Liebster Award Nominations (Part 2) by Otakurui and Takuto’s Anime Cafe

How fortunate I am to be nominated again by two lovely people, Otakurui and Takuto’s Anime Cafe, within a span of weeks from my first nomination! 😀 Thank you for the nominations, and I am really honoured that you guys find my blog worthy of this award. 🙂

I’ll just be doing the questions and not be doing any nominations this time around 😀

Otakurui’s questions:

1. How long have you been blogging and what made you start?

I have answered this before but no mind I shall answer it again 🙂 I have been blogging about anime since around 2 years ago, but this isn’t the first blog I have. My other blog is still in existence in some other corner of the Internet though it contains many juvenile reviews which I am shy to refer to here hehe.

I started because I had too many thoughts running through my head whenever I watch or read something and I thought it would be a waste if I didn’t write them down somewhere.

2. What is your favourite colour?

I don’t actually have one; but I would have to go for blue. My bedroom wall is painted blue, my bay window cushions are blue, my curtains are blue, my bedsheets and pillow covers are blue. Must be a special colour for me to obstinately choose to splash the same colour palette over everything else, huh.

3. What is your favourite place and why?

This place is in Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan. I absolutely love this quaint little town not only because it has a gorgeous music box museum, but also I have really good memories running down the streets clad head to toe in thick winter wear, exploring the really interesting shops on the side of the canal, and eating freshly grilled Hokkaido scallops topped with melted cheese at only 100 yen at a roadside stall 🙂

Otaru’s music box museum!

I have all plans to revisit this place in the near future!

4. Can you describe yourself in 3 words?

Daydreamer, shy, short. 😀

5. Favourite film?

I put the Red Cliff the other time I believe, but now I want to draw your attention to The Pianist this time 😀 Its a really good movie about WWII atrocities, and I daresay its quite well known.

6. Can you tell me a story of an event from your memory?(Recycled from thelimitlessimagination because I loved the question)

Didn’t expect myself to end up having to answer my own question! Hmm I’ll just recount a story from my travels.

My friends and I were on board this Swiss train that circled the Alps which I have forgotten the name of; and we decided to order this bottle of wine just to splurge a little. We had previously paid for everything including train tickets, surcharges with my friend’s dad’s credit card but we didn’t buy any included meals with the train ride (We brought our own food, which consisted of bread at least a day old and some spread/dip to eat it with, because Swiss meals are REALLY expensive) so the wine was extra charge.

As we are travelling along the railway admiring the Swiss mountain scenery, we had initially planned to get off at this certain tourist stop. So a few stops before that, just before the train stopped at an interim stop, I decided to go to the washroom. Just as I was in the middle of relieving myself, one of my friends came banging on the door of the restroom telling me they made a mistake and we had to get out there and then. An unpleasant shock it was as I scrambled out of the restroom, grabbed all of my backpacks and tumbled out of the train before the doors closed.

We then just realised we were literally in the middle of nowhere deep in the mountains. (We were also the only ones who got off which an entire train staring at us through the windows). Unsure about whether to go up the train again, which had stalled, we just sort of hovered around the station. My friend whispered to us “Were they not gonna charge us that bottle of wine?” We spotted the waitresses and conductors running within the train itself but we just stood there and waited to see if anybody came out. Nobody did and the train chugged off.

So .. in the end we didn’t pay for that bottle of wine. When we got back, my friend also said there wasn’t any sudden surcharge on her dad’s credit card (which the train company had the details of).

(This story isn’t supposed to be funny or anything, but it was the first time nobody asked me to pay for something I was supposed to.)

7. The sea or the countryside?

Countryside. I already live surrounded by the sea so the sea isn’t that special to me 😀

8. Do you have a favourite character? If so who are they and why?

Oh man I know my answer to this without even having to think. Naturally, its Lelouch Lamperouge fom Code Geass. Mandatory portrait follows:

Why? Lelouch is the most morally ambiguous and complex character I have ever seen. He’s extremely intelligent (Light Yagami level), plans out the most daring, risky strategies to outwit his enemies, has certain very strong and questionable ideals about justice that he acts on. With a theatrical flair and flamboyant gestures, his charisma and ability to garner followers is unrivaled, which makes him really entertaining to watch. Yet, he is actually the most vulnerable to the most human of emotions of love and care for his friends and family, and he suffers because of the decisions he has had to make. He is in fact, an extremely flawed character who makes mistakes and tries his best to make up for them. His ultimate decisions will simply crush you once you know what he is trying to do and when you see the sacrifices he makes. This is also my most admired character of all times.

(ugh, what I have written here doesn’t even do him justice :()

JUST WATCH CODE GEASS IF YOU HAVEN’T. The story is unique enough to blow your mind, not even counting the characters who make up part of the charm, including C.C my first girl crush ever. 😀

9. What do you like to do when you have spare time?

What does an otaku like to do in her spare time? Watch anime. Read manga. Repeat. 8D

10. If you were an animal, what would you be?

An eagle 🙂 This may be just my weirdness showing itself but I think eagles are handsome and cool. 😀 They also have nicely coloured feathers and they have extremely good vision. And they are strong. Not to mention eagles are birds which means freedom 😀

11. What are you doing right now (apart from answering these questions)?

Trying to read a journal article about regulatory compliance in banking.

Now for Takuto’s Anime Cafe’s questions!

1. What is your favorite Japanese animation studio?

Statistically speaking, according to my MALgraph, it says Production I.G. which of course has produced and animated many awesome, impactful anime like Shingeki no Kyojin, Eden of the East, Fairy Tail, Haikyuu!!, Kaleido Star, Kimi ni Todoke, Honey and Clover, Kuroko no Baske and Psycho Pass.

But … I would have to go with BONES for its consistency in delivering quality animation and for choosing the right light novels and stories to bring to the big screens. Thank you for Zetsuen no Tempest, Darker than Black, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Ouran High School Host Club. 🙂

2. What do you do for fun besides anime stuff?

I read fiction; mostly Chinese for the crazy ideas and English general fiction for the psychotic protagonists and weird stories. (American Psycho, Flowers in the Attic anybody?) I have a lot of YA fiction on my to-read list but I generally don’t like to start those unless I get titles personally recommended to me.

3. Cats or dogs?

A dog person through and through. I want an animal friend, not another human-like creature 🙂

4. Yaoi or Yuri >.< or none!?

I am strictly not for any, though I am more tolerant of yaoi than yuri.

5. What was the first anime you have watched?

I believe it was Vampire Knight. I was enamoured with the manga’s art and went right onto the anime. But it didn’t get me into serious anime watching because I really dislike Kaname (and I still do.)

6. What do you like most about anime?

How it made me realise that I still had so many emotions untapped inside me. I used to think I was cold and almost dead inside, until I watched Code Geass, which made me feel more alive than I ever did.

7. Do you see yourself still with anime ten years down the line?

I am actually afraid to answer this question because I am not sure whether it is a yes or a no. I love anime a lot but anime comes with a lot of social stigma and I am not sure whether I will be scorned at if I still watch it at 30. But if I still love it I don’t really have a choice there right?

8. What do you think of fanservice in anime?

Fanservice is a funny thing. You could throw me the same amount of fanservice in two different anime, and I could be either downright irritated or straight up enjoying the visuals (even if its boobs and panty-shots). So it probably depends on the anime.

9. What anime made you scratch your head for a while?

Neon Genesis Evangelion. I am still scratching my head as of now 😀 There’s a way of finding out the significance and symbolism of everything but I just haven’t gotten around to researching either ….

10. Do you recommend anime to non anime fans around you, or do you keep it to yourself?

I don’t because its hard to recommend it to people who just plain don’t like Japanese culture, or who have tried anime before but didn’t like it. And when I appear to excited about it, it achieves the opposite effect on people so I try to play it off cool. Its hard though ><

11. If this café served actual beverages/food by an anime character to you, what would you order and from whom??

Ooh I would want a Maid’s Parfait (if these things actually existed). I would prefer my server to be .. Mayuri from Steins; Gate (I like her cos she’s really cute! :D)

Thank you again for the nominations and that’s all from me for now! 😀 I have had immense fun writing this post yet again hehehe. Do remember to check out Otakurui and Takuto’s Anime Cafe for their insightful anime commentaries and posts! 🙂