasn't lost anything. But then her father dies. An accident... Personal Opinion: After finishing Gekkou, I can say with confidence that it has to be one of the most mysterious, interesting and unique things I've ever seen. It just felt that special to me. I have never seen a Mystery/Romance genre being shown in this way. Reading the synopsis immediately made me interested in what the plot is going to be. However, where the novel truly shines is in the characters. The interaction between the two characters and the lack of universal morals and laws in them, along with the author's ambiguous style of writing makes it one-of-a-kind and highly entertaining to read. The ending of the novel may seem unsatisfactory to some, as it's not specific but open to interpretation. But, I feel that it's part of the charm of the novel and that it ended perfectly. Reviews: MAL: http://myanimelist.net/manga/44167/Gekkou Baka-Updates: http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=68101 Hikaru ga Chikyuu ni Ita koro...... (When Hikaru was on the Earth......) Information: Volumes: 10 Status: 10 volumes released, 8 volumes fan translated Authors: Nomura Mizuki (Story), Takeoka Miho (Art) Genres: Mystery, Romance, Psychological Synopsis: High school student Koremitsu Akagi finds himself attending the funeral of Hikaru Mikado, who had died in an accident during Golden Week. He's not sure why he's there, as he only exchanged a few words with Hikaru at school. However, Hikaru doesn't seem to be completely gone from the world, as he comes back as a ghost in order to fulfill a promise to Aoi Saotome, his fiancée. Since Koremitsu is the only one who can see him, he asks him to carry out his promise in his place. Complying with his request, Koremitsu tries to fulfill Hikaru's promises to the rest of his "girlfriends", helping them overcome past misunderstandings and repair broken relationships. But the situation surrounding Hikaru's death is shrouded in mystery, as it's uncertain whether or not he truly died in an accident... Personal Opinion: I heave a sigh of satisfaction with a smile at the end of every volume when reading "Hikaru". Hmm, I don't really know what to say about this one... To quote the author,“Hikaru” is a story of separation. Once you finish reading it, you may feel sad, but you will feel a warm feeling in your heart too. I think this describes the novel perfectly. As stated in the review, I feel that the strong point of "Hikaru" lies in the narration. It is all done in an abstract third person, limited to one character’s thoughts and perceptions at a time. The way the narration shifts from one character to another gives much better psychological insight than anything else could. "Hikaru" explores the relationships between humans very well. You will experience a bittersweet feeling in your heart after reading every volume of "Hikaru", but you can't help but just smile. Reviews: MAL: http://myanimelist.net/manga/26201/Hikaru_ga_Chikyuu_ni_Ita_koro...... Kafkafuura: http://kafkafuura.wordpress.com/2012/12/06/aoi-review/ Sayonara Piano Sonata (Goodbye Piano Sonata) Information: Volumes: 4 Status: 4 volumes released, 4 volumes fan translated Authors: Sugii Hikaru (Story), Ueda Ryo (Art) Genres: Drama, Music, Romance, Slife-of-Life, Seinen Synopsis: The story revolves around a 16 years old boy called Nao, which is son of a music critic and has a hobby of fixing machines. On a visit to a junkyard he meets a girl which is supposed to be a piano prodigy, to their surprise, she transfers to his school and enters his life. On top of it, he has a strange senpai and his childhood friend who want him to join their band... Personal Opinion: Going into Sayonara Piano Sonata, I had very high expectations. For one, it's written by Sugii Hikaru, the author of Kamisama no Memochou. More about KamiMemo later. Secondly, I'm a sucker for the music genre. And I was not disappointed when I finished the series. It was a perfect blend of romance and music. I really like the way the author handles the romance. Unlike most rom-coms you see nowadays, the romance isn't needlessly dragged out with no clear conclusion at the end. No idea what's with that trend, it's really frustrating to me. Although our protagonist is, like every other MC in every other romance series, unbelievably dense to the point of making you want to face palm at times, I feel that the author made use of it very well to create drama. Unlike your generic rom-com, the female casts in SPS aren't just added to the MC's harem to fill stereotypes. They are there for a reason, not fan-service. Also, the music aspect of the novel is very well written. You can see just how much research the author went through just to write the novel. The way he describes the music is so captivating that even if you have no knowledge on music whatsoever, like me, you'll still be able to capture the feelings of the characters. Reviews: C.E. Translation: http://cetranslation.blogspot.sg/2011/07/review-sayonara-piano-sonata.html Baka-Tsuki: http://www.baka-tsuki.org/blog/?p=265 Kamisama no Memochou (Heaven's Memo Pad) Information: Volumes: 4 Status: 9 volumes released, 5 volumes fan translated Authors: Sugii Hikaru (Story), Kishida Mel (Art) Genres: Drama, Mystery, Romance, Slife-of-Life, Comedy Synopsis: "I am not an ordinary detective, but a NEET detective. Searching the whole world to locate the words of the dead." The NEET Detective leading the NEETs who gathered in the dark alley— Alice said that. The perplexing incident that Ayaka and I were wound into during the winter of my first year at high school, and also the malicious drug 'Angel Fix' that corroded the city, the mystery was unraveled by the detective girl Alice who doesn't take even one step out of her room. "Knowing the truth might destroy the tranquil life of your past, do you wish to know even so?" Because of my answer, the NEETs who usually do nothing were mobilized to solve the case! Personal Opinion: **Before I begin, yes, I know that KamiMemo isn't exactly under appreciated. In fact, it had won several awards in three consecutive years before. It's by no means under appreciated in Japan. However, that might not be true outside of Japan. Take a look at MAL, for example. It's ranked around 4,500th the last time I checked. I know it isn't concrete proof, but that's how I feel. First things first, the novel is much better than the anime. Sorry, I just have to say it. It was even disclosed in volume 8 that the anime producer ignored Sugii's scenario and made up his own. With that out of the way, KamiMemo is an amazing mystery drama novel. To quote Shadow, KamiMemo is a blend of dark harsh reality with a hint of hope left within. Its masterful portrayal of the emotions and harshness of reality along with its presentation of very interesting ideas in a not-so-ordinary fashion, makes me a big fan of the series. I also absolutely adore the characters. I mean, where else can you find a cast made up of a gambler-cum-boxer, a gigolo, a military otaku and a loli NEET detective?! The protagonist might seem like your typical weak and indecisive wimp at first, but I have to give props to Sugii for turning him into a great character. And I'm the guy who hates those spineless MCs. What more can I say, go read it for yourself. Why? Well, because: it's the only NEET thing to do. Reviews: **Sorry, I coudn't find any reviews for the novel. This (kinda) proves my point on the popularity of KamiMemo outside of Japan. You'll have to make do with 'community reviews' on Goodreads. Those are the only ones I could find. Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3950629-1-kami-sama-no-memo-ch Kamisu Reina Series Information: Volumes: 2 Status: 2 volumes released, 2 volumes fan translated Authors: Eiji Mikage (Story) Genres: Drama, Supernatural, Psychological Synopsis: She is my best friend — a member of the track-and-field club and in a different class, but we always go home together. She is my hateful nemesis — the murderer of my family. I won't forgive her and I will take revenge! She is my fellow partner — together, we fight against the humanoid energies to save the world. She is my... She is always smiling with an absurdly beautiful smile. What is she to you...? Personal Opinion: Well played Eiji Mikage, very well played indeed! Once again, Eiji (the writer of HakoMari) manages to blow my mind and impress me like no other, in just a single volume. Throughout the whole story, you will find yourself constantly asking the question: Who is Kamisu Reina? And that is where Eiji's amazing writing comes in. Volume 1 is made up of 5 chapters, each containing its own short story. However, there is one common aspect that connects all of them, and that is the mysterious Reina. At the end of each chapter, you will learn a little more about the existence known as Kasumi Reina. As you slowly but surely piece together all the clues, you will probably arrive at an answer by the end of volume 1 — but is it the correct one? Reviews: MAL: http://myanimelist.net/manga/67777/Kamisu_Reina_Series Tabi ni Deyou, Horobiyuku Sekai no Hate Made (Our Journey to the End of the Ceasing World) Information: Volumes: 1 Status: 1 volumes released, 1 volumes fan translated Authors: Yorozuya Tadahito (Story), Houmitsu (Art) Genres: Adventure, Fantasy Synopsis: The story revolves around a boy and a girl who travel together through a world that is gradually nearing its end. A mysterious illness has emerged that erases the very existence of everyone who suffers from it. The story does not, however, focus on the tragic aspect of this fairly post-apocalyptic setting, but rather shows the people and events the two travelers come across during their journey. "Will you leave everything behind and go on a journey with me?" I wonder how many people could answer such a question right away. But whatever their number might be, I could. The scene that day is still indelibly engraved in my memory like a photograph. "Will you leave everything behind and go on a journey with me?" My answer was "Yes". Personal Opinion: Tabi ni Deyou is a one-shot novel that I found while looking through the works that EusthEnoptEron had translated. I decided to read it as the synopsis reminds me a lot of Naricissu and a little of Kino no Tabi, and what a gem did I stumbled upon. As the synopsis stated, the novel focuses on the journey of our two main characters as they go on their journey "to the end of the world". Although the author doesn't necessarily have amazing writing skills, I really liked the way he presented the story of their adventure and the unique premise along with it. The "vanishing", as they call it, takes an interesting twist to your usual apocalypse. How would you spend today if you knew you would die tomorrow? Furthermore, what would you do if you could leave nothing behind after dying? Reviews: MAL: http://myanimelist.net/manga/58509/Tabi_ni_Deyou_Horobiyuku_Sekai_no_Hate_made "Fushigi" Toriatsukaimasu: Tsukumodou Kottouten (Tsukumodo Antique Shop - We Handle "Mysteriosities") Information: Volumes: 7 Status: 7 volumes released, 4 volumes fan translated Authors: Odou Akihiko (Story), Takeshima Satoshi (Art) Genres: Mystery, Fantasy Synopsis: In our world there are objects that go by the name of "Relics". Not antiques or items of classical art, but mysterious things like a stone that brings luck, a doll whose hair grows night after night, or a mirror that shows your future appearance. The world is big and so there happens to be a shop that offers such suspicious items — the Tsukumodo Antique Shop (FAKE). But as the name suggests, only fakes can be found there. To make matters worse, the shop assistant is a girl whose attendance couldn't be blunter, so the store hardly has any customers at all. However, from time to time a real Relic appears and makes things interesting. Very well, now let us talk about those who have obtained one of these mysterious items. Reviews: MAL: http://myanimelist.net/manga/62841/Fushigi_Toriatsukaimasu__Tsukumodou_Kottouten Zaregoto Series Information: Volumes: 7 Status: 9 volumes released, 5 volumes fan translated, 2 volumes officially translated Authors: Nisio Isin (Story), Take (Art) Genres: Action, Mystery, Drama, Supernatural Synopsis: It’s the vacation of a lifetime, a trip to a remote island filled with geniuses–and murder. On Wet Crow’s Feather Island, a tiny speck in the Sea of Japan, lives Akagami Iria, the exiled daughter of a powerful family. Born into great wealth, she was a princess of the highest pedigree–until she was cut off by the leader of the Akagami Foundation. For the last five years, she’s lived on Feather Island with her maids. But she hasn’t been alone. She has invited the best minds Japan has to offer to come and stay with her. And so nineteen-year-old college student Ii-chan and his best friend, computer genius Kunagisa Tomo, find themselves as Iria’s guests at her elaborate mansion. Surrounded by fascinating women–a chef, a fortune-teller, a scholar, and an artist, not to mention his own friend Tomo–Ii-chan is feeling a little overmatched intellectually. But the sudden discovery of a grisly murder sends the island into shock. And Ii-chan discovers that he does possess a bit of genius: the ability to discover what is real and what is fake... who is who they claim to be–and who is a killer. Reviews: MAL: http://myanimelist.net/manga/9726/Zaregoto_Series Kieli Information: Volumes: 9 Status: 9 volumes released, 9 volumes officially translated Authors: Kabei Yukako (Story), Taue Shunsuke (Art) Genres: Adventure, Mystery, Fantasy, Supernatural Synopsis: Kieli is a reclusive girl isolated by her ability to see ghosts. Her only friend is her "roommate," Becca, the precocious spirit of a former student still residing in Kieli's dorm. Everything in Kieli's life changes suddenly when the girls meet the handsome but distant Harvey who, like Kieli, can see ghosts. He also turns out to be one of the legendary Undying, an immortal soldier bred for war now being hunted by the Church. When Kieli joins Harvey on a pilgrimage to lay to rest the spirit of a corporal possessing an old radio, as unlikely as it seems, she feels she may have finally found a place where she belongs in the world. And in Kieli, Harvey may have found a reason to live again. Reviews: MAL: http://myanimelist.net/manga/13238/Kieli Bungaku Shoujo (Book Girl) Information: Volumes: 8 Status: 8 volumes released, 8 volumes officially translated Authors: Nomura Mizuki (Story), Takeoka Miho (Art) Genres: Mystery, Drama, Romance Synopsis: For Tohko Amano, a third-year high school student and self-styled "book girl," being the head of the literary club is more than just an extracurricular activity. It's her bread and butter...literally! Tohko is actually a literature-gobbling demon, who can be found at all hours of the day munching on torn out pages from all kinds of books. But for Tohko, the real delicacies are hand-written stories. To satisfy her gourmet tastes, she's employed (rather, browbeaten) one Konoha Inoue, who scribbles away each day after school to satisfy Tohko's appetite. But when another student comes knocking on the literary club door for advice on writing love letters, will Tohko discover a new kind of delicacy? Reviews: MAL: http://myanimelist.net/manga/10000/Bungaku_Shoujo_Series That will be all for now. If anyone of you are interested in reading the novels, most of them are all up on BakaTsuki. For android users BakaTsuki even has an app, BakaReader EX, which allows you to download novels and read on the go! If I manage to come across more light novels that I feel is worth mentioning in the future, I'll update and include them in this post. Also, feel free to share your opinions on the novels or even some of your own recommendations!

Auto mode is very useful when I eat and read at the same time. The only VN where I use auto mode throughout will be Narcissu, as it felt more like watching a movie than reading a novel.

Flaming June's album Owari no Hoshi no Love Song is very awesome! I don't know if it's very well-known, but most people that I talk to don't know of it. Yanagi's angelic vocals and Jun's genius composition, along with the stunning visuals tells a beautiful story . Here are a few of the songs! (Turn on the annotations for english subs!)

I use it to change my windows system voices. Like when I log on, shutdown, when my codes compile, when they're bugs in the code, etc.

On episode 12 of Love Live season 2 and I'm about to finish the series. Although I still preferred iM@S overall , I loved Love Live's characters more by leaps and bounds. Installing the game now to see what's all the hype about! It requires connection to the internet to play though (not too sure), which means I won't have much chances to play it even if I want to.

http://www.meti.go.jp/policy/mono_info_service/contents/downloadfiles/140414.pdf Isn't kissanime listed on page 19, no.7? I can't read Japanese, so i don't actually know what that list is for though. On a side note, if they manage to take down most of the listed streaming sites, it's gonna be a pain in the ass to watch anime now. Not that it's going to stop me though.

Well, you can't really blame him. It doesn't have a stickied thread like the IRC and TS, so if people don't visit the Majikoi thread, isn't it natural to be oblivious?

We already have a Skype group? In that case, shouldn't the thread get a sticky? If not, nobody will know of it's existence after it gets lost in the sea of other threads.

Sounds fun, I'll swing by when I have the time.

They did used the word 'request' though, so that's actually an interesting point to note...

Man, I hope it doesn't affect me a lot, as getting anime legally here is really a pain in the ass. Local stores rarely sell anime, and if they do, it's chinese subbed. Sites like Crunchy and FUNimation for some reason hates my country and blocks us.

I was getting so hyped up as I read on further and further, until..... I see this: Oh well, it's over for me Just a heads up, this is how my art looks like: