I’m trying to blog seriously this time, and there is a reason for that. In the middle of this year, I applied for the Monbukagakusho/MEXT Undergraduate Scholarship in Japan. And just this month, I received the acceptance letter. It’s a 5-year full scholarship in Japan and it’s pretty much a dream come true for me. My life is about to turned upside down. New country; new culture; new life. I want to make a record of these coming years; for myself and for others.

I’m a big fan of Japanese anime and the international culture that has sprung from it, and I know that many like me really, really want to go to Japan. I often read blogs like Danny Choo’s and others, admiring and enjoying the experiences of these writers, and hoping one day I might have to opportunity to be in Japan. They have served as inspirations for me to keep pursuing my dreams. I want to give readers like me one more blog to read; a blog about an anime fan in Japan.

Anyway, it’s Dec. 30 now and I won’t be leaving for Japan until April, but I want to start writing now, as the year ends. So what can you expect from this blog? Well, when April comes around, you can expect a full travelogue of Japan, and until then you can expect entries on my preparation before leaving. Aside from that:

• Anime blogging
• Manga and magazine translations
• The long road from childhood dream to reality
• Games
• Figures
• Table-top Roleplaying
• Vocaloids

You can expect me to tackle these topics from serious and possibly academic to excitable and possibly over-enthusiastic. I have a lot to say about a lot of topics, and I hope you will be joining me in our coming discussions.

Hm, it turned Dec. 31 just now. I don’t believe I’ve properly introduced myself yet, but I’ll have to save that for tomorrow. Happy New Year!

Today, we will discuss a new manga that I just saw at the bookstore called Q-Ko-Chan: The Earth Invader Girl. It’s from the same author of FLCL, and keeps with the theme of sf, or as I am inclined to call it, Stylistic Funk. It deals once again with a schoolboy and the robot he meets, which this time can take the form of a cute girl. Such a pairing is reminiscent of Mamimi and Canti in FLCL, and the directions Ueda Hajime can take with this premise are exciting, indeed. I’m inclined to tell all you FLCL lovers to buy it; who knows, Gainax might make an anime out of it.

And speaking of Gainax, I wonder when they’ll ever make another series to rival the quality of KareKano?

(Gosh, the 90′s were cool.)

The darkness that engulfs us all

No man’s eyes can see through it

But one light to not let us fall

In the end, the puzzles all fit

Whose broken heart cries to the moon

Standing between the changing seasons

The stars may disappear too soon