Round like a circle in a spiral

I have always found horror fiction interesting although I prefer psychological horror over the visceral variety (gore and violence). While the splatter genre of horror presents the frailties of the human body, psychological horror, on the other hand, plays upon the frailties of the human psyche.

Popularity: 14% [?]

My Noughties in Anime

I was originally intending to write about my top favorite shows from the passing decade but as I was listing down those that I have seen, I realized that there are still plenty of shows that I haven’t watched completely and there are also some shows that I might like but still haven’t seen. So I have decided to change my decade post’s format.

Popularity: 20% [?]

On nensha, Mouryou no Hako, and the Ring cycle

Last week as I was browsing Wikipedia, I came upon an article on nensha (念写). It is the ability to psychically imprint an image from one’s mind onto surfaces or the mind of others.
In 1910, an assistant professor from Tokyo University named Fukurai Tomokichi conducted a well-known research regarding ESP. His first subject was [...]

Popularity: 10% [?]

A Tale of Geo-Cities

A Eulogy for Geocities…

Earlier this week, GeoCities became officially unavailable, a few months since YaHoo! announced its closure. GeoCities began in the mid 1990’s providing free web hosting and later on, paid premium service. GeoCities was initially organized into “cities” or neighborhoods, such as Tokyo for anime and other Asian topics, or SiliconValley for tech topics. When Yahoo! acquired GeoCities in 1999, they switched from the neighborhood based URLs to a customized ones.

I first learned of GeoCities in high school, around a couple of years after the city was introduced to the World Wide Web. I was fascinated with Yu Yu Hakusho then and I would research about the anime in the Net. Information regarding Yu Yu Hakusho, however, was limited and so I thought of creating my own YYH website. After deliberating which web host to use, I settled for GeoCities. I learned HTML and came up with a crude lay-out filled with marquees and Java applets (they were all the rage then). I couldn’t exactly remember that site’s URL but I think it was www.geocities.com/yyh_profiles.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Mouryou no Hako – 04 “Fiery Chariot”

Synopsis: Kiba wonders if Kanako’s abduction is related to the Musashino mutilation incident.

Sekiguchi is looking at dismembered body parts scattered on the floor. In his hand, he holds a bloody knife. And he wonders why it didn’t go well. He wonders if it’s because the method was sloppy. He thinks that if a certain doctor knows, he should meet him. He plans to go out soon.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Mouryou no Hako – 03 “A Sense of Release”

Synopsis: Youko receives a kidnapping threat on Kanako.

I am trying to embark on something ambitious. Due to problems with the subs (the accurate one being slow, and the fast one being inaccurate), I have decided to blog from the raws while aiming to provide the same level of detail as my previous episode summaries. Now if I were blogging Mahou no Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto: Natsu no Sora from the raws, it wouldn’t be difficult but I am blogging Mouryou no Hako, the words they use aren’t the kind that usually appear in modern casual conversations. Furthermore, Mouryou no Hako has Buddhist concepts here and there. Oh well, it would be an opportunity to brush up on my Nihongo and besides, since I am dying to watch Mouryou no Hako, I’d be driven to translate as accurately as I can.

Popularity: 8% [?]

On the Etymology of Mouryou

The word mouryou (魍魎) is often translated as “goblin”. The translation, however, is inaccurate. 魍魎 is composed of two characters: 魍, which means “spirits of mountains and streams” and 魎, which means “spirits of trees and rocks”. Thus, 魍魎 is a term that encompasses all sorts of spirits, not just goblins. According to the Japanese [...]

Popularity: 8% [?]

Mouryou no Hako – 02 “The Deception of the Tanuki”

Synopsis: Kanako is safe but the truth regarding the incident is yet unknown.

The episode begins with the man with glasses from the first episode visiting his grandmother’s burial. He comments on how his grandmother’s coffin, being round, was a mistake. A coffin should be a box, one sized to fit the corpse perfectly so air cannot get in.

Popularity: 6% [?]

First Impressions: Tytania

Synopsis: The forces of Euria fights against the forces of Tytania, the clan that has dominated the galaxy.

I don’t remember watching any anime that would fall under the space opera genre. When usagijen suggested I watch Tytania, I thought of giving it a try, but oh, the pain! The pain! Even the operatic opening theme was an omen of the agony I would experience just trying to finish the first episode.

Popularity: 6% [?]

The Anime Breakfast Club: What Do Anime People Eat For Breakfast Pt. 2

What did you eat for breakfast today?

Hana Morenos and her foster family (Michiko to Hatchin)

Popularity: 7% [?]