Posts

Happy New Year from Shooting Star Dreamer!

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Once again, it's the end of the year! Throughout this year, a lot of things have changed for this blog and for me. Though it is harder for me to keep Shooting Star Dreamer consistently updated, I cannot help but make a New Year's post for you all. As New Year approached things have felt somewhat different than before. I feel that the anime community and anime in general has been changing, or perhaps even evolving. Whether this is a good or bad thing, I am not sure. All I know is that it has changed my approach to anime. (and my frequency of keeping up with anime) Something that has not changed though is my tradition of creating New Year's Resolutions. After thinking over my resolutions in depth, I do not believe they are goals to simply be met in the future. If these goals aren't met but are worked towards, then the progress and growth is still there. Completing the goal isn't necessarily the point of resolutions, its just to have a guide to work towards. A

ERASED: Life Gives Second Chances

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THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! When we watch anime, common tropes are almost always used. The slice of life genre especially contains the same high school setting with the average protagonist. Of course, they're not carbon copies; they mix in new elements to change things up, but the formula is the same. Yet we don't ever get to see different settings, new experiences, and changes. Taking a chance at a new story is risky, but this kind of alternative experience is much needed. This is where anime such as  Boku dake ga Inai Machi or ERASED, come into play. ERASED tells a story about a unique individual and the mystery surrounds the world around him.  The main character is Satoru Fujinuma . He's somewhat of the average protagonist, but he's older at the ripe age of 29. His life isn't exactly going as planned, as he struggles to hit it big as a manga artist. The only benefit he has is that he has the ability to repeat certain events, going back in time to

The Key to Naruto's Success: Empathy

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What makes Naruto such a successful person? Many people have examined and discussed his different traits, his personality, and even the values instilled into him. Yet, I think that while we're looking at the core of Naruto's character, we've forgotten something really important. Naruto, has the ability to understand others and their feelings. He can sense the malice of his enemies and the pain of others. Naruto can understand exactly what they went through and relate, enough to become friends with the people he once called foes. While this seems very simple and straightforward, I feel this sort of understanding isn't a normal thing that everyone has. First, let's take a look at empathy. Most of us probably know exactly what sympathy is, when we feel sorry for someone else due to their problems. Empathy is a little different; it can be described as literally feeling other's pain or emotions. While Naruto possesses sympathy, I feel he also has em

Honoka Kousaka Birthday Tribute

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Today is August 3rd, 2018, which is Honoka Kousaka's birthday! I'd like to wish Honoka a happy birthday, and give her a tribute on Shooting Star Dreamer! Honoka Kousaka is an idol from the series Love Live: School Idol Project. She's the driving force of the idol group and the focal character of the series. She's not necessarily the most skilled or intelligent, but she's willing to work hard for what she believes in. This inspires people of various backgrounds to follow her, making her a wonderful leader. This isn't my first time making a post for Honoka, but I believe she deserves the spotlight because of how much I love her as a character. Her outgoing attitude and optimism is something that the world needs nowadays. Below is a showcase from the community, expressing their love for Honoka! Honoka Kousaka Shrine, from Reddit. Birthday cake from Emi Nitta, Honoka's voice actress/seiyuu. A tribute from Reddit use DakinaMGF! Anoth

RWBY: Amity Arena Overview

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Hello everyone and welcome back to another post! Recently, I've been into all things RWBY and this led me to the upcoming RWBY game, Amity Arena . I was lucky enough to be a participant in the official Closed Beta Test, and I'd like to take some time to share my experience with everyone else! With a name like Amity Arena, many predicted this new mobile game to be a fast-paced fighting game. This guess wasn't too far off, as the app is packing the combat. However, the differences are clear with the end result being a card-based tactical game. On the surface this may sound unappealing; being a clone of the usual mobile games. While the game does take certain elements from other games (such as mobage character enhancing and a stamina based system) the game pushes forward with a few new integrations. Upon starting the game, players are directly thrown into a tutorial. This tutorial is definitely well-placed and not overbearing, as the game can be confusing without pr

MyAnimeList Alternatives

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With the recent issues with anime listing and database website MyAnimeList  (MAL), people have started scrambling for alternatives. The site was completely down for some time, eventually returning with numerous features being disabled. This problem was due to the website's API, however this was not communicated publicly at first. More info on the MyAnimeList situation can be explained below, with outside sources for relevancy. Otherwise, I'd like to recommend a few alternatives for those who wish to switch services, as well as the pros and cons of each.  If you're here just for the recommendations feel free to skip the section below! For More Information on the MyAnimeList Situation This is a statement and comment thread from the developer of Taiga , which is an application used to track anime videos on your computer and auto add them to listing websites. This is used mostly to manage things like MyAnimeList without the need for manual updates. This now works most

Back to the Fairy Tale, Back to the Show (And Back to Blogging)

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to another post! This post announces my return to blogging, while taking a little inspiration from the opening lyrics of my new favorite series: RWBY! The song is labeled as The Triumph , which is a fitting name for such an upbeat song. You can listen to the song below at the linked video. (Don't worry the video has no spoilers, but you might want to avoid the comments if you're worried about that.) RWBY (expect more posts on RWBY soon), and the opening song The Triumph are inspiring to me. The song starts off from a defeated point of view, explaining the current situation and how things feel somewhat hopeless. Afterwards, the piece builds into a triumphant roar, stating that despite the past and regardless of all obstacles, there will be a way to overcome it all. This escalates from a possibility for change or aimless living, to blatantly declaring the will to survive and persevere. The overall theme deals with having the courage to kee