No, seriously, I think I do. What would you call it - really mild numerophobia? I mean, really - it's weird that whenever numbers are involved, I can't seem to function well.
I know as a budding medical practitioner I'm supposed to at least not fail in Math (as opposed to acing it - only mutants can ace Math in my opinion (hence my youngest sister must be one)) but I can't seem to get myself to like it enough to be average (yes, already, I am UNDER-AVERAGE ) enough at it. Whenever I see numbers, my mind is overcome with such fear and paranoia that I almost instantly give up on it. Really. It's almost as if I feel like failing is better than having to deal with them.
Historical dates. Equations. Measurements. Not that I can't deal with them - I can, but with a great amount of pain and effort. As soon as I see a succession of them in one of my books or journals that I have to critique, I instantly balk. I try to deal with them afterward, but only because 1) a deadline is approaching, 2) I'm going to PHAIL if I don't deal with them, 3) I'M A PREMED STUDENT, nay, A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE STUDENT FOR CRYING OUT FREAKIN' LOUD.
On the flipside, I'm surprisingly very obsessive-compulsive with other aspects of numbers. If it has something to do with my money, for example, like splitting the bill or budgeting my allowance. And dates like birthdays and such. And even when it comes to story development. As long as they're on a personal level, I'm actually okay with them. Maybe this is all a result of me just being my selfish self again. Guh. That doesn't make me feel better at all.
Fanwork-wise:
I uploaded 6 pages of my RyoSaku doujin,
Kanata, today. I'm only supposed to upload 5, but that was an apology post for uploading it late. Also, it's better that way since it left my readers hanging. Nyuhuk. Next week will be the last post for that doujin, which will consist of the last two pages of the actual doujin and 3 for the omake.
I've still got one more RyoSaku doujin pencil art and two 4komas in my InProgress folder, but I don't know when I'll start on the lineart of the doujin. Too many things to do. Like my Firi-tan doujin. It's only 3 pages, but all of them are colored, which just made the job harder for me. I can't help it - if it's doujin, it should either be long and screentoned or short and colored. I'm too hard on myself sometimes.
Guh. Valentines Day is approaching - I need to get some RyoSaku works up by then. I've got lots of them in my InProgress folder, but I'm too lazy (and also too busy with school) to touch them. Hm.
Maybe I should also upload my USxFiri art on Valentines Day, too. Oh no - extra work. Hopefully I don't get too tired because of them - I'm planning on a couple of social events on the week before Valentines and I'll probably be swamped with schoolwork too. Ah, the woes of a Biology major who is also an otaku.
Speaking of dual purpose otaku, I've suddenly become interested in KyouyaxRenge. There's this oneshot,
Tiny Things, that really stirred the creative juices lying stagnant within me. Blessie (Miriae) and I happened to get the KyouyaxRenge bug almost at the same time and we both felt that Tiny Things could be expanded to a multi-chapter fic. I already made excerpts of what the fic would be if it turned multi-chapter, and Blessie's enthusiasm finally inspired me to ask the fic's author the permission to write it. Of course, this is all tentative, to we'll see where it goes. But the author's said yes, already, so it's effectively been green-lit.
I've also read two LxMisa multichaps recently. I've never watched or read Death Note, only read through the Wikipedia page of it, and now that I found the appeal of LxMisa, I don't think I ever will because I'll only be disappointed. LxMisa, when written very well, is very convincing despite being non-canon.
But really, I'm going to be too busy in the days ahead. I wonder when I'll have time for all my grand plans. Heck - I'm supposed to be doing schoolwork right now but all that Plant Physio stuff has effectively ground my brain to gelatin bits.
Manga Reviews: SPOILERS AHEAD
Naruto Chapter 480:
Uwah. Have you seen that chapter? Have you read that chapter? Over and over again till the image of
insane!Sasuke has been burned into your retina?
Well, I'm exaggerating, but GAH. That was a shocker in the midst of all the boring battle scenes. Obviously, they'd be much more exciting if they were actually moving, so I'm not very patient with manga battle scenes. But character development-wise, GAH. No, let me rephrase that - GARRGGGHH.
So the endgame is reached between Danzo and Sasuke with the Uchiha stabbing the old fart so-called Rokudaime with his Chidori Nagashi. THROUGH KARIN. As a SasuSaku fan (admittedly more toned down than before), I don't know what that means for my ship. On the one hand, if Karin really is dead, then that's one less rival for Sakura. On the other hand, it might be easier for Sakura to deal with a bipolar rival than a lunatic ex-teammate/first love. I mean, if Sasuke's going to continue on his path to self-destruction, it's going to take more than beating sense into him to bring him back into the fold. Not to mention he HATES said fold.
Then there's Sakura herself. Firstly, as Kakashi noted, she's nowhere near Sasuke's level and if he's going on a Konoha nin killing spree then that's just begging to be skewered with a Chidori Nagashi. Secondly, she probably knows he's at the point of no return, but how far gone does she suspect Sasuke to be? Does she still have a glimmer of hope for him? If she does, that's good for my ship but bad for Sakura - she might be sorely disappointed to see him, and he won't regret it. Maybe. (Hopefully not, but terribly likely.)
And Sasuke. I still can't accept that he's really gone down the deep end despite Itachi's wishes for him not to. The way it's looking, he's almost beyond redemption. The good thing about this messy affair is, he's brought down one of the biggest threats to Naruto and Tsunade (and the Konoha they stand for). The bad thing is, he's willing to hurt a hostage, even if said hostage is a teammate, never mind if she was a pawn in the first place. What would retrieve him from the deep end? Not even Naruto's sunshiney-ness alone can do that, methinks. And if Naruto can't do it, Sakura can't, either. It's going to take more than a combined effort, at least. Maybe Itachi prepared something just in case...
Lastly, Karin. She's not exactly in my Top Ten, but I'm not one of those "Ohemgee Karin is such a biTcH i hoep she dies!!!11!one!1!" girls (most of who are, unfortunately, either SasuSaku or SasuNaru shippers). In fact, I find her hilarious, especially since there are some fanfics that write her really well. (Also, I believe in non-love as opposed to hatred and that rabid haters should jump into a pit of sharp stuff change their paradigm.) But is she dead? I certainly hope she isn't, mostly for the sake of Sasuke's redemption. Lots of people seem to think that Sasuke's warning of "Don't move" may be significant in saving her, but that remains to be seen.
This chapter raised a lot of questions and opened up so many possibilities. I'm looking forward to next week's update. Hopefully I won't be too busy for it
Fairy Tail Chapters 168-169:
Two chapters worth of Fairy Tail! Yosh! So happy! This is my favorite shonen manga right now, and I'm so happy that Hiro Mashima loves his fans so much to make two chapters! I hope this doesn't mean he'll be going on vacation for a week unexpectedly, though. (I know mangaka are human too, but still.)
I didn't think that they'd make an arc about Happy, though. Mashima was going through the important characters one by one, giving each an arc in the story. So far we've had Gray, Lucy, Erza (and Gerard), and Makarov (and Luxus, I guess). I didn't think Happy would be important enough to get an arc. But there you have it. This time it's traveling to a world where the use of magic has limits. Apparently, there's an alternate version of Fairy Tail in this world, and when I say alternate I mean it: maidenly Cana? Elfman bullied? gangster Lucy? over-dressed Gray? LLUVIA BACK IN HER ATROCIOUS PHANTOM-ERA HAIRDO?
(Lluvia became my favorite female character after her big turn-around, but I couldn't stand her original hairdo.)
Does this mean Mira's going to be her demon!Mira persona? Probably. Since the original versions of Natsu and Wendy are in the alternate world, where would their alternate versions be, if they did exist? So many questions. OH! And Mistgun! I have a feeling he's Gerard's alternate in Edoras, which was why his personality was totally different but his face the same. I hope that's a good sign for MistgunxWendy (and in turn, GerardxErza). Hee.
Speaking of pairings, there was a lovely lovely lovely
GrayxLluvia scene in 168! And when the two other people (Visca and the hermano in the poncho) were looking at them and thought they were "lovey-dovey"... hah! If that's not a hint in this shonen manga I don't know what is!
This update made me very happy, indeed!
Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Chapter 275:
It's scary how seemingly invincible Byakuran is now, and Tsuna looks like he's run out of ammo. But again, the battle scenes are just not impressive enough without animation. Not much to say, here. But it seems like things are escalating... I'm looking forward to the outcome, despite how bored I am of the battle scenes.
...
Other, less popular but awesome series updated too, and they all had that "biggu shokku" factor to them! In Orange Yane no Chiisana Ie, the latest chapter shows Natsumi overcoming one of her greatest obstacles - her monster in-laws. If the Jennifer Lopez movie showed the monster-in-law in a hilarious, neurotic fashion, these monster in-laws (consisting of the mother-in-law and her sisters) are psychotic and downright scary. What kind of person would trap a woman in the bathroom and let her catch a cold, then force her to work while terribly low on stamina? Thankfully, Natsumi's Mary Sue-like powers came through her unbelievable kindness and awesome daughters, and her in-laws changed for the better. Nothing like a Mary Sue to give monster in-laws a huge about-face in the span of one chapter!
Given, though, that they were nice, cute girls before becoming bitter old ladies... Yeah.
In Oishii Kankei, the story reaches a turning point when Momoe and Oda are at odds. (That sounded... wrong.) Like, seriously at odds, because Momoe cost them an evening of business by ruining the consomme, which is an important component of the dinner sets at La Petite Lapins. It was mostly because Momoe was depressed when she confirmed that Oda and Kanako are more than friends (and keeping it from everyone's knowledge). She was at fault, of course, for letting it get to her, especially when Oda has repeatedly told her to keep emotions from the ktichen, but Oda was very harsh, in my opinion, when she was kicked out of the kitchen until deemed worthy to work in it again. I think that would break Momoe's heart more than anything else. I wonder what that would mean for Momoe, both love-wise and work-wise...
As usual, Liar Game's logic was hard to follow, but apparently, Akiyama feels that he and Nao are set to win. The way things were looking, even in the current chapter, all odds were against Akiyama and Nao. But apparently, he has the ever famous "foolproof plan" to get him and Nao to the real 4th round. I wonder what kind of psychological manipulation Akiyama is doing by making his teammates lock themselves in each of the checking cubicles, though. I can't think my way around. As if I ever have, when Liar Game's involved. It's too complicated unless it's all laid down in front of me. So exciting! Can't wait to see how he's going to get Nao and himself out of the pinch.
Hahhh, what a week it was for manga. So many of the manga I follow updated. Now, if only Kyou Koi wo Hajemimasu and Mahou Sensei Negima would update after weeks in obscurity...
Anime Reviews: SPOILERS AHEAD
Dulalala!!!, despite its odd title, is actually a cool anime. It's sort of lighthearted right now, and still in the process of meshing the story together. Orihara Izaya scares me a lot, and Kida Masaomi has become my favorite character, if only because of his mannerisms and the way he speaks. He's actually pretty funny, though he's corny.
Dulalala is actually just some kind of joke as a title, because it's actually based on the Dullahan, which we learn in the anime is a kind of headless Irish shinigami. The combination of words is weird, I know, but that's what it is. A lady with no head comes riding in her carriage drawn by a black, headless horse and takes the people who are close to death. She carries her head around, because apparently that's where her memory is stored.
The Dullahan in this story, Selty Sturleson (sp?) lost her head, literally, and has been without memory for twenty years because of it. She moonlights as a "deliverer", transforming her trusty headless horse into a motorcycle that gives a low, booming sound as though it's neighing. She becomes something of an urban legend in the streets of Ikebukuro.
But it seems she's not the main character in the story. The person who takes that distinction is Ryugamine Mikado, who is (apparently) a normal country bumpkin who becomes a student in Raira Academy in Ikebukuro. And then, I just went and spoiled myself (dammit!) by going to Wikipedia and finding out that Mikado is the leader of a largest gang in Japan.. Fuh. I wonder if the series will be fun for me now that I know that.
Anyway, don't spoil yourself and watch this nice anime. It might be a little boring for less mature viewers though, but it certainly is a treat for people who like a quietly philosophical series like this.
Miscellaneous: Seigi no Mikata
So I marathoned the J-Drama Seigi no Mikata (starring Shida Mirai and Yamada Yu) this weekend. It was hilarious and definitely a must-see. I was disappointed at the ending if only because the pair I was rooting for didn't get together cleanly, but I suppose I was expecting it, seeing as how I spoiled myself in Wikipedia again.
Yamada Yu plays the elder sister Nakata Makiko, who puts her sister Youko (Shida Mirai) through hell by demanding unreasonable tasks, which Youko complies with, out of fear of her older sister. Makiko is beautiful, smart, and a successful government official, but she is also very rude, confrontational, manipulative, and most of all, selfish, which their parents seem to accept and which the general public seems not to notice. This is because her "evilness" usually results in some improvement of society (yes it sounds implausible, but this is proven right in ALL TEN EPISODES of the drama) leading the general public to label her as "Seigi no Mikata" or "Ally of Justice."
Of course, Youko is just frustrated by her sister's machinations and good reputation because she experiences the brunt of Makiko's wrath daily. So she sets her sister up with a handsome and successful bachelor, Yoshikawa Naoki (Osamu Mukai - so HANDSOME!), who works in the same government office as Makiko and has a high position, which of course interests Makiko. Add Youko's romantic frustrations with schoolmate Okamoto Riku (Hongo Kanataaaaaa~ the reason why I even picked up this series) and his overbearing "girlfriend" Chika, plus Youko's own weaknesses to her sister's manipulation, and this turns out to be one hell of a laugh.
Watching the series, I felt just as frustrated as Youko with Makiko, and somehow had to remember if I treated my younger sisters the same way Makiko treats Youko Well, I think I may have, but MOST DEFINITELY not as extreme as that. I never left one of my sisters alone in a public place just so the policeman I have a crush on (hypothetically - like, ew!) would have a reason to talk to me.
As it went on, though, Makiko, however evil, grew on me, because despite her selfishness, she has extremely strong ideals. And her Youko comes across as subservient and spineless at first, but then you come to realize (especially by the last episode) that she really cares for her older sister, beneath all that fear and frustration. It's a nice family series. Even the daughters' relationships with their parents and the parents' own relationship was good to watch.
Yamada Yu doesn't particularly strike me as beautiful in this series, though - maybe because she often gets this evil crazed smile when she's in the mood. She makes a very good villain, though. Her facial expressions are great. Shida Mirai is uber cute and she's a great actress, and her wild expressions rival Yu's. It's fun to watch them interact in the drama. As for Mirai and Hongo Kanata, the chemistry is there, but the one scene that was the turning point of their relationship didn't show that chemistry. It's weird. Maybe it's because Mirai playing frightened Youko was just too hilarious.
Also, I felt so sorry for Yoshikawa Naoki, Makiko's husband, especially when he finds out how evil Makiko is. His disappointed look was just so pitiful and sad. I was waiting for Makiko's downfall (where she gets arrested, according to Wikipedia) but it didn't happen in the drama. Maybe this is a manga-only occurence.
All in all, the series was awesome and I wish there was a season 2 because Youko and Riku's ending wasn't satisfying enough, and because the series ended with so many openings for possibilities. TOTALLY RECOMMENDED. And that goes without saying that I hardly even watch these dramas.
:end transmission: