List of 15 Manga Antagonist Which Is Too Cool To Hate

No one could argue that an antagonist is an important thing in a story. Great antagonist would make the protagonist stand out even more. So I find it pretty often that the antagonist in a manga is so cool. So cool and so cute that sometimes it make me confuse whether to root for the protagonist or the antagonist. Ha ha ha. This is not a list of the most badass antagonist in manga. If that's the case, I would put Makoto Shishio here. Without further chitchat, here is the list of 15 manga antagonist that make me confuse whether to hate them or to love them:

1.  Zeref (Fairy Tail)

The Black Wizard, Zeref, has been described in the manga as the darkest, most evil and dangerous mage of all time. He master the Black Arts and creating so many demons that still wreck havoc in the present. Of course I expect him to be someone really villainous and ruthless. Who would have thought that he seems as a sincere person, who possess cursed magic that can take away life against his will and isolate himself so that he can't hurt people? Who would have thought that the first time Zeref saw the protagonist, Natsu, he would break down in tears?? The reason is he wishes to die to atone for all the sins he has committed, and may commit in the future. According to Zeref, Natsu is the only one who could kill him so he's so glad when finally meet him (hence the tears of joy). But then he realize that Natsu's power is not enough to destroy him yet (and cry again. ha ha ha).

Even though he seems to be emotionally fragile, Zeref is really scary when he's angry. I don't hate him even though he's the main antagonist of Fairy Tail.

2.  Akashi Seijuro (Kuroko no Basket)

Akashi Seijuro was the captain of Generation of Miracles and now is the captain of Rakuzan high school basketball team. I'm not even sure that we could call him antagonist of Kuroko's Basketball, but he has a conflicting believe with the main protagonist, Kuroko. He's really intelligent. The sight of him play basketball and Shogi is so cool. In the anime, I saw a scene where Akashi throw Shogi's pieces to the air then catch it, and I forget to breath. Ha ha ha. He's so kakkoii that my heart fluttered >///<.
 

Akashi has a strange and extremely intimidating personality. But for some reasons, I can't hate him.

3.  Johan Lieberd (Monster)

Johan Lieberd is the main antagonist of Monster. He possesses charisma and intelligence but is also cunning, manipulative and deceitful; while he is kind, compassionate and loving to children, he can be cold and cruel. Really, evil sometimes wears a pleasant face.
 
4.  Saito Hajime (Rurouni Kenshin)

He is introduced as one of the antagonist of Rurouni Kenshin but along the story he becomes one of the protagonist. He's not as handsome or cute as other characters in this list. But since he's so cool, I really like him and put him in nomor 4.

5.  Kamui (Gintama)

Kamui is the older brother of Kagura. He has excellent fighting skill, and in my opinion, is so cool. Kakkoii >///<.. Despite his cheerful attitude, he's ruthless and cruel. He almost always wears a cheerful smile on his face, even when he is killing, saying that everyone deserves a last moment of peace. 

6.  Izaya Orihara (Durarara!!)

No one should be this handsome, powerful, intelligent, cool, and yet so dangerous.
 
7. Takasugi Shinsuke (Gintama) 

Aside from his coolness, he has an intriguing personality.

8.  Former Crimson King (Samuray Deeper Kyo)

I did not expect Sendai Aka no Ou to be this cute. He was a benevolent king but gradually become evil because he disgusted with the inherent flaws in human nature, especially the human love of violence. His appearance can changes from a happy-go-lucky bookworm to that of a vicious cold hearted killer.
 
9.  Amaimon (Ao no Exorcist)

Seriously. How come a demon king could be this cute?

10. Phantom (MAR)

My favorite character from MAR is the villain. Yep, you read this right.

11. Hao Asakura (Shaman King)

12. Tykki Mikk (D.Gray-Man)

13. Ulquiorra (Bleach)

14. Judal (Magi) 

15. Hisoka (Hunter x Hunter)

Okay. That's my list. I hope you like it! By the way, all pictures in this post is not mine, I just googled it. Credit to the owner. Ja mata nee!

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My Personal 10 Best Movie of 2013

I haven't watch all movie in 2013. I haven't watch Prisoner, Rush, The World's End, American Hustle, 12 Years a Slave and other notable films. I check my rating history in IMDb and here is the list of my favorite movie in 2013:

10. Now You See Me

This is a messy film, void of character development and with unsatisfied ending. But screw that! I always like a heist & magic movie, hence Now You See Me is on my list.

9.  Iron Man 3

I want to put Thor : The Dark World on this list, but I choose Iron Man 3 instead. Despite the flaw, this movie is fun and Pepper Potts is badass. Read my review here.

8. The Conjuring

The only horror movie that made it into this list. Love the acting. Read my review here.

7. Pasific Rim

I didn't really into mecha genre. I've since long forget what it feels like to watch Gundam (the last time I watch it is when I was in junior high school) and the only mecha anime that I watch this year is Tiger & Bunny. Maybe that's why I love this movie. Read my review here.

6. Ender's Game

I love it. This is the full review.

5. The Hunger Games

Despite its somber tone, I love this movie. The full review is here.

4. The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug

Honestly, I'm a little bit disappointed with it. But hey, this movie is still good and I still love it. Read my review here.

3. Star Trek Into Darkness

 
I really like it and ended up watched it 3 times this year. Read the full review here.


2. Gravity

As a person who aspire to someday go to outer space. This movie is a must-watched. Here is my review.


1­. Frozen

I love movie about family, particularly siblings relationship, and this movie deliver it very well. I really love it. Period. By the way, you could read the full review here.

That's my list. How about yours?

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Bias: mengapa orang pintar sebenarnya tak sepandai yang mereka pikirkan

Tiba-tiba tak ada angin, tak ada hujan, tak ada petir menggelegar - dan tak ada cowok cakep lewat - , muncul hasrat untuk menulis tentang bias. Bukan. lstilah bias yang kumaksud bukan istilah bias yang lagi ngetren di kalangan remaja yang biasanya berarti anggota favorit dari boyband, girlband, maupun band Jepang & Korea. Walaupun sebenarnya masih ada benang merahnya juga sich.  He he he.

Berdasarkan kamus, bias berarti "simpangan", kecenderungan untuk percaya bahwa suatu ide, orang, dll lebih baik dari yang lain dan biasanya menyebabkan orang menilai/memutuskan sesuatu secara tidak adil. Makanya anggota favorit dari band Jepang atau Korea disebut bias, karena kita lebih menyukainya dibandingkan anggota yang lain sehingga perlakuan kita terhadap member lain jadi kurang adil. Lebih memilih merchandise dari anggota favorit kita misalnya. He he he. Back to the topic, bias yang kumaksud disini adalah bias secara umum, terutama tentang cognitive biases. Kenapa ini penting? Dari pengalaman, aku mendapati bahwa memang terkadang bias membuat kita jadi tidak dapat mengambil keputusan yang benar. Bahkan para ahli pun bisa bias.

Sebenarnya aku sudah ingin menulis tentang hal ini sejak tahun lalu. Sejak aku membaca buku "Thinking, Fast & Slow" karangan Daniel Kahneman, profesor psikologi Princeton University yang juga peraih nobel di bidang ekonomi tahun 2002. Tapi berhubung kesibukan yang menyita waktu akhirnya hal ini tidak jadi kulakukan. Keinginan ini kembali muncul setelah membaca buku "The (Honest) Truth about Dishonesty" karangan Dan Ariely, profesor psikologi Duke University. Mempelajari soal bias itu ternyata sangat menarik.

Salah satu jenis bias yaitu hindsight bias. credit to: Nicholson of "The Australian" newspaper http://www.nicholsoncartoons.com.au/

Manusia sangat rentan memiliki bias terhadap suatu hal. Salah satu jenis bias yang paling berbahaya adalah secara alami kita selalu berpikir bahwa orang lain lebih rentan membuat kesalahan dibandingkan kita. Kecenderungan ini dikenal sebagai "bias blind spot". Seperti kata pepatah, "gajah di pelupuk mata tak tampak, semut di seberang lautan tampak". Kita mahir dalam menemukan kesalahan orang lain tapi tidak mampu melihat kesalahan yang sama pada diri kita. Contohnya? Tidak usah jauh-jauh. Lihat saja ibu-ibu yang suka bergosip dengan topik sekitar kesalahan dan kejelekan orang lain. Ho ho ho. Singkatnya, kita gampang mengabaikan kesalahan kita tetapi bersikap lebih kritis terhadap kesalahan orang lain. Akibatnya kita menilai pendapat kita terlalu tinggi dan menganggap pendapat orang lain yang bertentangan dengan kita lebih inferior.

Menariknya, suatu penelitian tahun 2012 menemukan bahwa orang dengan kemampuan kognitif yang tinggi (alias orang pintar) cenderung memiliki "bias blind spot" yang lebih tinggi dari orang biasa. Semakin pintar, semakin besar "bias blind spot"nya. Hal yang mungkin pertama-tama terdengar lucu, karena bukankah ada pepatah yang mengatakan bahwa orang yang semakin banyak belajar (dalam hal ini aku asumsikan berarti orang pintar) justru semakin mengetahui bahwa dia tidak tahu apa-apa? Tetapi jika dipikir lagi, tampaknya memang mungkin hal ini ada hubungannya.

Mungkin aku bisa menceritakan pengalamanku sendiri soal "bias blind spot". Tahun lalu aku mengikuti suatu pelatihan dimana peserta dibagi dalam beberapa kelompok untuk memecahkan kasus yang berbeda-beda. Aku sempat berdebat sengit dengan salah seorang peserta (Ph.D candidate dengan latar belakang Kimia) tentang cara menghitung dosis maksimal yang aman digunakan dari suatu senyawa toksik. Aku sendiri memiliki latar belakang Farmasi, dan kuakui bahwa meskipun aku tidak pernah menyombongkannya, dalam hati aku selalu merasa sebagai orang yang pintar dan kompeten. Farmakokinetik dan penentuan dosis merupakan salah satu kompetensi apoteker. Dengan cepat aku dapat menemukan kesalahan sistematis dalam cara perhitungan peserta tersebut. Sejujurnya perdebatan tersebut juga dibumbui dengan perasaan superior ("tahu apa sich dia soal perhitungan dosis dan farmakokinetik?", kira-kira begitulah suara kesombongan dari salah satu sudut hatiku). Perlu diketahui bahwa dalam pelatihan tersebut tidak ada kunci jawabannya. Yang penting adalah bagaimana kita bisa mempertahankan pendapat kita dan aku menang. Tapi setelah kupikir-pikir lagi, sebenarnya pemikiran peserta lain tersebut juga ada benarnya. Malah mungkin ada kekeliruan dalam perhitunganku karena tidak mempertimbangkan faktor yang disebut peserta tersebut. Akhirnya aku menyadari bahwa waktu itu aku terlalu kritis terhadap kesalahan orang lain dan gagal melihat kesalahan dalam pemikiranku sendiri. Hal ini membuatku berpikir bahwa orang yang merasa dirinya pandai ternyata tak sepandai yang dipikirkannya. Siapapun rentan membuat kesalahan pada bidang yang mungkin dianggap sudah dikuasai.

Yang bisa aku simpulkan dari pengalamanku sehari-hari adalah orang-orang dengan kemampuan kognitif tinggi cenderung menganggap dirinya pintar dan oleh karena itu tanpa disadari menjadi kurang awas dengan kesalahan sendiri. Beberapa kali terjadi, peneliti mengabaikan suatu efek atau fenomena yang dianggap sebagai "noise", "coincidence" atau "irrelevant". Hanya untuk menemukan beberapa tahun kemudian bahwa hal tersebut ternyata merupakan sesuatu yang penting. Sejauh ini, hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa meskipun kita aware dengan adanya "bias blind spot", hal ini sulit untuk dihilangkan. Analisis tambahan juga menyebutkan bahwa meskipun kita bebas dari "bias blind spot", ternyata tidak membantu dalam menghindari cognitive bias lainnya. Akar dari bias sebagian besar berasal dari pemikiran alam bawah sadar. Oleh karena itu tidak dapat dilihat melalui self-analysis dan tidak dapat dicegah dengan intelegensi.

Waduh. Sepertinya cuap-cuapku kali ini menjadi sangat panjang. Inti dari yang ingin kukatakan adalah penting adanya kesadaran dan kemauan untuk menerima bahwa mungkin ada kesalahan dalam sistematika berpikir kita. Bagi yang merasa pintar, berpikiran terbuka dan tidak cuma memasang kacamata kuda mungkin membantu dalam mengurangi bias ini. ^^. So, what's your opinion about this?

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My Top Favorite Manga

Without I realize, my blog had gotten more than 50.000 views. Banzai! To commemorate this, as usual, I intend to write something personal. And this time I want to write about my favorite manga of all time. As you know, I'm an avid reader of manga and I've collected several series which crowded about 8 of my bookshelves. I would not include manga that still on-going on this list, so you would not see One Piece or Skip Beat. I will only include manga that had already ended. Okay, here we go:

small part of my bookshelves

Shoujo Manga

I'm not a fan of Shoujo manga, I'm not a romantic girl after all. But sometimes there are some romance manga that I can't help to like. Here are some of them:

• Lovely Complex

Lovely Complex is a love story about Risa Koizumi, a very tall girl and Atsushi Otani, a short guy. It's very funny and touching. I think this manga has won an award or something, has been adapted into an anime and a live-action movie.

• Nodame Cantabile

This manga follow the love story of Noda Megumi (which famously called Nodame), a very talented pianist and Shinichi Chiaki, a talented conductor. Honestly, there's a part of Nodame's personality that resemble me. Btw, it's a perfect manga for someone who love classical music like me. Some people might not like the art of this manga. But it's funny and touching. Give it a try! It's already adapted into anime, movies and drama and receive Kodansha Manga of the Year Award.

Nodame and Chiaki

• Fruit Basket

A manga full of touching story, interesting characters, and lessons from life. It's great and you should read it! It has been adapted to an anime and receive an award.

Tohru Honda with the rest of Fruit Basket characters. Credit to frozen_wings.

• Bara no Tame ni (For The Rose)

It's a complex and unique story about love, family and friendship and follow the story of a girl named Yuki Makirano who others deemed as fat and ugly. Has been adapted into a Taiwan drama, "The Rose".  It receive Shogakukan Manga of the Year Award in 1994.

• Honey and Clover

This is one of manga that I read after I watch the anime.  Honey and Clover is a touching series that depicts the lives and relationships of a group of art school students who live in the same apartment building. It also receives an award, has been adapted into anime and drama.

Well. If I think of it now, all of Shoujo Manga above had received an award. Wow. It's no wonder because all of those 5 are great manga. Now let's move to Shonen Manga.

Shonen Manga

I want to add Dragon Ball and Saint Seiya to this list, which unfortunately I can't because even though I watched the anime, I've yet read the manga. I want to pick Bloody Monday, Black Cat and Yu Yu Hakusho but because I have to only pick 5, here is the list:

• Rurouni Kenshin

Among all classic anime that I've watched, I also had the opportunity to read Rurouni Kenshin. This manga had been adapted into a live action movie (starring my favorite actor, Takeru Sato as Kenshin) with a sequel that expected to be in cinema next year. I can't wait!

• Death Note

Needless to say, it's one of the best manga of all time, if only it end with the final confrontation between Kira and L. I honestly think that they just want to stretch out the story with the appearance of N and M. I deeply think that's not the writer's plan for the ending. Something that was hinted in Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata later work, Bakuman. By the way, this manga has been adapted to an anime and 2 live action movie.

• Full Metal Alchemist

All I can say has been said here.

• Touch

Adachi Mitsuru's strength is how he can make a general everyday life to be an interesting story. Touch is a perfect example of this. It has been suggested that the accurate portrayal of sibling rivalry in Touch may come from Adachi's experiences while growing up with his older brother, Adachi Tsutomu. 

• Slam Dunk

Until now, I don't really like Hanamichi Sakuragi. But I love Slam Dunk. Well, does it make sense? (laugh). I can't help to notice the similarities between Kagami Taiga from Kuroko no Basket and Hanamichi Sakuragi. Both are short temper, red-haired, jump high, and wear the same jersey number (Kagami --> Seirin no 10, Sakuragi --> Shohoku no 10). But I love Kagami more (laugh).

• Bakuman

It's a follow-up manga from the creator of Death Note. Not in the same league as the previous work but really interesting.

Seinen Manga

 I wish to include Gantz on this list, but because I have an issues with the ending, here is the list of my favorite seinen manga:

• 20th Century Boys

It's epic.

• Monster

This is the first work of Naoki Urasawa that I've read and he quickly become one of my favorite mangaka.

• Kurosagi

The story about a swindler that only deceive another swindlers. Really interesting.

• City Hunter

• Great Teacher Onizuka

That's all. I hope you enjoy it. What is your favorite manga? Comment bellow and let me know ^^.

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