Round Two! Skyrim and Anohana, Fire and Tears

Hey guys, I'm back with another post, and today's post will be about the (I know, it's kinda old) game "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim", and about a new series I've watched called Anohana.

First, some music. What do you think this will be? ;)

Skyrim


So, first off, Skyrim! I've owned this game since it's release, but as you know, I didn't have a blog until recently, so I haven't really reviewed it a lot. It is also my first Elder Scrolls game, so I don't have anything to compare it to.

This game was the kind of game which blew my mind by it's sheer volume. I was stunned by Skyrim's size and all the exploring you could do. Myself, as a human/animal crossover lover, I first made a Khajiit dual-wield warrior, but it didn't turn out all that good. I tried again with a two-hand warrior, still Khajiit, but my brother accidentally deleted it when I let him try playing (Brothers...)

Eventually, I tried going Argonian, and a Mage this time, and that was a lot of fun. The glorious destruction I could cause as a mage was really satisfying, and when I got Conjuration magic in addition to my Destruction, I felt as if my life (which means my character) was complete. Skyrim's storyline was surprisingly short, and I was a bit disappointed by how little effort was put into it. But I soon saw that Bethesda had made up for it with all the side quests, exploring, and faction-action, as I like to call it (joining a faction, fighting for their cause, etc.)

The ragdolls can get kinda weird sometimes, and you can launch dead dragons off cliffs by shooting a fireball at them (which sometimes causes bugs and glitches), and lastly, the game is kinda glitchy all in all. Even though it might be glitchy, and exploits can be found anywhere, it is still a game I enjoyed playing, and when number 6 comes out (we all know there will be a 6th one) I will most likely buy it =]

The game experience was different to what I've done before, which was a nice breath of fresh air to me, and it left me with memories of striding across the fields and mountains of Skyrim. The shout magic was also a cool new mechanic, even though it was basically like a spell, but hey, who doesn't want to summon a dragon to slaughter an enemy camp, or call down a lightning storm, or, or... How about breathing FIRE!

All in all, I will give the game a 7/10, the missing three are mainly due to a short storyline and glitchiness.

Anohana

Anohana is a drama/slight romance/comedy anime made up of 11 episodes. It's not heavy on drama, nor romance or comedy, it's a little of each.

The story revolves around the main character Yadomi (the guy in the red shirt and black hair), Aka Jintan, and how he starts believing his dead childhood friend Menma (little girl with white hair) has come back from the dead to stay with him. He believes she is the "Beast of summer", and just a figment of his imagination, but he can't let her go, as he's loved her ever since they were kids. He is a drop-out from school, and he spends the day at home doing the boredom-cycle (I made that word up) "eat-game-sleep-repeat". Menma becomes more and more alive to Yadomi, and he decides to do something about it. Menma tells him he needs to fulfil her wish before she can pass on the the afterlife, and that is the trigger for the future events occurring throughout the show.

I felt like that summary was kinda crap, so here's one from Wikipedia xD

A group of six childhood friends drift apart after one of them, Meiko "Menma" Honma, dies in an accident. Ten years after the incident, the leader of the group, Jinta Yadomi, has withdrawn from society and lives as a recluse. One summer day, the ghost of an older looking Menma appears before him and asks to have a wish granted, reasoning that she cannot pass on into the afterlife until it is fulfilled. Since Menma does not remember what her wish is, Jinta gathers his estranged friends together once again, believing that they are the key to resolving this problem. However, hidden feelings, internal conflicts, and lingering feelings of bitterness from Menma's parents result in complications for the group as they struggle to help not only Menma move on, but themselves as well.

I found the show to be a little boring at the start, but the animation was good, and I felt there was potential in the show, I just had to keep on watching... Alright, the truth is that my girlfriend recommended it, and I didn't want to let her down, so I kept on watching it for her sake. Anyways, I finished watching it, and I was not disappointed at all. The ending is maybe the most moving scene in any anime I have ever seen. I cried more than I have ever in months (last time was in April, damn that was a sad day), and I couldn't have thought of  a better ending myself. Truly a wonderful anime, and if you ever feel like crying a bit, or just see a really sweet and adorable anime, watch Anohana.

This anime get's a well-deserved 9/10, the only minus being that the start was a tad slow, but it's not too much of an issue. Thank you Sophie, for making me watch such a great show <3

Right, that would be all from me for this time, I hope you'll tune in for the next post. And by the way, from now on, I will make a new post every Saturday. So I'll see you next time =]

John