Are the light novels worth it? I've never read a light novel before but it's my understanding that they aren't like ordinary American Novels >.> though they are about the same length 

I am less concerned about the inevitable hit to writing. Like personal opinion so far: The light novel's quality of writing isn't exactly stellar. 

I'm comparing it in length basically quoting a resource that I read about LNs vs other forms of written media. But supposedly they range up to around 50k words which is on par with the ordinary length of a novel in the US (which is something that was noted on the site I was reading for some reason). It doesn't seem to be quite as descriptive so far but mostly Dialogue, which I'm ok with. I've just never read an "LN" before and wasn't sure if it would be exactly what I'm looking for I guess I'll start from volume one and read from there though because they're fairly cheap and it seems a reasonable read. I am surprised with how short the chapters appear to be so far though. Granted it's still massively early, it's just a new genre to me I'm not sure what to really expect from it. 

So these are basically like serial novella then? >.> I've mostly only consumed Manga and Anime previously so forgives my ignorance please T-T

Well, yeah, it's no Lord of the Rings.

They're longer than novellas though, as those usually have less than 40k words. For example, Volume 1 of Spice & Wolf has 60k words give or take. Volume 1 of Legend of the Galactic Heroes has 100k words (97,730, but who's counting, really?).

As Jon Snow would say...



I myself am something of a novice in this vast world of anime, manga, and light novels.

Also, I watched the Arslan OVA #1 last night and it was actually quite good, different, but still good. The character designs are radically different from the 2013 manga, looking more like the Greek heroes of old, as is the humour (a lot less anime-ish). Arslan comes across as more of a girl, what apparently is more faithful to the novels were he was described as an effeminate boy with long hair and blue eyes, who would grow up to be quite handsome. It's a pity only 6 of these were made, and they do not cover the entire length of the series.

Oh, and Farangis is clad in full armour in this adaptation what I consider a plus (and she looks gorgeous!).

Cowboy Bebop 2nd watching. I'm definitely enjoying it more, even the first 4 episodes.

My microbiology final is coming up in three weeks. Anyone think that watching “Cells at Work” would help?

I find it's the reverse for me, but maybe it's a matter of how I watched it first. For instance, I watched Heroic Age with the dub and loved it, even if Age's voice is a bit hit and miss.

Some Yang Wenli goodness from Die Neue These.

I'd been meaning to watch this film for a while so last night I decided to put my Netflix subscription to use. Time travel stories can be tricky propositions, for each of us has his or her own preconceptions about how time travel is supposed to work, much like Ant-Man did in Endgame. Having said that, once the film had ended, I found myself questioning less the mechanics of time travel in this story and more the story itself. Our story follows Makoto, a teenage girl attending high school who one day inadvertedly acquires the ability to rewind time, and, no, this is not Life is Strange. She soon finds herself triggering this ability to avoid a tragedy (still not Life is Strange) and quickly sets about to mastering it for trivial things, like avoiding awkward conversations or having non-stop fun with her two best friends, Chiaki and Kousuke, and perhaps less trivial ones, like improving her skills at baseball or passing an exam with top grades. Eventually, she learns that these actions can have unintended consequences (okay, you can imagine what I was going to write here) and so decides to set things right. Or so one would think this kind of story would go.

The truth of the matter is I never felt as if Makoto truly learned this lesson, and the sad part is that there are several moments that could've been exploited further to let the point sink in. For instance, it is fairly clear the film wants to emphasize how Makoto is wasting her ability in frivolous stuff so that it'll eventually bite her in the ass. And so it does. The execution of this moment could've been better, or at least less exaggerated to the point of ridicule, but that's not the point. The point is Makoto isn't given time to process this, to reach catharsis, so that when a second chance appears we know she won't waste it, as she has grown out of the experience, she has matured. Instead, it is left to a character to tell us how devastated she supposedly was as a result of this tragedy. I know it is cliché, but show, don't tell.

And this is where we reach another problem I have with the story that does relate to time travel. Without giving too much away, an explanation for Makoto's ability is provided that was unnecessary or, at the very least, it was unnecessary to go into so many details, as I feel it ultimately raises even more issues with the story. In short...



I will say this film does not seem to have a half bad soundtrack, though I haven't yet listened to it isolated. The track that plays during the reveal scene, "Seijaku," is particularly good, to the point the scene would be sorely lessened without it. Then again, Fireworks also had that one good track that played whenever the MC used that marble. The main theme (I think), "Kawaranai Mono," is also used perfectly at the end, when Makoto decides to make a more responsible use of her ability (it's a pretty good scene). It is left to the viewer's imagination to assume she also took the chance to fix the rest of the collateral damage.

Like in the case of Cowboy Bebop, I find myself curious as to why/how it gained the popularity it has (though I have mentioned I'm enjoying Bebop a lot more the second time around), and if my inability to understand this has to do with how long it's been since the movie released (2006, more than a decade ago) and how much the anime landscape might've changed since then. It's an entertaining movie, to be sure, but I personally feel it had the potential to be a lot better.