Closer (Tokyo remix) – The Chainsmokers feat. Mackenyu Arata

I have a new obsession (apart from One Piece), and his name is Mackenyu Arata aka the Japanese actor who plays Roronoa Zoro in the Netflix One Piece live action. I’ve seen him in movies before and I watched the One Piece live action, sure I admired his physicality and how amazing he looks doing all the stunts and fights himself, but due to Zoro being a quite subdued character, it didn’t hit me. Yet. Until my subconscious decided to take matters into its own hands and made me dream about him. I mean, I’m not surprised about the fact that I dreamt about One Piece. The amount I was consuming (anime, live action, reviews on Youtube etc), I was surprised it took me so many months to dream something One Piece. What I didn’t expect was dreaming only about Mackenyu. And not even as Zoro, as Mackenyu. I was so surprised and taken aback. See, whenever I feel (or in this case, dream) something that I don’t know the reason why to, I would become like this dog with a bone type and would not let go until I figure out what the hell is going on deep in my psyche. And it might be the spring season or my quickly approaching 40th birthday, I think something in me has awaken and eager to explore. Especially younger men who has cute faces but physically strong bodies. XD And all of this made me see Mackenyu in a whole new light and I quickly became obsessed. I’ve watched his older movies and interviews etc. One way I fuel my obsession is listening nonstop to ‘Closer’ by The Chainsmokers which Mackenyu covered. I hope you enjoy it. 😀 And have a great weekend!

We Are! – Hiroshi Kitadani

January has been such a rollercoaster! I started the year traveling in Istanbul. Around the midst of trying to get back to work and kickstart a new year with new challenges both at work life and personal life, I receive some very sad news. The mourning process is still on-going but something very exciting also happened this week. I had been looking for an apartment for over six months now, the downpayment saving process actually started over two years ago. But this week, my offer for an apartment was accepted! If everything goes well, I’m going to settle into a new home, my own home, before Easter. New beginnings! And through this all, I had one daily constant – watching the One Piece anime for the first time. I’m almost halfway through. So I chose the most iconic song from the show, sung by its original singer in the most joyous way possible. It’s a song about hopes and dreams and friendship, and most of all, adventures ahead! Hope you enjoy the song, don’t forget to put on the captions, and have a great weekend!

Bink’s Sake – Ado

I received some very sad news last Sunday about someone who had a great positive impact on my life passing away. It hit me quite hard. I withdrew into my own grief and used One Piece anime as an escape. I’m not sure whether it was a good thing or not, that Brook’s backstory happened on the show when my own grief was the deepest, and in my head, this song became sort of an anthem for the journey of life, death, and everything in between. Here is the translation of the lyrics. I can’t listen to the version sung by Brook and his crewmates without balling my eyes out, so I found Ado’s version. Those who have watched One Piece would know how heart-wrenching this song is despite its cheerful tune. I just wanted to share the song. Have a peaceful weekend!

My Sails Are Set – Aurora (One Piece)

This is me, jumping onto the One Piece boat/wagon. One Piece has always been on my radar as an occasional anime and manga consumer, but it has always been too taunting to start. Then the Netflix live action adaptation came, and last weekend, I decided to give it a go, fully prepared for it to suck as bad as all of the other anime adaptations. I’ve never watched the One Piece anime or read the manga so I have no idea about the story. But to my and I bet everyone else’s surprise, the adaptation was absolutely awesome. In the span of merely eight episodes, I fell in love with the lore, the world, the chaotic energy and most of all, the lead crew. I’m sure I have nothing to say about One Piece that hadn’t been already said. But since the weekend, I’ve started to watch the anime. Eight episodes watched, about 1073 left. XD Wish me luck! And hope you enjoy the song created for the live action show. Have a great weekend!