Starting over

I have neglected this blog, but I am not going to do that anymore. I will be trying my best to get this going again and it will be much better than before, I promise.

I will be starting over from the beginning. My first topic will be "What is Anime?" and "Subbed vs. Dubbed!"

Be back soon!

My Opinion on the Hetalia Dub!! Season 01

Konnichiwa minna-san! Hello everyone!

It's been quite awhile since I've posted, and I apologise for that.(I have no excuse, since I get on my computer alot lately....)

Anyway, a few weeks ago I got my Hetalia: Axis Powers box set! I couldn't wait to start watching and rewatching it! Which, I've done a few(okay more than just a few...) times. So now that I've watched the episodes several times, I want to post my opinions on the dubbed voices and mention some of my favorite scenes and lines.

Now FUNImation decided to use accents for the characters. I think that was a good move on their part. It really makes it feel like the characters are from the nations they're representing. I believe that it makes it way more fun that way. That and I LOVE a British accent, which only makes my love for Britian/Arthur Kirkland bigger! Yes, the correct name is Britian and that's the way it is in the dub. I know it's subbed as England, but the Japanese word Igirisu means Great Britian or The United Kingdom. FUNImation was asked by Studio Deen to use Britian, plus it's hard enough for the voice actors to fit the lines in the mouth flaps, without having to put United Kingdom in there. There wouldn't be much room for the rest of the line. So Arthur is Britian. Not England, Britian.

Some of the characters I love more than I did in the Japanese and some I actually like now. The characters that I like now because of they're dubbed voices are:

• Canada~ I didn't really care for the way the Japanese Seiyuu did his voice. It bugged me
• Poland~ Is unbelievably annoying in the Japanese! Though he only has one line in season one and I can't understand half of what he says because of the accent; I definitely prefer the dubbed over the Japanese.
• Sealand

That's how good of a job FUNImation did. Here's what I thought of each character's dubbed voice. So since the series is called Hetalia: Axis Powers, I'll start with them.

Italy: Voiced by Todd Haberkorn. What can I say? Todd did an amazing job. Italy's still just as adorable as he was in the Japanese. I love both of Italy's voices. Todd's Italian accent was convincing.

Germany: Voiced by Patrick Seitz. Germany is one of the characters I like more in the dub than I did in the Japanese. Though, I'm not a fan of Germany. The accent was done well and he sounds just as strict as he did in the Japanese.

Japan: Voiced by Christopher Bevins. Where do I begin.....His Japan was fantastic! It was one of the voices that I loved instantly! Christopher is very good at "Engrish". I found Japan way more adorable and funny in the dub, so I applaud you Christopher Bevins!

Now on to the Allied Forces! Starting with our hero America, of course:

America: Voiced by Eric Vale. First, I want to point out that there was no accent for America and that he was the only one. America is my 2nd favorite character in the series, so his voice was very important to me. I liked the fact that America's voice wasn't as high-pitched as it was in the Japanese. I honestly believe they could not have picked a better voice actor. The man is like a living-breathing America! Eric did an amazing, heroic, job! Eric Vale, if you happen to read my blog, I want you to know that you truly are king and I thank you for doing such an amazing job on him!

Canada: Voiced by Eric Vale as well. So like in the Japanese the voice actor that played America, does Canada as well. I think that Eric did a very good job with him. Like I said, Canada's is one of the characters that I like now, due to his dubbed voice. His voice has the quiet gentle feel that it had before. Though, in my opinion, not as annoying. Nothing against his Seiyuu, I just don't really like the sound of it. Canada is much more adorable to me in the dub, so thank you Eric Vale for how you voiced Canada, I love it! I must applaud him as well for doing an amazing job on not one, but two characters!

Britain: Voiced by Scott Freeman. Oh, that lovely British accent of his.....Anyway, Britain was another character whose voice I loved as soon as I heard it. Scott pulls off Britain very well. The accent was amazing(haha...I know I've said that a couple of times already, but it's true.) Oh, and his laugh! Britain's laugh is cute and sometimes, like in the episode where France tries to get Britain to marry him, it sounds very pirate-like. Which is totally okay, because Britain is one of the pirate nations/characters.

France: Voiced by J. Michael Tatum. I love the accent, but I must admit that France is one of the characters that I don't really like as much in the dub. I still think they picked a good voice actor and all, but his voice kinda lost that suave feel he had in the Japanese. Still, J. Michael Tatum does a very good job on France, especially with that French laugh of his.

China: Voiced by Clarine Harp. His voice, like the Japanese was voiced by a female voice actor. When I first heard his voice I was disappointed. I had to watch the anime a few times though to finally get used to it, but like France, I don't like China as much as I did in the Japanese. He's just not as cute. Also, you'll note that when China speaks he doesn't say "...aru". Why? Because that is Japan's stereotype for how Chinese people speak. Instead they used our (and by our, I mean American) stereotype for the way they speak. So in all, I don't find China as cute in the dub, because there's no "...aru" and I don't really like the accent. Though, I'll admit that I can NOT do a Chinese accent. Please don't ask me to.

Russia: Voiced by Jerry Jewell. WOW....I thought Russia was creepy sounding before...Russia's voice also doesn't have the "cute" factor in the dub. Which is fine with me, I never really liked it. So, I prefer the dub to Japanese in his case.

Now for the other characters:

Romano: Voiced by Ian Sinclair. I really like Romano's voice. He sounds cute and "tough" at the same time. Which is perfect for Romano

Prussia: Voiced by Jonathan Brooks. I word. AWESOME!!

Austria: Voiced by Chuck Huber. One of the voices I don't really like. I'm not sure what it is about it, but I don't really care for it. So for Austria, Japanese voice wins.

Hungary: Voiced by Luci Christian. Her dubbed voice is adorable! I love it very much and I find her accent very cute.

Spain: Voiced by Dave Trosko. Spain is one of the characters that I love more because of his dubbed voice! I've seen more people who love his dub than people who hate it.

Switzerland: Voiced by John Burgmeier. Not sure what to say about him other than I like his dub voice

Liechtenstein: Voiced by Cherami Leigh. Adorable! Absolutely Adorable! That's all I can say.

Lithuania: Voiced by Josh Grelle. I really like his voice and the accent!

Sealand: Voiced by Maxey Whitehead. Again...Adorable! Absolutely Adorable!

Best Lines and Scenes:

Some of the lines and scenes that I love best.

Germany: "Look how the door just opened! You could totally run away if you wanted..." (Said to Italy) You have to hear it....It's the accent that makes this line hilarious!

Italy: "Hasta la Pasta!" (In a preview for the next episode)
"I'll tell you everything I know, which is pretty much everything I know..." (Said to the Allies while in captivity, about to confess what he knows about Germany) Basically what Italy is saying is that he doesn't know anything...

Chibitalia: "That's happy!" (To Holy Roman Empire) Just flat out adorable!

Japan: "Please stop touching me...." (Said to Italy, who is repeatedly patting him on the shoulder)

America: All of his lines are GREAT!! But, I'll post his first line that he says in the anime.
"Dude! I even smell like a hero! Check it!"

China: "See, China take all. Simple enough, you can all go home now." (To other Allies about dividing up the land)

There are many other lines that I adore as well....but I don't want to tell you everything that happens. You should go watch it yourself to hear the other great lines

Scenes:

When Romano first shows up.

The Allies meeting.

France and Britain's "marriage" scene

Sealand's first appearance.


So that about sums it up for my opinion on Season 1 of the Hetalia dub. When I get the Season 2, I'll post my favorite lines, scenes, and opinions on the new characters

Thanks for reading! Next post will be on Fanfictions!

Cosplaying and Roleplay!!

Hello everyone! It's me Ki-chan!

Yes, for once I did not use Japanese in my greeting like I normally do...why? Because I've been RPing as Arthur Kirkland/England/Britain/UK from Hetalia: Axis Powers. A little too much....I'm very attached to him. My friends will agree.

Anyway, this post will be about how to cosplay and roleplay as your favorite anime character. I'll also include some great cosplayers and cosplay sites, that are loved by my friends and I.


Cosplay~ If you new to the Otaku world, you probably don't know what Cosplay is. Cosplay is the words costume and playing put together. Basically what it means is that your dressing up as an anime character and your pretending to be that character. It's kinda like dressing up for Halloween, except you don't usually get candy and you can do it whenever you want. You can cosplay by yourself or in a group. If you go with the group option, it'll look best if your group is being characters from the same anime. Though you don't have to. For example my friend Haru-chan and I cosplayed at a con together, but she was Momo Adachi from Peach Girl and I was C.C. from Code Geass. Even though we were from two entirely different anime series, we still had fun cosplaying together.


Roleplay~ Roleplay is where you pretend to be an anime character...but you don't have to be dressed up, because it's usually online. RPing is usually done by two or more people, because it'd be hard to do multiple characters by yourself and/or totally boring. Trust me....It's way more fun with a bunch of friends then just in your head.



How to choose who to cosplay as:

• Think of the characters you like.(maybe even write a list)



• Out of those which do you think you could pull of the best??


• Are you going to make your costume? This is a very important decision! If you decide to make your costume, consider you sewing skills. Don't pick a character whose costume is extremely elaborate if your a beginner.


• If you buying a costume think about how much you want to spend. A good site that I know of is http://www.cosplaymagic.com/ They're reasonably priced(I've seen costumes that cost way more) and look well made. They also have a wide selection of costumes. Though I don't recommend buying a styled wig there.....For example: Orihime Inoue's simple long orange hair the wig is $46. The more complicated the wig, the more expensive the wig is. Otherwise it's a very good site.


• As a warning it's a good thing to know that if you cosplay a well known character, like Inuyasha, you can and will get glomped! Glomping is somewhere in between a hug and a tackle...and comes at random times!


• Will you need a wig for your cosplay?? Try buying from a wig store versus the ones they sell at Halloween. You'll find more styles and colors. Like I suggested earlier: DO NOT BUY A STYLED WIG!!! They can get really expensive and they're usually not very good for their price. But I you don't want to style your own, then go ahead and buy one. You can find cheaper styled wigs on Ebay versus some cosplay site.

Can't think of a good character?? Be one of your own characters. No one can say that your costume is wrong or that you shouldn't have picked them. Believe it or not, it's popular to cosplay as your origanal character...most likely for that reason.

Where do you cosplay? Well, that depends on how you feel really.

• Anime Conventions: Where most people cosplay and one of the few places you can without the stares. A vast majority of people at a con, cosplay. Very few do not. Which is half the fun, for example : "Look, Haru-nechan! It's a Kaname Kuran! He's really good!" or "NO WAY!!! IT'S AN ITACHI-SAMA!!!" (yeah, those two examples actually came out of my mouth earlier this year at a con)



• Anime Clubs: Other one where you'll fit right in. The anime club I attended had a specific cosplay day....though I'm sure you could cosplay any day there.



• Restaurants: Yes, there are people who do this. Typically though, they're people who were at the convention who got hungry and wanted something to eat other than what they had there. You can find videos on YouTube with people cosplaying in a restaurant. My personal favorite is one where a group of Akatsuki members(all of them) go into a McDonald's....way funny!



• Grocery Stores and Malls: No...I'm not joking. There are videos of this too. Like an Edward Elric shopping in a Walmart and a China/Wang Yao in a Sanrio store. Again these are my personal favorites, because anyone who's watched FMA knows that there is no Walmart in the FMA world....or anywhere that's not America for that matter. Also if you've seen or read any of the Hetalia series you know that China would totally geek out in a Sanrio store with nothing but Hello Kitty related items everywhere you look.



• The comfort of your own home: No one will give you odd looks there....other than your family. But if your like me and you geek out on anime/manga related items already, then that's nothing new. Some people like to cosplay and take video of themselves as their character doing a blog or something. These are very interesting to watch as well. Some people are really good at getting into character, which I'll cover soon.

Basically, you can cosplay anywhere you feel comfortable.....but expect stares and odd looks.

Now I want to cover how to get into character while cosplaying.

• Watch episodes your character is in: This will help you see how they talk, move, and react. For example: Say you want to cosplay Naruto. Watching the anime will show you that he always says "Believe it!" or in Japanese "Dattebayo~!" You'll also see that he's loud and loves to play pranks.
• Listen to their character songs: Sometimes these will tell you more behind the scenes information than the anime does. For Example: I learned recently that Arthur Kirkland has vacation homes in India and Hong Kong. I also learned that along with his magic he also can predict the future. Even if the character's song is instrumental only, it was written specifically for that character and listening to it will help you feel the character's personality even more.
• Practice facial expressions and poses: So that when people ask for your picture you can get into character for the photo. Posing for a photo makes the other person really happy and they'll think it's cool! I thought that the cosplays who posed were more fun then the ones that just stood there.

About Taking Photos:

• If you're being photographed: like I just said, please pose! It makes it way more fun for the other person.
• If you're taking the photo: As the cosplayer FIRST!! They may not want their picture taken and put on YouTube. If they say yes, wait for them to be ready. Don't just snap away, they might have a pose in mind. Be courteous to the cosplays and they'll have a good attitude about it and it'll make the interaction much more pleasant.
• After taking the photo: SAY THANK YOU!!!

Some amazing coplayers:

These where suggested by one of my friends

• http://anaaesthetic.deviantart.com/ Professional cosplayer (yes, they do exist and they're amazing)
• http://behindinfinity.devianart.com/ A male cosplayer (harder to find, but not unheard of)
• http://kellyjane.deviantart.com/
• http://tealpirate.deviantart.com/

A site where there are amazing cosplayers and they sometimes will tell you how the did it.

• http://acparadise.com/

NOTE: The most important thing about cospalying is....To have fun!! That's the whole point of it. Don't let anyone tell you that your costumes sucks or that you don't have the right body type for that character. As long as your having fun that's all that matters.

Now on to Roleplaying!!

• Everything I say on this topic is based off my personal experience. I'm still new to this and be no means an expert. Arthur Kirkland is the first character I've ever Roleplayed as.

Cosplaying and Roleplaying can go hand-in-hand. If you've Roleplayed that character it'll be easier to cosplay. I personally was going to make a Deidara from Naruto Shippuden costume, but since I've been Roleplaying Arthur Kirkland, I've learned more about him, then Dei-chan(my nickname for Deidara...might come up again later.) who I've loved for a long time.

A lot of anime forums will have RP areas and for several different series. Make sure that you read the rules and understand them before selecting your character. Most forums I've seen asks you to submit a practice piece where you write a short paragraph in character. This shows them that your committed and that your able to be that character.

OH NO! Your favorite characters have already been taken! What do you do??

No worries! Most RP forums will let you create an OC(original character) for that series. You'll just have to make a detailed profile for them, but since it's your character there's no right or wrong way to portray them.

Now I believe and my friends will agree that if you RP with friends it's much more fun! In our Hetalia RP we know at least one person in real life.

How do I stay in character?? Here's how I do it.

• Re-watch the episodes they're in:(same as in cosplay)
• Listen to character songs:(same reason as above)
• Find a site where it has the characters information: For example, when I first started RPing as Arthur I used the Hetalia Wiki page. It helped a lot. I referred back to it when I got stuck...and sometimes I still do, though not as often.

After awhile you'll get used to it and know how to react to different situations.

The fun part about RPing is that you can have your RP character do things they don't do in the anime or expand on something they do.

Examples using Arthur Kirkland(of course)

• Not in anime: Playing his guitar. I know he can, but he's never done that in the show.
• Expanding: Fights with France. Sometimes we cover fights that are in the anime...or just have more interesting ones. Like the time my England and her France started throwing objects at one another...

You can make your favorite pairing come to life! Though make sure the other half likes it too...

I hope this helps anyone who wants to cosplay or roleplay their favorite anime characters!

Remember, whether you're cosplaying or RPing make sure to have FUN!!!