Tuesday 11 April 2017

The Bomb

The Bomb


The early dew of morning scattered like crystals on the vast rice paddies of the farm, as the community got up and began to harvest the crops. A droning buzz started to get louder, and louder. A child looked up at the sky from his room, and saw a flock of metal birds, flickering the morning light with its metallic lustre. The town's air-raid sirens, which had cried so frequently throughout the past months over a seemingly benign reconnaissance plane or two, had not yet screamed the metal birds’ presence. As it disappeared into the horizon, a strange whistling sound could be heard.

* * *
"Eagle Nine, this is Dimples 03, we have entered Jap airspace, ETA 10 minutes, over."

A squadron of airbrushed bombers roared through the morning sky towards the land of the rising sun. They were disguised as reconnaissance and weather aircraft, however, one of them contained a device that would change the art of war forever.





" Dimples 03, this is Eagle Niner, what is the weather status for HERO? Over."

" We have clear crystal skies on HERO, please confirm Little Boy with HQ, over."

" Acknowledged, please ascend to Angel 29 and initiate Little Boy. Clear. "

The cockpit vibrated to the rumbling exhaustion of oil hungry engines as we rose to Angel 29; a common procedure to increase altitude and reduce the chances of being hit by anti-aircraft guns. The radio faded to static, and my crew tensed up, our faces sweating as we inspected each and every dial and radar signal meticulously.

A few minutes had passed, but there were still no signs of enemy retaliation.

It was strangely eerie, yet peaceful, in contrast with the bloody skies that I knew so well of. As we approached the target, the marshmallow clouds sifted away, and an amazing sight of a structured and bustling metropolis revealed itself.


'Opening the bomb bay. T minus 20 until release. Standby'.

As the bomb bays opened, air gushed in from the vacuum and shook the rigid airframe, at the very moment the bombardier spied the Aioi bridge in his crosshairs. My crew tensed in curiosity on what the fuss with this 'bomb' was all about, with their excitement fuelled by the utter hatred we had for the Japanese. A silent countdown began and I closed my eyes, breathing in and out synchronously to the mind.

Five, four, three, two, one.

“Bomb away.”






I opened my eyes.


Freed of its five-ton burden, the plane shot upward. Remembering the Commander telling me to travel as far as I can from the bomb, I found my hands forming an iron grip on the joystick, and dragged downwards to gain as much speed as possible, while beads of sweat formed from my eyebrows. Only the sound of the mellifluous rumbling of the four propeller engines could be heard in the cockpit.

Shortly after, a light like a thousand suns crescendoed to a brightness that seemed to illuminate the entire sky. The bright morning sun had been reduced to an odd, faint, purple blob and nothing more.
Seconds later, a deep, painful growl from the depths of the Earth rumbled from deep underground, as if she was moaning in an agonizing death. Instantaneously, an unfathomable heat radiated through the aluminum body of the plane, warming the black, protective clothing that we were wearing, and bone-jarring shock waves rattled the airframe ferociously, as if we were struck by the fist of God.  We were 9 and a half miles, slant, from the atomic explosion.

"Captain, was that Anti-aircraft?"

" No," I replied.

“It’s the bomb.”

As we turned back to observe the damage, I looked through a keyhole into the manifestation of hell. The once bustling city that was there a few minutes ago had been completely obliterated. Reduced to a flat plain covered in fires and smoke, it was as though billions of years of creation had suddenly and inextricably reversed themselves.



"Hey, hey, where did the city go?!"





"How many people just died?!"







We ourselves had not known anything about this 'bomb' until now. Question after question was being thrown around on the radio, asking what monstrosity we had dropped on the city, while I attempted to process what I had just seen, my eyes stupefied with the disgusting mushroom cloud that reigned over the city.  When did war become this simple?




It was 3 hours later when we arrived back to base and we were immediately congratulated, even called heroes by the commander, the servicemen, and the servicewomen. But they, blissfully ignorant, knew nothing of the bomb.

The single bomb that wiped off an entire city clean off the map.

A man-made cataclysm that had the power of a thousand suns.

The sounds of celebration and happiness were blocked out by the torrent of thoughts that ensued our minds. As the weight of what we had just done bore down on us, we felt an intense aura of guilt and sympathy seep in, eventually to completely usurp and even outright replace our loathing for Japan. I put my head in my hands, questioning my humanity over and over.


"What have I done?!!"





Monday 3 October 2016

Anime: Fall 2016

Spring has come to an end, and Autumn fades out and takes the throne for a while....



























Oh wait that's for Japan.

Ok, so last season's lineup of anime has been pretty entertaining with a fair mix of new and continuing anime (especially Orange *cries* and 91 days) but RE:Zero ENDED NOOOO :'( If you haven't checked out last seasons anime already, please have a read on my previous hand-picked anime suggestion list to obtain a general idea on what anime is good to watch.

The upcoming Fall season anime doesn't really have an appealing and interesting impression (can't believe AoT was delayed till next year) , but who knows? We shall wait and see. Here are my suggestions (based on my taste) for next season's anime:

*As always, please press the title of the anime if you wish to see the trailer, and 'Show Synopsis' to read the synopsis. Hope you consider my suggestions!

1. 3-gatsu no Lion

Rei Kiriyama is a 17-year-old boy who recently started living alone, financed by his salary as a professional Shogi player. Despite his independence, however, he's yet to mature emotionally, and his problems continue to haunt him in his daily life. His relationship with his adoptive family is strained, and he has difficulties interacting with his fellow high school students. Meanwhile, his professional career has entered a slump. Burdened with the heavy expectations placed on him as the fifth to become pro in middle school, his wins and losses are fluctuating as his record and progression into the ranks begin to stagnate. a Acquainted with Rei are the three Kawamoto sisters: Akari, Hinata, and Momo. Unlike Rei, they live happily in their modest home, which they warmly welcome Rei into as if he were one of their own. Despite his reservations about becoming too close to the family, he frequently visits, interacting with them and receiving the kind of care and affection he never quite had while under his foster home. This is the story of Rei's triumphs and failures, relationships new and old, and his growth as a person.

IS THAT ARIMA KOUSEI??! LOLOLOL

Based on the synopsis, expect realistic interpretations and explorations on the realities on life and an enjoyable slice of life plot (bittersweet moments etc.) I think this anime will allow us to understand more fully on the life of a person who has lost their parents. Art style kinda looks different to the mainstream art and almost has a warmy and hazy feel to it. cannn'ttt wait







2. Shuumatsu no Izetta
     
If I am promised to the princess, then I will fight for her sake. In 1939 C.E., the imperialist nation of Germania invaded a neighboring country. All at once, that war spread throughout Europe, and the era was dragged into a spiral of a great war. Then, in 1940, Germania's attack turned towards the Principality of Elystadt, a small Alps country abundant with beautiful water and greenery.

Great! An anime set in the WW2 !
I've watched the first episode which was released today and the animations and art style was not bad, and the plot was actually quite interesting because a lot of things are related to european~german things. If you're interested in military history, and have watched Girls und Panzer, or if you are interested in WW2 history (like me), i think you should check it out.







3. Occultic;Nine 

The "paranormal science" story follows nine idiosyncratic individuals, linked by the "Chōjō Kagaku Kirikiri Basara" occult summary blog run by 17-year-old second-year high school student Yūta Gamon. Little incongruities that occur around these nine eventually lead to a larger, unimaginable event that may alter what is considered common sense in this world.


PARANORMAL ACTIVITY+ SCI-FI ANIME STYLE YEAHHAHAHYHYEHA!

Looks interesting and sounds real deep with perspectives.
Expect fan service  for this anime (as shown in the PV) and A1 Productions quality animation.
Looks like this anime is one of the most hyped for this season so i recommend giving it a try.








4. Bungou Stray Dogs (SECOND SEASON)

Yup, more Shenanigans with overpowered characters of justice :DDD
Can't wait to see more of the OP but suicidal maniac and see some new OP characters . First season had a good balance of action and comedy and was pretty entertaining. If you haven't watched it already go watch it its only 12 episodes or something :P
So hyped for this! can't wait!








This is all the time i have for blogging (cauz i forced myself to follow a schedule), and i hope you will consider my suggestions :)

More blogs will be out soon, and hope you all have a wonderful time with the last week of holidays :)

See you soon!






























Saturday 3 September 2016

Life is Unexpected. Life is Short

“Never wait until the end of your life to realize you have not lived to the fullest” 

This Friday morning, I found out from my parents that a very close family friend had gone through a tragic loss of their 2 year old son from a very unexpected disease and that they were going to attend the funeral later in the afternoon.

Not knowing how to react as my parents drove me to school, I sat in solitude as my thoughts and memories with them sprouted out and kept my thoughts occupied for most of the day.

When i was younger, our family would occasionally visit my family friend's house for dinner and i would always rush upstairs to play with my 'big brother', never knowing i was interrupting my 'big brother*' as he was either studying or playing on his awesome Play Station Portable. Nonetheless, he would welcome me warmly (yea, by tickling me till i cried) and sometimes he would let me play on his Play Station or he would share a funny story that cracked me up until the older ones downstairs called us down to eat dinner.

I couldn't believe it.

Astonishingly , my 'big brother' was the father who was going to deliver the eulogy at his son's funeral.

Life is short. 
Death is eternal. 

I doubt anyone would be confident that we would definitely be alive tomorrow, or the day after, or the day after that. Death will purge someone at any moment, sometimes when you least expect it, and after that, time will stop for us and we will be gone forever, only to exist in other people's memories.
















Should we all try to live life fully, regret less, worry less, open up to each other (not necessarily meaning you should try to become more extroverted) reject your confidence-tricking shield, conform with your natural self and strike every opportunity there is?

Should we be trying out new things, participate on things, going out of our comfort zones, or enter the realm of love?..

Should we???
After all, life is short and goes by erratically.

This single thought on the nature of life as short and erratic had blossomed into many conceptions that made me begin to question my behavior and beliefs within my own life of stability and security.
I wonder what my overlookers residing in the heavens would think of how i spent my time during my life that i was 'tried 'to conserve and stabilise until my unexpected death??!


I think I need to change...














Thursday 30 June 2016

Anime: Summer 2016

Hi everyone!

I've probably said this many times in my previous blog post, but sorry for the lack of updates! I'm really trying hard to get back on track with my studies so i barely have any time to spare for blogging but i will be back in the holidays :) I hope you understand!

Spring season's anime will come to an end very soon. I really enjoyed this season's lineup and i would have to say that the Anime of This Season would be Tanaka-kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge(If u disagree u have trash taste in anime HHAHAHAHA jksjksjks) If you haven't had a chance to check out this season's anime, feel free to ask me for hand picked suggestions on what to watch, or you could just check out my previous post! 
Summer's anime lineup is approaching us rapidly so lets dig into it! [Rest assured, no spoilers] 

Here is my list of anime of the upcoming season that i think are worth your time to watch. Please enjoy!

HYPE HYPE HYPE HYPE HYPE HYPE

-If you would like to see the trailer, please press the title. 



1.Orange


Genre: Romance, Shoujo, School, Science Fiction


I picked up the manga a few months ago as it was one of the highest ranked shoujou manga and oh boy, the feels and beauty rekt me. Looks like i will get rekt yet once again.If you like the idea of time travel, romance, and also would like to be on the bandwagon with me to get rekt by a feels train, then you should ABSOLUTELY watch this! I doubt the studio producing this will stuff up this adaptation since the director was the one behind Stein's Gate, therefore i'm expecting it to be one of the best of this season. Gosh, the animation, art, music and backgrounds were absurdly beautiful in the trailer..daskjd dnjakl;adnak;n






2.Mob Psycho 100


Kageyama Shigeo (a.k.a. "Mob") is a 8th grader with psychic abilities. He could bend spoons and lift objects with his mind from a young age, but he slowly began to withhold from using his abilities in public due to the negative attention he kept receiving. Now, the only thing he wants is to become friends with a girl in his class, Tsubomi. With his psychic "mentor" (who has no psychic powers), he continues his daily life, attempting to realize his purpose in life.

Genre: Action, Comedy, Shounen, Supernatural, Slice-of-Life

First thing that i thought: 'MOLASJDJA HORY SPAGHETTI SO MANY LITTLE SAITAMA'S WHAT'S HAPPENING LOOOL HELP HAHAHAHDAISDHJAJK". The trailer looked promising and i think most of the anime community is quite hyped for this especially because you could expect more OMP quality fighting scenes and plot execution. Missed OPM? can't get enough of Saitama's face? 
Then you should watch this :)







3.91 days


During Prohibition, the law held no power and the mafia ruled the town. The story takes place in Lawless, a town thriving on black market sales of illicitly brewed liquor. Avilio returns to Lawless after some time away, following the murder of his family in a mafia dispute there. One day, Avilio receives a letter from a mysterious sender, prompting him to return to Lawless for revenge. He then infiltrates the Vanetti family, the ones responsible for his family's murder, and sets about befriending the don's son, Nero, to set his vengeance in motion. Killing brings more killing, and revenge spawns more revenge. How will the 91-day story of these men guided by a tragic fate end?
Genre: Mafia, Drama, Psychological

oooohh, a deep and dark anime set in the 20th century with a psychological and horror approach :OOO Time for some more mindgamez and stuf l3l jks k. Looks pretty good, although the setting and plot is quite typical of anime dramas. It has a mafia and American touch in the setting that i quite like, so i will definitely be watching at least 3 episodes of this and see how it goes. If you like anime drama and anime set in the 20th century , please check it out. xD








4.ReLIFE


The story follows Kaizaki Arata, a 27-year-old jobless man, who fails at every job interview he had after quitting his last company. His life changes after he met Yoake Ryou of the ReLife Research Institute, who offered him a drug that can change his appearance to 17-years-old and to become a subject in an experiment for one year. Thus, he begins his life as a high school student once more.
Genre: Seinin, Slice of Life, School, Romance

Another distinctive anime that i think will be worthy to watch. 
It's like time travel but u are still stuck in the same time :OOOOOThe setting sounds interesting and it seems like it will be enjoyable to watch :D . I think it will be reflecting on the transition of high school to real life and its social issues, so expect a mixture of deep and light hearted scenes.The art and BGM is pretty gud and i think it will be quite enjoyable to watch ! I heard that all the episodes has been pre released already, so you can start watching now!
Let's see how it will go :)







5.Onara Gorou


Onara Gorou follows the everyday life of Gorou, the "most admirable of farts," as he solves problems in ways that only a fart can.
Genre: undefined


ok den

well u could say he is actually an old fart? i probably shouldn't have suggested this but ima watch 1 episode just for the lolz derp 







Sequels/Prequels


6.Shokugeki no Souma S2



YASASAYAAYYAYAYA Can't wait!!!!!! My love for cooking has deepened ever since i watch the first season because of its overly FOOOD so i'm really hyped to learn more about dishes and food that i don't know of. :D If you haven't watch the first season then WATCH IT ASAP! It's like legit so good apart from the overly exaggerated body scenes and will make u wanna cook food lol.HYPEHYPEHYPE





7. Arslan Senki: Fuujin Ranbu
Prequel: Arslan Senki

Really enjoyed the first season of Arslan Senki because it had amazing CGI battle scenes between armies and had shown battle tactics that are listed in the legendary Art of War, a developed and well planned out plot line that keeps you interesting. As you may know, I love anything to do with ancient armies and epic battlez and swords and OMG kings and betrayal n stuff lol. Really can't wait for this anime!







8. Handa-kun

Sequel: Barakamon

If you haven't read, watched or heard about Barakamon, you really need to check it out as it's one of those slice-of-life anime where they captivate you in a spectrum of light comedy and peacefulness, and it almost feels like you were in their world. Feeling excited for this spinoff mainly because of my interest on the MC's past and whenever i'm down i can just waste time alone without regretting it :D (HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH JOKESS I GUTTA STUDY).







I hope you have grasped an idea on what to watch for the upcoming season! If not, feel free to message me or comment below for some suggestions! Thank you for reading and your support!!




Wednesday 1 June 2016

CHS Anime Drawing Comp!

Anime Club Drawing Competition INFO SHEET





Categories


1.     Community Vote- Each submission will be posted at the library and will be voted by students via a voting system. (More details on voting system T.B.A.)

2.     Judgement System- Each submission will be discretely judged based on several factors and the submission with the most points will win.

There will be two categories in this competition and ultimately two winners will be chosen for each category.

Entry Fee: FREE

Prizes


Community Vote Category

Winner: SMASH! Ticket Sunday
Runner-up: Figurine (Pictures)

Judgement  System Category

Winner: SMASH! Ticket Sunday
Runner-up: Anime Merchandise




Deadlines and Locations


DEADLINE: 22nd June 2016 (Wednesday)
Please submit your artwork at the library on lunchtimes on Monday’s and Friday’s or at anime club on Wednesday’s.

Exhibition dates: 23rd June 2016 (Thursday) to 1st July 2016 (Friday) Possible extensions depending on how many votes we get. Please join our facebook group (www.facebook.com/groups/carloanimeclub) for updates.

Winner’s Announcements: It will be announced sometime during TERM 3.


Rules, terms & conditions



*DRAWINGS HAVE TO BE YOUR OWN, ORIGINAL WORKS


  • Drawings to be of your own work. No copying, tracing and/or references to pre existing anime characters. Please note that drawings that have been plagiarised or look similar to pre-existing characters to a certain degree may lead to disqualification.
  • All mediums are accepted. Art is to be drawn by hand only using drawing materials (e.g. Pencil, gel pen, colour pencils, ball pen, etc) or paint.
  • Each Contestant may only enter ONCE (1) in each category for this competition. Each entry has to be different and will be judged individually.
  • This is an event held within the school and the content of the picture must be appropriate for all ages. No nudity, curse words, or mature content. The Anime Club reserves the right to deny entrance to pictures, based on their own discretion.
  • The drawings will be showcased in the library to allow others to vote for the best artwork in their perspective after the deadline (please see above)
  • The entry will be displayed in the gallery and will be kept by the leaders of Anime Club permanently after the competition is over. If you would like to have your entry back, please tell us when submitting your artwork.


Don't sign it! We want to judge it anonymously so put your name, roll call class and email on entry form provided.

·       Important: The artwork will not include pornographic, sexually explicit or suggestive material, violence or gore and/or racist material.

*PLEASE ASK BELOW IN THE COMMENT SECTION OR MESSAGE ME ON FACEBOOK UNTIL YOU ARE DEFINITE THAT YOUR SUBMISSION IS WITHIN OUR RULES





Judging Criteria

Judging committee will review artwork submissions based on the following criteria:

-Creativity and originality
-Quality of artistic composition and overall design
-Technical Skill
-Overall impression of the art



Thank you for reading :)






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