My love-hate relationship with winter

Vermilion Snow by xxjannatxx on deviantart

I came across this beautiful illustration with the fluffy hair and the striking red scarves the other day and wanted to write a post about my feelings and thoughts on winter.

Music to accompany your reading: Moonlight by Steven Sharp Nelson , Winter by Vivaldi , Amore by Ryuichi Sakamoto , When the Love Falls by Yiruma.

All I want is to be your harbor

Shape of my heart by aurorablackcat on deviantart

You've got a journey to make
There's your horizon to chase
So go far beyond where we stand
No matter the distance
I'm holding your hand

Sail your sea
Meet your storm
All I want is to be your harbor
The light in me
Will guide you home
All I want is to be your harbor

Harbor by Vienna Teng

And a confession-like post about love in the spirit of Valentine's day. For my love to take in his heart and the world to think about.

Warning: Image heavy

Koyomi Araragi: Another Messiah or simply the Hero Man

Forgiveness and religion were bound together for many centuries [1] . Surviving shards can be found in anime usually in the mahou shoujo genre, where the heroine plays the role of the messiah and doesn't simply banish evilness but most often purifies it by first of all forgiving the villain and then with words of love takes him/her on the good guys' side. When I saw Araragi-kun in Bakemonogatari, I made that (faint) connection and got the urge to search the reasons behind his always forgiving attitude, since he wasn’t given any role to save the earth and there’s no actual reason for him to play the savior.

A basket full with (not so interesting) fruits

After the death of her mother, young Tohru Honda has been secretly living on her own in a tent. Her life changes forever when she stumbles upon the secret of the Sohma family, whose land she has been living on. The secret of the Sohma family is a Hereditary Curse that changes some members of the family into animals of the Eastern Zodiac when they are hugged by someone of the opposite sex that is not also a Zodiac member.
Now living with three members, every day is an adventure for sweet Tohru, as she gets to know all of the very different members of the Sohma family better, in both common and bizarre situations. But, the Sohma family curse is certainly no laughing matter... it also holds horrible cruelty and heartbreak. Despite this, the members of the Sohma family find a new peace thanks to the presence of Tohru.

Hailed as one of the best shojo series out there, during its five years in-print (2004-2009) it was the best-selling shojo manga series in America, and often the second best-selling manga series in the US period, beat only by a certain ninja. -from TV Tropes

Yes, I’m in mood for ranting. Popular stuff usually scares me away from them due to how overrated they get and the hype created around them. I must write one of these days what anime/manga I find good stuff but I can say for now they rarely concern something less than simple entertainment. Mainstream might try to be deep, like this one, but the result is lukewarm.

2012, please grant my wish!

Let us be strong like the dragon! /by ink pot on deviantart

Ikoku Meiro no Croisée: Episodes 10 - 12

Camille, Alice, Yune, Oscar and Claude - the main cast of Ikoku Meiro

Final 3 episodes that revolve mainly around Claude and a review - the aftertaste.

Ikoku Meiro no Croisée - Episodes 7-9

We get to see lots of Camille and Claude and of childhood moments.

Ikoku Meiro no Croisée - Episodes 4.5 - 6

I think that I won't ever try blogging a series episode by episode. Always something happens: it gets busy, PC has problems, I face personal problems... and I'm not really fast at screencaping, deciding what to write etc. You get the picture. But since I started Ikoku and it has some things to offer, I'll blog it to the end; changing the number of episodes reviewed per post- from 2 to 3.

For your own good: childhood traumas and bad parenthood in Mawaru Penguindrum

The tools used to create that 'pure' love

Only blood-related family members can be trusted. Family members never lie. Pure and beautiful love exists only among family. ~ Yuri's father

Anti-freudian Sanetoshi, go!

Don't you think families are a sort of fantasy, a curse of sorts? Think about it. Just how many children suffer because they are bound to their family? Parents who treat their children as objects in the name of love, abusing them. They only love themselves, yet kids must love their parents solely because they are family, and love their siblings. ~ Sanetoshi

In Mawaru Penguindrum's episode 'Savior of the World' Yuri's past is revealed and it's not a beautiful one. More than all the other characters' past, Yuri's is the most loaded with heavy symbolism and dipped in the blue of sadness, melancholy and despair. The dialogues are shoved into the viewers' face and provoke them to deconstruct the notion of family as shelter. Sanetoshi chats with Kanba and echoes Alice Miller's work and that of other modern psychotherapists. Ikuhara sure has read a lot of psychology.

The mysteries of the brain

The Phantoms of the Brain by richworks on deviantart

The title of the artwork refers to The Phantoms of the Brain . It appears to be a very stimulating read; I'm going to buy it when the chance is given.

For the time being I've got some enlightening videos posted here.