A blog that will cure your apathy and inspire your dreams...
Warning: All who watch anime, play video games, like J-music and K-music, and the like... ARE OTAKU!
K: みんなさん, きょうはおげんきですか？
R: Minna-san, kyou wa ogenkidesuka?
E: How is everyone doing today?
Today is a special day for many reasons! This TSL is packed with a load of info--including an Anime/Movie Recommendation and an interesting video with Shoko Nakagawa! You guys might be able to guess who I'm picking this time from some hints in my previous posts but if not: This TSL goes to the infamous Suzumiya Haruhi from Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)!
(deredere) First off I just want to say thank you to all our followers for helping Shiyu-chan (who's still "getting ready" for her Grand (2nd) Appearance) level up to 25! ^^ (tsuntsun) But it's not like we needed your help or anything! (Mattaku...)
Have you ever taken a walk through the city one day to find that all of a sudden time just decided to... oh, I don't know... stop? And then a flame haired girl with a wicked-cool katana appears out of nowhere and saves your soul from being eaten by some giant freaky spirit-like monster? Oh, and then you find out that you're actually already dead and your existence is slowly fading away from reality? You know, everyday stuff.
Hmm, w-what's this? Y-you haven't?? Then you obviously have n-never met Sh-Shana! (I can hardly believe it!) Well then!--allow me to introduce you to her! >:)
Shana comes from a romance / comedy / action anime entitled Shakugan no Shana (literally: Shana of the Burning Eyes). Voiced by my favorite voice actress, Rie Kugimiya, she stars as a mysterious unnamed Flame Haze in this spectacular anime. Well then--how does she get her name?
That's easy!
Sakai Yuji, the lead male character in the anime, gives her a name: Shana--for proof that she's not "just a Flame Haze" but that she has value as a person. But he's one to talk--he's already dead! (Like he knows what it's like to be human... =P). Yuji learns that his current self is a "torch"--a substitute for people who had their souls "eaten" by "Guze no Tomogara". Unfortunately--it's a torch that loses its flame, which means he only has a limited amount of time to live before his existence is completely dissipated... or does he?
And so the romantic struggle in this anime is between Yuji and Shana--who both struggle to recognize their devotion to each other. Yuji is just typically oblivious while Shana struggles to see how someone like her, who's "just a Flame Haze," and not a human, can have or deserve to have a relationship. Plus, add a third wheel (Yoshida) and the fact that Yuji is hardly real and you've got yourself a complicated romance =P.
Alright, that's enough of an introduction, don't you think? And just so you know, it's not like I went out of my way to introduce her to you or anything!Mo...
Time for the Tsundere analysis!
Alright, so Shana is mostly a COT-type (Change over time) Tsundere because her overall personality changes from apathy (tsuntsun) to embarrassment (tsundere) to shyness (deredere) when dealing with the topic of "love" as the story progresses...
Alright, so we know she's multifarious on the inside--but what about on the outside?
If you haven't already noticed (angryface if you haven't)... Shana is very kawaii~ (well, at least to most anime lovers on the planet >.<...). Her art design is very original and moe--enough to build up a very frightening fan-base and garner millions of fan-drawn replicas and figurine models. All of which is more proof that Shana is beautiful--both on the inside and out (hauu~) :).
And if you didn't know already--part of what makes Shana so unique is her duality: her "human" form and her "flame haze" form. The latter being the one with the flaming red-hot hair :). And somewhat metaphorically, as you might have already read in my Top 5 Moe List (which is quite out-dated), her Flame Haze form resembles her Tsuntsun aspect while her Human form resembles her Deredere aspect.
So exactly how popular is SnS?
According to MAL, Shakugan no Shana ranks #29 in Popularity (which is 3 above One Piece (#32) and 2 under K-On! (#27) (incase you can't count)) and she's frequently referenced in many animes such as Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu and others that I can't recall off the top of my head--which is proof that it's a classic (and a masterpiece as well).
Other animes have tried mimicking the theme of Shakugan no Shana--most notably Kurokami and Hidan no Aria--but none have risen to the legendary status of SnS.
Well what makes Shana so popular?
Besides radiating a fiery personality and capturing people's hearts through moe (kya~), Shana is enveloped in a very fun and unique storyline that's geared more towards romance aspects while still containing just the right amount of action to satisfy a little shounen-hunger.
If you're a fan of Toradora--imagine Toradora with the genre trade-off of slice of life for action and a few details here and there... everything else is practically the same: Taiga and Shana have the same voice actresses and Yuji's name even resembles "Ryuuji" from Toradora!
Another interesting thing to note is that rumor has it that Rie Kugimiya (Shana) was actually going out with Satoshi Hino (Yuji) during their collaboration in both Shakugan no Shana and Zero no Tsukaima. I have yet to find proof of this, but it is definitely something to consider and might serve as a possible explanation as to how they were able to work so great together :S.
And so, Shana continues to stand on top of many as a symbol of fire and hope while sitting on her Royal throne on the Board of Legendary Animes (well... don't you think there should be such a board? =P). And by being the first of the Four Tsundere Wonders to reach an anime adaption, Shana has become the essence through which Rie Kugimiya has proudly taken up the title: "Queen of Tsunderes".
Won't you join Shana's fan-base and fuel her fire? If you do--perhaps someday she will rule the world >:)
Time for some snapshots! ^^
And here's the opening! (Couldn't find a good one with subs, sorry!)
Hello once again followers and Vocaloid lovers alike! Today, something a little different planned. If you saw the last 【J-Music Remixes】 post you'll remember it was on "humanloids"! There was a very awesome Kugimiya Rie tsundere humanloid, but it was actually a cover for an already existing Hatsune Miku song! Surprise, surprise... that song is the feature of this post!
"World is Mine" is one of the flagship "singles" (if Miku even has singles) that has crossed borders and given Vocaloids a voice in many places outside Japan (as seen in the Toyota 2011 commercial!) The song is about a spoiled (and I use that term lightly) girl who wants her guy to treat her like a Princess... hence "the world is hers"! It's a really kawaii and rarely seen side of Miku -- that of the tsundere! It must be the power of hostility and affection that has made this song as popular as it is... once you hear it the song is very catchy as well! Without further ado...
Hatsune Miku - World Is Mine
"But where is the J-music Remix?" ... is what you may be asking. Well, "World is Mine" was so popular that the band Supercell (and big-time Vocaloid fans) made a sequel to "World is Mine"... Debateably not as good as the original but still a very good follow-up!
Supercell - I'll Teach you
I hope you enjoyed this segment crossover! Until next time!
Hey everyone! This TSL goes to none other than Victorique from Gosick!
I'm sure you're all aware of--wait what, you're not? Have you not heard of the simply awesome moe-filled mystery anime called Gosick? Well then! It's time for some background then, isn't it? ^^
K: じゃあー はじめましょうか。
R: Jaa~ hajimemashouka?
E: Well then, shall we begin?
"The year is 1924" and our main character, Kazuya Kujo from Japan, appears in Sauville, "a small European country neatly tucked beside the Alps" for a study abroad program. Eventually he meets our second main character, "the mysterious Victorique" (ふしぎなヴィクトリカ / fushigi na Vikutorika), at the top of a very tall library tower.
The library is probably the tallest one you'll ever see in anime.
And did I mention there was a garden on top?
Plagued by boredom and forbidden to leave the tower without permission, Victorique gets really excited to see Kujo and makes him an object of her amusement right away: "You were chosen... As a single fragment with which to fill up my boredom." She makes him dance, bring her candy and more importantly, tell her of the mysteries and exciting things of the world which she cannot see.
Victorique is a genius hidden among the books of the tower. Very few know of her or her ability to solve crimes so simply by "reconstructing the chaos" in her mind. What adventures and mysteries of the European world will we see in this anime? How far will Kujo go for his new-founded friendship with this kawaii tsundere? Will the mysteries never end? You'll have to watch Gosick to find out! =P
Since you now know the background of Victorique, let's move onward to the Tsundere analysis! ^^. "Massugu, GO!" (Manabi Reference).
Victorique's voice (ヴィクトリカのこえ / Vikutorika no koe), which is very cute, is done by none other than Aoi Yuuki (who also voices Mio from Kaminomi)!
Her character design is extremely moe (とてももえ / totemo moe) mainly due to the flexibility of unique European style + Japanese/tsundere personality.
"So what tsundere type is she??" She's my favorite type of tsundere: she has a shy and sensitive tsuntsun side and a moe deredere side. Her polarity is evident in every episode as opposed to a complete change over time, but as the story progresses so does her tsundere personality.
So if you have time, don't forget to check out Victorique from Gosick! If you don't have time--MAKE SOME! =P
Hey everyone! This TSL goes to Misaka Mikoto from Toaru Majutsu no Index & its sister anime, Toaru Kagaku no Railgun!
Time for a little background of Misaka!
So Toaru Majutsu no Index is where Misaka first stars (before moving into the sister anime counterpart). In this anime Misaka is an electromaster who trained very hard to go from a Level 1 ESPer to the highest rank of Level 5. There are seven Level 5 ESPers in Academy City and she's ranked the third strongest and nicknamed the "Railgun" (hence the sister anime's title).
When she meets the main character, Touma, who has the ability to cancel any ESP or magic ability with his right hand--she is humiliated that a mere Level 0 ESPer can stand up to her. And that's where her one-sided rivalry originates from. Throughout the anime she tries to rematch Touma who refuses to fight her.
She eventually develops a soft spot for him <3
(*cough* Misaka & Touma > Index & Touma *cough*).
Sort-of-a-Spoiler Pic
Misaka attends a very rich and elite school which leads people to think she's a "proper lady" but in reality she's a short-tempered tomboy who secretly likes cute and childish things such as flowery pajamas. And despite what she claims, she has a very strong sense of justice and won't let anything unjust go by without Judgment! That's where you can see Misaka in action =P.
Okay, enough background--onto the Tsundere analysis!
Misaka has very cute character design, especially when portrayed in the completely awesome, action & moe-filled duo of Kuroko and Misaka! (See snapshots). She has a very cute voice as well, voiced by Rina Satou (who also voices Haruka from Minami-Ke! and Shiina from Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu to name a few).
Her Tsundere type is very unique and appears very rarely in any anime I've seen. I like to classify her as a perfect definition of my name: Deretsun! Contrary to normal Tsundere characters who usually act tsuntsun and eventually or randomly become deredere, Misaka is usually deredere and has sparks of tsuntsun when necessary.
So if you'd like to see the cute Misaka in action, check out Toaru Majutsu no Index (the second half) and the pure moe form (Index-less): Toaru Kagaku no Railgun!
(Note/Disclaimer: I am against Index (the character) completely, and I hate the first half of Toaru Majutsu no Index because she's in it. So don't complain if you feel the same way when watching it =P.)
Time for some...
Tsundere & Moe Snapshots!
Stay tuned for next time!
That's all for today, thanks for reading! ^^
:::Deretsun:::
Oh, and two parting pictures =P.
(Woah! Where did that last one come from? Is that Shana? :o)
This blog, "The Otaku Reviewers", was started in February of 2010 on this very same platform, Blogger. At first, it was a venture into the informational and informal world of comics, anime, video games, and Japanese culture. In other words, just a random blog.
Over time, the founder of the blog credited with the pseudonym "RPGhero" was joined by two fellow bloggers and friends with the names "Chansu" and "Deretsun". Together the three bloggers looked up interesting Japanese culture facts, recommended new anime, talked about their own "otaku" interests, and traveled across the United States to various anime conventions.
There have been off periods when the blog ceased production of content and there have been times when there would be dozens of blog posts per week. The schedule varies depending on the lives of the people behind the alias'. However the pattern is that we always get back into the game with even newer information about Japanese culture, anime, video games, and other nerdy hobbies.
The motto of our blog is:
"A cure for your apathy and an inspiration for your dreams. ...Applies to Otaku, anime fans, J-pop junkies, and the like"
The purpose is to blog about cool stuff related solely to anime and otaku stuff. There's no other reason we're doing this.
If you like our blog, please support us in however small a way that you would like. We appreciate our readers!
