shinja_07

Manga/Anime you should check out!

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 05:46:58 GMT

hey guys! i've been checkin out some anime/manga from different genres to see what new ideas have been floating around. i've found some that are like a kick in the nuts (in a good way) and some that kinda fall into your cliche type anime/manga. anyway, here's a list of anime series i've finished watching (and/or currently watching) and i hope you guys check it out too!

1. Eureka 7 (9.5/10)- Finished Watching Series

a mecha anime that has its fair share of romance, drama, and of course...ACTION! the storyline is pretty good but some moments (like the ending) won't appeal to some. However, the male lead character (Renton) kinda resembles Shinji from EVA and female lead (Eureka) kinda resembles Rei from EVA as well. If you're a fan of mecha anime, this one is worth checking out.

2. Chobits (7.5/10) (yeah, i'm kinda late on this one) - Finished Watching Series

I decided to check out this anime because i heard the manga was pretty good. The only thing i enjoyed about this anime was how perverted it was and how it played so well in the anime. hideki is a pretty good male lead character and reminded me of myself (if you dont know what i mean, check out hideki's character desription on Wikipedia). However, the romance is pretty alright. Nothing too special about it, but its pretty decent.

3. Full Metal Alchemist (8.5/10) - Finished Watching Series (Fina-fucking-lly Right?)

So i finished this anime around the 2nd week of July right after i came back from Anime-Expo. It's pretty much a kick in the nuts as well. The story, the emotional value, the action scenes....practically mostly everything about it was pretty awesome. i liked how every little thing throughout the series played a major role (like how al and ed go back to the city they were at in episode 1). However, like some of the fans of the anime, i kinda felt that the ending lacked something...like some closure. but, the ending is pretty good in a way as it teaches the lesson of "equivalent exhange." Be prepared to give up something in order to obtain something else.

4. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (10/10) - Finished Watching Season 1

This anime...by far...despite the fact that its odd and different...is one of the best animes i've seen. not only is it funny as hell, but you can't help but just fucking fall in love in Miruku. there's this one episode that caught my eye...the one where haruhi just grabs miruku and starts petting her like a cat and miruku is all scared and stuff....and out of no where...haruhi just starts to nibble on miruku's ear. hott damn, if that shit isnt cute...i dont know what is. also, the anime has a lot of loveable characters like miruku, nagato, and kyon. So get at it!

Season 1 is done...Season 2 comes out in a few months!

5. Ghost Hunt (8/10) - Currently Watching Series (Series is done, however. No more episodes in progess.)

Don't be tricked by the title. This anime is pretty good. The animation is pretty good as well. the story so far is entertaining. If you're looking for something eerie, spooky, and...funny...and...romantic...this anime is for you. it kinda reminds me of "Haruhi" but with less lovable characters and less funny.

6. Claymore (8.5/10) - Currently Watching Series

ahh...a sword-slaying, monster-slashing, girl in armor here to save the fucking day. that's what claymore is about. this shit reminds me of castlevania, but with a girl lead character. if you want blood, guts, and gore (in a moderate level) watch this.

That's about it! Hope you guys check out those animes if you havent already.

PEACE!

Chapter 1 – The Suffering and The Uncaring

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 09:40:28 GMT

He wrote down the words “Do without ever doing a thing” on the notepad. Shinja sighed and whispered to himself “How the hell can you fight without ever throwing a punch, Sensei?” A flashback went on in Shinja’s mind as he closed his eyes. A memory of his Sensei dodging punches from four different people while holding his own hands behind his back came into his mind. One by one the opponents fell as his Sensei did not throw a single punch, but fought back by tripping them and dodging every attack. His Senesei seemed to move like water. Every motion looked quick and smooth and was executed without hesitation. “This is the art of fighting without fighting, my son. Use their strengths against them and they will fall like buildings in an earthquake.” Shinja opened his eyes and noticed the bus had stopped at his destination – his Sensei’s dojo. Shinja got out and walked into the grassy pathway at the end of the street to where a couple of stone steps lie. He walked up the steps and headed towards the doors.

Once inside Shinja searched for his sensei as the dojo remained empty. “Sensei! Where are you? It’s me, Shinja.” A weak moan came from the across the room into another room. Sensei was lying on his bed as Shinja approached him. Shinja got closer to the bed and got down on his knees. “Sensei, how are you feeling?”
“I am fine, my son,” Sensei replied in a weak manner.
“You don’t look fine, Sensei. We must take you to the hospital.”
“No, I prefer to let nature run its course. I am an old man. I was 64 when I met you and saved you from those criminals remember?”
“Yes, Sensei. I remember”
“How long has it been since then?”
“ Seven years, Sensei”
“Ah, how time has flown eh? It’s been seven years since I took you under my wing,” Sensei coughed as he laughed weakly. “You must know that time is something we cannot run away from.”
“Yes, I understand, Sensei.” Sensei smiled.
“I said I would teach you a new technique, didn’t I? Shinja, please have this.” Sensei handed him a small book near the bed.
“What is this, Sensei?”
“This is all I have left to teach you my son. The day we met you said you wanted to learn how to protect yourself and those who could not, correct?”
“Yes, Sensei”
“I can see it in your eyes that you have a good heart, Shinja. I know you will do the world some good, even if I am not there by your side.” Shinja looked at his Sensei’s dying body and realized that he could not do a thing to save him. “Do not worry about me, my son. I have served my purpose by teaching those who want to learn the ways of protecting one’s self and others. If I do not make it to your tournament, please forgive me.”
“Don’t say things like that Sensei. You’ll be there,” Shinja said. Sensei smiled.
“Go home now, my son and practice the technique. It is late and your mom must be worried about you.” Shinja got up and bowed to his master. He seemed hesitant at first to leave Sensei, but he realized there is nothing he can do. He turned around and walked out the door.

As Shinja walked into the door of his house, his mom was already sitting at the dinner table waiting for him. Shinja held onto his bag and walked towards the kitchen.
“It’s late, Shinja. Where did you go?” His mother asked.
“The dojo,” Shinja said as he sat down at the table.
“May I ask why?” Shinja hesitated as he took off his back pack.
“To visit Sensei.” Shinja answered.
“What’s wrong with Sensei?” Shinja hesitated again to answer his mother.
“He’s dying.” There was a moment of silence at the table.
“It’s probably for the best that he’s gone,” his mother said as she broke the moment of silence.
“WHAT DID YOU SAY?!” Shinja yelled as he stood up.
“It’s probably for the best. Why? What good is he gonna do? Is he gonna help you with your studies in becoming a doctor? No! He does the complete opposite by teaching you how to hurt people!”
“Hurt people? He taught me how to protect myself and those around me, and that’s including you!” Shinja said as he slammed his fist into the table. His mother stared at him with a stern look on her face.
“Why can’t you show this must dedication in your studies like you do in your fighting? Where is fighting going to take you? It won’t give you a good life, Shinja or ANY life for that matter. Where will the money come from? How will you provide a good life for yourself? Believe me, I know what’s best for you.”
“What’s best for me? Mom, you didn’t even care about the day I almost got killed by those criminals. Sensei saved me! You didn’t even say a word to me when I came home that night. Sensei understands me more than you do. You don’t know me. You don’t know anything about me!” Shinja said as he walked away.
“Don’t you dare walk away from me, Shinja. Show me some respect! I’m your mother!” Shinja stopped and looked over his shoulder.
“You say that,” Shinja said. “But you’ve never acted like one. Not even when dad was alive…seven years ago.” Shinja picked up his bag, exited the kitchen, and walked up the stairs to his room. He threw his bag on his bed, lied down, and looked up at the ceiling.
“What am I going to do? Follow my heart? Or do what’s expected of me?” Shinja asked himself. He looked at his bag and suddenly remembered the book his Sensei gave him. “The new technique! I wonder what it is,” Shinja said. He reached for the book inside his back pack and pulled it out. “The Nameless Technique,” he read out loud. “It’s either they didn’t want anyone to know about it or they were just too lazy to name it.” Shinja kept reading as he turned the pages. “Damn, this technique has been going on for centuries. I wonder how Sensei got a hold of it.” Shinja came across the description. “The art of using mind, body, soul, and heart as one and letting it control your actions and emotions. This sounds pretty epic if you ask me.” Shinja turned the pages. “Shinja’s eyes started to droop down. “The technique is performed by…” Shinja crashed down into the pillow fell asleep.

©Copyright Shinja 07 by Kasaki Omo

Prologue – And You Will Know Him By The Name Of…

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 07:00:22 GMT

It was a quiet, moonlit night. It was about midnight as the buildings around had no lights, showing that everyone was asleep and at peace. Suddenly, the silence was broken by an ear-splitting yell coming from an alley, yet no one in the neighborhood seemed to care. The boy fell to the floor as blood dripped from his mouth. He struggled to get up and protect a man who was surrounded by a group of thugs. One of the thugs punched the boy in the face and the boy went face down into the ground. The boy was powerless to stop the thugs from beating up the man who he seemed so desperate to save. The boy got up and lunged towards one of the thugs landing a kick in the stomach. The thug laughed as if the attack did not faze him and grabbed the boy’s head with one hand and threw him to the floor. With his own eyes the boy witnessed a tragedy that would haunt him forever.

“Shinja! Hey Shinja!” whispered a student. “Wake the hell up. Ms. Akami is walking over here. She heard you snoring.”
Shinja opened his eyes, looked up, and wiped the drool off his chin. Ms. Akami stopped walking as she saw his head pop up above the laptop on his desk and realized he was the one who had been snoring.
“Mr. Shinjaro Nakasaki, would you like to inform the class on what I had been talking about for the past half-hour?” Ms. Akami asked.
“No, thank you,” replied Shinja. “If I did, they’d probably fall asleep the same way I did.” The class gave a collected “Ooh” the way a crowd would when someone insulted someone else. Ms. Akami gave Shinja a cold stare.
“You’re screwed dude,” said the student beside Shinjaro.
“Thanks for stating the damn obvious Nado,” Shinja replied back. Just as Ms. Akami started to walk towards Shinja, the bell rang. Shinja slammed his laptop shut and got up as quickly as possible without making it seem like he was afraid of Ms. Akami.
“Dude, you almost got killed by Ms. Akami. Why do you always piss her off?” Nado asked Shinjaro as he walked up beside him in the hallway. Shinja untucked his school uniform.
“I don’t know. I guess she just irritates me. Her accent makes it hard for me to understand the stuff she tries to teach.” replied Shinja.
“She’s half Japanese and half American – but mostly American. Just give her a break. Anyway, I can’t believe you’re still getting a B in that class. You’re not even interested in becoming a doctor. Is your mom still forcing you to do that?”
“Yeah. But I don’t have the heart to tell her I don’t want to. I can see the glimmer of hope in her eyes that I’m gonna become rich saving lives.”
“We both know what you want man. And speaking of which, you gonna enter the city wide karate tournament this Friday?”
“I’m still thinking about it. Sensei hasn’t been feeling well lately and I can’t learn any new techniques. But Sensei says it’s my last test. If I win this tournament, it’ll show Sensei that I’m ready to leave his dojo.” They both walked towards the gate of their college and waited for their rides outside of school. They both watched the rich kids get into their cars as they drove off the lot.
“It sucks not having a car. My mom tells me that she knows I’ll just wreck it,” said Nado.
“I would like to have a car period. It sucks waiting for the damn bus,” replied Shinja. “It’s pretty pathetic. We’re college kids now and I still feel like I’m in high school.”
“Ahh, cheer up emo boy.”
“I’m not freakin emo.”
“I’m gonna keep calling you that until you cut your emo ass hair”
“Your mom’s emo.” Nado stared at Shinja with a blank stare. Shinja smiled back.
“That’s a low blow right there,” Nado said as his mom drove up in front of them in the car.
“Hi, Shinjaro!” said Nado’s mom from inside the car as Nado opened the passenger door.
“Hello, Mrs. Urya,” replied Shinja.
“Would you like a ride home?”
“No, thank you, I need to go somewhere before I go home.”
“Okay hun, you stay safe now you hear?
“Yes, ma’am.”
“If only you showed that kind of respect to Ms. Akami, maybe she wouldn’t hate you so much,” Nado said. Shinjaro just smiled and shook Nado’s hand as he got into the car. “Remember, tournament this Friday which means you have two days to get ready. You and I have to spar before then alright?”
“Yeah, yeah,” replied Shinja. As Nado left, Shinjaro watched the other students leave in their cars. He had a look on his face that showed both frustration and envy. A few minutes later the bus came and Shinja got in. He sat down and put his bag on his lap. He slouched in the seat. He looked out the window and began to close his eyes. He let out a big sigh and said to himself, “Sensei, I know what’s going on. Just hold on for a while more.” He opened his eyes and pulled out a notepad from his bag. Flashbacks of training in his Sensei’s dojo filled his mind.
“Brute force cannot be used in battle alone. When body and soul have reached its limits, would you know how to keep fighting, Shinja?”
“No, Sensei. I do not.”
“Ah,” Sensei chuckled. “You are very young indeed. Because you are just starting out, there is one piece of advice I will give you and you must always remember this when fighting.”
“Yes, Sensei. What is the advice?” His Sensei bent over to his face, smiled, and looked him in the eye.
“The advice is…”

©Copyright Shinja 07 by Kasaki Omo

Vol. 1: In the Beginning

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 21:30:31 GMT

Shinjaro Nakasaki, a 19 year old college freshman whose passion for fighting gets in the way of family and school. His friend Nado seems to be the only one who understands him, but there seems to be something more to him than he lets Shinjaro see. With the health of his sensei slowing diminishing and the support of his mother completely gone, Shinjaro is left to fight alone in the Osaka Karate Tournament as a final test from his Sensei. As if fighting alone wasn’t nerve wrecking enough, Shinjaro’s future is put into question after his mother gives him an ultimatum. To add more fuel to the flame, Shon, the champion of the Osaka Karate Tournament, sends Shinjaro an intimidating message on TV. In the end, Shinjaro realizes he will be put to the test - will he fight all the way to the end without any support from the ones he love or be defeated in agony before Shon gets his hands on him?

©Copyright Shinja 07 by Kasaki Omo

AHHH...exhausted!

Sat, 28 Jul 2007 06:30:39 GMT

With the writing, looking for publishers, and coming up with ideas...the manga is going slower than expected. but its all good. dont worry. everything will fall into place sooner or later. =D

promoting the The Testmarket Evolutionwebsite is harder than i thought it would be, but thanks to the friendly faces i've met over there, they're helping me out and lifting off some pressure from my shoulders.

i've written out all the summaries for the four volumes already and are in the final rough draft stages. meaning that the idea is permanent, just need to add some more stuff to it. =D i'll post up a summary by tonight or tomorrow depending if i finish up uploading pics and vids. =D check out the website guys! and check out our Comic-Con blog and Video log. it won't disappoint! and check out my myspace for some pics. =D

http://www.myspace.com/drownthesorrow

take care guys.

Vol. 1 Summary Changed!!!!

Sat, 14 Jul 2007 05:26:35 GMT

i'll be posting up a revised summary of Vol.1. So far, I am set for 4 volumes. The story I'm writing is going where i want it to go. Be prepared for action, romance, and drama...and comedy..of course!

And thanks to Jean...i will try to make this summary grammar-error-free. =D haha.

i'll be posting some stuff up. hopefully. as soon as i get a copyright or something.

Shinja 07's FIRST SIG!

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 03:37:43 GMT

THANKS KELLY!!!

Be expecting this line in the manga. =D

Sample art by the artist!!

Sat, 07 Jul 2007 03:16:15 GMT

Here is a sample art by the artist who will be drawing for the manga. What do you guys think?

THIS DRAWING HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MANGA! IT'S JUST A SAMPLE OF THE ARTIST'S WORK. =D

Book 1 Synopsis

Sat, 07 Jul 2007 01:22:36 GMT

Would it be better to spend your time doing something you don't want to, but it makes everyone you love happy?
Or do you follow your heart and your dreams even if it meant tragedy would come of it and you are put against everyone you love?

Vol. 1: The Process of Losing and Gaining

Shinjaro, a 19 year old college freshman boy whose passion for fighting gets in the way of family and school. His friend Nado seems to be the only one who understands, but seems as though he has alternative motives towards Shinjaro's way of fighting. As the health of his Sensei begins to deplete due to old age, Shinjaro finds that he must battle alone in a tournament which will determine his future in fighting. With his unsupportive mother and no aid from his Sensei, Shinjaro journeys alone into the fighting tournament without the slightest idea of what lies before him. However, what Shinjaro gains from the experience leaves him with a dilemma that will put his whole future at risk.