Manga review- Mirai Nikki

WARNING: Mirai Nikki is a HORROR/TRAGIC manga, and it’s not for everyone.

I will be constantly referring to Elfen Lied in this review

Screenshots are taken from: http://www.mangareader.net/384/mirai-nikki.html I do not own any of the images on this post.

Introduction

Mirai Nikki (or known as Future Diary in the west) is a manga by Sakae Esuno. It mixes horror, psychological and action into one series. It follows an everyday student Amano Yukiteru, where he sees his own life as a bystander, which is reflected in his diary written on his mobile phone. Due to his way of life, he lack social skills. One day, while hanging out with his “imaginary” friend Deus, he is given a phone with the ability to show the future. With 11 others with the same power, he will need to learn who to trust and survive till the end.

Storyline

The storyline of Mirai Nikki is relatively fast paced and no filler episodes. Some may say that the story goes too fast as characters die as soon as they appear, however, I find it quite a nice pace to read at, with slow-downs in some parts of the story to emphasize the emotions. Jumping back and forth to different places to create tension. It definitely wants you to keep reading, and to be honest, it succeeded.

Although the storyline did not stir up any emotional responses like it did in Elfen Lied, it is still quite powerful.

Artwork

I personally find the artwork quite pleasing, it’s relatively light on the lines and shading in normal scenes, and dark when necessary. The artwork gives the manga that extra eerie when necessary.

Unlike Elfen Lied, the artwork is very continuous and the quality never drops.

Wrap-up

I did enjoy this series, even though it was relatively short. The final moments of the manga was expected since half way, but the way the manga ends is quite refreshing, but definitely doesn’t fit the style of dark and gloomy as seen in the rest of the manga.

If you are into manga in the same genre, I would recommend Bitter Virgin and Deadman Wonderland, since both of them share common themes.

The series is due to have an anime adaptation. I hope the animators don’t screw up the storyline like in many other manga adaptations.

Sketching Updates

Sorry for the lack of updates recently. IB has overwhelmed me with the workload and I haven’t been able to do any blogging.

Anyways, since it’s summer, I might as well talk about the plan. I have quite a lot to do this summer and I might not have time to complete all the sketches.

As you may know, there is a new Baka to test season. The OP is quite nice. There isn’t a decent one on YouTube right now. But here are the screencaps that I might vector. (Ordered from most likely to least likely)

I’ve already started work on the first one!

Anyways, the amount I manage to get through will depend on how well I manage my time and the amount of progress I made on other work. I will work on it one at a time.

Enjoy your summer! Also, screw Blogger internal posting thing. It sucks, written on Windows Live Writer.

Feeling a bit happy right now...

... because I've received a shipment of "To aru kagaku no Railgun" light novels! I've ordered them through Taobao for around ~$25 HKD.

 

科學的電磁炮 (or A Scientific Railgun) 

Of course they're in Chinese, I've ordered them from a Chinese firm.

又写信…

主题：你们学校的校长希望知道你们即将毕业的学生觉得他/她最应该为学校做的最重要的一件事情是什么。写一封信告诉他 /她你的看法，并说明为什么这事是学校校长应该做的最重要的事情。

敬爱的校长；

　　您好！

　　 不知不觉我在学校已经度过了五年，和朋友老师的关系也非常融洽，在这里度过了很多美好的时光，就在我要步入人生的另一个阶段，突发其想想写封信给您，把我的一些内心感受真实的告诉您，让我生活过的校园越来越好。

　　平时我们的学习已经很辛苦，希望在课余时间可以有一些室外的活动。但是我们学校的地方有限，让我们不能进行一些活动。我想校长可以扩建我们的学校，给我们一个更好的学习环境。

　　学校最大的问题是食堂的食物不仅难吃，而且价格很贵，还不干净。我希望校长考虑更换食品公司，适当调整食物价格，保证食物安全。这样我们在学校用餐更放心。

　　在此，我希望我们的学校越办越好。希望校长认真考虑我们的意见，把学校变成我们另一个家园！

祝工作顺利！

陈浩培

２０１１年３月１７日

Just a heads up…

No, I haven’t affected by the Japanese earthquake as of writing, however, what I fear right now is that the radiation may travel as dust particles to Hong Kong.

Anyways, keeping a record of what’s happening in the nuclear power plants here: http://12phjntc.blogspot.com/ Reason? Higher Physics teacher wants me to keep record, so I’ll update it regularly.

写信-我来试一试

作文的主题：你的一个朋友最近写信给你，说学习压力大。你写一封回信，给他/她一些建议。

亲爱的清华；

　　你好！

　　 很高兴看到 你的来信，看过之后其实我也有同感，因为要同时应付学校的功课和在外的补习，确实我也觉得很有压力，但是仔细想想这是我们做学生的必经阶段，所有的人都要经历的，最主要是要有良好的心态。

        说实话生活在现今的社会，任何人都有压力，我们的父母有工作压力，因为要想多赚钱就要不停的工作，回来还要操心我们的生活，担心我们的学业，还要顾及自己的工作，想想他们的压力是不是比我们大的多呢？可是从来都没有听到他们的抱怨，只是让我们好好的做好自己的事情就可以了，其实我们是很幸福的 。

       其实想要纾解压力有非常多的方法，比如说运动，和朋友出去逛逛街，看看书，听听音乐，也是不错的方法 。当然就像我刚才说的心态也很重要，有良好的心态，学习起来就没有心理的负担，不会觉得苦闷，无聊，烦躁，学习的质量就更高。而且可以从当中找到乐趣所在!!

     希望我们都可以调整好自己的心态，让自己更加优秀！！

陈浩培

2011年3月10日

Why the IB Diploma is better for University Application

I've recently got this question from one of my followers on Twitter:

"On what point is the IB diploma program more valuable than just entering a university? In Japan, it seems like the IB program isn't well-known very much, so I'd like to know about it :)"

Well, thanks for asking... here goes (Huge post):

IB Diploma Program- What is it?

IBDP is a two-year curriculum designed for students between the ages of 16-19. It's a internaltionally accepted qualification for entering higher education and is recognized by universities world wide. It was developed in the early 1960's in Geneva. The main languages that is used to teach in classes are: English, Spanish or French.

To officially teach the IBDP, the school must be qualified by IB (International Baccalaureate) to teach the IBDP program. An example of a qualified school would be: Shatin College, the school that this writer currently studies in.

To receive an Diploma, a student must study six different subjects from six different subject groups (read below) and three core requirements. Each subject will be assessed using both internal and external assessments, and at the end of the course, students will take a series of examinations.

So what are the Subject groups and what are the three core requirements?

Here the subject groups:

Group 1: Language A1, taken at Higher Level (HL) and Standard Level (SL). This is the student's native language.

Group 2 Language A2, this is an additional language, and is provided in the following levels: Language A2 (SL and HL, basically almost mother tongue fluency needs to be achieved), Language B (SL and HL, Second Language fluency required), Language Ab initio (SL only, learning from scratch and required to get a fluency level of Language B students).

Group 3: Individual and Societies. This is basically the humanities group, offered in SL and HL. Examples of subjects in this group includes: Economics, Geography, History, Psychology etc

Group 4: Experimental Sciences, this is of course, as the titles says, experimental sciences, courses are offered in SL and HL. Examples include: Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Design Technology.

Group 5: Mathematics and Computer Science. This is all the maths stuff, courses are listed in order of increasing difficulty: Maths Studies SL, Standard Level Maths, Higher Level Maths and Further Mathematics SL. 2 other courses provided includes: Computer Science SL and HL

Group 6: Arts. This is the creative side of things, courses offered in SL and HL, including: Music, Theater (Drama), Visual Arts and Film. Some students opt to take another course from Group 1-4, or Further Mathematics (for HL Math students) or a Computer Science course.

Also, there are three requirements for IBDP:

Extended Essay: This is an 4000 word essay (hence the word Extended Essay), which is based off independent research done by the student. The subject chosen must be in a subject of approved EE subjects and cannot be about two subjects.

Theory of Knowledge: This course introduces some of the nature and limitations of knowledge and provides the basic of validating knowledge. This is considered the "Flagship element" of the Diploma program, but students find this the most boring thing in the IBDP and lessons are usually spent sleeping.

CAS (Creativity, Action, Service): CAS is designed to give students a balance between the amount of studying required with some extra-curricular activities, for example, learning a new instrument would count as a Creative major, participating in a sporting event may be counted as a Action minor and community work as a Service major.

Assessment Criteria

To get an IBDP is not a easy task, not just the fact that you have to complete three of the requirements, you also require to pass most of your examinations.

Points will be awarded according to your performance in class, assessments and examinations. Points are awarded between 1-7, and three extra for the EE. So a maximum theoretical of 45 marks can be awarded. To be awarded an Diploma, the student must receive 24 marks minimum, 12 marks minimum from HL subjects and 9 marks for SL subjects. Scoring more than 3 marks on three subjects is also a failing condition, and plagiarizing would be a immediate failing condition.

Personal opinion

Here is my three major reasons I think the IBDP is better than most of the secondary school leaving certificates, and why universities might chose you over an A-level/AP student:

1. CAS
2. Broader Subject choices
3. Time Management skills

And of course, my justifications

1. CAS basically shows that you're not going crazy over studies, and would actually go out and explore the world around you. As more and more universities make extra-curriculum an entry condition, IBDP students will be much more prepared about this than non-IBDP students.
2. The subjects in IBDP is taught at a much more easy level, but a lot more range to cover, for example, in HL physics, I have to learn Schroedinger's theory while my companions taking the A-level doesn't need to take such topics, but their exam papers are at least twice as hard as what IB presents students with. With many universities now switching over to much more wider curriculum, it is not wonder they like IB students more.
3. This is the most worrying part for most people, managing time properly, with A-Levels, time management isn't a problem, as A-levels require only students to study particular subjects, it's no wonder they have free time. However, in IB, a student is required to make a balance between CAS and studying, pushing their time management skills to the limit. This is generally the same in university and university staff generally appreciate this.

Well, that's about it. Sorry about the English though, my head is splitting after 10 hours worth of tutoring and sleep deprivation.