Hello and welcome to Keba's Anime and Manga Place (KAAMP for short)! Here at KAAMP, I write about anime and manga that I have seen/read as well as my views on them. I'll also post about my original stories from time to time.
Just beware that some of my posts contain spoilers. I'll put them in spoiler tags just in case.
KAAMP's history: KAAMP was created in July 2002 by yours truly. It was a sloppy-looking website on Yahoo's now defunct Geocities. I posted my anime fan art on that site. Also, for a time, I posted my thoughts on the few anime series that I had seen. Now that I look back on it, my thoughts were rather ill-informed (is that even a word?) because I had only seen bits and pieces of anime dubs. Now that I've seen more series, I think that my commentary on various anime will be a little better than before.
So, come on in and stay awhile! KAAMP is now in session.
Rules:
1. Pick a character, stay in character
2. Make them answer the questions
3. Tag some peeps
Dice
Series: Survival Instincts
1. Interviewer: Have any siblings? (half siblings and stepsiblings count)
Dice: *Leers at interviewer.* I'm NOT talking about that.
2. Interviewer: How many members do you know are in your family tree?
Dice: I told you, I'm not talking about that.
3. Interviewer: What is your favorite game?
Dice: Hmm... practicing self-defense?
4. Interviewer: How is your love life?
Dice: Well, I don't exactly LOVE my life, but ever since Naomi and Marshall freed me from that box, I've liked learning about humans and how they live. (He doesn't get the question.)
5. Interviewer: Do you have any royal blood?
How is blood royal? What is "royal" anyway? That's a good thing, right? I guess that since my blood is different from human blood, that means it's probably royal. (He doesn't get this question either.)
6. Interviewer: If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, who would you meet?
Dice: *Shrugs.*
7. Interviewer: What is your favorite movie?
Dice: I don't have a favorite way to move. Running, maybe? I do like to be active. (Again, he doesn't get the question.)
8. Interviewer: Have any secrets?
Dice: Yes.
9. Interviewer: Creepiest experience?
Dice: I don't want to talk about it.
10. Interviewer: Who is the most annoying person you have ever met?
Dice: I don't know. Marshall says I'm annoying, but I disagree.
11. Interviewer: Do you go on social media?
Dice: I don't know what that means.
12. Interviewer: If you're in a relationship who kissed who first :3? (If you haven't kissed that's ok)
Dice: Is that what humans do in relationships? Why didn't Naomi or Marshall tell me?
13. Interviewer: Anyone you have or had a crush on?
Dice: I wouldn't crush anyone... unless they're a threat to me. (Yet again, he doesn't get the question.)
14. Interviewer: What's the most embarrassing thing you've done?
Dice: I don't get embarrassed that easily. Marshall says that I embarrass him, but I don't know how I'm doing it.
15. Interviewer: Are you married?
Dice: What's "married"?
16. Interviewer: What's your favorite place to be with your partner/friend?
Dice: Anywhere, really... just as long as I'm not trapped in a box.
17. Interviewer: Who's the person you hate the most?
Dice: *Raises an eyebrow.* I thought we were over this.
18. Interviewer: What's your favorite food?
Dice: I don't eat much because I don't need to. But those things that Marshall gets taste pretty good. I think he called them "burgers".
19. Interviewer: What's your favorite weapon?
Dice: I don't have one. I'm usually not one to start fights.
20. Interviewer: What's your favorite prank to pull?
Dice: I've never pulled one before. Are they heavy? I could probably handle it, regardless. (Poor Dice isn't getting a lot of these.)
21. Interviewer: Who's your favorite among your team?
Dice: Isn't a team a big group of humans? I only know two, so I can't really say.
22. Interviewer: Is anyone like a rival to you?
Dice: I don't think so.
23. Interviewer: Favorite celebrity?
Dice: *Whistles.* Humans sure have a lot of strange concepts. I've never even heard of a "celebrity".
24. Interviewer: Got in any fights?
Dice: Yes, I have, occasionally.
25. Interviewer: Anything to say to anyone reading this?
Dice: Humans are strange. Really strange.
It was kind of on a whim. I remember when I was a kid, my aunt told me about a show called Sailor Moon which was supposed to be like Power Rangers (which I liked at the time). She told me that it was some kind of animated/live action hybrid, which, in hindsight, must have been that westernized version that never got off the ground. After I lost interest in Power Rangers due to the cast constantly changing, I didn't really have any interest in Sailor Moon. I had practically forgotten about it until it was advertised on Cartoon Network. With curiosity getting the better of me, I watched it, and I've been a fan ever since.
2. What was the first anime you’ve ever watched?
The first anime I watched, in case you hadn't figured it out, was Sailor Moon. FYI, it was the really bad dub that edited just about everything.
Hmm... I wonder who that could be.... Actually, I prefer Greed's manga counterpart. They practically threw him under a bus in the original Fullmetal Alchemist anime.
5. Name your favorite female anime character.
Sailor Saturn from-- you guessed it-- Sailor Moon.
6. What is your favorite genre of anime?
I'm into anything with some kind of fantastical element, whether it be fantasy or sci-fi.
7. Dub or sub?
Sub, definitely. They always seem to swap out voice actors in the middle of dubs due to contracts and licensing and legal junk. Having said that, I will watch the occasional dub.
8. What’s your favorite opening song to an anime?
9. What’s your favorite ending song to an anime?
10. Have you ever bought an anime on DVD? If so, what?
My first anime DVDs were actually a present from my cousin. He bought me the entire Death Note series. If you're talking about buying with my own money, I snapped up a ton of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood DVDs when I heard Funimation was losing the rights.
11. How often do you watch a new anime?
I can't tell because my watching habits are really sporadic. Sometimes I pick up a few at once. Sometimes, I don't pick up a new one for months.
12. Do you binge-watch your anime, or take breaks?
Again, it depends. I usually binge towards the end of a series.
13. Do you prefer manga to anime, or vice versa?
Anime is more readily accessible to me legally, so I usually gravitate to that first.
14. Have you ever cosplayed an anime character at a convention?
I've cosplayed Greed three years in a row at ACen.
15. What was the longest anime you’ve watched?
The longest anime I've completed is Naruto at 220 episodes. The most episodes I've watched without completing the anime is Naruto Shippuden. I'm currently 260 episodes in, which means I'm over 200 episodes behind. -_-
16. What was the shortest anime you’ve watched?
Blue Submarine No. 6 at a whopping four episodes.
17. What do you look for when wanting to try a new anime?
Foxes! I'm kidding. Kind of. Honestly, I mostly look for recommendations. I know that's not the kind of answer one would normally give. Still, they're usually helpful. Once I read a synopsis on the plot of the recommendation, then I'll make the final decision on whether I think I'd like it.
18. Describe an anime you feel had an amazing ending.
I think Death Parade had a great ending, though it made me cry my eyes out.
19. Describe an anime you feed had a horrible ending.
Eden of the East felt very incomplete to me. Sure, there were two movie sequels, but I wasn't invested enough to watch them.
20. How does your family feel about anime?
My brother and his girlfriend are into anime, but I get the feeling they either don't have time for it anymore, or they've "seen everything" already. My parents aren't big anime watchers, but they don't have anything against it.
21. If you could spend an entire day with one anime character, who would it be?
If I was still a teenager, I'd would have loved to spend a day with the girls of Sailor Moon. Now, I don't know who I'd like to spend a day with.
22. How do you feel about fanservice in anime?
I'm not a fan of fanservice. Usually, it's unnecessary.
23. What is your favorite anime pairing, or ship?
My first instinct is to say Ban X Elaine from The Seven Deadly Sins, but since I've only read the manga, I can't say that. Hmm... Maybe Naruto X Hinata. I may not be caught up with Naruto Shippuden, but I know it became official in the manga. That makes me happy.
24. If there was one anime you feel could pull off a live-action series, what would it be?
I don't know. I'm not big on live action adaptions of anime.
25. What’s your favorite anime movie?
Kiki's Delivery Service. It's an oldie, but a goodie.
26. What’s your favorite anime soundtrack?
I've only really listened to one soundtrack, so Gurren Lagann wins by default.
27. Do you believe graphics and animation “make or break” an anime?
They can. Sometimes I can look past the art if it has an "old" look, but bad animation has the potential to detract from a story.
28. What do you believe is the most overrated anime?
I actually had to think about this one. My first thought was Naruto, even though I have a soft spot for it, but it gets a lot of criticism, too. My next thought was Fairy Tail, but I've only seen 12 episodes, so I can't tell. After that, I considered the original Fullmetal Alchemist, but the hype has died down a ton. Finally, I settled on Fruits Basket of all things, because so many people seem to consider it a beloved classic and I don't know why. Please don't hurt me.
29. What do you believe is the most underrated anime?
Usually, the anime that don't get much attention don't get attention for a reason. There are exceptions, though. Baccano! is a great one that hardly anyone ever talks about.
30. What is your guilty pleasure anime?
I don't really feel guilty about the anime I like.
31. What anime made you the most depressed?
I don't really feel depressed when watching anime. Sure, I have been known to cry, but it's usually the bittersweet moments that move me to tears.
32. How do you feel about anime sequels?
If it means dodging filler arcs that drag the series down, bring 'em on!
33. If one anime deserves a sequel, which would it be?
Magi may have already gotten a sequel, but it needs another.
34. Name an anime character who annoys you to no end.
Mihoshi from the various Tenchi Series is so airheaded that I want to scream, but I think that's kind of the point.
35. What anime cliche do you enjoy the most?
"Cliche" can be defined in a lot of different ways from archetypes to tropes. It also has kind of a negative connotation. In short, I'm not sure what to say here.
36. What anime ‘universe’ would you want to live in?
I don't know. They all seem really dangerous.
37. Are your friends into anime, or just you?
I have some friends who are into anime. Not all of them, though.
38. Do you own any anime merchandise?
Yes. They mostly come in the form of t-shirts and plushies.
39. How do you feel about ecchi anime?
I have seen a few, and they make me kind of uncomfortable.
40. If you could steal any power from an anime character, who and what would it be?
I want to have the ability to instantly heal wounds. A lot of anime characters seem to be able to do that.
41. What’s your favorite anime production studio? (Gonzo, Madhouse, Bones, etc.)
No preference. The production studio doesn't really factor into what I decide to watch.
42. Who’s your favorite anime voice actress/actor?
I hardly know any of them by name. Besides, it depends on whether we're talking dubs or subs.
43. Have you ever watched an anime that was different than what you expected?
Attack on Titan, definitely. I was certain that I wouldn't like it. I also had a friend who had a similar opinion, but I urged her to give it a chance, and now she's hooked.
44. Have you ever watched an anime that made you question any religious or psychological matter?
Fullmetal Alchemist, I guess, though it was the manga that affected me more so.
45. Have you ever binged an anime all night?
Yes, I watched the entirety of Anohana in one night. Sure, it was only eleven episodes, but that's usually my limit in one sitting.
46. Do you write fanfiction for your anime, if so, what anime?
I haven't written a fic in ages. If you want to see my disasters, here they are. I actually still get reviews on them from time to time, which surprised me. How do people find this stuff after more than a decade?
47. Has watching anime made you more interested in Japanese culture? How so?
A bit, I guess. I'm way more interested in Japanese mythology than I used to be.
48. How do you watch your anime? (Online, DVD, etc.)
I usually stream in online.
49. How do you feel about yaoi, yuri, shounen-ai, or shojo-ai?
First off, yaoi and yuri are way different from shounen-ai and shoujo-ai. Sure, they all involve same-sex couples, but the difference is that shounen-ai and shoujo-ai are more innocent, and yaoi and yuri are pretty much porn. Same-sex couples in love are fine. Two people of the same sex getting it on just to turn on viewers of the opposite sex is not. I could get into this more, but I'd probably make enemies.
50. How has anime impacted you as a person?
As dumb as it sounds, anime has changed my life. My drawing has transformed a lot because of it. I've also foraged friendships online and offline because of anime. I really don't know where I'd be without it.
I'm sure I've created hundreds since childhood, but I don't really do a lot with most of them. Heck, I'm sure I've forgotten a lot of them.
2. Have you created characters for a fandom? If so, which one/ones?
I very rarely do that. In fact, the only time I remember doing something like that is with my namesake, Keba. She originated as an Inuyasha fan character. She quickly became something else entirely, though. Keba has gone through so many transformations it's crazy.
3. What is the most important thing, to you, about creating a character?
The most important thing to me is that I have to like the character in some way-- whether it's drawing it, writing about it, or just thinking about developing it.
4. Have you created content featuring your character?
I have a lot of stories and fan art. I just haven't really churned out a lot of it lately.
5. What do you like most about a character you’ve created?
Ooh, boy. That's a tough question. First I have to actually PICK a character to say what I like most about it. I have trouble doing stuff like that, so I'm just going to skip this question. Sorry.
6. Has anyone else created content featuring your character?
Yes, other people have drawn my characters. I LOVE when they do that.
7. What are your characters, to you?
My characters are like my babies. They grow and develop kind of like children grow up.
8. What’s your favorite type of character to create/write for?
I tend to like writing characters being angry and/or sarcastic. Too bad I have so few of those.
9. What’s the first thing you work on when you create your characters?
Usually, it's the design. I have to draw them out first.
10. Have you created a character or type of character that you are now ashamed of?
I wrote a story in my early to mid teens about magical girls. It was called Happiness, after the title character. The main character was kind of a self-insertion, though not a Mary Sue. She was kind of the newbie of the group, and didn't have a lot of confidence in herself. She wasn't perfect by any means. The REAL Mary Sue was the magical girl team's leader. She was the stereotypical "perfect girl" who was both smart and beautiful. Everybody in the story loved her. There was also a really angsty magical girl in there who had no redeeming qualities that I can think of. Plus, a couple of the other girls were kind of racial stereotypes. I didn't outright say what races the were, but they were still stereotypes.
11. What are the major inspirations you draw from for your characters?
I'm not certain what this means. If it's "How do your characters inspire you?" then I don't know-- I guess just by being my characters...?
12. Do you have a type of character you simply cannot or don’t want to create?
I'm really bad at making a likable villain. That's a problem, because conflict is necessary for a good story. Usually, when I make a villain that I like, I want it to be one of the "good guys" instead. I have to get past that, because most of my "bad guys" are very two-dimensional.
13. Do you really like someone else’s character? If so, why?
When you say "someone else", do you mean someone famous or someone you know personally? If it's the latter, I'd have to say that I really like a lot of the characters I see right here on theO. It's mostly the original, non-fan characters that I gravitate to.
14. Do you change your characters based off of your own change in mindset?
I don't know about my own mindset, but a lot of my characters do change over time.
15. What character type do you want to see more of?
Intellectual non-humans. It gets boring when the only species that you can communicate with is your own.
16. What’s an idea for a character you had, that never became more than an idea?
I can't think of many instances of that. I have some ideas for characters, but I do intend to draw and write about them someday.
17. If someone wanted to direct a movie involving your OCs, would you let them?
I'd most likely be breathing down their neck to make sure that they got my characters ABSOLUTELY right. I'd probably be so controlling that the person directing the movie would quit and scrap the project. LOL.
I was tagged by Ellenor Mererid on DA, but since I already did it there some time ago, I'm bringing a new one to theO.
Rules:
1. Write 10 things about you.
2. Tag 10 people to do the same.
My 10 things:
1. My custom title here on theO is "Don't Forget 3 Oct", not just for the obvious Fullmetal Alchemist reference, but because I won a Premium on that day in 2013. Also, exactly one year before that, I moved into my apartment. FYI, I didn't burn my old place down, especially since my family was renting it out. Our actual house was under construction. I'd tell you what I did on 3 Oct 2011, the (fictional) 100-year anniversary of when Ed and Al set off on their journey, but I didn't start reading the FMA manga until a month after that.
2. Speaking of when I picked up the FMA manga, I started reading it after recovering from surgery. I took a break from it shortly after reading about Tucker doing... THAT. What can I say? I was in a hospital, which is kind of a lousy place to be in while reading that stuff. Reading Azumanga Daioh in a hospital is a different story.
3. "Keba", or some variation thereof, has almost always been my username. Before that, I was known as either "SaturnPuff" (Sailor Saturn plus Jigglypuff) or "Pwek" (the name of an alien species that I made up).
4. The high school that I went to had a radio station. I took broadcasting classes starting my second semester as a freshman, all the way to the end of my high school career. I was even a DJ at the station.
5. The best day of my life was March 1, 2003 because I got my drivers license and went to my first rock concert, all in the same day. It was a Bon Jovi concert; what a shocker. That was also the day I decided that I was going to be a rock star.
6. The album that I'm trying to record so badly will have 12 tracks. They are (in no particular order):
Anthem
Battle Scars
Your Name
All Bow before the Queen
Everything to Everyone
Suburban Prophet
Rebel without a Clue
Growing Up the Wrong Way
Fell in Love with a Rock Star
This Ain't Your Song
Get Immortal or Die Trying
I went to High School with a Guy from Fall Out Boy and I Didn't Even Get a Stupid Song Written about Me
7. If you're wondering about that last track, it's 100% true. I know you don't believe me; it's the interwebz after all. One of these days I'll have to livestream and show you one of my yearbooks. That is, after I remember to lug all my yearbooks over from my parents' place.
8. I've never met an anime that I didn't like on some level. Even the ones I wasn't too keen on have at least one redeeming quality. Then again, I guess I must only be watching the cream of the crop.
9. I still have my brother's old Nintendo 64. I don't play it much, though. Still, it's the only thing my grandma's old TV is good for... besides taking up space.
10. I miss playing Pokemon. I wish I could play the current Pokemon games, but the Pokemon are so numerous and my training methods are so time-consuming that the game would take over my life. One of these days I want to get my old Pokemon games' batteries replaced so I can "catch 'em all". And now that I know how to do "the Mew trick", I technically could be able to.
RULES
1. Pick a theme song for each of your OCs.
2. Tag as many people as you please.
3. Have fun doing it.
Note: Descriptions are optional. I'm just doing them 'cause I like to talk about my OCs.
Keba
Yeah, it had to be a Bon Jovi song. *Shot.* Still, this song really fits the character. She's lost, she's lonely, she needs reassurance. This song is the kind of thing she really needs.
Jon
I'm aware that this is a cover, but I still like this version. The reason I think it fits Jon is because of something in Destination that I haven't even written yet. Without spoiling that part, I'll just say that Keba starts to have a hard time trusting Jon.
Naomi
Woohoo! Official lyrics! Even though I haven't heard this song many times, I think the lyrics fit Naomi perfectly. The part about "nights when you're awake" really remind me of how the powers that she hates so much come out when she's sleeping. Then there's the message of, "Sure it's bad now, but there's hope." In fact, the only way it doesn't fit Naomi is the style of music.
Marshall
I keep repeating myself over and over with this one. I say this is the theme song for Survival Instincts itself, but I think it fits Marshall the most of the three of them. He's kind of a misfit in a cold world, and that's what I think the song conveys.
Dice
I can explain. Dice's REAL theme song is a spoiler (highlight for song:"Welcome to the Bottom" by Vertical Horizon, which you probably haven't heard of anyway), so I'm including the song where I got his name from. Sure, there's the whole thing with him seeing the word on a t-shirt that says "Roll the Dice", but that saying is actually another song that inspired his name...
The entire cast of The Rebels of Planet Aadau
I actually don't have individual theme songs for any of them. It's more like a soundtrack. Back when I wrote the original draft, my brother would often be playing the original "Starcraft", so I often associate the music with "Rebels". Yeah, that's how old this story is.
Taggin' time!
I tag neilly, toyotami kun, Judai Winchester, and anyone else who wants to do this.
