Saturday, August 31, 2013

Anime Review: Chihayafuru: Moonlight, Clear and Bright(1.25)

                                 Chihayafuru: Moonlight, Clear and Bright(1.25)Review
This episode starts off with everyone watching the Master's match and everyone is shocked to find out that for Master Suo there are 28 one syllable cards rather than 7 which means that he can tell the difference right away between similarly sounding cards especially when the reader as such a great appreciation for the poetry because they see the poem rather than just the words. Most everyone feels extremely intimidated after watching the matches.

Tsutomu wrote down a bunch of data about the masters match and after going over all the data on the walk home he tells Chihaya that she has 20 one syllable cards which surprises her and helps her to feel more motivate to improve her karuta game. Chihaya is extremely thankful and impressed by Tsutomu being able to tell her which cards are her one syllable cards and she really wants to be able to give him something like that one day.

Arata who while watching the match took his grandfather's advice to visualize being at the master's match because his grandfather told him that first advantage that the master has on the challenger is that they have played on that stage before so their use to it. After watching the master's match and feeling discourage Taichi decides to call up Arata for advice and I really enjoyed how Arata was so nervous and excited when he answered the phone, I really enjoy the relationship between these two. Arata gives Taichi the advice that one doesn't need to have a good game sense and that there are many ways to be able to take the card first.

Kana tells Chihaya that she now has the dream of becoming a certified reader which Chihaya thinks is great but Kana is somewhat discouraged when she finds out that in order to be a reader you have to make Class A. Taichi ends up actually doing practice swings in practice which is something that he never does because he finds it embarrassing but this encourages Kana to keep trying for her dream even though it will take a lot of work since everyone else is doing all they can to reach their's. It's also revealed in this episode that in order to keep the club room there's going to have to be five new members in karuta club.

I overall loved this episode, I loved how everything kind of came full circle and that everyone is still working hard towards achieving their goals and I loved seeing how much a lot of the characters have changed over the course of the season and how some haven't. I overall loved this anime and I'm so glad that there's a second season of it since I really want to see more of these characters. Please tell me your thoughts on this episode or series as a whole.

Book Review: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

                                       The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Review
This book starts off with Edmund and Lucy having to stay with their aunt and uncle's home where they have to put up with their cousin Eustace who is a know nothing know it all and over all a pretty rude person. Edmund, Lucy and Eustace are whisked away to Narnia and the join Caspian on his journey across the seas to find the seven lords who were friends of his father who have been missing for years.

Along the way Eustace is turned into a dragon briefly and through his time as a dragon he learns to be a kinder person and so this is an overall positive experience for him to go through. There were some slavers on one island but Caspian was able to change the laws of slaving and save all the rest with the help of one of the seven lords. There's an island that has a pool that turns everything to gold and another where the people have turned invisible and Lucy has to save them from that fate. Towards the end the crew sails to the end of the world and Aslan before sending them home tells Lucy and Edmund that they are never to return to Narnia.

Overall I didn't like this book as much as I did the others because it was so episodic it didn't really allow enough time for me to really become invested in an one storyline. I did like what we got to see with the mouse Reepicheep who was brave and noble which made him a bit funny as well due to his side and willingness to fight anyone. Please tell your thoughts on this book.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Top 5 Thursday: Top 5 Bottle Episodes

Top 5 Thursday is a meme that I create to make lists of things involving tv and movies. I would love for anyone that sees this post to make list of their own whether it's in the comment section or on their own blog.
Bottle episodes are were the whole episode takes place in basically one location and while quite a few people seem to dislike these kind of episodes I happen to love them so here's a list of five of my favorites please tell me yours as well.
1. Doctor Who: The Girl Who Waited(6.10): This is an episode that I didn't realize was technically a bottle episode until I looked up bottle episodes on TV tropes but this is actually one of my favorite episodes of Doctor Who that I've seen so it had to make it on my list. This is an episode that I find all kinds of heartbreaking with Amy becoming stuck in a different timeline for years and having to survive on her own and she became bitter towards the Doctor during that time. There's also lots of great Amy and Rory moments through out the episode some heartwarming and some heartbreaking but overall love just about everything about this episode one of my all time favorites.
2. Teen Wolf: Motel California(3.06): This episode takes place at this really creepy motel that proudly displays the number of in room suicides in the it's lobby so it comes as little surprise that this places causes a lot of odd behavior with having Scott, Isaac, Boyd and Ethan starting to hallucinate and then try to kill themselves. I really enjoyed seeing Stiles, Lydia and Alison working together stopping the werewolves from killing themselves they all worked really well together as a team. Then there was Scott's suicide attempt that was so heartbreaking with him blaming himself for things that weren't his fault and thinking that the world was better off without him and then Stiles tells him that if he's going to do this he's going to have to take him with him and I just have so many friendship feels about these two in general but this episode kind of overwhelmed me a bit. I overall really loved this episode because I do tend to enjoy watching people hallucinate in general, seeing characters I love work together and  I've always been super invested in Scott and Stiles friendship in general so this episode was kind of perfect for me.
3. Doctor Who: Midnight(4.10): This episode was extremely disturbing for what it said about human nature or rather the whole pack mentality with how in times of great stress people can be quite easily made to turn on one another in order to save themselves. I really liked how this episode turned around how effective the Doctor was at dealing with these kind of situations because normal he can always make people see his side and he brings out their heroic side but in this one it just made them suspicious of him. I overall felt like this episode left a deep impact on me and I really enjoy how much the episode made me feel even though it wasn't exactly a good feeling.
4. Teen Wolf: Night School(1.07): This is the first episode of Teen Wolf that made me realize that I actually kind of love the show not just parts of it because before this point I was just watching it because I wanted to review another show over the summer but this one made me realize how much I cared about the characters and the plot of the show in general. I loved how in the first half the episode Scott and Stiles were just trying to find the best way to escape the school without the alpha killing them and that it was just the two of them doing the best they could to survive. I also kind of like the contrast with Scott and Stiles situation to Alison, Jackson and Lydia's where they came to the school because they thought Scott invited Alison with how the three of them are at the school and have no idea what is going on and aren't clued into the supernatural stuff at this point so it's a pretty big contrast that I enjoyed watching. I really also enjoyed when all the characters actually meet up and Scott has to lie a lot about what's actually going on and I also love that this is the episode where Lydia reveals that she knows how to make a self igniting Molotov cocktail. This is also the first episode that starts the theme of someone wanting Scott to kill all his friends odd that this comes up as much as it does. I overall really loved this episode because a lot actually happens in it when I think about it even though it's in a short amount of time and in one location.
5. Community: Remedial Chaos Theory(3.03): This is an episode I really love because it shows a whole bunch of alternate timelines based off of who goes to get the pizza and I really loved seeing how different the interactions where based off of one simple event. This episode was really great and really different which is why I love it.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Top 10 Secondary Characters

1. Rin Sohma(Fruits Basket): I really love Rin because she isn't exactly a person who it's easy to approach and I like that exudes this kind of harsh attitude to keep people away from her and to make sure no one gets close enough to her to know her. I really love Rin more has her backstory is revealed I love that she's broken with how she dislikes being around kind people because she feels that she clings to them and she feels that they deserve better than but no matter how hard she tries to fight that impulse to cling to those kind of people there are times she can't help but to breakdown. I love that even though she doesn't show it in an easy to read fashion she cares deeply for those she loves with how she worked so hard to find away to break the curse so that Haru could be free of it.
2. Laura Wingfield(The Glass Menagerie): I love Laura because there's no character that I relate to more than her and that means a lot to me because people don't usually write characters like Laura. I love Laura because she's a person who is ruled by her social anxiety and doesn't like any kind of conflict. I love Laura because she can't seem to handle living in the real world therefore she makes her own world with her menagerie.
3. Nico Di Angelo(Percy Jackson and the Olympians): I really love Nico because he changes so much through out the series and I really loved all of the stages he goes through. I loved the adorable little boy who was obsessed with a card game and I love the boy who was filled with grief and anger and desperately trying to bring his sister back to life. I loved that he became a pretty powerful character and that while due to being the son of Hades he was somewhat dark he was also an ally to Percy in the last book of the series.
4. Momiji Sohma(Fruits Basket): I love Momiji for his cheerful optimistic personality which had remained intact despite the fact that due to the curse his mother chose to forget about his existence and because of this he has to watch his family from afar. I loved that while Momiji has a heartbreaking past he can still look on the bright side of things and I love that he wants to be strong enough to keep all of his memories because he believes a person needs all of their memories whether they'd be good or bad.
5. Rachel Elizabeth Dare(Percy Jackson and the Olympians): I just really loved Rachel because I remember really liking her personality and  I liked that she was a normal human that could see through the mist and I liked that she took the whole existence of gods pretty well. I know there's more reasons I love her but it's been awhile since I read the books.
6. Jenna(Perfect): I love Jenna because she's such a mystery, she's a character that we really don't know much about and the reasons behind her actions are almost a complete mystery. I love that she has a self destructive drinking habit and I love that she seems to know exactly how to get people do what she wants them to without giving any part of herself away. I would love to read a book from her point of view because she fascinates me.
7. Machi Kuragi(Fruits Basket): I really loved Machi because she was a character that tried so hard to live up to other people expectations of perfection that when they decided that they didn't need her anymore she just became kind of at a loss with what to do with herself. I loved that she didn't know what kind of things she liked and didn't like because for the majority of her life she always trying to please other people so she never thought of what she wanted or liked. I love that now after years of trying to be perfect she can't stand to see anything perfect like freshly fallen snow or an extremely clean classroom and that she feels the need to destroy that perfection. I love that she eventually does develop things that she likes and that she does get to feel that she matters to someone even though she's far from perfect.
8. Zoe Nightshade(Percy Jackson and the Olympians): I just really loved that Zoe was this fierce warrior and that she did grow quite a bit over the course of the one book that she appeared in. I also really loved how Zoe went on the quest knowing that she would die and did so with such dignity.
9. Faye Chamberlin(Secret Circle): I just really love that Faye is a bitchy mean girl who has magic powers and uses those powers in the exact way you'd expect that kind of person to use them. I also love that she has vampire kittens although I think there just called that and aren't actually vampires like Diana's hair isn't actually sliver but is described that way.
10. Luna Lovegood(Harry Potter): I love Luna because she sees the world very differently and speaks rather oddly, I like that she comes off a bit crazy and I just really love her as a character even though she doesn't show up until the 5th book.

Friday, August 23, 2013

Fangirl Friday 39

Fangirl five Friday is a weekly meme host Nancy Drew is my Homegirl and what it's meme that has you list the top five things you've been fangirling about this week.

 
 
1. Teen Wolf: I've watched the final two episodes of summer season of Teen Wolf this week and quite a bit happened in those episodes. First off I'm super happy to report that no ones parents died which is something I had been worrying about for the past couple of weeks so that was a relief. Also in this set of episode Stiles and Lydia kissed which made me super happy because they've been my one true pairing of the show since season one and I really loved that whole scene but I especially loved the after things were kind of sweetly awkward between them until they remembered the plot again, so that was a really nice moment for me at least. Also later on in that episode there was the strong emotional connection thing mentioned which made me super happy as well. I also love the whole Scott actually becoming a true alpha which more or less happened in these episodes and I love how it doesn't change who he is at all in that he's still the same kindhearted person he's always been. I've really enjoyed Jenifer Blake as the darach she was very powerful and she had a very good reason for doing what she was doing and in all honesty if she hadn't took the main characters parents I'd probably would have been rooting for her since I really liked her. I really loved how Alison came up with a new code for her and her dad to follow with them being those who protect those who can't protect themselves because it's a much kinder code and I liked Alison take up her role in her family with the women being the leaders and all.

2. Chihayafuru: I've watched four episodes of this anime this week and it's one of the best animes I've seen in a long time. I continue to love to watch the karuta matches becoming far more emotionally invested in those matches then I've ever thought I could be and I continue to love the characters as well and be super invested in them. I continue to love Chihaya's passion for the game and I love to see how dedicated she is to improve her skills. I love Kana's love for the poetry and the traditional clothing. I love that while Taichi cares about Chihaya as much as he ever has that he's starting to also become invested in karuta in order to better himself rather than just help Chihaya out in succeeding in her goals. I just really love this series and I love that all the development seems to come so naturally.

TV Review: Teen Wolf: Lunar Eclipse(3.12)

                                        Teen Wolf: Lunar Eclipse(3.12)Review
  • I found that white place in which Scott, Stiles and Alison woke up in to be pretty creepy just because it was so empty other than the nemton.
  • I found the memories that Scott, Stiles and Alison were shown from the night that Scott was bit to be kind of sad because it must feel like a life time ago for the characters where in reality it's been less than a year I'm pretty sure and it must be pretty hard to watch them for Scott and Stiles knowing what happens now with Scott seeing himself get bit and Stiles seeing himself lead Scott into the woods.
  • I find it interesting that Alison was in the car that almost hit Scott in the first episode and that she wanted to go see if he was alright.
  • I thought it was very unhelpful but fairly common for this kind of show that they were in the water for 16 hours.
  • I liked how Stiles called Scott working with Deucalion a deal with the devil because I've been thinking of it as that since he first made that deal and I liked how everyone was sure that Deucalion couldn't be trusted.
  • I liked how Ethan went to the group to warn them about Kali and his brother going to kill Derek.
  • I liked that Lydia, Peter and Cora were able to convince Derek that since he couldn't win the fight he should just get out of town.
  • I liked how when Scott's dad said that he didn't know what's going on that Scott tells him he figured out a long time ago that he doesn't have a clue.
  • I loved how Alison pulled a smoke grenade in order to give herself, Scott and Isaac the time they needed to escape from the FBI guys.
  • I found it really impressive that Jenifer was able to use her magic skills to kill Kali and almost kill the twins rather easily. I really do enjoy her as a villain and really just as a character.
  • I kind of liked how Jenifer was able to convince Derek to help her fight Deucalion because they do both have good reason to want him dead and she has agreed to let the parents go if Derek helps her.
  • I liked how when the ceiling was starting to come down on everyone that Isaac held it up even though he's terrified of small places.
  • I liked how Scott refused to kill Jenifer when he had the chance because that's not the alpha or person really that he wants to be.
  • I kind of liked how Derek tricked Jenifer into giving Deucalion his vision back in order to weaken her.
  • I loved how when Stiles saw his dad for the first time again he just went and hugged him.
  • I liked how Scott was able to force himself through the mountain ash circle and that he first started off asking Jenifer to stop what she was doing rather than go straight for the kill like Deucalion ended up doing.
  • I hope that Derek was right about Deucalion being a better person with his vision because otherwise they really screwed up by letting him live.
  • I really dislike how Lydia and Aiden all of the sudden have real feelings for each other because their relationship was purely physical until this episode and we don't even really know anything about Aiden.
  • I liked how Scott made it clear to his dad that he's not welcome in his life.
  • I like how Alison made a new code for her family with protect those who can't protect themselves.
  • I like how Scott mentions there is a darkness around his heart but looking for his friends helps him.
  • I'm not all that surprise that Peter's an alpha again and probably evil because it seemed like he was up to something last episode.
Please tell me your thoughts on this episode.

Anime Review: Chihayafuru: Nobody Wishes to See the Beautiful Cherry Blossoms(1.24)

         Chihayafuru: Nobody Wishes to See the Beautiful Cherry Blossoms(1.24)Review
This episode begins with Chihaya coming over to Taichi's house to watch the Queen and Master finals because he has a big tv but she is unpleasantly surprised to see that Taichi's mother who hates her is home and is therefore making her uncomfortable. Taichi after seeing how uncomfortable Chihaya is invites her to watch the match in his room and shortly after they enter the room the rest of the karuta club shows up to watch the matches as well.

In the queen's match Yumin is the challenger to Shinobu who had put on quite a bit of weight since the last time Chihaya had seen her which was affecting her game quite a bit because of how she relays on speed and her body movements are different now that she's heavier. Yumin starts off the match pretty strong with getting cards that Shinobu just barely miss before Shinobu has a chance to correct herself.

The story of how Shinobu came to love karuta is somewhat shown in the episode with her having to stay with her grandmother after her parents separation and how her grandmother wanted her to be good at something useful. Shinobu ends up wanting to play karuta because the cards have pretty pictures and she then seems to develop a special connection with cards seeming to be her only friends. While watching the match Chihaya realizes how she doesn't have the type of connection with the cards that Shinobu and Kana has and is therefore at a disadvantage.

The match ends with Shinobu winning after dominating the second half and while Yumin is very sadden by her loss she still wants to try and work her back here next year. The episode ends with everyone getting ready to watch the master's match who is even faster at karuta than Shinobu and Nishida tells Chihaya that the way she plays karuta is more similar to his style than Shinobu's style.

I overall really loved this episode and even though it was all about just watching a match I still was really invested in it. Please tell me your thoughts on this episode.

Anime Review: Chihayafuru: The Night is Nearly Past(1.23)

                                Chihayafuru: The Night is Nearly Past(1.23)Review
This episode starts off shortly after the end of the last one and Chihaya is feeling very upset by her loss and she goes and locks herself in the cabinet. Sudo comes over and reminds everyone of the bet that he had with Chihaya about the one that looses first shaving their head Dr. Harada ends up saying that he'll take her place in that bet and ends up saving Chihaya from having to shave her head. The karuta club waits Chihaya to come out of the cabinet for awhile together until Taichi is able to convince the rest of the club to watch the karuta matches while he remains waiting for Chihaya. Taichi brings up how he's been communicating with Arata because he feels that Arata would be better able to help Chihaya through her defeat. Kana comes up awhile later and tells Taichi that he should watch the match between Sudo and Dr. Harada and when Taichi tries to convince Chihaya come out to cheer on Dr. Harada, Chihaya opens the door he was leaning on rather abruptly and tells him he should be watching the matches not cheering anyone on. Taichi then admits to himself that he is hopelessly in love with Chihaya.

Chihaya while watching Dr. Harada play realizes that the rest of the team had been cheering her on the whole time during her matches and she realizes that during the matches that she was only thinking of herself and she feels that maybe one of the reasons why she lost. In the end Dr. Harada wins against Sudo but doesn't win the last round so he won't be competing in the eastern qualifier.

Chihaya awhile later gets asked out by some random guy from another school and she doesn't know if she should say yes or not since she's never been asked out before and is afraid it won't happen again. Kana thinks that Chihaya shouldn't go because she doesn't know the guy, Nishida is surprised that she's never been asked out before and Taichi doesn't think it will work out since he hasn't seen her play karuta. Taichi ends up blocking the guys number on Chihaya's phone and she doesn't seem to bothered by it and Kana realizes that Taichi has feelings for Chihaya even though no one else notices it.

Arata is regretting that he ever quit playing karuta in the first place and feels that he isn't playing to the best of his abilities because he took time off. He ends up telling this to a former member of his karuta society who has recently quit due to not feeling like he can ever be a master. The episode ends with everyone going to different Christmas parties and Chihaya having a brief phone call with Arata.

I overall really enjoyed this episode I feel like a lot was covered even though not much really happened. Please tell me your thoughts on this episode.

Anime Review: Chihayafuru: Just as My Beauty Has Faded(1.22)

                               Chihayafuru: Just as My Beauty Has Faded(1.22)Review
In this episode Chihaya has to play her match against Yumi Yamamoto the previous Queen. Before the match had started Chihaya remembered how Yumi was after she won her Queen's match and how all she really remembers from how she played karuta was how she refused to give up and while Chihaya was nervous about playing her she still felt like she could win the match if she controlled the game. Yumi before the match even started seemed pretty discourage and a bit jealous of Chihaya's looks and how she feels it isn't fair that she is only good at karuta when other players have more than one gift.

When the match actually starts Chihaya starts off really careful and she ends up taking pretty much every card and not even making one fault. After watching Yumi play for awhile Chihaya notices that Yumi has loss her passion for playing the game of karuta therefore Chihaya becomes determined to not let Yuli take one card from her. Chihaya begins to play somewhat recklessly and ends up making quite a few faults. While watching class A compete Kana sadly notes that no one inside is listening to the poetry but she is somewhat cheered up by the fact that reader reads the poems so clearly. Tsutomu then tells Kana about how few really great karuta readers there are and how they put in a lot of work to become one.

Yumi's karuta coach ends up opening the window and tries to encourage Yumi to just play her own kind of karuta at first it seems like Yumi will dismiss his advice and just accept defeat but then she remembers that since now she is a challenger again she doesn't have to not play her version of karuta. Yumi then starts to contest any card that is a close call and Chihaya starts to loose her confidence level. Taichi seeing this realizes how much mental strength goes into karuta because after that point Chihaya starts to loose the match. In the end Chihaya ends up loosing her match.

I really loved this episode there was an intense karuta match that dealt with how someone's level of confidence effects how well they play the game.

Anime Review: Chihayafuru: As My Sleeves are Wet with Dew(1.21)

                                Chihayafuru: As My Sleeves are Wet with Dew(1.21)Review
This episode starts off with the end of exams week and it's mentioned that through out that week Chihaya had refrained from mentioning karuta but that afternoon before most of the other members of the club even arrived she was already playing a match with Tsutomu. While reading off the cards for the other four members matches Taichi recites all the cards perfectly from memory alone all the other members save Chihaya who didn't notice this where really shocked by this. After the match Nishida tells Taichi that he shouldn't relay so heavily on his memory while playing karuta because it's both a mental and physical game and Taichi relaying on memory so much ends up hurting him in matches because he's so focused on the words he can't just go for the cards as fast as he wants.

Chihaya is informed that she hasn't failed any of her exams therefore she will be able to compete in the eastern qualifier. At a karuta match for Class A Chihaya before her match meets up with Sudo again and accidently agrees to shave her head if she looses a match before him. Chihaya ends up playing a karuta prodigy named Ririka who's only in sixth grade and is known for her speed. Chihaya since she's trying not to relay on speed while playing karuta ends up not doing too well in the beginning of there match but she starts to catch up once she starts to focus more on her timing. The little girl Ririka is very focus on winning her match but it was also very nice to see that her mother wasn't pushing her but she was glad that karuta was something that made her proud of her big ears which she had been made fun of for having in the past.

Another member of Dr.Harada's society asks him why he took away Chihaya's speed from her so early on since it's her best weapon. In the end Dr. Harada tells Chihaya it's okay for her to use speed and she ends up winning the match and Dr. Harada explains that he wants Chihaya not focus too much on speed because he wants her to have as many weapons as possible at her exposure. The episode ends with Taichi texting Arata about how Chihaya has won her match and how he's going to keep working towards his goal to compete in eastern qualifier and Arata better win the western qualifier for some reason I just really like that those two where communicating.

I overall really enjoyed this episode and how it focused on how one shouldn't just relay on one skill to play the game of karuta because to become the best at the game your going to need all kinds of different skills. Please tell me your thoughts on the episode.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Top 5Thursday: Top 5 Procedurals shows

Top 5 Thursday is a meme that I create to make lists of things involving tv and movies. I would love for anyone that sees this post to make list of their own whether it's in the comment section or on their own blog.
There's a lot of shows out there that are procedurals shows but while most of them are good for a causal viewer few actually become shows in which the audience actually cares about the characters solving the crimes so this list is about the procedurals shows that I feel are worth watching week to week.
1. Psych: This is a show about a guy who pretends to be psych and him along with his best friend solves crimes and it's actually a really funny show. I love this show because it's really very funny and I love all the characters who are so well defined and in all honesty the show is more about the characters then the crimes they solve. This show is lots of fun and there are quite a few episodes were they take a concept and run with it which makes those episodes especially entertaining.
2. White Collar: This is a show about a charming con-artist who works with the FBI as part of an agreement that allows him to stay out of prison. This show is one that I just love a lot because really love the characters and I really enjoy the cases as well that usually end up involving some kind of con and since I love anything involving con-artist I really love this show. Also each season as an over arching plot as well as cases of the week and I find both parts of the show enjoyable.
3. Elementary: This was pretty much my favorite new show of the year and I love it so much because it does such a good job of having character drama and development mixed in with the mystery of the week which are usually really fascinating as well. I really loved seeing how the relationship between Joan and Sherlock developed over the course of the season and how they both developed as characters as well. I liked that even though most crimes were solved by the end of the episode there was also the Moriarty plot and I really loved the twist they made in that plot as well.
4. Grimm: This one it is quite different then the other shows on the list since it combines crime solving and fairytale creatures but I think that the show does this pretty well and I really enjoy seeing the two aspects come together. This show is also quite different because since there's a fantasy element to the series there are some episodes that don't feel like a procedural at all because there also more arc base episodes that deal more with the mythology of the series then any type of crime. I also really like that this series is still fairly character driven as well.
5. Criminal Minds: This is the show that I watch the least on this list but it's not because I don't love it but because this show has been going on for quite a long time now and I haven't been following it since the beginning so I don't watch as much. This show always has really interesting cases and I especially love how the use of profiling works in the series with the team always basically psychoanalyzing the criminal of the week. I also think this show does a good job of letting the audience get to know the main characters without taking away from the case of the week which is a problem with shows like this one usually have.

Monday, August 19, 2013

Top 9 things that make my life as a blogger easier

1. Penmanship Smitten: I just really love the way she talks about things and I really trust her opinion on things completely because we like quite a lot of the same things. She is the reason that I have read both The Fault in Our Stars and Cinder two books which I loved but if it wasn't for her writing about them on her blog I might've skipped over them. I also really love that she is also a big fan of Degrassi which is a favorite show of mine that not a whole lot of people watch or have heard of despite the show being on it's 13th season, this show as a huge cast but her favorite character is Holly J who is also my favorite and her favorite couple is Holly J/Declan which is also mine, in case you haven't guessed all ready this is a rare thing to find in fandom that has as many characters as this one which is one of the reasons I trust her opinion so much. She's also a fan of anime/manga which is something that not a whole lot of people are into and it's because of her post on Chihayafuru that I started watching and reviewing that anime which I am now obsessed with which you may have noticed if you've been to my blog a lot over the past month.
2. TV Tropes: This site is wonderful because it points out all the traits that make up your favorite series and once you started to understand all the tropes it's easy to see which ones are your favorites and find series that have a lot of your favorite tropes chances are you'll end up loving that series. Also since the site has spoilers on it, it gives away a lot more information about things then a generally description would give therefore it's easier to find out what kind of book or show or movie your getting into. This site helps me find new things that I'd like to try out and therefore helps me with my blog because it gives me more things to blog about.
3. Wikapedia: This site as information on everything so it's very helpful for when I'm reviewing something and I need to check out how to spell something that I'm either to lazy to look up in a book or merely heard it in a TV show but I haven't a clue how to spell it. It also helps to read the brief summary on the page so I can remember everything I want to write about in my reviews.
4. Blogger: If it wasn't for this site I wouldn't have a blog because I'm not all that technically savvy so I would have no idea how to make a blog without the template that I get from this site and it's fairly easy to use although I still haven't figured out how to arrange pictures in a square.
5. Sites that allow to watch TV online: Despite what I believe most of my followers want out of my blog I in fact mostly blog about TV shows not books in fact if I had to define myself as just one medium kind of blogger it would be TV. That being said I don't often watch TV shows live because commercials breaks the mood that the show sets which really annoys me( for example watching Teen Wolf on MTV feels really weird since it doesn't really fit in with the rest of it's network so the commercial breaks feel like mood whiplash.). Therefore I need to watch my TV online and since I review a lot of TV shows these sites help a lot with my blogging.
6. Heroine TV: This is a blog that I use to really love and is in fact what inspired me to create a blog of my own which is the reason it makes the list and the only reason I don't love it anymore is because she barely ever updates anymore.
7. The Broke and the Bookish: This site the lovely host of Top Ten Tuesday is the site that keeps me in touch with the book blogging community that is still a bit of a mystery to me despite how many Top Ten Tuesday posts I have written but it seems like it's full of friendly enthusiastic people. This site is also the reason that I got my first comment(and most of the later ones as well) and my first follower(and probably all of my other followers as well although I'm a bit unsure on that point) so I'm really thankful to it because it's because of this meme that I know people actually read my blog.
8. Tumblr: Tumblr is the site that introduced me to a lot of my favorite tv shows such as Doctor Who, Game of Thrones and Community and since I have mentioned all three of these shows on my blog before I think that counts as helping with my blog. Also just being able to look back at some of my favorite scenes in gif form allows me to pick up smaller details I missed while watching the show which will help me talk about those scenes on my blog later on.
9. Barnes and Noble: I don't have a good library therefore I have to buy all of the books I read so and Barnes and Noble is the book store I primarily shop in so being able to actually buy books obviously makes my life a lot easier because without a books I can't read or review books which is something that I try to do somewhat regularly on my blog. I also just generally love the store because it has a decent selection of books and actually going into the store allows me to pick up books I wouldn't have found if I was buying books online.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

TV Review: Teen Wolf: Alpha Pact(3.11)

                                              Teen Wolf: Alpha Pact(3.11)Review
  • I liked how this episode seemed to start only a few minutes after the last one which added to the frantic atmosphere of this episode with everyone needing to get away from the hospital fast.
  • I found it kind of funny that Isaac brought up that the last time that Peter saw the Argents was the night they killed him and that Peter fled right as he said this.
  • I liked the concerned expressions on Alison' s and Isaac's faces when they heard that Scott wasn't coming with them, I just loved seeing how much those two cared about him.
  • I really disliked that FBI agent that talked to Stiles about everything that was going on especially since in their first conversation he assumed that Stiles dad had been drinking which is just an asshole thing to assume.
  •  I really liked how Mr. Argent kept telling Stiles not to give up hope because he saw that he pretty much had and Mr. Argent was pretty determined to make sure that he could make things turn out alright.
  • I loved how Isaac questioned what Derek has been doing all long and pointed out how when people like Scott and Stiles were trying to prevent killings Derek had been sleeping with the killer. I also loved that Isaac asked Derek why he even bothered turning him, Erica and Boyd in the first place, I always really loved how emotional he was in this scene.
  • I loved that Isaac decided that he couldn't just wait around for something to happen and then went to the Argents to see in what way he can help.
  • I kind of liked how Peter mentioned that Isaac is switching his loyalties from Derek to Scott because he's been doing that since the end of season two so I liked that it was stated in this episode.
  • I really liked how during the scene where the Argents bring out all their weapons Stiles is kind of in awe of it since he thought they were retired and I like that Mr. Argent replied that they weren't defenseless.
  • I liked that it was said that Scott teaming up with the alphas wasn't something that was exactly wrong of him but something he felt like was his only option because that's something that I believed was true.
  • I really liked the scene between Lydia and her mom when Lydia said that she didn't want to cover up her bruised because surviving someone trying to kill her is nothing to be ashamed of, I especially loved that part because in seasons one and two she would've covered it up but now she sees no reason to.
  • I find it interesting how Lydia remembered that Miss. Blake seemed to surprised that she was a banshee so that there must have been another reason that she tried to kill her.
  • I found the scene where Mr. Argent gave himself up to be sacrificed after making sure that neither Alison or Isaac could interfere to be pretty heartbreaking especially seeing Alison being powerless to save her dad even though she's only a few feet away from him.
  • I liked the moment that Alison and Isaac shared after her dad was taken when she said their all going to die and Isaac tried to make sure she held onto hope while held her and gave her a bit of emotional support.
  • I really liked how once Mr. Argent woke up that Melissa and Sheriff Stilinski kept pointing out that Miss. Blake had took all of his knives while he was out.
  • I found it sad how Sheriff Stilinski recounted how on the night of his death he stayed with a dying girl who told him that he must be with his wife and how he stayed because he didn't believe her. I also found it sad that Stiles was alone with his mom when she died.
  • I liked how when Stiles was having his panic attack that Lydia was trying to everything she could to calm him down and I just loved seeing the concern that she had for him in that scene.
  • I loved that Lydia kissed Stiles to calm him down and I loved that it worked and I loved how Stiles seemed to be in awe of what happened afterward and I loved how Lydia tried to awkwardly explain it away as a way to stop a panic attack and I loved that Stiles said that was smart of her. I just really loved that whole scene it was great and I loved that they kissed because I've shipped them since season one and I loved it was clear that they both felt something with the kiss.
  • I liked that after the kiss that Stiles remembered that it was mentioned earlier that Ms. Morrell might know something. I liked that by going through Lydia's drawings of the trees she drew a bunch all season that they figured out that she wasn't drawing a tree but the nemeton were Miss. Blake will be preforming her last sacrifice.
  • I thought it was a pretty awkward moment for Lydia when she went over to Derek's and came face to face with Peter again.
  • I thought it was pretty annoying how Peter and Derek had both had their memories wiped of the place they needed to find.
  • I like how Scott seems to be question Deucalion about how many people he was willing to hurt and I like that it seems like Scott still has a choice to join or leave at this point.
  • I was really impressed by Ms. Morrell's ability to make a circle of mountain ash by just throwing it in the air.
  • I liked how it was revealed that Ms. Morrell sent the girl to save Isaac at the beginning of the season and I liked how she tried to convince all the members of Deucalion's pack to leave him not just Scott because she gave them all good reasons to.
  • I liked that when Ms. Morrell was injured that Scott rushed to her right a way and promised that he wouldn't let them kill her, I just loved seeing how Scott's compassion for others doesn't change despite him being in a pretty dangerous situation for showing it.
  • I really hope that Ms. Morrell hasn't died but it's unclear at the moment if she survived her injury.
  • I liked that Derek gave up his alpha powers in order to save Cora's life that was good of him.
  • I find it kind of scary that the way to find the location of their parents is for Scott, Stiles and Alison to temporarily die and be a sort of surrogate sacrifice for their parents and Deaton kind of implies that the back to life part may not happen.
  • I liked that when Deaton mentioned that one of the consequences to doing this was that all sorts of different supernaturals will be drawn to Beacon Hills and that Stiles replied that doesn't seem worse then anything else they've encounter so far.
  • I find it interesting that the other consequence is an emotional one since in most series like this that isn't something that is focused on.
  • I liked how Stiles, Alison and Scott all explained about the object of their parents that had meaning, I just really liked that scene.
  • I liked how it was mentioned that the person that held the person down in the water had to be someone who the person had a strong emotional connection with.
  • I liked the moment Alison and Lydia shared when they thought Lydia would be Alison's person it was a sweet friendship moment.
  • I really liked how Deaton said that Lydia would go with Stiles because well I really like those to having an emotional connection.
  • I liked that although Scott was a bit hurt by being able to tell that Alison and Isaac had developed a connection he also said it was fine, I just loved how maturely he handle that situation.
  • I was surprised by the reveal that the FBI agent from earlier in the episode was Scott's dad and well Scott seemed pretty freaked out about hearing that news as well.
  • I overall really loved this episode and it's getting me really excited for the midseason finale.
Please tell me your thoughts on this episode.

Friday, August 16, 2013

Book Review: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

                                                         Prince Caspian Review
In this book Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie are brought back to Narnia after a year in their world by the sound of Susan's old horn blown by Prince Caspian. It has been a thousand years in Narnia time since the time in which the Pevensies have ruled and during that time period Narnia had been taken over by Telmarines who think of things like talking animals and Aslan to be fairytales which is of course isn't a good thing for the animals of Narnia. Prince Caspian is the rightful heir to the Narnian throne but his uncle Miraz ended up stealing the throne from his father and once he had an heir he planned to kill Caspian but he escape and since he believed in the tales of old Narnia he became those peoples king.

After the Pevensies hear Caspian's tale from the dwarf Trumpkin they all go to Caspian's camp in order to help him win the throne. On the way the group gets lost in the forest while by a cliff Lucy sees Aslan  who wants them to follow him but no one else could see him and no one other then Edmund(who was trying to make up for how he treated her on their first trip to Narnia) believed that Lucy had seen him either. Eventually Lucy convinces them all to follow Alsan and they all eventually see him and he had led them to Caspian.

Miraz ends up getting defeated by Peter in single combat and then Caspian is made king by Aslan and all the old Narnian creatures are free once more and the Telmarines who wished to stay could and the ones who wish to not leave under Caspian's rule are sent into the world in which the Pevensies are from. Pevensies are returned to their world after Peter and Susan are told they are never to return. I overall really enjoyed this book and I really loved having another story with the Pevensies as the main characters. Please tell me your thoughts on this book.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Top 5 Thursday: Top 5 Main Characters

Top 5 Thursday is a meme that I create to make lists of things involving tv and movies. I would love for anyone that sees this post to make list of their own whether it's in the comment section or on their own blog.
This week's topic is main characters because I often find that the main characters in most series aren't usually my favorite so I get really happy whenever I love a main character a lot.
1. Tohru Honda(Fruits Basket): Tohru is a character that I love because of the kindness that she extends to everyone and I love that she accepts everyone as they are. She always seems to be able to try and see things from other people's point of view which enables her to give pretty good advice on a situation without even really trying. I love that while she has her own pain she always seems to put other people first and I love that she learned through out the series that she should let herself worry about her own wants and needs sometimes. I just overall really love Tohru's positive attitude.
2. Percy Jackson(Percy Jackson and the Olympians): Percy is a character that I love for being someone who is very heroic with how he has this undying loyalty to those that he cares about and he always does try to do the right thing. I also really love that he's pretty sarcastic as well and I just really love how personality his character seems to have.
3. Syaoran(Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle): I really love Syaoran because he can be so sweet an awkward one moment and then the next he can be brave and determined. I've always really loved this character he is just completely lovable in my opinion and I also find him quite interesting as well with how he tends to never mention anything of his own suffering even when he probably should and how tends to push himself past his limit at times.
4. Sakura Kinomoto(Cardcaptor Sakura): Sakura is a character I love because she's a sweet caring girl who is also very powerful as well. I love Sakura because she spreads kindness to all and she almost always finds a reason to be happy which is something that I enjoy in a character. I also love that while Sakura is just naturally powerful when it comes to magic she's also able to think quite inventively when she is capturing the clow cards.
5. Merlin(Merlin): Merlin is a character that I love so much with how he starts off the show with this optimistic attitude with wanting to use is powers to save people all the time. I love that he's so loyal but I think that this trait pretty much ended up destroying his life because of his loyalty to Arthur he never tried to really make sure that magic became legal again and then he wouldn't have to always pretend to be less than he is. I love that Merlin doesn't seem grasp his own value with how he never thinks twice about sacrificing himself although this is a trait that also saddens me. I also find it interesting that his character pretty much developed in a negative way rather than a positive way with becoming someone who is more ruthless and giving up on his pretty much life long dream of having magic be legal, I find this interesting because it's not something that is usually seen in main characters.

Honorable Mentions:Emily Thorne(Revenge)and Shinji Ikari(Neon Genesis Evangelion)

Monday, August 12, 2013

Top 10 Books set in Schools

1. Gallagher Girls: I love this fun action series that is set in a boarding school for teenage girl who are training to be spies. I feel that the school makes the books what they are with there assignments being used to further their own off the books investigations and the spy training is something that is very much ingrained in all of the main characters. I love all the books of this series I have read so far it's a series that can be a lot of fun but there are also shocking plot twists and real danger in the series as well.
2. Rosario+ Vampire: This is a series that I love a lot about an extremely average human boy who accidently finds himself going to a school for monsters. This series is one that starts off pretty humorous but as the series goes on it's clear that the series has a lot of heart and it also takes several dark turns at times as well.
3. Looking for Alaska: This is a lovely coming of age story about a boy named Pudge coming out of his shell a bit and making some friends that change his perspective on life. This book also deals with loss quite brilliantly and I really love the way that it is written and I really love the messages that come from this book in the end.
4. Secret Circle: This is a story about witches and high school basically and I really love that this series mixes the mean girls of high school with the fantastical element of magic. I love that magic in this series is used for petty things because that's the type of stuff real teenagers would do if they had magic. There's also some intriguing darker plots that develop as the series goes on that I enjoyed as well.
5. Gakuen Alice: This series is about a boarding school for people who have special abilities called Alices. This series actually has a good plot that can get surprisingly dark considering how old the main characters are. I really love the characters and the relationships in this series as well.
6. Shugo Chara: This series is a magical girl series that is set in high school and is about finding your true self. I love the magical girl genre in general and I especially love the characters in this one.
7. Hex Hall: This is a series about a boarding school for faries, shape shifters and witches, the series is great fun but it's also has a really intriguing plot as well and has more twists to the story then I was expecting. I also really love the friendship between Sophie and Jenna a whole lot.
8. The Lying Game: This is a series that is about an incredible cruel clique and a girl who is impersonating her dead twin while she tries to figure out who murdered her because her twin has a lot of enemies this makes the task very difficult.
9. Fruits Basket: This is my favorite series of all time and there's quite a bit of time spent in school in the series but a lot of time is spent in other places as well which is why the series is so low.
10. Cardcaptor Sakura: This is my favorite magical girl series lots of time spent in school but also other places but it's a great series either way.

Sunday, August 11, 2013

TV Review: Teen Wolf: The Overlooked(3.10)

                                           Teen Wolf: The Overlooked(3.10)Review
  • I liked how Scott and Stiles beat Jenifer to Derek's and had already told him the truth before she got there and that they were able to reveal her real face to Derek.
  • I found it smart that Jenifer did everything to inure that Derek, Scott and Stiles would need her alive so that she could get them to protect her from the alpha pack.
  • I really liked Dylan O'Brien's acting through out the episode because it was very clear that he was worried about his dead but at the same time it was very subtle as well which is a rare combination and I always appreciate that kind of acting.
  • I liked that when Melissa saw Peter she said he was suppose to be dead and he replies that he gets that a lot.
  • I liked that when Scott and Derek were fighting the twins Stiles saw a chance to sneak over to Cora and get her out of harms way and that he motioned Peter to help him that.
  • I liked that when Scott was fighting the twins he addressed them by name and tried to convince them to stop fighting him.
  • I liked that when Alison found out that Isaac was planning on going to the hospital she gave her dad a look that meant they should go with him which got him to offer to drive Isaac there.
  • I liked when Melissa saw Deucalion she knew that he was the bad guy right away.
  • I liked how it was brought out in the open in this episode that the alpha pack was interested in Scott because he is a true alpha.
  • I really enjoyed the speech Stiles gave to an unconscious Cora about how he use to be the one who came up with the plans or least had a plan b and how she might be right maybe all they do is find dead bodies but he really doesn't want to find his dad's. It was very well acted and sad speech.
  • I think that Jenifer does have true feelings for Derek because of all their scenes in the elevator and how she kept trying to get him to understand her.
  • I was really surprised to learn that Jenifer who's real name is Julia was the emissary of Kali's old pack and that the reason she's still alive is because she wanted her to die peaceful. I also find it interesting that Kali only join the alpha pack to be with Ennis.
  • I find it interesting and kind of twisted that Derek's killing of Paige is what kept Jenifer alive long enough to be found.
  • I get why Jenifer thinks that destroying the alpha pack is something she has to do but I still think it's still evil of her to sacrifice innocent people in order to destroy them.
  • I find it interesting that the lunar eclipse makes it so the werewolves loose their powers.
  • I liked how Scott was saved by his mom when he was fighting the twins with that thing that restarts a heart.
  • I found it funny when they were trying to explain who the darach was that Isaac called Jennifer hot even though there discussing how she's evil.
  • I really loved the plan were Alison pretends to be Jenifer and then once out front of the hospital she got out her bow and arrows and started shooting with back up from her dad.
  • I found it pretty sad when Stiles looked at the bottom of the paper and saw the parent or guardian and clicked in his head that guardian was in parent not law enforcement like he originally thought. I also liked how Stiles ran after Scott and was right behind him when Scott came to that same realization.
  • I liked that Isaac didn't want to leave without Scott and he only ended up leaving when Peter said if they didn't the Argents would die.
  • The second to last scene completely broke my heart with Scott realizing that his mom has been taken the look on his face is completely devastating and it's made even worse when Deucalion tells him that he can save both his mom and Stiles dad and Scott just feels he has no other choice at this point.
  • The second to last scene becomes even sadder when Stiles arrives and tells Scott not to do this that they can come up with another plan but with what he said earlier in the episode he probably knows this isn't true and he just really doesn't want to loose his best friend.
  • I'm glad that for the time being that Melissa and Sheriff Stilinski are still alive and I hope that they'll stay that way.
Please tell me your thoughts on this episode.

Saturday, August 10, 2013

TV Review: Teen Wolf: The Girl Who Knew Too Much(3.09)

                            Teen Wolf: The Girl Who Knew Too Much(3.09)Review
  • I found the opening scene with the deputy where she goes after what looks like a body but is actually just a trick from the darach was a really frightening scene.
  • I liked that after Lydia showed up at the school randomly that she called Stiles, Alison and Scott so that they could find the dead body because she wants to be done with that. I also enjoyed the little argument that Lydia and Stiles had about who should find the body.
  • I liked how when Jenifer comments she had no idea that Lydia had so many hidden talents that Lydia replies that neither did any of the guys she date, it just made me laugh.
  • I liked that during Scott and Stiles conversation about trying to get Ethan  alone so that Scott could talk to him about their emissary that Stiles mentions how weird it is that the words their using in the conversation actually makes perfect sense to him.
  • I liked that Ethan wants to keep seeing Danny despite the fact that his brother is very against those two continuing to talk.
  • I like that it seemed like the only reason that Lydia met up with Aiden is in order to distract him and I like that the whole him helping to kill Boyd pretty much turned her off of him.
  • I find it interesting and a bit sad that Ethan and Aiden were originally omegas to a pack of extremely violent werewolves and that they since Deucalion taught them to control their special power and helped them learn how to kill their pack they owe the alpha pack a lot.
  • I thought it was kind of sweet in a messed up way that Cora went after Aiden to avenge Boyd's death.
  • I liked that Isaac checked up on Alison for Scott when she didn't show up for school and I liked that when Alison said she could take care of herself  he said he's notice that several times.
  • I liked how Alison showed Isaac her dad's map and from Isaac looking at the map from far away Alison noticed that there was something under the map which listed the groups that will be sacrificed and the only two left were guardians and philosophers.
  • I found it sad that it was so easy for Alison to suspect that her father was the one doing the sacrificial killings.
  • I liked that once Alison thought that the group that was being killed off was guardians that she called Stiles because she assumed that meant a type of law enforcement and I liked that this convinced Stiles that he should tell his dad the truth.
  • I liked how nervous Stiles was about telling his dad the truth and how he couldn't quite find the right way to tell him what he wanted to.
  • I liked that when Lydia noticed that the teacher was missing that she did her best convince everyone that she knew something and that she was something although it didn't really work.
  • I find it interesting that Deucalion's plans for Scott is to either have him in his pack as a true alpha or to turn him into a killer and I like that Scott is determined to not let either of those things happen.
  • I like that it seems like Ms.Morrell despite the fact that she is working for the alphas is trying to make sure that Scott and his friends stay safe.
  • I enjoyed the brief scene between Derek and Jenifer I really enjoy those two together.
  • I felt bad for Stiles with how he wasn't able to make his dad believe what he was saying once he told him although I can understand why it would be hard for Sheriff Stilinski to actually believe the things that he is telling him.
  • I liked that when Alison and Isaac arrived at the place where the teacher was to be killed that Isaac thought that maybe they should call Scott.
  • I was glad to learn that Mr. Argent is trying to prevent the sacrifice killings but I agree with Alison he has been keeping a lot of lies from her.
  • I liked the scene between Ethan and Danny where Ethan fixes Danny's tie and tells him to find him if anything goes wrong that night.
  • I like that Lydia wants to try and embrace whatever her abilities are instead of fit it because she wants to show up at the scene before the people are dead and I liked that Scott promises if she gives him that time he'll do what he can to save the people.
  • I'm curious about why Cora doesn't seem to be healing.
  • I was pretty surprised to find out that Jennifer was the darach because she always seemed so innocent and nervous but she was quite different when she had Lydia tied up.
  • I found it interesting that Lydia was only being killed for knowing too much and I found it interesting that she sees the sacrifices as necessary for some reason.
  • I find it interesting that the thing that Lydia is, is a banshee and I wonder what that exactly means in this series.
  • I was surprised by Sheriff Stilinksi showing up after having figured out that she was the one behind the killings and while I'm extremely worried about him at the moment I'm glad that he at least seemed to now know the truth about the supernatural stuff.
  • I thought it must have been terrifying for Stiles to be locked out of the class room with the darach going after his dad, Scott and Lydia while he was powerless to do anything but watch.
  • I'm really worried that Sheriff Stilinski might be killed and I really hope he's not.
Please tell me your thoughts on this episode.

TV Review: Teen Wolf: Visionary(3.08)

                                                Teen Wolf: Visionary(3.08)Review
  • This episode was a pretty different in format as it was mostly told through flashback in the time when Derek was a teenager and before the alpha pack has formed.
  • I really liked how Stiles listed all the reasons that he cares about what is going on and I like that because it seems like everything is centered on Derek that Stiles thinks that Derek should be the one to do something to stop all the recent killings.
  • The romance between Derek and Paige was sweet but I didn't find it all that interesting overall.
  • I liked how Alison brought Scott to help her get Gerard to tell her what he knows about Deucalion and I liked that the thing that Gerard wanted was to only take his pain away but at the same time I disliked that Gerard got to have his pain taken away after all the horrible things he has done.
  • I find it interesting that there was a time not that long ago that the alphas weren't there own pack and that they all met together and at that time Deucalion was someone who believed very much that there could be peace between the hunter and the werewolves.
  • I find it interesting that Deucalion and Derek's mom Talia seemed to be close before he was blinded.
  • I found it interesting how the relationship between the werewolves and the druids work with how the people who are emissaries like Deaton and Ms. Morrell, with how they give advice to the alpha of each pack. I also liked how Stiles reacted to hearing that Ms. Morrell is the emissary for the alpha pack.
  • I thought it was rather awful and manipulative that Peter convinced Derek that he needed to turn Paige because otherwise she would leave him, I also loved seeing how manipulative both back then and as he was telling the story making himself look like a good guy.
  • I hated that Gerard when he met with Deucalion's pack for peace decided to just kill a bunch a people to show that peace didn't work and I hated how he lied to Scott and Alison and said that the wolves attacked first.
  • I thought it was especially cruel that Gerard blinded Deucalion right after he made his last plea for peace and I find it scary that Deucalion can see when he's a wolf and that the reason it seems he became the way he is, is because of the incident with Gerard his own pack turned on him and then he killed them all.
  • I thought it was sad that the bite ended up killing Paige and that Derek had to mercy kill her. I also found it interesting that blue glowing eyes mean that the werewolf has killed an innocent.
  • I loved how after Gerard's tale Scott tells him that he thinks he's lying and that if his lies get anyone hurt that he's going to take a lot more than pain away from Gerard.
  • I liked that Stiles didn't believe that Peter was telling the truth with the story he told either.
Please tell me your thoughts on this episode.

Friday, August 9, 2013

Book Review: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Horse and His Boy

                                               The Horse and His Boy Review
This story takes place entirely in the world of Narnia and is set during the reign of the Pevensies. The story starts off in the southern country of the Calormenes which is a country that is desert like, there's lots of slavery and none of the animals talk in this country lives a boy named Shasta. Shasta has been raised all his life by a fisherman that isn't his father and who treats him more like a worker than a son and is planning to sell him to a Calormene noble man who is known to be cruel to those he owns but before this happens Shasta meets a talking horse named Bree who is from Narnia and he talks Shasta into helping him escape to Narnia where they would both be free.

Along the way to Narnia Shasta and Bree encounter Aravis and Hwin, Aravis is a girl from a noble Calormene family who has ran away from home after being told she will be forced to marry a man who is much older than her and Hwin is another talking Narnian horse who gave Aravis the idea of going to Narnia instead of killing herself to get out of the marriage. The group travels without much happening until they get to the city of Tashbaan where Shasta is mistaken as Archenland's Prince Corrin. While pretending to be Corrin Shasta overhears the story about how Queen Susan of Narnia doesn't want to marry Prince Rabadash but doesn't think he'd take no for an answer so the people from Narnia come up with a plan to escape before the Calormene's would notice. Later that night Prince Corrin returns and Shasta leaves to meet up with Bree, Aravis and Hwin.

While Shasta was being mistaken for being Corrin, Aravis sees a girl named Lasaraleen who she had been friends with when she was young and she has her help with sneaking her out of Tashbaan. When trying to escape Tashbaan Aravis overhears Prince Rabadash's plans to attack Narnia and Archenland because he wants to have Susan as his wife no matter how impractical it is for the Calormene's to attack Narnia.

Shasta, Aravis, Bree and Hwin travel across the desert that separates the southern and northern countries. In the end Shasta was able to inform Archenland's king of the Calormene's attack before it happened and he got word to Narnians before the attack as well so therefore Prince Rabadash's attacks where unsuccessful. In the end it's discovered that Shasta is Prince Corrin's twin and his real name is Cor and he along with Aravis are invited to live in Arachenland's palace and Bree and Hwin are able to go back to their original homes as well.

I overall enjoyed this book but it has quite a different feel to it than the other two Narnia books I've read so far because it deals a lot with a country that's in Narnia's world but isn't Narnia and it has a very different culture. I really enjoyed the main characters of this story and I liked that most of them seemed to grow over the course of the story. Please tell me your thoughts on this book.

Anime Review: Chihayafuru:The Cresting Waves Almost Look Like Clouds in the Skies(1.20)

     Chihayafuru: The Cresting Waves Almost Look Like Clouds in the Skies(1.20)Review
In this episode Chihaya is informed that she can't go to the last tournament for class A and B players before the Queen/Master tournament because it's the day before the first day of exams week and the karuta advisor gets Tsutomu to be her tutor. Nishida is also not going to the tournament because he also needs to study for exams but Taichi is. The day of the match while studying Chihaya ends up sneaking away from studying in order to cheer Taichi on and ends up heading over to the tournament.

At the tournament Taichi does well in his first two matches but between the second and third round he learns that Arata is at the tournament, the two of them do talk for a bit between matches and Arata mentions that he thought that Taichi would've been playing in class A(since the official karuta rules state that if you come in second in two tournaments you advance to class A but Dr. Harada's karuta society doesn't do that). Taichi ends up loosing in his third match and it's pretty clear that he ended up loosing almost all confidence in himself after seeing Arata especially since he gave Taichi his phone number to give to Chihaya. When Chihaya arrives at the tournament Taichi tells her he lost and that Arata is there then Chihaya goes to see Arata play.

While watching Arata play his match Chihaya is overcome with joy that he's back to playing karuta and when she tells Taichi "It Happened." he realizes even though there was a part of him that really didn't want to see Arata come back there was a another part of him deep down that was just as happy as Chihaya that Arata come back. Arata actually ends up loosing his match although his opponent says that it's pure luck that he won. After the match Arata meets briefly with Chihaya and Taichi but Chihaya is soon dragged away by Kana who came to support Taichi and is now dragging Chihaya away to study. Before Arata leaves Taichi gives back the phone number because he thinks that Arata should be the one to decide if Chihaya should have it and then Arata admits that he wasn't sure that he should give it to her because he thought she and Taichi might be together, Taichi tells him they aren't.

In the end Chihaya is taken back to studying and Tsutomu tells her that Taichi makes sure that his number in the class because if he wasn't he couldn't play karuta anymore and Tsutomu tells her that she needs to also do what she has before she can do what she wants to. Dr. Harada gives Taichi the option to advance to class A but Taichi doesn't take it because he's more focus on not running away then making class A.

I loved this episode it had a good lesson on responsibility for Chihaya, it showed how far Taichi has come over the course of the show and it showed Arata's return to karuta. Please tell me your thoughts on this episode.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Anime Review: Chihayafuru: As the Years Pass(1.19)

                                      Chihayafuru: As the Years Pass(1.19)Review
This episode starts off during the same matches that the last episode ended on. In Kana and Tsutomu's match Tsutomu is behind because he has two faults where Kana has none and he doesn't seem to be able to make up for his fault since he and Kana are at about the same level in speed. Tsutomu after realizing he's making even more mistakes then just faults tries a risky strategy of putting all of his remaining cards together this works okay for awhile but in the end Kana is able to win the match and realizes that she was able to go directly for Chihaya's favorite card. Kana wins the match and Tsutomu congratulates her and she is very moved that she was able to win.

After Kana and Tsutomu's match is over Chihaya looks over to Taichi and Nishida's match and is shocked to discover that they both only have one card left. When there's only one card left in a game of karuta it is called luck of the draw because the players generally just guard their own card and it's down to which card is read first. Taichi tries to increase his odds of winning by actually going for the cards that sounded similar to Nishida's remaining card and he ends up thinking about how he wished he had Chihaya's skill of being able to hear certain cards before they are even read. In the end Nishida ends up winning the match.

After the match is done Taichi says something that implies that Nishida won because if luck but once he's thinking over the match when he's alone he tells himself that it wasn't luck and that Nishida won because he defend his cards better then he did. When Nishida comes off and sits by Taichi, Taichi apologizes and Nishida tells him that he's glad that he's the president of the karuta club and he wants to keep playing karuta with him also he likes that Taichi actually calls him by his name.

On the way back home from the match Chihaya after hearing that Nishida dislikes how she calls him and Tsutomu but weird nicknames keeps trying to call them by their real names but it comes off as strange and Nishida realizes that she over heard him but Nishida tells him that just who she is so it'd be weird if she stopped acting like that. Also when discussing her match Kana mentions how she didn't feel any pressure to win but only to play karuta the way she liked to best because she was playing against Tsutomu. Chihaya after realizing that her and Taichi always feel pressure says that she'd like to play karuta as a team again.

I really enjoyed this episode the matches felt very intense to me especially since they were against members of the karuta club. Please tell me your thoughts on this episode.