Once again, it's the end of the year! Throughout this year, a lot of things have changed for this blog and for me. Though it is harder for me to keep Shooting Star Dreamer consistently updated, I cannot help but make a New Year's post for you all. As New Year approached things have felt somewhat different than before. I feel that the anime community and anime in general has been changing, or perhaps even evolving. Whether this is a good or bad thing, I am not sure. All I know is that it has changed my approach to anime. (and my frequency of keeping up with anime) Something that has not ch ..read more

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! When we watch anime, common tropes are almost always used. The slice of life genre especially contains the same high school setting with the average protagonist. Of course, they're not carbon copies; they mix in new elements to change things up, but the formula is the same. Yet we don't ever get to see different settings, new experiences, and changes. Taking a chance at a new story is risky, but this kind of alternative experience is much needed. This is where anime such as Boku dake ga Inai Machi or ERASED, come into play. ERASED tells a story ..read more

What makes Naruto such a successful person? Many people have examined and discussed his different traits, his personality, and even the values instilled into him. Yet, I think that while we're looking at the core of Naruto's character, we've forgotten something really important. Naruto, has the ability to understand others and their feelings. He can sense the malice of his enemies and the pain of others. Naruto can understand exactly what they went through and relate, enough to become friends with the people he once called foes. While this seems very simple and straightforward, I feel this ..read more

Today is August 3rd, 2018, which is Honoka Kousaka's birthday! I'd like to wish Honoka a happy birthday, and give her a tribute on Shooting Star Dreamer! Honoka Kousaka is an idol from the series Love Live: School Idol Project. She's the driving force of the idol group and the focal character of the series. She's not necessarily the most skilled or intelligent, but she's willing to work hard for what she believes in. This inspires people of various backgrounds to follow her, making her a wonderful leader. This isn't my first time making a post for Honoka, but I believe she deserves the spo ..read more

Hello everyone and welcome back to another post! Recently, I've been into all things RWBY and this led me to the upcoming RWBY game, Amity Arena. I was lucky enough to be a participant in the official Closed Beta Test, and I'd like to take some time to share my experience with everyone else! With a name like Amity Arena, many predicted this new mobile game to be a fast-paced fighting game. This guess wasn't too far off, as the app is packing the combat. However, the differences are clear with the end result being a card-based tactical game. On the surface this may sound unappealing; bein ..read more

With the recent issues with anime listing and database website MyAnimeList (MAL), people have started scrambling for alternatives. The site was completely down for some time, eventually returning with numerous features being disabled. This problem was due to the website's API, however this was not communicated publicly at first. More info on the MyAnimeList situation can be explained below, with outside sources for relevancy. Otherwise, I'd like to recommend a few alternatives for those who wish to switch services, as well as the pros and cons of each.  If you're here just for the ..read more

Hello everyone, and welcome back to another post! This post announces my return to blogging, while taking a little inspiration from the opening lyrics of my new favorite series: RWBY! The song is labeled as The Triumph, which is a fitting name for such an upbeat song. You can listen to the song below at the linked video. (Don't worry the video has no spoilers, but you might want to avoid the comments if you're worried about that.) RWBY (expect more posts on RWBY soon), and the opening song The Triumph are inspiring to me. The song starts off from a defeated point of view, explaining the cur ..read more

Gaming comes across to some as mindless button mashing, but there's a deeper meaning to it all. Whether it's building values, connecting with characters, or learning real life concepts, there's much more going on under the surface when it comes to video games. The Super Mario Bros. Series (or any Mario game) is a game that this applies to. It's outreach spreads so far that most people who have picked up a controller have given it a try. The game outright is a pretty simple platformer, with various elements to make things more interesting. To the average gamer, collecting coins and stomping ..read more

Hey everyone! It's the end of the year, which means out with 2017 and in with 2018. Of course, this means a new year filled with new things, which also includes new anime! I usually do a New Year's Resolution-focused post, but I thought I'd switch things up this time around. Instead, I'd like to share a very short post that showcases the anime I watched in 2017; the one's I enjoyed the most. As a disclaimer, the following anime weren't necessarily ones that aired this year, but were ones I decided to watch this year. I'm posting them here, because I want to recommend them to you all! Owari ..read more

In many ways we are connected to anime; through our thoughts and our feelings. Since anime is a creation of the mind, it is natural for us to share traits with the characters. We may have common birthdays, similar zodiac signs, and ideals. Perhaps we even share personalities. Recently, I've been doing a lot of reading on Psychology and personality types. The most fascinating aspect to me is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator; a type of test to examine the way you think. It's primary goal is to assist in development and create psychological understanding. Quick Link to Take the Test At first ..read more