Introduction: About this Blog & Me

Edit is done by me, PNG left is by Bones, PNG right is by Studio Wit × Cloverworks.

Welcome to My Blog 3.0!

        Before starting my Blogspot website, I used Wix to post my blogs, and before Wix, I used Amino Apps. For a while, I stopped blogging because I felt writer's block and pressured to improve the quality of my work. My motivation to continue also declined because I simply couldn't see why anyone would choose to read a blog instead of watching YouTube videos or TikTok. However, I decided to start blogging again because I realized that sharing my opinions with others and participating in discussions is something I enjoy, even if this blog ends up with me spilling content into the void. Except this time, I learned from all my past mistakes and will upload whatever I want. 

What is this Blog About?

        Anyways, you might be wondering what this blog will be about. If you have read my former Wix blog, then you might have an idea of which topics I'll be writing about. Basically, I'll be posting articles about creative media of all sorts, such as webtoon, anime, film, etc. However, this time, I also want to post more educational content, such as posts about the Korean or Japanese language, history, etc. I don't plan on limiting myself to only these topics, but for now, these are the subjects I want to talk about. Please do note that I will not be posting about sensitive content, such as politics or true crime, whatsoever. I know that recently, the whole world has been experiencing many wars, and as much as I would love to shed light on each issue, I also think it is not my place to comment because I am aware that there are many complexities I have yet to fully grasp. The same goes for true crime. These two topics will inevitably come up during posts about history, so, in that case, I will make sure that any historical content utilizes multiple sources from multiple perspectives and only conveys what happened back then without trying to push an agenda.

About Me

        For starters, I am currently a University Student located in the U.S. pursuing a degree in Japanese and Education. I can also speak 3 languages: Korean, English, and Japanese. Although, these blogs will mainly be written in English. I am interested in a variety of different topic matters and hobbies, including music, voice acting, film, fine art, football(soccer), cooking, etc.

Just like my previous website, I will also be going over some of my favorites.

Favorites

Favorite Food

Image by Pulmuone.

        My favorite food of all time has to be Kimchi Fried Rice. There are definitely more extravagant foods I could pick from, but the versatility of Kimchi Fried Rice is enough to allow me to eat this dish every day. 200+ types of kimchi, a variety of topping combinations, and multiple methods to fry the rice; there is never a time in which Kimchi Fried Rice would become boring, for me at least. My favorite way to have Kimchi Fried Rice is with pork belly and an omurice egg on top.

Favorite Anime

Each image above belongs to its respective creators.

        As you can see from my 3×3 above, my favorite animes (going from top left to bottom right) are My Hero Academia, Odd Taxi, GeGeGe no Kitaro (2018), Fruits Basket, Violet Evergarden, Perfect Blue, Aku no Hana, Gintama, and BanG Dream!. I really suggest every anime on here (besides BanG Dream! because that is my guilty pleasure anime, which I watch out of pure enjoyment and no critical thinking). The other animes excel in their respective genres, such as Gintama when it comes to comedy or Fruits Basket when it comes to romance. I might go into further detail in future posts explaining what I love about each anime on this list.

        However, if I absolutely had to choose one anime to name as my favorite, I pick My Hero Academia. It's one of the first few animes I watched, and this anime literally helped me get accepted into college because I wrote about it in my personal essay. The story itself is fun and engaging; the cast of characters (minus a few) is a delight to watch; at times, the anime brings up intriguing questions/dilemmas about how a hero society would function. Overall, I don't think there will be an anime to take that number-one spot. Link to Watch My Hero Academia on Crunchyroll | Link to Watch My Hero Academia on Hulu

Favorite Voice Actor

Images pulled from My Anime List.

        Speaking of anime, the great voice actors and actresses behind each character is a topic that needs to be mentioned. Although I appreciate all the voice actors and actresses, I have my favorites. My favorite voice actor and actress of all time is Tsuda Kenjirou and Park Romi. For English dubs, I really like Aleks Le and Amanda Lee, a.k.a AmaLee (LeeandLie). 

Tsuda Kenjirou | 津田健次郎

        My favorite voice-acting work by Tsuda Kenjirou is Tatsu from The Way of the Househusband. He embodied the character perfectly and ironically made the animatic seem more lively than an actual animation; it's impressive. In general, Tsuda Kenjirou's voice is a delight to listen to, and I enjoy every character he acts as. A few honorable mentions are Nanami Kento from Jujutsu Kaisen, Kaiba Seto from Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Kishibe from Chainsaw Man. Apart from voice acting, Tsuda Kenjirou does live-action acting work as well, which leads me to believe that this skill of his directly helps him with voice acting.

Park Romi | 朴璐美

        My favorite voice-acting work by Park Romi is Hange Zoë from Attack on Titan. Her range in emotion and vocal tone was well portrayed through the character. From Park Romi's work, you can immediately tell that Hange is a playful character who can get serious when needed. The androgynous nature of Hange was also accurately portrayed by Park Romi. All in all, Park Romi is a fantastic voice actress. Some honorable mentions include Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist, Osaki Nana from Nana, and Hitsugaya Toushirou from Bleach. Also, if you couldn't tell from her last name, Park Romi is ethnically Korean, and she actually studied in Korea for a bit. As a fellow Korean person, this fact instantly made Park Romi my favorite voice actress.

Aleks Le

        My favorite voice-acting work done by Aleks Le is Kinoshita Kazuya from Rent-A-Girlfriend. I know Rent-A-Girlfriend is a trashy show, and Kazuya isn't the best of characters, but I still appreciate the English dub for what it was able to do. Especially with Aleks Le, his delivery is on par with the Japanese version, yet he also emphasizes memeable one-liners, which are executed better than the Japanese version. A few honorable mentions include Caiman from Dorohedoro, Agatsuma Zenitsu from Demon Slayer, and Anos Voldigoad from The Misfit of Demon King Academy. Aleks Le is also a hilarious person, so I recommend you check out his YouTube channel. Link to YT@AleksLe

Amanda Lee | AmaLee (LeeandLie)

        My favorite voice-acting work done by AmaLee is Kitagawa Marin from My Dress-Up Darling. She was able to emulate Marin's chaotic gyaru energy perfectly, and I couldn't ask for better. AmaLee is also an outstanding singer, so that might have played a part in her being able to voice act. Some honorable mentions are Uta from One Piece Film: Red,  Hayasaka Ai from Kaguya-sama: Love is War, and Sohma Yuki (young) from Fruits Basket. Aside from voice acting, AmaLee does work as a VTuber on Twitch, and she's super enjoyable to watch, so I suggest you go check out her Twitch, and in the meantime, please listen to her cover songs. Link to YT@LeeandLie(AmaLee) | Link to Twitch@LeeandLie(AmaLee)

Favorite Manga

Image by Itou Junji.

        Of course, when talking about anime, manga is a discussion topic bound to come up. Every anime in my 3×3 that has a related manga just so happens to be among my favorite mangas. However, if I had to choose from a different franchise, my favorite manga thus far is Itou Junji's Uzumaki. I enjoy the horror genre, but nothing amounts to the feeling of horror that Itou Junji conjures up through his work. Each panel of Uzumaki is beautifully drawn but looks grotesque; it makes you want to appreciate the art and look away simultaneously. The premise of cursed spirals consuming everything in its path is an intriguing concept. The way Itou Junji takes the mundane and transforms it into a terrifying entity is impressive, and I highly respect him for that. Link to Read Uzumaki on VIZ

Favorite Webtoon

Image by Sumpul.

        Similar to manga, Webtoons are another medium that I enjoy consuming. My favorite Webtoon is The Remarried Empress, created by Alphatart, adapted by HereLee, and illustrated by Sumpul. I have yet to read the WebNovel version, but I assume that the Webtoon version is just as good. The Remarried Empress contains all of my favorite tropes, such as karma, that one character every reader despises, strong women, dry humor, the power of love, and master manipulators. Each cliffhanger leaves me wanting more, and when I do get the conclusions to each cliffhanger, I get filled with satisfaction, making me want to read more. In other words, The Remarried Empress is extremely binge-able, and I wholeheartedly recommend it. Link to Read The Remarried Empress on Webtoon

Favorite Book

        Despite the number of manga and webtoons I read, when it comes to novels or biographies, I don't read many of them on my own terms. However, out of the ones I have read, my favorite is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Although many people know "Frankenstein" as the green monster that terrorizes everything in its path, that cannot be further from the truth. First, Frankenstein is the surname of Victor Frankenstein, the scientist who created the creature, not the creature itself. Second, the creation did not terrorize everyone he saw; he only targeted those deemed important to Victor in revenge for the unwarranted hate and neglect he received. Finally, Mary Shelley, through Frankenstein, expresses the dangers of man playing god, the harmfulness of abandonment, and the depressing effect prejudice has on the victims. That last theme, in particular, drew me to Frankenstein because I relate to the creature's experience of isolation due to preconceived notions based on external factors. If you have yet to read the original story of Frankenstein, I suggest you do because Frankenstein is more than a Halloween costume. Link to Read Frankenstein for free.

Favorite Movie

        I also don't watch movies as much, especially non-anime films, but if I had to choose a favorite, I would pick Noroi: The Curse. Noroi: The Curse is a Japanese psychological horror film presented as a documentary in which the now-deceased paranormal researcher Kobayashi Masafumi investigates a series of interconnected supernatural events. The audience is neither told why or how Kobayashi died nor the truth about this curse. On the contrary, nothing shocking is portrayed in the film; it's just interviews, old clips, and explanations. The paranoia instilled in the viewers' minds creates the horror, which is why I love this film. Many horror films resort to jump scares, on-screen violence, and screaming to scare the audience, but Noroi: The Curse contains none of that but manages to be way more eerie than 80% of mainstream horror. It definitely isn't the type of horror to get an instantaneous reaction, but it is the kind that lingers until you go to bed. This film is criminally underrated, and I really recommend it. Link to Watch Noroi: The Curse on YouTube | Link to Watch Noroi: The Curse on Prime Video

Favorite TV Show

        Excluding anime, my favorite TV show is Extraordinary Attorney Woo. Overall, it is apparent that the scriptwriters did extensive research into Korea's legal system, as well as North Korean laws, for one of the episodes. Not to mention, the representation of the autism spectrum was not awful. I can't attest to how accurately the autism spectrum disorder is shown, but it is the best portrayal of mental health thus far when compared to other Korean shows. The romance in this show is healthy, and the main couple refreshingly handles all their problems. However, romance isn't the only thing about Extraordinary Attorney Woo; seeing that it is also about law, the drama tackles several social issues in Korea and emphasizes that these problems should be fixed quickly. Link to Watch Extraordinary Attorney Woo on Netflix

Favorite Music

        

        Last, but not least, music. I usually listen to Korean and Japanese music, so I'll be focusing on that, but I do like Bruno Mars.

My Favorite Korean Artist & Song

        My favorite Korean music artist is Stray Kids. Stray Kids is an 8-member K-pop boy group that debuted in 2018 under JYP Entertainment. My favorite song by them is "Sorry, I Love You." I love all of Stray Kids' music, so choosing a favorite song was very difficult. I ended up with "Sorry, I Love You" because the lyrics are heart-crushingly relatable, and their voices sound so beautiful in this song. The honorable song mentions include "Silent Cry," "Thunderous," "Collision," "Topline," "Chill," "Blueprint," and "The Tortoise and the Hare."

Some honorable Korean artists include Younha, Buzz, Day6, New Jeans, Twice, and LeSserafim.

My Favorite Japanese Artist & Song

        My favorite Japanese artist is Yoasobi, and my favorite song by them is "Racing into the Night." Yoasobi is a musical duo comprised of Ayase, the producer, and Ikuta Lilas, the vocalist. Their concept is that they take inspiration from existing stories and write the lyrics based on those stories, which is an impressive idea. "Racing into the Night," in particular, is based on "The Temptation of Thanatos." Fair warning, "Racing into the Night" and "The Temptation of Thanatos" mention suicide; if you need help, please contact the National Lifeline at 988. A few honorable song mentions are "Tabun," "Gunjou," "Kaibutsu," and "Idol."

Some honorable Japanese artists include Ado, Yama, Hoshino Gen, Official HigeDandism, and the peggies.

        That's all for this post. It's nothing much, but I hope you do check out the things I recommended. My first official blog will be about Produce 101 Japan: The Girls, so look out for that. Thank you for reading.

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