Daniel Blackworth

“Travel enables us to enrich our lives with new experiences, to enjoy and to be educated, to learn respect for foreign cultures, to establish friendships, and above all to contribute to international cooperation and peace throughout the world.” – Jules Verne

“Whatever one man is capable of conceiving, other men will be able to achieve” – Jules Verne 

“While there is life, there is hope.” – Jules Verne

Jules Verne is one of my favorite classical novelists. I've only read three of his novels, namely Journey to the Center of the Earth, Around the World in Eighty Days, and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, but these novels have further developed my love for adventure and travelling. Jules Verne, through his books, has given us the message that seeking adventure and travelling will allow one to increase his knowledge, discover new things, and appreciate the beauty of the world which will lead to one attaining happiness brought from the wonder and glory of doing so. He is one of my inspirations for me to have a goal of travelling to as many countries as I can and bask in each country's wonders, appreciating their culture and tradition, in the meantime. I hope to have this goal accomplished, some years from now, and travel as much as I can to metropolises, countrysides, mountains, forests, ruins, museums, valleys, temples, lakes, hidden cities, deserts, snow lands, and if possible, space and beyond, and to appreciate everything that the world has to offer, for the sake of knowledge, satisfaction, and wonder. And I offer this quote, "Living life to the fullest means appreciating every marvel, wonder, and beauty that the world has to offer."
[5/15/17]

Note: I'll be detailing the plot and message of Jules Verne's books in later updates.

I really love all of Ed Sheeran's songs. They're so beautiful to the ears. This, by far, is my favorite among all his songs:

"There's no such thing as a perfect human. Everybody, every single person has in their heart something that they were supposed to abandon but weren't able to do so, so they hide it. You can't leave it aside, can you? The things you really like..." - Asuka Masamune

"You should be proud of having loved someone to death, so find a new love as if your life depended on it. When people fall in love, they become timid. But someday without fail, they have to move forward. This time find a love that will make you happy." - Asuka Masamune

"Is there any reason why a boy can't write a girls' comic? A sparkling world, sparkling characters, pure words, heart wrenching feelings, a touching love story, I love girls' comics." - Juta Tachibana / Jewel Sachihana

"I'm sure there's a way your happiness can make everyone else happy too. Let's both be happy. Don't run away from your true self." - Asuka Masamune

"When you like someone, it doesn't matter how masculine or feminine he/she is." - Asuka Masamune

"No matter how much we try to pretend, we only have one true self. There is one thing that hasn't changed no matter how much time has passed. The things I hold dear to me has never changed. Remaining true to myself, I love you, the way you are, the way you naturally are, I love you..." - Asuka Masamune (Ending Lines)

Otomen is a new personal favorite manga. It's a different twist to the common romance manga, and it also shares important values and messages in life. The protagonist, Asuka Masamune, loves sparkly, cute, and shiny things, and he also enjoys cooking, sewing, baking, and cleaning; despite this, he is forced to become more manly (by taking up kendo) and hide his true self because of his mother who doesn't want him to turn out like his father who left her after stating that he wanted to be a woman. He struggles when he falls in love with Ryo Miyakozuka, a girl who prefers training in the mountains and fighting, his true self surfaces, but he is accepted and loved for who he is by Ryo and his other friends, Juta (secretly a great Shoujo mangaka who bases his manga on Asuka), Kitora (a flower enthusiast), Tonomine (kendo rival but likes makeup), and Hanamasa and Joji (brothers who like love songs). Throughout the series, he battles with the people who strongly propose the idea of men being strong and manly (his mother being the main antagonist), and girls becoming ladylike, but he defeats all of them, and he also grows stronger with his relationship with Ryo. This manga surpringly made me feel deep emotions unlike other manga; I felt anger at Asuka's mother who served as the villain who broke their friendship up and was able to force Asuka to sacrifice his happiness for a short while (but she only did this because she was afraid of being left alone again), so that she won't collapse again (which was just fake), I felt happy every time they succeeded in proving people wrong, I felt sad whenever the characters felt cornered to pursue what they wanted, and this was one of the rare manga that made me tear up due to the really well executed ending that I won't spoil. This manga hinged also on gender stereotyping; It tells us that it isn't wrong for men to like cooking, sewing, and romance while it isn't wrong for women to be headstrong, enjoy sports, and be fighters. It also tells us that you can pursue what makes you happy, as long as there is a way for you to share this happiness to everyone as well. Morevoer, it tells us that people should accept and embrace themselves for who they are and they shouldn't be afraid to do so. Overall, this manga was enjoyable for its comedic and romantic gender role reversal, its well drawn characters and backgrounds, its good characterization of each characters, its exciting and engaging story, and the entire premise of the manga itself.
[5/14/17]

Lol

"Being able to work hard is the best talent of all." - Hiroshi Kido

"If letting a child leave the nest will teach him how to fly, then surely it must be for the best." - Seimei Handa 

"Simplicity is the easiest path to true beauty." - Seishū Handa

"You won't see any opportunities from below if you keep looking above your head all the time." - Yasu Nomura

"You ain't gonna know unless you climb up yerself. Ain't no way to look if you don't try." - Kotoishi Naru 

Most adorable kid ever: <3

Barakamon was a really funny and enjoyable manga for its lighthearted and comedic story and characters, and it also had important morals to share. Barakamon follows Seishū Handa, a 23 year old calligrapher, who is sent to the islands near Kyushu after punching a curator who told him his calligraphy was standard and boring. His interactions with the villagers prove to be quite enjoyable due to his ignorance of a lot of things common in the countryside as he was raised as a city boy and his immaturity due to him not having enough interactions when he was a kid. The villages get attached to him, which include the kids like Naru and Hina, the middle schoolers Tama and Miwa, and the 'ordinary' high schooler Hiroshi, and often flock to him in his house, either to enjoy playing with him or learn calligraphy or simply hang out. What I loved from this manga is the character development of the characters, especially Seishū, over the series due to their interactions which changed them. Seishū, who used to be unfriendly, arrogant and ignorant, learns to become a better and more sociable person as he befriends and interacts with the villagers, and he also finds a new and inspired style for calligraphy with his experience living in the countryside. Other characters like Hiroshi, learns from Seishū, that hard work is the greatest talent and he decides to persevere in his life so that he won't be considered ordinary and average anymore, while Tama becomes encouraged to pursue her dream of being a successful mangaka, even if it would be a hard road to take. The character development was greatly developed by the funny antics of each character, especially with the most adorable girl, Naru's cheerful, active, and enjoyable personality, and her childish character proved to connect with Seishū the most and suprisingly managed to always cheerp him up when he was down. Overall, I really enjoyed this manga not only for its character development and cheerful mood, but also for the excellent aesthetics and good setting and plot.
[5/13/17]

"As long as I can be with you, I don't care what anyone says or how much I’m detested. As long as I can be with the one I love, that alone makes it okay. That’s what I always longed for." - Eba Yuzuki

“We’ll be living away from each other for a while, but I’m sure we’ll be all right. Our relationship transcends time and distance because our minds are connected. Our long-distance relationship… has only just begun.” -Kirishima Haruto

"Nobody will ever obtain true happiness if they have to hurt someone else to get it." - Asakura/Yura Kiyomi

Ending Lines (it's quite good tbh):

A Town Where You Live/Boku no Iru Machi was a certainly good romance-comedy manga. It gave me the feeling of happiness at some points, while it made me sad at the circumstances that occur to the characters at other times. It made me laugh at so many misunderstandings, while it made me frustrated with how certain relationships in the manga went. A Town Where You Live stars Kirishima Haruto as the main character, with his childhood friends Akari and Takashi as supports; his world changes when Eba Yuzuki moves to the town and lives in his house. He finds himself being drawn to Yuzuki and is confused because of his crush on a classmate named Kanzaki. After some time, Haruto realizes that he really likes Yuzuki and they decide to have a long distance relationship before she moves back to Tokyo due to family reasons. It fails all of a sudden, and he decides to chase after her by moving to Tokyo. He finds out she's dating Kazama, a classmate and a friend, mostly out of sympathy because he is slowly dying. Haruto fights for her and he accepts the challenge, but Kazama dies after attempting to go on a surgery. Out of guilt, Haruto and Yuzuki decide not to see each other, and Haruto dates Asuka, one of his classmates in Tokyo. Their relationship goes well until Yuzuki enters the picture; Haruto breaks up with Asuka, and goes with Yuzuki, even if it meant losing his friends. They make up with the friends later on and both Yuzuki and Haruto go through their struggles as a couple. They break up when their careers clash with each other due to another LDR caused by Haruto being moved to Kochi due to work and Yuzuki in Tokyo, but they make up again a year and a half, when Haruto is moved to Tokyo and they decide to marry thereafter. In this manga, it was quite fun as it had both a serious side, with its overarching plot that spanned from school life to the working life and it had a funny side which involved the various other girls who fall in love with Haruto and the many, many misunderstandings characters had. Ultimately, I really enjoyed this manga, for its tearjerking, comedic, serious, and lovable plot all in one and the way it realistically portrayed real life relationships.
[5/12/17]

@Tartar This is the source for my recent questions in the Ask the Next Person a Yes/No Question.