Zombieland Saga Episode 10: The Truck Did It Again

Spoilers for Zombieland Saga Episode 10 ahead!

Zombieland Saga had been, up till today, a rather mediocre show that sometimes managed to get a laugh out of me, but other times left me bored. But ever since they began the character arcs, the show had definitely been getting progressively better with every episode. Last week’s episode with Best Girl Saki was undeniably pleasant to see, and although it ended rather optimistically, the show has proven that it can create scenes with emotional impact, along side its comedic, unpredictable plot.

This was so freaking hilarious.

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A Sliver of Silver

In the sparkling sand I wandered
Through crowds of colourful umbrellas.
Towels lay like patchwork,
Drying in the summer heat.
I found myself at the water’s edge
Where the sand is packed and cool.
Looking five kilometers out, I saw
A resplendent flash of silver,
Inviting me to play.
Furtively I took a step, then another.
The waves, they washed my footprints away.
I stopped, feeling reluctant,
But then waves crashed, silver flashed,
And excitement pulled me forward.
I swam, and swam, looking for…
I swam farther, swam harder.
And then it was dark,
And then the water was cold
And the beautiful, silver fish I chased
Was nowhere to be found.

Owarimonogatari Ep. 1…A Masterful Beginning To The End

Minor spoilers for Owarimonogatari Episode 1!

After I recently eased my way through Koyomimonogatari, which was by far one of the most relaxing, yet thoughtful, series of short stories I’ve ever watched, Owarimonogatari’s 50-minute Episode 1 hit me like a bullet of pure ecstasy, detailing a masterfully paced mystery that was weaved deeply into Araragi’s past, introducing two new complex characters, and beautifully executed.

The Source of Kirito’s Strength in the Underworld

After watching episode 8 of Alicization, I was scrolling through the episode comments, and found a comment attempting to explain Kirito’s enormous source of strength, by stating that since Kirito is a human, he fundamentally has a greater imagination that what AI’s can ever have, since AI can only teach things that they have been taught.

While the comment has logical coherence to it, I wanted to address the fundamental flaw in said comment, and also talk about why Kirito is so strong in Alicization, which is shaping up to be a really fun arc.

Mid-Season Rambling

Being an anime fan who only recently has began to keep up with seasonal anime, I must say that I am quite pleased with this season. Well, that’s not completely true, as Tokyo Ghoul:re is becoming a bigger disappointment every week, and Fairy Tail is just not as good as how I used to see it, back when I was still in that fledgling phase of otaku life, where all one watches are the long running shounens such as Naruto and One Piece.

But Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai wo Yume no Minai, Goblin Slayer, SAO Alicization, hell, even Zombieland Saga, are some pretty decent anime that I’m really enjoying (they also happen to be anime that I began watching near mid-season). If you haven’t watched some of these anime yet, be warned:

I’m also trying out this new WordPress editor and, it’s nice, but this whole thing where backspace deletes all your spaces is annoying.

Random Thoughts on Monogatari…Or not…(Haikus at the End)

Monogatari is probably one of the most well thought out stories out there. I’ve never seen a story with as much thought given to it’s characters, it’s plot, it’s art style and cinematography, and even it’s use of soundtracks. Not in anime nor in the books I’ve read.

The only flaw I could ever point out would be the fan-service…which can’t really be considered a flaw, since it’s something that is seen as good or bad rather arbitrarily—and it might even be there to contribute to some greater idea of the characters.

I just finished watching Koyomimonogatari, a collection of short stories explore all sorts of philosophies on society and the nature of oddities. And it also ended off on a bit of a cliffhanger, because why not. To be honest I feel like I should rewatch the series a few more times, just so that I can have a deeper understanding of all that philosophy.

As of now I feel like I’m just not knowledgeable enough to really appreciate Monogatari. I really like it, but there’s just so much that I know I’m missing. I would really feel bad if I didn’t spend some time thinking, and thinking hard, about Monogatari’s themes and messages—to me that would feel like I was just ignoring the enormous amount of work put into the show for it to have so much depth to it.

This is probably hypocritical of me. I’m sure that there have been many stories, both ones that I enjoyed and didn’t enjoy, that have had there own depths and themes that they were trying to convey. I’m probably just too dense or lazy to actually find these.

And that basically leads to me typing out a random post that, instead of correcting these errors on my part, instead proves them and affirms that they are there. Sigh. The time spent writing this unnecessary self-reflection piece could be used for something more practical, for example, studying for school. At the same time, self-reflection could also be a very good thing, provided that said person uses the knowledge discovered (or rather, the knowledge that has been consciously observed) in order to change themselves.

I don’t want to say that I can’t do that. But I really, really lack motivation and thus I lead a rather unchanging lifestyle. And the problem with lacking motivation is that it is a state cured by the end result—I have to be motivated to fix my lack of motivation problem. Therefore it’s impossible to fix my motivation problem. But the moment I’m motivated to solve my motivation problem, the problem is already resolved.

Well if I think about it like that, it’s feasibly impossible to be motivated. However, no matter how you think about it, that result I just ended up at is completely wrong! Which means that there must be something wrong with the way I’m thinking about motivation as a concept, or maybe in my logic.

Maybe it’s something more like this. The motivation problem isn’t actually solved by being motivated—it can’t be, or else it would be impossible. The motivation problem is actually solved by something that motivates me, an object or goal that I desire. Or perhaps something I fear or dislike.

…

I kinda feel dumb. What was the point of that whole blurb on motivation?

At least I corrected a logical fallacy I had.

Doesn’t solve my problem though.

Anyways, I realize I have really digressed way too much, but thanks for reading anyway if you did read this 🙂 I’ll leave a few Monogatari haikus here as a token of my appreciation:

Arararagi-kun.
Wait…That was six syllables.
Hehe, I stuttered.

Broken shrine stands still
On mountain top, surrounded
By dismembered snakes.

In the bath water
A blur of pretty colours.
Must be my soulmate.

Guiltea

A big room of blank walls and gray tiles with the texture
Of stone.
We sit facing each other, in cold folding chairs, on polar sides
Of a smooth white table.
My hands are inside my sweater’s sleeves. His are around a cup
Of aromatic tea.

My stomach rumbles.
I swallow.

He finally looks at me, straight into me, his unyielding eyes
Of gray steel.
I look at the tabletop, then at his hands, then at the door
Of a glossy green-gray.
It was only a few steps, an instant, an infinite number of instants
To that door.

Our mouths open.
I say nothing.

“Please, ma’am, tell me what happened tonight,” he says with a voice
Of polite cruelty.
He was laughing at me. Making a fool of me. A mockery
Of monotonous ridicule.
“Leave me alone!” I demand I scream I cry with a heart
Who’s tearing itself apart.

“I didn’t do nothing!”

“I don’t know nothing!”

“I’m the victim! I’m the one who suffered! I’m the one you should be worrying over, taking care of, keeping safe!”

Beat.

I sit down.
I cry. The man, he doesn’t even blink.
What a pitiful person I’ve become.

“Dig me a hole where I can die.”