Pokémon Dubstep Remix - Lindsey Stirling+Kurt Schneider

Two amazing musicians jam together a song we're all familiar with!

Seiyuu appreciation post: Nobuhiko Okamoto

This boy is too cute!

Anime Review - Dangan Ronpa The Animation : Bloody Okay

Synopsis:

A group of 15 elite high school students are gathered at a very special, high class high school. To graduate from this high school essentially means you'll succeed in life, but graduating is very difficult. The school is presided over by a bear called Monokuma, and he explains to them that their graduation hinges around committing a murder. The only way to graduate is to kill one of your classmates and get away with it. If the other classmates discover the identity of the killer, the killer is the only one executed. However, if they fail to catch the killer, only the killer graduates and the others are annihilated. Which of the 15 will survive the bloodbath to come?

Source : MU

Decent Story (6)

Doesn't the seating arrangement remind you a little of . . . 

The plot of the story gets a little predictable. I understand that the student have to keep dying and the classroom trials have to keep occurring, but it is repetitive. As well, the story seems rushed and you have little exposure to the characters themselves. The viewer rarely gets a chance to truly see the motives and reason behind each character's actions. I have heard several people, who have played the PSP game, comment that this series should have been made into twenty-five episodes rather than the thirteen. And I agree. The creators were too focused on including every element of this story into thirteen episodes and it left out the needed emotional connection between characters, making this story quite hollow.

Good Art (7)
There isn't much too comment on the art. Generally, it is okay, but there are moments where the animation is sloppy. During the execution scenes, I really love the change in art style. Of the entire anime, these scenes are my favourite. Monokuma has an interesting choice in how the students are executed . . . and I love it :D

Look at that beautiful shading!

Killer Soundtrack (9)
Dangan Ronpa's opening and ending songs are probably the top of my favourites this season, behind Guren No Yumiya and Uchouten Jinsei. The animation along with the opening song is a seamless perfection. The same can be said about the ending song. I am glad that Soraru got his anime debut and he does a wonderful job as always.

Gif from the opening scene, containing "all" the characters. 

Wait. . .there are characters? (4)
Blame the rushed pace for the terrible character development in this story. In all honesty, however, the rushed pace provided little opportunity for character growth and relationships. The relationships that are created seem carelessly tossed in, like Kirigiri and Naegi. There are moments where she seems to have feelings for him but other times it appears like she has no affection for him. It is a bit confusing.
The characters themselves are pretty much stereotypical and cookie-cut, but if you take in consideration of their "Super Duper High Schooler" title and selection, it makes sense. Naegi's character is a little annoying, but that is just me and my personal dislike of optimistic heroes.

Interesting Ride (7)
To be honest, I liked Dangan Ronpa, despite its obvious flaws. The pace, the overall rushed execution and the repetitive acts are bothersome, and I think halfway through the series, I watched simply for the soundtrack, classroom trials and executions. The murders were predictable, but nevertheless, I enjoyed watching the pieces unfold before me.

Overall : Good (7)
Saying this from the perspective of someone who has only experienced the anime version of this series, I enjoyed it. The awesome soundtrack and the well-animated execution scenes are something to look forward. However, if you are the type of watcher that loves a good story with good characters, Dangan Ronpa is not the anime for you. Instead, I recommend playing the PSP game, for it provides a more enjoyable experience.

Because why not :D 

Until next time.
Nankurunaisa
sana_salim

Riverfire 2013

It's been over 15 years since I last attended Brisbane's Riverfire festival.

It wasn't as packed with people as I anticipated. The bag security screening was absolutely stupid though, wasted 5 minutes of my life.

It was *great* seeing our tax money being burnt in vibrant colours for half an hour (oh the sarcasm).

After the fireworks show, we met up with a few other friends at the city to eat at a Korean restaurant called Funny Funny. The food was delicious! Especially the chilli chicken with herbs and rice.

It was a really fun night out.

There's extra photos of South Bank, which I went to yesterday morning. It was a very nice day out!

Please do excuse my terrible photography skills, and not good quality phone camera.