CesukeZ's Profile - MyAnimeList.net

Last OnlineApr 20, 2:07 PM
GenderMale
BirthdaySep 24, 1993
LocationSpain
JoinedMay 25, 2010

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First of all, welcome and thank you for visiting my profile.
Currently, I work as a historical researcher and also as Japanese teacher for beginners. I studied History university and I specialized in Military History and the Early Modern Ages. I'm also very interested in Politics and Diplomacy and I'm a sincere admirer of old European culture and chivalric values. Finally, I play (a bit) the violin, I'm studying Japanese and have a humble knowledge of German.

Apart from anime, manga and videogames, I'm very interested in History, especially in Europe's modern history (15th~18th centuries). The times I enjoy reading the most are: the Middle Ages, the supremacy of the Spanish Empire during its Golden Age, and Second World War. However, apart from Europe, I do also enjoy reading about Japanese history and the philosophy of ancient samurai during the Sengoku Period. Moreover, I find it fascinating, yet tragic, how Japan was so much influenced by the West, making it change and acquire modern technology in the times of the Bakumatsu and the Meiji Restoration (the fight between Japanese deep traditions and modern European ones).

Referring to my manganime life, from my point of view, anime and manga are high artistic expressions, maybe not comparable with Velázquez, Rubens or Dalí, but still a remarkable way of Art. A piece of art is not only the mere result of an artistic process as contemporary concept of art defends; in my humble opinion, a work can only be considered as art when there's an admirable effort of creation behind the visible result. A good example for this would be the Sistine Chapel and the ceiling painted by Michelangelo from 1505 to 1512, which couldn't be compared (at least not by someone with common sense) with one of those modern artists of nowadays and their innovative mixture of random colours with an abstract unintelligible meaning.

It's the same with manga and anime, even though they are purely commercial in nature. When someone reads a manga or watches an anime, that person is not only enjoying a product, but also can see how much effort was put on it. Studio Ghibli films are a perfect example for this. As Hayao Miyazaki stated one time, he "produced anime films to earn money", but his admirers and, in general, all anime fans don't see just a commercial product on a Ghibli film, but also a masterpiece of art. That's because of the effort and all the time and passion spent on the creation of that work, which makes their works different (superior, maybe?) to a purely commercial series, like one of those that are released every month nowadays. Far from being "cartoons for children" as some illiterate believe, manga and anime are a very mature expression of human art and (I hope I don't cross the line saying this) one of the pillars of the Art of nowadays times.

On a different matter, as you can see, my favourite character of all time is Asuka Langley.

I became very fond of her when she appeared the first time in the series, while I was re-watching Neon Genesis Evangelion the 3th time (though she did catch my attention when I was watching the series the very first time), and my love has been growing since that moment. I love her unique personality, with her haughty and strong side, combined to a hidden delicate and vulnerable core. Her anguish and torment are so real, and were depicted so originally, that Asuka transcends mere manganime, and becomes a perfectly credible character, like any of us.

Asuka is a tragic character. She is the ultimate representation of individualism and isolation, and yet it's hard for her to endure absolute loneliness. The more I tried to understand her pain and her need for affection, the more I realized how similar we are. I couldn't help but to feel irresistibly drawn to her.

Many people may have a bad opinion about Asuka, or just have a very simple idea of her personality, but she is a very complex character compared to average anime characters. She could be considered as one of the most complex anime females, given her childhood trauma and harsh experiences, so she's not a character to discuss about as easily as some people usually do, especially shippers. Asuka is not a 'tsundere' in the full meaning of the word, or in the meaning that everyone has in mind (the prototypical tsundere girl that appears on a school-romance series). As said before, she's rather an extremely realistic character, depicted so much injured and hurt that she is overwhelmingly authentic and credible as an anime character.

To conclude, I thank you another time for having read all this way and for visiting my humble profile.

Thank you.
Gracias.
Dankeschön.
どうもありがとうございます。

Statistics

All Anime Stats Anime Stats

Days: 276.0

Mean Score: 7.31

Total Entries1,078
Rewatched46
Episodes16,361

Anime History Last Anime Updates

Shingeki no Kyojin: The Final Season

Apr 20, 2:08 PM

Watching 5/16 · Scored -

Shingeki no Kyojin Season 3 Part 2

Apr 20, 2:08 PM

Completed 10/10 · Scored 8

Shingeki no Kyojin Season 3

Apr 15, 5:01 PM

Completed 12/12 · Scored 8

All Manga Stats Manga Stats

Days: 14.8

Mean Score: 7.94

Total Entries89
Reread0
Chapters2,293
Volumes283

Manga History Last Manga Updates

Ourouden

Jan 1, 2023 2:01 PM

Completed 4/4 · Scored 8

Kokoro

Sep 30, 2022 12:19 PM

Plan to Read · Scored -

Captain Herlock: Jigen Koukai

Sep 30, 2022 12:14 PM

Completed 52/52 · Scored 10

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Anime (10)

Manga (10)

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All Comments (580) Comments

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cosmokz Dec 30, 2022 5:28 PM

Thank you for telling me. My current level is not good but in the future I can use a jp to jp dictionary. Thanks for the advice

cosmokz Dec 29, 2022 6:57 PM

Thank you for the advice. Do you recommend using a jp to jp dictionary of just a jp to en dictionary?

cosmokz Dec 26, 2022 10:15 PM

Im learning japanese. i found your profile beacuse you read the 夏目礎石こころ manga. Do you have any tips for reading novels in japanese.

ChadAznable0079 Feb 4, 2021 9:51 PM

hi im kurt, i read your bio and though you seemed pretty cool, and a fellow gundam fan to boot.

Mellifluous07 Feb 1, 2018 10:53 AM

Once again sorry for taking forever to respond to your comments, though I am trying my best to reply as soon as possible ^^ And I apologize in advance for my relatively short responses, as I still can’t find enough time to actually sit down and come up with well-written and in-depth comments.

Yes, definitely check out Grant’s blog, personally I very much enjoyed reading her posts, especially the ones about Asuka ^^

Oh my god, you probably won’t believe this, but I do not have even a SINGLE anime merchandise, yet alone any Asuka figure =( While it would be awesome to own a personal anime collection, right now, I need to invest that money in my master’s degree, given the fact that both pursuing a master’s degree at King’s and living/renting a house in the UK are pretty expensive. The other reason is that here there is such a strong social stigma associated with buying anime merchandise at my age (or even at much younger ages), right now I basically live like one of those so-called “closet anime fans”, even though I dislike that label pretty much.

Thanks again for your “virtual tour” through Spain and guidance, it would definitely be a pleasant experience to visit Valencia one day ^^

The pictures of Baku you have posted are absolutely beautiful, I must admit that I am pretty much impressed by your ability to choose the finest things among millions of other stuff. Clearly, you have a good taste ^^

There are indeed, lots of tourist attractions for sightseeing, popular points of interests and places to visit in Baku. First, I thought I would provide a brief description of the best and well-known ones here, but come to think of it, merely writing about them without any visual images, would be slightly boring and couldn’t show the full extent of Baku’s beauty. That’s why I am going to leave the links here that I found most interesting and worth reading. Hope, they will provide you with certain idea of what Baku looks like and be helpful in guiding you through our capital city ^^

https://www.garycralle.com/72-hours-in-baku

http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2015/11/25/i-heart-my-city-sabinas-baku-azerbaijan/

Moreover, today The Heydar Aliyev Center, designed by well-known architect Zaha Hadid, is regarded as one of the landmarks of modern Baku (plus, it is located so close to my university -Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy)

https://www.archdaily.com/448774/heydar-aliyev-center-zaha-hadid-architects

Plus, whenever you have time, I would recommend you to watch the Russian travel programs, which I was talking about in our previous comments. They can give you a pretty good idea of what Azerbaijan, particular Baku looks like (plus, the show “Poedem, Poedim! includes some tasty local food receipts) ^_^

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w0XRwGa5As&t=2121s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4twYGGztzo (if you are interested in Azerbaijani cuisine, please check out the receipt starting from 30:58. It is my favorite national food, which is quite well-known in Caucasus and called “Shakh Plov” ^^)

Plus, if you want to know what “Old City” (Icerisheher) looked like during the 1960s, please check out the scene from the popular Soviet film “Бриллиантовая рука” (1968) (The Diamond Arm). (it is one of my favorite Soviet movies so far, along with “Unbelievable Adventures of Italians in Russia “(Невероятные приключения итальянцев в России ^_^)

Spanish cuisine sounds very delicious, indeed! As someone who prefers light and healthy meal options, (I do not even remember the last time I ate lamb, beef or any kind of meat >.< Over the past 7 years, I have only been eating chicken and fish) Spanish cuisine sounds like an ideal cuisine for me haha. From your descriptions, as far as I understood, in your cuisine, high quality ingredients are common (seafood and vegetables). And I think the average Spanish diet, then, mainly consists of a lot of foods high in carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables, fried potatoes, rice dishes, eggs and so on. Hope, in future, I will get the chance to taste those delicious foods in your home country ^^

Studying Japanese since 2010? This is indeed, amazing. You must have a very good knowledge of Japanese then ^^ Wish you the best of luck with learning it^^ They are planning to open a Japanese language course (which is not a formal one though) at ADA soon, though right now due to my busy schedule, I am unlikely to attend that course, which is quite sad of course =(

Haha, studying in Spain sounds amazing for sure ^^ Well, I have thought of moving to Japan several times as well. But right now my mind is only preoccupied with being accepted into King’s. Who knows, maybe after the UK, my next destination would be Japan or Spain haha

Oh and please don't bother yourself with finding the English translation of “Friendship”. It is totally fine ^^

Mellifluous07 Jan 24, 2018 6:45 AM

As you mentioned in our previous comments, since our conservations revolve around a wide range of interesting topics, I am going to split my comment in spoilers as well (come to think of it, why this idea never occurred to me in our previous comments haha)

EVA:

Coming to religion first of all let me say that I am not a religious person, so I apologize in advance for my possible ignorant claims regarding the religious landscape in Azerbaijan. The following description is purely based on my own viewpoints and experiences.

In my case, whereas our family acknowledges our Islamic background, I would not say we are “religious”. In other words, we fall into the category of people who hold the so-called motto “spiritual but not religious” to some extent. To clarify, we believe that there is one universal God and worldwide religions, but we do not, for example, observe religiously based customs or organized Muslim principles, doctrines, precepts such as the Five Pillars of Islam, attend mosques in Muslim activities or observe Muslim religious holidays such as Ramadan. In other words, we mostly hold universally acclaimed moral and ethical values (compassion, tolerance being helpful, morally good and so on). My father, for instance, often contributes monetary donations to both mosques and churches in Russia (since in most circumstances, he primarily works there)

Azerbaijan has been a muslim majority country since the Arabic invasion of 7th century until the Soviet times. But since USSR was officially an atheist state, there was ban on all religions. After we got our independence in 1991, people still identified themselves as Muslims because that’s what they have been told by their parents, but most people doesn’t practice it in a proper way or some don’t even have basic understanding of Islam (which is the case with me). People believe in God/Allah and consider Muhammad (s.a.s.) as a Rasul (messenger) of God/Allah. However that is it and when it comes to practice few people actually do it.
This is not only due to the radical atheistic Soviet rule, but also due to the fact that Azerbaijani People’s republic was the first secular democracy in Muslim world (1918-1920) and we have always taken great pride in the fact Azerbaijan was the first country in the East to extend the franchise to women (1918), a step we took even before the United States did, thus making Azerbaijan the first Muslim country ever to enfranchise women.

I would say that Islam is more due part to do with historical identification than spirituality. Only a minority are religious, but even the religious Azeris are quite moderate in their approach to Islam. Niqab, long beards, hijab etc are unheard of. Among the youth, there are a lot more deists/agnostics in the country than statistics show.
Government of Azerbaijan is without a doubt, secular. There are many churches, as well as, synagogues both in capital and in regions and people are very tolerant towards other religions.
One of my British teachers at university, who is married to an Azerbaijani woman, said most of us are much like Christians in Western Europe, nominally still in the religious community, but actually living their own lives and only visiting mosques for weddings and funerals. In a nutshell, I think it is a pretty good description of the overall religious landscape in Azerbaijan.

Wow, your description of Spain makes me want to go there right now *_* Thank you very much for your broad descriptions of each city, I hope in the near future I will able to get the chance to visit your beautiful country ^^

You live in Valencia? Oh, you are so lucky to live in such a fabulous city! :) My mother has always been longing to visit there and she keeps constantly saying that it is her “dream travel destination” ^^. It is a city I have heard so much about and would love to visit. We have a lot of Russian TV entertainment channels over here, so I get the chance to watch some of their shows whenever I get time (good examples would include Orel I Reshka and Poedem, Poedim! And by the way, each show has 2 episodes featuring Azerbaijan as well ^^). In their travel programs, when visiting Spain, the Russians always passionately refer to Valencia as a must-see place attracting tourists looking for sunny weather, beaches, and cultural attractions.

Paella is so delicious!! I have only tried it once in Antalya, Turkey and still cannot get over the fact how delicious it was :3

By the way, what is Spanish cuisine mostly known for in the world? I am really curious ^^

Just as I expected, your trip to Japan sounds pretty interesting ^^ I am quite jealous of you haha. And by the way, you must have a pretty good knowledge of speaking Japanese if you had managed to engage in a conservation with the cook ^^ Are you learning Japanese on your own? I am glad your trip to Japan left such good impressions on you overall ^^ Oh, and I almost forgot the question of the day: did you enjoy the food in Japan? :D

Speaking of YuGiOh, I still remember how much it was popular in Azerbaijan back in the early and mid 2000s. You are definitely right. YGO was a huge part of our childhood, wasn’t it? I am still keeping my “Blue-Eyes White Dragon” card and reminisce over that period with nostalgia ^^

I always think of Japan as a country where tradition meets the future. Put another way, it is a land of contradictions. For me, the following description perfectly sums up the very idea of “land of contradictions”:

“The Harajuku punks with their anime makeup and bubblegum hair, the hot coffee vending machines, Shinto shrines, breakfasts of steaming miso and the impenetrable language barrier – weirdly, it all felt like home…This is a country where young women still walk the streets in traditional kimono, a parasol in one hand and a Hello Kitty iPhone 6 in the other. Where businessmen conduct meetings like religious rituals, then spend all night drinking sake and throwing up on the streets of Shinjuku. The Japanese are ultra-modern traditionalists, a quiet people who thrive on noise.
Japan has always been at odds with itself. It was once an empire built on martial violence, that celebrated the samurai and the Shoguns, but it also gave us Ikebana flower arrangements and haiku poetry. Japan’s whaling policy is lamentable, but they’ve had environmental initiatives in place since the late 80s, and even hosted the Kyoto Protocol in 1997.
What all this means is that Japan is really good at accommodating multiple versions within itself. Its teens can spend all day playing slots in crazy pachinko parlours, then return home and embrace the Shinto virtues of stillness and deference. And when you travel there you realise: these aren’t contradictions. They’re all Japan, all at the same time. That’s what makes the country so incomparably strange, and yet weirdly familiar”

By the way, have you ever thought of moving to Japan? Perhaps, studying or working there for a temporary period of time?

History:

As you know, public policy is a multidisciplinary arena that covers policy making, comparative public policy, policy evaluation, globalization, governance, public management and so on. I believe by pursing my master’s in this field I can probably be equipped with useful tools to seek career opportunities in different public service areas like Azerbaijan-based government departments, ministries, public sector bodies and policymaking units. My biggest “dream job” is to pursue a career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, since here it is regarded a “prestigious job “ in the public service arena. That's why right now I am trying to get an internship at the MFA.

I like how you compare the French revolution to “Pandora’s box”. Although the revolutionaries thought of themselves as acting on the very stage of world history, few of them could foresee the long-term implications of the forces they unleashed. It was indeed a vicious cycle, wasn’t it?
Sengoku period as a reflection of Japan’s fascinating and turbulent is quite interesting, indeed. It was exactly this period where alongside the background of frequent tragedies, arose a unique and sophisticated Japanese culture.

For me, the Tokugawa period is a golden age of peace and prosperity and remains the fullest expression of native Japanese culture before the arrival of Western imperialism changed Japan's place in the world forever. No age is ever completely dark or completely “golden”, of cours. In practice, however, Tokugawa institutions proved remarkably supple, with the result that Japan enjoyed a measure of social mobility, considerable economic growth, and a vibrant public sphere. The isolation policy helped create Japan’s unique culture. The middle class has the opportunity and time to take part in cultural pursuits, such as theater, art, literature, geisha, musicians, acting, sumo wrestling, and poetry, which I find quite fascinating. One of our British professors even referred to this era as “Japan's Embrace of Modernity”.

Thanks for the book recommendations, I am definitely looking forward to reading them in the near future as soon as I can (as well as The Count of Monte-Cristo by Alexandre Dumas) ^^ And wish you an enjoyable and pleasant experience in “diving into Murakami’s literary world”:))

Mellifluous07 Jan 19, 2018 5:56 AM

Yes, I actually would like to see your opinion on that infamous “Kimochi warui” scene. Here a few thoughts I want to reflect on that scene:

Coming to the use of Russian language in Azerbaijan, oh boy, this is such an interesting, yet controversial case here, so I will attempt to give a brief description of the current situation mainly from my personal perspective:

First of all, Azerbaijan’s capital city Baku was heavily Russified during Soviet times and in fact, it was the most Russified city among all Caucasian cities. Russian language was the main language in almost all areas of life. However, after the collapse of USSR, Russian language lost its hegemony and Azerbaijani language together with Turkish and English languages started to gain more influence. Today, a lot of people in Baku can speak or understand Russian language, and some of them use Russian in their daily lives.

Now, I am not sure if you already know this fact or not, but here in Baku (and maybe in some regions as well) we have 2 sectors at schools: Azerbaijani sector and Russian sector. Obviously, at the latter, all subjects are taught in Russian and students are required to speak Russian as well, they even learn our national history and literature in Russian. As a result, after finishing school, we end up with a huge mindset gap between the Azerbaijani-language-educated people and Russian-language-educated people. Now, please do not get confused, all of us speak fluent in Azeri to some extent, but our mastery of the language largely differs depending on the sector we studied at. Nowadays, a great number of middle-class families (and all privileged ones for sure) prefer to send their children to the Russian sector, for a number of personal reasons (some of them are stereotyped though). It is really sad but unfortunately, based on my experience, Russian sectors produce a significantly higher percentage of students with a better quality of knowledge and practical outlook on the things going around due to a number of factors such as having access to Russian literature (both fiction and non-fiction); having roots in local “intelligentsia”; having higher income and so on.

In my case (which is really a complicated one haha), I have grown up in an Azerbaijani-speaking family and studied at the Azerbaijani sector as well. But because my father’s job is largely based in Russia, I have found myself reaching a good conservation level in Russian. Plus, I have a couple of friends from the Russian sector at the university who contribute to the development of my Russian language skills as well. Thanks to them, I have also gained access to a reasonable amount of Russian literature.

One of them is an Azerbaijani who lived in Kazakishtan for 17 years and only can understand Russian, so I was literally compelled to speak to him in Russian on a daily-basis haha. This is him in the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EnGmNv4l7M&t=379s

The name of the TV show is ”Ideya Qazandi” (literally Idea Wins) in which those who are able to develop something innovative and of practical use get the chance to demonstrate their “innovations” and based on the usefulness of their product might get monetary award and plus collaboration offers from various local private companies. So if I am not mistaken he won $8500 for developing a software program that could help instructors to summarize true reaction during learning process in a class by getting nonverbal information about students using artificial neural network based face emotion recognition. His program estimates true emotional background during the classes and finds its correlation with lesson comprehension level. Pretty good achievement at such a young age, indeed. By listening to his Russian, I think you can at least guess that he does a pretty good job at “forcing” me to speak and learn the language as well haha.

But still the apparent, yet indirect and subtle “justified elitism of Russian sectors” saddens me. Some even think that Russian-speaking people are more liberal and open-minded, while Azeri-speaking people tend to be conservatives, which in turn widens the rift between us. Of course, learning Russian is not a must, but you’ll be deprived of many opportunities and privileges that come it with such as access to Russian culture and media and increasing local employment opportunities. Please, don’t get me wrong, we do have a significant number of Azerbaijani-speaking people who make us proud with their achievements. But still the gap between the two sectors exists and it is very real. I hope, in the subsequent periods, we will somehow bridge this gap and appreciate the uniqueness of our language

Thanks for you kind invitation ^^ Spain is definitely on my travel-bucket list, I hope I will get the chance to visit there in the near future. For the Azerbaijanis, currently one of the most popular destinations is Ibiza, but personally, I would very much like to visit Barcelona as well. By the way, based on your personal experience, which city would you recommend to feel the local Spanish atmoshphere? ^^

And yes, you are always welcome to inform me on the Spanish culture, I would greatly appreciate it ^^

You have been to Japan?? This is awesome! You have literally seen the “Holy Land” then haha. It would be great if you could write more about your impressions in Japan in the next comments! ^^

The courses you are studying right now are interesting, indeed. The idea of applying for a job in a museum sounds quite appealing to me. With your passion in history, art and literature, I think you can be a great candidate for this position. Wish you the best of luck with it, and hope you will realize your career goals in the near future ^^

Regarding history, well, my interests tend to vary pretty much, but I can say I am mostly interested the Revolution period in France, the Post-industrial era particularly in Britain, “The Roaring Twenties”, and Japan’s Tokugawa period. I must admit that I am pretty fascinated by the art of the Tokugawa era. But of course, I try not limit myself to the aforementioned periods^^ By the way, which period are you most interested in the Japanese history?

Whenever I see 1Q84 or Kafka on the Shore, two of my favorite books by Murakami, I get this urge to start reading them all over again.. Reading his novels is like slowly descending into a spring of dreams and a range of different emotions and states of being. All of them are full of pain and messy human relationships, to reflect and learn upon, and naturally, there's some joy and positivity too, but you have to search them between the lines.

The first time when I felt the desperate urge to read his books was when I came across his thoughts on introversion and realized how much his definition of what it is like to be an introvert fits me to a great extent:

“I’m the kind of person who likes to be by himself. To put a finer point on it, I’m the type of person who doesn’t find it painful to be alone. I find spending an hour or two every day running alone, not speaking to anyone, as well as four or five hours alone at my desk, to be neither difficult nor boring. I’ve had this tendency ever since I was young, when, given a choice, I much preferred reading books on my own or concentrating on listening to music over being with someone else. I could always think of things to do by myself…After I left college I ran a bar, so I learned the importance of being with others and the obvious point that we can’t survive on our own. Gradually, then, though perhaps with my own spin on it, through personal experience I discovered how to be sociable. Looking back on that time now, I can see that during my twenties my worldview changed, and I matured. By sticking my nose into all sorts of places, I acquired the practical skills I needed to live. Without those ten tough years I don’t think I would have written novels, and even if I’d tried, I wouldn’t have been able to. Not that people’s personalities change that dramatically. The desire in me to be alone hasn’t changed. Which is why the hour or so I spend running, maintaining my own silent, private time, is important to help me keep my mental well-being. When I’m running I don’t have to talk to anybody and don’t have to listen to anybody. All I need to do is gaze at the scenery passing by. This is a part of my day I can’t do without.”

Considering the fact that we have so many interests and personality traits in common, I think you will enjoy reading Murakami’s literature as much as I did and would strongly suggest giving it a try. My personal favorites are 1Q84 (which is the first book I read by Murakami, by the way), Kafka on the Shore, South of the Border, West of the Sun,
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage (his latest book) and Norwegian Wood.

One thing that is noteworthy is that when it comes to the authors like Murakami, finding a book to start with can seem like a bit of a daunting task. As I mentioned above, I started my journey through Murakami’s literature with 1Q84 (which was advised by Nijat, with whom I think you are already familiar haha), running almost 1000 pages. Clearly, this is a tall mountain to climb if you’ve never read Murakami, and for this reason, I had to re-read it again to get a deeper insight into the storyline. So if you want “a good Murakami primer “, I think you will find the link below useful:

https://bookoblivion.com/the-best-way-to-read-haruki-murakami/

and this one as well:

https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/the-best-books-by-haruki-murakami-you-should-read/

Sorry, I ended up writing a little bit too much, but for me, Murakami is one of those writers where if you love his work you will likely annoy your friends by trying to talk about him every chance you get haha

It seems you are very familiar with the Japanese literature. If possible, could you recommend some of your favorite books by the Japanese authors you had mentioned? I would greatly appreciate it ^^

I have recently finished Yasunari Kawabata’s Thousand Cranes. I must admit Kawabata has a peculiar writing style that not many authors share. This novel seems to be so subtle, so smooth as it advances, but in the end it encloses a philosophy of life.
This novel gets into you slowly, without ever noticing it. When you finish it, I must it doesn't seem to be the a flawless work, but with his calm style and his short sentences Kawabata has the magical formula to get into your mind and keep you thinking about it days after you finish the novel. By the way, you learn a lot about the Japanese tea ceremony in this short novel, from the methodologies to the names of utensils.

I have yet to read his most famous novel, Snow Country though.

Finally, thanks for the sincere wishes, I hope you all the best in pursuing your dream job as well ^^

Mellifluous07 Jan 16, 2018 10:53 AM

It is totally fine, please don’t worry about writing long comments. I am a type of person who very much enjoys engaging in deep conservations just like this one. And let’s admit that only the Baroque style of writing can reinforce an imagistic representation of Asuka’s distinctive and unique character. After all, it is impossible to describe our beloved Asuka in just a few words. So please feel free to write such interesting comments. In fact, I am looking forward to reading more of your opinions and pretty much enjoy reading your comments ^^

First of all, let me express my sincere gratitude for such an extensive and well-written analysis of the final fight scene, as well as, Asuka’s character. It is so kind of you to provide such an in-depth analysis of that particular scene and I must admit that I am very impressed by your critical way of looking at the series and development of characters.

Now coming to the case of Asuka and Shinji, I just read your blog post on their relationship and I could not agree with you more.

When people say “Asuka is nothing but an aggressive and abusive brat who constantly causes Shinji’s mental breakdowns”, I almost want to say: Please define the word abusive in this context. And then proceed by asking the following question: Could you please be so kind to explain what exactly are you referring to when you use such an explicit term for a traumatized teenage girl in reference to her very complex dynamic with a miserable guy like Shinji who would later attempt to kill her twice? Do you call Asuka abusive simply because of the fact she is louder, more abrasive and bad-mouths Shinji in a childish manner? Then, what about the scene when Shinji sexually assaulted Asuka at her lowest point?

I do know that Shinji breaks traditional expectations of the typical hero in every possible way. He’s complex. He’s flawed. He’s depressive and awkward. But still, he represents a very realistic view of humanity by providing us with a deeper insight into the problems and emotional challenges we face in both external and internal situations almost every day. And as far as I know, while creating the series, Hideaki Anno himself was battling some kind of depression and his mental struggle was reflected, to some extent, in the very foundation of Shinji’s character as well. Though there is no any possible way to confirm whether this is true or not, it still somehow makes sense and makes Shinji’s complicated character more or less understandable, or even morally justifiable.

To make matters worse, throughout the series he is the only character who is simply unable to move on; Shinji either stays at the same point he was always in, or even worse, regresses, mainly in his relationship with Asuka. I feel like he always attempts to use Asuka for his very own ends. Ironically, what I like about Evangelion is that every single character is initially introduced as having a “superficial self” up until the point where that shatters, and it is later revealed that their ‘true self’ is, in fact, the exact opposite of their superficial self. This was exactly the case Shinji, however in a much worse sense: at the beginning of the series, we get to know him as the “nonviolent” boy inclined to retreat from any contact with others, up until Anno reveals his true identity that he quickly jumps at the chance to hurt Asuka when he finally realizes that she will simply never be who he wants her to be. Then, what about Asuka? Well, first, she is introduced as the “violent” and “narcissistic” girl, in other words, a stark contrast to Shinji. However, what is quite interesting is that in the very last of the movie, when Shinji attempts to kill Asuka, she simply responds with mercy and grace, and caresses his face. Here, we see the real Shinji and the real Asuka. And once again, ironically, it becomes clear that, in fact, Shinji is the manifestation of every stereotype normally attributed to Asuka.

Perhaps in response to these claims, Anno would simply reply that humanity is itself flawed and we are all doomed to live with our own flawed identity. Who knows? This is clearly expressed in the ending of the series, and the film presents it in the bleakest way imaginable. However, for me, Asuka and Shinji’s dynamic is destructive and pretty ugly, and I can’t help but think that the cards were never stacked in Asuka’s favor, sadly, they were always stacked in Shinji’s.

Sorry, this comment ended up being loaded with anti-Shinji viewpoints haha.

Thanks for the kind words, I am glad you are interested in the Azerbaijani culture. For the introduction, the following description is my favorite so far (unfortunately, I forgot the author’s name):

“You will find a country where despite the hardships of daily life, people have preserved their ability to be generous and emphatic, where long-standing traditions merge harmoniously with the ultramodern, where family and friends make sure that you are never left to feel lonely... You will acquaint yourself with a fascinating region full of contradictions and rich in history… and experience a genuine warmth and curiosity that is so often lacking in other places… You will come to appreciate the eclectic mix of European and Asian influences that make Baku and its people so fascinating. The flavor of freshly brewed black tea, which will remind of Iran, mixes with the aromas of strong Turkish coffee… the sound of Russian disco music blasting from car windows competes with the latest Western hits and with authentic Azeri jazz emanating from others and the Muslim call to prayer from numerous minarets chimes in with the ringing bells of a Russian Orthodox church”

It seems to me nowadays Baku has started reifying the cosmopolitan center of Azerbaijan. Today it is constantly being staged as the vibrant heart of the country's everyday life, which for me is definitely a positive thing. I hope one day you could perhaps visit here ^^ Even if you might not like everything that you see, you will get the opportunity to acquaint yourself with a country of full contradictions and rich in history, meet people who will make you feel welcome and experience a genuine curiosity. The country’s cultural heritage, music, and fine arts will leave you deeply moved and will take you beyond the clichés proliferating in the international media that focus mainly on its oil reserves, politics and “Muslim culture” (to be honest, nowadays there is hardly any Muslim culture to speak of due to ever-increasing and eclectic mix of European (largely Russian) and Asian influences).

As a side note, did you know that after getting to know us the very first thing all the foreigners, especially Europeans, say is how much we are like the Spanish people? They say you are easygoing, tolerant, talkative and extroverted people just like the Spanish (even though I am an introvert myself haha).

In our future conservations, I will try my best to keep you informed on different aspects of life in our small, yet interesting country ^^ Having read your about me section, I can see how interested you are in history, which is a subject I am quite passionate about as well. If you are interested, in our further comments, perhaps I can provide you with our historical legacy as well ^^ Talking about history, do you pursue a degree or a career in this field?

Sorry, it seems I reply a little bit late, nowadays university is quite a challenge. I am trying my best to meet the entry requirements for my “dream” master’s degree in the field of public policy at King’s College London. So far, it has been pretty challenging, and I am looking for internship opportunities related to my field at the moment.

Again, thanks for your comment, looking forward to more interesting conservations like this one^^

Mellifluous07 Jan 14, 2018 7:14 AM

First of all, thank you for accepting my FR, it is always a great pleasure to meet people like you who appreciate Asuka and understand she is a character who is very in touch with reality.

Haha, yes, you are quite right, as a girl (and in fact, a very introverted one) I can pretty much relate to Asuka. When I watched NGE for the first time, I was very young and admired Asuka for only being a "fiery spirited, hot-tempered, red-headed tsundere goddess ". Now, I understand how wrong I was. She is actually the very definition of a real woman who tries to prove her worthiness by taking pride in her personality and the distinction of herself as the best pilot. Yet, we both know that she is a girl with deep insecurities who constantly tries to escape her loneliness. Because of her lonely childhood and tragic past, she has a desperate desire for attention, at the same time a desperate need for isolation, and a desperate ambition to prove herself independent. As a result, Asuka focuses her efforts on acting like an adult all the time, which in turn predisposes her to more insecurities and emotional turmoil against others and keeps her in a vicious cycle of extreme isolation. In this sense, I definitely agree with you, she is not your typical moe tsundere character. How can she be a simple tsundere character if every single emotion she goes through, pride, suffering, self-hatred, is pretty real?

One thing about the NGE fandom is that they constantly refer to Asuka as being "bitchy, depressed and even narcissistic". In my opinion, what they fail to understand is that Asuka can break down, lash out in anger, fall in despair over and over again and yet still bring a unique dynamic to the series without losing touch with reality. This is what I truly admire about her.

By the way, if it is fine with you (and of course, whenever you have time), can you share your thoughts on the so-called "Asuka's final fight" in The End of Evangelion? It would be interesting to read your opinions on that particular scene ^^

Again, thanks for taking your valuable writing this comment ^^ Muy apreciado tu comentario. (Sorry for my amateurish attempt at writing in Spanish, haha. It is been years since I communicated with someone in Spanish, even at a very basic level. Sadly, here in Baku, unlike Russian and English, we don't get the chance to practice other languages on a daily basis.

Mellifluous07 Jan 13, 2018 8:59 AM

"...Even though Asuka is much more extrovert and vigorous than me, she also has an introverted personality, which she doesn't want to show anyone...We too have a huge pride and try to do things by our own, also trying to do our best not to let people reach our deep feelings and hiding behind our very own A.T. Fields, which protect our vulnerable inner core"

This. Finally someone who can see Asuka's true inner characteristics and introverted personality amid the so-called claims that she is nothing, but an "extraverted mess". To me, Asuka is an introvert who lives in her own mind and is driven by inner feelings other people just can't understand. As you wrote, she appears aggressive only because she acts that way as a defense mechanism. Not being able to run away from her memories of her tragic past, she has a hard time socializing with others, though she pretends to be tough and independent. I agree with you, that is why she projects confidence to hide her very deeply-rooted fears and insecurities.

Just wanted to share my thoughts, and say hi :) You seem to have a very wide range of interests. I would appreciate it if you could accept my request ^^

rypo59 Mar 24, 2017 7:11 PM

I like making fanart, but am a terrible drawer, so I just use photo editing. I don't know how to send pictures on Steam or if you even can, so I'm going to post it here.

rypo59 Mar 24, 2017 5:52 PM

I also thought Budokai 3 and Tenkaichi 3 were that series at its best. I recently got a PS2 emulator (my original console broke) and have been playing some of that on there. I've never played Europa Universalis, but I've logged over 100 hours on Victoria II, which is another game from Paradox Interactive. I assume they're pretty similar, but set in different time periods. I've thought about buying EU or Hearts of Iron on several occasions, but usually I spend my money on things other than video games.

As for visual novels, I'm sure that I would like them and I know some people are obsessed with them and want them added to the MAL database. But I've never actually played one.

I loved Yu-Gi-Oh when I was younger and still played with my best friend into our 20s. I still have a huge collection of cards. I'm not a fan of the anime though, especially not the 4kids dub I grew up with haha. I know you don't have 4kids in Spain but, as the name implies, it was just a company that extensively censored in order to be considered appropriate for children. You may have heard of them though, as they are pretty infamous among American anime fans.

rypo59 Mar 23, 2017 4:37 PM

I'm definitely considering the Asuka coat figure, especially now that I've read the manga. I'm glad you liked the Asuka and Jung comparison. In general, I didn't really like Gunbuster.

Yeah, I thought the Evangelion video games looked pretty bad and really I feel like most anime video games are pretty bad. The only ones I've tried and liked are the Dragon Ball Z Budokai games and one Gundam game.

rypo59 Mar 22, 2017 8:12 PM

By the way, are there any Evangelion video games you recommend? I've been thinking about trying one out, but there are quite a few and most are Japanese only sadly. I know you've mentioned Girlfriend of Steel and one of the Super Robot Wars games

rypo59 Mar 21, 2017 6:28 PM

Here are the similarities I see between Jung and Asuka: as you said, both are redheads, both are the lone Europeans in a Japanese cast, both are supposed to be elite pilots, both don't appear until almost midway through the series. Then at first glance, they have some personality traits in common, but on closer inspection it breaks down. Jung is confident to the point of arrogance. But unlike Asuka, it isn't a coping mechanism for Jung - she really is just arrogant. And then Jung has the tsundere character type, but she just seems to flip randomly between being nice and mean to the rest of the cast. In one episode she'll say they're best friends and then treat them as rivals in the next one, as though she's bipolar. That isn't really like Asuka at all. Also, Jung is basically the equivalent of Mari in terms of her role in the story, whereas obviously Asuka is pretty vital to the NGE plot. Jung also has no established back story other than that she's a great Soviet pilot. The main way I know they don't have that much in common is that I obviously am passionate about Asuka, but I didn't even like Jung Freud.

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