Animes, Comics, and Games

Animes

Watching animes plays an important role in my entertainment. I used to have a lot of DVDs. Later, I use MP4 player to watch all animes. Now, I use QNAP with Plex to mange all of them. Here are some of my favorite series:

  • Future GPX Cyber Formula (高智能方程式) » This is a classic racing anime with very cool car designs.
  • Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn (机动战士高达独角兽) » The animation is beautifully done, and the Gundam designs are uniquely striking.
  • Neon Genesis Evangelion (新世纪福音战士) » A cyberpunk-style work that weaves in various religious elements.
  • Haikyuu!! (排球少年!!) » A story about high school volleyball competitions. Compared to other sports anime, its setting feels much more realistic.
  • Your Lie in April (四月是你的谎言) » A coming-of-age love story set against a musical backdrop.
  • Cowboy Bebop (星际牛仔) » A stylish futuristic tale with outstanding music design.
  • Rick and Morty » A wildly imaginative sci-fi adventure full of sharp satire and humor.
  • Durarara!! (无头骑士异闻录) » An interesting blend of urban legends and high school life.
  • March Comes in Like a Lion (三月的狮子) » A warm and touching story about youth and emotional growth.
  • Samurai Champloo (混沌武士) » A masterful combination of music and animation.

Comics

I learned watercolor painting in elementary school, and as I grew older, I became very fond of reading and copying manga. I once collected volumes 1 to 85 of Detective Conan, along with most of Doraemon. After moving to the U.S., I started reading e-comics. Currently, I use QNAP with Kavita to manage all my manga. Below are some of my favorite series:

  • Doraemon S: Special Adventures (哆啦A梦 S: 特别冒险篇) » I love seeing Doraemon go on adventures with robot cats from all over the world.
  • Dragon Ball (龙珠) » I love the romantic adventures in the early story arcs as well as the combat design in the later parts.
  • Naruto (火影忍者) » A story about a ninja who dreams of becoming Hokage.
  • BLEACH (死神) » Compared to other battle manga where the main characters are cheerful and optimistic, Ichigo always carried a sense of helplessness and subtle detachment.
  • Inuyasha (犬夜叉) » Compared to the battles, I prefer the romance in this time-travel story.
  • The Prince of Tennis (网球王子) » I prefer the manga over the anime because the design of the character skills is more complete.
  • Initial D (头文字D) » This manga made me realize how incredibly cool driving could be.
  • Yu Yu Hakusho (幽游白书) » I love how Yoshihiro Togashi captures subtle facial expressions with such precision.
  • Level E (レベルE) » A completely unrestrained and wildly imaginative manga.
  • Alice in Borderland (弥留之国的爱丽丝) » While not the best mystery manga in my opinion, I deeply resonated with the protagonist’s emotional journey.
  • Kekkaishi (結界師) » Though it’s primarily a battle manga, it conveyed a hard-to-describe sense of tranquility to me.
  • 20th Century Boys (20世纪少年) » This manga tells the story of a group of grown men who reunite to save the world, bound by a promise they made in their childhood.
  • Monster (怪物) » Another of Urasawa’s works. Dr. Tenma pursues Johan along the edge of good and evil, driven by unwavering resolve.
  • Billy Bat (蝙蝠比利) » Urasawa’s final major work. To me, the bat represents the spirit passed down through generations of manga artists. The good bat represents mainstream storytelling, the evil bat represents avant-garde styles, and together they form Urasawa’s ode to all manga artists in history—he believes manga creators have the power to make the world better.
  • Attack on Titan (进击的巨人) » This used to be my favorite manga. But its ending left me very disappointed. I came to realize that manga, as a relatively fast-paced literary form, often struggles to maintain narrative rigor, let alone provide answers to real-world societal contradictions.
  • Hikaru no Go (棋魂) » This is a very delicate and nuanced manga. After reading it, I tried to learn Go and followed professional Go tournaments for a long time. My favorite Go player is 이창호( I Chang-ho, 李昌镐).
  • Bakuman (爆漫王) » Bakuman is a special manga. It gave me a glimpse into the world of manga artists and helped me understand the hardships and pressure of that profession.
  • Goodbye, Eri (再见绘梨) » Great work by Fujimoto Tatsuki. It features brilliant paneling, a dreamlike story, rebellious anti-manga design, and thought-provoking reflections on the motivations behind artistic creation.

Games

I’ve been playing games since I was a small child. My mom bought a PC in her shopping mall and it accidentally had some game pre-installed. Unluckily, the game was in English, and I can barely understand English at that time. I spent a long time clicking buttons randomly and finally figured out how to play it partially. And this game is Startcraft.

  • Startcraft (1998)» The first game I played. I only learned to use the Terran, since I cannot understand the logic of the Zerg or the Protoss without English. I learned to use the siege tank to destroy the enemy base when I was six.
  • Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne (2003)» After Startcraft, I found another similar game with better graphics and unique characters. The most importannt thing is it’s in Chinese. Like Startcraft, I only use Hum and my favorite unit is the hero Paladin.
  • Counter-Strike 1.5 (2004)» Around the age of 10, CS 1.5 was extremely popular in internet cafes. My cousin and I spent many hours learning how to use the AK and AR in the game. But my favorite weapon was the AWP.
  • Maple Story (2003)» This was the first large-scale online game I ever played. It introduced me to many basic elements of fantasy worlds, such as magic, life, weapons, and pets. I played as a mage.
  • Red Alert 2 (2000)» After playing enough Warcraft, I also tried Red Alert. I especially liked the rocket soldiers.
  • 仙剑奇侠传4 (2007)» This is my favorite Chinese RPG.
  • DmC: Devil May Cry (2013)» The first action game I ever played. Its fast-paced combat was absolutely thrilling and unforgettable.
  • FIFA 13 (2012)» I consider this the most classic FIFA title. I spent a long time playing career mode.
  • NBA 2K14 (2013)» Also the most classic basketball game in my view. It took me a long time to finally beat LeBron and Kobe.
  • Dota 2 (2013)» This is my favorite MOBA game. During pandemic, I spend a lot of time playing it to relieve stress and loneliness. I reached Divine rank (4600+ MMR) and mainly play the offlane position. My best heroes are Axe, Sand King, and Dark Seer. My favorite Dota 2 players are Miracle- and ana.
  • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)» My favorite RPG. I’ve used many mod management tools, and the best one in my mind is Mod Organizer 2.
  • Grand Theft Auto V (2013)» The GTA series was a big part of my childhood. I played GTA II, GTA III, GTA: San Andreas, and GTA V. Most of the time, I play as a good citizen in the game.
  • Yu-Gi-Oh! (2000)» I collected many fake Yu-Gi-Oh! cards and played it with my friends since I was a child. During my high school, my friend taught me to use YGOPRO. I’m a Shaddoll player since then.