Your lie in April (22)

Your lie in april is a romantic anime that revolves around the lives of two young prodigy musicians, Kousei Arima and Kaori Miyazomo. Kousei was once a famous pianist, known for his incredible precision and hardwork. As a child, Kousei’s mother tirelessly forced him to play piano day after day, even those he wanted to play outside with his friends. She devoted Kousei life to focus on Piana 24/7 and her intense pressure and manipulative behavior had a strong impact on Kousei psyche. She used fear, harsh criticism and physical violence as motivation, hoping he would be better than his late father, who was a professional pianist; eventually resulting in Trauma-Induced-Amnesia. However, after the death of his mother, he unfortunately lost the ability to hear the notes and sounds of the piano, forcing him to quit.

Kousei enters Sumiya Junior High School and because of his lack of social skills, he has difficulties finding friends. Kousei meets Kaori Miyazono and other friends, Kaori, a fellow musician, grew up idolizing Kousei and wants him to continue being a pionast. Kousei finds himself in love with Kaori, but he believes Kaori likes his best friend so he hides his secret. Kaori becomes Kousei’s biggest supporter and trains him with an unwavering belief he will be the best, just like his mother. Through her gentle support and understanding, he gradually learns to confront his past and rediscover the joy of music.

Kousei gradually regains the ability to hear the notes of the Piano while performing with Kaori. The duo played beautifully and Kousei managages to express his majestic songs. 

 It seems Kousei has finally obtained what he has been looking for his whole life, love.

However, shortly after their performance, watchers learn that Kaori sufferers from a health issue and she undergoes a surgery. As the episodes progresses, Kaori’s health worsens and it becomes apparent that her time is limited. Numerous days after school, Kousei sits next to Kaori, and plays music for her by her bedside, just like he did when his mother was dying. The performance is deeply emotional, and similar to Kousei’s mother, Kaori was visibly moved by his music. 

The show ends with Kousei in a competition playing “Love’s Sorrow”, a piece which holds significant meaning for Kousei, representing his journey of healing and rediscovery of music. Kousei plays through anger, his rapid hands quickly bouncing between notes, he plays through sorrow, and pain, yet love; and he begins to see a faint light in the crowd, a vision of his late mother and Kaori. The combination of their presence fuels his performance with intense emotions, making it a deeply melancholic and powerful conclusion of the anime.

Blue Lock (21)

Blue lock, one of the best soccer manga which later turned into an anime. The story centers around a world where soccer is extremely competitive in Japan. Our main character Isagi, a young prodigy who has the ability to see the whole field while playing. The anime starts off where Isagi is given the decision to pass the ball or shoot in a game that determines if his team is playing nationals. Isagi has a 50% of making it when shooting so he decides to pass the ball, unfortunately, his teammate misses which causes the defeat of his team. Afterwards, Issagi cries and asks himself why he chose to pass.

The following day, Issagi is invited to a special camp, Blue Lock. Blue Lock is a special camp where the most talented and strongest soccer players come together and train in hope to create an amazing soccer team for Japan, and lead them to victory in the world cup. Issagi is ranked as one of the worst players and instantly feels determined to improve. Despite each player being one of the best and is extremely individually skilled, their teamwork is shambles and nobody can agree on anything. Their sole objective is to compete against each other and become the best striker in the world, and the majority of them don’t feel the need to make friends. Fortually, Issagi becomes the glue through the team, and as team leader, his team strives in the ranking.

As the story progresses, the intense rivalry and competition between the players become a driving force to improve. Rivals work as a catalyst to improve and they learn to overcome their personal demons through developing new techniques and despite their humongous skill limit between the best striker and them; their skills develop quickly and watchers see how their efforts are not futile.

The anime explorers themes of ambition, teamwork, sacrifice, and the true meaning of talent. I definitely recommend watching this anime as it’s not only enjoyable, It also enhances and improves your mindset of soccer.

Guardian of the Galaxy Movie One (1)

Guardian of the Galaxy, filmed in 2014, directed by James Gunn. The MCU movie centers around a group created by a bunch of misfits, who plan to save the Galaxy from an evil destructor.

The leader of the group is Peter Quill, also known as Star-Lord. Peter has a charming personality coupled with his space adventurer skill, he immediately becomes the leader of the misfits, despite being one of the weakest. The film opens up with Peter Quill retrieving the orb containing the Power Stone from an ancient ruin on Morag. But after acquiring the orb, Peter quickly gets pursued by several parties interested in stealing his orb, one of the parties trying to obtain the stone is Ronan the Accuser, in an attempt to escape Ronan’s grasp, Peter forms an unlikely alliance with the other assassins trying to take the orb. The new group includes Gamara, green skinned assassin, Drax the destroyer, the genetically modified raccoon, Rocket.

And the killer tree, Groot. The group later ends up being the Guardians of the Galaxy. Unknown to Peter at the time, the orb is known to be one of the most powerful weapons of all time, it can destroy planets with one blow.

Together, The Guardians of the Galaxy embark on an adventurous event, flying across the universe, where they encounter a variety of obstacles and have one final climactic battle vs Ronan, who plans to use the orb’s power to destroy the galaxy. Through the power of “FRIENDSHIP!” The guardians are able to resist the power and defeat Ronin.

How I made four digits through umpiring 

Umpiring Menlo Atherton little league has been the best decision I’ve ever chosen, not only did it deepen my passion for baseball, It also provided a powerful source of income. Through my dedication to baseball, and my commitment, I managed to secure twenty five games of umpiring!

Umpiring a job which commands a great knowledge of baseball, therefore, I spent hours researching and hours of watching baseball to understand all the rules and all the calls. 

Umpiring also demands the ability to make a decision quickly, during my first couple games, I was hesitant and unsure. However, that quickly changed with my determination to improve. 

While everybody spent their weekends relaxing and chilling, I worked tirelessly, umpiring numerous games throughout a day.

I strive to be an unbiased umpire, treating all teams and coaches equally. By upholding the integrity of the game, I earned the respect of numerous coaches and players. 

Community service

Not only did I donate 25 dollars to female baseball, I also signed up as an accountable umpire during a year where we had a major lack of umpires.

Percy Jackson Book One (1)

The lighting thief, the first book in a fan favorite popular series, Percy Jackson. The story follows Percy Jacokson, a unique boy who later discovers he is the son of Poseidon and inherited some of his dad’s powers.  

Despite being a son of Poseidon, Percy lives a very difficult life, facing numerous challenges both at home and school. One day during school, one of Percy’s teachers reveals to be a hideous monster stating that she wants the “Lighting Bolt ” Percy is baffled by her statement and manages to escape her wrath. Knowing that a monster tried to attack Percy, Percy’s loving step mother sends him away to a camp where DemiGod are protected, cared for and loved. Immediately at Camp Half Blood, he discovers that he is accused of stealing Zeus’s lighting bolt, the most powerful weapon in the world of G0d. 

Percy attempts to defend his name but his efforts are useless. To clear his name and prevent a war, Percy embarks on a dangerous quest accompanied by his school friends Grover who a Satyr and Annabeth, son of Athena.

Throughout the voyage, the trio encounters many powerful enemies and battles against mythical creatures. As Percy dives deeper into the Greek world, he learns a lot about his powers and discovers he is one of the most powerful DemiG0ds ever. Despite being super powerful, Percy confronts his fears and learns valuable lessons about friendship and self acceptance as the story progresses.

The Lighting Theif is not only a very entertaining book series, it also provides the reading a great introduction of Greek Mythology. The author blends creative elements with Greek mythology to forge one of the best fantasy series ever.

Overall, the series is amazing; the fantasy Greek aspect coupled with the author’s creative mindset creates an amazing book. If any readers are looking to read an extremely educational fantasy book, this book would be perfect.

Attack on Titan (20)

Attack on titan, a world where human life is on the brink of extension. The story revolves around the main character, Eren who has a secret ability to turn into a titan. 

Each village is protected by a giant wall which titans are not able to breach. The three walls which protect the last remains of human existences are: Wall Maria, Wall Sina and Wall Rose.

Despite the scant amount of people, everyone is optimistic and has hope that something will change. 

The series begins within Eren’s hometown village, Eren, Armin and his adopted sister, Mikasa Ackerman, adventuring within the city when a sense of uneasy loom swirled around the air. 

Suddenly, a colossal Titan is towering over the wall and breaks through the protective barrier. The destruction is catastrophic and everything is in shambles. Eren, Mikasa and Armin find themselves in between the mess and they have a clear view of the terrifying reality of the Titans. Eren’s mother is tragically killed by a Titan directly in front of Eren. Motivated by vengeance and desire to protect humanity, Erin joins the military along with his friends Mikasa and Armin. Through Erin inherited power to turn into a Titan, they discover the dark reality of titans and find the true origin and history of their world

Attack on Titans, the anime really highlights the importance of Jim Henson quote, “If you can’t beat your enemies, join them. Nobody can kill nor beat a titan, however, once Eren becomes a titan and finds inexpressible strength, he is able to defeat the majority if not all of the titan he encounters.

Hunter X Hunter(19)

Hunter X Hunter, created by Yoshihiro Tagashi. The story centers around a young boy named Gon Freecss and his quest to become a Hunter. Hunters are licensed individuals who undertake dangerous tasks such as capturing criminals or exploring uncharted territories. The term Hunter reflects the responsibilities and diverse nature of their work.

Gon has chosen to become a Hunter to discover why his absentee father would choose to be a hunter instead of being a father, he also does this to meet his father, Ging Freecss. Through Gon’s tireless determination and natural talent, he was able to pass the Hunter exam; through the journey, Gon meets a boy who has been training his whole life, Killua. While Gon embarks on his journey, he forms lasting friendships with those who also pass the exam, Kurapika, Leorio, and Killua. The group faces monstrous battles and fights strong enemies, Killua and Gon evolve many times through harsh battles, and both eventually become strong unstoppable Hunters.

Hunter X Hunter is a popular anime that demonstrates the power of pursuing your goal while also explaining the power of friends. Watchers see many examples of Gon and Killua’s obdurate friendship, and how they’re both willing to put their life on the line in order to save the other. Nevertheless, Gon’s unwavering determination to reunite with his father while Killua’s passionate determination to find freedom, serves as a reminder to chase and pursue your goals.

The Eminence in the Shadow (18)

The Eminence in the Shadow, the mastermind from the shadows. The anime follows the high school adventures of Cid  Kagenou. Cid was given a very talented mind and body, he dreamed of becoming a hero. However, rather than being the popular hero, he chose to keep his strength in the shadows, even since growing up, he would act weaker than he actually is. Cid forms a secret club called “Shadow Garden” and recruits strong warriors, who work together to fulfill Cid’s ambition of becoming the “Eminence in the Shadow.”

The anime taught me the advantages of pretending to be weak. Watchers are quickly introduced to the power of underestimating, by pretending to be weak and scrawny, Cid managed to catch opponent off guard and surprised to achieve an easy victory. Overall, when people don’t know your true skill, they don’t worry or fear about you, so this allows Cid to gather information easily. 

So to conclude, watchers learn Cid pretending to be weak as a key element in executing his plans; it allows him to have tactical advantages, element of surprise and it generates great suspense throughout the story as watchers are asking themself when will Cid reveal his true strength.

Darling in the Franxx (17)

“Darling in the Franxx” is an anime series set in a dystopian future where humanity is on the brink of extinction due to attacks from mysterious creatures known as Klaxosaurs. To fight against these creatures, children are raised and trained as pilots to operate a mecha known as Franxx. The anime revolves around a group of children known as Parasites who pilot the Franxx. Each Parasite is paired up with a partner, forming male-female pairs. The main character is a boy named Hiro, who was once a prodigious pilot but lost his ability to synchronize with his partner. Despite his failures, Hiro encounters a mysterious girl named Zero Two, known as a “Partner Killer” due to her inability to maintain a stable partnership.

Hiro and Zero Two form a unique love connection, and Hiro regains his ability to pilot a Franxx by partnering with her. Their love later becomes symbolic and emotional as it represents: love, identity and personal growth. Zero two is determined to partner with Hiro as she believes he is the only one who she partners with. But Hiro later learns the information that partnering with Zero Two is killing him. Despite knowing that, he wants to live with Zero Two and wants to partner with Zero Two.  As the story progresses, their love becomes inseparable and eventually, sacrifices are made so extinction doesn’t appear.

The anime taught me the power of love and how some people are willing to do anything, even put their life on the line in order to find true love. The deep bond between Hiro and Zero Two demonstrates the power of love and the strength which can be derived from genuine connections. Overall, the anime highlights the importance of self sacrifice and the power of love.

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