Should the OVA be Watched at a Certain Time?

This post is 100% just my personal opinion and I am covering this because I think it would be interesting to discuss.

The first thing to cover is what OVA stands for. OVA is the abbreviation of "original video animation" which are films and series made for release in home video formats like VHS, DVD, and overall being publically broadcasted.

Now OVAs are known to be filler in many anime which is why some people actually advise watching the OVA in between certain episodes.

However, if we had no internet and nobody putting up entire series on streaming sites there would be no way to watch the OVA unless you bought the official DVD/VHS, meaning that you might have spent good money to officially support and own the series. The OVA would also be seen all the way at the end of the VHS or as an extra option after the series on DVD.

Cause of how OVAs were supposed to be available to watch I just watch all OVAs after I finish the entire series, or in-between seasons if that was the order it was released. Some OVAs are also completely unrelated to whatever been happening in the series and might be some fancy official fanservice for all the hardcore fans that kept the series alive and well.

Either way, as long as you support the official release just watch it whenever you can! Everybody has their own opinion but as long as you enjoyed the series the OVA is an extra time for you to remember why you started watching it in the first place!

I Will try to have these random rant posts every few months as I try to get my life back together and watch everything I'm lagging behind on! Until next time, stay hype!

Otaku USA Magazine Review - Covering Otaku News

Hello everybody! Time for the once and a lifetime review of a magazine!

I have had a few anime and manga magazines before such as Shonen Jump, Shojo Beat, Newtype, and Otaku USA. Sadly time has not been kind and many magazines overall have discontinued. There are online anime, manga, and overall hobby news sources but it really makes you miss the days when you can pick up a printed copy and not have advertisements thrown in your face 24/7.

I decided to get the December 2020 issue of Otaku USA since now I have more time to read and while I am staying at home having a magazine makes things feel more normal. I will try to get the full year subscription especially since 2021 is right around the corner and there is no official date to when I will have to return back to the office. It comes out every two months so I can really take my time with reading.

I really adore this magazine cause it helps me get into other anime and manga I might not have been recommended in the first place. The overviews don't spoil the story while also peeking your interests with some small facts about the environment and characters!

What is also a plus is that this magazine is available digitally on its own app. Now I don't have to worry about the magazine being crushed by packages of ink ad refills in my already small mailbox. Getting the magazine mailed to you would be great if you will use it to journal or even junk journal part of it later. I remember getting these physically, and I am happy they still kept the same layout but made it work for digital reading. When I zoom in on my iPhone the entire block of text fits nicely on my screen. Not sure if it is the same on other phones.

I adore the amount of info they give when covering the series especially referencing the manga while talking about the anime and if there are major changes in the storyline. Really helps the otakus make up their mind on starting the anime or reading the manga or even doing both.

Want to sample a manga? This magazine gives you that too! Even if it's only two samples I still appreciate the effort. There was a slight issue with the manga pages not being in order but I wonder if that is a bug with the app itself.

Love that the game reviews don't have a number rating system. I don't like it cause it depends on what you like in a game. It is very considerate with mentioning any previous title related to the game which is perfect for everybody that didn't play any of them and might want to jump into the franchise. 

Always appreciate the actual solid dedicated pages for cosplay shots during this time when I can't enjoy Anime NYC as I usually do. Especially if you are also like me where you follow many cosplayers but your Twitter and IG are so flooded that you need to scroll for hours to find their latest pictures.

The only problem that is honestly just me is that some interviews are so short. I love reading the responses of the artist, creator, or whoever they interviewed. One page goes by really fast almost leaving me to want more.

Overall I will continue to get Otaku USA and hope they continue to be a source of new and exciting anime and manga for many more years to come.m

Until next time, stay hyped!

Decluttering the Hoard in 2019

Hello everybody, Tsubaki here with a helpful and informative post on how I have officially decluttered everything! Everything being over hundreds of items that were not being used or were bought as a temporary fix when I was living in a much smaller space that was being shared with other people. Just to put how much space my hoarded items were taking up, it was approximately 70% of a full room in a decent-sized New York City apartment.

Decluttering any amount of items really takes a mindset that will help you evaluate the value of items you have. An example would be selling or donating a sweater you bought and never used because it wasn’t your style but keeping a sweater you use every Fall and Winter because not only do you use it but you can make great outfits with it. However instead of sweaters, it is piles of stuff you ordered from personal shoppers in Japan, Kawaii crates you didn't sort and plushies you bought because you were buying something anyway and it happened to be in the store! I am honest when I say that I am super guilty of buying a lot of unnecessary items and now at the end of 2019, I can say for a fact that I have a clearer head with purchases. 

Obtaining this way of thinking is simple but not easy. The way I came to this realization is by looking and calculating how much all the stuff I bought has put me in debt. After digesting that number I came with the conclusion that in order to have my space and some money back, items need to go. All the items I bought were more towards figures, cute stationery and cute limited collab storage and keychains so I didn’t use Depop but I used the app called Mercari to sell most of those items. I knew I was taking a lost because most of the items were used and not in original packaging but getting something back financially and having space made it worth it. Personally I didn’t use EBay because I didn’t want my items to be auctioned. Also Mercari has an option for you to take the price of shipping out of the amount the buyer paid for the items and they email you a prepaid shipping label. It saved me so much headache plus anybody with a basic printer can ship almost anything! I will link my Mercari code here in case anybody is interested in selling and or buying on there! 

Remember to take you time really sorting your items for selling. Being picky about style, color and even which anime or manga character it is or is on it is completely valid. You want to keep your favorites that make you happy so that you can start a new point in your life with a fresh space.

Now onto how I saved money with packaging for those who want to sell stuff. Everybody that uses Amazon especially Amazon Prime knows that everything you order comes with a decent box depending on the item and packing material to secure the item. I have been using old Amazon boxes and packaging along with packaging from Etsy and smaller sellers to get around buying packing material. Everyone ends up using boxes that were used before to ship items, do this too so you don’t have to give money to a supply store or Postal Office. Just remember to use boxes and packing material that are still in relatively great condition. Which boils down to not using a box that has a clear noticeable hole in it and bubble wrap that has already been popped all the way. A side note is to always try to take off as much of the old label as possible before using the box to ship an item to sell. It makes the fact that you are using an already used box less noticeable. 

Some huge warnings for selling anything. People are always upset if somehow the item isn’t what they expected. Try to make sure your item description is VERY descriptive. So many people will try to get their money back and send it back but in the end you don’t need the items so you hope they are happy once the tracking says they have it. 

If you have sold has much as you possibly could and are still left with a few items that didn’t sell, remember that donating to a local charity is an option. I have actually donated eight bags to GoodWill in December to clear a corner of the room that I used for donation storage. I am very happy to see the floor of that corner again and that those items that are still in good condition will be given or bought by people that need them. 

I am still left with a few items I know will sell so I will still keep selling until I think there is nothing left. I will delete the app I am selling in as soon as I have nothing else to sell because it is a double edged sword. You will get tempted to buy stuff on the app you are selling on which might defeat the reason why you wanted to declutter in the first place. 

This is a current picture of what is left to sell after clearing almost the entire room! This room used to not have a desk and was packed with tons of totes and boxes of stuff that wasn’t being used and you couldn’t see the floor. I need to work I’m getting shelves to have a better place to store everything that is left which is all of our model kits and books. I plan to follow up on this journey with how I decided to track spending, what I have been using to track spending and the budgeting method that has been most beneficial for me. 

I hope we can all start 2020 in a better financial state, better mind set and an otaku on hype! 

September YumeTwins Review, LootAnime Review

Hello everybody! Hope everyone had an awesome September, since this will be posted on the first of October~ But this month we have an extra surprise since I have obtained a Loot Crate Anime box~  Anyway with that let us get started!

September's Yume Twins theme is Fantasy Land! 

The first thing that almost popped out the box is a super fluffy and adorable Mocchiizu plush cushion! There were four different designs but all of them are super cute and make the best cuddly buddy <3

Next is this so handy and always needed in my bag, Kawaii Foldable comb! There were five different designs, two of which were Rilakkuma, one Little Twin Stars and the other two were Sumikko Gurashi. I got the pink Rilakkuma one!

Next is an adorable pair of Totoro chopsticks. There were two different designs and I am happy I got this one even if both are evenly as cute. I love getting chopsticks cause then its like I never have to buy more, plus I have really cute ones to use.

The biggest item that they hyped this box on is this Sumikko Digital watch! Out of all the Yume Twins boxes I have had I never actually remembered getting a digital item so this is very very exciting. It is a random deign out of three but all three designs are super cute. One of the designs is yellow, another is pink and the last is blue. I got the yellow one and I use it everyday now!

Last is one out of five designs of a kawaii kinchaku pouch. Two designs were Sumikko Gurashi, one was Little Twin Stars, another was Cinnamoroll and the last is PomPomPurin. I was so happy to get the PomPomPurin one! I use it all the time for carrying my PS Vita <3 

Overall this is still the best random and mixed kawaii month subscription since they give so much that I actually use on the daily basis. I wonder if they will give more stuff like the digital watch, cause that would be super cool.

Now its time for Loot Crate Anime! Now I mostly don't have Loot Crates besides the Sanrio crate since most of the themes they feature or the Animes they say that will be in the crate, aren't any of my favorites. BUT, this one had some! This is the Work for It! Anime Loot Crate and it features Soul Eater, Gin Tama, Bungo Stray Dogs and Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid!

I love Soul Eater so I will start with that. The Soul Eater item is a volume 1 of the manga with an exclusive raised cover title and art, instead of it being flat like normal manga covers. I like this because I collect only manga series I really love and actually haven't started doing Soul Eater because when I wanted to start it, it was only at like volume 12 and I knew it was gonna keep going. Also it is pretty hard to kind the special covers unless you really search it up or kind it at exclusive events.

Next is a recent favorite of mine, Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. It is a jounal with a lovely cover of Tohru's silhouette in a shiny print. This journal is so pretty I hope whatever I will use it for will be worth putting in here!

The Gin Tama item is really cool. It is Gintoki figure and it is very awesome in detail! it also comes with his sword and sheath as accessories to put in his hand.   

Last but not least is Bungo Stray Dogs. This is a pouch based on Kunikida's notebook which is pretty cool cause it might help you keep stuff organized in your bag. 

The awesome extra stuff they pack in here was a cute kitty coffee cup charm and that the back of the item info page is a lovely poster featuring coffee scene. Great of me since all I drink is coffee and tea!  

The only anime in this crate I haven't watched is Bungo Stray Dogs so I will hopefully watch it very soon. Besides that I will try to do more Loot Crate stuff. I just hope they will bring out more stuff that I am very solid about. 

Thank you all for enjoying this review! I also started streaming live reviews of crates over at my stream so please check it out! So until next time! 

It is COLD. Plus Kagerou Days

Hi guys!

I know I should keep updating but I barely have time to with the large work load I have. I am really tired but I am improving bit by bit. 

If you haven't heard, now you know cause Project Mirai is coming to America on 3DS. Gamestop will have it after my birthday which is in May so that will be my gift to myself for making it through another year. I really hope my make a Vicaloid game woth Gumi in it and bring it to the U.S. Feel like I will be waiting for decades for it. I mean I believe there is a Vocaloid game that is out only in Japan with Gumi in it. Once I remember the name I will let you know. 

Also I have really gotten into Kagerou Project and caught up with the scantranslations of Kagerou Daze (Days). Even decided to buy the Anniversary Fanbook which is so awesome. Really happy I got it before they sold out. If tou want to get it and you are in or around New York, search up Kinokuniya Bookstore. Kinokuniya has a lot of stuff even both Japanese and English manga and artbooks.

Hopefully Spring will offically come around here soon because it is very cold. I also want it to be warmer so I could go to Sakura Matsuri and take lots of pictures of the sakura trees and the lovely cosplays. Especially since SpringFestNY isn't happening this year so I got to go to other conventions and festivals. 

 More good news is that I am back on Gaia again! Hopefully this time I will stay on this time. I was on Gaia when I was in middle school but I am glad to be back.  

Also looking into getting a tablet cause my laptop is killing my shoulder. If anybody had suggestions please let ne know!

Until next time!!

Slow upgrade

I couldn't take the mouse pad seriously, especially if I want to do online gaming, so I finally found one! Let the games begin! As soon as I find more games to download and batteries for the mouse. >.>; I say, did they make a chargeable mouse yet? If they did I think I should buy it. No lie, batteries are a pain. And a lot of money until you buy in bulk and its on sale.
I have been going cheap nowadays. Mostly because of the sad fact that I need Starbucks at least once a week in order to stay awake to get things done. I hope that everybody who actually has a Summer to enjoy is using it to sleep. I could use it personally. But then again sleep doesn't help me much. I mean if I actually got the recommended hours of sleep, I COULDN'T WATCH ANIME. Which remind me, I need to catch up on Attack on Titan. Cause its awesome, and Mikasa is a boss. I hope if I do go to Comic Con this year I will see someone cosplay as her. I would hug them for it.
Now if anybody is actually reading this, can someone explain to me how Barnes and Nobles gets Haganai Volumes much faster than the anime/ manga store I go to? I seriously would have thought a store dedicated to Anime and Manga would get volumes first. Now I have to go and get a Barnes and Nobles card and order all the volumes from there just so I can have it first. I mean Haganai is hilarious! Its like Baka to Test but without the fighting system and with characters that have no friends but actually have each other! Its awesome.

As usual the hard part is saving money, if possible, and doing so while getting bare minimum of calories. Hopefully I can do something with my art designs so that I can make otaku stickers for the public. Once I make about 15 designs I'll get my act together and hopefully get it out there. In my next blog I will update you people on that. :3

Busy weekend

So today I went to an interview, came back home and then went back out to go to Spring Fest which is an anime con. It was awesome but I wish I had more money. Due to me buying AP books and such I couldn't have that much money on me and thus couldn't stay there until it ended which as at 9pm. Good thing is that I got a few charms, Blood+ volume one and a Shappo plushy which is so soft I love it.
Now I have about 5 more cons I want to go to so I better start saving up somehow. Anyway I better get some sleep since its going on 12 am!