Anime

*Oh yeah, I’ll also start on using an idea I just thought of now. I’ll be inserting some of my two cents which will consist mainly of rants and uncensored material to my articles. You’ll be able to identify them by the boldness of the font and a ‘XD’ sign at the end of the rant.

A friend and I decided to make our blog sort of an anime discussion-type of blog so I’ll be starting off by giving a brief background of the Japanese style of drawing.

First of, Anime (アニメーション) is a coined term derived from the word ‘animation’. Works of animation that comes from Japan been called thus ever since it was introduced to the west. Anime was actually born from Japanese artists that studied drawing techniques and forms in France, Germany, Russia, and the United States during the 20^th Century.

In the Philippines, I was first introduced to anime by the likes of T.V. series’ such as Dragon Ball, Ghost Fighter (Yu Yu Hakusho), and the like. Although, I have no doubt that these particular shows mesmerized the whole world as well. Ever since then, the number of anime series’ has multiplied faster than the Philippines’ population (that’s really fast). Presently, shows like Black Cat, One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, Air Gear, Suzuka, Ouran Host Club, and many others have lured us to worlds of fantasy. But when looking back to Anime past, it would be a tragic oversight to miss what started it all—Astro Boy.

The 1950’s is a landmark of anime history. After years of polishing artists, Japan bore Osamu Tezuka, the ‘god of manga’. He opened the gates to a brand new era of animation with a little robot child named Astro Boy. The series, in my opinion, seemed a lot like ‘Superman’ of the west. Both of the characters were different from the people whom they protected with special powers. Both of them was able to fly; both were immune to bullets; and of course, both of these courageous idols of the community wore their briefs outside ever so proudly. In fact, their only obvious difference would be their age gap and composition—Astro boy is a robot or rather an android while Superman is well… a man. Alien man, if you’re such an OC (Obsesive Compulsive) for specifics. Leaving that issue at the side, Astro Boy spearheaded the anime industry and started the surge of anime popularity that has taken the world by storm until this very day.

Concerning the style of anime, it’s quite a controversial issue that a lot of artists today are mimicking this style and as a result, lost touch with realism and tradition artistry. Really now, how stupid is that? Why the hell are they nosing in to other people’s business? If they want to draw anime, L-E-T T-H-E-M B-E dammit! We only get one life. I don’t think it’s ‘productive’ to force people to do something they DON’T want to do XD. A rough overview of anime drawing technique would be… distortion, in artistic terms. The body parts of people are exaggerated. But when I say exaggerated, I don’t mean the like of caricatures with bloated heads and unnatural minimized bodies that make you laugh. On the contrary, they are exaggerated to the point of, to some people’s eyes, perfection. The hair is always so silky. The skin is, without fail, smooth and in perfect condition. Their teeth are eternally sparkling white. Outfits would be stunning anywhere, anytime. Heck, I don’t think a single flaw could possibly be criticized about ‘coz everything just looks so damn good! The girls of anime could get any real guy in love; horny even! Okay, that was a lie—the flaw part. There is but ONE unique detail that is quite striking about anime but it also makes anime well… anime. This unnatural fragment of anime is, of course, the eyes. Anyone would tell you that anime characters have unusually large eyes and pupils even for cartoons. There is a reason of course but you can research about that yourself :-P

Well, that’s it for appetizer folks! Await the next issue of SPITFIRE – MEAT BALLS OF FIRE! DUM. DUM. DUM. DUUUMMMM!!!!

*Disclaimer

My sources are Wikipedia.org (material)

Deviantart.com (photos) -> I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to cite the creators of the pics! Thank you whoever you guys are!

Honestly!

Honestly, I don't blame the thieves that are rampant throughout the country because their trying to survive in the midst of treachery and corruption; I don't think squatters are to blame when they defend their homes from the people who actually own the land their squatting on; I salute vigilantes that pursue justice when the legal system could do nothing. Don't get me wrong though. I personally want rapists to burn in hell as their raped through their ass and forced to suck c*** while their gonads are eternally pierced with hot pointy metal sticks. But that's just me. And NO, I was not raped, mind you.
The thing I'm trying to say is I don't blame criminals from being...well...criminals.

Those who steal may simply be trying to feed their village, family, or their dying body. Squatters are people without a shelter to defend them from the scorching heat of summer and merciless rains and winds. Who can blame them for making themselves a home on an empty lot where no one at that moment seemed to be occupying the space? (Of course land owners are also right when they make the people move out when they’re about to use the land, but that's a discussion for another time) I understand murderers who kill for the sake of revenge or justice. I pity gamblers/smugglers who end up in prison when they were simply doing it to pay a large debt or to feed their family. The point is, I don't think criminals are to blame for the crime

I am really really annoyed when some hotshot goes around cursing criminals while saying something like: "They deserve to die," without even thinking about the possible reasons why these guys are desperate enough to break the law. But again, if we're talking about rapists (especially rapists who then kills their victims)...arg… don’t get me started with that.

The next level of thinking is kinda obvious--blame the government. After all, if only they played close attention to actually doing their job properly, most of the poor would be out of the streets. If they weren't ignorant of the welfare of the populace, there would be enough jobs for all the people. Citizens wouldn't be forced to steal for the meal of the day. Criminals wouldn't be left unpunished. Justice would be enforced. Everyone would have equal rights and protection. The country wouldn't be one big pool of smugglers and sexual predators. I mean, if there weren't corrupt people to start with who hog all the resources of the country, there wouldn't be a need for people to be corrupt in the first place and all these bad things wouldn't happen.

I know, I know. You're going to say, "Corruption will never disappear. People are greedy, slimy bastards that will take anything they can." Well let me just say, "I believe you! I really do!" But just wait and think for a moment. Why are people like this? Why have pride, treachery, misery, and selfishness become so common that it actually became second nature to people. After all, we're no longer considered animals. We have a conscience. Yes, it is true that we are exposed to a LOT of temptations but as rational and relational beings, it is supposedly natural for us to be mindful of the welfare of others as much as ourselves. In other words, we naturally want the good stuff not just for us, but also for others. So why do we compete? Why do we constantly pull down others so we can emerge the best? Why do we fight for love and other things when we know that it'll eventually hurt others?

Of course, there are a lot of answers to that, but they all boil down to one thing—uncertainty. We are uncertain of the future. We do not know what will happen to us 10 or maybe 20 years from now. We’re not sure whether we will be able to reach the top of our game next time around. We don’t know if we’ll meet that perfect girl ever again. We don’t know if we’ll be happy or comfortable come the near future. So what do we do? We take and we take and we take even if it means hurting someone else.

Now why is that? Why do we end up not caring? We’ll… that really depends from person to person. Personally I would say, “He doesn’t care about me so why should I care about him?” I think most people would say that. However, I think there’s a more logical and fair way of looking at it. We eventually end up not caring because…well… we don’t know. Or rather, we fear what we don’t know. What will happen to me why I meet my unfortunate demise? Some may think. We are uncertain whether or not there is an ultimate consequence at the end of it all. We don’t know whether all the good we could do would actually mean something when we leave this earth. We’re afraid that we won’t be able to enjoy the limited time we have in this world. We don’t care because we’ve already have our hands full caring for ourselves!

Imagine if you’re a doctor that saved many lives in your time in earth. One day you die because of… I dunno… you choked on a pretzel. Anyway, you come before the gates of heaven. Now, along with you, is a rapist who ravaged a hundred children and then killed them without mercy with kitchen forks O_O. Of course one would think that this shitty excuse for a human being would immediately be sent to hell, but lo and behold, the golden gates start to open up. The clouds didn’t open up and send the guy falling down to a pit of fire and eternally tortured or any other stuff like that. Long story short, you both got into heaven; got the same house of gold; the same sparkling pavement in the same celestial neighborhood. Now wouldn’t that just suck? I mean, here you are, someone who worked his ass off saving lives while this rapist here also gets the good life when he dies!? What was all that time, effort, and passion for? You would’ve been better off becoming a corrupt politician that enjoyed his time in office in Hawaii. So, do you still want to be the good guy? (Now don’t argue about having faith in a heaven that shall sort out the good and the bad in the name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, Amen! I said imagine man… IMAGINE)

I’m not saying everyone, bastards and little angels alike, will eventually get saved. I’m a sixteen year old kid for Pete’s sake. We don’t know what exactly will happen after we bite the dust. This is the big uncertainty that I’m talking about. Because we’re uncertain, we end up thinking about ourselves and forget the rest of the world.

There isn’t much we can do about this. A person will choose to believe what he or she wants to believe and he will do want he wants to do. At this point, everyone just wants to live and be happy. I don’t think there’s an answer to this question so I’ll make a suggestion—Live and be Happy! We’re not very sure what will happen when we do die, whether we’ll burn in hell according to our sins, live eternally in paradise, or be reincarnated and go through life all over again. It is a mystery after all so stop thinking about it and just live. Enjoy the remaining life you have and just try to remember that maybe you’re not the only one who deserves to be happy.