On the 1st Day of Anime — A Hunt Worth Undertaking

Three years, 148 episodes, and seven arcs have given us a show that leaps far and beyond the story that was introduced in that first episode, an adventure spurred by a young boy’s wish to simply meet his father. This is not only a story about a boy growing up, but about life in general, the darkness and difficulties in it, and what exactly makes it worth living. We laugh when Gon smiles, grimace when he clenches his fists, cheer when he succeeds, and cry out with his frustration.  Hunter x Hunter has burned itself into my heart with stunning force and deserves my final slot for the year of 2014.

Summer 2014 Set Menu (really, mid-season thoughts)

Summer is in full swing, and I’ve got the ridiculous shoe tan to prove it (thanks, TOMS). Along with the insistent sunshine and 80-90 degree weather, this summer has proven to be significantly busier than the previous, with friends’ weddings, festivals every weekend–currently it’s SeaFair here in Seattle–hiking, and a whole slew of new anime to watch. I’ve downloaded the VLC app to my iPhone to try and keep up with the shows while on my commutes to and from work. So far, this is what I have pinned down for my Summer Set Menu, and included are some mid-season thoughts:

Revisiting Hunter x Hunter

While I’m still keeping up with this fabulous series, I’ve also started re-watching it from the beginning with Kwoo in hopes of getting him caught up on the anime. HxH has always baffled me with its persistence in staying on my radar despite being everything I thought I disliked: 100+ episode count, source material still ongoing, a shounen battle-anime–the list goes on. All these factors aside, the show excels in areas that far outweigh my misgivings. From character development, to setting, to story and pacing, HxH succeeds time and time again in not only fulfilling my expectations, but also far exceeding and even surprising them. Re-watching from the start does not change the the amount of pleasure I take from this series. On the contrary, I find myself reveling in the craft.

Summer 2013 Set Menu

*GASP!* Choices, choices!

Is it just me, or are there a crap-ton of interesting shows this summer? I don’t think my menu has had this many entries in a single season for, well, ever. I thought I was doing pretty good clearing out my watching list with the close of the spring, but then I started trying out summer shows and found myself loathe to drop any of them. Most of them were an immediate “Yes” after just one episode, but we’ll see how many are still around midway through the season.

Menu overview:

• Free!
• Rozen Maiden: Zurückspulen
• Senki Zesshou Symphogear G
• Gen’ei wo Kakeru Taiyo
• Tamayura: More Aggressive
• Love Lab
• Servant x Service
• Silver Spoon
• Stella Jogakuin Koutouka C3-bu
• Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaete mo Omaera ga Warui!
• Fantasista Doll
• Kiniro Mosaic
• Uchouten Kazoku
• Monogatari Series: Second Season
• Genshiken Nidaime
• Dog & Scissors
• The World God Only Knows – Goddesses Arc
• Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi
• Brothers Conflict

Also included are some brief thoughts on backlogged shows and ongoing anime.

Initial Thoughts: Gundam AGE, Hunter x Hunter (2011)

So for those of you who haven’t seen these anime and don’t know why I decided to group my thoughts on them together despite Hunter x Hunter being already two episodes in, the reason is simple.  Both Mobile Suit Gundam AGE and Hunter x Hunter (2011) make me feel like a kid again.  And this is a good thing, since feeling “like a kid” in this case has nothing to do with the head, but everything to do with some mighty big heart.