Hadn't Seen to Watch All the Time

Ever since I first watched Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind while visiting my friends in Australia, I have loved Miyazaki Hayao's films (with the exception of one, but I won't get into that). Now I know I haven't seen all of them and at the rate I go sometimes, I don't expect to see the ones I haven't any time soon.

But two months ago I came across the picture below. At first I just thought it was some pretty anime guy and a very detailed background and just moved on from. Still the picture stuck with me and I kept thinking about. Finally I decided to look for it again and this time find out what it was from. After looking at it a bit more, I thought it might be a Miyazaki, but I wasn't completely sure. Then I did find out that in fact it was and that it was Howl from Howl's Moving Castle.

Once this realization came to me, another one did at the same time. That I had not seen this! It was weird because I had seriously thought I had, and when faced with the truth that I hadn't I couldn't believe it.

So nearly immediately after this, I rectified the problem, and got and watched Howl's Moving Castle. I'm so glad I did. I think I watched it three times that first day. The detail is just what you'd expect from a Miyazaki film and I just adored the story. I loved it so much in fact I watched it several more times over the next few days after that first day and on top of that, put it on every night before I went to sleep. There was just something very comforting about letting it play in the background.

Even know two months later, I still just turn this on, whether to just let it play in the background while I do other stuff or simply turn it on to go to sleep to.

I think the art is absolutely beautiful. And the story is just very soothing to me.

It's something I recommend for everyone to watch, along with the other Miyazaki films.

And the First Year goes by

I just realized that today is May 1st and looking through my posts discover that yesterday was this blogs first anniversary. I really can't believe it's been a year since I started this already. It doesn't feel like it. Mainly because in this first year I haven't been able to blog as much as I would have liked to. Real life kinda got in my way a lot starting around last June. Thinking up topics to write about, was also a problem, since I don't do well with reviews and don't really want to do editorials. I just want to share my thoughts on anime, and sometimes, other things get in way of me thinking about anime.

At one point I had a bubble chart of topics I wanted to write about, unfortunately I lost the chart. Which in it's own way is alright, as I don't know if I would have every really had something to write about in those topics I picked.

But since this is an anime blog and it has been a year, I just decided as I'm sitting on the porch writing this to share the anime I've finished watching in this last year. And those are:

Ai no Kusabi (2012) - although this only consists of 4 episodes so far, I do hope for more.
Angelique - as much as I could find with subtitles and including through Neo Angelique Abyss
Azumanga Daioh
Clannad
Clannad After Story
High School of the Dead
Howl's Moving Castle
Ikoku Irokoi Romantan
Junjou Romantica 1, 2 and Ova
Lucky Star
Miracle Train
Okane ga Nai
Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi 1,2 and Ova
Shuffle!
Tenchi in Tokyo - Because I was never that into Tenchi when it first came out. Man, how the years can change your thoughts
The Secret World of Arriety
Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle 1,2, and all Ovas
xxxholic

(All links go to Anime Planet since I mostly use that site)

I think that's all the anime I saw for the first time this last year. I know most of these are older titles, I just hadn't gotten around to watching them before. And generally I don't like to watch something when it's popular just because it is and everyone is watching that. I usually enjoy those more after all the hype is over with.

Some things I've re watched this last year, include:

DMC - Detroit Metal City
E's Otherwise
Fruits Basket - If you read my last post you already know why
Fushigi Yugi
Gundam Wing - Because I'm working on some fanfiction based on it
Hand Maid May
High School of the dead - this is because my boyfriend is obsessed with this one
Howl's Moving Castle - I just can't get enough of this one
Magical Knight Rayearth
Orphen
Ouran High School Host Club
Ponyo
Princess Tutu - This one it because I got my little sister watching it
Rurouni Kenshin
Spirited Away
Trigun
X: the Movie

There's probably more, but those are the one's I remember right now.

Some that I intend to actually finish watching this year:

Ah! My Goddess
Bleach - I only have a little more of the anime to actually watch
Gakuen Heaven - I feel like I've been trying to finish this forever
Love Hina - I bought it at a convention I went to with Cat a couple years ago, I started it... I should really finish it
Ranma 1/2 - Argh, I'm so close, I need to stop falling asleep while watching it
Starry Sky

And that's my watching list right now.

I won't even go into my want to watch list, as right now that includes some ninety anime and is always growing.

So in closing that's my year in review, as far as anime is concerned, and as much as I can remember. It really doesn't feel like I watched that much. And in truth it's not nearly as much as I want to watch in a year. Ah well, just means I need to try harder this year.

Until next time.