CB Anime Review: Fruits Basket

Sometimes you just find a show that doesn't seem all that great, but ends up being a flawless jewel of an anime.  That is how I feel about Fruits Basket; it's a simple, happy anime that is pure awesomeness.

However, why it is so awesome, I cannot tell you.

Maybe it's the great voice acting, or the simple animation, or maybe it's lovable personality of the show's main character.

OR maybe it's a combination of everything in this show that makes it so spectacular (Ya, that probably it).  Well, you can decide yourself when you decide to watch it, but for now, let me tell you about one of the most beloved animes of all time, Fruits Basket.

At the beginning of this series, we meet our main character Tohru Honda, who after the death of her mother, is living in a tent in the woods.  While walking to school one day, she discovers that the land she has been camping on belongs to "Prince" Yuki Sohma.  Yuki and his cousin Shigure invite Tohru to live with them and the trio is later joined by Kyo, Yuki and Shigure's cousin.

Now, I know this doesn't sound super exciting, but in anime, random plot devices are essential, and Fruits Basket's is a doozy.

Tohru discovers that the Sohma family is cursed.  When one of 13 members is hugged  by someone of the opposite gender, they turn into one of the 12 Zodiac animes, plus the cat.

Though this plot devices is used mostly for humor in the anime, its significance in the manga is much larger.  Still, it keeps things interesting and often leads to funny situations for Tohru and the Sohma family.

However, this plot device isn't the main reason people love this show.  It's the characters, and mainly Tohru.  Tohru is a sweet, young girl, who despite having gone through hardships in her life, is always cheerful.  Not cheerful like she is trying to hide her true emotion, but sincerely cheerful.  She's also a hard work, friendly, and cares for other people, even complete strangers.  Her character is really refreshing, because there's such a sincerity in everything that she does, that you never really get annoyed or embarrassed for her.  Really, I could stop this review right now, and tell you to just watch it for Tohru, but there are some other great reasons to watch.

Our other 3 main characters are not on the same level as Tohru, but still fun to watch.  First, we have Yuki, who is the "Prince" of his school and has plenty of admirers.  Despite his popularity, he's a very kind and friendly guy, except when it comes to Kyo.  Kyo is the opposite of Yuki.  He's loud, violent and pretends not to like anything or anybody.  He and Yuki don't get along very well, and Kyo continually tries to beat Yuki in fistfights.  Tohru believes that this is because Yuki's animal is the mouse, while Kyo's is the cat.  Finally, there's Shigure, who technically isn't a main character, but I think he's so cool that he deserves a main character spot.  Professionally, he's a writer and loves nothing more than tormenting his editor by slacking off.  Though he's can be a little creepy at times, I enjoyed his funny, laid back character.

Fruits Basket also has a fantastic cast of supporting characters.  First and foremost is the Sohma family, cursed and uncursed.  We get to meet most of the cursed family, as they decide to visit Shigure for various reasons.  They range in personality, from sweet, childish Momiji to the over dramatic Ritsu.  Each member usually gets their own episode where they meet Tohru and she tries to help them with whatever issue or problem they have.  They're great characters and their family curse is a great plot point in these episodes, especially since we get to watch people turn into different animals.

The other supporting characters include Tohru's two friends Arisa and Saki, and members of the Prince Yuki Fan Club.  These characters actually get their own episodes, or at least a large amount of screen time.  They might not be super memorable, but it's cool they get their chance in the spotlight.

Now, lets talk about art.  Fruits Basket's animation isn't flashy or greatly detailed, but it totally fits the feel of this show.  It has kind of a calming effect, actually.  I don't know that it is, but whenever I watch an episode of Fruits Basket, I feel really peaceful.

The music also has great calming effect.  Most of the tracks are upbeat, but even the more intense or dramatic pieces are really soothing.  The music is also very simple, and really is the epitome of "background music."  It's just playing in the background, and not overtaking a scene with huge orchestras.  Sure, some of the tracks get repeated at certain times, but again, they're so simple and sweet, you don't really notice.

I didn't mention this before, but the English voice cast is really high on the "Reasons Why Fruits Basket is Awesome!" list.  I would put it in the same category as Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Toradora in terms of awesome voice casts.  Everyone's voices matched their characters, even the more absurd members of the Sohma family.  Laura Bailey, who did the voice for Tohru (and who funny enough did the voice for Lust in FMA:B) was fantastic.  It's Tohru's voice the really sets the tone for this anime, and loved listening to every line Tohru, thanks to Laura's great voice work.

My ideal setting for watching Fruits Basket is on a chilly fall evening where you just want to turn on the TV and relax.  If you ever find yourself in such a situation, I suggest that you watch Fruits Basket, because you are guaranteed to have a wonderful evening.  Of course, you could watch Fruits Basket whenever you want to, because it is just that amazing!

Final thought: If I were to describe this anime in just one word, it would be innocent.  When I watch Fruits Basket, there this innocence that radiates from it.  I don't know what it is, but this anime is something very sweet and fun to watch.  Please pick it up sometime. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Peace and Love

My First HowToCatholic Podcast: IronManandIronThrone

This is my first attempt at a Podcast, and I hope you enjoy it!  My hope is to have more people in the podcast so that we can talk about Catholicism and whatever else we feel like discussing.  Stay tuned for that!

On this podcast, I talk about why Robert Downey Jr. was the best choice to play Iron Man, and I also talk about why I love Game of Thrones.  Plus, random joke!

Also, HowToCatholic is the second name I chose for this podcast, after my original name was already taken.  If you have any suggestions for podcast names, leave a comment!

Peace and Love

Advice I Gave to a Bunch of Teenagers

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to chaperon a Lifeteen camping trip.  I was also asked to give the final witness talk for the trip. I've done a couple of these talks while at the Newman Center, but this would be the first time I would be talking to people who are younger than me.  Needless to say, I was nervous, but excited!  I thought I would share my talk with you, as I believe that others might get something out of this talk.  The teens seemed to like it, so I hope that you find some sliver of inspiration from this speech, but if you don't that's OK.

Here we go.

For those who don’t know me, my name is Tony and I am the Disciple in Service at Sacred Heart. For the next year, I will be living a life of prayer and simplicity so that I can grow closer to God and discover where He wants me to go in the future.

It’s really great to see you all here, because if I was your age, I would not be at this type of event. When I was in high school, my faith wasn't something very important to me. Even though I went to a Catholic high school, my faith life was at a minimum. Most of my friends were Catholic as well, but we didn't really talk about our faith. At times I would resent being Catholic. When my friends would hold LAN parties, I would always have to leave early because my family went to 9am Mass every Sunday. Luckily, I didn't see a reason not to be Catholic, so I continued to live my lazy Catholic life. True story, the inspiration for my confirmation name, Rachael, wasn't the Archangel, but the ninja turtle.

Things changed when I went to college in 2010. I went to school at Western and became involved with the WWU Newman Center. There, I met great friends, including April, and learned a lot about my faith. During those 4 years, I went on a lot of retreats, just as all of you will, I hope. The great thing about going on retreats is that you are completely away from everything but God. There’s no Facebook, no Youtube, no Tumblr, if you guys do that. It’s just you, a bunch of awesome Christian friends, and God. Most of the retreats I attended were only 3 days long, but at the end of every retreat, I was on a Jesus high. I felt so connected to God and my faith and I just wanted to keep the feeling forever. If we could have stayed in Sedro-Wooley or Anacortes or wherever those retreats were being held, I would have been totally happy. A little background, I’m a pretty introverted person, so me wanting to be away from home for an extended period of time is a rare occurrence. I think that Peter was feeling the same way when they were up on that mountain. He was so happy and just wanted to stay at that place forever. But Jesus said no, we have to go back down the mountain and meet the people.

At the end of those three day retreats, I felt so in tuned with God, but after leaving and getting back to real life, that spiritual high would slowly fade away. Honestly, for me, it’s hard to feel a connection to anything when you have to wake up at 7:30am. So, I would hold onto that high until it eventually would go away and my regular routines would set in. After retreats, I would promise myself that I would pray a Rosary every night. A couple days later, it would be a decade of a rosary each night. And a couple days more and I wouldn't be able to find my rosary. Than my prayer life would be pretty dismal, at least until the next retreat happened and I was on another spiritual high. Hope is not lost however, because I my prayer life has gotten better in the past year. Still, it’s not at the place I wish it would be, and that is where you have an advantage over me.

You’re all still in high school. How old are you? (Get answers). I’m 22 years old, and I wish I could tell my 15/16 year old self to work on being a better Catholic. I hope that you will use the time to build a solid foundation for your faith, because that foundation will help you to continue to build your relationship with God for the rest of our lives. Just like my retreats, there will be times where you will be on top of the mountain and feel completely in sync with God, but you will have to come down. Though you may not feel that spiritual high you had on the mountain, how you pray and connect with God now will continue to sustain you, like how a runner who practices for a marathon will do better than someone who decided to do it on a whim and downs three Red Bulls beforehand.

The best way for you to do this is to live your faith in your everyday life. Whether you are at school or sports practices, you can bring God with you. It can be simple things like remembering to pray before eating lunch or ask St. Sebastian to watch over you during a sports game. As you gain in confidence, try talking to your friends about what you believe. Don’t force it on them, because that doesn’t work, but just let them know that your faith in important to you. My old roommates had bad habit of using the Lord’s name in vain, so one night I decided to talk to them about this issue. It led to some interesting conversations and even though they would occasionally slip up, I knew that they were trying and I was happy with that. So, you don’t have to go and make big sweeping changes to your life in just 24 hours. It’s going to be a slow, gradual process, but that will help you to stay connected with God over time. It may be quicker to try and build something in just one sitting, but most likely it will end up falling apart pretty quickly. So, take your time, slow and steady does win the race.

Besides praying and trying to live your life in a more Christian way, there’s one more thing that I hope you will do, especially when times get rough. I hope you will trust in God. The world is a scary place and as you grow older, you will see just how scary a place it can be. But God is the light in the darkness. There have been many times where I felt lost or alone and didn’t know where to go, but God was always there for me. He always came through for me, and not always in the way I expected. During my senior year of high school, I was finishing up my college applications. I had applied to a couple Catholic Universities, WWU and UW. My dad is a huge UW fan and he had always been pushing me to become a Huskie. So one day I was looking over my apps when I made a terrible discovery. My UW app was late. I hadn't looked at it in a couple days, and had accidentally missed the deadline. I went into shock. I felt like I had let my parents down, which is something I never wanted to do. I panicked. I considered just running away, because I didn't know what to do. My dad would be disappointed in me, my mom would be disappointed in me and as an overly self-conscious person, I despise letting people down when they are counting on me. So, I did the only logical thing and ran outside into the rain, wearing shorts and a t-shirt. I cried as I walked away from my house, I didn’t have a direction, but I just needed to get away. All these negative thoughts swirled through my head. What if I don’t get into any other colleges and UW would have been my only shot? What if I missed out on the chance to go to a really good school that wouldn’t bankrupt my parents? Should I just forget about going to school this year? As I walked, I cried out to God to help me. That was probably the first time I called to God for help, and it wouldn’t be the last.

Eventually, I made my way back home and told my sister what happened. She told me to go take a nap, so that’s what I did. Before I fell asleep, I prayed to God one more time. I asked for his help and his forgiveness, but I didn’t know if he would listen to me.

The next morning, my sister told my mom, who told my dad. I woke up for breakfast and the two of us ate together. He told me that he would always love me and be proud of me. After hearing him say that, I thanked God, because my worst fear, of my dad thinking I was a failure as a son had not come true. I had further reason to thank God when I got accepted into every other school I’d applied to. If I had been accepted to UW, who knows if I would have gone there or WWU, but in the end, He had a plan for me, and my time at Western was 4 greatest years of my life. God watches out for us. Please never forget that, because He wants to help you whenever you need Him.

So, I hope that my talk has given you some ideas for the future. Your experiences are going to be different from mine and you will experience God in your own unique way. Just remember that you never have to go at it alone. There are people like April and Father Joseph who can help you when you feel lost or just need someone to talk to. As the body of Christ, we are all want to be like Peter on top of that mountain, but life doesn’t work like that. We have to come down from the mountain, but we can still take what we saw or heard or felt on that mountain and bring it down with us. And with that, let’s bow our heads in prayer, here at this camp, and ask God to guide us and let His love shine through use for all to see.

Peace and Love

CB Anime Review: Toradora

There are some animes that may not seem to interesting after just one epsiode, but if you keep watching, you may come to like or even love it.  That was my experience with probably one of the best romance animes of all time, Toradora.

After finishing Clannad: After Story, I wanted to find another anime in the romance genre to enjoy.  Thanks to Reddit and MyAnimeList, I discovered Toradora.  Actually, I watched the first episode of Toradora a couple months before watching Clannad, but wasn't too impressed so I didn't continue.  I decided to give Toradora a second chance after finishing Clannad and it was probably one of the best decisions in my anime watching life. 

Toradora is about Ryuji, a nice guy who has a bad reputation and a secret crush on his classmate Minori.  On the first day of school, he meets Minori's best friend, Taiga Aisaka, a short and fierce girl who has a secret crush of her own.  That crush just happens to be on Ryuji's best friend Kitamura.  After discovering that they have a crush on the other's best friend, Ryuji and Taiga form an unlikely partnership and begin this sweet and funny adventure of love and high school.

Now, as I mentioned in my Clannad review, romance animes are fairly predictable in terms of endings.  So, when I watch a romance anime, I watch it for the character's journey rather than the ending.   That doesn't mean that romance animes have bad endings, because Toradora’s ending, while predictable, is fantastic!  You would think that it might be difficult to get a full 26 episodes out of this show, but the creators did it with flying colors.  Each episode is funny, heartwarming and makes you want to drop everything you have to do for the rest of the day and just marathon the rest of the series (Which I kind of did)!  I mean, Toradora’s episode 2 had some moments that other shows would have been saving for the series finale, but the show was still funny and original and able to continue for another 2 seasons.  

In the beginning of the story, there are 4 interesting main characters, and halfway through we get an equally interesting 5^th.  Toradora’s main cast is small, but extremely well developed, especially Ryuji and Taiga.  Since they are the main characters, most screen time is devoted to them and you get to see them grow and develop greatly as the series progresses.  The other three characters have their moments to shine as well, and though we don’t get to see what happens to them at the end of the show, we still hope for the best.  There was also a great group of side characters in Toradora who were also very well developed and acted as comic relief.

Now, while the characters were great, the art was pretty average.  It did shine at some of the major plot points in the series, but on the whole, there was nothing spectacular about it.  The character designs on the other hand looked great, and except for one of the main characters, Toradora's cast had fun and original personalities.  If you watch the series, you can see that one particular character looks and sounds like another very well-known female anime character.  Honestly, it isn't too hard to figure out, but she was still a great character in the show.  

One reason that I wasn't initially intrigued by Toradora was the subtitles.  There wasn't anything wrong with them, but I was tired of reading my animes instead of watching them.  Luckily, I found the dubbed version when I began to watch the series again and they are pretty freaking amazing.  As I've mentioned previously, there are some animes where the English voice doesn't match up with their character, and this is another rare occurrence where the English voices and dialogue were absolutely perfect.  Way to go NIS America!

I'm going to warn you right now, that if you watch this series, most likely it will be a "void anime".Void Animes are, to me, shows that you watch and after you finish, you feel like there is a void in your life.  You look around and ask yourself "What do I do now?"  It's not necessarily a bad thing; it just means that you really enjoyed that show and now that the story is over, you don't know what to do.  This has happened a couple times for me.  Some of the animes were really good series like Spice and Wolf and others were pretty terrible animes like Aquarion Evol.  The next step is usually for you to just go and find another show to watch.  Just be careful while you are searching, because you won't another series exactly like the one that left the void, so don't expect to find an immediate replacement.  If Toradora had elements that you liked about it, use those elements as a starting point to find your next series.  Or, you could go a completely opposite direction and watch something completely different.  It's up to you!  The power is in your hands!

If you haven't yet realized it, I'll make it simple for you; I LOVED TORADORA!  It was one of the best combinations of romance and comedy that I've ever seen.  Clannad was really good, but Toradora now reigns supreme as my favorite romance anime.  If you want to watch something light and sweet, I hope you will take the time to enjoy this show, because it really is a fantastic anime and a great lesson about friendship and love.

Peace and Love

Trying to be Catholic in High School

Until I began to attend college at the age of 18, I had never been to a school that would be considered "public".  I had gone to a Catholic grade school from pre-school to 8th grade, then a Catholic high school for 9th-12th grade.  While I enjoyed my time in those schools and have many fond memories, I feel like there was something missing.  Mainly, a Catholic education.

Now, I did take religious classes while in high school, and they were very informative.  I learned about Church History, the Old and New Testament, and other things that frankly, I've forgotten.  At the time, this was all good information, but reflecting on that time in my life makes me think that my Catholic life was lacking something.

You're probably thinking, Well, did you go to youth group, like Lifeteen or EDGE?  I did attend EDGE in 6th grade for a while, but stopped when it was moved from Wednesday nights to Sunday nights after the Lifeteen Mass.  I only ever attended  3 Lifeteen nights for Confirmation, because again, they were on Sunday nights.  At my house, Sunday night was family night, because it was usually the only time during the week where all of us could actually have a meal together in our home and not a baseball field.  Besides, my parents were not fans of the Lifeteen Mass.  "Too much hand waving" my father would say, "and they do back flips on the altar" (it only happened once).

I don't blame my parents for not feeling on fire for the faith like some of my friends.  They wanted to make sure I had a good education and would learn in a Catholic environment.  It's not their fault I didn't feel a stronger connection to Christ until I was 19 years old.

Still, I wish my Catholic schools had put more effort into helping us develop a relationship with Christ.  We learned the prayers, the history and how to meditate, but we didn't get many opportunities to spend an hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament or talk in small groups.  It makes sense that we didn't do those things very often, but I wish the opportunity was there.

I can't put all the blame on my schools, because I was never the model of Catholic holiness.  Sure, I didn't drink or smoke in school, but still tended to focus my efforts on my worldly life rather than my spiritual.  I spent a lot of time trying to impress or keep up with my friends, many of whom did grow up in the faith.  They are all excellent human beings who are doing wonderful things in this world, but they weren't the ones who would bring me to Christ.  Those people came later.

Back to what I was saying about my schools; it wasn't like they weren't trying.  My high school had an excellent priest on staff who was filled with God's love and holiness and who I greatly admire.  The same goes for the priests who were at my grade school.  They were all great men of the faith and tried to help us connect with God and the Bible.

I found out that my old Catholic schools were attempting to increase holiness after I'd left (hmmm maybe it was me who was holding them back...).  My grade school now has Friday morning mass for the whole school and my high school has prayer over the loud speakers before each class starts.  While I'm not too crazy about the preclass prayers (I think they could come up with some other ideas), having Mass every Friday sounds awesome to me!  While it may not appeal to the kids in the school, I hope that at least some of them take that opportunity to continue moving towards Christ.

And luckily for me, I found the Newman Center when I came to college.  Though it took a bit of time for me to get involved, I had 4 amazing years being a part of the Newman and feel stronger in my faith than I've ever felt.  However, I still have a long ways to go and I hope that during my year of service, I'll be more in tune with that God has planned for me.

CB Anime Review:BECK Mongolian Chop Squad

What I love about anime is the range of shows that can be found.  Seriously, people can make an anime about pretty much anything!  You want an anime about people fighting over half-priced bento?  Sure!  You want an anime about people who get turned into animals when hugged by the opposite gender? Done!  But besides those random examples, there are of great animes out there that just take ordinary ideas and make them extraordinary.  A great example of this is one of my favorite animes of all time, BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad.

At the beginning of this show, we meet 14 year old Koyuki, who no longer finds meaning in life, until he saves the dog of a rock musician, Ryusuke.  After seeing Ruysuke play guitar, Koyuki decides to learns to play, eventually becoming a guitarist and vocalist for Ryusuke's new band BECK (named after his dog).

Basically, this is the story of an emerging rock band, who is trying to make it big in the world of music, and dealing with the struggles along the way.  Then throw in a side story about Beck's real owner, a cute love story and some amazing music, and you've got one of the best animes I've ever seen!

The main reasons that I enjoyed BECK is because of it's roots.  The creator Harold Sakuishi got a lot of ideas for this show from real bands and musicians and created sounds and characters from those influences.  The main singer/rapper for BECK, Chiba, is based off of Zach de la Rocha from Rage Against The Machine and the Red Hot Chilli Pepper's Flea inspired BECK's bassist Taira; no shirt and everything.

The characters in BECK are all very cool, so I'm not going to bother with character descriptions, because I feel like I wouldn't be able to do them justice in this review.  I would probably need another article in order to describe all 6 main characters in enough detail, and tell you about the some of the major side characters.  All you need to know is that the characters in BECK are well developed, and I love each of them!

Now, here's the low point of BECK; the art.  It isn't bad, most of the time, but there are some moments where you feel like it's pulling a Neon Genesis "we're out of money" moment.  Also, since BECK's shows take place in the same music club most of the time, footage is reused pretty frequently.  It gets better later in the series, but you can pretty easily tell where they were cutting the budget.

However, who needs great animation when you have the power of ROCK!  Really, the music is the highlight of BECK, and this anime wouldn't be the same without its rockin soundtrack.  All the music played in BECK is original, so it's not like you're watching anime Glee.  You'll hear fantastic guitar riffs, excellent drumming, and one of the best sounding basses out there.  Plus, the vocals were extremely well done.  This is a show where you should probably listen to the dub rather than the sub, because the lyrics are either in Japanese or broken English.  However,
Here's an example.  This is one of my favorite songs from the series, Follow Me.
First the Sub:

Now the Dub (Sorry, I couldn't find a dubbed video on Youtube for some weird reason:

If you decide to watch the entire series, I would recommend the dub because you'll probably enjoy it more.

There are a couple covers of well known songs sprinkled throughout the series, along with a few cameos from some artists everyone should recognize.  Even if you're not a big rock fan, you can enjoy the music of BECK.

Besides, while the music is great, the heart of this story is its main character Koyuki, and his attempt to find out who he is and where he wants to go in life, which is something we've all felt.  Sure, he faces struggles and defeats along the way, but that is what makes this story so great.  We get to see BECK fall down, but continue to get back up again, slowly making its way to rock stardom.

At some point in the future, I want to make my own "10 Animes Everyone Should See" and obviously BECK will be on there.  It's a series that I can watch over and over again and still find enjoyment while watching.  I hope that you will enjoy it as well.

You know what, to help you, here's the opening.  If this doesn't get you interested, I don't know what will.

Peace and Love

"You Should Become a Priest" So I've Been Told

This statement is one that I've heard so many times in my life that I lost count.  Seriously though, I'm tired of that sentence, because it is very confusing.  Some guys will know what I talking about.  Others will not, and everyone else will probably not care about my internal struggles to serve God as best I can, but they don't write on this blog, so forget them.  How about we start at the beginning.......

I started hearing this when I came to college 4 years ago.  I remember one particular instance that had a huge affect on me during my sophomore year.  I had just turned 20 years old and was having a quarter life crisis.  Everyone around me seemed to be putting their lives together and had bright futures in front of them.  I however had no plans, no ideas, and was in funk.  So I decided that the best way to vent my frustration was to post it on Facebook (because that's always a good idea).  Some people commented with pity and encouragement, but one person commented something along the lines of "Have you considered the priesthood?"

Boom.

That sent me over the edge.  Now my head was filled with even more confusion then before.  I began to question everything.  Should I drop out of college and join a seminary?  What if this is my calling?  What if it isn't my calling, but I become a priest anyway?  Is there any chance I'll find a spouse?  You have to understand that I wasn't used to talking to people about my problems, unless it involved girls, but that was something completely different.

The next couple of days were torture, as I went from class, to activities and to sleep, all the while these questions were floating in my head.  It got better over time, and eventually, I got past this sad stage in my life.  Then Thanksgiving came around, and I thought that talking to my mom about this  issue might help me.  I was still really nervous and kept putting the conversation off until the night before Thanksgiving.  I was peeling apples at the table when she mentioned that she ran into the priest at my old Catholic high school, and that he believed I would make a really good priest.  Boom.  Here we go again.  I started tearing up and told her my struggle.  We talked it out, and she told me I didn't need to make any decisions right away; it would take time, so I should just live my life and pray for guidance.  I felt better, and went back to my normal, non-discernment life.

Over the next couple years, people continued to ask me about the priesthood.  Friends made jokes, acquaintances asked questions, and current priest called me out in front of the entire Newman Center, just because I made a reference to the Second Vatican Council in a speech.  I tried to not let it bother me and currently it doesn't, but I'll talk about that later.

Here's the thing.  I'm not against the priesthood.  I could possibly see myself as priest in the future, but I don't know if that is my vocation.  When I was younger, joining the priesthood seemed so abnormal to me.  I considered myself a pretty abnormal teen, who didn't always have the typical teen experiences, or when I did, they happened later than everyone else.  I didn't want to be abnormal anymore, so I was pretty dead set against becoming a priest.  It was also because it was always me who was asked.  No one ever joked about it with my other Newman friends or called them out as potential priests.  Though it's probably not true, but it still hurt.

Things have changed for me these past couple years.  As I began to spend my time the priests at the Newman Center, saw what it really means to be a priest of the Catholic Church.  They have a connection with God I could only dream of having and what they do is pretty amazing.  I probably wouldn't be the greatest American priest of all time, but I could be a decent one if God guided me.  However, there is the alternative.....

Honestly , I'd love to be a dad.  Like I said, I've been hearing how "good" a priest I would be for a long time, but only once did I hear another calling.  My friend and I hanging out one night at our friend's bad punk band concert.  After talking for a while, she said something I thought I would never hear.  She said "You're going to make a great dad someday" (She's married by the way, so that ain't happening) and I was so happy.  Finally, someone saw something in me besides a potential priest.  I had always wanted to be a dad, but due to a lack of female companion, I thought it would be a very long time before River and Tyler would be brought into the world (potential kid names, you like?).  Still, the dream was still alive and even though I might have been called to the priesthood, I was just happy that someone believed in me.

I still don't know where God is calling me.  I prayed about this issue a couple months ago, and while God didn't spell out "PRIESTHOOD" in huge letters in the sky, He also hasn't sent someone who I could spend the rest of my life with (not that I know of anyway).  So, I'm keeping an open mind about this, and waiting to see where God is calling me.  To me, becoming a husband and dad, is just as important role in the Church as becoming a priest, because while the Church needs good priests, it also needs good fathers.

For now, I'll continue to pray, so that one day, I can look back and see how God used me to bring others to His kingdom, which is my real purpose in life.  I mean, I could possibly stay single for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy caring for others and doing God's work.  That is what God and I can agree upon.

Peace and Love

CB Anime Review: Soul Eater

I'm sorry, this is the best picture I could find

This is a review that I've been debating about for a long time.

You see, I created this blog to share ideas, shows, etc with ANYONE who stumbles upon it, and for that reason, I feel like the content should be stuff I would recommend to anyone.  Yes, some of the animes I've reviewed on this blog may have elements people might not like, but overall, they're great animes that anyone could sit down and enjoy if they felt inclined.

However, while Soul Eater is a great anime, there are elements people might not like about it.  I'll do my best to explain these elements, and after reading this you feel like this anime might not be the right one for you, I completely understand.  So, with the introduction out of the way, lets talk about Soul Eater!

Our story takes place at Death Weapon Meister Academy (DWMA), a school created by Death.

See, does he reeeaaaalllllyyyy look all that evil?

BOOM OK, here we go.  First problem.  While thinking about what could be seen as an evil presence in this anime, Death the big one.  When thinking about the personification of death, Satan or the Devil might be the first things to pop into one's mind, but that isn't Death in Soul Eater.  His other name is the Grim Reaper, and he isn't the lord of the underworld.  He's kind of like Thanatos from Greek mythology, whose job is to guard the boundary between life and death, and make sure dead people stay dead.  And that is pretty much what Death does in Soul Eater; he trains humans who can transform into weapons and meisters (humans trained to wield these weapons in battle) to stop evil from creating chaos on earth.

OK, with that out of the way, lets meet our main characters.  Since I don't want to give long character descriptions for every one, because there are quite a few, I'll give you the highlights.

Maka: Meister. Kind, sweet and a great fighter.  If I were to make a "Top 10 Most Badass Female Anime Characters" list she would be pretty high up.

Soul: Maka's partner.  Can transform into a scythe.  Laid back and likes to chill, but loyal to Maka and his friends.

Black Star: Meister.  Loudmouth ninja, but probably the most powerful character in terms of raw strength.  While he may seem arrogant and annoying the first time you meet him in episode 2, don't let that stop you from watching the series, because I promise he gets better over time.

Tsubaki: Black Star's partner.  Can transform into several ninja weapons, including a ninja sword and throwing star.  She's the yin to Black Star's yang, as she has a very calming presence and sweet personality.

Death the Kid: Death's son and Grim Reaper like his father.  He's obsessed with symmetry, which causes problems for him in battle.  While he's not big on showing affection, Kid is a good friend and teammate.

Liz and Patty Thompson: Kid's partners who can transform into semi-auto pistols.  Liz is cynical and Patty is childish, but they work well together with Kid and with the group.

There are also a number of great side characters, including Death, Maka's father, teachers, witches and other DWMA students.

Oh ya and there's also this guy, I mean weapon..........

Ya, isn't he great!  Seriously, even if you don't like this series, watch the first Excalibur episode, because it is hilarious!  If you don't watch it, then you're a FOOL!

Something nice that the creators did was give each main character and their partner their own episode at the beginning of the series, so that we can properly meet them and see what they can do.  Like I said before, if you don't like Black Star after watching episode 2 JUST KEEP WATCHING.  I promise he gets better.

While the main story of Soul Eater takes a little time to get going, when it gets going, it really gets going.  There's lots of great fights, some heartfelt moments, and enough suspense to make you want to watch more.  Of course not every episode can have a huge Dragonball Z battle.  Some episodes are a little tamer, focusing more on comedy than action.  Like there' s an entire episode about the gang preparing and taking a final exam.  Who does that in an anime?  Soul Eater does apparently.  Still, the plot always manages to be interesting, right up to the beginning of the finale, when it really gets going and you can't wait for the end!


Now, while the animation on Soul Eater isn't as crisp as other shonen animes, I think it suits the feel of this show perfectly.  While this anime does deal with serious ideas and problems, its also a show where Death acts like your wacky uncle.  It's a little cartoony, but it still looks great and doesn't diminish the quality of the show.  One feature that I feel like the animators put a lot of extra work into was the sun and moon, who actually have faces and appear in more episodes then some of the side characters.

Soul Eater also had a great soundtrack  to accompany its many fight scenes. My personal favorite track was the series' first opening song, Resonance by TM Revolution.  This theme really got me ready to watch an episode.  No matter how slow an episode might be, listening to the minute and a half theme was enough to keep me satisfied until the next episode, which is probably the reason why it is probably one of my favorite anime theme songs of all time!

Now remember those ideas I was talking about earlier that might lead some to believe that this anime was not something religious people should watch?  Well, here's a few more for you.

One character in particular makes a lot of references to God, saying that his goal is to surpass Him.  My answer to this is that he doesn't, even though he might believe he did.  Just watch the very end and you'll get it.

There are also two characters who are not the kind of adults you want your kids to hang out with.  One is Maka's dad, Spirit, who has no chance of winning Father of the Year, and Blair, a cat that can turn into a human, who appears without clothes on a few times throughout the series.  Don't worry, Blair doesn't show up too much (and she's usually clothed), and Spirit is one of the best side characters in the show, and is voiced by one of my favorite voice actions of all time, Vic Mignogna.

So, besides that, there isn't really anything bad about Soul Eater, except for the reasonable amount of blood you would expect from a show like this.  Like I said, if anything here turned you off to Soul Eater, don't watch it.  I understand, but hope that you would at least watch 3-4 episodes.  They're all on Netflix, so give them a try!  There are a lot great themes in this show, like love, forgiveness and acceptance, that give Soul Eater a heart and soul.

So, by releasing this review, I will be ending my internal debate on whether reviewing Soul Eater would be a good idea.  I still want to share quality shows and ideas with you, so don't worry, this won't be a slippery slope which ends with my recommending less appropriate show.  So go and enjoy this show, and don't forget a sound soul dwells within a sound mind and a sound body.

Peace and Love

Hallelujah

For some reason, I had the biggest urge to listen to one of my favorite songs today, Hallelujah.  Honestly, I hadn't listened to it in a while, but I felt called to just listen to as many versions of this song as possible.  It was probably the best decision I made all day, because after a morning of feeling anxious and antsy, this song put me into a place of peace.  It's a beautiful song that has been covered by hundreds of artists, but still maintains its beauty after all this time.

Now, when I say hundreds of artist, I mean hundreds, including quite a few well known names.  You have the cover that everyone knows by Jeff Buckley, the wonderful rendition by KD Lang and a fun surprise for me, a cover by Bon Jovi!

Then, there is the classic.  The original.  Hallelujah sung by Leonard Cohen.  With his gravelly voice and simple sound, to me, this Hallelujah is the best Hallelujah.

Though it is not one of the Top 10 Covered Songs (for that, you'll have to look here: http://mentalfloss.com/article/20811/quick-10-10-most-covered-songs-ever).  Hallelujah has been covered by a pretty impressive number of people, as mentioned before.  To add a couple more names to that list; Bobo, Justin Timberlake and Cee Lo Green (as a Voice judge) all have Hallelujah covers.  So many people have done this song, and everyone who does it brings something special to Hallelujah.  Everyone is saying the same words (mostly) and the music follows the same progression for each version; the minor fall and the major lift as described in the song, but there is something special in each version, as if the singer is bearing their soul to the world through Hallelujah.

In a way, this song is just like our connection with God.  No two people's relationship with God is exactly the same, but in the end, we are all here in the presence of God, loving Him and calling His name (whoa, that rhymed).  So, everyone may follow the same lyrics and tempo of this song, but what God hears in our hearts is our own unique beautiful sound..

For some, their relationship with God might be like Bob Dylan's Hallelujah.  They may not be fully connected with God, but the feeling and relationship are still there.

Or yours could be Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah.  The relationship can be nerve racking in the beginning, but eventually, you find the right chord and fall into a state of bliss.

You could have a Willie Nelson relationship.  Sure, it can be a little rough at times, but overall, it is beautiful and uplifting.

Finally, you could be the person who has a Rejina Spektor relationship.  It's something that starts out sweet and innocent, but as time goes on, transforms into something mature and beautiful.

Of course, there are plenty of other great Hallelujah covers out there and all beautiful just like our relationship with God.  In fact, here is an article of the "15 Greatest 'Hallelujah' Covers" so that you can continue to search for and dive deeper into your own Hallelujah.  That's what I'm going to be, because this song speaks of something that is sad but hopeful.  We all go through hard times, but this song reminds us that things will get better, as long as we have God and continue to love Him.  

CB Anime Review: Clannad + Clannad After Story

I'm not a huge fan of romance animes.  Sure, I like it when a show has a romance element to it, like Edward and Winry in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, but I find most romance animes to be realllllyyyy cheesy and sometimes unbearably awkward.  However, during my long and uneventful summer break, I decided to go ahead and try an anime that I've heard great things about and was a total romantic anime.  I should clarify; I decided to finish an anime that I'd heard great things about (I'll explain more later).  I didn't know what to expect from this show, except that pretty much everyone who watched it, loved it, and guess what, I loved it too!  Not Clannad specifically, but the combination of Clannad and Clannad: After Story.  Here's why.....

Our protagonist is Tomoya, a high school delinquent whose life consists of skipping class and hating his hometown.  This changes however when he meets Nagisa, a girl in his class who is repeating his senior year and Tomoya ends up helping Nagisa  find the courage to go to school.  Eventually the two become friends and they attempt to restart the school's Drama Club.  Along the way, Tomoya meets and helps several other girls at school with their problems while dealing with his own struggles.

I began this anime at some point before the summer began, but after the first story arc ended, I got bored and decided to stop.  I picked it up again a few weeks ago and began to tear through episodes.  For you see, my goal was not to finish Clannad, my goal was to watch Clannad: After Story.  Before I get into that, lets talk about why people seem to enjoy the Clannad series.

First, the characters.  While some characters lack proper development, all of the main and side characters in Clannad get ample amounts of screen time, so that we can properly meet and enjoy them.  Clannad starts off as a one girl per story arc show, where Nagisa and Tomoya try to get a girl to join the Drama Club and end up helping her in some way.  It could be overcoming a personal issue or doing something nice for them.  The formula gets picked up and dropped several times in the series, which wasn't bad, because it allows us to focus on other aspects of the show, like Tomoya's and Nagisa's relationship.

There isn't that much I need to say about each individual character, since they're pretty bland in the beginning.  Tomoya is a delinquent, Nagisa is sweet and clumsy and..... well, you'll learn about the rest.  Like I said, there isn't too much development initially, but each character becomes endearing in their own way.

The art  of Clannad is very stylized, with everything very bright and tall.  The being said, there isn't anything super spectacular about Clannad's design.  Most characters, especially the girls have similar body types and can only be told apart by their different colored hair.  Still, it did the job that was needed, so I didn't have any problems with Clannad's art.

Overall, Clannad is a good anime.  It's funny, has a good cast of characters and gives you the warm fuzzies.  It's also predictable, like most romance anime.  You know who is going to end up with whom at the end, pretty much from the beginning, and so you're just watching the show to see how they eventually say the "L" word to each other.


HOWEVER, Clannad decided to go beyond your normal romance anime and show us what life is like after finding the one you love in Clannad: After Story.  Like I said in the beginning, After Story is where the beauty of Clannad really shines.  It follows Tomoya and Nagisa as the finish high school and eventually start their life together.  This leads to a whole slew of problems that you don't see in your typical romance anime, and it totally works.  It shows that romance can leave high school, and lead to a life you would have never imagined.  Though there are a few sad moments in Clannad, After Story will make the manliest man break down into tears.  It really shows that life won't always turn out the way you expect, but its how you deal with these challenges that makes you into a better person. Tomoya learns that in After Story, but you'll have to watch to see if he gets the happy ending he deserves.

Besides the normal Clannad story, there's a side story about The Last Girl on Earth and the mechanical doll she builds and comes to life.  I promise you that it will be explained at some point.  There are also 2 "What if" episodes, meaning, "what if Tomoya decided to date one of the other girls he eventually makes friends with?"  You can ignore them if you so choose, but I enjoyed them a lot and kind of wish that they would have expanded those two episodes into their own mini series.


Not everyone is going to be interested in Clannad, and that's OK.  I didn't think I would like romance animes either, and though I've found some really great ones recently, I've also found some pretty boring ones.  My general rule of anime is to watch at least 3 episodes, and if I still don't like it after that, I don't feel bad about stopping.  Again, After Story is the real draw to the show, so enjoy the 1st season as fast as you can, so you can see why everyone loves this anime!

For being a romance anime, Clannad is pretty tame, so just watch it!  The entire series is on Hulu, so don't wait watch Clannad and join the hundreds of fans who have had their hearts broken! Yay!

Peace and Love

Get On My Level

So, I am currently sitting my official parish office, typing on my official computer with the official parish dish washer is doing its thing on the other side of the official wall.  So, this is ministry life.  I like it.

I haven't had that much to do since it is my first week and my pastor was out of town until Thursday.  I have been taking the time to do research and find materials for projects and endeavors I hope to do this year.  I've checked the USCCB website, done Google searches, looked at Reddit.....for a couple hours, and while it's all good stuff, I'm still a little lost in terms of what to do for now. That's OK, because these things will take time.

One of the roles I'll have in the parish is evangelization.  Basically, I'm going to be the one trying to get people interested in the Church.

We're doomed.

No, I have enough faith in myself that I will be able to do this, but I'm going to have to really work hard.  My goal won't be to make people immediately join the Church, but if they did that would be wonderful.  My goal is to teach others about the Church and why it is great to be a part of a Catholic community.  If people were rushing into the Church like it was the end of the world, they would be entering the Church uninformed, and one thing that the Catholic Church does not need is uninformed Catholics.  You don't have to have a Masters in Theology, but it would be nice if people knew the basics; 10 Commandments, Jesus' death and resurrection, all that fun stuff.

But back to the main issue; I'M going to have to convince people that the Catholic Church is a great place to be.  ME!  Maybe if Mark Walberg was standing next to me, I would be able to generate some interest, but I'm not the best spokesperson for the Catholic faith.  How am I going to convince people that being a Catholic is something special?

Well, I could do what Jesus did.  No, I don't mean making the blind see and turning water into wine (though that would lower my bar tab quite a bit).  No, should follow Jesus' example of being with the people; getting on their level.  I mean, when you think about it, Jesus literally did get on our level.  He came down from heaven so that He could be with us and bring us salvation.  He literally got as low as you could get in Jewish society, a carpenter, so that he could preach to everyone, rich or poor, and connect to their lives and their struggles.

See, everyone in Jewish society knew that a Messiah was coming, but everyone had different ideas as to what the he would look like.  Some groups, like the Pharisees and the Sadducees thought He would be a great scholar and keeper of the law, while the Zealots thought He would be a great warrior who would come help liberate the Jewish people from Roman rule.  You can imagine everyone surprise when a lowly carpenter went around claiming to be their long awaited savior and how mad they were about this turn of events.

This makes sense, because God does not give us what we want, He gives us what we need, and what we needed was a carpenter for a Messiah.  He could talk with pretty much anyone He wanted.  He would go to anyone who needed Him.  He could have followers who were just like Him; normal working class people.    And He accepted everyone.  That is the kind of Messiah that we have and that is how I can attempt to reach others.

I've always considered myself a pretty good listener, and I hope that by listening to others, I can help understand them and the role God has for them.  I guess that it would also be important to let the people come to me.  I'm not going to Mormonize my ministry and go door to door.  Instead, I just want be available and inviting to others.  I haven't talked about my plans for Evan with my pastor/boss yet, but hopefully he will be able to give me some ideas.  I also don't know what type of evangelization I will be doing, so I'll have to adjust based on the situation.  Any advice/tips would be appreciated!

My Discipleship is only beginning, but I see so many possibilities for the future.  Some are grand and won't probably be achieved during my time here, but there are others that I could start and make sure that they continue after I'm gone.  All I really hope to do this year is love and serve like Jesus, because that is His call for us.

Peace and Love

Follow me on Twitter at CatholicBA_Blog

CB Top 10: Superhero Cartoons

I'm on a role!  While thinking about my favorite Marvel movies, I began to think about my favorite Marvel cartoons.  Truthfully, while Marvel is able to create really great movies, their animated series could use some work.  So tttthhheeeennnnn I began to think about my favorite animated TV series and compiled this Top 10 List.  I usually do a top 5, but I had a hard time narrowing it down and decided to include 10 this time!  Fun right?  Let's get started!

10.  Static Shock

For anyone who doesn't know about this superhero or TV show, that's OK.  It was a staple in my Saturday morning cartoon line-up while growing up, and while it was a fun show when I was a kid, the novelty of it has worn off.  Still, the material was great and it was a great show to eat cereal over!

9. Legion of Superheroes

I wasn't very familiar with this team of teen heroes from the future until the cartoon came out in 2006.  Still, they featured a young Superman and had a fun cast of characters and villains.  Thought it only ran 2 seasons, this show helped me get interested in the Legion comics. Check them out because their some of the best DC comics I've ever read!

8. Spectacular Spider-man

If there is one thing that drives me nuts about Spider-man movies, it is that they never get Spider-man right.  He's not some silent, web-slinging hero, he's a mouthy goofball who throws off his enemies by making fun of them.  The Amazing Spider-man tried to emulate the true Spider-man, but it wasn't enough.  So, enter Spectacular Spider-man!  With great writing, classic villains and joke after joke, this was a great cartoon that I actually got the chance to binge watch while I was in college!

7. Batman Beyond

I hear how people love the original Batman series, with its dark mood and complex style.  I unfortunately was only able to catch the tail end of this series when I was young, so it isn't my favorite incarnation of the Bat.  Instead, I got to enjoy Batman Beyond, a show about a young man named Terry who takes over the mantle of Batman from Bruce Wayne.  This was also a more serious and darker version of Batman, but it was still a great series that proves that crime does not stop with age.

6. X-men: Evolution

Someday I will binge watch the original X-men series, because I've only seen random episodes and clips online.  When I was growing up, it was X-men: Evolution that got me interested in this mutant team.  It had your favorite characters trying to balance their lives as high school students and superheroes (except for Wolverine, don't worry).  The art was great, the stories were clever, and it brought in all your favorite mutants, and even some other Marvel Universe staples!  It also had a good complete story, and while I would have like to have seen a great follow-up series, Wolverine and the X-men hasn't lived up to my expectations.

5. Justice League/Justice League Unlimited

While you get a taste of the Justice League in Static Shock, JL lets you enjoy Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the rest in all their glory.  Each member of the team stays true to their comic source materials, and we get to watch them do battle with a range of well known as well as less well known supervillains.  When JLU came along, we got to watch some less recognizable heroes kick butt and enjoy learning about everyone in the DC Universe.  Also, the writers created interesting plots involving the ideas of freedom, public safety and patriotism, to expand the DC world and make it more than just a half hour of mindless violence.

4. Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes

Before the movie and spin-off cartoon, there was this gem.  EMH followed the adventures of the original Avengers, Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Ant Man and Wasp as they try to capture 75 escaped supervillains and protect the planet.  During its two seasons, there is a rotating cast of Avengers, where several members leave but later rejoin the team, and new members like Hawkeye become Avengers.  Also, the stories involve some of the biggest villains in Marvel, including Loki and the Skrulls.  While Earth's Mightiest Heroes could have been something more, it was still a fun series and one of the few modern Marvel TV shows that they got right.

3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003)

I know, I know, everyone loves the 1987 versions, but you need to know this; it started 4 years before I was born and ended when I was five.  How was I supposed to understand what heroes in a half-shell means when I'm five?  No, it was the 2003 version for me.  Though it was darker and more serious than its previous incarnations, there was no lack of action, fun and intrigue in this series.  We got to see classic villains like the Shredder along with new villains and allies like Casey Jones, who a major supporting character in this series!  It was a party, and dare I say a......pizza party!!!!!!

2. Young Justice/ Young Justice: Invasion

This is the newest show on this list, but that doesn't mean Young Justice isn't as good as any of the older classic series.  Young Justice follows the teenage sidekicks of the Justice League, who do covert missions for the League.  We get to see Robin, Aqualad, Speedy, Artemis (Green Arrow's  sidekick), Miss Martian and Superboy fight the bad guys and still have time to do their homework.  The episodes, though serious, were fun and the overarching plots and villains made you want to keep watching.  The second season, Young Justice: Invasion, takes place 5 years after the original series, with an expanded roster that includes heroes like Blue Beetle and Arsenal.  Again, we are introduced to an intriguing plot with lots of twists and turns, and huge cast of DC characters and villains to enjoy.  Honestly, Young Justice being cancelled is probably one of the greatest cartoon tragedies ever.




Now it's time for #1!!!!!! And the winner is..............

1. Teen Titans

Did you see that coming?  Maybe?  It's OK if you didn't, but I love Teen Titans!  It was a fun show that could be a laugh riot one episode and then completely serious the next.  Each of the Titans had great character development and storylines involving devious and completely undivious plots.  Moreover, the last season, which was basically a teenage venison of DC's The Brave and the Bold, was a great move by the creators and had one of the best finales to a show I've ever seen (not the "Things Change" episode, cause that was just heartbreaking).  I also enjoyed the anime style in which it was animated, because it really made the humorous episodes amazing!  I've you've never watch Teen Titans, check it out because it it totally worth it!  Plus it gave us one of the greatest written lines in TV history.....

Side note:  Though I'm glad they got the gang back together for Teen Titans Go, it's just.......not the same. I'm sorry if you enjoy that show, but I'm not a fan.

So that's my Top Ten List!  As of now, I'm planning on seeing Guardians of the Galaxy this weekend and am really excited!  If I missed your favorite cartoon or you think one should be in a different spot, comment below.  Also follow me on Twitter at CatholicBA_Blog!

Peace and Love

CB Top 5: Marvel Universe Films

At some point this week, I plan on seeing Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel's newest superhero film, and thought it would be fun to share my favorite Marvel films!  This list includes any Marvel movies despite the different studios that own the franchise.  One note though, I have not seen Captain America: The Winter Soldier or The Amazing Spider-man 2, so this list may change once I get the chance to see them (most likely just for The Winter Soldier).  With that in mind, lets start the countdown!

5. Fantastic Four

I grew up reading Fantastic Four comics probably more than any other comic book series.  Though their big screen debut was a bit different than their lives on the pages, Fantastic Four was a fun movie that captured the essence of the Fantastic Four spirit.  It followed pretty closely to the team's origins and had all of the catchphrases.

4. Captain America: The First Avenger 

Switching over to Chris Evan's other Marvel incarnation, Captain America, we find a good story and lead-in for the long awaited Avengers movie.  The writers did a great job developing the character of Steve Rogers as a man who just wants to help other and fight for freedom.  I think that watching it makes us all feel a little more patriotic.  The movie also has great visuals and special effects, along with a lot of recognizable actors and actresses from other projects.  Doctor Who and Game of Thrones fans will know what I'm talking about.

3. X-Men

Honestly, this was a tough pick for me, because it was a toss up between the original X-men movie and Days of Future Past.  I decided to go with the original, because it really shows us the essence of the X-men comics.  We see how they try to live in a world that hates them, and yet they continue to try and save humanity despite their status.  It's a fun, action packed movie, that really helped start up the modern age of Marvel movies.  We also get introduced to Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, who is probably the most recognizable Marvel movie character, next to Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark/Iron Man.  Speaking of which.....

2. Iron Man

This is the movie that started the Avengers Initiative.  Honestly I didn't know what to expect when I saw Iron Man in the theater 6 years ago, but thanks to RDJ's amazing portrayal as the Genius Billionare Playboy Philanthropist, I was hooked.  It's a fun movie that makes you laugh, but shows us the struggles of someone who wants to change their life for the better.  He is Iron Man.  So while this movie did look and sound great (I really enjoyed the soundtrack), it's Downey's Tony Stark that shows us that heroes aren't born, but made.

And #1 is...... ya you probably guessed it

1. Avengers

I was already excited for this movie before I heard that Joss Whedon would be directing.  Though it is a major action blockbuster, I also love this movie for it's quieter scenes, like when all the characters are together on the SHIELD helicarrier.  There was great chemistry between actors and every scene was impeccable written.  It was funny, sweet, sad and made you stand in your seat and cheer!  Literally, during the midnight premiere, there were two instances when people in the theater stood up and cheered.  Plus, Mark Ruffalo is probably the best incarnation of Bruce Banner ever (Don't worry Lou, you're still the best Hulk).  Everyone from the actors to the director brought their A game, and now, we just have to wait for Age of Ultron!

So that's my list!  What do you think?  Leave a comment below if I missed your favorite Marvel movie or you think one deserved to be higher up!  Until then, Excelsior!

Peace and Love

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CB Sort-of Anime Review: RWBY

About a year ago, I began to follow an internet company based in Austin, Texas called Rooster Teeth.  This group is most well known for their Halo based web series Red vs Blue.  You can check out the first episode here:

They also do a weekly podcast, a video game version of Mythbusters and other great internet content.  More recently, Rooster Teeth created a new web series called RWBY.  While it is not technically an anime, I still think that it is a great piece of work and wanted to share it with you!

RWBY takes place in the world of Remnant, where an element called Dust is used to power incredible weapons.  These weapons are used by Huntsmen or Huntresses to fight against the evil monsters, or Creatures of Grimm, as well as shadowy human organizations who want to steal Dust.  Our hero is a young girl named Ruby, who dreams of being a Huntress, and enters Beacon Academy along with 3 other girls, Weiss, Blake and Yang.  These girls form Team RWBY and begin their epic adventure together.

The director of this series is Monty Oum, who also works on Red vs Blue and is known for producing awesome animated fighting videos.  One of my favorites is this one Haloid, where Samus from the Metroid games fights against Halo's Master Chief.  It's super legit, so take a break and watch it:


I'd seen the first episode of RWBY when it was first released, thanks to a friend of mine who is also a Rooster Teeth fan.  I wasn't too interesting until I started discovering a lot more of RT's content a couple months later.  Then I found the entire series online and thought Why not?  I ended up being very surprised and became a fan after watching every episode in a day.  While it is not a masterpiece, RWBY has a lot of great action, voice work and music, which together makes it a totally awesome web series!

What originally turned me off to RWBY was the animation.  At first viewing, I thought it was a little bit stiff, and the quality wasn't too impressive.  While Rooster Teeth did put a lot of work into this series, they don't have an unlimited amount of resources like other major animation companies.  That's ok though, because every slow animation sequence in RWBY is made up for during the fighting sequences.  If you watched the Haloid video I just posted, you can see that Monty is very good a making a great looking fight.  I wasn't really into this series until the first major fight scene in episode 8, and then I was hooked.  It's the combination of well choreographed movements, awesome video physics and the fact that each character's weapon acts as a hand-to-hand and a ballistic weapon that make battles AMAZING!  Honestly, RWBY fights look a lot better than some anime fights I've seen, so don't give up on the series til you've seen one.

The cool thing about the voice acting in RWBY is that it is done by the people working at Rooster Teeth, so if watch their videos, you can recognize who is doing each voices.  While these aren't professional voice actors, the sound mixing is in RWBY is very well done.  The do reuse some sounds effects, but not too often.  Also, since Rooster Teeth puts out an array of content, the series has little in-jokes and Easter eggs that you can pick up on if you watch the podcast or Achievement Hunter videos.

While there is some character development that helps to drive RWBY's plot, I don't feel like it is the main focus of the series.  That being said, you do get to meet an interesting cast of characters who you will love.  Whether it is the ready for adventure Ruby, the the quiet and cool Blake, the upbeat and energetic Pyrrha or wannabe cool guy Juane, there is no lack of fun in RWBY's cast.

Another major draw for this series is the music.  I don't always care about a show's music, but RWBY's soundtrack really helps draw you into the the story.  The soundtrack was composed by Jeff Williams, who has done the music for Red vs Blue and the vocals were mostly done by his daughter Casey.  The combination of Jeff music with Casey's singing makes RWBY's soundtrack a home run!  Each song and score fits perfectly with the scene, especially a fight, and really gets you into the action!  Personally, my favorite tracks are RWBY's theme song "This Will Be The Day" and "Red Like Roses II" which was features in episode 8.  If you want a taste of this epicness: just listen to the theme song:

So, if you want to check out this laugh-filled, action packed series, you can find it all on Youtube, and with most episodes only being about 8-15 minutes long, you can get through it in a day!  And if you don't want to wait for more RWBY, well your in luck, because Season 2 just started last week!  So, come join the story!  And because I'm nice, here's the first episode just waiting to be watched!

Peace and Love

My Love/Hate Relationship with Reconciliation

I have been a Catholic for a long time (actually my entire life), and most things about being a part of the Church are pretty routine.  I've got the Mass parts down, I can recite most entrance and closing songs by memory and I can knee on hard work/concrete floors if necessary during the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

However, there is one part about being Catholic that brings me joy and angst at the same time; the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  For anyone who is going "What is that", here's the basics.  Reconciliation or Confession is when Catholics go before their priest who is standing in the place of Jesus and confess their sins.  Now, these aren't like the little things we do, like grumble about getting up for 8:30am Mass (that gets absolved during Mass itself), this is for the big stuff, like the Seven Deadly Sins big stuff.  After the priest hears confessions, they might offer a piece of advice or ask a question about the nature of the sin.  They just want to help you gain some understanding, so that you can kick the habit.  Then they'll assign you a penance.  This could be something as simple as doing ten Hail Marys and five Our Fathers, to saying a certain prayer everyday for a week.  The priest will then ask you to say the Act of Contrition, which is you telling God that you messed up, but will do better in the future.  He then will absolve you from your sins and you can leave.

That's Reconciliation in a nutshell.  Other people might have different Confession experiences.  Some will go to ask for advice or council and others need to recite the entire appendixes of their sins.  There's nothing wrong with that, and if people haven't been to Confession in a while or have been through some rough stuff, it can take a bit of time.  Unfortunately, I have a problem with being impatient, so when someone's Confession takes over three minutes, I'm not happy.  Metaphorically, Confession to me is like taking a shower.  99% of the time, I'm in and out of the tub in just a few minutes and I get antsy when someone is taking a long shower, because I'm afraid they'll use all the hot water (ie Confession will be over before I can go).  Don't let my inpatient nature stop you from a long Confession, because I understand when people really need it.

Now, anyone who wonders why we even have Confession, I'm going to turn you over to this other blogger I found 3 Minute Apologetics: 3 Minute Apologetics: Why do Catholics have to confess their sins to a priest.  Basically, it s a sign to God and to our brothers and sisters in Christ that we are sorry for our sins.  The blog post is really cool and gives a great explanation.

Like the title says, I have a love/hate relationship with Confession.  On one hand, I love that it exists, because I would be screwed without it.  On the other hand, I hate having to go again, and again, and again, especially when you go to the same priest every time.

I have this irrational fear of being judged by the priest when I go to Confession.  It can be scary when you are going to Confession for the same sins over and over again, and I would often go long stretches of time without going, because I didn't want the priest to judge me for my sins.  So, I would either have to wait until I went home and go to 7:30am Confession, or wait for a retreat when there would be other priests around besides my usual one.  All this because I was scared of being judged.  I still am a bit scared, and every opportunity that I have to go to a different parish or meet with a different priest, I take it, but I don't want to be like this for the rest of my life.  I've gotten a bit better, and there are some pretty obvious things that you never really think about when going to Confession.

1.  The priest has heard it all  No matter what you confess to a priest, they've probably heard worst; a lot worst.  You're  talking to someone who has been hearing Confessions for a while, so most likely they've heard some pretty crazy stuff.  It's very difficult to surprise a priest in the confessional.

2.  They'll probably forget it  Like I said, priests hear a lot of Confessions; like hundreds, sometimes thousands.  So unless you confessed something really crazy, they probably won't remember, and even if they do, they're forbidden to talk about it outside of the confessional.  So, don't worry about seeing your priest on the streets and him saying "Hey Sarah, steal anything today?".  Cause that would be weird.  

3.  They're not going to judge  A lot of people, including me, forget that a priest is standing in the place of Christ. So you're not confessing your sins to some balding middle-aged guy, you're confessing to the Lord, and above all, the Lord will not judge you.  He loves and wants you to come to Confession.  He wants you to understand what you've done wrong and to try again.  I heard a talk from Archbishop Desmond Tutu (not Catholic, but still pretty BA) saying that we are like children trying to walk, and when we fall, God picks us up, dusts us off and encourages us to try again.  God loves us, and that's why He gave those Apostles the Spirit, so that we could be saved from our sins.

So, I hope that hearing what I had to say will help you with your Confession anxiety (if it even exists, and if you don't have any, right on!).  It's helped ma bit, and I hope that I will not only be able to improve myself spiritually, but also not be afraid to face the Lord when I do fail.  The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a truly amazing experience, and I've been on a number of retreats where it has made a major impact on people.  It's a truly amazing gift, so why waste it.

Peace and Love