Strider Hiryu

I can't stand sparkling water so more power to you for being able to stomach it (water should not be carbonated, it's just wrong). Funny thing I stopped drinking pop (or soda as you call it) for like 8 years (also quit drinking alcohol as well since I mostly drank mixed drinks) and now all of a sudden I'm back to drinking it again and I'm really disappointed in myself (though in retrospect I really can't be, even though I gave up pop I was throwing back 2 cans of NOS or Monster a day, can't do that anymore since I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. Drinking an energy drink now makes me sick as fuck and causes some serious chest pain due to the hbp meds I'm on). It's not like I'm drinking half a twelve pack like I did when I was a teen, I drink one Sprite a day (I don't consider it pop considering there's no caffeine in it) and I drink 2 cans of Code Red on Saturdays and Sundays (I'm so wiped out from the week at work I need that caffeine just to get through the weekend) it's still a disappointment that I gave it up for that long only to cave in again.
I tend to stick more towards plain water (due to what I do at work I drink like 4-5 bottles of water a day, more if it's during the summer (working in a shop in 90+ degree weather fucking sucks)), low calorie Gatorade (for the lack of sodium, hbp and all), and tea (not your sweet tea (can't stand it), I stick to my Nestea).
I still don't know how people drink coffee, That shit is disgusting

I'll warn you it's a slog and a half when you do get around to reading it and pretty much every story is unfinished but it's probably one of the best reads out there for Middle-Earth knowledge. It covers the first two ages and goes into great detail about the Undying Lands (where the elves, Gandalf, and the other wizards are from), why the elves came to Middle Earth, Sauron and his master, the creation of the rings of power, the origins of Aragorn's family line and why he so long lived, and many many more things. Just talking about it is making me want to read it again.

Bah, I read the entire appendices and enjoyed every minute of it 😛 Honestly I don't blame you any, it's a freaking slog through all of that but there is a lot of good information in there that actually clears up a lot of questions you might of had while reading the book (though sadly not an entire answer). Plus most of that stuff is actually covered in more detail in The Silmarillion (a book that will try your patience but probably my favorite book Tolkien wrote (well wrote notes and his son compiled them as best he could)).
Yea they kinda skipped the book ending and jumped straight to the Grey Havens. While I do like that ending I really don't think it'd of made for a good movie ending (though seeing an army of Hobbits in action would of been amazing).

I mean if you watched subs you could watch the wonderful Eizouken (probably my favorite of this season), Asteroids in Love (this show if fucking adorable), and Somali and the Forest Spirit (another adorable show and my second favorite of this season).
BOFURI is a lot of fun, didn't think I'd actually like it but after watching the first three episodes Tuesday night after work I fell in love with it. Such an interesting premise and by god is Maple a little monster.
Outside of those four and Isekai Quartet S2 (god I love this show and they brought Naofumi in from Shield Hero finally) I'd have to agree. This season is kind of a downer as I have no interest in any of the other shows. I'm pretty much just coasting through this year waiting for Promised Neverland S2, Slime S2, Log Horizon S3 (god damn am I so happy this got a 3rd season, can't fucking wait), the rest of Azur Lane, the continuation of The War for Underworld arc in SAO, Fruits Basket S2, No Guns Life S2, and Yuru Camp S2. Those are the shows I'm really waiting for.

Man that was a rough one. Many manly tears were shed for Nighteye 😭Fucking kick to the nuts is what it was and it didn't help that I knew it was coming, wasn't expecting that much emotion (especially from Mirio who has officially become my 2nd favorite MHA character, this weeks episode cemented it for me with how he's handling everything).

Im about to dump some money into AL for some skins That opening cinematic spoke to my soul.... plus that Belfast skin I've been wanting is an instapurchase. I'm glad this event came up though because I've been grinding for commander level 60 for the last few days as I'm stuck and cant progress in the main missions until I do. I did a 10 pull and got Dido, Gloucester, and Hasley Powell. I just need Biloxi, but I won't blow all my cubes like last time until the end if I still don't have her... AND Takao is in the medal exchange. Its like the game knows what I want.
I blame you. 😛 I pre-reged for Arknights after it launched and it still gave me the rewards. I do like the concept though. I also like how you can't just whale it up and roll into a mission with all 6 stars. That deployment cost will snowball you into failure every time. It seems like a lot to take in. I still don't grasp everything in the base, the daily combat is interesting. I kinda like that you have to 3 star stuff to auto it... which is also interesting as it seems to just copy your strategy and use it to win every time. It's def not as casual as AL, but AL is still my favorite.
If you care to add me for the clue room or whatever it's called, there is my ID.
edit: Off, if it doesn't zoom its 39846036

Already ahead of you  I literally pre-registered for it like 30 minutes before it launched.
My addiction to mobile games is strong. Not to far in it but I'm enjoying it but with the new Azur Lane event it'll be put on the back burner for awhile.

Woohoo!

Couldn't tell you as I got her from building and I never had this log in rewards thing when I started, must be something new for new players to the game (from what I just read it seems she is obtainable through log in rewards so you'll get her on day 8).
Not really surprised as Elizabeth is a powerhouse with the right weaponry and auxiliary gear. Quite honestly I really hope she gets a retrofit in the future as she's by far my favorite battleship to date (I only took her out of Fleet 1 because of Amagi's synergy with Sakura Empire ships which made it more of a powerhouse then it was).
Honestly I haven't used Belfast yet. I've had her for quite awhile but have never done anything more then level her to 71 and now she sits in dry dock (I did get her event skin during the last event though). Since my plan is to have a fleet of each major faction I'll probably put her into my Royal Navy one once I get around to fully putting it together.
Heh, I just got Montpelier two days ago. She was the last SR ship I needed from light construction (and with her I think I now have all SR ships available through non-event building). Honestly haven't looked into her yet but I'm pretty sure she'll end up on my Eagle Union fleet once I start putting it together. I just want the Bismarck event to come back because I really want her for my IB fleet and I barely missed out on her last time >.<

I downloaded Azur Lane just for shits and gigs. I normally don't do mobile games but I got a few things coming up that I'll need some entertainment where as the switch is too much of a distraction for it. Its neat so far. I did have Enterprise drop on the completion of the tutorial mission. I dunno if they just let you roll a super rare or what to suck you in, but whateves, awesome. I'll assume the only reason for the joystick is to avoid AOE and special projectile type attacks, and everyone's auto attack is unavoidable.

Ugggh, Too may best girls in one show. Dammit Lisa, turn good! It's clear she really cares for Vulcan even though it wasn't her intent. They did a reaaaally good job, and by good job I mean super cringe and uncomfortable with that Giovanni manipulating her scene. 
Its even worse for dub on holidays. Not everything was affected for Thanksgiving but they did delay Dr. Stone and Azur Lane. But at least its double episodes this week for everything that got pushed back. I'm missing my british ship waifus! 😭

I think that was a shining example of "discipline" and masterful tactics. He slowly assessed the situation with his ricochet control, and then went ham. Didn't even have to hit her directly. The writers are doing a really good job of establishing the villains to make certain characters shine. The white clad where giving everyone a run for their money when they were helping Benimaru, and at Vulcan's workshop. Arrow was definitely established as one of the strongest of the bunch. Hinawa brutalized her, and it was glorious. 
On a side note Suneater's fight on MHA was pretty bad ass too. Its finally starting to get intense.    

And I am at a loss for words at how epic Hinawa is, we shall worship him as a god and place him on a pedestal. Good god was that fight epic.

And once again Maki proves herself to be best girl hands down. Man that fight was awesome (and proves that her ultimate power up always comes from mishearing people comments toward her) and her being all scared was beyond cute.
I figured you'd be a Belfast man. I've got way to many ships I like and I'm more partial to the Sakura Empire ships (fuck the majority of my fleet is comprised of them, if only I could get Akagi then my main fleet would be unstoppable) but for some reason Laffy just caught my attention (I seem to always gravitate to the quiet, unassuming females in anime and in this case game). You know I think I'll have to give the dub a watch after it's finished airing, this seems like one of those shows where watching the dub is a must due to the nationality of all the ships (I mean they use different Japanese dialects/accents to differentiate between some of the ships on other sides but at the end of the day it's still Japanese). I just love how people get bent out of shape over this show and it's plot given that there is no actual plot in the game (outside of the whole Azur Lane vs. Red Axis vs. Siren storyline and the side story missions they do centered around certain ships. Quite honestly I don't even know whats going on in the game outside of the fact that I fight Iron Blood and Sakura ships even though I have them in my own fleet and occasionally I get to fight sirens from time to time) but then again these are anime fans so logic goes out the window (I've not hear Prinz Eugene outside of the sub but it can't be that bad). I would also like to point out that it's funny Enterprise is the main protagonist of the show (considering it was the flagship of the American Navy and you'd think the Japanese and the Chinese would be against doing that (the companies behind the game are Chinese run)).
I really need to get around to watching Cautious Hero since it's been on my radar (once I heard that I'd like it if I loved Konosuba (which I did) I was totally on board), sadly I have way to much on my plate this season to even consider starting it (8 shows is the most I've picked up since my college days and I'm in the middle of watching Patlabor for the first time (picked up the entire collection for cheap and I'm loving every minute of it. Never though a show about Police with mechs would be so good). Maybe I'll start it up after Bookworm and Didn't I say to make my abilities average in the next life end and as long as there is a shit ton to watch next season.

I'm just glad Maki got her own fight finally and showed off her skills for real. It was a treat that could have gone on longer, but was still extremely satisfying.
As for Azur Lane, I don't have any attachment to the game outside of hearing about it a while back. So I'm more of a Belfast man myself. 😏 I think the dub is outstanding with the various accents. Although outside of the general hate you spoke of, I hear there is a ton of hate for Prinz Eugen's German accent. Not really sure what people expected from an anime based off a mobile game full of cosmetics and fanservicey art. Fan service aside, the battle sequences are pretty fun to watch. And yes the OP is a banger.
I heard of Didn't I say to make my abilities average in the next life through Mother's Basement, but alas it's not dubbed. It sounds similar to Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious with a female protagonist. Bruh, whats up with the paragraphs for titles trend with anime right now? Like  YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World. Its getting a bit silly. I get a good laugh out of Cautious Hero though.

Shhhh, I still haven't watched the episode now I'm going in knowing Maki is a fucking bad ass (oh, wait I already knew that so carry on).
MHA will definitely start picking up and I definitely can't wait (I so want to see the upcoming fight for so many reasons). Not entirely sure whats in this upcoming episode but I get the feeling they'll start moving a lot quicker now in this arc (I'm assuming they're going for at least a two arc adaptation this season so they'll need to start wrapping this one up pretty quickly if they want to adapt the next one in what they have left episode wise).
Azur Lane is my guilty pleasure as well but not in the same way. The show has been great (though man is it getting some serious hate on anime sites) but I only started watching it because I'm addicted to the fucking game and hence my quilty pleasure (Laffey is best ship waifu and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise, yea I have an unhealthy attachment to her (I've spent way to much money on her skins)). That OP is pretty fucking banger though (not surprising since it's May'n and she's responsible for my adoration of the Macross Frontier OST), only coming behind No Guns Life for this seasons new shows (and way after Fire Force's new OP (it's completely grown on me now though I still think the first OP is better) and the new MHA OP).
My absolute favorite show this season though is Ascendance of a Bookworm. Such an adorable show and way beyond your typical Isekai show. In fact MB did a video on why he liked in and I agree with all his points. No over the top action. No god tier hero bent on saving the world. Just a show dedicated entirely to world building, character development and interaction, and telling it's story.
My true guilty pleasure this season is Didn't I say to make my abilities average in the next life. The comedy alone is worth watching this for. Besides one episode I don't think I've gotten through an episode without laughing so hard my side hurt (I love the complete awareness it has for what it is (much like Konosuba) and Mile's constant agonizing over how overly strong she is given her request to be reincarnated as an average, run of the mill person (and how she actually was by this worlds standards)). I'm sad it's only 12 episodes long so I really hope it gets another season.

You mean so much better Yea the end of RotK kinda drags on for quite awhile with a lot of little things that weren't exactly necessary to get the story across (but remember, Tolkien was a world builder before a storyteller and he built one hell of a world).
God what I wouldn't give for a literal book to TV series adaptation of Lord of the Rings (preferably HBO, Netflix does good stuff but I think HBO would do it much more justice). The movies were a little too condensed for my tastes and honestly not as enjoyable as a TV series would be.

Honestly these books were way too long for movies. It was made too early. With HBO and Netflix these days, this would have been an amazing 5-7 season series easily. Digesting all of it an hour at a time would have made it more enjoyable and manageable.

Damn that's a nice wallet and I've been looking for something similar (too bad I didn't hear about the kickstarter before it ended) since mine is fucking bulky and I'd like to get rid of it (I've had it since I was 14). Since I only carry 6 cards on me it'd be perfect (I only carry my debit, 1 credit card, my license, dental insurance, health insurance, and I don't even remember what the other one is), hopefully they'll put it up on the site after initial kickstarter run because I looked into getting a Ridge wallet and those things are not worth the amount of money they're charging for them.
I quit wearing watches when I started working my current job (can't wear them due to the amount of machinery I work around, sucks too because I had just gotten a new Fossil before I was canned from my old job (not that it matters, I need to get the battery replaced)) and haven't gone back, Sucks because I'm a huge watch collector (one of my downfalls is a good watch, I'm not as bad as those crazy ones but I'm willing to spend good money on a nice watch). Those aren't bad looking watches but not really my style (though the ones in you're pick are right up my alley). I've been thinking of picking up a MVMT or Vincero watch but I never seem to have the surplus cash lying around.
I think since Kickstarter went live I've only backed 4 projects. I helped back the english translation and release for the visual novel Clannad (which I still haven't played, I should get around to it), a game one of my favorite webcomic artists is developing (though I doubt I'll ever see it released, not too pissed about it since I've been throwing money at him for years for various other things), the BD release of Gunsmith Cats (which should be shipping soon), and I dropped mad money on the BD release and English translation of the entirety of Aria (like a shit ton of money, I wasn't fucking kidding when I said it was my favorite anime. Still waiting on the BD for Aria the Origination and the Artbook/Fan book (which should be done soon)). Honestly I'm very picky about what I'll back on Kickstarter and it goes without saying I won't back any video game projects (except for ones like Clannad that I know will be released) but when I do I drop some serious cash on it (thankfully there hasn't been any other anime I've wanted to back getting released or I'd be extremely broke).

This was my first memory of this series.

Heh, I was there once and I know the struggle. Two Towers was such a good book up until all the Frodo/Sam traveling (I mean the Battle at Helm's Deep is fucking epic, more so in the books then on screen). I say that knowing full well the entirety of the Treant thing takes place (I actually enjoyed that, Tolkien put so much time into explaining things I can't help but love those slow but aggravating Treants).
Return of the King is so much faster paced then Two Towers (mostly because I think Tolkien felt the need to finish the story, even if there is another whole story in the appendices that covers what happens after the end of RotK). Everything just plays out so quickly and then it ends. Man I really need to re-read LotR again as the last time I read it was in high school. Hell I just need to re-read it, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion (by far the toughest read of the three but by far my favorite).
Even if I own the 15 disc BD of the LotR movies I'll probably never re-watch it unless it's on TV. I have so many issues with the movies even if I did enjoy them originally (fuck I went to all three on the first night they showed). They just left so much out when they adapted them.

Ok that was a flying drop-kick in the feels man 😭 I didn't think I could love Uotani any more than I do but these two episodes really cemented her as my favorite character. God damn Kyoko was an awesome character and it's obvious just by looking at those she actually interacted with. Makes me cry even more for Tohru knowing she lost such an awesome mom.

Shhh, I still haven't watched it yet (new anime watching night is Saturday for me). I don't need to know I'm going into massive feels like this because now I'm going in pre-feeled (yea that makes no sense, don't mind me).

Get to jumpin'

Not gonna lie, One half is male sailor moon on LSD, the other have is a deep, emotional story.