Anime like My Hero Academia laud confident people. We consider these individuals models to which we should all aspire. Yet, confidence is an innate, intricate part of human existence. My favorite anime quote is Kaname Sudo’s inner dialogue in episode 1 of Darwin’s Game. “Do you need confidence to breathe?” No, of course not. We inhale and exhale without a fear in the world.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Rattle. Rattle. Clunk. Thud. Rattle. Clunk. Rattle. Rattle. That’s how the door to my Aerotel hotel room at Changi Airport sounded over and over again for what felt like forever. Someone was really trying to break into my transit hotel room. My time did not start as dramatically as the night break in.

A prevailing theme in the Death Note anime is one group of people taking on a single foe. We explore how that happens. There are so many metaphors in the Death Note anime. Death Note is a series that has themes like power, dominance, and justice. But there is a very important statement the series makes via its two main characters (erm, best characters) L and Light/Kira.

Japan awaits, but Newark Airport strikes again. Read to learn about my logistical nightmare at Newark on my way to Japan. Japan awaits, but Newark Airport strikes again. Read to learn about my logistical nightmare at Newark. This is day 1 of my two week trip to Japan. Day 1 lasted from May 7 to May 8, 2024. It was a Tuesday to Wednesday.

Imagine walking through streets that pulse with a soft glow of neon lights, surrounded by the hum of urban traffic and the murmur of chatter about anime figures and video game beeps and boops. That’s Akihabara, Tokyo’s Electric Town — and as a lifelong fan of all thing anime and video games, it was everything I always thought it would be and more.

I spent more than 30 hours in Pokémon Legends: Arceus hunting one gold fish, and caught about 45 shiny Pokémon I wasn't looking for. Playing Pokémon for 30 years, over many Pokemon anniversaries, taught me: sometimes the chase pays better than the catch. Credit: Pokémon Japan My foray into this series was truly by serendipity. I was visiting family in New York City one summer.

These people don’t look like the procrastinating type. In the Darwin’s Game anime, players must kill or be killed. Hesitation to act can mean death for you and your allies. Sudo Kaname made a grievous mistake. He believed there was an “inside” and “outside” Darwin’s Game. There isn’t. The Sunset Raven clan is at war with Eighth. Sudo was aware of the situation as the group’s leader, but he took too long to act.

Discrimination has been prevalent throughout human history, manifesting in different forms for myriad reasons. The reason why discrimination persists despite its horrifying consequences is because it has perceived benefits for the offending group or person. There isn’t a cure for discrimination. It has and will continue to exist. But we CAN mitigate its effects. Let’s discuss the horrors of discrimination via Kakegurui so you can protect yourself against this scourge.

Historically, I have not been interested in non-shounen anime and non-seinen series. Comedy or completely wacky series were just beyond me, totally off my radar. But I do like to try new things. So I have been experimenting with different series. Taking suggestions on new anime to consume. I like dark series or at least series with dark characters. This is what brought me to the Love Tyrant anime.

Sunset Ravens in all their glory. Darwin’s game is the embodiment of survival of the fittest on steroids. The series shows the brutality of human nature. Darwin’s Game uncovers humanity’s core, the base desires modern life covers. Now Darwin’s Game is based off Charles Darwin’s groundbreaking work in biology and evolution…in the most extreme sense. But the anime series’ secondary focus — aside from the death everywhere — is cooperation is the key to success.

Pure comedy. Unbothered. Stylish. Guess what anime this is? It’s Haven’t You Heard I’m Sakamoto anime, a 13-episode anime series and a manga. Sakamoto most certainly fits these descriptors. Every single move Sakamoto makes is cool. What sets him apart from his peers at school and most people for that reason is his stoic behavior. Stoicism is per Wikipedia: “According to its teachings, as social beings, the path to…

Death Note is one of the best anime series of this century. But you may not know the main reasons why the series is great. It is a primer on human nature. Death Note reveals humanity’s true nature. There is not a universal sense of justice in the series. Light (Kira) wants to eliminate all the bad people in the world.

Yeah, Yuno is obsessed. People underestimate the influence of obsession…an intense focus on their efforts. It is about time you discover the benefits of obsession via The Future Diary. Learn why obsession generates and leads to power. Sponsored, not really by Yuno from The Future Diary. 1) The Future Diary Levels of Obsession correlates to loyalty. If someone is obsessed with you, their attention is only on you.

Image courtesy of YouTube TV I didn’t expect to learn about personal branding from My Hero Academia, of all places. Most of all, I didn’t think Mei Hatsume would serve as the avatar for such a lesson. Mei Hatsume is a formidable support character in My Hero Academia. She is smart. But what makes her a literal genius is her aggressive self-promotion.

Behold Esdeath in Agame ga Kill! We love psychopaths in media. If you’ve been around in the anime world for awhile, you might remember Akame ga Kill! and everyone’s favorite waifu, Esdeath. Esdeath is the strongest person in the Empire and the leader of the Jaegers. She has an entire army at her disposal. She is the prime minister’s right-hand warrior.

“Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens,” a quote courtesy of J.R.R. Tolkien from The Fellowship of the Ring. Albedo figurines in Akihabara Overlord is a Japanese light novel and anime series. It tells the story of Momonga (aka Ainz), the overlord of his guild, The Great Tomb of Nazarick. The series is more than the story of one man’s conquest.

Cringey AF Contempt for happiness is usually contempt for other people’s happiness, and is an elegant disguise for hatred of the human race. Bertrand Russell There is a running underlying theme in Rent-A-Girlfriend we must discuss that has big implications for your mental health. Rent-A-Girlfriend teaches us to watch out for toxic people. What is a toxic person? A toxic person is anyone who is abusive, unsupportive, or unhealthy emotionally or psychologically.

That apple must be good. In Death Note, Ryuk represents the observer — a character depiction of the show’s audience. He is here for his own entertainment. When asked by Light Yagami, the show’s main character, why Ryuk dropped the notebook, he explains the state of the Shinigami realm. He calls the Shinigami realm a rotten and a barren place.

Death Note — the first 25 episodes of the anime anyway — is one of my favorite anime of all time. It seems like many people agree too. 30 million manga copies sold, an anime adaptation, several movie adaptations, three video games, character cameo appearances from the series in video games, a TV drama, a musical and light novel. But this article is not about how awesome Death Note is.

Knowledge is power goes the adage. Meaning the most knowledgeable are the most powerful. But the inverse is also true. The powerful control the knowledge you learn. This is a critical insight. Rein, a character in Darwin’s Game, illustrates an excellent application for this truism. You must point fingers to identify the culprits creating your “reality”. Rein offers an important practical lesson for viewers.

Money is nothing, people say. Others think that having more money than others makes them superior. I don’t agree with these sentiments. But it is true money can exert power. In Kakegurui’s world, money is everything. Therefore, I am presenting three lessons on money you can learn from watching Kakegurui. Kakegurui reveals the importance of money. Never forget this thought. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise.

Photo by Milin John on Unsplash How would you feel about spending 19 hours in the skies above planet earth? Let me tell you in this Singapore Airlines Business Class review. On my way to Japan, I flew on the longest flight in the world. After I got to the gate, a little winded mind you. I went to the desk and ensured my passport was signed, checked in and got printed boarding passes for this leg of the trip to Japan.

Have you ever learned something new from art? I did at Design Festa Vol. 59 in May 2024. What I Learned at Design Festa Vol 59 Have you ever learned something new from art? I did at Design Festa Vol. 59 in May 2024. I will tell you about Design Festa, my experience and whether or not you should attend.

I could say a lot about myself. But I am going to focus one in particular. None more significant than my trip to Japan earlier this year. I am going to talk about the three things I learned about myself in Japan. Japan is a different, yet familiar place — particularly in Tokyo. I Learned I could do a lot more than I thought I could…

Image Credit: Reddit E3 2011 wasn't much of a surprise, now, was it? If you followed video game industry news over the past few weeks, well, you had seen E3 without seeing E3. Congratulations on your prognosticating. But it wasn't that hard, was it? So many so-called "leaks" and preview events before the main event equaled to a punch in the throat for this year's E3.

Image Credit: IMDB Full disclosure: I'm a Halloween baby. That's right. I was born on the scariest day of the year. So it may not shock you that I have a thing for darkly themed media. When I first heard about Infamous: Festival of Blood, I was a bit skeptical. I mean, really, Infamous with vampires? Sounds like a cash grab to me.

Image Credit: Nintendo/Best Buy Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was the first video game system I played. Back then, my playtime was mostly a save-the-princess affair. Playing Nintendo games granted me a way to do something larger than myself. It allowed me to do good deeds. As I've grown older and technology has advanced, mainstays like The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Brothers, and Pokémon counterbalance the more mature titles I play.

Image Credit: Forbes I don’t understand why some people in the community are up in arms over Super Mario Galaxy 2. The original game garnered critical acclaim from a variety of outlets—bloggers, journalists, and enthusiasts alike. Now people are in an uproar with the second go around of the series. It sounds too much like the first Galaxy and not enough like a new experience, they say.

Image Credit: The Super Mario Brothers Movie Nintendo is a master at making family friendly software. It’s their specialty and their flagship series and mascot, Mario, is no exception. The developer crafted the stubby plumber's titles as lessons in the art of prosocial behavior. Nintendo's Mascot is our Sensei Mario is our teacher; the journey to save the princess a primer in helping others.

Image Credit: Capybara Games | Critter Crunch Review I sometimes wonder as a gamer, do games really need realism? At times, and in certain genres, it seems if a game does not craft an exact likeness of a gun, it is not successful. This is one reason I love games like Critter Crunch; the industry's products try to mirror real-life objects and stories, fantastical games like Critter Crunch are the cure for this problem.

Image Credit: Crytek Video games, like Crysis 2, have become more difficult as of late. Even Nintendo, whose iconic titles are known for their ease, has upped the difficulty of some of their recent titles. New Super Mario Brothers Wii was (and still is) known for its many player deaths. To mollify gamer's frustration, Shigeru Miyamoto and co. created the "Super Guide." If a player dies eight times consecutively, then a green block appears which the player can hit to call Luigi for help.

Image Credit: Microsoft Game Studios I play games alone, in fact, I prefer it that way. My most memorable experiences, however, are from playing multiplayer with my buddies. Few video game series let a significant mark in my life, paralleling me in expansion and growth. However, one managed to do this: Halo. Now with all my talk about Halo being such an important part of my life you would think I bought every title, have three Halo 3 posters on my wall (only one) and have a Brute’s corpse hanging from my wall.

Image Credit: Rovio I tried to convince myself that I don't play games like Angry Birds. It's for "casual" gamers, I argued to myself. I could spend my hard-earned $0.99 on a root beer or some other edible pastime. But I pressed the download button on my iPod Touch anyway. I possess an affinity for novel experiences. Of course, the more explicit reason is that Angry Birds is extremely popular in the community.

Even after playing through Catherine's demo, I am not quite sure how to categorize the game. Is it an adventure game? A dating simulation? A puzzle game? Who knows? But two things are definite: Catherine is obscure. It's surprisingly difficult. Atlus, the developer and publisher behind the original Catherine, describe this obscure and surprisingly difficulty game as: "Vincent Brooks is unwilling to commit to marrying Katherine McBride, his longtime girlfriend.

Weak sales for Death Stranding 2 may have led Sony to ditch Kojima's return to stealth action

When was the last time a Pokémon film released? I couldn't tell you. I can tell you the next time: 2027. Pokémon: Wild Card will be the first Pokémon film in over seven years. This film is the first movie to make the Pokémon Trading Card Game the central focus. The main character is a someone who gives the Pokémon Trading Card Game the seriousness it deserves and his Mimikyu.