5 Reasons you Need to Watch Ace of the Diamond

 

When thinking of sports anime, titles such as Haikyuu, Slam Dunk and Kuroko's Basketball are ones that immediately come to mind. Ace of Diamond doesn't usually come up on that list. Whether you're a baseball fan or not, I'm going to give you 5 reasons that Ace of Diamond needs to be on your to watch list. 

1. The main lead isn't immediately good or a prodigy.

The main lead is Eijun Sawamura and his start in the anime isn't a smooth one. He has a bit of raw talent, but he's certainly not viewed as a prodigy or a natural talent. When Eijun officially starts high school and is on the team, he's basically the last pitcher on the depth chart and is actually originally very close to not even being on the team. 

2. There's competition not just with other teams but amongst the team. 

We don't just see the Seido baseball team face other teams. There's even players facing off against each other for a spot on the roster. Eijun's biggest rival isn't a pitcher or hitter on another team, but a pitcher on his own team. Furuya comes in as the exact opposite of Eijun. He has the natural talent and is even considered a "monster rookie" when he makes his debut. Eijun is constantly facing off against Furuya to move up the depth chart and get to his ultimate goal of becoming the ace. 

3. True camaraderie amongst the team.

There's not just competition amongst the team, but also a lot of camaraderie. Players are constantly taking shadow swings together and helping each other practice at all hours of the night. While Eijun and Furuya are technically each other's biggest rivals, they also both push the other to be better. One of the largest turning point in the series was when Eijun had to overcome the yips. The current players and even a past catcher that he developed a good relationship with, rallied around him to help him get past this. 

  

4. Easy to root for the other teams.

There are SO many teams we get to see throughout the anime. We see Inashiro with Narumiya Mei who comes off as a complete brat, but actually has a strong sense of responsibility as the ace of Inashiro. There's a team once considered a dark horse in Yakushi, with a funny manager and players like Raichi who only thinks of swinging his bat. Then there's Amahisa with Sankou, a pitcher who originally decides to quit the team on a whim, but after seeing them suffer a devastating loss, decides to return to the team and give it his all. He also develops a funny but lovable relationship with Eijun. 

5. BROMANCE

Sawamura and Chris have one of my favorite bromances ever. Chris starts out dejected as he's dealing with injury that has really derailed his baseball career. He clearly sees Eijun as a brat and isn't the warmest towards him. In turn Eijun is disrespectful towards him and doesn't care to listen to any of his advice. With Miyuki intervening, this all changes and you can literally see how Eijun helps Chris light up again. Chris becomes someone Eijun really respects and wants to impress, even showing a lot of emotion when Chris graduated. Miyuki and Kuramochi come in a close second. Although they claim to not be friends, they spend all their time even off the baseball field hanging out and bickering. Kuramochi also seems to worry when Miyuki is at odds with another player on the team and doesn't seem to take offense to any of Miyuki's harsh jokes. 

Ultimately, Ace of the Diamond has it all when looking for a sports anime. While baseball may not be everyone's sport of choice, the series transforms every game into a high-stakes emotional battle. Between its memorable cast, intense rivalries, strong themes of teamwork and perseverance, and the growth of characters like Sawamura, it's easy to become invested in Seido's journey.

Learning to Love and the Myth of the Ideal Woman

This article will explore how the Japanese drama Learning to Love challenges traditional gender expectations through the experiences of its protagonist, Ogawa. While the series centers on a taboo romance between Ogawa and a male host Kaoru, its deeper message exposes the pressures women face to conform to outdated ideals of the “perfect” woman such as being obedient, dependent, and self-sacrificing. Through Ogawa’s relationships and gradual self-liberation, the show redefines what independence and love can look like for modern women.

Ogawa's relationship with her mother and father was at best a tense one. Her father was very steadfast in his belief that he "owned" both Ogawa and her mother. He used his influence to obtain jobs for Ogawa, tried to arrange who she would marry, and even attempted to lock Ogawa in her room when she tried to move out of the family home and find her independence. We see that same treatment of Ogawa's mom through the drama. She's treated as just a homemaker and the father makes it very clear she should only speak when spoken to. 

We also see two failed relationships for Ogawa throughout the drama. The first one we see is a relationship between Ogawa and her coworker that ends in Ogawa's coworker cheating on her. Her next romantic setback came in the form of her arranged fiance, Kawahara. He's a wealthy man working in finance with her father. Although not as traumatic due to Ogawa's indifference towards him, Kawahara also cheats on Ogawa. This is all done while him spending the earlier part of the series judging Ogawa for her relationship with Kaoru. Kawahara does take a turn towards the end of the series by acknowledging that both he and Kaoru, the host, have flaws, but in different moral ways.

Although the most "taboo" relationship, the most successful relationship in the drama is Ogawa's relationship with Kaoru. Despite his much younger age, livelihood as a host, and lack of formal education, Kaoru is the first man in the series we see treat Ogawa with kindness and respect. He shows himself to be better than the more educated men Ogawa was with previously. He supports her growth and works to overcome his own learning challenges, showing love rooted in equality rather than control.

By the end of the drama we see major growth from Ogawa. She successfully moves out of the family home into her own apartment and confesses her relationship with Kaoru publicly which results in consequences such as her losing her job. She's able to find a new job on her own without her father's help symbolizing true independence and freedom from societal and familial expectations.

BTS x Blue Lock Characters

 

Please beware, this will definitely contain anime spoilers! Now I know I'm late to the party, but after recently watching Blue Lock and binge reading the manga in a week (3 days) I have fully hopped on the Blue Lock train. Now while I wasn't avoiding Blue Lock, I also wasn't fully convinced I'd enjoy it... I clearly did so if you need a sign to watch, here you go. This is the sign. As I was watching Blue Lock, I felt that I needed to combine my new favorite thing with my old favorites. Those old favorites being, as you guessed it, BTS! 

As I was reading the new weekly Blue Lock chapter I thought it'd be fun to assign each BTS member a Blue Lock character and well here we are! Now just to be clear, I do not think that really any of the boys line up perfectly with any of the characters. This is just who I thought their personalities matched up with the best. With that being said, let's unpack who my seven favorite boys resemble in Blue Lock. 

Jin and Mikage Reo 

I think this may be one of the most obvious ones here. Jin and Reo have two major things in common. First both are RIDICULOUSLY charming. I enjoyed Reo more and more after watching him in the anime and seeing him more in the manga. Do I even need to say anything about this for Jin? I really think Jin is one of the most charming Kpop idols. The flying kisses just always get me. Second, they both have that family business dad is a CEO type thing going on. Jin's father is the CEO of a major company and we know that Reo's family is ridiculously rich. A clear match made in heaven. Also.. we miss you Jin. 

Yoongi and Nagi Seishiro 

Before I even get started, I of course don't think that Yoongi is anywhere near as lazy as Nagi is. No way he's ever even had the opportunity to be. (I still do love Nagi even with all his laziness). Now that we got that out the way... JUST LOOK AT THESE TWO. That's it, that's the tweet.... I didn't even realize how much they resembled one another until I put this together. They both quite literally are cats at heart. They also have that whole genius thing in common just in different aspects. Now of course Yoongi works ridiculously hard while everything is a hassle for Nagi, but come on the resemblance is there. 

Hoseok and Nijiro Nanase 

Please do not look at this and say...who? Now if you're not caught up on the manga, that's probably exactly what you'll say and no real need to heed any spoilers as I won't be revealing much. Now if you have read the manga you (hopefully) agree that he has shown to be an absolute sunshine!! With all the edgy and some downright mean characters it was so hard to find a match for out sunshine Hobi. I think the best option I found was the polite Nijiro. The first time Isagi met him he just gave such puppy dog energy. We know that Hobi is both our hope and our sunshine so Nijiro is certainly his best match. Also.. we miss you too Hobi.

Namjoon and Isagi Yoichi 

Namjoon is our resident main character and Isagi Yoichi is our real main character in Blue Lock. Do I need to say more? No. Will I say more? Yes. What immediately reminds me of Namjoon is when Isagi, Barou, Nagi, and Chigiri lost to Rin and Isagi was the one chosen to go on. We got to see a glimpse into their lives without Isagi and it was clearly Isagi that was the one who held that group together. He was basically the LEADER of that group. *Wink Wink* Isagi is constantly acting like the mature one of the bunch which reminds me exactly like our actual mature leader of BTS.. Kim Namjoon. We also often get to see Isagi act as the voice of reason... exactly like Namjoon. 

Jimin and Chigiri Hyoma 

This was actually another easy one for me. Now first during ISAC Jimin was actually deemed the fastest. Pairing this with the fact that Chigiri is the resident speedster in Blue Lock and we already have an easy comparison. Another thing that really stands out about these two is how elegant they are. Jimin trained as a contemporary dancer and watching him dance he's always so smooth and pretty. Chigiri is also constantly referred to as "Princess" in Blue Lock making these two a clear match. 

Taehyung and Yo Hiori 

Ok, first I have a personal reason. I first got into BTS during the Boy In Luv era back in 2014. I remember Taehyung being the first member to catch my eye and thus began the spiral. I felt the same way with Hiori and was excited for more of his dialogue in Blue Lock. Hiori also was shown to be really helpful particularly to Isagi even with Blue Lock basically being a survival competition. Although he isn't shown to be Mr.Popular he does remind me of Taehyung in that way where he's friendly and can easily get along with others. We see this clearly with Taehyung and the friend group he made quickly while acting.. and really just anyone because who doesn't love Taehyung?

Jungkook and Rin Itoshi 

Well.. it was hard for me to find a match for Jungkook.. Of course I'm not saying Jungkook is as brooding as Rin is or has as much attitude, but there are similarities. Rin is essentially the all-rounder of Blue Lock. He excels in most areas despite being a year younger than characters like Isagi. Who does that sound like? Jungkook has always been known as the "Golden Maknae" because well he can do it all. He's also the youngest of the group, kinda sounds like Rin right? ALSO THE EYESSSS! Rin has eyes a pretty green color with the longer under eyelashes and Jungkook has really pretty doe eyes. JUST LOOK AT THEM THEY FAVOR EACH OTHER!

Of course it was hard to find matches even close to perfect with the boys, but I thought it was fun to think this through and try!

The Studio Ghibli Movie Bound to Make you Cry: Grave of the Fireflies

 

Grave of the Fireflies is an animated film that takes place shortly after World War II. This film follows the lives of two children from the Japanese city of Kobe who lost their parents, their home, and their neighbors. Through and through Grave of Fireflies is sad, deflating, and doesn't offer viewers a lot of space to hope. 

Isao Takahata is the director of Grave of the Fireflies and co founder of animation studio, Studio Ghibli. I'm sure if you're reading this you're familiar with Studio Ghibli already, but just in case Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio that has produced many widely popular animated films such as My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and Princes Mononoke. 

Grave of the Fireflies is set during World War II and is actually based on the true short story by Akiyuki Nosaka. Nosaka lived through the bombing of Kobe, he lost two sisters to malnutrition and his adopted father was also killed. Japan was heavily devastated by bombings during World War II and continuously dealt with both large and small scale bombings until their surrender in 1945 after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 

The response to Grave of the Fireflies was a little lackluster. The film's budget was estimated tp be over $3 million USD and only made a little over $500,000 USD back in the box office. However, Grave of the Fireflies did win a Blue Ribbon award and two awards at the Chicago International Film Festival. Late film critic Roger Ebert called the film one of the greatest war films of all time. 

The main characters in the film are siblings Seita and Setsuko. Seita is a 14 year old boy that does everything in his power to watch over his 4 year old younger sister, Setsuko. Seita and Setsuko's aunt is shown taking the two siblings in after they lost their mother and their home. She originally seems okay with taking the two kids in, but later shows resentment at the kids taking up resources without contributing anything. 

The main themes displayed in Grave of the Fireflies include both the physical and mental destruction of war. We see the physical destruction through Seita's and Setsuko's home being destroyed and their mother essentially burning to death. We also see the mental distraction through Setsukoc crying every night after they relocate to their aunt's home and their aunt becoming incredibly resentful towards the kids. In that same vain we also see that there can be beauty even amongst destruction. Several times in the film we see beautiful lakes and green trees even amongst all the flames and destruction. 

Grave of the Fireflies is both a heartbreaking and complex animated film. It also differs from many of Studio Ghibli's usual childlike films. Grave of the Fireflies is a must watch both for Ghibli fans and even those unfamiliar with Ghibli films. 

Ranking all the Kdramas I Watched in 2022

2022 was a GREAT year in kdramas for me. I watched a total of 12 kdramas and only maybe one on this list I wasn't really a fan of. The ranking for 1-6 was very difficult and could honestly switch depending on the day you asked me about them. With that brief introduction over let's jump into my rankings starting from 12!

12. Doctor John 

Coming in at the bottom of the list is Doctor John. Now I hate that I didn't like this one as much as I thought I would. I have absolutely loved the leads Ji Sung, Lee Se Young, and Lee Kyu Hyung in other dramas and was sure that this one would be no different. Unfortunately it just fell flat for me. There was no chemistry between the two leads or the cast a a whole. Every conflict touched on was kind of just quickly thrown aside. Also I hate to be this person but... Lee Se Young's hair extensions were AWFUL to the point it was distracting. Overall I'd give this drama a 5/10 as it was mostly a disappointment. 

11. Dear M

Dear M is that perfect easy going college drama you're looking for. I'll admit, I went into this drama really not expecting much. I've seen Park Hye Su in maybe one other drama and I don't think Jeong Jae Hyun has been in any other dramas so I wasn't too familiar with either the main leads or the surrounding cast. Even with saying that I enjoyed this kdrama more than I thought I would. I know sometimes miscommunication in drama relationships can be annoying but I enjoyed getting to see the young relationship play out between the secondary couple. The one disappointing feature I found was centered around the "Dear M" mystery. It was kind of unexpected, but also wasn't super interesting and was an easy reveal to put in right at the end. Overall this was a cute drama and it's short enough there's not much time to get bored, I enjoyed it and give it a 6.5/10. 

10. All of us are Dead

I love Yoon Chan Young. That's it, that's the review. All jokes (no jokes) aside I only watched All of us are Dead because of Yoon Chan Young. I'm personally not big into the zombie theme, so ordinarily this would be a skip for me. Now what I do enjoy is a good high school drama. This drama had me both frustrated and crying. Losing some of the characters I really grew to enjoy along the way was tough and it was hard to watch the kids go through seeing their friends die like that. This drama is certainly gory so really not for the faint of heart, but I think even if you're not super into the zombie theme, there's other things to like. Overall this drama gets a 7.0/10 from me.

9. Tomorrow 

I couldn't really tell you why exactly, but Tomorrow fell a little flat for me. I certainly don't think the acting was bad and I usually enjoy the format of dealing with different cases and kind of shuffling in and out different side characters. There were some emotional moments throughout, but somehow the story didn't seem to connect well together. The chemistry between the leads also wasn't completely there which I think is important in this kind of drama. Now it seems like all I really did was criticize this one so far, but with all that being said I still rate Tomorrow a 7.0/10. There were some very touching stories throughout and while not all of these cases were handled the best, I did enjoy some of the topics touched on.

8. A Taxi Driver 

It pains me to only have A Taxi Driver at number 8. I absolutely love Lee Je Hoon and the cast exhibited the perfect chemistry I felt was lacking in Tomorrow. The only real flaw I could find in this one was the storyline centered around one specific character, Baek Sung-mi, way too much towards the end. The storyline dragged too much and took away from what could've been a nearly perfect story. I still absolutely loved this drama and felt connected to all the side character story lines. This drama was a solid 7.5/10 and is definitely a great watch if you like the action and revenge plots. There's also a season 2 currently airing!

7. Juvenile Justice 

I absolutely loved Kim Hye-soo in "Signal" and knew that I was long overdue in watching another one of her dramas. This led me to Juvenile Justice. I love legal dramas, and legal dramas centered around young adults? Sign me up. I think the biggest flaw of this drama was that it should've been longer. I would've loved to see the story of more kids and also learned more about our main character Shin Eun-seok. This drama gets a 7.5/10 for me really just because this one should've been 16 episodes. 

6. Radiant 

OK let me just say, I LOVE Nam Joo Hyuk. I have absolutely adored him in everything he's been in (yes that includes Start Up) and Radiant was no different. I absolutely love roles like this one where he's more emotional. I think he's phenomenal in these types of roles and whenever I see him cry I absolutely want to cry with him. Moving on to our leading actresses Kim Hye-ja and Han Ji-min. Han Ji-min is another actress I really enjoy and I think she did a great job even if she was in a more limited role. I was not at all familiar with Kim Hye-ja but her performance certainly made me a fan. I can't believe how much the twist at the end of this drama got me. Overall I really enjoyed this one. I was a little sad we didn't see much of the "romance" between our two leads, but of course that all makes sense at the end. Overall I give this one a 8.0/10, I will absolutely rewatch this in the future. 

5. If You Wish Upon Me

It pains me to have this drama so low. I honestly think number 1-5 on this list can easily be interchangeable and may even have a little but of recently bias from me. That being said If You Wish Upon Me made me an official and certified fan of Ji Chang-wook. I had only seen him in the K2 previously which I personally enjoyed, but know was mostly considered a miss. I also passed on dramas like Melting me Softly and Backstreet Rookie due to some controversey and personal taste. This drama had wonderful chemistry amongst the main leads and the cast as a whole. I think the only real flaw I'd point out is I would've liked more on Seo Yen-joo's character. A little more information on her backstory would've balanced the drama out more. This drama easily gets an 8.5/10 from me. I'm excited to rewatch this in the future and watch more of Ji Chang Wook's dramas in 2023. 

4. Little Women 

Little Women was a drama I had originally meant to watch as it was airing, but didn't end up getting a chance to watch until the end of 2022. This was another cast I was ridiculously excited about. Kim Go-eun, Park Ji-hu, and Wi Ha-joon are names I've already seen in other dramas and have enjoyed. I only saw Nam Ji-hyun in Angel Eyes briefly, so I didn't know what to expect from her but I certainly will have to watch more of her dramas in the future. I loved seeing the contrast between the rich and poor family. Also all the complications that came with the money, instead of seeing immediate relief with that type of money falling into the families hands. The ending with Oh In-hye's monologue also was really emotional and had me in tears. I also think this drama benefited from only being 12 episodes. I appreciate that it didn't drag at all. I give Little Women an 8.5/10. I sincerely enjoyed both the cast and story. 

3. Military Prosecutor Doberman 

Military Prosecutor Doberman included such an interesting concept, dealing with not only the military but the concept of law within the military. I was vaguely familiar with Ahn Bo-hyun through Itaewon Class, and although I couldn't stand his character, I did think his acting was impressive. He did an amazing job as Captain Do Bae-man especially with the character shift throughout the way. Jo Bo-ah was another huge bright spot for me. Having only seen her in Surplus Princess, getting to see her in such a different and badass role really speaks to her range. Romance was also included, but it was mostly subtle until the end and I enjoyed that it wasn't the main focus. Military Prosecutor Doberman gets an easy 8.5/10 from me.

2. Twenty-Five Twenty-One

It pains me to have Twenty-Five Twenty-One at only #2. When I say I LOVED this kdrama, I truly mean it. I was already a little biased as a huge Nam Joo-hyuk fan, but we had everything in Twenty-Five Twenty-One. High school drama, amazing friend groups, a high level of chemistry, and even sports! By the end you'll truly feel that it was a pleasure to watch the character grows from high school kids/young adults to full fledge grown ups. Now I know some people may try and avoid this one due to the controversy surrounding the ending, and while I'll admit it wasn't my favorite ending ever... overall I don't think it took away much from the drama at all. Twenty-Five Twenty-One through and through gets a 9/10 from me. 

1. My Liberation Notes 

Coming in at #1 is My Liberation Notes! Now I will say that what really got me about My Liberation Notes is how relatable it felt to my current life. The idea of everything being mundane and kind of like you're stuck in a gray area. I feel like My Liberation Notes presented this feeling and mood really well. Kim Ji-won is one of my favorite actresses and as usual she was amazing. She really played off the detached character well and it was hard not to root for her. I also really enjoyed that instead of having a friend group with amazing chemistry we had a sibling group that actually had average chemistry but also seemed very realistic as siblings. Son Suk-ku also really nailed his character and it was fun to watch the chemistry between him and Kim Ji-won grow in a very natural sense. I did want a little bit more clarity from the ending, but I think it was still satisfying. My Literation Notes both felt like a warm and cold drama and because that feeling was executed so well, it gets a 9/10 from me. 

Yesstyle Haul Part 2

Hello Guys! So I recently got another package from Yesstyle and I though I'd share what I got. 

So firstly I had the My Lip Tint pack in "Sexy red", I haven't tried this yet for myself but I have heard great things and I will definitely do a review when I try it out. http://www.yesstyle.com/en/info.html/pid.1045546382

I bought the pimple patches again.. Honestly these are wonderful they work wonders for bigger pimples! http://www.yesstyle.com/en/info.html/pid.1052684646

Next I got the Salicylic Acid Exfoliating Cleanser and I must say it hasn't been too long so I don't notice a huge difference, but I am noticing a slight one so I hope it keeps working! http://www.yesstyle.com/en/info.html/pid.1052684727

Another Cosrx product! Same with the exfoliating cleanser I haven't been using these for a ridiculously long amount of time, but they definitely do seem to clean my face well and they remove all extra makeup.http://www.yesstyle.com/en/info.html/pid.1052684723

Yesstyle Skincare Haul

So not too long ago I got a package from Yesstyle and I haven't had the chance to try out all the products, but I at least thought I'd share what I got. In total I spent $44.50 on everything.

Here I have the Innisfree black head out balm. I haven't used this yet but I have heard very good things!

I got two etude house lip tints that I have tried out and both are really pretty and look very natural. I got cherry pink and cherry red!

I haven't used this one yet but I'll definitely do a review when I finally do use this. It's the skinfood egg white pore mask.

Firstly I'll show you guys this free gift that I got with my purchase. This face oil remover film came free.

Next I got the Cosrx pimple patches and I must save I've used this quite a few times and it works really well!