Confessions of a Hidden Otaku

In this judgemental society, maintaining an image is crucial. Yet, with a personality of a hidden otaku, maintaining an image is difficult. I am usually described as quiet and reserved… until people get to know me. When they do, well, let’s say they might regret and wish they could turn the clock back, unless they are an otaku just like me. The fact that I’m not an isolated roamer in school makes me grateful that I have friends who accept me even after knowing my weird side.

I’m an insecure person. I think too much about things, whether or not they are important. I care far too much about what others think of me. Hence, I’m cautious of hiding my otaku self from people I just meet. When the doors of my actual personality are opened, there’s no escape. Sometimes I joke about how my friends have no choice but to accept my weird personality because we’re already such good friends.

I can’t watch an anime silently. I have a peculiar habit of pointing out the strangest things in an anime. It may be a romantic scene, but my mind would register something else… Something totally opposite and silly. For instance, when I was watching The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, there was a scene where Makoto and Chiaki were sitting and talking near the riverside. That reminded me of the Literary Girl scenes in Daily Lives of High School Boys. The atmosphere is totally off, but Hidenori often finds himself encountering the Literary Girl when he’s alone near the river. You can probably tell how random I can be now. It would be more sensible to compare the scene to Kimi ni Todoke since Kazehaya and Sawako have walked together in a similar scene. In fact, I did think of that when Chiaki was cycling with Makoto sitting behind him. (Riversides are often portrayed in anime, especially for shoujo anime.) However, the strange comments I make are the ones that make me… one of a kind, I guess.

Well, not quite, but close enough.

Another eccentric characteristic of mine is fangirling over anime characters. I can’t help it. This is the main reason why I cannot watch anime in public. It’s an instant, fatal strike to my social life. (That’s pretty much an exaggeration.) During the rare cases when I do watch anime in public, I do my best to mask my facial expressions, to do my best impersonation of Kuroko’s poker face. This is not always successful, and I have been guilty of laughing out loud in public.

Did I say something? No, I’m just drinking my juice…

Top 5 Funniest Anime Episodes

First of all, Merry Christmas everyone! I initially planned to watch and write about the last episodes of Kyoukai no Kanata and Kyousougiga but since it’s Christmas, I’ve decided to do something special. Sadly, I haven’t had the chance to participate in this year’s Twelve Days of Anime Christmas (hopefully I can next year), but here are some memorable anime moments for me. To me, funny scenes are the most memorable, so here are my top 5 funniest anime episodes.

Fairy Tail episode 50: Special Request: Watch Out for the Guy You Like!

Love is in the air… or so it seems. Juvia gets a love potion to try to make Gray fall in love with her, while Lucy thinks that Natsu has asked her out for a date. However, this is Fairy tail, so things like these can never go smoothly. Watch as Juvia’s ‘love potion’ creates a ruckus in Fairy Tail when the guild members proclaim to be rivals, with Gray announcing that he’s Happy’s rival and claims that he can fly.

I love this episode. I’ve watched it twice but it just never gets old.

Kamichama Karin episode 15: Summer Time Blues

It’s hard to think of the funniest episode for Kamichama Karin without two episodes coming to my mind. Both episodes 14 (The Beach) and 15 are equally funny. But if I have to choose between these two episodes, I would say episode 15 is funnier.

At a school summer camp, Karin wears a blonde wig given to her by Kazune and decorates her ring so that she won’t be recognised by Kirio. Unknown to them, Kirio has fallen the blonde girl, not recognising her as Karin.When Karin drops her ring by accident, Kirio finds it and is determined to see the girl he has fallen for again. To do so, he sets up a survival race with Karin’s ring as the prize. Karin and Kazune participate as a team to get Karin’s ring back.

I read the manga version first and the ending is slightly different. I personally prefer the manga version but both versions are amusing.

K-ON!! Season 2 episode 4: Field Trip!

The seniors go on a school trip to Kyoto. My favourite scene in this episode is when the light music club seniors are having a pillow fight when it’s supposed to be light’s out and suddenly drop down pretending to be asleep when Sawako-sensei opens the door. I watched that scene around four times. XD

It’s really difficult to determine the funniest episode for K-ON. Most of the episodes have their funny scenes. Another episode I like is episode 11: Hot! where the girls are complaining about the lack of an air-conditioner in the clubroom. I love the part when they set up a funeral for their fan that broke down. This list doesn’t include OVAs and movies, but I personally feel that the funniest scenes in K-ON are in the movie. Be sure to watch it if you haven’t!

Daily Lives of High School Boys episode 5: Dubbing 

If you read my review for Daily Lives of High School Boys, you will know that I describe the series as ‘ridiculously funny’. This event, Dubbing, is an example why. The three boys are sitting on a bench in a park with nothing to do. They spot three middle school girls at a distance and start dubbing their actions, noting their actions. It’s impressive how their dubbing really matches what appears to be happening.

You’ll have to watch the episode to understand it because the humour in this anime is mostly in what they say rather than what they do.

Sket Dance episode 55: The Man Who Was Called Laughing on the Outside, but Origami on the Inside 

Chuu-sensei’s concoctions strike again! This time, when Bossun drinks it, all his feelings and expressions get mixed up. When he’s serious, he looks embarrassed. It’s amusing to see the reactions of those around him, especially Himeko. Things get even more hilarious when Bossun gets the cure for his problem. With clumsy Onee-san and Chuu-sensei’s dubious concoctions, it’s no surprise another problem arises…

So that’s my list of funniest anime episodes. I haven’t been able to rank them yet. I need Ranking Fuuta from Katekyo Hitman Reborn to help me! Anyway, I hope that everyone is having a wonderful Christmas!

Daily Lives of High School Boys

Daily Lives of High School Boys is by far the funniest and most random anime I’ve ever watched. The anime follows the everyday life of three high school boys, Tadakuni, Hidenori and Yoshitake, as well as some of their schoolmates.

To most people, everyday life is boring. So how is it possible for this anime to be so interesting? Daily Lives of High School Boys involves the characters’ quirky remarks about daily events, strange antics and priceless reactions. To me, their daily lives are anything but boring. It’s like they can make such ordinary situations so amusing. For instance, who else would randomly start dubbing a group of strangers’ actions and conversations?

I feel that Hidenori has the weirdest encounters with girls. He often gets himself in awkward situations shown in shoujo manga. A riverbank, a lovely sunset and a calming breeze. Add in a high school boy quietly reading a book and a high school girl’s silent arrival. Everything looks like a typical ‘boy-meets-girl’ encounter… except it isn’t. It’s amusing how Hidenori gets stuck in the same situation again and again, and he frantically tries to get away while playing along with the atmosphere.

Image from http://oyushi.tumblr.com/

The ending song sums up the silliness of the series. It is supposedly a play performed by class 2A, the class which the main trio belongs to. The play is epic and random, with the prince defeating everyone with the help of his partner and… a teddy bear? Yoshitake being attacked is the funniest scene. At the end of the song, there is a photo of the whole class in their costumes. I think that the teddy bear is Tadakuni. The poor guy is always being forced to do such ridiculous things. 

If you’re looking for a good laugh, you definitely have to give Daily Lives of High School Boys a try. The best way to describe it is that it is RIDICULOUSLY FUNNY. The anime does not follow an actual plot. Rather, each episode talks about around five short events. Throughout the series, we also get to know more about the characters.

The anime has 13 episodes and is already complete. In my opinion, the best way to enjoy watching Daily Lives of High School Boys is to spread out when you watch each episode. To me, once I finish the series, the fun is over. Besides, give your family members a thought before you drive them crazy with your endless laughter.

In conclusion, add some wacky humour to your life by watching Daily Lives of High School Boys!

Watch Daily Lives of High School Boys at http://www.animeultima.tv/watch/daily-lives-of-high-school-boys-english-subbed-dubbed-online/