MC Anime

Honoring Pokemon Day

Today, the official day for Pokemon is happening on February 27th, 2020. Pokemon Day celebrates the whole Pokemon Franchise dating back to games to start it off. Officially, Japan had the first games of Pocket Monsters Red and Pocket Monsters Green, and with the special edition Pocket Monsters Blue as well in 1996. Pokemon would continue to shape society with many highlights over the years like a Super Bowl commercial or even Pokemon: Detective Pikachu. In honor of this day, I am discussing a special throwback game close to my heart, which is Pokemon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition. I happen to have a book for the original walkthrough for Pokemon Yellow with the Dos and Don'ts suggestions for the game.

“Do play this game with a friend — or, better, two!”

“Trading is integral to Pokemon. The sooner you get used to it, the better off you'll be.” The game has many trading options both in-game and out-of-game trading. The out-of-game trading is exclusively link cables with other Game Boys either a friend or by yourself. You can not catch all pokemon unless you trade like fighting Pokemon at “Splinter Gym in Saffron City” or even the starter Pokemon in Red/Blue (RB). Along as you have a Game Boy and a link cable, you can trade the original Pokemon Yellow. Also, follow the rule playing wit a friend or friends to make it more interesting. In-game trading occurs when you trade a Pokemon with an NPC in the game. Personally, my favorite in-game trade is Dugtrio for Mr. Mime. Mr. Mime has a really good attack boost with moves like Psychic and Magical Leaf and even better earns 1.5 EX points in battle. In-game trades are a double-edged sword for they level up quickly and you risk them not obeying you without the proper badge.

“Don't Concentrate on raising one character over the others!”

“It's a familiar scenario: you get a Pokemon you really like and you use it more often than any of the others. However, it's better to share the wealth—-and experience points—-for several reasons.” I am a person who is known for this at times and often have to train other Pokemon match levels. As the book says, 'a balanced team' is key to defeat the Elite Four. This means your team should have a max of six and represents different types with a variety of moves. Actually, building a team is personal and as such you need to give them special attention to win against the Elite Four. There are many times where I retrained a new team to defeat the same group over again to prove that I can defeat them consecutively. Pikachu is at a severe disadvantage when trying to defeat Brock's Gym because the ground type is immune to electric type move. It is crucial to raise Pikachu's level to learn Quick Attack to spam it on rock types or catch Mankey that knows low kick. Finally, rock and ground types are really heavily focused later in the game so prepare for them and except high experience points.

“Do remember to buy antidotes and other curative's before entering dungeons.” and “Don't forget, Pokemon can suffer only one negative status at a time.”

Antidotes are lifesavers for statuses because they give you an edge poison or paralysis. Poison eats away at your Pokemon's health outside of battle and no poison heal could your downfall for that Pokemon fainting. I do not know how many times that I was urgently trying to get a Pokemon center in the hope to heal my team for free. Also, being paralyzed is bad and it sucks 75 percent of the time not being able to move. Both of these conditions, have disadvantages but paralyzed you at least have a chance to keep your health despite the decreased speed. Sleep is the third most common and prevents you from attacking until you wake up. Full heal wipe out all statuses and can save a trip to the center or even worse the Elite Four. If you have a status, then a lesser of all evils is paralyzed and prevents you from other statuses implicated on you.

“Do try to match Pokemon in the battle to maximize their effectiveness.” And “Don't hesitate to change Pokemon during a battle”.

Pokemon is a constant game of cat and mouse if you so desire for it to happen. However, there are many strategies for playing like bait and switch, contests, and other features. When you are in a battle, you want to make of it and think about your opponent with their Pokemon. For example, does the opposing trainer keeps doing the same combos or do they change? I want the advantage then you need to consider the Pokemon you are facing and see if the odds are in your favor. Basically, the trainer had a. Vulpix and you had Bulbasaur chances are you might lose to type advantage with fire against the grass. Keep in mind, type advantage on a Pokemon is key because a move that is super effective would do more damage than ineffective or effective moves. Bait and switch are so useful for it can avoid type or move advantages in battle and you win if you have at least one Pokemon standing. A battle had negative consequences if you lose it called whiting out and you pay money to do for losing. Money is scarce and whiting out is one way to lose lots of it at once. Do your best in battle and beware of what Pokemon you are facing and their moves.

“Finally, do an experiment! You can't what's possible until you try it. Don't be afraid to mix and match TMs, or to raise what you think will become interesting characters. There's no right or wrong way to become a Master Pokemon Trainer. Enjoy the game!” I challenge those to be the master of their game and be the ones to decide what to do. Pokemon you have the freedom to play and as such any way can be your playing style. I hope you guys an exciting Pokemon Day and Catch Them All!

https://i.imgur.com/C4VbO1D.jpg

Generalizations of Conventions

A convention is a highly praised fandom event where anime and geek culture flourishes. These events are held in large venues and as such one example is convention centers. A convention center is used for many meeting-places for conferences, weddings, conventions, expos, trade shows, and other large-scale events. Hotels, in particular, are specially used for conventions within injunction with conference or convention centers. Hotels use the extra business from the convention area for additional revenue in the venue and influx of hotel guests. A convenient place for a Con is a hotel for places to stay and confirmed parking for the event. Furthermore, a convention is fandom-based and here are other important details concerning it cost money, the importance of volunteering, what is cosplay, and fandoms represented at the event.

Why does it cost so much money?

These conventions cost money because of programming, pace, and other expenditures. Mainly, a festival wants the best entertainment for the guests to some extent well-known figures of the industry. The programming is so high because attendees expect lots of activities and those entertainment pieces are bought with money. Also, the venue space costs resource a medium of exchange and is expensive. For example, the Richmond Raceway event building could cost 10,000 dollars for a single day for leasing out to an event. Now, think about why vendors are highly sought and admission on the guest end paying (the venue space, programming, advertising, paid workers, and other costs for the event). These are some of the reasons why you need to spend money and then get money back for future conventions to be successful.

Why is volunteering so important?

Volunteering provides several advantages for both small and big activities alike. Usually, if you assist in life people visualize charity organizations and soup kitchens. However, these are more options for volunteers than just these like fandom-related. Cons use helpers for successful departments to occur in operations and key areas on behalf of guests. When people divide and conquer, they are able to achieve more than with one sole person in charge. Leaders depend on others so the stress is minimized while some take specific responsibility for their tasks. Also, volunteers are given a chance to work at a minimal amount of hours for incentives. The incentives include free admission if they worked and sometimes shirts with other rewards. If a Galaxy Con required ten hours to work, and the hours were reached then free admission or reimbursement for badges. Remember the fact, most staff are volunteers and as such, they are unpaid and deserve recognition for their efforts.

What is cosplay?

Cosplay is the process for people dressing up as a character of their choosing. The cosplay culture is very key to anime because people embrace their love and creativity in a costume. A range in this particular interest can be a tight budget to a loose budget and all in between. Someone who is a cosplayer, be aware that everyone is equal in terms of design and has different ideas for creating a costume. There is no idea better than another and as such people should suggest ideas and give help when it is due. As a result, the embracement of cosplay is highly respected and sometimes is rewarded in cosplay contests or loyal followers online. Finally, here is a theater term for getting in character and staying that character for cosplayers can be very beneficial for them.

How many fandoms are represented?

Fandoms are several industries with fans and general entertainment. The fandoms you can find are at a con: anime, cartoons, gaming, art, comics, and other areas. Anime is short for Japanese animation and has influenced the West greatly in terms of entertainment like the Matrix. Cartoons are animations outside of Japan and have a similar following to anime. The gaming culture includes 3D graphics on a screen of video-based and tabletops like Yu-Gi-Oh and DND (Dragons and Dungeons). Art is a part of every culture and conventions have an Artist Alley (the area to sell art) which is similar to vendors. Comics reflect source material for fun like manga (Japanese comics inspiring anime), American comics (superheroes in MCU and The Arrowverse), and others. These are some of the fandoms represented at conventions and the geek culture.

Therefore, a convention is a festival environment where people can attend and become a collective identity as geeks. People would continue to flock to these attractions for enjoying themselves is inevitable. As a result, we have conventions popping up which capitalize on the fandom-based passion at a specific location.

https://i.imgur.com/Rnrs28D.jpg

Wielders of Metallic Powers in Anime Author: Zorez Shahzad

Robust, durable and beautiful. Metal is one of the best elements! “金” is the Japanese symbol for metal, and it can mean gold or riches. This symbol is also sometimes used to portray the day of Friday. This portrayal is used to refer to Friday as a golden day, or a day full of riches.

Metal being such an important element is, of course, an integral part of the anime world as well. Metallic powers are portrayed differently in different anime. Users of metallic abilities are usually shown to have an unyielding will and incredible brute strength. Today, we’ll be taking a look at some characters in anime who have the ability to control or create metal. Now, without any further ado, let’s get started!

Tetsutetsu is a character from the My Hero Academia series. And yup, his name is quite bizarre! The word Tetsu actually means iron, and hence, it is the name of a character who has the ability to control iron. Tetsutetsu has the ability to turn his whole body into iron, which gives him unwavering strength and immunity. Tetsutetsu is a student of class 1-B, and he really hates the fact that his class is never in the spotlight. He wants to prove to the world that class 1-B is just as good as class 1-A. Tetsutetsu is an example of a cliché metallic character. He is both stubborn and strong-willed. He is very good at heart and always wants the best for his friends. Despite seeming like a dumb character, Tetsutetsu has a very strong mindset when it comes to battle. He can think rationally and remain calm under any kind of life-threatening situation. Tetsutetsu is a strong character who is also a fantastic example of what a metal user should be like.

Gajeel is a quite popular character from the Fairy Tail series. Gajeel is an iron dragon slayer and a member of the fairy tail guild. Initially, he was a very cold person and a sworn enemy of our heroes. But after his fight with Natsu, Gajeel slowly starts to become a better person. Gajeel, just like Tetsutetsu, is a very strong and stubborn character. Despite looking like a bad person, he is actually quite concerned about his teammates. He always thinks about his peers and makes their enemies his own enemies. Gajeel has the ability to turn to create iron, and also turn his own body into iron. In certain special circumstances, he can even convert his iron into steel, which makes him quite powerful. Having all the must-have traits of a metal user, Gajeel is truly one of the best metal users in anime.

Shinki is a truly powerful character from the Boruto series. Shinki a little different from the other metal users as he lacks physical strength. Shinki uses his magnetic powers in a very interesting and unique manner. Shinki actually has wind and earth release powers, when combined together, these two powers give Shinki magnetic powers. Shinki’s magnetic powers are very strong and hard to control. This prompted Gaara to adopt the poor boy and teach him the correct way to use his powers. Gaara trained Shinki himself and turned him into a splendid shinobi! Shinki is extremely powerful and multi-talented! He has a truly keen and smart mindset which really helps in making him a strong warrior. Shinki can control powerful iron sand. This iron sand can be used for both offensive and defensive measures. Shinki can also control puppets and use them in his fights. The best thing about Shinki’s puppet controlling technique is that instead of chakra threads, the kid simply uses his iron sand to control the puppets. Having so many abilities at his disposal, Shinki is truly a force to be reckoned with. Shinki is a unique metal user who is not stubborn or physically strong. He is a calm and collected character which is a totally new take on metallic characters. This uniqueness makes Shinki a very beautifully crafted character.

Misaka is the main heroine in the A Certain Scientific Railgun series. She is a third-ranked Level 5 esper in Academy City, and has been nicknamed Railgun because of her truly intriguing signature move. Always exhibiting excellence, Misaka is a true prodigy! She is very powerful and can take down almost any foe quite easily. Misaka’s ability is actually related to both metals and electricity. She is essentially a user of the power called Electromaster, which means that she can generate and control electricity. Her most powerful attack and also her reason for being on this list is, of course, Railgun. Mikoto can use her electricity to fire metal objects at three times the speed of sound by forming parallel currents on both sides of her arm. Her Railgun has a very fast muzzle velocity and can be fired at a rate of 8 shots per minute. She can also shoot multiple coins at once making her Railgun a Rail-shotgun. She primarily uses arcade coins as her projectiles for portability, limiting her maximum power. Misaka is a unique metal user which, by some, is not even considered to be a metal user. But I personally believe that she is a metal user because she uses her electric powers to control metal. Misaka has a tomboyish personality, and she is very easy to interact with.

Eva Silver is a female villain from the Seikon no Qwaser series. She is a very deranged and sadistic character who is both manipulative and cruel. She is very powerful and can battle almost any foe quite easily. Eva is actually the source of multiple clones of herself. All these clones absolutely adore Eva and hail her as their queen. Eva has the ability to control the element of mercury! She is able to summon it in vast quantities and solidify it at will, turning the substance into razor-sharp wires and blades. She can also make bullets and other solid objects or even traps using mercury. Eva is known for her revealing clothes which give us an idea about her confidence. This girl is quite formidable yet at the same time, also quite different from all the other metal users. She is not a stubborn and dumb character. She is a very analytical character who has a brilliant mindset when it comes to battle.

https://i.imgur.com/08lHxIO.png

DEATH NOTE: SPECIAL ONE-SHOT By: rjboulton27

The one-shot spin-off of Death Note was published recently. I'm not sure if it was needed but we've got it here. It was surprisingly good and reminds us of how much we have missed the world of Death Note.

The modern-day spin-off one shot of Death Note is a fantastic idea on paper but I do wish they did it slightly better. I'm thinking that be Kira should've had (spoiler for original anime/manga) a better death and this one-off manga does kind of make that worse by foreshadowing into what has happened after Kira’s death. Yeah, the legacy of Kira is at question here.

The reference to the previous story did make it a pretty good read. If you haven’t read or watched the series before this spin-off, I would suggest you start the series. Even though it won’t ruin the first part, it was fine that there was a time jump of two years and the idea behind it was good. Although it didn’t amount as much as I thought it would, it was still an excellent idea. The story does seem to show that more stories can be told through the world of Death Note. This proves that having the squad that took down the original Kira and also other spin-off stories like the Death Gods who don’t like Ryuk could exist in future Death Note chapters.

Also, the smart character which I’m not going to name, fans of the series might have already guessed of who I am referring to or not. It is a great nostalgic feeling reading through the ramblings of the strategist although not the original person, who is one of the best characters in the series apart from Ryuk. The referencing through this one-shot is great and one of the best parts of the Manga. Also, the one-shot makes it feel like part of the Death Note universe and series.

I liked the time jump until it went into how the original couldn’t have happened due to cameras and the widespread internet. It feels like it really hurts the original manga even though it does say that Kira could have thought of a way around it. The chapter felt like an easy way to get out of a plot hole. This is a world where Shinigami are real and cross the plane to reach humans and give them possible Death Notes. They are either bored or in Ryuk's case want apples to eat. The one-shot takes this and throws it way too much into reality making it even political. If this was the case with the original, I don’t think I would have carried on with it; you’ll understand what I mean near the end of the book.

The introduction of the American character was bad, and I liked the added rule. I didn’t like where the book went; it didn’t make sense to me. When different countries were mentioned in the story, it wasn’t a good idea and took a lot of enjoyment out of the story. It was already satisfying reading about an old character from the original series, but the introduction of places like America and China didn’t add anything good to the story.

The ending (to me) was very easy after such a complex story with the one-shot of Death Note. The end was awkward in the last few pages and was too easy of an ending and slightly took away the potential of a good manga. If it had a different tone, then the chapter would have taken a slightly different direction.

The logic of Ryuk is really funny and works to his advantage which is far more than apples. Who wouldn’t do something they found interesting for the food they really like. The quirks behind the series are still there and are still part of what makes the series so good and exciting to read.

The story of how the Death Note is actually used is well executed but its vision on the use was unheard of before. A great plot for the series to evolve although there could be so many ways the story could have evolved, this is only a one-shot so maybe one day in the future... It does show that the book can be used in many ways and fans of the show might think that Ryuk could come back to the human world again for more apples to see if humans will use the book differently again, let’s hope that’s right! Seeing Ryuk again in different circumstances would be great and this story shows that Light Yagami’s story could be one of many and this one-off could be part of something bigger in the future. Who doesn’t like seeing their favorite characters pop up in a reference or even return for another series?

It was a great read with all the references to all the previous characters through the manga. If you are a fan of the series or seeing Ryuk in a new manga it is worth picking up this book. Altogether, If you’re not a fan of the series, this won’t change your mind. However, if you haven’t watched or read anything Death Note then reading this one-shot is not a good beginning for the series to read. This is a great read and if you’re a fan of the series you should definitely give this a chance not just to see Ryuk again but other characters as well.

https://i.imgur.com/pgGCLfZ.png

A Day Full of Fandoms

This past Sunday, February 9th, 2020 was a day to remember for various reasons. It was all brought on with the idea of the RVA Environmental Film Fest. This festival is an event where many non-profit organizations and businesses come together for the awareness of the environment. The film fest had a strong message for their support for Mother Earth especially in the films specifically showcased at the event. The message was apparent but the strongest ideology came from sightseeing on W Cary Street and being exposed to many fandoms along the way.

The day began at the Byrd Theater where the RVA Film Fest kicked off and lots of people joined in. The Byrd is an iconic theater in Richmond and is a historical landmark. I went to the theater for the second movie of the day, Five Seasons: The Gardens of Piet Oudolf, with my friend Kaitlin. The Five Seasons was about Piet Oudolf whose aspirations for gardens and art go hand-to-hand with one another. He expresses this in his film where he practices art through gardening. He takes into account the beauty of plants and how they change in the seasons. I loved the strong visuals of nature and the vibrant narrative of his passion. The documentary style of the Five Seasons captures the true essence of Piet Oudolf so much that it is like an autobiography of sorts. Piet Oudolf is an artist in his own right and deserves the recognition in a medium where it makes people grow closer to nature and act in awe.

After the Five Seasons, I was able to experience the Chop Suey Books store on W. Cary Street. Chop Suey Books is a shop where books are ever-present and pop out at you literally at times. I went with the intention to look around and somehow looking around more made me reconsider. The first book to catch my interest was Japanese decor and the interior spaces of the houses. It looked interesting for Japan stuck out and most of their culture is heavily in their homes. There was also the Golden Age of DC Comics which had a gold-like appearance on the cover. It had images of various DC Comics like for example the infamous Action Comics about Superman and among others. Though the covers were striking down memory lane, I did not buy it because the book was mostly comics and it gave the feeling of a yearbook.

I bought a book while I was there but had to go up a floor for a specific cause of why. I went to the second floor in search of reference material for a particular essay about The End of the Samurai with traditional values clashing with the counterculture of modernization in Japan. It got me intrigued; however, the book I bought was Japanese Aesthetics and Culture A Reader. Nancy G. Hume is the editor and works as an Associate Professor in Baltimore, Maryland. She does a good job of explaining the book in a scholarly fashion and understanding of Japan as a whole. There was only one book that had a similar effect on me like the Japanese A reader which was Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. This book is about Chef Anthony Bourdain who wrote a memoir of his experience in his cooking career. According to Chef Anthony, the book describes “twenty-five years of sex, drugs, bad behavior, and haute cuisine.” It was never published due to his passing before the book went on the market. The book tells a story and holds the power to appeal to someone's human side.

Chop Suey Books was a place to remember while Tokyo Market was kind of planned. Tokyo Market is a Japanese Grocery Store and has various aspects of Japan in the place. The place had things from Japanese merchandise (Pokemon Gum and the Lucky Cat collectibles) to Japanese exotic drinks and other foods. I really liked seeing mochi (ice cream equivalent in the United States), seaweed, and drinks from that culture. The funny thing about this store I was trying to find it earlier when I thought it was the Sushi Market for some reason. I struggled to find a product that I would be satifised with until I stumbled across Banana Milk from Taiwan. Though, the only problem was the can did not meet the minimum price for debt so I was yet again looking for more items to buy. I frantically searched and remembered the crackers. Somehow, I bought two packages with twenty-one rice crackers and I am now planning to share them with Reynolds Anime Club. The best part was buying Banana Milk and when I drank it at lunch.

The Tokyo Market might have been short-lived but Bits and Pixels sure fixed that issue. Bits and Pixels is a Used and Metro Gaming Store. We start looking around and see many items like holographic posters with the original Kanto starter Pokemon and Fairy Tail characters (Erza, Natsu, and Gray). At different angles, you could see the Kanto starters combined between an angle of Bulbasaur and Squirtle in mid-transition of angles. I asked the clerk if they had a Pac-Man Party Wii game and the woman said she remembered it recently. I was so happy when I received Pac-Man Party, for it was one of the few games that I repeatedly played on the Wii. We headed out and reached the Byrd Theater when Kaitlin suggested them to be a possible vendor. I went back, and they are thrilled to be a vendor for ReynoCon 2020 hosted by Reynolds Anime Club. I explained the details to them to be a vendor and scored their business card to contact them.

My day was one of those days that a lot happened in a short period of time. I went to these places in 4.5 hours which included 3 stores, one restaurant, and a historic landmark. I can say that W. Cary Street has various fandom related businesses and other entertainment options. One last note, I ended the day by watching The Farmer's Footprint at the Byrd Theater. The Farmer's Footprint is a 20-minute short film but discusses crop yielding. Basically, it goes against the chemical treatment of their corn crop and keeping the family up and running for a fifth generation. Just as they are taking control of their farm, I am taking control of my blog and hope for the best.

https://i.imgur.com/hO1zRgQ.jpg

Sound Fighters in Anime

Sound is said to be vibrations where waves travel through matter or other mediums to a receiver of sorts. People perceive sound to be noise in some areas but most of the time it is natural or daily life. It is constantly ever present in life to the point it is second nature and can be taken for granted. When it comes to sound in anime, I refer to the Soul Eater quote, “A sound soul dwells within a sound mind and a sound body” This quote might not be directly related to noise itself but it provides an interesting balance the of the ‘soul’ and how it can be smoothed and perfect unionity. These wavelengths measure up to various levels just like anime characters using sound in many ways.

Miku Lzayoi (Date A Live) is the sixth Spirit to make an appearance in the show Spirits “they trigger Spacequake” when they enter from another dimension after crossing over. These beings are mysterious but things that are confirmed in every one of them cause great damage when they arrive and their unique qualities (personality, power and info about the world). Miku is a human who later became a Spirit who hates men. She hates men so much that Shido, the main character, has to cross dress as a girl and when he is found out the entire city is after him. Basically, Miku has lots of anger to where she releases the full city at large through hypnosis powers of sound against Shido. She uses long-range sound attacks like March (strength enhancement to listeners), Rondo (restrains movement), Solo (brainwashing people as minions), Requiem (a relaxing effect like painkillers), and Symphony (vibrations in a sword technique).

“Cobra” Erik (Fairy Tail) is a dark mage and is a former member of the Dark Guild known as Oración Seis. Oración Seis is made of six individuals including Cobra and is after the Nirvana, a powerful magic item which is long sealed away. As Erik’s codename, Cobra, suggests he uses Poison Slayer Dragon magic but his secondary magic is at question today. He uses sound magic and is said to read someone’s soul. Apparently, he hears your inner voice and determines what you are about to do something almost could be mind reading. This uncanny ability works best when the person’s “voice” has thoughts or processing memories. He can change the surrounding pressure around his body as a sound barrier or explosive power in the hands to send foes flying. The most useful ability is his advanced hearing and how his sensitive ears gives him more insight into the opponent's actions and conservations far away.

Lynn Minmei (Robotech) is a singer who was really known especially for her efforts in the First Robotech War. She won the Miss Macross Beauty Contest and this led to her pop idol status on stage. She was so much of an icon that she became a symbol of the struggle of the Zentraedi. Zentradi are artificially created in nature and are a warrior class of aliens who start to wage war who are clones of the Robotech Masters. She would take the Robotech Saga universe by storm in her part with Dalza and the 4.8 million armada of ships when she sang “We Will WIn.” Dalza does not understand the concept of music and as a result is a little bewildered and loses his edge in battle. Later, she proves that singing has the power to convince other aliens to join S-1 in battle against the Zentraedi. She is the perfect example of a character with many talents like singing by day and fighting aliens by night,

Zebra (Toriko) is one of Four Heavenly Kings in the Age of Gourmet. Toriko is a world of great food and as a result of this Gourmet Hunters like Zebra try these amazing ingredients and culinary miracles in the Age of Gourmet. Of the Four Heavenly Kings, Zebra is the troublemaker of the group and as such is incarnated for supposed actions. It is rumored that he devastated the Gourmet market with his gluttonous appetite and the Anti-Zebra defense movement is really big. Anyway, he has great capabilities for his voice is superhuman and has many attacks and benefits in life with a single voice. He is able to use moves like Noise Lightning, Echo Map and Voice Sonar. However, if he loses his voice by staining it or losing too many calories in attacks then it takes a long time to recover calories agian and get his voice back. According to Zebra, “I'm the rules!” You guys've gotta adapt to me!”

Sound is what comes in present life all the time in many ways. Sound can range from white noise to buffer other sounds to supersonic jets in the skies. Whether it is quiet or really loud, sound can vary in either capacity and be always occurring for vibrations are the main causes for it. On one final note, there is Exploud who is the Loud Noise Pokemon. It is said that it causes sound quakes with it loud vibrations from the body that can be heard from miles away. As a result, sound would continue to prevail in it's Implantations in physics and science.

https://i.imgur.com/Ovz5o6q.png

Light Users in Anime Author: Zorez Shahzad Possible SPOILERS Ahead

The Japanese word “Hikari” translates to light. Where darkness is seen as a symbol of death and destruction, light is seen as a symbol of joy and hope.

Of course, light is symbolized using hope as even in real life, without light we’d all just go blind. This symbolism also gets implemented into the world of anime. In many anime out there, light is seen as the mark of a hero whilst darkness is seen as the mark of a villain. I totally disagree with this analogy! Light is not necessarily good, and darkness is not necessarily bad.

Today, we’ll be taking a closer look at some light users in anime who are good examples of how light-energy should be implemented into the world of anime.

J. Geil:

Just like every other character in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, J. Geil is quite Bizarre! J. Geil is a very powerful villain who happens to command the power of light. His stand’s name is Hanged Man, and the true nature of this stand is light-based as it is only able to exist in reflective surfaces. Hanged Man has the power to move from one reflective surface to the next making it seem like he exists only in the world of reflections. Hanged Man is J. Geil’s stand and hence, very loyal to him. In this anime, light energy is being wielded by an evil man.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a very good anime because it strays away from the usual anime tropes and always gives us something new and amazing. J. Geil was a very sick man and only used his light-based powers to commit the vilest of acts. He also happens to be the evil villain who killed Polnareff’s little sister. This man got what he deserved when he died in the most pitiful way possible. Polnareff himself killed this man and avenged the murder of his sister. If we take a closer look, we’ll find out that light-energy is actually not being represented as good or evil in this anime. It is actually the user himself who uses this power to commit the most heinous acts.

Maki Ichinose:

Maki Ichinose is a brilliant swordsman from the anime Bleach. This character is not actually a human; he is a Shinigami. He uses his spiritual energy in the form of light to defeat all his enemies. Maki can use his light powers to attack his enemies, defend himself, or even make himself invisible! Maki is filled with a strong sense of justice and duty. He wants the world to be a just place free from all wrongdoings.

At first glance, this swordsman of justice looks like just another typical and boring light user, but in reality, Maki’s character is quite diverse. Maki starts to hate Kenpachi Zaraki after he kills his captain and takes his place. This hate makes Maki forget all about his sense of justice, and he spends all his life just hating this one man. Maki, thinking that he is on the right track, ends up becoming a servant of Jin Kariya, a quite evil man. Maki believes that Jin can change the soul society and make it a better place, whilst Jin only wants to destroy it. His thirst for revenge really messes up his idea of justice, and he ends up forgetting about who he really is. Maki dies at the hands of his own leader, Jin. Bleach gives us a light user who at heart, is a quite humble man, but ends up slowly forgetting about who he really is.

Pegasus Koga:

Pegasus Koga is the main protagonist in the anime, Saint Seiya Omega. Koga is a very good person who always looks out for his friends. He can make quick decisions and assess any situation quite easily in which makes him a great leader. Koga is a bronze saint who uses the power of light. Initially, Koga had the power of darkness, but later on in the show, he ends up losing his darkness power and light becomes his new cosmo element. Whilst Saint Seiya Omega is relatively not that old, the Saint Seiya series as a whole is quite old and hence, stays true to the symbolism. In Saint Seiya, Light-energy is seen as the sign of good, whilst darkness is seen as the sign of evil. It was believed that Koga’s destiny is filled with misfortune just because he was born with a dark cosmo element.

Maya Yotsuba:

Maya Yotsuba is a character from the series, Irregular at Magic High School. In a world governed by magic, she reigns at the top with her extremely powerful abilities. Maya, with her light-based magic, is also the head of the Yotsuba family. Her abilities have also awarded her with the name “Queen of Night”. She is both beautiful and strong! She appears to be a bad person at first glance but actually is very good at heart. Maya thinks of Tatsuya (the protagonist) as her own child and really wants the best for him.

Maya’s magic lets her control the distribution of light in an area. The power of this magic is especially amplified in closed/small places. The attack appears as a shower of lasers and can pierce through almost anyone! So far, Maya has only used this extremely powerful ability twice in the show. Just these two demonstrations have proved to us that she is a force to be reckoned with. Maya can seem like an evil person because of how messed up her whole life has been, but she is actually a very good person at heart. Irregular at Magic High School gives us a very rare type of light user who can be a good and bad person at the same time.

Dengu Dinga:

Dengu Dinga is an extremely powerful soul weapon from the Soul Eater series. He is an honorable mention in this list because sadly, this amazing character never made it to the anime! He is only present in the Soul Eater manga and even in the manga, he only made a brief appearance. Dengu is a relatively tall guy with a lean and muscular body. He cares for his comrades and ready to put himself in harm’s way to save them. His most powerful ability is Rainbow Axe. He turns into a small and powerful axe. This rainbow-based axe makes Dengu quite a formidable force.

https://i.imgur.com/nw7lkMJ.jpg

Darkness Wielders in Anime Author: Zorez Shahzad Possible SPOILERS Ahead

The Japanese word “Yami” translates to darkness. Darkness is usually seen as a symbol of terror and mystery. This symbolism often gets implemented into the world of anime as well. The trope of associating the villain with darkness has kind of become a cliché in anime. However, in my personal opinion, associating darkness users with being bad people all the time is kind of excessive.

Today, we’ll be taking a look at some characters from anime who show us different ways in which darkness can be implemented into a show.

Marshall D. Teach or Blackbeard is a major antagonist in the One Piece series. He is extremely powerful and is known as the only man in history who wields the power of two devil fruits at the same time. Blackbeard is an evil character who also happens to wield the power of darkness. But at the same time, in a quite unique way, he proves to us that darkness is not necessarily the root of all evil. Blackbeard was evil from the start, before he even attained the power of darkness. This proves to us that it wasn’t the darkness that was bad, but actually the character himself. Blackbeard actually got the power of darkness by killing and stealing the devil fruit from Thatch. Blackbeard puts his dark energy to some good, or should I say bad, use, and always poses a great threat for our heroes. The power of his second devil fruit actually comes from the almighty Whitebeard.

After Whitebeard’s death, Blackbeard somehow stole the power of his devil fruit from his corpse. The power of Blackbeard’s second devil fruit is also proof that darkness is not necessarily evil as we see him use such a majestic power in his evil schemes as well just like he used the darkness. Blackbeard is a truly evil and cunning man, who would do almost anything to get what he wants. Whilst being a very evil character, Blackbeard proves to us that darkness is not necessarily evil; it is actually the user himself that is evil.

Fumikage Tokoyami is a character from the My Hero Academia series, and he is the complete opposite of the previous entry on this list. Tokoyami’s name literally translates to, “Eternal Darkness”. But in reality, Tokoyami is a very nice person who wants to protect the innocent people from the villains. Tokoyami’s darkness powers actually come in the form of his quirk, called dark shadow. Dark shadow is a very ominous quirk which can easily go out of control and cause a lot of problems. In My Hero Academia, darkness is associated with evil, which is the complete opposite of One Piece.

In One Piece, darkness isn’t necessarily the root of all evil, but it is actually the user of this darkness. On the other hand, in My Hero Academia, darkness is shown as being the root of all evil, whilst the user of darkness is shown as a good person. Dark shadow is especially quite powerful and uncontrollable in the dark. Whilst using his quirk (especially in the dark), Tokoyami is in a constant struggle. He must fight the darkness inside of him, or his quirk could get too powerful and make him go berserk. Eventually, Tokoyami gets better at controlling his quirk, making him one of the strongest heroes in the series.

Even though My Hero Academia went with the generic path and portrayed darkness as evil, it did so in quite a unique way. “Yami”, yup, a lot of darkness wielders in anime are named after darkness itself. Yami Sukehiro is an extremely popular character from the Black Clover series. Despite his grumpy and strict personality, Yami is quite likable. Yami proves to us that the terms “darkness” and “evil” are very far from each other! Whilst he can be a little scary from the outside, Yami actually has a very heartwarming personality. He truly cares about his friends and is always ready to sacrifice even his own life for them. Yami is a very strong character!

What makes him really cool is the fact that he is one of the few muscular characters in the Black Clover universe. In a world filled with magic, Yami relies more on brute strength than his magic. That said, his darkness magic isn’t anything short of amazing as well. Yami has an amazing amount of magic power and brute strength which make him one of the strongest characters in the series. Another thing I absolutely love about Yami is that, despite acting dumb, he is actually extremely clever. He has the mindset of a true warrior and manages to come out on top in almost every fight. Yami proves to us that darkness being associated with being evil is all just a big hoax.

Last on this list is Celty Sturluson, a very unique character from the series Durarara. Celty is actually not even a human! She is actually a mythical creature known as the Dullahan. The Dullahan is a headless creature, who carries his head in his own hands and rides his horse. In this anime, Celty the Dullahan has actually lost her head, and has come to Japan in search of her lost head. Dullahans are actually supposed to be very evil creatures, who bring death to people and lore them to the after-life. Whilst Celty used to be like that back in Ireland; she is no longer anything like that.

Celty is a very nice person and, living in Japan, she slowly starts to get closer to some unique individuals. Celty is a very optimistic person and despite being a Dullahan, tries to save as many lives as possible. Celty is actually a character which is associated with darkness, but as you have just read, she is not evil at all. She rides a dark bike, wears dark clothes, has a dark scythe, literally everything about her is ominous, yet she has such a bright personality on the inside. The way this anime takes such an evil creature and presents it with such a virtuous personality is absolutely amazing!

https://i.imgur.com/iqf0yxw.jpg

Winter and Snow in Anime By: Zorez Shahzad

No matter how you put it, we must all accept the fact that Japanese people see this world a little differently. Japanese people give a lot of importance to the smallest of things, and these things also include weather change. Weather change, whether it be a drop of the first dried up leaf in fall, or drop of the first snowflake in winter, is given a lot of significance by the people. In Japan, it is not out of the ordinary to see people make a prediction based on the weather. Snow is viewed differently in different parts of Japan. Some consider it to be the most beautiful blessing, whilst others, not so much. For the most part, however, snow is referred to as “Yuki” in Japan. The word Yuki roughly translates as, “Winter’s beauty”. If you are a fan of Japanese anime, or Japanese dramas/movies, then you might have seen characters (especially female) named Yuki or something similar to Yuki. Winter and snow are seen as such a blessing, that people are naming their children after it.

Today, we will take a closer look at the deeper meaning of snow in anime. I will be breaking down the winter scenes from some amazing anime. Also, before we get started, this post will contain spoilers.

Let us first get started with the anime “5 Centimeters Per Second”. This anime has a very deep message behind its story. 5 Centimeters Per Second shows us the reality of life, about how this reality is most of the time, uncontrollable. It’s a story about the struggle of two lovers, who eventually wind up getting further and further away from each other. This beautiful masterpiece uses the weather quite masterfully in order to convey its story. When the show starts up, we are greeted with beautiful cherry blossoms. Cherry blossoms actually represent youth and energy in Japan. The spring season is used to show us how young love is blossoming between the two kids. The two kids are young and naïve and believe that they will be able to stay together forever. The first time we see snow in the show is when Takaki and Akari try meetup with each other one last time before moving away. In this part of the movie, we see heavy snowfall and fast winds. Stormy winds are used to represent hopelessness whilst the snowfall, shows a glimmer of hope. We see how the whole air is filled with hopelessness, but Takaki still manages to get to Akari. In my personal opinion, this part of the movie defines the whole show through just the weather. The stormy winds are telling our protagonist that there will be hardships in life and he can’t avoid them, no matter what. At the same time, the beautiful snow shows a glimmer of hope. If both the protagonists had really tried, they could have ended up together. But eventually, they (especially Akari) start to accept this separation as the reality of their life.

Now, let us consider the example of Naruto, or more precisely, “Naruto Movie 1: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow”. This anime movie also uses snow as a way to convey subliminal messages. First of all, the name of the female main character, Koyuki, tells us a lot about her importance in the movie. The name roughly translates as, “little snow”. As the ninjas are going into a land of heavy snowfall, bad luck also follows them. The show depicts the heavy snow as, being dark, whilst the female main character Kiyuki, the little snow, is seen as a glimmer of hope. At the end of the whole show, we see how all the heavy snow, suddenly just fades away, whilst Koyuki, the little snow, remains. This shows us that things always tend to work out! No matter how dim the ray of hope may be, there is always a good way in which the whole situation can end. In this movie, the ray of hope is very dim, as it is portrayed through the character with the most hopeless personality in the entire movie. But with his spark, Naruto makes everything turn out ok. The depiction of snow here is actually the same as its depiction in 5 Centimeters Per Second. But here, we see how the protagonist never gives up and always chases after that small spark of hope.

Next on our list is Erased. Erased is a brilliant mystery anime focusing on the story of Satoru. In this show, the mysterious vibe is represented through snowfall. This show actually uses the snow to showcase an ominous and dark tone. Whilst Satoru is trying his best to find the killer, the snow is in a way giving him a cover, hiding him from Satoru. This is another example of heavy snow being used to depict darkness. At the same time, however, the snow is also used to represent beauty. No matter how bad the situation got, Satoru never lost hope. The same goes for Kayo. The beautiful moments that Satoru and Kayo shared in the snow really helped them to keep ongoing. This anime shows us that everything can appear as good or bad. Where the heavy snow is ominous, it is also beautiful. Similarly, in life, every situation can be viewed as positive or negative, it is all truly up to the viewers perception. At the end of the whole show, after everything has been fixed, we see snowfall again. This time, the light snowfall actually represents beauty and hope. No matter how hard it gets, there is always a way for things to turn out okay! This show represents this fact throughout its entire run.

At last, we have the brilliant masterpiece “Your Lie in April”. Your Lie in April is an extremely emotional show, which uses the force of nature quite well. In the start, the cherry blossoms are used to show the enthusiastic spirit of Kaori. The spring season is also the season in which Kosei, slowly, starts to get out of his shell. Now, what about the winter season? The winter season and snow are also used quite beautifully in the show. The beginning of the winter season is also the time when Kosei starts to feel sad again. A girl suddenly came in Kosei’s life, changed everything for him, made his like better again, and now, she was on her deathbed. Kosei did not know about the true severity of the whole situation until one day he went to the hospital to give her a visit only to see her in such a bad condition that she had to be taken to the ICU. The snow represents how Kosei’s spirit is being taken away from him yet again. For Kosei, the snow is creating a very dark and ominous tone. On the other hand, Kaori is also scared. She does not want to die. She wants to spend the rest of her life with Kosei, but sadly she can’t. Kaori still tries to lie to herself and find beauty in the snow, which she does. Kosei also manages to find light in the darkness, when he remembers that there are other people counting on him as well. He can’t just give up on everything Kaori taught him, just because she’s leaving him. As Kosei plays the piano, this hope is shown in the form of spring yet again. Your Lie in April really used snow to convey a very gloomy tone.

https://i.imgur.com/ssLKSei.jpg

MarsCon 2020 Convention Review

MarsCon is a convention that occurred in Williamsburg Doubletree by Hilton Hotel and happened between January 17th to 19th. It is a weekend fun party where Sci-Fi and Fantasy are the main focus of the theme. When they say a weekend party, they are telling the truth for so many events and attractions you had to selectively choose what you desired to do. Their mascot is Marso the Martian and as a mascot, the person really fitted the role for sure. Whether you were doing cosplay, seeking deals in the market areas, enjoying music, playing games, joining your favorite panels, or even volunteering this convention had it all for those wanting these things and more. I, on the other hand, I wanted the status of volunteer and help out at MarsCon.

Boy, the first day was busy for me at least when after I ate breakfast at Doubletree. My shift began at 10 am but 9:30 soon became the time instead of 10. I ventured down to the dealer’s room where I was greeted by Jennifer, who the leader of that area, and sent me right away to assist the other vendors. Specifically, I was assigned a couple who had books galore in their booth. I did not mine by unloading cases of books on a Dolley and bring them inside to sort through and organize on tables. If you think that just unloading was a sole job then you were gravely mistaken. After the loading dock, the couple also me to organize books by the author’s last name and man they were at least 26 cases for every letter of the alphabet. I even put a bookshelf together and for all of my efforts, they insisted on me to choose a book. The book was Sympathy for the Devil by Holly Lisle where a woman asks for amnesty from the underworld and she literally gets what she wants with the devil himself seeking her out personally.

An hour passed in the dealer’s room and at that time the vendors that were there were all set up. I went to the section supervisor and she sent me to go to the Con Suite. Apparently, Con Suite is the area for MarsCon attendees could go and get food throughout the convention. My first task was to blow up the inflatable trays for the salad bar. Funny thing, I was getting nowhere trying to put air in this plug that was similar to a beach ball. I did not succeed until one of the staff showed me a method of putting your teeth on the plug and then blow which made it so much easier. I washed a drink container in the men’s bathroom which was lots of fun and then proceed to dump old ice in coolers. There were a total of two coolers where ice was necessary and one of them had cheese beginning to defrost so the fridge was the immediate place to put them. Also, I helped a third staff member to get food out of the car and bring it into the building.

After Con Suite, I stumbled across the Art Gallery with aid from the volunteer coordinator, Addie. The art gallery had many grid-like panels for artists to hang and hopefully sell their art pieces. There were wood carvings, paintings, sketches, jewelry, and other creative works all ready for sale to the convention goers to buy in an auction format. My job was to hang signs of the artist who had that space and so for every two panels I put their name. This would help those to distinguish what spaces they had and which spaces belonged to someone else.

I would get to know two artists one by seeing their art and knowing them that way and one in person directly. Theresa Mather had a booth where I set it up based on her diagram to place her art according to numbers on the sheet. While I was setting up, I kept staring at one of the dragons she had and this one was 50 Shades of Green. Mather’s art has a certain element to it where she puts a joke in the drawings and 50 Shades of Green was one of them. I bought this piece for its constant mentions of books in the background like Bad Fiction, MeloDrama, and alt course the green dragon reading a book. In this section, I soon met the Guest of Honor Charles Urbach who has countless works in books, game covers, and other visual art projects. He combines a very traditional pencil and coloring to the visual art software on the computer to deliver covers from the Magic the Gathering series to Star Wars and many others. I thought it was very cool that he said: “For anyone to be successful in any creative field, they need to be stubborn and keep doing their content regardless of what the world thinks.”

For the rest of the convention, I would not have any specific volunteer positions but in programming. Basically, programming is a volunteer who goes in a panel and reports on the outcome of the panel. I was responsible for writing the number of attendees, when it started and ended, the panel name, panelists on the panel, did they stay on topic, and most importantly a brief description of went well or other general notes. Not only was I enjoying the panels but I was a volunteer at the same time. Addie, the volunteer coordinator, told me to have fun and provide feedback on the panels that interested me on behalf of MarsCon. This opportunity taught me the importance of why panels or workshops are essential for a convention. More importantly, the people who are doing these panels are vendors, convention attendees, and special guests who all broaden a convention’s success like MarsCon.

The panels that I reviewed are as the following: Win, Lose, or Draw, RavenCon Meeting, The Future of Post-Apocalypse Fiction, Profesor Indiana Jones: Tenure Review, a trolling panel (Trolling, Trolling, Trolling), and Flair Bartending Sci-Fi Mocktails. The ones that stood out the most are Win, Lose, or Draw Indiana Jones, and the Flair Bartending panels. Win, Lose, or Draw was hosted by Kevin Fowler and it was actually a game all designed by him. In the game, we had two teams and those teams had to bid a time at 90 seconds or below to draw based on what they saw. A team could get points based guessing the drawing correctly (3 points), steal from the other team (2 points) and penalty points from the other team getting it wrong (1 point). Indiana Jones panel was a panel about the tenure review of Indiana Jones teaching at a college. The panel was hosted by Some Nerds who have a Podcast and was a skit routine of a famous fictional archaeologist teaching an archaeology class. It was supposed to be funny in terms of Indiana Jones not having the professional skill set to be a professor like spending the college’s on exotic business trips and showing up with hard to believe stories about his journeys without such artifacts he went there for. Flair Bartending was mocktail demonstrations by Alexis and her son, William. They showed demonstrated mocktails like Shirley Temple, Roy Rogers, and a recent online favorite of Baby Yoda. There were five mocktails in total and was a family-friendly activity with nonalcohol mixing of drinks. j In conclusion, I learned that a convention can have ties to a party theme and generally a good time overall. I personally liked getting an experience that was more volunteer-based where the enjoyment was beyond the original assumption. I met people and formed connections that I could later use. Probably, my most favorite part was speaking to Mike Pederson and somehow being part of their convention planning for RavenCon. I went to their RavenCon Meeting and got lots of information about their convention. RavenCon and MarsCon at least this year are rival conventions in the scopes of them both being in the same hotel at Doubletree. I am ready to be put through the wringer according to the other RavenCon staff as Mike’s assistant. I feel that MarsCon 2020 went without a hitch and then some this year. It is definitely worth the shot to go back next year and many more years down the road.

https://i.imgur.com/mcrDTUf.jpg