Anime Review: Tokyo Ghoul

 

Tokyo Ghoul by Sui Ishida

Quote: "Sometimes good people make bad choices. It doesn't mean they are bad people. It means they're human."

Plot: In the world of Tokyo Ghoul, humans are not the superior beings who are the last in the food chain, but there are Ghouls. Ghouls are beings that survive by eating humans and are more powerful than them. They hide from the authorities who hunt them for the welfare of human society. Kaneki Ken, a simple and kind boy gets in between these two worlds when he goes on a date with a sweet girl, thinking what could really go wrong? 

In a world where both species are fighting to survive, who can decide who is wrong and right and who will win in the end? 

My Personal Views: Let's start with Tokyo Ghoul's season 1 opening music. I found the song, Unravel, quite beautiful. The lyrics and the music were really heart-touching. I am not usually someone who likes Japanese music, but after Blue Bird, Unravel is the only anime music that has stuck with me.

I had heard great things about Tokyo Ghoul and to be honest, Season 1 stuck up to the expectations but unfortunately, I can't say the same about season 2. I could literally see the downfall. Not going to lie, the plot is actually a masterpiece (even in Season 2) but what I did not like about season 2 was how it did not follow the manga which resulted in the plot having gaps and not understanding many of the scenes.  

Considering it was a dark anime, the storyline was actually pretty good. I felt in the first season that Kaneki Ken was too much of a goody two-shoe but ohmygod when he fought Jason? That whole fight was so badass and Kaneki became quite badass in the second season. I also liked how they changed his whole look in the second season with all the white hair and black nails (even though how he acquired those looks was quite painful and heartbreaking). 

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/ 5

John Green just has a way with words.

 In life, you find very few people who you think can understand human feelings extremely well and even fewer people who you think can convey those human feelings extremely well on paper.

Asking questions about life that might actually matter, that's what John Green has been asking through his books.

Young Adult writer John Green is one of New York's best-selling authors. He has written novels like The Fault in our stars, Turtles all the way down, Paper town, etc. He started making videos on Youtube with his brother and eventually started writing. He still has that youtube channel which has now more than 34 Million subscribers. 

The first book that I read by John Green was The Fault in our Stars which was recommended to me. At first, I thought, it would be just another typical romantic book but I actually ended up liking it. 

(If I could I would have put the whole letter by Gus here <3)

More than liking the story plot I think, the way he writes is what attracted me to his books the most. Through his books, he talks about loss, grief, death, teenagers, and their emotions. It's the way he writes his teenage characters as well like he knows exactly what a teen feels at each particular moment and how exactly they would react. 

Then comes the quotes in his books. If you would say that most quotes that are quoted by people are from John Green's books, I wouldn't be surprised, to be honest. I literally have to keep my pen with me whenever I am reading one of his books as I have a habit of marking my favorite quotes. If you would see my purchased books of his, you would find so many markings, which (to be completely honest) has happened while reading his books only, until now.

After reading Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters's story in The Fault in our stars (and watching it), I started reading Will Grayson, Will Grayson in which John Green co-wrote the novel actually lead to a big disappointment. I ended up disliking the book. After that, I took a long break not only from John Green but books altogether. 

But then after I started reading again, I ended up reading another of John Green's works, Looking for Alaska. I was not going with high expectations with this one after my encounter with the last John Green book, but ohmygod was it everything and more.

(Here, if I could I would've put the whole book <3) 

What I personally like about his books (to which many of his fans might relate) is the way he keeps it real. You know there is death and grief out there but there are friendships and love out there too, and he knows it to his heart. And I think he does an excellent job of showing the same through his words.  

  

Book Review: Looking for Alaska

Looking for Alaska by John Green.

Quote: "We are all going. McKinley said to his wife, and we sure are. There's your labyrinth of suffering. We are all going. Find your way out of that maze."

Plot: Miles Halter in search of his great perhaps goes to a boarding school in Alabama, where he meets a girl named Alaska Young. She is reckless and screwed up which draws him to her. Miles makes friends and finds himself doing things he has never done before. Miles didn't even know it but his life had changed the moment he met Alaska Young.  

My Personal Views: Now, from the plot written above, it might look like a very romantic book, which it kind of is but it is still so much more than that. This is book is about friendship, life, teenagers, and death. Everything that I love in a book, to be honest. 

Oh my god, when I read John Green's The Fault in our stars, I knew he was a fantastic writer but to write his first book this amazing? God, John Green is something else. The way he writes is just out of this world. He wrote the facts of life so beautifully in the book. 

This book was beautiful.

Even though, I could not find the chemistry between Alaska and Miles that much (which I get was not the point of the whole story). But the quotes, which I always crave in a book, were so great, so beautiful. I was in awe of the writing and the words. 

There was a lot of talk about death in the book, which is an interesting topic in itself, and the way Green described the different facets and facts of life was commendable. I read somewhere, some reviewers had written that they wished they were young when they read the book but I disagree. I am 21 and I found the book just as much interesting and life-changing as I would have if I was a teenager.   

I had read Will Grayson, Will Grayson of John Green after reading The Fault in our stars, but unfortunately, I found it too boring for my taste so I was a bit hesitant while purchasing this book. But honestly, this one was so worth it.

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/ 5

Book Review: Twisted Hate

Twisted Hate by Ana Huang.

Quote: "I had closure but no one told me closure was such a bitch. It clawed at my bones and ripped a bloody gash through my heart until every breath became a battle. But instead of trying to assuage it, I embraced it. Because even though pain hurt like a motherfucker, it proved you were still alive, and it was only after it faded that you could finally heal."

Plot: Jules Ambrose is the best friend of Josh Chen's sister. Since the minute they met, they hated each other's guts and it has been the same ever since. Whenever you would see the both of them together, you find them bickering with each other. However, as people say, there is a thin line between love and hate. One night of passion leads to an agreement, enemies with benefits. But, is that all their relationship going to be?

My Personal Views: This book was..hm, how do I explain it? To be frank, I did not like it. There I said it. I guess, after reading Twisted Games I set the bar too high, which lead to disappointment. I mean, sure, it was cuter but for me, Twisted Games was much better. The banter between both main leads just did not feel natural, hence I just could not feel their chemistry.

The writing was surely good, but the plot was not. I had expected much more than what I got, that's the main reason I guess. The whole stealing and stuff just did not feel that much of an interesting story to me. For me, I sure felt Rhys and Bridget had much better chemistry than Josh and Jules ever did.  

Out of the whole book, I think my favorite part was when Josh apologized to Jules. I think out of the whole book that is where I felt their chemistry shined brighter than ever to me.

Even though this story was just not for me, I still am gonna read the last part. Stella and Christian's story is next!

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐/ 5

TV Show: The Boys

 

The Boys (Season 1, 2 & 3)

Quote: "When they're apart they're absolute fucking rubbish. But you put them together, they're the goddam fucking spice girls" 

Plot: A superheroes series, where the superheroes are not your good, kind and always helping hands but actually are corrupted jerks. 

My Personal Views: When you hear the word Superhero, you always imagine a good-natured guy who will always come to save the day. But this series shows you the face of your supes that you won't like at all or you never even imagined. 

If I have to use one word for the whole 3 seasoned series, it would be Badass. Oh, definitely badass. Each character is terribly badass. Let's be real, as much as you might hate Billy Butcher, you know he is a fucking badass. And, let's not forget our girls, Starlight & Kimiko. I mean that Season 2, last episode, catfight? I mean whattttttt....

That scene honestly left me speechless. See? That's what I like about this series, they don't show women as someone who should be kept safe or should be fantasized about, I mean, I love how the whole 'Girls are actually strong' is portrayed in the whole show. And thank god! They're not shown as weak girls who always need to be saved. On the contrary, Kimiko is shown to be the strongest amongst the boys (even though she is a supe) which I think is a first. 

Each character has their own story and their own demons to fight. I have a love-hate relationship with Billy Butcher. His sarcasm? Love it. The way he treats his pals? Hate it. You have to appreciate his sarcastic remarks, come on.  

Honestly saying, I did not think I would like it when I started seeing it because I did not even know what it was really about when I started it, but after seeing all of the seasons until now, let me tell you it was really amazing. Sure, it is very R-rated and has very disgusting scenes but eh, you gotta appreciate the plot though. 

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 5

Book Review: Twisted Games

Twisted Games by Ana Huang.

Quote: "Ours was a story destined for a tragic ending, but when you were already on a train headed off the cliff, all you could do was hold on tight and make every second count."

Plot: Rhys Larsen has only one job- to protect his clients. He is the new bodyguard of Princess Bridget. Rhys is broody and stubborn, qualities that Bridget hates about him. Rhys can see the fire that is Bridget Von Ascherberg, especially when they both argue. It is a game that might involve rules and hearts getting broken. 

My Personal Views:  When I started reading Twisted Games, I had expectations that it would be better than the first one as Twisted Love was cute but could’ve been better and Ana Huang served it just right. 

For me, Twisted Games was far better than Twisted Love, not only in the plot but also in the characters. First thing first, let’s talk about the plot. Just like probably Ana Huang’s every book, it was a whole lot of cliché (which I am not complaining about, trust me) however, this book’s cliché was a lot digestible. Scenes were obviously better written and better expressed. Coming to the characters, personally, I think Rhys & Bridget had much more chemistry than Alex & Ava ever did. There was cute and sarcastic banter which only helped in making their chemistry better. That whole hate-to-love trope goes good I guess (I am expecting it does because the next twisted book is filled with it). 

They introduced Christian in this one, which was kind of a surprise to me because I thought he would come straight in book 4 or 3, he was linked to Rhys another thing I did not expect. Talking about surprises, even though the whole plot was well-written but the story was something that was quite expected but the surprise came when I saw who was the real culprit behind the camera & video stuff. I mean, I seriously did not see that coming (especially for the PR). This twisted book was actually kind of nice to read, filled with cute Rhys &surely miss Bridget moments. I will surely miss their banter.

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/ 5

Anime Review: HunterxHunter (HxH) *Contains a bit of Spoilers*

HunterxHunter by Yoshihiro Togashi

Quote: "It was a minor change. Something somewhere shifted. If I had been this way from the beginning, while I am no god, what I could do with this world, No. Perhaps only now can I see it this way." 

Plot: HunterxHunter is about a boy named Gon Freecss who is set out to become a hunter and find his father Ging Freecss, who is a world-renowned Hunter himself. In this journey, Gon makes friends and also goes through life risking missions.   

My Personal Views: OH MY GOD, HunterxHunter is so good. Not going to lie, after I started it, I did not think it was going to be THIS legendary. Though my favorite arcs were Yorknew City and of course, Ant Chimera arc. My least favorite was the Greed Island arc. Let's first talk about why I did not like Greed Island arc. I think it was because it felt like more of a filler to me. I mean, sure, it was interesting to watch Hisoka working with Killua and Gon but Yorknew City and Ant Chimera arcs were much better. Now, talking about the Yorknew City arc, before watching Ant Chimera arc it was my top favorite. I mean, have you seen the Phantom Troupe characters? Each one of them has their own personality and I loved watching them. Kurapika got much more screen time in it so it was pretty good. And that scene where Chrollo waves his hands like he is the conductor of an orchestra, while the whole city burns? Cold, bro. 

However, Ant Chimera became my top favorite arc in the end. When I started watching this particular arc, sure, it was good. The fights were great and even when Gon turned berserk? It was going pretty good. But when I saw how Mereum and Komugi died at last? Bro, that broke my heart into pieces. Togashi has done such a perfect job writing Mereum's character. He made Mereum a legend, to be honest. I think this has happened for the first time in history when a villain died not because of a cold fight with the hero (even though he had a pretty good fight with Netero) but because of love. 

The changes that Mereum developed over time, the way his character was so well-written, and the way the whole of Mereum & Komugi's story was so well-written. God! They became my favorite anime couple for real. When I saw that Mereum had come back after his fight with Netero, I did not like it, to be honest. I thought his comeback would be kind of an insult to Netero's amazing power and I was filled with questions since Netero died who would kill Mereum now? But the way his ending was written, made me take my words back. I think the way he died with Komugi, both of them breathing their last breaths together, was so beautiful!!! Made me cry my eyes out. Also, when Mereum said what he said to Palm, about spending his few moments alive with Komugi. OH. MY. GOD. Was Mereum even a villain???

Coming to the last few episodes of HxH, I always thought whenever Ging and Gon will meet, it is going to be epic but at the back of my mind I thought it will be a, you know, kind of a heartbreaking reunion. But when they actually met?? That was so hilarious! And I totally liked this reunion better than having a heart-to-heart reunion. 

Then, when Killua and Gon parted ways, that kind of made me nostalgic, and also when they showed their whole story. At the end of it, they showed the whole storyline, basically everything that Gon and Killua have gone through. They also included Komugi and Mereum's story, which was so cute! 

When I see or read scenes or animes like this, so deeply well written. The first thought that comes into my find is how can someone come up with something so awesome? How can a human write something so incredible? I am all praises for Togashi's work. One of the best artists of all time.    

Also, I heart HunterxHunter is coming back! Super excited to see that too!

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/ 5

Book Review: Twisted Love

 Twisted Love by Ana Huang.

Quote: "You are the light to my dark sunshine, without you, I'm lost."

Plot: Alex Volkov is a handsome devil and Ava Chen's brother's best friend and her neighbor. As Ava's brother is going away, he has given Ava's responsibility to Alex to keep her safe as he trusts him. Since Alex takes every responsibility seriously, he decides Ava will be under her protection. Alex has only one purpose in his life, that is, revenge and he had no plans in falling in love with Ava, who is the opposite of him. If he is dark, then she is light. If he is night, then she is the day. Ava is everything that Alex isn't. But fate works in a different way. Both of them have a past that still haunts them to this day. Theirs is a love that will reveal new secrets that could destroy them both. 

My Personal Views: This was a really sweet story. Your usual bad boy and good girl cliché. But who doesn't love clichés, right? This was a really good read which I finished so soon, I can't believe it! 

Personally, I think the only problem for me was, the writing. I mean Ana Huang did an incredible job writing this book but, there is definitely room for improvement as I just couldn't find myself some good quotes. Also, I think the plot could have been better, as sweet as it was. The plot was your usual cliché story that I've read a billion times on Wattpad. 

I have purchased Twisted Games now, I really hope that book is much better than this! 

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/ 5

Book Review: Ugly Love

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover.

Quote: "Rachel was right. The pain will always be there. So will the fear. But the pain and fear are no longer my life. They're only moments. Moments that are constantly overshadowed with every minute I spend with Tate."

Plot: The main female lead, Tate Collins has just moved in with her brother to live for some time, where she meets Miles Archer, her brother's best friend. It wasn't exactly love at first sight for both of them but with time they both developed something however, Miles the problem is Miles doesn't believe in love anymore. So, they opt to go with the perfect no-strings-attached arrangement. They think they can handle it, but everything changes when real emotions come out to play, and unfortunately, promises and hearts are meant to break when love turns ugly. 

My Personal Views: I was looking out for my favorite genre when I stumbled upon this book online. Reading the summary, I was way too much eager to try it out, and I had heard only good things about Colleen Hoover's writing. So, I did the only thing I wanted to do at the moment, order it online.  

Now coming to the book, the favorite thing about the book was the writing done by Colleen and of course the quotes. I am a sucker for books with good quotes, and this book did not disappoint me in that aspect. 

The aspects in the book that I did not really like, was first, it was too much ex bounded and second, the female lead felt weak. When I was purchasing this book, I did not think this book would be so ex-fixated. I would have liked it if the book was much more focused on both main leads' relationship rather than the other one. 

Also, I think the female lead could have been more strong-willed and upfront. Personally, I like reading a book that has a badass female lead, that's what I think I did not like. 

Overall, the book was a great one-time read and the quotes really kept me hooked. For me, my favorite character was Cap. Yes, it wasn't Miles or Tate, it was Cap. I found him really wise and he gave Miles and Tate the best advice. I really need someone like him in my life, lol.  

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐/ 5

Anime Review: Naruto & Naruto Shippuden

 

Courtesy of IMDb

You can probably say, there might not be even one weeb (someone who is obsessed with anime) who has not watched Naruto and not liked it. Naruto has its own quite a big fan following which makes it one of the best anime out there. If there is an anime that made western anime fans crazy after Dragon Ball Z then it is Naruto. Even though Naruto has tons of episodes, movies, and then a sequel (Naruto Shippuden), it doesn't make Naruto any less popular. If you liked watching Dragon Ball Z and might prefer ninjas in it then, Naruto is the perfect anime for you.

Naruto is the story of Naruto Uzumaki, who has the nine tails inside him and is a trouble maker who likes to play pranks on people just so that they would notice him, he has always led a life of loneliness. However, to prove to people that he is not a monster but can lead a path of good, he decides that he is going to be the Hokage- leader of the village. As he graduates from the ninja academy, he befriends Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, who are also his teammates. From being a failure and being looked at as a monster to becoming the hero of his village, this is the story of Naruto Uzumaki. It is filled with challenges, you will laugh, cry, and curse and you will still love it.

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Masashi Kishimoto- the writer of Naruto, has done his job perfectly in telling the story and filling it with characters that people can relate to with their own amazing background stories.

Courtesy of 9 Tailed Kitsune

Coming to Naruto Shippuden- the sequel to Naruto, I personally feel like it is much better than Naruto. It might be because of the Akatsuki coming into light or one of my favorite arcs- the great ninja war arc. In Naruto Shippuden, Naruto has grown up and has become more powerful then the Akatsuki comes and the great ninja war happens. We also see many of our favorite characters dying, so it will be pretty much a mess of laughter and tears.

The action and combat done in the series are quite good as well. However, the thing I really enjoyed watching in this series is how many of the characters have been given importance and have their own arcs to show character development.

You should really check out Naruto if you haven't already as it has not only benefited itself but also paved the way for other anime like 'My Hero Academia'. To sum it all up, it is pretty much a good series and a pretty good storyline. If I would have to I would give it a 10/10.



 

TV Show: Supernatural Review

 

 

 Two brothers, Dean and Sam Winchester go on a road trip and hunt monsters, demons, ghosts, and more. The show simply shows the bonding and love between two brothers and their love for their family.

Supernatural has a total of 15 seasons, and you might think along these seasons the plot or the story might have become boring however that was not the case with Supernatural. The show did not only have good actors but the storyline remained as interesting and spell-bounding as it was from the start. 

 

 

Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles also did a fantastic job in playing their characters as Sam and Dean. And can we all agree that Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester is a dream? So much lore in the supernatural to explore and two attractive leads does make a good mix for a show and since it ran for 15 seasons straight, we can say it was a huge success.

The show began in 2005 and since then has gotten a whole amount of loyal fanbase. 

As per my experience with the show, I would say, I can never regret watching it. The jokes, the action, the Dean Winchester playlist, the Impala, and the supernatural folklores (that I had no idea about) were worth watching for me. Being someone, who likes these kinds of horror and action-packed shows, I can say I've become a Supernatural fan.

If I would have to rate the show, I would give it a 10/10. It's really worth a watch if you're a horror fanatic just like me, trust me.