#beyblade30daychallenge

[sky-of-dusk]

Beyblade Challenge - Day 2

2. Favorite opening :

Metal Masters (Galaxy Heart)

(At this pace, my 30 days challenge will last more than one year)

[unfortunatelikeness]

Day 7

Character I didn't like at first but changed my mind on later:

Gingka absolutely. My first impression was contrasting colors+ lazy haircut+ nasally high voice (English dub) all wrapped up in a shallow OP Shonen Protagonist type. I couldn't stand him.

But since I've learned a lot about him. Gingka is a very emotional person who honestly loves people. I'd say he actually loves people more than beyblade, he seems to enjoy "boring" fights with people he likes over intense ones without that connection, which makes sense given his philosophy regarding beybattles.

But as emotional and empathetic people are prone, he's often making alone time. I assume to recharge and think. I'm no expert but I think he's actually an introvert, which is interesting to find in this sort of anime. He's also surprisingly mature, although plenty goofy.

Something that doesn't come up enough, but I have noticed, is that he's got a few strong opinions on beyblade. He sides with Kyoya about being against changing bey parts, and I distinctly remember him furiously critiquing Benkei's footwork while watching a match on TV.

An interesting guy for sure. Actually... he sort of reminds me of my brother. I hope I'm not projecting...

Another character I wasn't originally too keen on was Benkei. It was vague irritation at worst, mostly from the catch phrase and loud personality.

But jeez. That's changed a lot. I haven't the energy to analyze two characters in one post, but let's just say I respect him a lot and hope everyone's got someone like him in their lives because Benkei is great.

[unfortunatelikeness]

Day 6

Crap I missed yesterday, I'll do two today.

Favorite minor/side character?

Rango. The randomly distinct reoccurring cowboy character in the background. I've adopted him and I love him.

[unfortunatelikeness]

Day 5

Favorite female character?

Hmm... I think I'll go with Hikaru. She seems like a very reasonable person who knows what she wants, but more than that, what she needs.

She's very good about trusting and relying on herself, self sufficient like Kyoya is. But unlike Kyoya, she's more aware of realistic expectations for herself, such as in taking time to recover and accepting support from people she trusts.

I wish I could say more, but to do that I'll have to like. Actually watch the series I blog about. xD

[unfortunatelikeness]

Day 4

Favorite Male character:

Now here's a tough one. Naturally, as the biggest draws to the series for me, Tsubasa and Kyoya would be at the top of the list. I also have a soft spot for Hyoma and Tetsuya though. The other characters are all so interesting I hate to leave them out, but if I have to, I'll leave things with these as sort of a top four?

[unfortunatelikeness]

Day 3

(This is where I begin to lose track of what day it is :P)

Favorite Ending?

I have to default to Fusion since I actually never got to the endings of either Masters or Fury.

But hey, let me tell you my favorite part about Fusion's end. I really liked that Gingka brings up that Ryuga also is a fellow blader and has the same blader's spirit as them all. There was no Gotcha "we're not so different, hero" moment to make Gingka realize this. Gingka comes to this realization himself, because as much of a dork as he acts like, Gingka is one of the smarter and more human Shonen Protagonists I've seen (But that's an analysis for another post).

It humanizes Ryuga, who we've seen previously in a very monstrous light. His coma nap in the creepy science box reminiscent of some sort of science experiment, a shadowed figure cackling amongst falling rock and lightning, generally higher than everyone else, etc. Every moment that doesn't project an image like this shows him as cold and distant towards others at best, or outright cruel. His dehumanization peaks when LDrago "possesses" him and visually morphs his face into something beast-like.

But Gingka sees through that to the person underneath, because he as a person thrives on connecting to others. His rage and fear of Ryuga is all put behind him, and he fights to give Ryuga a second chance.

The first time I watched that scene of Gingka catching Ryuga after the battle is when it clicked in my head that this menacing figure is just a person. Someone who made a huge mistake, who is (probably technically) around Gingka's age.

And then Pegasus leaving was a real wow moment. A good way for the series to tie things up with, "There will be no conflicts for a while now. Now they get to rest."

There's more I could go into, but I think I'll leave things here for now.

[sky-of-dusk]

Beyblade Challenge - Day 1

1. How did you get into Beyblade? 

I see accidentally a scene on TV of season 2 (I think it was a replay), where Kyoya was attacked by rogue bladers in the desert during his travel to Savannah and beat them in one move. I just fall in love with the show and watch all the previous episodes in a few days. Then I read the manga.

[unfortunatelikeness]

Day 2:

Favorite opening

I uh. Dunno. I don't have any I'm partial to. I oughta check out the Japanese version though, I've heard it's good.