D.E.A.L (Drop Everything and Love)

Ok, here's the story:

A couple nights ago, I was making dinner.  I was sick of cooking inside, so I decided to have my own barbecue (cause that isn't sad, right?).  I had finally gotten the coals all heated up and was in the process of making some burgers, when I head my phone's text tone go off three times in a row.

That meant one of two things;
A.  I just got three rapid fire texts from three different people
Or
B. Someone just sent me a really long text message.

The answer was B.  A friend who was on vacation texted me asking for help.  She explained how her former roommate's father needed some help and asked if I could go and run an errand for them?

How did I respond?

"UUUUGGGGGGGG"

I didn't text that to her, but that is what I said as I was reading this text.  Honestly, I was a little annoyed. I felt as though this text had ruined my plans for the nights.  All I wanted was to do was make some food, watch the latest episode of Fairy Tail and chill out.  Is that too much to ask?

I considered saying no, but my kryptonite is that when someone needs help, no matter how much I don't want to, I will help them.  So I quickly finished making the burgers, threw them on the grill, grabbed my bike and rode off.  Luckily my destination wasn't too far away, but I knew that I had to make this errand fast so that my burgers wouldn't burn.

Long story short; my mission only took about 15 minutes, so by the time that I got back home my burgers were cooked and ready to eat.  Everything had worked out just fine and it didn't bother me anymore.

As I was cleaning up my mess and preparing for dinner, I thought about how annoyed I had been just 20 minutes earlier.  And what was I even annoyed about?  Someone needed my help, and that somehow ruined my entire Friday night?  It wasn't that I didn't want to help at the time, but rather that I felt that it was inconvenient to me.

Here's what I realized through all this; God is not convenient.

God is not watching us and thinking "Tony looks busy. I'll call on him later."  No.  When God calls us to do something, we are expected to drop whatever we are doing and do as He commands.  No questions asked.

Think of it like the DEAR time we had in grade school.  DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) time was that half hour of the day that we were supposed to stop whatever we were doing and read.  Instead of DEAR time, God has DEAL (Drop Everything and Love) time.  Its times like this one, where God is calling us to do something selfless for others.  He is calling us to serve His people and forget about ourselves, which we should be doing all the time anyway.

Think about Peter, Andrew, James and John.  When Jesus called them, they IMMEDIATELY stopped their work and followed Him.  You gotta remember that these guys were fisherman.  Fishing was their whole lives, and to think that they would just abandon their life's work to follow some guy named Jesus might sound crazy to some.  But they did leave.  They left their homes, their families, and their livelihoods to follow Jesus and be His first disciples.  There are plenty of other examples of Jesus calling us to give up what we have to follow Him.  The rich young man was a great example.  When Jesus told him to sell of all his world possessions, the young man left sad because he had a great number of possessions.  The problem wasn't that the guy was too rich to follow Jesus, but that this guy loved his things more than he loved God.  His priorities were out of order and that was why he couldn't follow Jesus, because when He calls on you, you drop everything, even your most treasured possessions, to follow Him.  Again, DEAL.

This is probably the reason why I had so much trouble leaving my Friday plans behind to go help someone in need; my priorities were out of order.  This has been a problem for me, because I still have trouble putting God first in my life.   It's also a possibility that I prefer to DEAL when it is convenient, which unfortunately, has been happening less frequently.  Even if God's voice were to speak to me, I imagine that our conversation would go like this:

*Curtain Rises*
God: "Tony, I want you to go out and serve others"
Me: "Ok, but could you wait until I finish this episode of Sword Art Online II first?"
*Tony gets struck by lighting*
*Curtain Falls*
"Fin"
(Just kidding, this would never happen.......I hope)

I believe that I am fully capable of doing God's will whenever He calls me.  It's just that night, He caught me off guard.  So, I guess the lesson here is to always be ready for God's call, because it could come day or night.  Like I said, God does not know the meaning on convenience.  I mean, He called Samuel during his beauty rest THREE times.

I know that some of you might have gone through the same thing, but others are always ready for God's call and have their priorities in order.  To those people, God bless you, you are true Catholic Badasses.  And if you wouldn't mind praying that my priorities get figured out, I would appreciate it.

So children, the word of the week (and the rest of our lives) is DEAL.  Drop Everything and Love.  Love your neighbor, love your enemy, and most importantly, love God above all things.  As we continue our journeys to become Catholic Badasses, lets always be listening to God's call, or text.  It will always be worth it in the end.

Peace and Love
Side Note:  I also have a new Twitter account: @CatholicBA_Blog.  Follow for all your BA goodness!

CB Top 5: TV Detectives

If there is one genre of TV that usually guaranteed to do well, it s crime/detective shows.  There are so ways that a detective show can be presented, and during my time, I've seen a wide range of wonderful and not so wonderful television detectives.  Plus, detectives are pretty BA, or at least they are presented that way on the small screen.  So, if you are looking for a series to binge watch this summer, get a clue and check out these super sleuths.

5. Horatio Caine, CSI: Miami

Probably best known for these.....

Horatio is a no nonsense detective who makes sure that murderers are brought to justice.  Honestly, I don't think I ever saw him crack a smile.  Ever.  I wonder if he even can at this point.  Who cares though, because really makes a scowl look menacing.  On top of that he's cool, he's got great glasses and he's a redhead, so what's not to enjoy about watching this guy.

4. Mac Taylor: CSI: New York.

You're probably wondering why I put Mac ahead of Horatio, since Miami seems to have a bigger following than NY.  Though I enjoy both series, I prefer CSI: New York.  Similar to Horatio, Mac will do what is necessary to catch criminals, but he also has a softer side, and I enjoyed him catching criminals just as much as I enjoyed watching his non-CSI life.  I also enjoy his report with the rest of the CSI team, and the great chemistry he brings to the show.  Though he doesn't have a signature move like his Miami counterpart, Mac's follow-up is probably one of my favorite Who songs, Baba O'Riley.

3. Kate Beckett, Castle

Whoa, Kate Beckett?  Um why not Richard Castle, you know who the show is named after?  Well, it may be his show, but Kate is the actual detective.  Though Richard is great at solving crime, he is a writer.  This however does not take away from the sheer awesomeness that is Kate Beckett.  She is not only the leader for her all male team, but is capable on standing on her own two feet.  Beckett is also a BA detective and fighter, and she can stand toe-to-toe with the sass-mountain that is Richard Castle.  I never get tired of watching these two work together, and though I am a bit behind on the series, I plan to catch up and watch her do her Kate Beckett/Nikki Heat thing.

2. Shawn Spencer, Psych

While I'll give an honorable mention to Adrian Monk from Monk, Psych is one of my favorite detective shows, mostly because of it's main character, Shawn Spencer.  Shawn's detective style is on the complete opposite side of the previously mentioned detectives, as he only uses his keen observation senses to solve crime.  Not wacky enough for you?  Well, he's convinced everyone else that he is actually psychic.  Honestly, after seeing one episode of Psych, I was hooked.  Shawn does not only make me laugh, but is also a master at his craft.  I doubt that I would be able to convince people that I was a psychic detective, but he does so brilliantly and looking so cool doing it.  What makes Psych so much fun is that Shawn embraces his weird situation, by purposely getting involved with wacky antics, instead of being awkward and creating cringeworthy moments for the audience to endure for 42 minutes.  He's fun,silly and a brilliant detective, but just missed out on the top spot.

And, you probably guessed who number one is, but for the slower crowd......

1. Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock

When hearing about this show, I wasn't originally interested in seeing it, but after the 2nd season finale and all the "I Believe in Sherlock Holmes" tagging went around, I decided to give it a try.  Considering that it was made by the current Doctor Who showrunner, I had high expectations and was not disappointed.  Instead of a pretty average, but a little bit wacky Sherlock Holmes that we got from by Robert Downey Jr, we got a "high functioning sociopath" with a wicked sense of humor and mind-blowing detective skills.  Benedict Cumberbatch does an amazing job playing the smug but loveable Sherlock, walking a fine line between humor and seriousness in every episode.  Sherlock has also redefined the detective genre, embracing life in the 21st century and using a 90 format rather than a 42 minute one, which allows for the plot to be fully laid out and solved.  Though there have been many great portrays of Sherlock Holmes in the past, this Sherlock will the one remembered for year to come.....which will probably be how it will take them to release new episodes......*sad face*

Just kidding!  It sounds like there will be a 2015 Christmas special!

As I previously mentioned, I'd like to give an honorable mention to Adrian Monk (Monk) as well as the cast of Criminal Minds (I couldn't pick just one character).  These are both terrific shows with terrific detectives, but sadly they didn't make the cut.

I hope I gave you some ideas for you next lazy day (or lazy week in my case).  There are also some great classic detective shows like Murder, She Wrote and Columbo which I am told are fun series to binge on.  Pick you favorite and let the case begin!

Peace and Love

Dancing Catholics

There is nothing I enjoy more than a good dance movie  From Singing in the Rain to Step Up, there's something so BA about watching talented people performing a well choreographed dance routine.  One of these BA movies that I love is a fun, upbeat and totally 80's good time; Footloose.

I know what some of you might be thinking, and to answer your question, I enjoyed both the original 1984 and the 2011 remake.  Both have great choreography, a fun soundtrack, and I like to think of the 2011 film more as a tribute than a remake to Kevin Bacon's classic film.

For anyone who hasn't seen Footloose, the story takes place in a rural southern town, Bomont, where public dancing is against the law.  Ren McCormack, a teen from Chicago, tries to get the law changed so that the high schoolers can have their senior prom.  In his way are the stubborn adults of Bomont, including Reverend Moore and the other members of the town council.

In the movie's pivotal scene, Ren goes before the town council, and in order to appeal to the Reverend, and the other town council members, uses quotes from the Bible.

Here are the actual scenes......

And here are the Bible verses that he used:
Psalm 149:3: "Praise ye the Lord.  Sing unto the Lord a new song.  Let them praise His name in the dance"
2 Samuel 6:14: "David danced before the Lord with all his might... leaping and dancing before the Lord."
Ecclesiastes 31-4: "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance"

I use these quotes and this scene as an example, because I believe that dance is a way to express our love for the Lord.  I don't believe that people should be breaking out into dance routines during Mass or backflips should be done on the altar (Seriously, that did happen), but I think that we as Catholics and Christians should take more pride in dancing before the Lord.

I'm going to lay it out there for everyone that I love to dance.  That's why I'm so disappointed when I see people who clearly want to join a celebration, but are too intimidated or shy.  I believe that everyone has the ability to dance, and if they let go of their fears and preconceptions of what dancing should look like, anyone can be a fantastic dancer.  At my Newman Center's Fall and Winter retreats here in Bellingham, the leaders coordinate a dance for the retreaters to get them pumped up during the weekend.  It's usually coordinated to an upbeat contemporary Christian song and can be easily taught and followed.  I had the pleasure of helping coordinate our Winter dance routine to the Newsboys "Way Beyond Myself."  The year before, we had 3 major retreats, for all of which we chose Tobymac music to be our theme song (and then used him for an additional retreat the year after that.  We really like Tobymac).  Usually, everyone isn't too into the routine the first time that it is taught, but by the 5 or 6th time it is performed, everyone has the routine down and fully participates.  However, there are those retreaters who choose not to participate in the dance at all.

I don't want to shame those who don't participate, because on retreats we don't want to force anyone to do something they feel uncomfortable doing.  I do want to point out, however, then outside of retreats, Catholics have lost their ability to dance.  Now, I know many Catholics who are very talented dancers, but they do not use this gift as often as they should.  I've heard the saying that when people sing to the Lord, it is like praying twice, but I also believe that singing and dancing are intrinsically linked, and if we put an emphasis on singing to the Lord, we should also be putting some effort into dance.

Now, I understand why some people may feel uncomfortable dancing, because I've experienced those feelings myself.  Some Catholics, and people in general, may not feel confident in their dancing abilities, but like anything Christ related or not, it takes time to learn.  A couple weeks ago, I wrote a post about exercise and how I wish that I could achieve Twilight werewolf status after just one workout.

That obviously will never happen.

The same goes for dance; you won't improve unless you practice, and practicing means actually trying to dance.  Sure, you may feel silly or uncoordinated at first, but unless you're hanging out with jerks, people won't really care.  The important thing is to actually go out and do it!

Like this guy......

Another common occurrence that I've observed is people only dancing in the dark.  I don't mean that they are doing something inappropriate, but that they only feel comfortable dancing when people cannot totally see them.  Again, this can go back to a lack of confidence.  Here's the thing though, someone is always watching you dance in the dark: God.  If he is watching you every moment of everyday, why would He not watch you while you were dancing?  The best thing is that God is not going to judge your dancing skills.

Well He might, but I've yet to see anyone struck by lighting because they couldn't do the Macarena.

So, when you dance, don't dance for the people around you.  Dance for the Lord!  Show your love for Him, by sharing a dance floor with His people.  He doesn't care how well you move, because He would rather see you having fun and enjoying the gifts that He has given to us then see you worried about pulling off the perfect moonwalk.

Go have fun like these random people!

My final thought is on partner dancing.  For most of last year, I participated in my college's Blue Dancing club.  Blues dancing is a little bit more.....intimate..... than other forms of dance, but I had friends who were extremely talented and helped me practice.  Plus, it was fun and didn't have a very difficult learning curve.  I also have several friends who swing dance, which is a bit more appropriate, as I know CCF (Campus Christian Fellowship) has swing dance parties every once and a while.  Pretty much everything that I could say about partner dancing has already been said earlier in this post.  I just want to add that when you're dancing with someone, keep it clean.  Partner dancing is very fun, especially when dancing with someone you know.  Just make sure that you don't dance because of lust or greed, because then you are no longer dancing for the Lord.  Go into each dance respecting your partner and wanting to and learn, and nothing else.  To me, that is the best way to have fun with a partner.

I want to make something perfectly clear.  I'm not giving you a license to dance.  Don't try and do the cha cha on your way to Communion, or bust our your best waltz during the Responsorial Psalm.  Know when it is appropriate to dance for the Lord.  Again, I love to dance, so I'll groove whenever I get the chance, but I make sure that the setting and type of dance is appropriate.  For instance, back at my old church, our choir would do a very lively rendition of "This is the Day the Lord Has Made" where people would be clapping and singing along, and a few of us would throw a little two-step into it.  I think that is perfectly acceptable, because you aren't disturbing anyone or looking like one of those televangelized exorcism victims.  Basically, ask God before you dance, because He is the ultimate DJ and will let you know when its time to get the party started or its closing time.

So, whether you hit up the clubs every weekend or your dancing experience stops with the Cupid Shuffle, I hope that Catholic and other Christian populations will see the beauty that is dance and use that beauty to praise the Lord.  You can share your gift with Him anywhere, even club, as long as you keep God on your mind as your body sways to the music.  Dancing is fun, and when I die and (God willing) make my way up the Pearly Gates, I want to be dancing all the way there, because it will be a moment of great joy and I cannot think of any other way to share my joy then through dance.

Side Rant:  We need to do something about dance circles.  Really.  They need to stop.  They can be fun if you're just with 4 or 5 of your friends, but when a circle has 20 people, that's a little ridiculous.  I know that circles give the impression of inclusion, but after a while, I want to enjoy a party in a non-shape format.  So, lets try to be inclusive with people, while not creating a giant gaping circle between you and the person across from you!  I look forward to that day where I can literally rub shoulders with other dancers.  That's my kind of party....as long as I have friends there of course, because I'm not that brave to go out all on my own......I'll just leave it at that.  Or I'll just leave this video of both Footloose final dance scenes.....

Peace and Love

Sailor Moon Update

Hi!  So remember a couple weeks ago I did a rant on Sailor Moon?  Well if you didn't see it, you can go check it out and read how I summarized the entire show into one word: Dumb.  Fun, but dumb.  I haven't gotten much farther in the original series, BUT for those of you who keep up on anime news, you know that Sailor Moon Crystal made its debut yesterday.

Sailor Moon Crystal is not a remake of the original series, but a re-imagining.  It follows the originally manga more closely then the previous series, so some plot points are going to be different. Overall though, its still the same series and the creators didn't change too much of the original content.

However, they did change some elements of the show that I wish they had done for the original series:

First, the art in SMC looks much better, and though it doesn't really compare to the animes created today, its obvious that the style is a throwback to the original series, which is ok in my book.  The improvement in animation definitely helped my opinion of the show and helped me get through the first few minutes of the first episode.

Second, Usagi is still a crybaby, but the creators make good use of that.  There's a bit more humor in this series, and I feel like it takes itself less seriously than the original Sailor Moon.  Again, I'm enjoying the humor of this show a bit more and am beginning to find the charm in this franchise.

Those were the two main complaints I had with the show, which, surprisingly, was pretty much everything that was changed from the original series.  Besides a small tweak in the plot, everything that made the old series bearable remains.  The great Japanese voice acting is back, the transformation sequence looks cool, and Tuxedo Mask is still mysterious.  Nice job people.

Best of all, I no longer feel like I have to trudge my way through five seasons worth of anime.  I might continue with the original, but for now, I'm going to see where Crystal takes me.

From what I've read on the Internet, Sailor Moon fans are also enjoying the series so far, and I'll admit, I am a little excited as well.  I hope that this new series lasts for a while, and I can learn more about the history of this show and why it remains popular to this day.  I guess all I can do is wait for next Saturday......

  *Sigh* It's going to be a long Summer.....

Peace and Love

Looking Past Mistakes

A couple days ago, my friends convinced me to go see the new Transformers movie, Transformers: Age of Extinction.  To sum up this movie; cars turn into robots, robots turn into cars, humans build robots, robots fight, DINOSAUR ROBOTS!, and there's going to be another squeal.

Directed by Michael Bay.

However, in between the robot fights and blatantly obvious product placements, this film tries to include something that I've never seen in a Transformers movie; a lesson.  Honestly, I don't know why they would bother, since people only really go to see Transformers for explosions and fighting robots, but kudos for trying.

This lesson makes its presence known during a scene with Optimus Prime and the character played by Mark Wahlberg, Yeager somethingorother (which just made me think of Attack on Titan the entire movie).  Optimus is tired of humans always messing things up and then creating more mistakes, which is reasonable, since the humans in this film began hunting Autobots and Decepticons and either killing them or using their bodies to make an army of soon-to-be Decepticons.  Yeager doesn't deny that humans make mistakes, but also says that he need to look past our mistakes and see the good in humanity.  This wise saying is a throwback to a conversation he had with his daughter, who was born while her parents were still in high school.  I'm probably going waaaaayyyyyyyy too deep into this multi-million explosionfest, but I think Marky Mark has a good point.  As humans, we screw up a lot (some more than others, me for example).  It's in our nature.  It isn't like we always try to do the wrong thing; sometimes we are lead down the wrong path and don't realize it until too late.

But as my pastor talked about in his homily last Sunday, and one of the main villains in the Transformers movie realized towards the end, there is always good in people, no matter how lost or disillusioned they may seen.  It's important to always see the light and goodness inside ourselves and inside of each other, no matter how dark or evil someone may seem, because that is what God does for us.

God has this great ability where He can look past all our mistakes and all of our wrongdoings and see the beauty inside of us.

Well, there was that one time that humans were so evil that God wiped mostly everyone out with a flood.............

BUT! He promised that He would never do that again, and to prove His point, He sent His only son Jesus to us as a sign of His undying love for humanity.  If you remember the people that Jesus called His friends, they weren't the holiest people in the land, but Jesus didn't care.  He looked past the mistakes and wrongdoings that his people did, and chose to love them and bring them closer to God.  A good example is when Jesus called Zaccheaus down from a tree and had dinner with this guy who had screwed over his own people.  That's because Jesus saw past the bad things that Zaccheaus had done, and focused on the good that He knew was in him.  It ended up making a huge difference in Zaccheaus' life, and to the people he had wronged.  I don't know what happened to Zaccheaus after that, but I'd like to think that he continued to follow Jesus and live a good life.

The point is that we should strive to be more like Jesus and less like the Jewish leaders.  Remember those guys?  Every time that Jesus did something, they would always be there to scoff at Him and question His decisions to hang out with "sinners."  We don't want to be like those people, or like a disillusioned Optimus Prime.  We should be looking for the goodness in people, and not focus on the mistakes they've made.

I'm not saying that we should forget everyone's mistakes, because without recognizing our mistakes, we can't grow and work towards Badassness.  The important thing is to recognize that everyone is flawed, but know no matter how many mistakes someone has made, they are loved by God and has His light inside of them.  That is the best reason to love someone.

As Miley Cyrus once said, "Everyone makes mistakes.  Everyone has those days".   This is completely true, except for one divine being; God.  That is because every time we mess up, we can take our mistakes to Him and He will forgive us. Remember, God always sees the good in us, even when we cannot see it in ourselves.

So, just as MW was able to convince OP to fight for humanity, we need to remind each other to constantly love one another and see the good in each other.  Also, we need to remember that God always sees the good in us, and no matter how many mistakes we may make, He will always be there for us, because He loves us eternally.  And to lovingly rewrite a line from the end of the 1st Transformer's movie; "God is here, and He is waiting."

Peace and Love

CB Anime Review: Cowboy Bebop

There are a lot of great animes in the world, but very few have achieved the level of success and prestige that Cowboy Bebop has obtained in the past 16 years.  It frequently tops various lists of "Animes to See Before You Die" and for many fans it was the series that got them into anime.  Honestly, is there anyone who would deny the greatness of this show....maybe........

.........Satan!!

Well, since I can't ask him, lets just assume that everyone respects, if not loves, Cowboy Bebop.

But Tony, what's all the hype about?  What is this anime?

Ahh, my young viewer, for that, we will have to travel into the great histories of anime, to see what truly makes a great anime great, and how its legacy can continue even over a decade later! Let's Jam!

Cowboy Bebop was released is 1998 in Japan, and in 2000 in the Unites States.  I mention this because I don't know many people who have actually watched this anime in Japanese, since the English dub was so successful and pretty much set a new standard for anime dubs for years to come.

The story takes place in the year 2071 and revolves around the crew of the spaceship Bebop, and their misadventures as intergalactic bounty hunters.  Each episode usually revolves around the crew trying, and more often then not failing, to capture a criminal so they can collect the reward and get some food on the table.  Along the way, the crew get involved in various interplanetary plots or are forced to deal with problems of their past.


One of the first things that should be noted about Cowboy Bebop was that it was complete hand drawn.  That's right.  Every single frame of the show was drawn and not created with computers.  What makes this so remarkable is that for a series that was created in the late 90's, it is absolutely stunning!  If you go back to my rant about Sailor Moon and it's quality of animation, you can see a huge difference.  Though Bebop's animation is nothing spectacular compared to the quality of animation that we have today, back then this was extremely high quality and still looks better then some series released today.  Considering that the artists were drawing space battles, gun fights and hand-to-hand combat scenes, it's hard to believe that they were able to achieve this level of quality while still making everything look realistic.

The animation is only one part of what makes this series a classic.  There are also the main characters.  Cowboy Bebop had.......I'm going to say three main characters, one almost-main character, and slew of side characters, most of whom only lasted for one or two episodes, but were still memorable and well fleshed out in only 24 minutes.  Also, a space corgi.  The majority of screen time, however, is given to these three main characters.  There's Jet Black, the Bebop's owner, who after loosing his arm and receieving a cybernetic replacement, quits his job on the police force to become a bounty hunter.  Second is Faye Valentine, a woman with no memory of her past, who enjoys drinking, gambling and eating her crew-mates' food, but is also a very capable fighter and flyer.

Finally, there is Spike Spiegel, the main focus of the show.  He's cool, a BA martial artist and has a rockin hairdo.  Though Bebop doesn't really have an overarching plotline, Spike's past is probably the major theme of the series, as it is referenced frequently during this series' 26 episode run.

While Bebop is a high action, adventure and comedy series, it has a sad undertone, as each of these characters are dealing with their pasts and trying to move forward with their lives.  The best part is that each of these characters a fully fleshed out, so as you watch them, you truly understand who they are and what they are running from (except for Ed, because Ed is just Ed, and we are ok with that).  Everyone on the Bebop gets at least one episode to themselves, so that we can learn about their lives and what got them to that point.  There are also great relationships between the characters, and it's just as much fun to see them hanging out on the Bebop as it is watching them fight together.  Even better, most of the supporting characters also have great backstories and character development, which is something you don't see too often in anime.  This development makes for great character interactions between the main and supporting cast and provides great plots in every single episode.

The show is called Cowboy Bebop, so you would assume that there's a lot of jazz and blues music in this soundtrack.  Well, you would be right.  The music was scored by Yoko Kanno, one of the most respected anime composers in the business.  Even after viewing some of her other compositions, I believe that Cowboy Bebop is probably one of her best works.  First off, there's the series opening theme song, Tank!, which is probably one of the greatest anime theme songs ever, and I mean ever; because even after 16 years, people still love and recognized this jazzy upbeat song.  There's also a great range of classic tunes, from slow, melodic  saxophone solos to quick tempo jazz ditties for the fight scenes.  As a lover of anime music, I have nothing but praise for this soundtrack, because it really ties together Cowboy Bebop like a beautiful bow on an equally beautiful present.

Now, some of you may be like, "Tony, this anime is so old.  Why should I bother watching something like this?"

Um, because I said you should that's why!!!!! But no, in all seriousness, if you enjoy anime, or maybe are just starting to watch anime, you really should take the time to watch Bebop.  Don't watch it and compare it to shows today, because more often then not, it won't stand up to the work being done today.  You have to look at the historical context of this show.  When Cowboy Bebop was released, it was a cultural phenomenon in the US, and has even been called the Star Wars of anime.  Sure, Cowboy Bebop and The Original Trilogy were released a long time ago, but they were extremely popular and had major influences on their respected medium for decades to come.  Honestly, I don't know many people who say they are anime fans and have not seen Cowboy Bebop.  So, don't be that guy, or girl, or corgi. Go watch it.

I think I'm just going to lay it out there that if I'm reviewing an anime on this blog, it's probably an appropriate anime for people to watch.  If it isn't, I will let you know, and tell you what to watch out for.  That being said, Cowboy Bebop is something that every anime fan should watch.  Besides some coarse language, violence and Feye Valentine topping the list for one of the sexiest female anime characters, there isn't anything weird or inappropriate about this anime.....Though there is this one episode about the Bebop's refrigerator, but I'll let you watch it for yourself.

Thank you for reading this review, and to get you pumped for Cowboy Bebop and for life, here is Cowboy Bebop's opening theme Tank! Let's Jam!

Peace and Love

CB Anime Review: Log Horizon

If you watch enough anime, you begin to notice certain archetype characters, meaning that though they are in different types of anime, they have very similar traits, goals, ideas, etc.  For a lot of action/adventure animes, you find these archetypes in their protagonists.  For example, you could have the headstrong, "ask questions later" type , or the "I didn't want to be involved in this situation but now that I am I want to do something" type, just to name two.  Now, there isn't anything wrong with these types of character and many of the anime protagonists that I love fall into one of these archetypes.  However, I do like it when I find a great anime with a protagonist that does things a little differently.  That is why I loved Shiroe, the main character in Log Horizon; probably my favorite anime of the 2013-2014 season.

Log Horizon takes place in a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Elder Tale.  On the night that the game's 11th expansion was released, 30,000 Japanese players who were logged into the game, found themselves transported into Elder Tales, without a way to get out.  Now, this premise may sound pretty similar to a very popular anime that was released last year, Sword Art Online, but there are a few key differences that make this anime completely different.

• Players cannot die.  Unlike SAO where if players die in the game, they die in the game and in the real world, players in Elder Tale are brought back to life in the game.  This takes the fear of death out of the equation for the players in Elder Tales and is a key element of this story.
• Players actually have classes and sub-classes.  In SAO, pretty much everyone was the same class, and though they could level up in certain skills, everyone had the same opportunities to learn these skills.  Just like in a real MMO, each person in Log Horizon had a specific class and subclass, that granted them certain skills and abilities that other classes would not be able to obtain.  Magic and enchantments can also be used by players in Log Horizon.
• This is not an action-heavy show.  If you're looking for an anime with great battles in every single episode, you've come to the wrong show.  There are some great fight sequences, but most of the time, you are hearing the main character, Shiroe, breaking down the fight in his head.  It's really cool, but these fights are similar to what you would you would actually be experiencing if you were playing an MMORPG.  This however, does not take away from the excitement of the show.

So, now that you see the difference and have learned a bit about the world of Elder Tales, here's a breakdown of why I love this anime.

First off, the characters.  Though there is a good number of main and side characters, each one is memorable in their own way and even when they are not given much screen time in an episode, you still remember who they are and their role in the world.

If Shiroe does this, you know something big is about to go down

I'd like to focus on Shiroe, the main protagonist of the story.  As I said earlier, one of the reasons that I love him so much is that he is different from other action/adventure protagonists.  In the game, Shiroe is an Enchanter, someone uses magic to support his comrades.  It is a perfect role for him, since he has another important role, as a master strategist.  Shiroe does not fight on the front lines, rather, he is in the back, devising plans and schemes to handle the problems that plague the world of Elder Tales.  From coordinating battle strategies to rebuilding a society inside a video game, Shiroe is the man with a plan.  It's amazing to watch him work, and knowing that he will win in the end is one of the reasons that I kept coming back to this show.

The plot and major themes of Log Horizon are also another big draw to this show.  As I mentioned before, people cannot die in Elder Tales, so seeing how society reacts when death is no longer a part of their lives is very interesting to watch.  Also, as I stated earlier, this is not an action heavy show, but that doesn't mean that it isn't entertaining.  Watching how different groups of people try to accomplish various goals in an non-battle setting was also very cool to view.  Of course, it is Shiroe that makes all of this interesting, but don't worry, the show doesn't completely revolve around him.  There are also a lot of great side-plots and character interactions to keep you entertained!

In terms of art design, Log Horizon is pretty average in that department.  Everything looks beautiful, and there are some great uses of 3D imagery for certain parts of the show, but it isn't a masterpiece.  Still, everything is well designed and it delivered what was needed, so I'm fine with it.

What else is there to say about this anime.....hmmmmm... *snaps* oh ya, how about one of the BEST THEME SONGS OUT OF ANY ANIME I'VE EVERY WATCHED!  If you're worried that Log Horizon won't be super exciting, don't worry, the theme song, Database by Man with a Mission, will get you pumped for sure!  If you don't believe me, listen here.... (I apologize, this was the best one I could find that had the song and video and wasn't muted for dumb copyright reasons)...The ending song is also a fun little number as well, if you want to Youtube it! (I'm not going to do all the work for you).

There is a lot of great potential in Log Horizon, which is why I was ecstatic to learn that a second season would be coming out this Fall!  I can't wait to see this show, and I hope that you will take some time to watch it.  I was hooked on it after the first two episodes, but I'd recommend that you at least watch the first three in order to get the best understanding of the show!

Oh, and one final note, this is probably one of the more tame animes I've ever watched.  Seriously, the plot doesn't rely on nudity or other  ridiculousness to keep people interested.  There is one character who is a little *cough* offbeat, but it's all for comedy's sake, and it doesn't happen too often.......so, I would recommend this show to anyone, Christian or not, as long as they watch it knowing that it is anime and there's always the potential for weirdness.  (Ok, thinking about it again, there are a few offbeat characters, but they're still fun to watch and bring great comic relief to the show)

So, go and enjoy this anime, so that you can join me in getting ready for season 2!!!!!!! For now, I will leave you with this seizure inducing gif... listen to the opening theme if you want to understand.


Peace and Love