Sunday, February 10, 2013

Taking a break

Hey there

It's been a while. Things got pretty busy at work the last couple of days. I spend most of the little free time I have either prepareing for work or sleeping so I can barley manage watching my weekly anime let alone puttig my mind in writing articles - so I decided to take a break. Maybe I can start over once things calm down again. Till then

See you
  Ontaru


Saturday, February 2, 2013

Music in aime

Hey there

I wanted to write this article yesterday but my internet crashed... Anyways that was a lucky incident because now I don't have to think about what to post today. ;)

My first ideas were talking about the ways music is used in anime in general but actually I feel like talking about some random songs.

I'll start with this song first:

Nagisa -warm piano arrange- from Clannad

This song is used during the first part of the final scene in Clannad ~Afterstory~. You can find the video in this post: CLANNAD
I love the piano and this song is defenitly one of my favourite songs of this series. I think it expresses the emotions very well and I can't think of a better song to be used in this scene. Also I love the way it leads to the final song 'Chiisana Tenohira" which is also awesome.


Next is Ren'ai Circulation from Bakemonogatari

This is a real anime evergreen for me and I just can't get it out of my head. This one also has some nice wordplay in the lyrics.


Mahler's Symphony #8 used in the climax of Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu.

The whole scene is just perfect. SPOILER(the blue giants, the kiss and the music form an awesome anime moment) It fits so perfectly that I get goosebumps everytime I watch it.

We'll move on toYasashii Bokyaku used in Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu.

The version that I'm talking about is the one that was used at the end of the movie. It has no instrumental part but somehow it feels complete just the way it is.


If you want to get some OST here's a short list of anime OSTs I can recommend:

all the Clannad OSTs
K-on! + character discs
Angel Beats  all Girls Dead Monster songs(also those that weren't used in the anime)
Welcome to the N.H.K.
The first Naruto OST
FMA + Brotherhood
and most of the songs from the Little Busters! visual novel(anime uses the same songs mostly)


That's it for now. I'm not sure if I can post another article today because there's a storm comeing and I fear my internet is going to crash again.

Peace
  Ontaru


 PS: You can male me for more recommendations.


Friday, February 1, 2013

Some pictures

I'm starving so I'll keep this short. Let's go:



https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0a9L7aCL3up2wCvcY_XNmoDlXMQWjcKJlt3JisTY09BeuN-hn_2pF-w-SNsYblgOjA_ay5LS0jZn2fgVN0A7CbdHJtIfH9OI_WXGzGqPZQ3qoKrB_sa99WlF34ic25VwQWUpFID7WAst/s640/189.png
http://www.funnycatpictures.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/funny-anime-cat.jpghttp://www.majhost.com/gallery/DeoxysPrime/Anime/1276116483684.jpghttps://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/089/0/e/funny_anime_pic_i_found_on_the_interwebs_by_walrusesrawesome-d4uh03x.jpghttp://bbsimg.ngfiles.com/1/17877000/ngbbs4914b43521645.gif




https://gs1.wac.edgecastcdn.net/8019B6/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_ltdkrbTXif1r4kkxdo1_250.png

I had to laugh so hard when I first saw the last one^^

See you later
Peace
  Ontaru

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Ghibli concert, Clannad dream, demon lords and Valentine's Day

Hey there, it's been a while


I feel bad for not posting anything the last couple of days, but I just had so much stuff going on - a lot of work and too few hours of sleep. So here's an update on some stuff that I wanted to share(I actually was already trying to sleep, but I couldn't because I was thinking about this blog).
So I'm gonna start off with a summary of today's events.

Today was awesome!

I didn't have to work so I slept until 11am(I normaly wake up at 5am or 7am) and just before I woke up I had the best dream in weeks. I only remember parts of it but it's enough to make me cry tears of joy. In my dream I was part of the Clannad anime and guess what - I played the role of Tomoya! Epic win! I was sitting at the shore of a big lake under red maple trees talking to Nagisa and although I don't quite remember what we were talkin' about I get a warm feeling when I try remembering it.
Thats how I want to start every day!

Next I checked my YouTube subscriptions when I found this:

Joe Hisaishi in Budokan

I wanted to watch just a few minutes and than go have brunch but once I started, I couldn't stop. Nearly two hours of breathtaking performance! If you like Studio Ghibli and the music Hisaishi makes, go and watch this! You should also subscribe to CreatividadOtakus channel - he uploads a lot of awesome stuff!

After that I cleaned out my room, grabbed some lunch watched the last episodes of Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou. If you are okay with explict content(some bones being awefully broken, adult language and a good amount of nudity) then you have to watch this one. A great setting and some insanely funny scenes make this extremely entertaining. Didn't like the ending though =P

And after that I spent some happy time with the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders!

All that's left now for today is waiting desperatley for next week. The reason is episode 17 of Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo. After the last episode I just can't shake the feeling that the upcomeing one is gonna be great! The reason is this: It's going to be a Valentine's Day episode and there won't be more than about 24 episodes so I'm pretty sure that there will be some major stuff going on - at least that's what I wish for.

So that's it for today. I'll try to get some sleep now - it's gonna be a long day tomorrow again. I'll be back the day after tomorrow with posts about music in anime, some pictures and I'd also like to talk about some stuff I'd like to buy.

Peace
  Ontaru

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Hatsune Miku live

Hey there,

Today I once again watched some Hatsune Miku concert footage and as always it left me very frustrated. Why can't I live in Japan?




I want a good supply of Miku merchandize, her albums in every music store and I want to go to her concerts! Is that too much to be wishing for?
Well I know some people who have been trying to bring Miku to Austria for a while now, but they haven't been succsessful yet - but I believe in them. (They also managed to hold the first offical screening of NGE 2.0 outside of Japan right where I live!)


That's it for now. I'm too tired today because I was awake watching Django Unchained(which was awesome!) till 2am. Also I've been a bit narcoleptic lately... Little Busters fever I guess...

Anyways, see you
Peace
  Ontaru

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Winter is saved!


Looks like I have to take back what I said earlier...

I LOVE THIS SEASON!

Today I started watching Sasami-san@Gambaranai and found out that NGE 3.0 is already up'n'subbed but what really saved me was Kotoura-san! I just finished the first episode one minute ago and I'm more than pleased. Great opening and ending theme and an awesome story! Same goes for Sasami-san@Gambaranai(you might find it a bit irritating though).







I wish you all a pleasant day.

Peace
  Ontaru

Thursday, January 24, 2013

CLANNAD

Hey there

At first I wanted to do a nice review here but then I decided that that's not neccesary at all so
today I'm just gonna talk about my favourite anime of all time - Clannad(and ~Afterstory~)
I'm sure that the mass of all the otakus out there know and love Clannad and I think I can easily list six reasons why YOU should watch it:

  1. The story is a perfect mix of drama, romance humor and fantasy. It's a story about how friends and family influence our life and how strongly past and future are connected.
  2. The art and animations are flawless and high quality.
  3. The soundtrack ranges from awesome and pure epic to tear-jerking and heartwarming.
  4. There is not a single character you can dislike. Everybody (even the tiniest supporting role) plays an important part and is needed to lead the story to its true ending. This is even more obvious in the visual novel.
  5. You can watch it three times in a row and you will still love it and tear up at sad points.
  6. It has the most beautiful and satisfying happy end I have ever seen.

Clannad  ~Afterstory~ also features my favourite episode of all the hundreds of anime I've seen. "Small Palms" is a worthy end for an awesome anime(I'm not counting the extras here).
Here's the final scene. DON'T watch this if you haven't seen it before!



So now that I've cried my eyes out once more I will also mention the movie.
I've talked about this before with some people and it seems that many fans don't like the movie. I have to admit that I also wasn't very font of it the first two or three times I watched it, but the more often I saw it, the more I began to like it. I still hate the Sunohara in the movie though.

So here's my advice for today:
Start watching Clannad NOW! Even if you've just watched it recently - DO IT!


This defenitly won't be the last time I'll talk about Clannad so be prepaired.
Peace
  Ontaru



PS: You should check out the visual novel if you can get ahold of a copy. I will not advertise internet piracy here so email me if you need help finding a download.

Some pics fyi

Here you go:


See you later this evening.

Peace
  Ontaru

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Too tired...

Hey there...

After a long day on the shooting range I was once again reminded of how awesome automatic machine guns are but now I'm totally worn out and far too tired to think of anything more demanding than this post. I'll make up for it tomorrow with the imho best episode of my favourite anime and maybe some (de)motivators.

I'll leave you with my favourite scene from Full Metal Panic! Fumoffu?! 
Two videos 'cause I couldn't find the full scene on YouTube. 


Peace
   Ontaru
 
 

Monday, January 21, 2013

Few apps you should check out

Hey there


I recently found these cool android apps and I think I should share them with you. Most of them are for studying Japanese.


Obenkyo

This app is probably the best one out there for learning Japanese. I use it every day to review all my Kanji and to become more fluent in reading. You can just browse through all the symbols, learn the correct stroke order and even take tests on the stuff you've learned. It's really easy to use and once you've memorized all the Katakana and Hiragana you can start off with the Kanji list which features about 3000 symbols with all readings, meanings, stroke order and examples of common usage.

It has a nice list of vocabulary and two experimental features for studying particles like ''ga" and "to" and for learning and understanding grammer using Tae Kim's Guide to Learning Japanese.

If you want to study Japanese not only at home but pretty much everywhere you go, go and get this app! It's free and all the content is for offline usage.


Survive! Japanese

Another cool app for learning Japanese. You start off in this text adventure at Tokyo airport and have to complete tasks like returning a lost notebook whilst learning basic Japanese. I only tried the lite version but I'm thinking about getting the full one, because I really liked it so far. The lite version is of course for free so you should defenitly check it out.


Japanese Flashcards

A nice bunch of flashcards for easy learning with different modes like memory, quiz or slideshow mode. Haven't used this a lot yet but it seems to be pretty handy.


Japanese Word of the Day

Put this widget on your homescreen to get a new word every day with Hiragana/Katakana, Kanji and english translation.


Eva Clock HD

It's a Neon Genesis Evangelion clock widget and it looks AWESOME!


Mango

 Easy to use app for reading manga online, with a huge list of manga, favourite and offline option.


Mirai Clock 3

Another anime clock app by Danny Choo(Culure Japan). It does nothing special except beeing very well made and super cute. I never get bored of it.
Downloaded it from his site(link above) so I'm not sure if you can find this in Play Store.
Also check out Danny's YouTube channel tokyostormtrooper


That's it for this list. I found all the apps(except MC3) for free in Play Store and I believe you can get most of them for iOS too.
I'll post more if I find some other cool apps, so visit this blog every once in a while. ;)


Peace
  Ontaru

Truth behind Totoro

Ontaru reporting in again


About two weeks ago GOYOKINandroid sent me this awesome video("TOTORO - The True Story Behind TOTORO?") he made on YouTube. It's a must-see if you are a fan of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli's My Neighbor Totoro(となりのトトロ)

It brings light to the backgrounds of this widely known movie and reveals a more serious side of the story. I highly recommend watching Totoro beforehand if you haven't seen it in a while or don't know it yet. Be prepared to have your opinion of this movie completely changed.

The intro is quite long(about four minutes) but it has some awesome artwork in it. Enjoy.


















I hope you love this video as much as I do. Check out GOYOKIN's channel(link above) and subscribe/favourite if you like the stuff he uploads.


That's it for now. I'll be back later today a with list of some apps I started to use recently.
My thanks go to GOYOKIN for making and sharing his video and for letting me use it here.
See you.


Peace
  Ontaru

Sunday, January 20, 2013

I'm sooooo looking forward to Spring '13!

Me again with promised post featuring Spring '13 releases


Check out the chart here: Spring 2013

There are so many series I'm gonna watch especially because winters so weak this year!
Okay let's do it~

Nisekoi
Guess this is gonna be some nice comedy

Exorsister!
I'm not quite sure about this one but it's by Shaft so I'll give it a try

Osananajimi wa Daitouryou
Sounds different

Monster Musume no Iro Nichijou
I'm weak for long red hair since Highschool DxD and Boku wa H ga dekinai

Ever 17
The setting sounds interesting

Flintlaunch Tinderbox
Same as Ever 17

March Comes in Like a Lion
Okay J.C. Staff produced some of my favourite anime like Shakugan no Shana, Zero no Tsukaima, Toradora! and Hayate no Gotoku!! (the 'Four Tsundere Wonders'!! - this will be a post somewhere in the near future). Also it sounds like a good change of pace

Absolute Queen Nyaa-sama
Well I'll see 'bout that one

Despera 
Maybe... if I happen to have enough free time

and now for my top three:

3. Akira TV
I'm sure everybody who's seen the 1988 movie Akira is excited 'bout this one! I haven't had the chance to read the manga yet, but I'm sure this will be plain great!

2. Usagi Drop Beyond
Yes! I didn't know there would be a second season but now I can't stay calm about it. I love noitaminA series especially because they are so non-mainstream

1. Saya no Uta
I LOVED the visual novel! And I really can't believe they're making this into an anime!!(I hope this isn't a bad joke) I'm so freaking excited about this! And I wonder which ending they are goin' to use.
SPOILER(I hope it will be the one where he becomes normal again and she turns out to be a monster)
And I also wonder what they are going to do with those ecchi scenes...SPOILER(and all that genetic info gathering via semen ;D)
Production IG will be responsible for this hopfully great peace of art so there's nothing to be worried about. After all they animated the Ghost in the Shell series, Higashi no Eden or the Blood series just to name a few.

Thats it for spring releases - as far as I'm concerned. I personally dislike spring for many diffrent reasons, but this gives me some hope!
I'll try to keep this updated as there may be some new announcements till spring quarter starts.

 If you happen to read this, leave a comment with critizism or suggestions for future posts.

Peace
  Ontaru




Anime Winter '12/13

Hey there, it's me again

I want to talk about a thing thats been on my mind for a while now.

ARE YOU FREAKIN' SERIOUS?

I've never ever been so deeply disappointed by the winter season releases before.
Look at this chart! Is it just me?
Anime Winter 12/13

Okay let's go through this...

What I liked so far:

Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai Second Season
I liked the first season and I'm pretty satisfied with this one too

Minami-ke
One cannot simply dislike this

Boku no Imouto wa Osaka Okan
It's okay because it's short

Nekomonogatari
Haven't watched this yet, but it is part of the Monogatari series so it will be awesome

Ore no Kanojo to Osananajimi ga Shuruba Sugiru
I like where this series is going

Love Live! School Idol Project
This isn't really what I normally watch, but I liked it so far. They even tried to cast only Seiyuu that can actually sing pretty well

Tamako Market
Another Kyoto Animation moe anime. Can't dislike this if you loved K-on!

And there is also some nice OVA/Specials/etc. stuff going on, but I won't go into detail on that


Thats it... and it makes me kinda sad...
All the other series didn't really hit the spot. I didn't try watching all of them yet so maybe I'll change my opinion later this season. If I had some followers I'd ask for recommendations in the comments, but I think thats not gonna happen. ^_^

That wraps up this post.
I'll post another one later about upcoming series in Spring 2013.

Peace
  Ontaru







Let's start this!

Hey there!

My name is Ontaru, I'm 22 years old and I am currently living in Austria.
This is my first time blogging so I have absolutely no experience so just forgive me if I mess things up a bit.

Why did I decide to start this blog?
Today I read that Saya no Uta will get an anime adaption which is super exciting and awesome -more on that later- and I just really wantet to share this with somebody.

No seriously...

Because I have time and a lot of things on my mind that absolutley have to be shared with the world. I know that probably nobody except me will be reading this, but maybe one day some lucky guy or girl will stumble upon this blog and decide to follow my hopefully frequent posts.

Why Otaku Mind Map?
No speacial reason. I liked the ring of it and it actually is nothing more than just me posting some random stuff.

And what is it about?
Pretty much everything that interests me. Anime, manga, visual novels, Japan related stuff - it's gonna be pretty random I guess.


So that wraps up my first post. I hope I'll find some readers and that my english isn't too bad.

 Thanks for reading. Peace
   Ontaru


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