Obsessions

I mentioned in the last-to-last post that I have cultivated two obsessions – one good and one bad. According to Practical Psychology, a good obsession helps in life, while a bad one takes the obsessed away from reality. As you might have guessed, the bad obsession is anime and manga. The good one is learning new languages.

Let’s start with the good one. A couple of months ago, we had a ‘books by weight’ sale in our college, in which a friend of mine bought a book for me, based on the presumption that I could read Japanese, which in turn was based on the fact I read (translated) manga and (subtitled) anime. Anyways, one receiving the book, my mind interjected, “Challenge accepted!” I quickly learnt the most basic (I feel) Japanese script – Hiragana – followed by Katakana. A friend then suggested an app – Memrise. It is a very good app if you want to learn new languages. So, I have been learning Japanese using this app for two months.

Something happens to my brain when exams approach. At the time of my SSC exams (2014), I learnt the script used by the Urdu language. At the time of my HSC exams, I was busy making modified scripts based on Braille and the Morse code. Similarly, when the end semester exams came, I had to scratch that itch. I have a friend in Russia, so I decided on Russian. Still, that itch won’t give up. What more? French! I’ve been learning Japanese, Russian and French simultaneously using the app from then, progressing smoothly.

**WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD**

My view of the world is quite negative and cynical. I like to escape reality through the medium of manga and anime. It’s not even as if the worlds I go to are bright and good. You will realise that from the list of manga and anime that I read/watch. In manga, I read Baby Steps to Giant Strides, which is currently at a stage where the protagonist is about to lose a symbolically important tennis match. In Boku no Hero Academia, the threat of villains is increasing with the advent of quirk-enhancing and quirk-diminishing drugs. In Fairy Tail, one of the main characters, the fire dragon slayer, is being pushed back by the white-turned dark mage Zeref. In Sousei no Onmyouji, the male protagonist is not in a very good position while the female lead has lost her powers and is trapped in Magano. In Shokugeki no Souma, the regimental Shokugeki is on a cliffhanger. In The Gamer, the protagonist and his mentor are on a quest by the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea where unknown dangers might lie ahead. I also watch Shingeki no Kyojin, so the idea that I delve into other worlds for peace is certainly incorrect.

In anime, I currently follow Dragon Ball Super, Shingeki no Kyojin and Detective Conan.

More about the time I spent after the 28^th of April next time!