The Anime Blogger Interrogation Game

Not too long ago I was tagged by deluscar’s Kai and Traveler on Revenge’s ahelo into the Anime Blogger Interrogation Game.  Started by blogger Iso, the aim of this game is for bloggers to get to know one another by asking and answering random questions before tagging new bloggers into the fun.

Rules
(copy/pasted from the original)

• Each person is supposed to follow the rule of fives.You are allowed to ask 5 questions, after which you can tag up to 5 bloggers by hyper-linking to their blog; 5 questions because it’s not too many to flood another blogger and occupy too much of his/her time, but yet a large enough number to ask your most important questions, and 5 bloggers to avoid spamming. Hence, prioritize your questions, and who you wish to ask!

• Those tagged are obliged to answer the questions in a blog post, and after which, they are entitled to create their own 5 questions and tag 5 other bloggers, so on and so fourth. You are allowed to tag the person that tagged you in the first place. Also, copy and paste this section on your blog so others can understand how the game goes.

• In the case where a blogger strongly refuses to answer a question, he/she must instead post a nice anime image, wallpaper or cosplay picture, et cetera in response to that question.

• To make things interesting, a blogger can include wildcards in his/her 5 questions by placing an asterisk, (*), after which those tagged are obliged to reveal something interesting about themselves that others did not previously know. There is no limit to the number of asterisks one can place (which means there can be up to 5 wildcard questions).

• Anyone can feel free to start the game; you don’t necessarily need someone to tag you. Just create your 5 questions and tag your 5 people of choice. However, the catch is that you must answer your own 5 questions as well.

• To potentially prevent an endless game, this round of games will end on the 8th September 2012, 12pm JST (GMT +9). After which, no more bloggers can tag others to answer their questions.

Kai’s Questions to Five Lucky Bloggers
(including Nopy, Ace, Yerocha, Justin, and me)

1. Do you study the Japanese language? If so, what is your progress?

I do not currently pursue studies in the language, but I did take a couple years at the beginning of my graduate degree program.  That was two years ago, so I’ve forgotten a good amount of the kanji from then.  I do still remember all of the hiragana and katakana, and my listening and verbal skills are noticeably better than my writing and reading.

I will most likely pick up the language again as soon as possible to complete a third, and maybe even fourth year.  Not only is this beneficial for my overall interests in the culture, but is also a requirement in many of the Doctorate programs in which I’m interested.

2. What’s your most embarrassing moment?

I think think the older I get, the more impossible answering such a question becomes.  Each year adds on more experiences, happy, sad, and of course embarrassing.  The most recent horrifying moment that still stands vividly in my mind is when I betrayed the person closest to my heart.  Not only did I betray that person, but also myself. Not a day goes by when I don’t reflect on my past actions.  I won’t go into any further details.

3. What kind of anime world would you like to live in?

There was a question like this somewhere else a while back, and my answer now is the same as then: I would pack up everything, including my dog and boyfriend (ha! the order of that), and move to ARIA’s Aqua as quickly as my feet could move.  That re-imagining of Venice as a softer sort of place, where time moves slowly and the seasons stretch through each phase, is my idea of heaven.  Neo Venezia’s love for its people and setting is unparalleled by any other anime.

4. Is there any anime/manga which motivates you to learn something?

Strange enough, watching Working!! interested me in the food service industry, not as a full-time job, but as a part-timer during my graduate studies.  I picked up the job on that whim, and became integrated into a work crew almost as quirky as those at Wagnaria!

And I can’t pinpoint the one anime exactly that enamored me with cooking, but anime it was that started my kitchen endeavors.  I didn’t have any interest in the art beforehand, but seeing those exaggerated eating faces and hearing all the yums and slurps made me hungry every time.  I wanted to recreate what I saw, and still do!

5. Which anime character do you feel you can relate to the most?

Again, I think this changes almost every anime season, but I think I currently stand somewhere next to Moyashimon Returns‘ Hazuki Oikawa.  Although she appears to be on track in the agricultural school, her own interests are not clear.  Similar to Sawaki, she seems to be led around by the passions of those around her, like Hasegawa and the mischief makers Misato and Kawahama.  Her future plans haven’t been stated, and we never see her particularly excited about any given project.

Right now I’m struggling to finish my thesis, one on a topic for which I’ve lost almost all motivation and interest.  I don’t really know what I’ll do after getting my MA, whether I want to try jumping into an immediate job in the field, or go straight into the next level of schooling (PhD? Law school per my parents’ hopes?), or if I want to get a job in a different area altogether for a few years while I sort out my head.

ahelo’s Five Head-Scratching Questions
(including DDK, TPAB, Subarashikun, and Draggle)

1. If Ben had 3 Apples and Lisa ate 2, how did Adele set Fire to the Rain?

Assuming that Lisa ate Ben’s CRISP RED APPLES, I ate the remaining one, and Adele’s figurative attempt at torching her love makes sense to me in a hopeless kind of way.  I always took the lyrics to the song to be her story of a love that revealed an uglier side than she expected, and that no matter how much she may have tried to burn away her attachment to him, she can never forget the memories of how he “saved” her–it’s as impossible as trying to burn water.  Image wise, you could compare it to an oil spill, where the oil on top may be burning, but the water beneath remains.

2. How will you help Rihanna remember her name?

Well obviously I’d have to be a guy for this insecure woman to depend on to tell her her name every five seconds.  This song is a pathetic tale of a girl who point blank says how she needs a boy to run her life.

3. If you are daring, HOW DARE YOU?

But I’m not daring… 😦 I usually always play things safe–while this assures that I’m usually in a state of comfort, it also means that I never really try hard at something that could possibly be the greatest move ever.

4. Explain the Saki Phenomenon in Anime Saimoe Tournament in no less that 150 words.

I’m sorry, ahelo, but I’m not following AST at all 😦 I only take part in ISML, and that’s already time consuming enough!

5. In relation to question number 4 which has absolutely no relation to the first three questions, WHO WILL WIN ANIME SAIMOE TOURNAMENT 2012? Explain using Saki as the power of X with Toki as X^5, Akari Akaza as 0^infinity and sniping as an imaginary number. If you do not wish to use this formula, create your own. If you do not wish to use any formula, explain why.

WHAT IS THIS QUESTION? I DON’T EVEN

MY Questions to YOU
I’ll be directing my questions to Avvesione, simpleek, FoxyLadyAyame, Sabishii Miruku, and ahelo.

1. If you had to cosplay as one anime character at the largest anime convention closest to you, who would you be, and why?
2. What is your favorite post on Anime B&B? If possible, explain.
3. You’ve just been informed that you have one more day to live.  What last meal would you like to eat?
4. Looking at Hunter x Hunter‘s Nen chart and role descriptions, where do you most likely fit? Is that what you would wish for, or would you like to have a different ability?
   1. Enhancers are determined and simple. Most of them never lie and hide nothing. Their words and actions are often dominated by their feelings. They are generally very selfish and focused on their goals.
   2. Emitters are impatient and not detail-oriented. Many of them quick-tempered and hot-blooded. They resemble the users in building their impulsivity, but the difference with them, they probably tend to calm down and forget more easily.
   3. Manipulators are logical people who advance at their own pace. They are all for arguments and tend to want to keep their families and loved ones safe. On the other hand, when it comes to pursuing their own goals, they do not listen to what others might have to say about it.
   4. Transmuters are whimsical liars. Transmutation users have unique attitudes, and many are regarded as weirdos or cheaters. They rarely reveal their true intentions.
   5. Conjurers are typically high-strung.They are often on guard as to be overly cautious. They are very observant and rarely fall into the traps. Being able to analyze things calmly is the strength of the materialization of users.
   6. Specialists are individualistic and charismatic.They will tell you anything important on them, and refrain from being close friends. But, because of their natural charisma that draws others, they are always surrounded by many people.
5. Your life’s an anime accompanied by its own soundtrack and theme songs.  Which composer would you like in control of your OST?

Aaaaand, my own answers to my questions:

1. Shirafuji Kyouko of Working!! I think I could pull her off very, very well since both our personalities and looks are a bit similar.  Plus, her outfit looks fairly simple to execute.  The closest major convention to me is Seattle, WA’s Sakuracon, which is perfect weather-wise.  I don’t think I’d want to wear Kyouko’s collared shirt in the sweltering heat of LA’s AX.
2. My favorite post, and the one I’m most proud of, is probably my discussion of epic-scale anime.  Not only does it combine an area of literature I felt very familiar with at the time of writing the post, but it also covers some of my most beloved shows and characters.  I’ve been lazy lately with my lack of outside sources when discussing anime and would like to write more editorials in line with this post.
3. As much as I love Japanese food, NO, my choice isn’t some Japanese dish! :p I grew up with my mom’s Filipino home cooking, and would like nothing more than to gorge myself on her delicious adobo and lumpia.  The savory flavors are intense and perfectly complement a bowl of fluffy white rice.
4. I’m most likely a manipulator, since I tend to walk at my own stride despite the pushing of those closest to me.  I admit that, in person, I’m a bit argumentative, but I do try and listen to others’ points of view before setting my foot down.  I’d prefer to be a specialist since I usually have a hard time being sociable around large groups of people; I already refrain from quickly becoming close to others. I wouldn’t mind adding a bit of charisma into the mix since those I know with such allure tend to also be very lucky in everything they do.
5. ARIA’s composers Takeshi Senoo and the Choro Club would be a dream come true for my anime’s OST.  I don’t actually know of anything else by them, but their work on the three main soundtracks of the ARIA trilogy are enough to capture my love.  The music is calmly uplifting, combining strings and piano with water-like rippling effects.  If my life’s music embodied these feelings, then I will have led a truly satisfying life.