Anime Review: Free! Eternal Summer

I've wanted to write this post for a long time, so here it is! My first anime review~

I plan to do a lot of these in the future, so I hope you enjoy reading this one!~

NOTE: Free! Eternal Summer is the 2nd season of Free! Iwatobi Swim Club. This review will contain spoilers from the first season.

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So, if you've gotten past the first season, congratulations! All of your friends who haven't watched the anime probably now think you're a wierdo now; but that's okay! Right? :D

Let's get started!

-Information-

Synopsis: After last year's tournament, the Iwatobi Swim Club is back to conquer the championships once again! Except this time without getting disqualified. But what's this?! Looks like Rin is back, and organizing a team for the relay! And on top of all of this, Haru, Makato, Rin, and new character Souske all have to decide what to do in their futures! Will they continue swimming? Will they chose totally un-related careers? And who's winning this relay anyways? Get ready for more feels and tear in Free! Eternal Summer. (And side note, the Ragisa feels are still going strong.)

Genre: Sports, Almost Yaoi, Humor

For the most part this anime is pretty lighthearted. But I did shed a few tears. :')

And of course there were times when shit got real.

Episodes: 13

Swim!

-Ratings-

Plot & Character Development: 8/10

As far a sequels go, they did a pretty good job on this one. They didn't open up any doors that had already been closed, and this time they included Rei more, which I found satisfying. You get to see not only Iwatobi, but also a lot of Samezuka and Rin in this season. The character development is great in this season. They introduce three new characters, and by the end of the season you're comfortable with them. Although the focus is often on Samezuka, Iwatobi isn't neglected, and each of them have a lot of great character development too. I felt like I grew closer to all of them, and I really didn't know who to vote for in the races because of that. Which was a weird feeling, but it was exciting.

Music & Art: 8/10

I really liked the opening and ending for this season, more than I did the first. The ending seems to suit the anime, although the opening is a little like the first one, both musically, and in that it was a little over-dramatic. The animation was amazing for both opening and ending. The background music was okay, it didn't really stand out though. Like the first season, the art and animation were great, especially during the action shots. The character design was good, but I felt the new characters were a little more ordinary compared to the older ones as far as looks.

 Overall: 8/10

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Bottom Line: Although at first it may seem a little boring, it defiantly picks up a few episodes in. I think this season was better than the first, and the character development present is something worth watching for. Regardless if you liked the first season or not; I'd check out this anime.

Until next time!

~Tenshi

FINEJO Dress Review

I'm back! Time for another dress review~

Today I will be reviewing a dress I found on Amazon, titled "FINEJO Women's Slim Lace Tight Waist Long Sleeve Mini Skater Dress"! Sound sketchy? It kinda is! But you'll find out more in a sec.

Link is here

Get it? Haha, Gaby's funny.

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So I'm just going to come out and say it; I was an idiot for ordering this dress. But I'm naive and broke so that causes people to do stupid things. I think I have common-idiocy-syndrome. Like when I tried to glue my eyebrows yesterday. :')

Anyways, here's what the dress was supposed to look like:

:')

So this dress was $14.33 and free shipping, which is a red flag right there. But it looked so cute I just had to get it. As I said before, I'm broke and naive. It comes in beige, too.

It was supposed to come by end of June - mid July and it got here June 16th, so that was very fast. I'm pretty sure it came from China.

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*DISCLAIMER: Belt sold separately, I don't remember where I got it though*

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 It come in sizes M - XL, but I heard it ran small so I thought I'd be okay (I'm a size 0). Boy, was I wrong! This one ended up looking terrible on me, although I'm not sure if it was my body type or the size difference. But you win some and you lose some, right? :)

It was really short as far as the skirt, and went to above my knees. Good thing I was wearing shorts underneath too, because the skirt was a little see-through. O.O

On the flip side, the sleeves were a little too long and the corset-esque thing in the back had to be done up as tight as it could go. and even then it was big. Hence the belt I tacked on.

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Cri ;-;

There was one ribbon, but I folded it.

The material was uncomfortable, but not itchy. It kinda felt like a Halloween costume. The lace was poorly cut. The ribbon for the back was a cheap, wrinkled velveteen, but it didn't fray. The brackets looked like they'd stay on, but were poorly shaped in some places. Overall, the details were all sub-par.

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~Final ♥ Score~

Cost/Shipping Time: 8

Quality: 7

Accuracy: 8

Material & Fit: 6

Overall: 7

Bottom Line: I don't ever think I'll wear this dress again. There are a lot of things that could've been worse, but this company fell short when they made this dress. Overall; you get what you pay for.

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I know today's review wasn't the most interesting, but I should have more posts up soon so stay on the look out!

Bai,

~Tenshi

Hot Topic Dress Review!

So if you didn't already know; today I got my dress I had ordered for my school dance Friday! So, even though it's not strictly anime-related, I like reviews and by the page view I get I'm assuming you guys do too. So let's get started!

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So I ordered the dress on about Thursday night, and it arrived today. It was shipped after about a day or two. The original dress looks like this; and the link to order can be found here.

It was about $32, shipping was $5. You can also get it shipped to your nearest store for free, but that takes around 2 weeks and even longer if you live outside the continental US. I don't have any information on international shipping.

I'd say it's pretty reasonably priced for a dress. It was originally $50, but Hot Topic can be kinda pricey so I guess that's expected. It's not a guarantee, but I'm pretty sure you can find some in stores, as I've seen this dress around often at my local one.

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One of the reasons I could see someone not getting this dress is the size. Currently, the only size available on the website is XS. There isn't a plus-sized option for this one either, unlike a lot of Hot Topic's dresses.

Luckily for me, who hovers between a XS and a S (In numbers, I'm a size 0), it fit perfectly. The neck strap is adjustable, and you could argue the corset-style ribbon in the front is too, although I don't think that'd do much. There's a zipper in the back to get it on.

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Although I was worried the color wouldn't look good on my skin tone, I don't think it looks all too bad. The skirt was a little puffier than the picture, but I was happy with that. I wouldn't call the fabric smooth, but it wasn't something unpleasant to feel. The dress wasn't itchy or uncomfortable either.

It was a little weird sitting down, because I didn't want to crush the netting underneath. That's really the only problem I have though, and it's nothing too major to stop me from wearing it.

It was great quality, and showed no signs of being cheaply made.

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~Final ♫ Score~

Cost/Shipping Time: 9

Quality: 8

Accuracy: 10

Material & Fit: 8

Overall: 8.75

Bottom Line: I'd get this dress, even if you don't necessarily think it'll look the best with your skin tone. It looks better than in the picture, but overall doesn't stand out. But for $32, I'd say it's worth it.

Cya next time!

~Tenshi

*EDIT [6/16/15]: I take back my earlier comment about this not standing out; because when I wore it to my school dance I ended up getting a ton of compliments on it! Like, people I don't usually talk to were coming up and telling me they loved it. So I guess it is pretty unique?

How To Become A Cosplayer! *PART 1*

I wish I could've come up with a more creative name for this, but idk maybe I'll change it later. X_X

So how does one start off a blog post as big and general as this one? I guess I'll just share why I wanted to do such a general post.

I always thought cosplaying was out of reach. The world of brightly colored wigs and intricate outfits all seemed so far away. Honestly, when I thought of cosplay I thought of all those professional-quality photos with beyond amazing cosplayers. Little did I know, the world of cosplay was well within reach and reason for a *normal* girl like me! ^O^

I decided to do my first cosplay when me, my friend Hannah, and my sister Becca, dreamed up the idea of being the cast of  Fairy Tail for Halloween. We quickly got our friend Christine on board, and with close to two months to go, we started our first cosplays!

So what are you waiting for? Get ready to discover your inner cosplayer, in a way that's much easier than you think!

Kiss Kiss Fall In Love! -With Cosplay, Obvi

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Step 1: The Idea

Some simple questions need to be answered first, before you start any sewing or web-shopping. (Wow that was a really bad term. Web-shopping? Tf Gaby) Get you pencil and paper out, because this is stuff you don't want to forget!

-Who do you want to cosplay?
-When or what do you want to cosplay to? (Halloween, a con, a meetup?)
-Do you want to do a group cosplay?
-Would your friends be willing to do a group cosplay? (For those of you with non-otaku friends, I'd try to make some real quickly bc you'll probably need em'!)
-Do you have the money? (More on this later)
-Do you have the time? (Especially important if you're sewing your own cosplay)
-Do you want to make or buy your costume? (More on this too later)

Take as much time as you need. After all, this stuff ain't easy.

Convincing your non-otaku friends to cosplay can be a challenge

Now that you have your idea, let's pursue it!

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Step 2: The Motivation

This step is very important. Without any exterior motivation, it's likely you'll fall into a slump of the classic "I-don't-feel-like-cosplaying". Even with motivation, this will probably happen, but I think every cosplayer has their moments. *shrug*

Some GREAT forms of motivation I have in my cosplay life include:

-A Cosplay Group

A cosplay group is a great way to step up your cosplay game and get more involved in events! It makes group cosplaying easier to organize and carry out, and it gives you a tight-knit group of friends to visit conventions with! Starting one is as simple as asking your friends if they want to start a squad with you where y'all cosplay together. (Gaby, stop you're being too weird.)

Focuses On: Group Cosplays, Visiting Conventions

*Cue snazzy music*

-Social Media For Cosplay

Obviously, I have my instagram (@the.otaku.diaries). Being committed to an account and posting often isn't easy, but it sure motivates you to get off your couch and cosplay on a daily basis! Plus, knowing you have people that support you is a great feeling. Getting compliments on your cosplay on a day-to-day basis, when you don't have to get out and about to cosplay, is perfect to keep the cosplay snowball rolling!

Focuses On: Day-To-Day Cosplay, Boosts Self-Esteem

I've always loved this picture. If you have artist credits or know who does, please inform me!

-Going To (And Planning For) Conventions

Even before we had our first costumes done, my friends and I decided to go to an anime convention! For some reason I picked one out that was really far away (Zenkaikon), but as soon as I pitched the idea to my friends they were on-board! Getting our parents to take us and pay for some of the stuff was a little harder, but they agreed (Big thanks to the parents who took us and helped with the money, btw.), and with about 6 months to the convention, we started planning who we'd cosplay. So we had gone from one cosplay planned out to about three each. I actually ended up with four cosplays, haha.

Focuses On: Getting More Cosplays Done, Group Cosplays

Friendship is a beautiful thing (◡‿◡✿)

There are many more ways you can find motivation, but it really helps a ton! :)

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Step 3: Make It Rain

This title = dead X_X

Okay, I know you're getting impatient and you just want to cosplay already, but if your broke you can't do that hun. So let's finance!

Write down every element you'll need for your cosplay. I'll show an example with Natsu.

Pink Wig:

Natsu Scarf:

Vest:

Arm Band:

Tattoo:

Belt:

Weird Skirt-Thing:

White Pants:

Black Sandals:

Happy Plush:

Now, decide what'll you'll make and what you'll buy. Remember that buying something doesn't make you and less or worse of a cosplayer, and vice versa with making. I honestly buy a lot of my cosplay elements.

For my example, I said: "Alright, I'll make the skirt thing. I'll also add the trim to the pants and vest. So I now need gold ribbon and black fabric."

Then, do some online searching and figure out how much everything will cost. Remember, it's better then to have extra money than to not have enough.

Pink Wig: $15 

Natsu Scarf: $10

Vest: $20

Arm Band: $25

Tattoo (Red Sharpie): $5

Belt: $5

Black Fabric + Gold Ribbon: $10

White Pants: $25

Black Sandals: $10

Happy Plush: $20

Total: $145

In retrospect my mom paid for a lot of this so I wasn't as cheap as I usually am. My basic cosplays usually cost around $80-$100? But more detailed cosplays are around $90-$200, depending on the detail and quality you want.

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Will be updated soon!~ Please be patient with my turtle slow pace owo

-Gaby