I mentioned before that I really enjoyed the Idolish7 anime series. I went a little crazy and bought the music from the series on iTunes. :P One of the songs that I was surprised to discover is this one, although I don’t think it was actually played in the series, it was only released in the game. It’s so uplifting and cute! I hope you enjoy it. Here is also a cover of the same song by Lambsoars, which is also great. Those four guys are just super cute! Yeah 「代わりのある今日が終わる」 街中がため息をついて 涙をこらえた "Another day just like any other comes to an end" I could hear the whole town sigh As I held back my tears 用はないけど寄り道しよう やるせない思いを言いながら 顔を上げたら It's not really necessary, but let's take a detour Let's talk about our gloomy feelings Then lift our heads 消えてしまいそうな光 僕たちの言葉によく似てる 狭い駅前ここも誰かにとって夜空の果て The dying light Closely resembles our words Even this small place in front of the station Can be the end of the night sky to someone みんな気づかない星でも 好きに瞬いて踊るよ...

I feel slightly embarrassed to admit I watched this anime and absolutely loved it. I didn’t think I’d like an idol genre anime so much! The series is based off of a Japanese mobile game with a storyline and rhythm games, and the art for the series is beautiful. The dancing sequences were also really compelling. The characters also have rather intriguing backstories, making them more 3-dimensional and complex. Here’s the series description: A group of aspiring idols gather at Takanashi Productions and are entrusted with the company's future. The seven men who have just met represent a variety of totally different personalities. However, they each have their own charm and possess unknown potential as idols. Forming a group, they take their first step together as "IDOLiSH7." Their brilliantly shining dancing forms onstage eventually begin captivating the hearts of the people. In the glorious but sometimes harsh world of idols, they aim for the top with dreams in their h...

I’ve been watching the anime Violet Evergarden on Netflix and it is possibly the most beautiful anime series I’ve ever seen. The animation by Kyoto Animation is top notch, the storyline (based on the light novel series ヴァイオレット・エヴァーガーデン by Kana Akatsuki (暁 佳奈)) is emotional and unique, and the original soundtrack by Evan Call is out of this world. The vocal songs in the series are also really beautiful, but the best one is the opening song, “Sincerely” by TRUE. She not only has a beautiful voice, but the melody and lyrics are absolutely gorgeous. I can’t rave about this song enough. 知らない言葉を　覚えていくたび おもかげのなか　手を伸ばすの Each time unknown words come to mind, I reach my hand toward the traces they leave. だけど一人では　分からない言葉も あるのかもしれない But there may be words That I can’t comprehend all alone. さよならは　苦くて アイシテルは　遠いにおいがした 例えようのない　この想いは とても怖くて　だけど　とても愛おしくて “Goodbye” is so bitter, While “I love you” carries a far-off scent. This incomparable feeling Is so very frightening… bu...

My absolute favorite manga series is now officially licensed in English and available on Kindle and iBooks ! I first saw Chihayafuru the anime series ( watch it free on Crunchyroll ) and fell in love with the storyline and characters. There was a combo English/Japanese print version of volumes 1 and 2 that came out earlier, but it was rather confusing to read (but I still bought them). This, which was just released, is an English language-only version on ebook. Here’s the blurb: Chihaya is a girl in the sixth grade, still not old enough to even know the meaning of the word zeal. But one day, she meets Arata, a transfer student from rural Fukui prefecture. Though docile and quiet, he has an unexpected skill: his ability to play competitive karuta, a traditional Japanese card game. Chihaya is struck by his obsession with the game, along with his ability to pick out the right card and swipe it away before any of his opponents. However, Arata is transfixed by her as well, all becaus...

My favorite manga right now is Chihayafuru by Suetsugu Yuki (you can watch the anime Chihayafuru for free on Crunchyroll. , it’s also one of my favorite anime series). The series also got two live-action films (a part one and a part two), and I happened upon the promotional video for the movies which features the J-pop song “Flash” by Perfume. It’s a really catchy song and I love it! I bought it on iTunes . The cover art for the single was drawn by the manga artist, Suetsugu Yuki! Flash - Single - Perfume Here’s the PV: I so want to see these movies! Well, subtitled, since I don’t understand Japanese. :)

This is another music video with clips from Sword Art Online, and I think it shows a different progression of scenes of Kirito and Asuna’s romance. You can watch Sword Art Online on Crunchyroll.

I can seriously get lost on Youtube. Here’s another music video with clips from Sword Art Online, another terrific anime series, and another of my favorite couples, Kirito and Asuna. You can watch Sword Art Online on Crunchyroll.

And in case you’re not tired of it yet—another Chihaya and Arata music video! I really wish they’d done another season or two of this anime series. (You can watch Chihayafuru on Crunchyroll. )

I couldn’t resist—it’s another Chihayafuru music video, this time with clips of more of my favorite anime romantic couple, Chihaya and Arata. (You can watch Chihayafuru on Crunchyroll. )

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!! This is “Dare You to Move” by Switchfoot and clips from the anime version of my favorite manga series right now, Chihahafuru by Suetsugu Yuki, showcasing the nerd I love to love, Wataya Arata. You can watch Chihayafuru on Crunchyroll.

Since I'm writing a near-future/sort-of-dystopian story, I watched this movie (thanks to Netflix DVD). It wasn't quite as bad as I expected it to be, but it had its problems. Here’s the blurb from Netflix: In a futuristic world where Earth is divided into four warring "Corporations," a frightening new breed of NecroMutant threatens to destroy the global population unless the leader of an old monastic order can destroy the beasts and save the planet. Camy: The story premise is that after the ice age, an alien machine came to earth to create those NecroMutants from human beings it captured, although the story never explains why that was the machine’s mission. Mankind warred against the machine up until an alternate reality Middle Ages, which was when the machine was buried. The movie is set in an alternate reality future (the year 2707). The thought of four corporations ruing the world was credible to me since history had been changed after the machine touched d...

Yes, anime again. :) I’ve been watching a lot of anime lately, although this one I saw a while ago. It’s called Kyoukai no Kanata or Beyond the Boundary . I loved it so much that I bought it on iTunes . It’s a supernatural humorous romance adventure, which really just hit me in all the right places. Each character has some type of hangup, including some weird perverted ones which the show makes fun of, but which are a bit weird for my American-cultured background. But aside from that, the action and adventure is really entertaining. And the heroine’s sense of being alone, mirrored in the hero in a different way, really resonates with me because I’ve felt that way. I found this AMV video on YouTube, and it just really expresses the tragic/humorous romance of the two characters, Mirai and Akihito. It may not make sense if you haven’t seen the anime show, but it’s still a great AMV.

I watched this Japanese anime show on Netflix called Psycho-Pass , and I have to say, I think it’s my favorite one so far. The story premise is a futuristic, isolated Japan which is ruled by the Sybil system, which is a massive computer that can scan and calculate a person’s potential to commit crimes. People who have a high criminal potential become second-class citizens because of their psychological imbalance, called “latent criminals.” But some latent criminals with a good aptitude become secondary detectives in the police force. Their sociopathy comes in handy when apprehending other criminals in society who have already committed crimes. It enables their inspector superiors to keep their criminal potential lower since the latent criminals are the ones who do most of the violent work in capturing or eliminating the criminals. The Sybil system has created a utopian society that has not been exposed to much violence or crime, but this lack of moderate stress in their lives make...