Welcome to Listopia, world of lists~!
In this world you can read my top ten lists and reviews for video games, movie, music, anime, etc.
This is a world of my opinion, take it however you'd like.
- Created By Wakusei Aoshi
Good OSTs
Just listing some good ones off the top of my head that I highly recommend:
Otogizoushi
Since the anime takes place in both modern day and historical Japan there is a mix of both traditional japanese music and a sort of synthpop sound as can be heard from this song. The music was composer of this soundtrack also composed Death Note's soundtrack.
Togainu no Chi
No album in particular, just anything Togainu no Chi. I've never even read this visual novel/watched the anime but the music associated with this franchise is killer, and as the title says, epic. I can hardly describe the type of music. I guess it could be described as your typical awesome song from an anime, but that goes for every song. I was so surprised by the music, I HIGHLY recommend this soundtrack.
Berserk
Okay, just anything by Susumu Hirasawa, but the tracks from Berserk (this specific album) are so few, but are some of the most memorable songs from Susumu Hirasawa. Not only that, but these songs just don't get old.
Chikyuu Shoujo Arjuna
Again, anything by this composer, who is Yoko Kanno (for your information). I love anything by Yoko Kanno, but I feel the sound track for Chikyuu Shoujo Arjuna is one of her best. Every track sends me into an incredible fantasy world and is inspiring beyond words.
Death Note
Another soundtrack with Taniuchi Hideki. This one is much different from Otogizoushi, but still lovely. Perhaps I just like this for the nostalgia (probably goes for most of these soundtracks, but honestly the other soundtracks are killer), but I mean, it's Death Note. What's not to love?
Shiki
Haven't actually given this anime/manga I try (an attempt, but it bored me, I'm sorry, I know it has a lot of fans...'orz) but this soundtrack is killer. I am a fan of Takanashi Yasuharu, especially in all those Jigoku Shoujo soundtracks, but most of the Jigoku Shoujo soundtracks have the boring songs or just unfitting songs. Everything in the Shiki soundtrack is superb.
Requiem for the Phantom
Another anime I just couldn't get into. This soundtrack is a masterpiece to my ears, but it's just disappointing I did not feel the same way about the anime (it's the animation and colours, I can't stand to watch anime like this one). Forget the anime, you can make up your own world with this music. The soundtrack is mainly with faint, quiet, thrilling sorts of songs, but they are so wonderfully atmospheric.
Noir
I also recommend Madlax and Tsubasa, but this song is just too great to skip over. Anything by Yuki Kajiura is great. A few songs here and there aren't so great, but out of any of the listed albums you will find a few gems like this song.
Michiko e Hatchin
I am just in love with this anime! XD The soundtrack is very unique for an anime. It is a gangster brazilian styled soundtrack that is candy for the ears. Each song has a completely different feel that can make you feel tense, excited, joyous, sad, etc.
Mushishi
This one I would like to present more as a 'help me' case. The soundtrack is beautiful...but I also feel like there are probably lots of soundtracks like this, yet I can not find any soundtrack that is as powerful with such gorgeous tracks as this one. Where can I find more Mushishi-esque soundtracks gaiz, help me! ;3; This is great if you like traditional Japanese sounding music.
I've heard a ton of other great soundtracks, but these are just some off the top of my head..or just looking at my library...XD
If you liked these composers you should check out their other soundtracks. Some others that I recommend from the above composers:
Yoko Kanno:
Basically everything...buuut these are also pretty good
Cowboy Bebop
Ghost in the Shell (a few boring tracks, but also some of her the songs I've ever heard)
Wolf's Rain
Vision of Escaflowne (a few boring tracks, but a few gems)
Macross Plus (another soundtrack as good as Chikyuu Shoujo Arjuna. The tracks feature lots of experimentation)
Turn A Gundam (just one song in particular I love)
Yuki Kajiura:
Tsubasa
Madlax
Le Portrait de Petit Cossette
.hack//SIGN
Takanashi Yasuharu:
All Jigoku Shoujo Soundtracks (a few classic songs are great, the tense songs are dull, though)
Susumu Hirasawa:
All of his other albums. What you think I am exaggerating? I am 100% serious. Listen to everything by this man, he is a genius. There was a time when I got bored with his music (listened to it 24/7 for a few months can ruin the magic), but I have returned to him and am continuously hooked onto whatever new song I can find.
Okie dokie! That's all folks! I may do another one of these...'cause I have lot of soundtracks that I adore~!
Ten Beautiful Songs from an Anime OST
Haven't made a list in a while. I was just thinking about my favourites and then I really wanted to share them! XD
Basically the overall theme in Laputa I loved, but this song in particular I find so fantastic because of what happened as it played. I think it was the best scene I've ever seen in a movie where they played such a beautiful melody to the destruction of such a great structure.
This has always been a favourite of mine. I would listen to it all the time when I was little. The only thing I disliked about it was that it got so upbeat towards the end. I liked the melancholic feel of it.
I think whoever composed this is a genius. This song allows my mind to explore. It's like a cold rainy day at a coffee shop, sitting there pondering.
The basic melody of this is lovely. I can listen to it a billion times and never tire of it. It also gives a nice, calm, almost nostalgic feel.
Yo, sorry for skipping to such an intense song like that! XD The intensity of this song is just so great that it's hard to not listen to it again and again and again. Makes you want to write in a notebok extreme Light style! >:D
I remember listening to the Mitsuganae soundtrack and when this song came up I just kinda ignored it until it got into the third part of the song. Wow, that is hard to describe with words. I feel the melody for the Mitsuganae sountrack was the most emotional of all three seasons and this song by far illustrated this emotion the best.
This song feels like an adventure! *3* It's one of my favourite from Yuki Kajiura.
Moon Revenge is one of my favourite melodies from Sailor Moon. It's very serious and beautiful and I feel it reflects Sailor Moon as what it was.
First track of the OST. As a whole the OST is beautiful and it was hard to choose a song from that OST, so I just chose the first one. I think it's a really great way to start such a wonderful soundtrack.
Another intense song. I think this is the best intense song from a soundtrack I've heard because it sounds like the perfect climax 'I'm gonna do something and it's gonna be important' song.
5 Scary Anime Songs from Non-Horror Anime
I was going to make this a top of the top kind of list, but I don't know enough anime soundtracks to be able to do this. I just kept it with the 5 that made me think, when watching the shows, 'Holy crap, this s**t is for real' (actually in order of scariness..XD):
5. Tenchi Muyo! - Ryoko Attacks Jurai
It's all fun and games with Tenchi Muyo until somebody dies. Yep. This anime...I remember watching it when I was a kid and remembering how hilarious it was, but then I also remember how intense it was. Maybe that's what makes it so great of a show, it's not just comedy.
4. Shin Sekai Yori
A lot of the songs in this anime are terrifying or creepy. Especially Akki at 8:20. Perhaps this doesn't really count for much in my list since it's often a very creepy anime, but it's not horror! 
3. Steins;Gate - Disquiet
Definitely thought this was just a fun, pleasant anime, until they started talking about the laws of time....;m; Very terrifying and because of this song I was left with many nightmares.
2. X - Countdown
Why?! When the rest of the OST is so beautiful...WHY SONG! Definitely one of the scariest songs I've ever heard (but not number one! O.O). Every part of this song is terrifying.
1. Arjuna - Time to Die
Soundtrack is the best I've ever heard. The most beautiful. I really love this song, but...it just terrifies the crap outta me. I congratulate Yoko Kanno for making THE scariest song I've ever heard that actually made me fear for my life. Just gotta remember it's just a song...just a song...just a song...;m;
Top 10 Scariest E rated Games!!
I just felt like making this list. E rated games are so often ignored on the 'scary' lists.
I afraid of practically every video game, but in this list I have compiled the games that have given me the greatest scares and terrified the crap outta me. Sure, many of these are very close to my heart, but the also appear in almost half of my nightmares.
Let's start with numbah 10~!
Animal Crossing
It's all nice and happy. You befriend a nice animal named Gaston and one day while he's near his house you decide to go in...and you FIND A TORTURE ROOM! Really? WAI?! My dear bunny friend! ;m; Just the thought that my new animal friend could possibly be a secret criminal of some kind and the game never mentions it is very terrifying. Why does the game even have wallpaper etc. like that in the first place? 'Dungeon' wallpaper...O.o;
(And anybody else get the feeling of the game 999 from that picture? XD)
9. Ty the Tasmanian Tiger
...This game...I know it's trying to be funny and all...but it's really freaky! ;m;
There are SERIOUS SHARKS IN THIS GAME! TT^TT Ughh...buggg...And that big boar in the picture, yeah, he's nice to ride, but hearing his footsteps in the boss battle is the most terrifying thing in the world....I can't handle this game...Actually, yes I can, but I can't deny that it has some very scary parts (at least for me).
The game itself I have fond memories of...yet it's not really a good game...O.o;
8. Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Although, I personally was not scared by the final boss, it is a fairly terrifying boss, based on the appearance. What scared me were the Ripple Star levels and the Scarfies...;m; WAI GAME?! WAI?! Scarfies are so cute, and then they suddenly have sharp teeth and try to eat you...;m; Ripple Star is so happy and cute and then you get into the castle and it's basically haunted...WAI?!
Crystal Shards has a good mix of darkness and adorableness which makes it both a great game and freaky game.
7. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
It's not really that scary of the game, even Twilight Town is light hearted. It's hard to be afraid of a game's setting when every time you encounter an enemy you art on stage with crowd. Not particularly scary at all...
Yet...I'm suspicious of everything...On Excess Express in room number 4, if you use Vivian's Veil to hide, the ghost, Ghost T will appear(to be expected).
In Rogueport the 'gallows' are in the center, first thing you see. Wai?! It makes the area look tough and suspicious. See, suspicious!!
But the scariest place for me is the happy town of Glitzville. Why? Because it's so happy yet there are all these scandals and creepy things going on in the Glitz Pit that nobody is aware of. I rarely enter Glitzville after beating that chapter just because of the story behind it...;m;
6. Luigi's Mansion
This game is supposed to be horror-themed and appropriately it should be scary, and it is.
The ghosts that talk are less terrifying than the ones that don't speak at all. Mainly I'm talking about Mr. Luggs, who is eating so much he can't speak, and The Clockwork Soldiers. They either just mind their business or attack you.
...I don't like Mr. Luggs...;m;
This game isn't supposed to be happy and cute so there is very little comfort in this game, despite there being many comedic scenes.
5. Super Mario 64
How is this a kids game! ;m; I could barely play this game when I was little and still find it hard to play now...Ughhh...TT^TT
The Haunted House is...too scary to mention....but I will~! How can you expect a kid to beat the game if you have a level with music like this:
For me, that wasn't the only scarring part of the game. Jolly Roger Bay...oh..my...god...How can you expect me to get the stars in that level, game?! ;m; The music freaks me out and I'm very much afraid of large bodies of water not to mention GIANT EELS! TT^TT Dire Dire Docks was just as bad.
This is why I've never beaten that game...I can't get past the levels that terrify me...TT^TT (Oh my sorrows, oh my sorrows....)
4. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
I think we can all agree that to some degree this game is certainly terrifying. I also think we can all agree that is was hard to stay sane on the Goddess's Trial parts.
Here is an example of what I'm talking about (a playthrough video, sorry for any possible spoilers!):
Now, something that was not as extreme, yet still eerie. Anybody else get a creepy vibe from the Ancient Cistern? I mean, you have the beautiful area with clean water, etc., and then you go below it and the water is polluted, there are redeads everywhere and it is a hell. Of course, it all fits with the story that inspired the Ancient Cistern, but still...I don't like to think that something pretty is just covering evil...O.o;
3. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Yep, another Zelda game, but this one is BY FAR scarier than Skyward Sword. I can't even begin to explain the terror and emotional scarring I've received from this game (none).
From the redeads you faced to get the Sun's Song, the future Hyrule, to the Forest Temple, and my list just goes on and on. How this game got an 'E' rating with enemies like Dead Hand and Wall Masters I don't really know, but it definitely still is a game for everyone.
2. Banjo-Tooie
I was debating on whether to make this number one or not, but I decided, since it wasn't even supposed to be mentally scarring the first place that it should just stay second.
However...it's definitely the most terrifying game I've ever play, ever experienced. I have to say, watching Amnesia Let's Plays compared to watching Banjo-Tooie Let's Plays is like watching Black Swan versus The Garbage Pail Kids. Amnesia is supposed to be scary, Banjo-Tooie is supposed to be funny, yet Banjo-Tooie seems to leave me with more nightmares than the latter game.
Here is just a taste:
How can anybody handle that music?! TT^TT That kind of music I've always been the most afraid of, and having it as the entire OST of the game...;m;
Though, the game is pretty fun. It's a very satisfying game and there are SO many things to do it in it. It's a combination of all the fun parts of other games in one. It is a good game, yet I can't play it all...Not one moment of this game do I feel okay...;m;
....In conclusion, I do not like banjos! :D
1. Majora's Mask
I can't put my finger on it....why is this game number one...why? WHY?!
The feeling of this game cannot be compared to any other game. By far the freakiest game I've ever played. It has such an exotic vibe, as if it belongs to not country, it's just there. The gameplay itself and storyline is so much more obscure than any other Zelda game.
The entire game you only have 3 days or else the world will be destroyed by colliding by the ever present moon (with a face on it).
Here's a taste:
I would have to say that about 90% of my dreams and nightmares are related to Majora's Mask.
It's a wonderful experience, but not a particularly happy and silly experience (though there are still comedic scenes like there are in any Nintendo game)
10 Movies You Might Have Never Heard Of
(Inspired by my many posts of random movies...I'll compile some great movies that don't get as much recognition as they should).
Most of these are rated R, so heads up on that, but they really are great stories and are beautifully written.
(Also, emphasis on the 'might', but I feel that it's impossible for them to be that rare)
12
(Just talked about this in my last post)
Rated: R
Summary (not from me):
A loose remake of 12 Angry Men, set in a Russian school. 12 jurors are struggling to decide the fate of a Chechen teenager who allegedly killed his Russian stepfather who took the teenager to live with him in Moscow during the Chechen War in which teenager lost his parents. The jurors: a racist taxi-driver, a suspicious doctor, a vacillating TV producer, a Holocaust survivor, a flamboyant musician, a cemetery manager, and others represent the fragmented society of modern day Russia. A stray bird (a touch of New Age cinema) is flying above the jurors' heads, alluding to tolerance.
My Opinion:
For me, it was sorta boring at first, but then it got more exciting as the movie went on. It's a really long movie, too. Afterwards it will leave you thinking about what you just watched and all the pieces will slowly fall together. It's a movie with one plot and another hidden underneath.
Incendies
Rated: R
Summary (not from me):
When notary Lebel sits down with siblings Jeanne and Simon Marwan to read them their mother Nawal's will, the twins are stunned to receive a pair of envelopes -- one for the father they thought was dead and another for a brother they didn't know existed. In this enigmatic inheritance, Jeanne sees the key to Nawal's retreat into unexplained silence during the final weeks of her life. She immediately decides to go to the Middle East to dig into a family history of which she knows next to nothing. Simon is unmoved by their mother's posthumous mind games. However, the love he has for his sister is strong, and he soon joins her in combing their ancestral homeland in search of a Nawal who is very different from the mother they knew. With Lebel's help, the twins piece together the story of the woman who brought them into the world, discovering a tragic fate as well as the courage of an exceptional woman. Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at this year's Academy Awards, INCENDIES is a masterful cinematic achievement, delivering a powerful and poetic testament to the uncanny power of the will to survive.
My Opinion:
This movie is filled with terrors and constantly depressing events, however it's hard not to stop watching it because you really want to know who Jeanne and Simon's father is. Very good mystery with a great twist at the end.
City of Life and Death
Rated: R
Summary (not from me): In December 1937, the Imperial Japanese Army laid siege to the Chinese capital of Nanking, killing as many as 300,000 citizens during a six-week reign of terror, the details of which Japan and China dispute to this day. Shot in dazzling black-and-white Cinemascope, City of Life and Death is a visionary re-telling of one of the most horrific chapters in modern Asian history, and an unforgettable masterpiece of contemporary world cinema.
My Opinion:
Exactly what it says at the end of that summary. This movie, from beginning to end, was a masterpiece. Probably one of my favourites now. Since it is about the Raping of Nanking, of course it's very depressingly violent, but the directing, acting, over cinematic quality of the movie is perfection.
Never Let Me Go
Rated: R (Not sure why....maybe for sex...?)
Summary (not from me): Kathy, Tommy and Ruth live in a world and a time that feel familiar to us, but are not quite like anything we know. They spend their childhood at Hailsham, a seemingly idyllic English boarding school. When they leave the shelter of the school and the terrible truth of their fate is revealed to them, they must also confront the deep feelings of love, jealousy and betrayal that threaten to pull them apart.
My Opinion:
The story is excellent, the acting is excellent, and the overall feel of the movie is quiet and nice. The end made me cry so hard. I almost completely missed this movie, but when I was looking stuff up about Andrew Garfield and Kiera Knightley and Carey Mulligan...all my favourite actors and actresses, and I realized 'WHY ARE ALL THESE GREAT PEOPLE IN THE SAME MOVIE?! HOW HAVE I NEVER HEARD OF THIS?!' so I had to watch it, and I loved it.
The White Ribbon
Rated: R
Summary (Not from me): A village in Protestant northern Germany. 1913-1914. On the eve of World War I. The story of the children and teenagers of a choir run by the village schoolteacher, and their families: the baron, the steward, the pastor, the doctor, the midwife, the tenant farmers. Strange accidents occur and gradually take on the character of a punishment ritual. Who is behind it all? The village schoolteacher observes, investigates and little by little discovers the incredible truth. Are we being asked to consider whether these events heralded something that would explode years later with the rise of Nazi Germany? Did these events contain the germs of the tragedies that followed?
My Opinion:
I thought this was the most boring movie until the end. But looking back, it was a rather enjoyable movie. It was rather beautiful at times, and depressing, but the main thing of this movie is 'Why did it'. That's what makes this movie so interesting. It's as if you're given a crime scene and you have to solve it.
Mother
Rated: R
Summary (not from me): The latest film from award-winning Korean director Bong Joon-ho (The Host) is a unique murder mystery about a mother's primal love for her son. Mother is a devoted single parent to her simple-minded twenty-seven-year-old son, Do-joon. Often a source of anxiety to his mother, Do-joon behaves in foolish or simply dangerous ways. One night, while walking home drunk, he encounters a school girl who he follows for a while before she disappears into a dark alley. The next morning, she is found dead in an abandoned building and Do-joon is accused of her murder. An inefficient lawyer and an apathetic police force result in a speedy conviction. His mother refuses to believe her beloved son is guilty and immediately undertakes her own investigation to find the girl’s killer. In her obsessive quest to clear her son’s name, Mother steps into a world of unimaginable chaos and shocking revelations.
My Opinion:
Very clever movie. I never foresaw the conclusion of the murder case. It was very well done and kept you guessing. Something about this movie makes me really love it even though it's also rather despicable...Very memorable
In a Better World
Rated: R
Summary (not from me): Anton is a doctor who commutes between his home in an idyllic town in Denmark, and his work at an African refugee camp. In these two very different worlds, he and his family are faced with conflicts that lead them to difficult choices between revenge and forgiveness. Anton and his wife Marianne, who have two young sons, are separated and struggling with the possibility of divorce. Their older, ten-year-old son Elias is being bullied at school, until he is defended by Christian, a new boy who has just moved from London with his father, Claus. Christian's mother recently lost her battle with cancer, and Christian is greatly troubled by her death. Elias and Christian quickly form a strong bond, but when Christian involves Elias in a dangerous act of revenge with potentially tragic consequences, their friendship is tested and lives are put in danger. Ultimately, it is their parents who are left to help them come to terms with the complexity of human emotions, pain and empathy.
My Opinion:
It is a really good movie and an example of a movie that does't shove morals in your face. It does so subtly. The plot is genius and there are just SO MANY tear jerking moments. Very great movie.
Curse of the Golden Flower
Rated: R
Summary (not from me): Set in 10th century China, the film portrays the imperial Chinese family rapidly losing internal strength due to a power struggle between the emperor (Yun-Fat), the empress (Li), and the couple's three sons.
My Opinion:
Pretty sure any Jay Chou fans would know of this movie. The plot for me was something that I really love watching in movies (sounds sorta creepy, but these kinds of movies are very interesting). Probably the most beautiful movie I've ever seen. The trailer delivers it as an action movie, but I never really thought about it as an action movie. Also, the trailer doesn't do it any justice...>3>
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Rated: PG-13
Summary (not from me): The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is the remarkable true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, a successful and charismatic editor-in-chief of French Elle, who believes he is living his life to its absolute fullest when a sudden stroke leaves him in a life-altered state. While the physical challenges of Bauby's fate leave him with little hope for the future, he begins to discover how his life's passions, his rich memories and his newfound imagination can help him achieve a life without boundaries.
My Opinion:
Whoever made this movie is a pure genius. The movie gave me the feeling of being disabled, having a stroke...two things that sound very uncomfortable, but it's exciting because you know it's a movie and that never really happened (to you, it did to the real guy...). It's all about the experience for this movie.
A Better Life
Rated: PG-13
Summary (not from me): From the director of About a Boy comes A Better Life – a touching, poignant, multi-generational story about a father’s love and the lengths a parent will go to give his child the opportunities he never had.
My Opinion:
Most of these movies on my list haven't been American....this one is~! Okay, so this probably has been heard of by many 'cause of Bashir, but I feel it didn't get enough recognition. If only it hadn't been the same year as The Artist, I think Bashir should have won best actor. The movie itself is just a perfect movie. Sometimes funny, thrilling, exciting, depressing, action-y, everything, and it all gives you a good message. A very moving movie, and is a total success as a movie (hits all the important points). It's not entirely deep, but it shouldn't be.
Sin Nombre
Rated: R
Summary (not from me): Seeking the promise of America, a beautiful young Honduran woman, Sayra, joins her father and uncle on an odyssey to cross the gauntlet of the Latin American countryside en route to the United States. Along the way she crosses paths with a teenage Mexican gang member, El Casper, who is maneuvering to outrun his violent past and elude his unforgiving former associates. Together they must rely on faith, trust and street smarts if they are to survive their increasingly perilous journey towards the hope of new lives.
My Opinion:
This movie was so uncomfortable, it gave me the feeling of cutting your hands and rubbing it in the dirt. So I guess that means this movie is very successful. It has a nice plot, it's actually rather action-y and thrilling, and it also sends a great message just like A Better Life. This movie also has several despicable things that, compared to the other movies on this list, shocked me the most. Watch out for those, but it really is a great movie!
(I think that's 10....I dunno, I can't count...'orz)
(Most of these aren't America...why? Umm...most good American movies area already made a big deal of, so I didn't think they would fit. There are a few that most people haven't heard of that ARE good, but I don't really like most of them....O.o; I mean, they're good movies, just nothing I'm very fond of)
