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Thanks brah!

Oh my gosh! I almost forgot to tell you about SAKASAMA NO PATEMA! It's a movie that's coming out next month and it's god a really interesting concept. They released a 4-part special (6 minutes each) as a preview. You should check it out, I really think you'd like it! Such beautiful animation :D Here's the link to the first part:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOeFvOYEP3o

Keep watching user SepiaFlow's uploads, since they're much better quality then the others.

Now it's time for bed. Seriously. Night David!

Can you recommend me some good K-POP? I'm curious, but it's a pretty big world of music and I don't know where to start.

I'm in the same boat as you right now. School, work, and people have engulfed my anime time. But luckily school is pretty easy and work is where I do a considerable amount of my studying for school. That just leaves me with the people. The non-anime people. Ugh, nobody I know watches anime, so I mostly watch on weekends and mornings if I wake up freakishly early (or nights if I sleep in freakishly late). Oh well. It's probably not good for me to sit in front of a computer for hours at a time like that anyway.

That dak galbi sounds really tasty! Talking to you always makes me want to cook Asian food, which I've been neglecting for a while. So, being in Korea and eating a lot of Korean food, do you feel like you miss regular American food? Is it easy to find? I remember in Japan, there certainly weren't many places selling burgers and fries, but that didn't bother me too much. But I can imagine that after a while it would kind of get to you. Has it? Or are you just super happy to be surrounded by awesome Korean food all the time?

My friends and I went to a pumpkin festival last week, and now I am just ALL ABOUT PUMPKINS! The cooking pumpkins there were like $0.99 each, so I bought like 8 of them (my roommate just got a new boyfriend so we've been sort of using him to carry heavy things for us. That's not evil, is it?) I've been cooking and eating so many pumpkin dishes, I fear I may turn orange soon. Tonight I cooked pumpkin, coconut, lime, curry soup in my crockpot. Yesterday I made pumpkin pie milkshakes. The day before that it was pumpkin chicken. Also, pumpkin rice, bread, pancakes, cheese cake, and finally pumpkin butter (which I messed up and it turned into yuck). It's been very enjoyable :)

Ooohh coffee festival sounds awesome! But I think that's because I'm slowly turning into a coffee addict. !!!!! I just got an idea! Pumpkin coffee! Pumpkin latte! Probably don't have/can't afford the equipment for that. Anyway, how was the coffee festival?

Have you learned a lot of Korean? Do you ever miss America. Not just the food, but just being in a familiar country? I bet you don't miss internet speed here...

I gave up on ATTACK ON TITAN because, well, it did get really stupid. It had such a good beginning, but then it, ugh, I don't even know. I had the assumption that people got hooked early on and couldn't give up and talked highly of it regardless. If you say it gets good again, then I'll definitely finish it. I just have to try to remember where I left off.

I just finished watching NATSUME YUUJIINCHOU SHI, which is the 4th a final season of that show. I think we've talked about it before but I'm not sure if you've seen it or not. It's a very good show, and each season get better by a lot. Like, the 4th season was so good I gave it a 10. I don't do that often, but it earned it. Any show that nearly brings me to tears gets a 10.

Right now I'm watching SPICE AND WOLF, mostly because it comes so highly recommended here and everywhere. So far it's pretty good, but I'm not seeing where all the glorious hype is coming from. Can't judge it until I finish it though. Just like CHIHAYAFURU. I really need to finish that one as well. Also trying KOTOURA-SAN yet again. I can't give up on that show. I don't know why. I've attempted to watch it like 3 times now, but this time I mean business. It always sticks out in my mind for whatever reason. Like, the theme will get into my head and then I'll think about how the show was actually pretty good and I'll wonder why I stopped. Not many shows do that to me, it's almost like watching it was meant to be or something.

I haven't tried the RAILGUN series, but it's on the list. What is the best order to watch them in?

I'm still in NYC, which is always nice. It feels like home when I'm completely lost in a sea of people. Nobody looks at me, nobody bothers me, and I have so many places I can go if I ever get bored. And so many people to meet if I feel social. It's beautiful to have all these choices. But there are a lot of crazy people. I'm sure you understand.

School is pretty easy. I'm taking my first pharmacology course, which is interesting, mostly because of the students. I'm in class with some med students, some nursing students, chemistry students, and some pharmacy students. There are also a lot of people who seem to be there only to learn how to make drugs. The guy I sit next to keeps telling me about how he wants to cook MDMA (extacy) because he says stuff on the streets is unpure and expensive. I thought he was joking, but he really seems to mean business. Of course, he watched Breaking Bad and that seems to be the underlying reason he wants to go into this field of study. There are actually lots of kids in this class who are druggies. I overhear them getting into long, heated debates about how to properly synthesize LSD or how to extract morphine from poppy plants or which variety of marijuana plant has the most N-arachidonosomethingsomething. Then there are the future doctors talking about how drunk they got the night before and how they vomited all over that girl's couch after breaking her lamp while having a lightsaber battle. Scary. One day that guy will be a doctor. How unpleasant...

KYOUKAI NO KANATA has been great so far! I shouldn't be surprised you're watching it too, but I was. I've only watched the first episode, but I am quite intrigued. The characters are very well fleshed-out and the whole fantasy-ish element is cool. It reminds me a lot of KOKORO CONNECT in the character design and animation. The next episode is out, isn't it? I should get on that.

Oh goodness, I've written a lot. Time for bed! Or the next episode of KYOUKAI NO KANATA. Or some pumpkin muffins.

Take care, and 좋은 밤 되세요!

Hey David! How's Korea?

I tried CHIHAYAFURU but just couldn't get into it, even after 10 episodes. I'll give it a shot another time, because apparently it has a lot of potential!

The last anime I watched was KEMONO NO SOUJA ERIN which was AMAZING. It took a while for me to finish it, but...wow, it was so great. The art style resembles a watercolor painting on acid and the characters are so amazing. You get so attached to everyone and it's very beautiful. I can't recommend this enough!

Hope all is well!

Ohh you live in Sacramento? Whenever I was shopping down there I loved eating at freshchoice, but those days are sadly in the past now ;_; had to close down one of the only restaurants I go to *sniff sniff* Do you know any other places to eat that are like freshchoice? Chipotle is one place I've found.

안녕하세요 David!

I will respond to you now because I have nothing else to do. It's that boring half of summer. You know, after you've done everything you've wanted to do, and now you're just sitting around with nothing. It's nice in a way, but on the other hand, it's really boring. Well, actually, your summer hasn't even started getting cool yet. You're going to South Korea! That's so exciting! I hope you enjoy it and have a safe trip. I do hear they have the best food over there, and the fastest internet, and a lot of things are in English, and the people are nice and welcoming, and the bars and food are cheap, and the weather is a little humid yet mostly nice, and... wow, Korea sounds like an awesome place. Are you getting a job there?

Actually I'm going for a job interview tomorrow at a hospital pharmacy in my area. They pay pretty well. Well, at least more than the retail pharmacy I was working at in NYC. Actually, it evens out if you don't take into account the cost of living expenses, but it's a small town so proportionally it's a lot more. Whatever though. I need to save money for next semester in school so I can buy more ingredients to cook more delicious food when I'm on my own again.

I have an idea about the DBZ reference, but I have not personally experienced it. There are just soooooo many episodes and it's probably something I wouldn't like anyway. From the way it looks, it seems most people that like DBZ started watching it when they were younger, since it's been out forever!

I'm very excited to watch the rest of Attack on Titan, even if it does end up dragging on a lot. So far, it's really been great. The character development is outstanding, and so far it hasn't been too overly predictable. KOTONOHA NO NIWA (I'm gonna start capitalizing anime titles now, like you do, because they're easier to pick out in a paragraph) was beautiful. I did kinda notice the foot closeups and it did make me wonder a little.

SHINSEKAI YORI really isn't for everyone, and I don't blame you for not completing it. The art's pretty unusual and the story gets deeply disturbing farther into the show, but it's good if you're like me and need to balance out lighthearted happy shows with horrifically unsettling ones. I'd still suggest it, just because it does change quite a bit, so the 2 episodes you watched are much different from the rest of the show. And it's high on MAL's list for a good reason.

I actually started watching SHINSEKAI YORI simply because of the cover art. You've seen it. It's just a bunch of happy looking kids in the sky, everything's blue and all positive looking! So I thought it would be a happy show. I was wrong.

You have revealed too much, but I don't look down on you for it. SORA NO WOTO is an adorable show with adorable characters. And yes, I'm glad it's not a haram too! Ugh, I'm so sick of high school kids in anime these days. I mean, I'm sure that'll change once I find a good one, but as for now, no. That's kinda why I've been choosing anime that doesn't center around high school life.

My next anime will be MUGEN NO RYVIUS, because I've been wanting another good sci-fi anime (that's not set in a high school). Waterfalls, the other user I've been talking to, suggested it, and so far he's been pretty on point with the recommendations (as you have been as well!) Speaking of things you recommended, I might pick up KOTOURA-SAN again, just because I'll need a nice, happy, and lighthearted anime to balance out the dark sci-fi. And it seemed pretty good, I just wasn't in the mood for it earlier.

I tried SAO, but couldn't get past the beginning for pretty much all the reasons you mentioned. It was just too melodramatic and predictable. Is it worth powering through or should I just leave it?

JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE seems interesting too, but maybe I shouldn't overwhelm myself with new anime or I'll burn out again. Actually, that might be a good thing. Then I'll probably spend my time being more productive.

Answer: No, I do not listen to K-POP, but I have pretty weird tastes, so I'd be willing to take a suggestion. I love listening to new music when I go running, so show me what your favorites are!

Have a safe trip!

Hello David :D

I will elect to I will elect to address topics starting in the middle and working my way to the ends of both sides, for no other reason than I can too.

I have gotten on the Titan train (on episode 6, I'll catch up soon!!). Honestly, I was really close to quitting after episode 2. It was just too much, too over dramatic, and I just wasn't attached to the story. But, you say it's an amazing show. I mean, it's in your top 5 (or maybe 3), so that's gotta say something for it. Additionally, everyone else in the anime world seems to love it too! So, I kept going, and I was very happy I did! After episode 3, it started getting deep on levels I really didn't see coming. Oh man, I'm really liking it! Thanks for encouraging me to keep it up.

Speaking of things you've suggested, I watched Kotonoha no Niwa, and I thought it was really pretty good. My only complaint was the way it ended. Otherwise, the art was so phenomenal. All the little details made this little movie one of the best ones I've seen, art-wise. I just hated how short it was. Like, I feel it would have made a wonderful mini series or something. It was unfortunately too short, like I was watching the "abridged" version of a show. Otherwise, I'm glad you suggested it to me.

Right now I'm also watching So Ra No Wo To and Shinsekai Yori. They're polar opposites, but I've been rotating them and it's been fun. You should check them out if you haven't already. Oh wait, you have, and you seemed to like So Ra a bunch. Shinsekai Yori is quite dark, but overall it's really good.

That's a cool story about how you met that woman on the air plane. You're right, you never know when you'll meet random people who also love it.

Yeah, I've noticed a lot of Japanese restaurants and grocery stores in NYC are run by Koreans as well. They're usually very open about it, and I have never had a problem with it. Oh, I miss Asian food soooooo much. All we have are crappy Americanized Chinese restaurants here. You know, the kind where they fry a bunch of chicken and throw some sauce out of a jar all over it. Not very good :(

There are plenty of cute girls in Sacramento. I'm sure you can find someone! Maybe not the girl I rode in the train with, but there are so many people out there. All us girls are just super self conscious. We tend to our hair for hours, spend so much time worrying about our eyebrows and what we're wearing. If you notice those little things, girls will love you. If you ever need girl advice from a girl, I'd be happy to provide you with it. I'm sure you can answer questions about guys too if I have any for you.

Richard Parker was a jerk. That was seriously one of the best movies I've seen in a while (excluding anime movies).

They're making a Steins;Gate movie!? OHHHH That makes me happy! I hope it's as good as the show. I already feel like re-watching it!

I haven't played badminton in years, but I do enjoy it. I've been playing soccer with some friends, which is really fun (and exhausting). What?! You're leaving the country soon!? How is that not cool? That's always cool, where are you going?

I love French food. Yes, bread, cheese, and some grapes and a picnic or something is the best thing in the world. France is very beautiful, especially when you go to the more rural areas and all you can see is fields and mountains and farms and random people walking around naked. Well, maybe that's not so common, but I saw a bunch of random naked people in rural France. Very random. No, my grandmother didn't make Coq au Vin. But after looking it up, I've realized how much I would LOVE to have some. Do you have a good recipe? You always seem to!

That's so cool that you lived in China for a bit. I'm sure it was an adventure! Are you able to speak the language at all? I know the written system is SCARY but I hear the spoken language is very easy and logical.

Hope to talk to you again soon! Take care and be safe during your travels!

-Aurelie

Hi David! Sorry I haven't replied to you in a while!

I just got back from France, so I haven't really been on the internet in weeks. My grandparents live in a more rural-ish area and they actually don't have it there (believe it or not!) It was nice to take a break from it, but mostly it was nice to get out of the country and see cool things and visit with my relatives. My grandma and uncle cook the best food! They really do!

I bought the DVD Steins;Gate so I could watch it on trains and airplanes and it really turned out to be one of my favorite anime ever. While I was watching it on a train ride, this girl showed me an anime called Eden of the East. She had kinda done the same thing I did by buying the DVD for the train ride so we watched it together since she had only really watched 3 episodes by the time she noticed me watching Steins;Gate. Eden of the East was really good but I didn't finish it on the train with her. Actually I just finished watching it online. And it was great! Did I say that already? Meh I'm still adjusting to this timezone, so pardon my sleep-deprived stupidness.

It's weird meeting people through anime in person; I don't do it often. The train girl was completely unexpected in that she didn't really look like someone you'd think would watch anime. I don't think I'd be outgoing enough to walk up to a random person (even of the same gender) on a train to strike up a conversation about anime. It was cool though, we exchanged numbers and I actually just got off the phone with her. She lives near Sacramento kinda, which is what reminded me of this old, unreplied message. If you see a really tall and cute blonde girl with a tiny nose, blue eyes, short hair, and a big smile, you should mention Eden of the East and then ask her out. She's newly single, you know? Might be a bit hard to track her down but it's worth a shot if you're looking (just don't blame me if you get rejected multiple times by the wrong girl).

My favorite Disney movie was the Little Mermaid because my name sounded similar and my hair was more reddish back then.

I need to keep watching Attack on Titan. It'll happen soon, sorry about not keeping up with it like I said I would.

Kimchi pancakes are sooooo good and I've missed them soooo much. All my kimchi at home is old now so I had to throw it out. In fact, it's kinda painful to read your Asian food paragraph after being away from it for so long :( I'm at my parents now and this little town really doesn't have a lot of variety in it's grocery stores. Not like New York at any rate. Soon. Soon. Soon I'll be back in NYC and then I'll be able to eat cheap, tasty, and (most times) healthy Asian food everyday again ^__^

Oh and I watched the Life of Pi on my journey as well (when we stayed with my uncle in a much bigger city in France). He had it and I wanted to watch it one night so we did and it was great. That sentence sounded kinda stupid. I should probably go to bed soon.

It's amazing how much of a language you don't realize you understand until you go to a country filled with it. I defiantly feel like I speak a lot more French now, and I was surprised at how much I understood. Do you speak any other languages? I do want to learn Hangul one day just because, well, why not? It's so unbelievably simple. Kana is beautiful and I love studying it. Yet, no matter how good I get at recognizing it, I still can't read it quickly. Like, I can't glance at a Japanese word I know and understand it's meaning immediately like I can with English words. But I guess that just takes time. Kanji is pretty cool as well, and I can understand a bunch of them. But you're right, once they do those compounds, I'm totally lost.

What were you doing in China? That sounds like a cool adventure! Oh, and have you done anything cool this summer?

Time for bed. Good to speak to you again and sorry about my rambling-ness. Goodnight!

Hey David!

Sorry it's been a while since we exchanged letters or messages or comments. I don't even know what to call these anymore -_- It's been busy with school and school and school and school. Damn finals are drawing near, and they're severely cutting into my life- social, internet, exercise, and everything in between. Now I'm feeling all those nights I binge-watched all those series, forgoing writing important papers and stuff.

I regret nothing :)

I remember Mulan (here comes the warm, fuzzy nostalgia feelings haha). After what you said, I thought about it... and you're pretty right about it being very Westernized. Well, if I ever decide to have kids, I'll have the perfect excuse to go back and watch all those awesome old Disney movies I once loved. Oh, and I can introduce them to all those old and awesome anime movies that were made for children. I would have loved Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle when I was a child. I mean, I loved them just a few months ago.

There's a time and place for everything. I find if I force myself to watch a show or movie, read a book, listen to a new CD, join a club, or anything that I don't like, the memory of it will be less enjoyable. Yet, sometimes just sticking with something for a while, I'll find that it's actually really quite amazing. That's why I'm always so torn about sticking with things that I don't like initially. I hate dropping things, yet I don't want to spend hours not enjoying something. With shows and movies, it's a little more difficult to endure, and I'm sure for this reason I've missed out on a lot of really awesome shows that I would have actually really enjoyed. Kotoura-san has a lot of potential, and I'm gonna finish it when I'm in that right time and place.

Life for me has been moving faster than ever these days. Seriously. I've learned my way around a city, I've met so many new people, I've had financial difficulties, I've solved problems, I've cooked so many new things, I've been elated, depressed, sad, worried, jealous, and everything in between in just a few short months. This wide variety of experiences has really helped me come out of my shell and grow up. One of the many prevalent things during this period of time in my life has been anime. It's helped me when I was sad and lonely, and made me feel even better when I was happy and on top of things. So, with all these new suggestions I've been getting from people, I have a seemingly infinite well of amazing shows to draw upon, since I now have a better understanding of what kind of shows I need to complement what's going on in my life. I'm grateful for your help with all this :)

But, do you ever feel like you're wearing out your enjoyment of something by repeating it over and over again? It's like a roller coaster; the first drop is gonna be the biggest, fastest, and most exciting, then all the drops thereafter will be less intense and slower. I find myself giving up on anime a lot quicker these days, probably trying to recapture the awesome that it brought to my life in the early days to no avail. Shows don't get my interest as strongly anymore and I feel like a lot of it is really stupid and cliche. I'm thinking that I've just been overdoing it recently, and hopefully a break will be good for me. Do you ever take anime breaks? Do they help you? Have you ever experienced anything like this before?

You are like an encyclopedia for Japanese cooking. I thought I was a well-versed Japanese cook, but you have me beat by a lot! Upon your suggestion, I made Gyudon. Oh my god it was sooooooooooo yummy! The hondashi was a really good price at the Asian super market and I've been adding the ginger juice to a variety of things as well. I'm glad you gave me that recipe! I followed your recipe exactly but the only difference was that I used lamb instead of beef because it was super cheap at the new farmer's market that just opened up near me (I love farmer's markets!) Did I mention it was crazy delicious? I'm gonna make it again later this week because I don't know if I can live another week without it. The mochiko at the Japanese store is kinda pricey. I mean, it's not thaaaat bad, but I'm on a serious budget. Whatever, I bought some anyway and I'll be using it when I make the gyudon again. Oh man, I am so looking forward to that gyudon :) Thanks again for that recipe! I don't see why you can't make ushiojiru with frozen clams. It'd probably be really good regardless. As for dango, well, I really just made them becasue of Clannad. I had that dango daikazoku song stuck in my head for so long, I just had to do it. Honestly, it was pretty easy. The worst part is working with the dango flour (joshinko) and forming the balls; it's super duper sticky and gets everywhere. Actually, my friend found some in my hair about 5 hours after cooking it O.o
There are quite a few Asian markets near me (mostly Chinese), but the ones with the best prices are a little farther away unfortunately. The best is the Korean market. It's like the one in your area- good prices and they stock a lot of Japanese products too. Maybe your prices are better because you live in California and it's closer?
Speaking of Korean food, I made some seaweed soup that was incredibly tasty! I'm also fermenting my own kimchi too! Kimchi fried rice is the best thing to happen to fried rice since rice! Have you ever made kimchi? It's really easy and there's so much you can do to experiment with it! I have 2 batches going now. One has the standard cabbage with some leeks, daikon, onions, fish sauce garlic, serrano peppers, and carrots and the other has leeks, daikon, cabbage, chili powder, asian pears, and a dash of honey. I probably left a few ingredients out but that's the gist of it. One is gonna be spicy and fishy and the other is gonna be sweet, salty, and sour (once I let it sit for a few more days). I'm excited! Kimchi is so great with every meal, but admittedly it has taken me a while to get the process down.
What have you cooked this week? You should make more videos!
I have never seen cooking with dog, but I'm defiantly gonna give it a watch sometime soon!

Pi "pissing" patel? I remember that, great book. I read it a few years ago and ironically, I remember discussing it with my friend. I told him, "it's a good book but I can't ever see it being a movie." Sure enough, a few years later, it turned into a movie. I haven't watched it because I'm afraid it won't be as good as the book. Ugh, I read The Golden Compass a few months before the movie came out, then watched the movie and hated it sooooo much X.x. It kinda gave me a bad taste for book to movie adaptations, so I tend to avoid them now :P

French is such a beautiful language, but I can't speak it even in the slightest. The pronunciation is so difficult and it's really what's kept me from learning the language. What I love about Japanese and Spanish is that they are almost always spoken as they are written. Once you learn kana, you can pronounce anything in the Japanese language (granted you don't roll your "Rs"). Then all you have to do is learn the 3,000+ kanji and figure out the weird grammatical system and you're good to go!

Okay, I'm gonna break my anime hiatus and watch Attack on Titan since everyone seems to love it soo much.
*watches first episode*
Holy crap, that was awesome. It's been a while since a 1st episode like that has gripped me so quickly! The music is perfect and the characters are interesting so far. I cannot wait to watch the next 3 episodes, but now I must sleep because it's late and I have class tomorrow :(

It's been nice talking to you again. I really enjoy writing these to you, Waterfalls, and Sarinda. It's nice to, you know, get my thoughts out, talk about music, cooking, school, anime, philosophy, psychology and everything in between. Can't write to everyone tonight because I seriously need to go to bed now.

Goodnight David, next time I'll have finished the other 3 episodes of Attack on Titan and we can discuss it!

Sweet dreams,

-Aurelie :)

Hmm, nostalgia, I often wonder if things that I enjoyed from childhood can be enjoyed by other people later in life. There are some books, video games, movies, and music that I loved when I was younger, and still do. For the most part, they were perfect for the time being; exactly what I needed at that time. However, if I were to have discovered one of those books in the present time, I would not enjoy it nearly as much. Some things are just perfect for certain times in life. Nostalgia is a major bias sometimes, don't you think?

I've watched the 1st three episodes of Kotoura-San. It starts out a little weak, but I'll stick with it because it seems like a story that has major potential to get good. I stopped watching it because I started (and finished) watching Baccano! I'm getting my roommate into anime, but she doesn't like to read all the subtitles all the time. I tried watching Baccano subbed a few months ago but couldn't get past episode 2. One slice of information I got out of that anime club meeting was that Baccano is much MUCH better dubbed. So we watched it and basically finished it in 3 days. It's really good and I highly recommend it if you're ever trying to get someone into anime. Since it's very westernized, it's a good stepping stone. To convince her to watch it in the first place, I sort of used your analogy about the Greeks using plays to feel emotions they wouldn't normally feel. It's a great analogy (it can really be applied to any form of media), and I hope you don't mind me stealing it :)

Are you actually working in the field of psychology? I have a friend who is going to school for it and he's kinda scared that he's not gonna get a job when he graduates, so he's thinking of doing something else.

Please watch Usagi Drop. It's beautiful. I can't even begin to put words to it. You would totally, totally, TOTALLY love it!

Ugh, the worst part about the anime otakus is that they tied to speak Japanese but failed soooo badly at it. I don't speak a lot of Japanese, but the little bit that they did speak sounded like they were retarded 10-year-olds with brain damage. Ugh

I love ramen, but I usually make my own. The key is the noodles! Using crappy Top Raman noodles can actually be pretty tasty (and not to mention super cheap for super poor college kids like me). But, if you spend the extra 25-50 cents, you can get ramen noodles that will make you happier than you've ever been in your entire life! I usually make my own broth and throw out the death packet (or just use 1/2-1/4 of it), sometimes even roasting/boiling beef bones to make a homemade broth base (but that takes a lot of time). Ramen is sooo fun because of all the amazing ingredients you can add to it. Last one my friend and I made was raman with homemade dashi broth, green onions, daikon, stew beef, and 4 hot dog octopuses. Gyudon is super awesome too, but I probably never make it in the "traditional" way, since Japanese ingredients tend to be kinda expensive! Never tried zenzai, but it looks very interesting. I also love mochi, but it's too expensive to buy from the local Japanese store in my area. I try to make my own, and it usually doesn't turn out very great, but it's still fun to try. I have, however, mastered dango! I have a friend that owns a grill so I usually go to his place and grill them, because they're just not as great boiled or fried. One day, when I have the money for clams, I'll make ushiojiru! I really enjoy making variations of takikomi gohan since it's cheap and easy and fun. When I feel like having an amazing noodle dish, I'll buy some soba and make cold soba noodles with awesome dip (that's what I call it since I can't remember the actual Japanese name for it at the moment). Cold soba noodles are wonderful for hot days. On the subject of grilling, I love making Yakitori (I might have spelled that wrong) with a mirin or sake and soy sauce. Sushi is also really fun to make if I have the time. Unfortunately, I can't really afford all the nice raw fish (and it's not treated the same in America anyway), so I usually wrap them up with vegetables and use kewpie mayo + sriracha to put on them. I've never made takoyaki, but my father has made things that were similar using a grill instead of that pan. It might have been takoyaki, I'll have to ask him. Whatever it was, it was awesome and delicious.
Oh man I could talk about this for pages. Don't even get me started on Korean food!

I can see what you mean about Clannad. I've tried to go back and watch it, but I could never get into it again. But, you remember that whole nostalgia thing and watching certain shows at certain times? That's it. Clannad was one of the first SOL anime I had ever watched, so that plays a big part into it. Also, I was pretty lonely when I first watched it because I had just moved to a place with very few friends. It made me feel that nice, warm, fuzzy feeling inside that I really needed at that time. It inspired me to go out and meet new people, and it helped me make a few changes in my life. Despite all the plot holes and weird animation. It was exactly what I needed at the time, and for that reason I loved it! Yeah, I tried watching some of the other anime by the same company, like Kannon and Air, but they were just so mediocre. You should rate them anyway, even if you do give them 3s.

My first name is Aurelie (mom was French), but many people can't pronounce it properly (the "r" sound is more like a quiet "h" kinda and the end is pronounced like "-laay" and not "lie." It's always funny to hear people try to say it and fail miserably.), so I have been going by Aria since elementary school. It's much easier. Call me whichever, since we're just typing.

Did you start any new anime that's currently airing? Any good ones?

Have a pleasant and beautiful day (if you still have an arm from the lightsaber wound).

Hello again! Is everything going well in the world of David?

You see, it's weird. I don't mind blood and gore, I don't mind crazy violence, and I certainly don't mind the Hellacious laughter that ensues afterwards. Yet, Hellsing Ultimate just isn't a show I enjoy. Maybe it's the vampires. I know, I know, it's much better than Twilight. But still. I've never been a fan of vampire stuff. Or zombies. I never understood that obsession either. I'm gonna watch that 2nd episode sometime, because I know a lot of anime waits to get good. And this really seems like a highly respected anime.

Lol, how's that slice-of-life roll going? I'm actually downloading the first episode of Kotoura-san right now, and after I respond to all my fellow internet anime friends, I believe I'll watch it. I need a nice comedy right now. But then again, who doesn't?

I loved UP... so sad. That beginning... I actually cried. Shows and movies make me cry a lot, especially some of the more emotionally powerful anime like Clannad and Usagi Drop (wasn't even that sad of a show). But I've never cried within the first 10 minutes of a movie like I did with UP.

You should watch The House of Small Cubes (Tsumiki no Ie). It's 12 minutes long and it's completely amazing and beautiful. Watch it now, you'll love it! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SccfoIbkKIw)

Well, you probably have 1,000,000 shows you want to watch, but since your on a slice-of-life binge, I suggest Usagi Drop. It's super awesome and I'm sure you'll love it too. If you ever get around to it. It's hard for me to watch all that I want to watch because of social life, school, and work. I only watched 2 episodes of anime this week. Just 2! Ugh, it was horrible. It's been a horrible week and a horrible weekend. Since I don't have any obligations tomorrow, I plan on staying up late watching anime. Yay!

With that, I can say that I really don't mind you lumping me in the category of geek/nerd. I've been one my entire life really, I just rejected it for too many years after I found out it wasn't "cool." Whatever. The geek/nerd community is a much nicer place really. Well, sometimes.

I went to the anime club in my school for the first time and it was a little uncool. Since it was the middle of the club's semester (I guess), they were already pretty established. Yet, they were watching a series I have already seen (Planetes), so I figured I'd drop in so I could make geek/nerd friends that are into anime.
My roommate and I made 16 onigiri and some small okonomiyaki cakes, and I brought them with me to share with everyone (cheap and easy to make anyway and perfect party food). It was pretty cool at first. Everyone was super stoked about the free Japanese food; all those otakus ate them up like it was gonna be their last meal. I didn't expect to see so many people. After counting them, I concluded that there were 18 people in this particular anime club. We exchanged pleasantries and talked about anime for a little bit. I learned about some new manga that I want to read and I had a great discussion about sub vs dub.
Then all the guys started hitting on me. Sure, I can see why. No matter what you look like; if you're a girl that cooks Japanese food and goes to anime clubs, guys will hit on you. And badly at that. There were so many awkward moments, I don't think I've ever felt that uncomfortable. Oh my god. It was just *facepalm* after *facepalm* for 20 minutes. One guy put his hand on my shoulder (I guess to make physical contact more normal for me) and he had the WORST armpit smell! I mean it was freaking crippling. My eyes probably started to water. To make things worse, the 4 girls that were there seemed very threatened by me and gave me death glares as their socially awkward friends tried to utilize the skills they "learned" reading books about seduction and game and how to get girls.
(Protip from a girl: Don't listen to the shallow advice that a dating book will give you; just be yourself dammit. We can tell when you're being fake and it's not very attractive.)
Anyway we watched 2 episodes, talked about it, and I left with 6 new phone numbers written on random pieces of paper. My roommate laughed at me when I got home and we ate tacos and life was once again good. I might not go back. Maybe there's another anime club for me. Maybe keeping anime a secret from the rest of the world is my best option. I don't know what to do anymore.

And I really don't know where you find the time to watch all these shows! If you're like me, then you just don't sleep very much.

Maybe I'll watch the 3rd season of Sherlock. I stopped after the 2nd because I was afraid it was going downhill. I saw a commercial for the US version of Being Human, but, like you said, it looked REALLY stupid.

Hanasaku looks very interesting, and it's on my ever-growing list. You're a wonderful resource for slice-of-life anime these days! There's just one thing I can't believe... You've never watched Clannad. Or, you just don't have it listed. It was one of the first I ever watched, and it was amazing. Well, actually, I'd say about 20-25% of it was amazing. The rest was rather "meh." But that small fraction of greatness makes it worth watching, without a doubt! Stay away from the movie though, it's waayyyy too fast.

I am also downloading the first episode of KARNEVAL because it looks rather interesting. So does the other one, but I'll wait for that. Thanks for all your suggestions!

I hope you have a really great day, David. I hope you find a working lightsaber. That'd be really awesome.

Okay, I am also about to start KOTOURA-SAN, so here goes nothing...

Tamako Market is on my list and I will defiantly give it a shot sometime soon. I spent some time reading about it and I really think I could enjoy it. UUggh, too bad I missed it when it was airing! There's something about watching a TV series while it's airing. Like, it's really nice to have to wait a whole week to see the next episode. Sometimes I love an anime to the point where I can't stop watching it. After episode 1, I'll go to 2, then 3,4,5,6,7,8, then suddenly- oh my god I need to go to bed it's almost sunrise. If you ever see a show that's currently airing and is also good, please let me know. Then we can discuss the episodes as they come out. And I'll get more sleep!

Hellsing Ultimate has been... interesting. Maybe the first episode put me off a little and I'd say it's mostly because of the animation. Of course, I realize it's supposed to look gritty and dark. But it's just not my thing. That doesn't mean I'm giving up on it, because it seems like the show gets better as the series progresses. It may take me awhile to watch it, just because I have to be having a supremely bad day to enjoy super bloody and violent anime. Also, I'm not a big vampire fan. But, hey, maybe this will be the show that gets me into it. So far it's way better than most of the vampire crap that's out now like the dreaded...Twilight. Ugh, makes me want to rip my arm off and throw it at children. Sorry... I just really hate Twilight. Enough to remove my own arm and attack children. That's bad.

So far, I really like Nodame Cantabile. Yeah, it's a little melodramatic and there are some dumb moments, but overall it's still pretty entertaining. My mother was a pianist, and for that reason we were always listening to Classical music throughout my childhood. So, classical music has a big place in my life and my musical preferences. This just makes Nodame Cantabile all the more better. I'm sure that, even if you don't like classical, you'll start to enjoy it while watching the show! Do give it a shot. It's a nice show to watch when you're bored and want something uplifting and "feel good."

YES I watch Sherlock! It's, IMO, the BEST Sherlock adaptation I've ever seen. They go very well with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's little novels and short stories, yet they seamlessly incorporate that awesome modern day feel to them. I love the original Sherlock Holmes novellas. I've probably read most all of them, many years ago when I was in middle school and high school (there's a lot of them). Most other adaptations are really stupid and I can't stand them. But Sherlock is the best adaptation ever. It's a perfect modern-day recreation. And, they stayed pretty close to the original stories, but not really.

Have you ever read any of Doyle's Sherlock Holmes writings? They're really amazing! I HIGHLY recommend the novella "A Study in Scarlet." It's the first one he wrote and it's still my favorite one ever! If you haven't already, please read it! You will not be disappointed! It's very short, like 70-90 pages I think. And you can get it really cheap at a used bookstore or off of amazon.

Do watch Colorful. It may be a but hard to find a torrent, but if you want I can send you the URL I used. Do you normally torrent your anime or do you buy them?

I'll also add Black Mirror to my list of things I need to watch (that aren't anime).

I loved Hotarubi No Mori E! Yeah, it had it's downsides like the length and some of the over-dramatization, but overall I really liked it. I can understand why you may have felt differently than me. Perhaps girls like me enjoy love stories a little more than guys do, but I could be totally wrong about that.

I just finished the second season of Natsume's Book of Friends. It was really wonderful, and I really feel like they're just getting better with each new series! I can't wait to move on the the 3rd season, but alas, I have other anime to watch before that.

Nighty night David

I watched gankutsuou, in it's entirety, on goodanime(.net) Every episode was in order and the quality was pretty good. The best part- it was free :D

I've heard of Tamako Market, but nothing that made me overly want to watch it. However, I do trust your judgement on anime more than most other internet people. And it looks like a nice and easy show to mindlessly watch after a busy and stressful day. Hellsing always looked really, really interesting. It's just that I do not know where to start. What would be the best order?

I believe the next show I'll watch will have to be Nodame Cantabile. I've heard just too many good things about it from just too many people (internet people AND one real person.) It's really hard to find people to talk about anime with in real life.

One good-ish move I just watched was Memories. It's like three-30 minute long short movies all put together into one big movie, yet they're all unrelated. The first one was absolutely amazing, but the other two were a little mediocre IMO. Still, they're worth a watch. The other movie I just watched was called Colorful, about a suicidal middle-school boy and the after life. I know, it sounds a little weird, but it was actually kind of okay. Recently, I've just been watching movies, because they're much quicker than watching 24 episodes of a really good show. But now I'm back into shows again. And now I'm loosing sleep again. Funny how that works, isn't it?

Right now, I'm watching the 2nd season of Natsume Yuujinchou. I really wish I had more time to watch it! After that I might watch Hellsing along with Nodame Cantabile. Sometimes it's nice to have 2 shows going; gives me time to adjust and absorb, and the change of genera and pace is nice.

Have a nice night, DAVIDPD.

Yeah, Ookami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki was a very touching movie. My friend cried a little bit during a few scenes (finally getting someone I know in real life into anime!) It was an amazing movie.

I watched Summer Wars a few weeks ago and it was pretty good, though I also wouldn't rate it as highly as other people have. Really, I can't put to words exactly what I didn't like about it. Maybe the story progression was too "typical." Maybe I'm just getting spoiled by all these other emotionally rich, creative shows.

Code Geass started out really good. That first episode really got me hooked, especially after how it ended (very shocking). After that, I feel it just kind of went downhill. Like you said, it was kind of predictable. I really couldn't get attached to any of the characters either. I've been thinking about picking it up again, but honestly I think it's just not for me. I wonder if all the positive reviews stem from that "hivemind" mentality you see on big websites like this. Or maybe it does actually get really good later on and I just gave up too quickly.

I've been finding that a lot of anime is like that- starts off terrible/mediocre then gets amazing wayy later on after the characters and the world have been established. Clannad is a great example of that. Most of that show was very typical and almost boring, then it turned into the most amazing thing I had ever seen.

But you're right- everyone is different. To each his/her own.

Hey! I watched Ookami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki today and it was a really beautiful and amazing movie. You're right, it was very Miyazaki-like, yet non-Miyazaki-like at the same time. Movies like that remind me of being a kid again, watching Disney films without a care in the world.

It's been a stressful week, so a light-hearted movie like that was absolutly perfect for me. Thanks for the suggestion, I enjoyed it quite a lot :D