MC Anime

The Past and A Silent Voice Anime

Remember, a time where you did something in the past and regretted that choice years later? This feeling is always around people, past actions could potentially haunt. Humans can fall in this pattern because we have something happen to make us wonder about a time that reminds whoever of another time.

A perfect example of self-reflection for me was the movie A Silent Voice. A Silent Voice portrays scenes of the hard reality of harassment, suicidal thinking, and how it affects others. A Silent Voice tells the story of a transfer student, who goes by the name of Shoko Nishimiya, and how he experiences life differently than others. Shoya Ishida is the person who misjudges Shoko and soon the infamous nickname of Sho occurs for both characters. Shoya begins to bully Shoko, who is deaf. In his mind has fun making her life as miserable as possible. Finally, Shoko decides enough is enough and transfers to another class, meanwhile Shoya gets the blame for being the sole bully in the classroom.

Following the betrayal of the class, Shoya looks at people differently and begins to gain a reputation himself for being bullied in his middle school years. He grows up as an outcast and becomes the victim himself in some regard. He is soon more focused than ever to make amends for his mistakes and for bullying Shoko.

A Silent Voice is the work of Naoko Yamada. It is a little perplexing as I've not encountered a lot of female Anime directors. I was also a little surprised to find out it was also based on a Manga by Yoshitoki Oima. The film itself is an endearing tale of living one's life as a young person being affected by regrets and opening up to the world in a brighter manner than before, but it's also about atonement and reconciling with one's consequences of their actions.

The characters are relatable as they are touching, carrying the film through it's compelling plot especially with the main character himself and the deaf girl who he's trying to understand. In the end it's not surprising the characters learn something more about themselves as well as their relationships with others in order to lead happier lives.

The animation is unique and top of its class to say the very least, not the most outstanding especially for its environments though; it does a superb at blurring the line between imagination and reality. Even if the success of “Your Name” is to suggest one piece of Anime that was hugely successful, this deserves just as much attention as it does acclaim. I have no regrets watching this film and I encourage people of all demographics to seek it out and watch it for themselves.

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Books and the Isekai Anime

*Important Notice: SPOILERS for Ascendance of a Bookworm

Books play a vital role in any respected universe, especially for Anime in the real world. Manga and other Japanese publications for a series usually are the primeral state before Anime. These publications make their influence on the Anime by setting the stage for other adaptations similar to the source material. Today, I am discussing a specific graphic novel by the name of Ascendance of a Bookworm and its refreshing twist in Isekai genre.

Ascendance of a Bookworm is a series written by Miya Kazuki and illustrated by Yō Shiina. The series is about a female protagonist whose love of books makes her standout a lot. Urano is transported to another world, which is the definition of Isekai, other than her own. In a devastating twist of fate, she is crushed by the books she loves so much by an earthquake, before she was able to become a librarian. Instead, she has to wish for another life to achieve her status of a book overseer. She is transported to a family with little money and has a frail body who goes by the new name of Myne. She has to learn her new world without the use of books and with a mysterious illness.

This Isekai Anime, challenges this other worldly genre by having a very strong determination, by having a very vexing external struggle, and by having a really good support network.

In Ascendance of a Bookworm, we see Myne with the will to learn and have access to books during medieval times. Myne is seen wandering around and trying to see her new circumstances first hand. She experiences a world where books are rare and are in the hands of the wealthy. Despite these problems, Myne wants to look for books and make her dream of watching over books a reality. Books are too expensive and she has the goal to make them with alternative means of paper production. Myne tries to make books no matter what through trial and error. It briefly mentions ways that paper and books were made through history like the traditional animal skin method already used or clay tablets used during Aztec times. She finds the method where it is best to make books and continues on the road to bookmaking. As she tries to make books, she also has a conflict that it makes that much more difficult to overcome.

Myne has an external struggle with man versus nature with a chronic illness. The suspected illness causes her to often feel weak and experience fevers quite regularly. She has to overcome the illness to make any progress for books and overall life. The disease is a phenomenon where mana is in a body that can not handle the immense mana in one vessel. This results in the body experiencing a high fever which can make the person die if they do not the will to fight it and is known as the devouring. The devouring has no cure and is similar to AIDS as treatment is limited and only slows the condition. Just as drugs are used for AIDS, magical items are used for the devouring.

When it comes to both conditions, having the means to pay for it is the main shortcoming for anyone that are affected by these diseases. Myne can easily succumb to the devouring and let it eat away at her body if she did not have the motivation of books and those around her.

Throughout the Bookworm series, Myne is surrounded by family and an inner circle for support. Myne’s journey for help is years of her family safeguarding and trying to do their best whenever a fever would occur and from occurring. This is constantly shown when she is in bed and the mom (Effa) would cook meals and place a towel on her head. Gunther, who is the father, cares so much that he gets a bit irritated when he does not have all of Myne’s attention especially Otto. Otto is Gunther’s friend at the guard post at the gate and teaches Myne how to write. She is soon taught and acts as a teacher to the other students under Otto’s guidance. He also works as the messenger of people to go in and out the gate entrance. Under Otto’s guidance, Usano becomes an unofficial apprentice and the cover story is she is in school and learning how to write. She is getting so much support that Lutz becomes the second hand for Myne and her endeavors. Gunther tells Lutz to watch over her and make sure she does not overwhelm herself. This happens to the point where Myne is the innovator while he is the craftsmen for Myne’s innovations. A beneficial relationship is born and they both help one another in ideas and aspirations being invented.

In closing, Ascendance of a Bookworm is an exception to the Isekai Anime genre. Typically, this genre consists of average person from the original world, the character immediately has an advantage of their past experience, and a helpful character guiding the hero before transition to a new universe. Myne is no where near average. She had lots of mana and still has so much to end up with a frail body. The past life for her is books and books but in the beginning she is severely limited without such things until later in the story where past info is a plus. When she transitioned to medieval times, there was no one to assist with a divine background or anything like that. She had to adapt to a new body and suffer the same fate as the old Myne did before she passed away.

Basically, Ascendance of a Bookworm consists of books and finding an identity that it has earned its ranks in Isekai Anime.

https://i.imgur.com/FpqjQz0.jpg

Anime's Influence on Spaghetti

Today, January 4th, 2019, is National Spaghetti Day and people honor it by eating spaghetti day. Spaghetti means twine in Italian and on a side note the innovations of tomato sauce and meatballs are Americans styles to spaghetti.

Usually, when you hear spaghetti, you instantly think of noodles and sometimes meatballs. Now, spaghetti and animated scenes that people think of are the Lady and The Tramp. These two dogs are enjoying their spaghetti and all of a sudden they are very close to kissing then break the noodles. The plate of that spaghetti looked good enough to eat just like the ones being mentioned today. Here are five examples of spaghetti to celebrate National Spaghetti Day in anime.

Yugioh's Russian Roulette Spaghetti Dinner

When is Yugioh is brought up, you think of the cards and the extreme takes of the games. Well, what if I told you that one of the notorious Shadow Games has spaghetti and other foods. In the manga, there is the Russian Roulette Dinner, known as Cuisine of Death Russian Roulette. This dinner is hosted by Mokuba played with Yugi Mutou and Katsuya Jonouchi. The spaghetti is one of the meals that are in a Russian Roulette style dinner. Typically this game is random with 1/6 chance of a bullet but one of the food options has poison instead. Keep in mind this dinner refers to Yugioh Zero anime which is darker than the Duel Monsters anime. Anyway, Yugioh reluctantly eats the spaghetti and to his surprise no poison. Dark Yugi notices that Mokuba knew which plate was poisoned and he tricks i in the pasta. They talk about the old days and drink red wine from regular glasses.

Spaghetti bolognese in Marko Porco

Marko Porco is a Studio Ghibli film that features a WWll pilot. If I just said that the film was about a pilot who was cursed and turned into a pig in old Italy, it might sound like a comedy film or a cartoon for kids, but Porco Rosso is about a man’s dream, friendship, and love. We see Porco visiting his old friend to repair his plane, there’s a scene where they eat pasta together. Very simple pasta with tomato sauce, and you can see some reddish food mixed in the pasta. They talk about the old days and drink red wine from regular glasses. Very casual and laid back. The scene reflects a peaceful transition in setting and provides a time to catch up on old times. This meal fits the message of following your dreams and Marko Porco flying in the “Age of the Flying Boat.”

Hunter-X-Hunter Spaghetti Challenge

Gon and Killua find a mission from Ging, who is Gon's father, about Greed Island. Greed Island is a game that allows people's Nen abilities to fight in the game. It is a game where no one had won yet and Ging leaves the game behind for Gon to find Ging. Anyway, they try to prove their worth as contestants and be selected for Greed Island. They arrive at Antokiba and enter a restaurant where the chef presents before food before the tournament. He tells them that if they eat the mountain of spaghetti in 30 minutes or less they do not have to pay. Gon and Killua chow down on the huge helping of spaghetti and take the challenge head-on. They finished the challenge in the allotted time and they receive the Galgaida card. In the end, the card does not harper any advantage to the upcoming tournament on Greed Island.

Jojo's Bizarre Adventures: Harlot Spaghetti

The episode to find the Harlot Spaghetti is Part 4 in Let's Go Eat Some Italian Food (Diamond is Unbreakable Story Arc). Josuke and Okuyasu are walking home when Okuyasu notices an Italian restaurant. It is called Trussardi's and Tonio Trussardi himself is the owner, chef, and waiter all in one. He has a niche for creating food for his customers based on his observations by diagnosing their health ailments in front of them. His passion for food in the same as Sanji's from One Piece in making people happy and healthy with food. He states all of Okuyasu ailments and Okuyasu feels offended. He offers many dishes until Harlot spaghetti is offered. Harlot Spaghetti has spaghetti, pitted olives, olive oil, anchovies, garlic, red peppers, cherry tomatoes, mise (parsley, salt, pepper, etc.) and parmesan cheese.

Furthermore, these spaghetti dishes are not just for show but an appeal to circumstances beyond the meal. Let's hope a day for honoring spaghetti and Italian cuisine in a nutshell. On National Spaghetti Day, eat some pasta and spend it with friends and family.

Anywho, Hasta La Pasta, Baby.

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Inukami Anime Review

Have you ever had any second thoughts about whether a character has something more to them or not?

Inukami has Keita Kawahira where he tries to succeed and faces conflicts head-on. Throughout the show, we see the old cliche of innuendos thrown out and a new twist on the term fanservice. The refreshing quality of the anime is the Ecchi genre being portrayed differently through fanservice aspects. Keita follows his family roots in fighting the supernatural along with a lover’s quarrel at the same time. Figuratively speaking, we can say that Keita represents the elephant in the room where he ever goes.

Keita Kawahira is the protagonist and has ties to the Inukami user family. Inukamis are dog-like creatures with high spiritual pressures who aid their masters in battle to vanquish evil. The Kawahira family are generations of Inukami tamers to the point where the honor and carrying the blessing of family is sacred. However, Keita takes honor and transforms it into something of a joke at times. He takes the teachings in and treats it as part-time instead of full-time. He constantly distracts himself by pursuing his selfish desires.

He gets the short end of the stick for because his behavior leaves a lingering stench of habit. He is obsessed with women to the point where Yoko, who is his Inukami, has to be Keita patrol for the sake of other women. Yoko is not like any other Inukami where she acts rash and uncontrollable. Keita formed the contract with Yoko to serve as his Inukami, and he believed in a master and servant relationship. Yoko believes that Inukami and master is something where the Inukami is in control over the master instead. She is constantly abusing Keita over his perverted nature and obsession over women.

In Yoko’s eyes, Keita needs to only be with her and no one else. This is explained more in detail how they first met one another in the mountain valley where the Kawahira head elderlies. I consider Kieta lucky because Yoko was the sole Inukami to respond to interest to serve under Keita. Other Inukami servants did not express interest in his history in the Kawahira family for disappointments and women’s cravings. There are many times in the show where Yoko treats Keita as a dog instead of a master. This creates irony for Inukamis are dog lifeforms and Keita misbehaves as a dog more than Yoko. If there was one word to describe these two which is chaotic.

I really like how their relationship grows and blossoms into something meaningful. They are constantly with each other and have a bond that can only be described as complicated. She can be either be proud of Keita for something unexpected or his usual pervy self. Yoko is really harsh to him at times especially when it comes to his punishments if he misbehaved. The punishments can range from hitting with a frying pan, blasting him with fire attacks, and the most extreme of teleporting him out of his clothes and leaving him to roam the streets. He roams the streets so much that he earned the reputation of the Streak Lord and an inner circle of fans who refer themselves as “hiding in the darkness.”

Overall, I give Inukami a score of 8.5 out of10 stars for funny moments and a good storyline. With any show, it takes time to build up characters and Inukami could be a little slow when it comes to storytelling. As Inukami continues, the plot thickens a bit more for past episodes start to connect with references with other events. The plot takes a different direction when we see Keita take a certain fight more seriously and see his resolve to other fights to come. On one side note, the comedy is mature in terms of context of portraying men’s desires and Keita’s almost daily public flashing routine. My favorite time during Inukami is when Keita proves to people for there is more to him than a pervert. Finally, I recommend this show for anyone looking for a different take on ecchi, its lures of the supernatural and its inviting atmosphere of triumph.

https://imgur.com/gallery/LokKC5V

StiegCon IV BoardGame Convention Review

The fourth StiegCon was held on the lower level at SpringHill Suites by Marriott Alexandria. It happened this past Saturday 28th of December 2019. The one-day convention went from 9 am to 11 pm and consisted of several tabletop games. A day of fun and games was the highlight of this day.

I was able to meet so many people and get to know them through the atmosphere under games. It was not just the people but the games that were played created more excitement and enjoyment in the strategies and gaming discussions that occurred.

My main goal for StiegCon IV was to either teach people or play with other people the board game Splendor. Splendor is a points-based victory where gems or tokens are used to purchase development cards and eventually lead them to points. The gem tokens are onyx (black), emerald (green), ruby (red), topaz (blue), diamond (white), and the gold jokers (yellow= any color in the game). These tokens combine with the effect of either taking colors, purchasing cards, or reserving cards. When a player takes a color gem from the bank they can decide whether they want to choose three separate colors from piles or take two of the same color if the pile has at least four tokens in it. Purchasing cards are where you spend the tokens to get development cards with bonuses and sometimes points.

Bonuses allow a substitute for tokens so with multiple bonuses it costs one less resource to get from the bank. Points in the game are done through buying development cards with a range of one to five or get royal cards given to you at the end of the turn only by being the first player to have that requirement of bonuses. Finally, you can block people or advance your gameplay by reserving development cards with jokers or without jokers. There are only five joker tokens so when there is no more left then you reserve a card without a token that represents all colors.

I played the game with four people in a combination of two games. The first round was a person named Jesse and had his game Lexicon. Lexicon was a Roleplaying game (RPG) where players design characters, role different dice for how they do actions, and a gamemaster guiding the story. He was really relaxed and enjoyed Splendor. He liked Splendor to the point where we were primarily focused on our moves and not the other player. We also dueled in Yugioh and he won with my Amazoness deck against my flip effects deck. I made the mistake of attacking with 2000 attack monster and he activated two traps to win the duel. One trap was an anti-flip effect and attack all opponents monsters while the other was giving his Amazon Swords Woman 1000 attack boost which was enough to send both of mine monsters to the graveyard and lose the rest of my life points.

The other three players were all formerly associated with the same inner circle of gaming community local to the area. It was really interesting because one of the players, Charles, was a Splendor enthusiast to the point in designing an expansion of the game. An expansion is a different version with other features that include new rules or an interesting aspect to the game. Anyway, Charles went as far as to design the expansion by playing several games to come with successful readdition of the rules. In the expansion, he increased the number of players to meet the playing style for eight players at once. This game you can purchase and select tokens in the same turn if you have the minimal tokens to buy the cards. Also, noble cards can be bought in a combination of tokens and bonuses to speed up the game.

There are no reserving cards to block other players or wait for turns to advance your gameplay for you can simply get tokens and purchase in the same turn. Basically, all of the features that made the game slow with four or fewer players are now not existing in his expansion. He thought us strategy about which cards to buy cheap cards with few resources to purchase in two or three turns. Sometimes, you can reserve a card like taking the cheap cards before someone else or preventing your opponent from getting a card they were saving up for. He even taught us the strategy of going for big points right away and the advantage of building an engine to purchase anything you might want with bonuses and even get the advantage of receiving the nobles. I won the game with a combination of building an engine, receiving last-minute nobles, and getting points early on. Splendor is a game of reading your opponent and made moves that you are able to best your game.

I participated in other games like Qwirkle, Star Trek Flux, and a customized version of Lamentations of the Flame Princess RPG. Qwirkle is similar to Scramble in sorting the pieces as dominoes as colored shapes instead of words. A qwirkle is a combination of a pattern of six shapes either the same type of shape of various colors or the same colored shapes of various shapes for six points for the line and a six-point bonus. Star Trek Flux is a card game with action cards, new rules that could replace the basic rules (play all or draw three), keepers, goals, and creepers. Goals are how you win the game with certain keepers in your progression or creepers with keepers (creepers usually prevent you from winning with a goal on the field unless previously stated on the card). The custom Lamentations of the Flame Princess RPG was where I participated as Joseph who was a thief and had a false identity. The campaign was set in Medieval France where Wiseman tales of frogmen roam and the plague running rapid in the area. I had terrible luck on the dice rolls in battle, sneaking around, and getting caught each time except for once.

Furthermore, StiegCon IV was really exciting with different games and most importantly, I formed connections with various people to network with in the future.

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Anime Zeros to Heroes By: Melissa Sterckx Possible Spoilers Ahead

Not all heroes are born with great abilities. Some of them need a little time to develop and discover their strengths. Strength is not only about physical abilities. The greatest strength comes from the heart and from the mind. A weak mind can never truly control and master the strength of the body. The four amazing characters we are looking at today had to learn this the hard way. They have all made the brilliant transition from weakness to strength.

Yona – Yona Of The Dawn

Raised in a life of luxury, Yona is the princess of the Kouka Kingdom. She is oblivious to the world outside of her own. Completely ignorant of the people to which she would one day rule over. Her greatest weakness was that she only cared about herself. On the eve of her 16th birthday, Yona witnessed the murder of her father, Emporer II. She fled the Hiryuu castle and began the journey to the Wind Tribe for safety. Along the way, Yona came to learn a lot. This is the beginning of her growing strength. She discovered that her father was a really aloof king and that the people were not happy under his rule in appeasing others. Yona seeks the help of the legendary Dragon Warriors and learns how to defend herself in a fight. She discovers what true friendship is and vows to help the people of the Kouka Kingdom, even risking her own life many times in the process. She found incredible strength to put others before herself.

Atsushi Nakajima – Bungo Stray Dogs

Plagued by an abusive past, Atsushi finds himself as an 18-year-old young man with major self-esteem issues. Life in the orphanage was rough. He was verbally and physically abused by his carers and the other orphans on a regular basis. Atsushi was kicked out of the orphanage at this age. Starving and without shelter or proper clothing, he comes into contact with two police officers who give him a job and lodgings. He eventually discovers that he has the ability to change into a white tiger at night, and while this might seem like his strength, it actually comes in the form of him gaining his own self-worth. As the show moves on, we see Atsushi overcoming the oppression of the orphanage, having more self-confidence, making friends, and being happy. It is this self-confidence that allows him to control all the powers of the tiger and show his real and intense strength.

Madoka Kaname – Puella Magi Madoka Magica

In a world of different dimensions and timelines, we meet Madoka, a regular 14-year-old schoolgirl who is gentle, shy, and weak. Madoka becomes a magical girl and we watch her powers, as well as her self-esteem, grow throughout the series. However, being a magical girl is not just about pretty dresses and hanging out with her friends. With each passing timeline, Madoka’s strength and powers greatly increases. She decides that she wants to rid the world of all witches throughout the different dimensions. In her quest to do this, she becomes the most powerful of all the magical girls.

Shu Ouma – Guilty Crown

It’s the year 2039 and Japan has lost its independence to an international corporation called the GHQ. Shu Ouma is a 17-year-old high school student who starts out in the series as being socially awkward and self-centred. He joins a resistance group called ‘Funeral Parlour’ in the hopes of helping to liberate Japan from the clutches of GHQ, but he is really only doing it to impress a girl he likes. During a clash between Funeral Parlour and GHQ, Shu comes into contact with the Void Genome and gains the Power of Kings. With this power, he can draw out a void from someone else in the shape of any weapon or tool that he needs. As the series goes on, Shu briefly loses his power only to regain it with it being stronger than ever before.

Not only have these characters gone on to be the strongest versions of themselves, but they have also become the strongest members in their stories. Yes, some of them were given incredible powers, but without believing in themselves and growing their inner strength they would not have taken control of their powers and pushed them to their full potential.

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The Best Chessmaster Characters By: Melissa Sterckx Possible Spoilers Ahead

They are the ultimate manipulators and you wouldn’t even know that you are doing exactly what they want you to do. Like the greatest of chess players, they can move their unsuspecting pawns at their will. Using their influence and perfect timing of events, they will plan the most beneficial outcome for themselves, paying no mind to who gets hurt in the process. Patience is key, but just what else is needed for someone to gain the prestigious title of Chessmaster? Let’s take a closer look at these brilliant Chessmasters and why they love the games they play.

Ciel Phantomhive – Black Butler

Knowing the background history of this character puts everything into perspective and totally explains why he is the way he is and does the things he does. Earl Ciel Phantomhive is the head of the Phantomhive house and the Queen’s Watchdog. He is hellbent on revenge and making those who ruined his childhood pay for what they did. Ciel summoned a demon during the worst experience of his life while watching his twin brother being murdered. It is this demon, Sebastian Michaelis, who is his butler and carries out many evil acts for his master. Ciel can be cruel and ruthless to get what he wants. But he can also be quite charming if he needs to be. Bribery, deception, and violence are the tools he uses to manipulate the players in his games.

Shiro – No Game No Life

Not only is this 11-year-old genius an actual master in the game of chess, she is also an overall Chessmaster in other ways too. This petite beauty of white skin and blue hair is Shiro from No Game No Life. Abandoned by her parents, Shiro remains very close to her stepbrother, Sora. Shiro is socially awkward and relies a lot on Sora to help her with human interactions and understanding the emotions of others. But it is her keen and natural ability for science and mathematics, along with her masterful analytical skills, that make her the Chessmaster that she is. She uses her intelligence to calculate the situation and makes minor changes in the games to manipulate the outcomes in her favor.

Light – Death Note

If ever there was the ultimate Chessmaster, it might just be Light from the great series, Death Note. Starting out as a genius and overly confident high school student who is bored with life in general, Light comes across a book in the schoolyard. Whoever’s name is written in the book will die. The unfathomable power to take any human life within seconds without even leaving his seat leads Light to become drunk with this power. He uses it to try and shape the world into his own utopia where he would be a god to his people. While Light feels that he is doing the right thing, the Death Note consumes him and the Chessmaster plays the board and manipulates society without any regard for whoever gets in his way.

Lelouch – Code Geass

Brought up in an aristocratic home and the 17th heir to the throne, Lelouch has a surprising hatred for nobility. A highly intelligent man that is bored with his studies, he receives his Geass ability from C.C, an immortal who is immune to the Geass. Lelouch gains the Geass which gives him the power of absolute obedience. He uses this power to plant commands into the minds of anyone he needs to… This is how this Chessmaster plays his game. He uses this unfair advantage over others to fulfill his political plans. He aims for revolution and hopes to do this through military precision. Lelouch forms The Order of the Black Knight to assist him on his road to power and control.

While all of the Chessmasters are different, there are a few characteristics that they share. The Chessmaster has to have the perfect combination of all of these traits. They are all goal-orientated and determined, refusing to be moved or persuaded from their objectives. They are all extremely intelligent, being able to calculate a plan and analyze what needs to happen for the desired outcome. They use their keen skills to anticipate the next move and are always ready for their opponent’s strike. But lastly, and probably the most important is a special ability that sets them apart from the rest of the world. Ciel has his butler, Shiro has her superhuman intelligence, Light has the Death Note, and Lelouch has his Geass.

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Seven Deadly Sins Profile: Ban

When you hear the word thieves, you imagine a rough upbringing and the need for money or the thrill of the specific action. Whether you call them burglar, bandit, or even robber, they all mean a person that steals objects or something of value for their desires. The character that is worth mentioning some of these traits is none other than Ban.

Ban has many sides to him other than a thief. Just because he displays traits as a bandit, it does not mean he is always a bandit in the series.

Ban was born in Raven and grew up with abusive parents. This would lead him to a life of stealing without knowing the true consequences of such actions. He avoids his childhood home and tries life on the streets. At first, Ban was sloppy at being sly as a fox and would eventually get thrown into Aberdeen Prison. The prison is the first stage of where Ban would learn the art of thievery as a talent with few people noticing. He meets Zhivago who offers the kid some food and creates a plan to escape the prison. This leads to Ban and Zhivago to meet once in a while at the hideout and talk about trivial life. Somehow, Ban gets tricked and gets sold to Lord Roxanu only later to end getting saved by Zhivago. This encounter resonated with Ban for the true desire to learn to steal tactics from Zhivago.

Zhivago tells Ban that a life of crime through theft would be one of the hardships. Despite the warning, Ban persisted to learn the ways of manipulation and greed actions. Ban accepted this lifestyle and Zhivago would teach him how to steal. Among stealing, Zhivago shares stories of great heists including the Fountain of Youth. This story plays a major role for the fountain and the guardian of such a fountain. However, he quickly learns some things are not quite as they seem to be.

Ban has orders to wait for Zhivago at a specific location, but instead he gets bored one night and wanderers off to steal instead. Lord Roxanu soon again mets Ban and this starts the consequences Ban faces for stealing from him. Zhivago sees Ban get beaten to a pulp but rather than saving him yet again, he saves his own biological son.

Ten years later, Ban would go on an adventure looking for the infamous heist about the Fountain of Youth. He would go to the forest of legend and desires the water for atonement. He goes by the name of Bandit Ban and climbs the tree in the Fairy King’s Forest where the eternal spring resides. The guardian of the fountain, Eliane, stops Ban in his tracks for obtaining the water. He is prepared to fight Eliane and pretends to launch his staff for her instead goes for the eternal cup which also failed.

Elaine mistook Ban for having negative feelings and that is why she later released him with him no signs of such emotions. He explained to Elaine to why he needed to live forever and then he left saying Eliane is “too much for him.”

He came back to retrieve a misplaced from the last visit. However, this time he reflected more on having immorality to where he had many years to something right in his life than crime, He would stay with Elaine for several days to befriend Eliane and ended up developing feelings for her.

Elaine and Ban fell in love and eventually, an ironic state of events Ban drinks the water as a measure from Elaine to save his life. This is where Ban is alive while his true love, Elaine is trapped in suspended animation as the demon attack on the Fairy King Forest. Ban is soon faced with the reality to save Elaine as his primary goal and now time is on his side to figure out Elaine’s situation.

Ban is the Fox Sin of Greed and bears the marking of a Fox tattoo with a shining star on the tail. It is alleged that greed is the intense desire for more especially over wealth and power. Ban is branded as the Fox Sin because it is believed that out of greed destroyed the Fairy King Forest and hurt the one he loves for the water from the Fountain of Youth.

This is a misunderstanding and puts a larger target on Ban from the Fairy King himself. Anyway, he has a really high healing factor and is seen to recover within seconds from metal rods in his body during the Baste Dungeon escape. As well as extreme healing, he has the Snatch ability in which he steals physical objects or someone’s physical abilities like strength or speed. He even stole a demon’s heart in an instant which had little effect for that demon had multiple hearts. He is very skilled in a fight and often fights with Meliodas on equal footing.

In Ban’s case, greed might lead him to have selfish tendencies but overall he is a person like any other. Ban experienced a total of 33 failed executions where each time his healing kicked in. He met Meliodas when one day he showed up and offered a request to be a knight. Ban got thrown out of his cell and Meliodas got him excited to join the team. Ban only joined because Meliodas said if you want to continue our fight then you have to join the Seven Deadly Sins. Ban holds Meliodas in high regard in terms of a fighter for he was the only person to give a scar that does not heal which he recalls as a “special case.” Furthermore, Ban embraces the selfish desires he feels and is redeemable in his love to Elaine.

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Seven Deadly Sins Profile: Diane

Usually, when Mother Earth is brought up, you visualize plants all around and other earthly phenomena. Well, what if I told you that the next profile features this concept though in manipulating earth. The character at hand is no other than Diane herself. She can give you a big smile and be super outgoing at the same time. She without a doubt could crush you if are not careful when you are around her.

Diane gives viewers the impression that she is down to earth until you cross her concerning Meliodas. She is protected over him because Meliodas was one of the few characters to recognize her as a person. There could be an argument for King being close to at an early age, but that is forgotten later on. One day, Meliodas noticed Diane being targeted by the Knights of the Golden Wheats who were discrinimating on grounds of a giant background.

Later on, Diane, Dolores, and Matrona were all hired to be mercenaries under Liones and ended up ambushed instead. The knights that employed them wanted Matrona and the bragging rights with taking out a fearsome giant by battle. Diane would be charged under false pretenses as a result of the ambush and was blamed for Matrona’s attack due to her in quote being “envy.” Before, she was sentenced for her supposed crimes, Meliodas came in and took responsibility on Diane’s behalf. She became a member of the Seven Deadly Sins and still admires Meliodas greatly for his kindness.

Diane is the Serpent's Sin of Envy and bears the mark of a snake on her thigh. She expresses this trait by being jealous of other characters possessions or their attention. She was branded this sin upon the Matrona flashback where false crimes were linked by envy. This truly occurs when Meliodas and Elizabeth’s connection are present in the series. She tries to get Meliodas’s attention more than Elizabeth which Elizabeth does not really try. The one-sided competition could get out of hand at times but it creates an interesting plot twist when you see it.

Probably, Diane’s main insecurity is her height as a Giant and desires to be small like other humans. She envies others who are human for she was outcasted as a giant and as a result wants the impossible or is it. There was only a couple moments where she got the bird’s eye view from a human’s perspective through a spell from Merlin.

Diane does not truly realize her love when it comes to King and his early connection to Diane. King found Diane in a cave and tried to company for a while. This happened when King got memory loss and forgot the origins of the fairies. As they spent time together, they grew closer where Diane’s earlier years were really impacted for not being alone. King even made new clothes for Diane where hers were old torn and ragged after coming apart. The new clothes are one-piece orange suit to replace the old clothes. In these years, Diane told King to always love her for the strong moments spent with one another and recovery while being ill. This resonates later when Diane mets King again ten years ago in the Seven Deadly Sins timeline.

As the Serpent Sin, Diane has tremendous battle prowess and skill while fighting. She might be a giant and might already have the advantage but her totem power is what really sells her as a character. Creation is the main ability of the giants and bending the ground and Diane’s use is amplified with Gideon. Also, when Diane uses the giant dance technique her power increases tenfold as well. Gideon is Diane’s Sacred Treasure that allows one to fully access Creation better. It resembles a war hammer and an picaxe on both ends. She fights with it to not only hit the opponent but the earth around her trying to outwit those who stand in her way. She had to win this Sacred Treasure back in an arena setting during the Vaizel Fighting Festival. For a perspective reasoning, the entire town of Vaizel was devastated by pillars of earth when Diane was reunited with Gideon after Meliodas’s wounds. Also, she has a move, Lightning Rod, where magic is absorbed and redirected in the ground. Though, this move hurts the earth and the creatures that reside in it so Diane is cautious about it when using this technique.

Furthermore, Diane is later named as the “Future Giant Queen” from the former Giant King, Drole. Drole protected Diane to his dying breath and named her as his successor before he died. Giants might be a warrior driven society though Diane had different intentions as a giant. Diane ran away from the Giants several times due to the fighting atmosphere and fear of herself being trained as the best giant for battle. All of this proves that Diane wanted to live a more peaceful life away from fighting and have something more out of life. Eventually, this experience is fundamental to developing bonds with Liones and the Seven Deadly Sins. If Diane thinks you as the opposing side, then prepare for one tough battle ahead of you.

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Seven Deadly Sins Profile: Meliodas

“The Seven Deadly Sins” is a Netflix Original Anime series. Netflix bought the rights to make the Anime and along with other entertainment for original content on their platform.

The Seven Deadly Sins are a group of legendary knights in Liones. The Liones Kingdom used to hold these knights “as the strongest and cruelest chivalric order in the kingdom” until after one turn of events. These knights represent the sins of humanity as such all of them have characteristics to their particular sin. The characters of the seven require time to escape their accusations of betrayal and come back together as six in numbers. Now, they fight against the force of the betrayal and surprises that await them.

For this particular blog post, the sin that will be explored is the character profile of Meliodas. Meliodas is the Dragon Sin of Wrath and the captain of the Seven Deadly Sins. He might seem really friendly which he is but he can lose self control just like anyone. It takes an extreme situation for Meliodas to turn from his usual personality to his wrathful side. This might be rare but when it occurs the situation at hand is dire for those around him. Changing into a state of high alert where anyone is the enemy causes Meliodas to potentially hurt those close to him. Friend or foe, it does not matter in the heightened state of anger and rage.

Meliodas’s wrathful side could be explained through his age and connection to longevity. He bears the Ouroboros tattoo of a dragon eating its tail. Ouroboros represents infinity a cycle in which time repeats itself forever. As a dragon is a symbol of anger, the snake in a circle is the embodiment of a long life as an immoral being. Meliodas has both anger and longevity in his character design and plays a significant role in the story. Currently, the captain is 3,000 years plus in Seven Deadly Sins and has a cursed side to him. The Ten Commandments (a group of powerful demons) are tied to Meliodas’s curse of immortality and they hold the key to get rid of it.

The Ten Commandments might prove a powerful adversary but Meliodas is a top contender as well. He has the origins of a demon and has ties to the Demon King. He is the eldest son of the Demon King and at one time he was the leader of the Ten Commandments. His involvement led the character to be known as the Meliodas the Love which is a name that strikes fear even the slightest mention of the Demon Clan. He fell in love with Elizabeth and as a result the dreaded Holy War began between the five clans. He is doomed to everlasting life and reverts back to his demon side whenever he dies. Both Elizabeth and Meliodas are tied to cursed lives and the fate of not seeing one another in their true forms.

Outside, Meliodas’s demon side and anger, he still possesses his normal fighting capabilities. He uses an attack where magic is reflected back at the opponent more than double the original power. Full Counter is the name of this move and allows the caster to manipulate other people’s magic back at them. There are limits to this like the user can not bounce back their magic, physical attacks, or indirect spells from the opposing party. It only reflects direct spells at whoever cast them in the first place. Also, another variation of counter is Revenge Counter. This allows Meliodas to absorb damage and store it. Revenge Counter is considered his trump card and is used as a last resort. He has to take damage and store the overall force from consecutive strikes the person he fights. He then unleashes this stored energy and causes a massive shockwave devastating the other fighter similar to an explosion.

Finally, Wrath is slated for those who express extreme furiousness, hatred, or other related negative feelings to rage. Meliodas embodies wrath not just for his demon heritage but wanting to protect those close to him. He can exert some control over the viciousness from being a demon through the belief of love and compassion. This love is what caused Meliodas to betray the Demon Clan and side with the other clans in the Holy War. So, remember if you mess with Meliodas, then you might wake up the sleeping dragon and the dragon’s wrath.

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