Anime Character Challenge [ Day Eleven & Twelve]

I'm going to flip the days because I want to end the post on a positive note, not a negative one.

Day Eleven: Least Favorite pairing. 

Let's face it. In anime there are some pairings that are just not that great. But since I only tend to watch anime with good relationships, this is tricky. Obviously I hate it when fans pair friends together - 'cause no. Especially since friendships in anime usually consists of two girls or two boys. *Sighs* However, if I'm stick to actual canon pairings, than I think my least favorite would be Zuko and Mai.

"I don't hate you." - "I don't hate you too."

I don't have anything against Zuko and Mai. I think they're a good ship. She makes him smile. She makes him happy. That's all that really matters, right? I like Zuko and Mai! I will say though, that they're relationship didn't have enough screen-time to build or flesh itself out. I know Mai liked Zuko even when they were little,  but the whole arc with their story seemed a bit underdeveloped for me. For a while I really hated Zuko with Mai because I felt that she was holding him back, or that she was a bad influence on him. I also thought that Mai only liked Zuko because he was a prince. I mean, where the heck had she been when he got banished? It wasn't like she was there for him! *SPOILERS* And where does she get off, coming back into his life only after he was accepted back home?? *END SPOILERS* Ehem. As I saw more of their scenes together I realized that Mai really did love Zuko, and he actually helped her be a better person too - but I still would have liked Zuko to end up with someone a little less surly. Someone who would make him laugh a lot, someone who was a little more of a balance when it came to his serious attitude. Someone like that cute girl that took Zuko to see the lights.

So yeah. Zuko and Mai are my least favorite pairing, but I still like them. They were cute, in their own weird way. They just wish they'd had a little more growth and depth.

Day Twelve: Favorite pairing:

Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye.

"I can't afford to lose you."

I love ships that start out simple. "Oh, so they're co-workers. Oh wow, they make a really great team. Holy crap, they have a long history together. Oh my gosh, they've helped each other through so many rough spots. Oh my gosh, they're so close. Oh my gosh, they can't loose each other. Oh myyyYYY GOSH, THEY LOVE EACH OTHER.

What I really appreciated about Roy and Riza is that their love story is the sort that sneaks up on you. And it's this strong, loyal type of love that you don't see too often. It's the type of love that has it's bases on a long, fierce friendship which built itself into love. Quietly, without either party realizing it. Roy and Riza served in the army together, they went to war together, and they schemed to keep their country safe together. They are each other's support and moral compass. They keep each other standing when life gets hard. They help each other be the best that they can be. They keep one another on the right path.

"There's someone I have to protect."

Roy and Riza are a beautiful pairing. Even if you don't see them as a couple, their friendship alone is amazing to watch. They are so protective of each other. It's adorable 8-). And Riza is one of the few people who can get a laugh out of Roy every now and then. They're perfect. They're canon. And I love them.

Fifteen-Day Anime Character Challenge

Hi y'all! Happy First Sunday of Advent!!!!

I've done some thinking and I decided that I am going to do the Fifteen-Day Character Challenge!!! I originally was going to do animated movies/TV shows/Cartoons, but I've decided to challenge myself even farther and do just anime!!! (Including Avatar;TLA because I count that one as I sort of anime.) If this challenge goes over well, maybe I'll do one for musicals next month, or in February! Anyone can join in this challenge, and you can take your pick between caroons, animated shows, and the like.

DAY ONE! The First Character you absolutely loved.

It's a toss up between Sokka and Zuko. But if I go by the very first character which made me go, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!," It's Zuko.

Oh my goooooosh! Talk about a solid, complex, beautiful character! Zuko was pretty much the embodiment of conflicted antagonist. Even in season one when he was actively hunting down the Avatar - sweet, lil' Aang -  I never hated Zuko.  He just seemed like someone who was doing what he believed had to be done. 

Prince Zuko

Zuko is one of those characters that is fantastic, because he is sympathetic, but he is never painted as being in the right when he is making bad choices. Which he does quite a bit. He's ridiculous, and he makes stupid mistakes, and half the time your yelling at him because ZUKO YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER! But he also has a big heart, and an incredible strength of character. He fails over and over. He does the wrong thing. Makes a bad decision. But he always gets up. When things are at there hardest, he doesn't give up. He may fumble - a lot - but in the end he does what he believes to be right. I love that about Zuko. 

Have any of you seen Avatar:TLA? Do you have a favorite animated character - anime or otherwise? 

*swings around cape and leaps off stage*

Bella

I found some new things. Now I must share.

Thing One:

I binged on Avatar: The Last Airbender last week.

FRIENDLY MUSHROOM!

I'm almost finished with Season Three. And I'm a total fan. I'm not even ashamed.

There are five basic stages to becoming a fan of this show.

Stage One: Hmmm. This is kind of fun. But really dopey too.
Stage Two: Sokka is so funny!!!! And Katar is super cool. And Aang is really cute! And tough! These characters make me very happy. I think I even like Toph!
Stage Three: AAAAAAAAAH. What?? Why the cliffhangers??? I hate villains!! WHO NEEDS SLEEP? Sleep is for the weak!!
Stage Four: ZUUUUUKOOOOOOOO
Stage Five: WATER. EARTH. FIRE. AIR. *sings along to the theme*

This show is actually quite good. Is it dopey? Yes. Is it silly? Yes. Don't get me wrong. Avatar: TLA is definitely a kids show. It can be really silly and ridiculous. The animation is horrible. But if you are looking for comic relief, goofy story-telling, good characters, and a fun, interesting premises, Avatar is a good show to watch. The episodes are only like, fifteen to twenty minutes long, so it's really easy to binge on them.  Plus, there is some surprisingly good character development that goes on. (Zuuuuukoooooo)

Thing Two:

I'm sure you have all heard about Hamilton by now. It seems like it's the biggest thing since Les Miserables. I've held a lot of prejudice against this musical because A.) It's Rap and B.) It's the Founding Fathers. I have a problem with the Founding Fathers being turned black, especially George Washington. This isn't racism. This is historical fact. They were white. I also have a problem with the Founding Father's singing rap. And dancing to the rap. It seems a little ... disrespectful? However, I finally decided to give it a go. I shouldn't judge something until I know more about it, right? I sat down with a couple of my sisters and listened to the whole thing.

A Rap Musical

I didn't hate it.

But I don't know if I liked it. The music is very catchy. It's easy to sing along to, even the first time around, and after you listen to it once, you have all these lines from different songs that play in your head. The characters were fine. George Washington as a character was fine. I liked a lot of his lines, and how he put Hamilton in his place. He was fairly close to historically accurate, at least as close as you can get with a modern twist and rap involved. The story itself was also fairly accurate... again, as accurate as you can be with rap.

There were some songs I really liked. There were some lines that were pretty cool. For instance, there is one point where Hamilton says "I am just like my country, I'm young scrappy and hungry, and I'm not throwing away my shot!" I like that line a lot. It stuck with me fast.

I don't think I like the rap angle. The rhythm wasn't bad, the lyrics weren't bad, the characters and songs weren't bad. It was a decent sort of musical to listen to and I think if it had been anything but the Founding Father's, I would have been like - "Yaaay, Hamilton!" As it is I'm more like - "Hmmmm. Hamilton." I did enjoy listening to it. If you can get past the rap (which I'm not wild about anyway) the modern language, the mis-representation of the Founding Father's, and the fact that Hamilton is not that great of a person, it is fun. Aside from some awkward duologue/scenes, and language, it's also pretty clean. Sometimes you hear something and you're like "Well, that was inappropriate." But I don't think you actually see anything dirty. Maybe I'll even watch it at some point, but it will be a bit before I try that. I've seen gifs, and I don't like the dancing, or how the actors portray some things. (Did Washington just high-five Hamilton? What? ... What are they doing, the twist? No. Why?? Uh oh. Here's comes the swagger... no. Please.... Uhm, what is with Philip? Perve.) I think I will probably listen to it again, mostly because it's annoying to only know a handful of lyrics; but also because it is very catchy and it makes you want to listen to it more than once. I still maintain it was a bad call to turn historical men black just to show the America dream of everyone being equal. It's like turning Fredrick Douglas white. I don't think blacks would be very happy about that.


Thing Three:

I did find another musical though, and this one I really like. It's called The Light on the Piazza. It's about an Italian boy falling in love with a cute American tourist. It's super sweet. It has a good message about love being difficult but worth fighting for, and how important family is. It shows that everyone has flaws and you should never underestimate people just because they're different. The music is beautiful and the singers are amazing. Oh, and you get to hear Matthew Morrison sing in Italian!! What could be better?

Clara and Fabrizzio

As usual, I listened to the Original Cast first and it is pretty fabulous. Kelly O'hara has a beautiful voice. Her notes makes me happy. When she and Matthew Morrison sing together lovely things happen. They blend so well! Their love is precious. It's simple and innocent, and even though they fall for each other fast it doesn't seem silly. They get to know each other and their relationships develops in a gentle, natural way. I really liked how their love story saved other people's love also. It's like they inspired their families to not give up on marriage and that was a nice touch. And I love that after Clara meets Fabrizio she gets instructed in Catholicism, cause that makes the Catholic in me squeal. The Light on the Piazza is something all musical geeks should listen to it. It's beautiful, clean, classical, it sends a good message.... the only thing wrong with it is that in the first Act there is a kiss that goes a little too far. Like, it could become a scene if someone didn't walk in. Completely unnecessary. But other than that, it is fantastic!!!

Thing Four: 

I'm almost done with the Inkworld trilogy. That series is goooood. 8-D I think my favorite book will probably be Inkspell, but Inkdeath has been really well done too. I'm sort of afraid to finish it. I'm afraid of the ending.

DON'T KILL THE ANYONE. PLEASE.

The Last Thing: 

Before I sign off, I have a sort of announcement. My idea of Writers Camp seems to have attracted a lot of people. If I can get at least five other writers to officially sign on with this idea, I'm going to make it happen. It will probably start the first week in August sometime. I'm not sure how long it will last. Maybe a couple weeks? We can be super flexible with time and activities.  Basically, we're just going to take time and explore different writing styles and ideas, share some of our favorite authors and stories, discuss things that no one writes about even though they SHOULD be written about, and share ideas with motivation, the importance of writing, and how to get inspiration. There is plenty of time to juggle ideas, as well as which topics are Very Important and should be covered.

If you think Writers Camp is for you, leave a comment and tell me if you're officially in! Feel free to share this idea with other writers you know. The more the merrier.

Peace out y'all!!! God Bless!!

*swings around cape and leaps off stage*

Bella