Definitions by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses are Christians who believe that the Bible is God's word and that Jesus is their Savior. This Christian denomination dates back to the late 19th century. Charles Taze Russel is credited with organizing the first Bible study groups that later gave origin to the Jehovah's Witness sect; these groups focused on Bible prophecy and the second coming of Christ. This second coming is said to have happened invisibly in 1914 - a date that was originally thought to mark the end of the world or Armageddon. Their name comes from the Bible, the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 43, Verses 10 and 11. The meaning behind the name is rather clear. It indicates that they bear witness to Jehovah - Jehovah being the personal name of God. There are about 16.6 million Jehovah's Witnesses around the world, with only three countries (US, Brazil, and Mexico) holding a population of over half a million. Of that number, approximately 6.7 million Jehovah's Witnesses are involved in active preaching and are part of the official statistic count. They believe in a supreme God - a spirit which has a body, but not a human body. Jesus is the Lord and Savior but He is not a part of God. They do not believe in the Trinity - the father, son and holy spirit - as, for example, Catholics do. Rather, Jesus is separate from God and was God's servant on Earth. Jesus is also said to have been given an exalted status in heaven to a higher level than angels.
Because they believe Jesus is not God, that prayer is a form of worship, and that one must not worship false gods, they pray to God, not Jesus. They believe that after the end of the world, which is imminent, 144,000 people will get a chance to go to heaven. The rest will have a chance to be resurrected and live on a permanent paradise on Earth, as long as they are virtuous in life. Those judged unrighteous will cease to exist. Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe in a remaining soul after death. They believe all other religions to be false and are deeply involved in preaching as a way to impart the hope of resurrection to humanity. Politics is not an important part of life, as they believe governments will also be destroyed imminently. They rarely vote, and they do not take part in anything that has to do with national politics, including the singing of the national anthem or saluting the flag. They also do not celebrate birthdays or Christmas, and most avoid Thanksgiving, which they consider to be a Pagan holiday. Weddings and funerals are observed, and celebrating anniversaries is not forbidden. They tend to be conservative. Homosexuality, premarital sex, and abortion are considered sins. They do not accept blood transfusions, even if it means death. However, more and more hospitals are now using bloodless techniques in surgery, often crediting Jehovah's Witnesses as their push to research alternatives.
Jehovah's Witnesses by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ September 13, 2010
Ghost in the Shell
Set in the 21st century, Ghost in the Shell is superficially a futuristic spy thriller, dealing with the exploits of Motoko Kusanagi, a major in the covert operations organization "Section 9," which specializes in fighting technology-related crime. Kusanagi herself is almost completely mechanized, a human brain in an artificial body, capable of superhuman feats, and specialized for her job. The setting of Ghost in the Shell is distinctively cyberpunk, similar to that of William Gibson's sprawl trilogy, though Shirow's work is more focused on the ethical and philosophical ramifications of the widespread merging of humanity and technology, the development of artificial intelligence, and an omnipresent computer network, in particular related to human identity and uniqueness. The manga, in particular, tackles these questions head on, as Kusanagi and her colleagues face both external threats and puzzles, and internal conflict over their own nature, being more machines than humans.
Ghost in the Shell by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ September 11, 2010
Sunday Depression
That feeling one gets on a Sunday when they know they have to go back to school and/or work the next day. Procrastination on a Sunday can also cause Sunday Depression, because doing work for school can make one depressed and get them into a "Damn it, I don't want to go to school tomorrow" feeling. People with Sunday Depression may have a frown on their face, get butterflies in their stomach, appear to be stressed or nervous, etc. This feeling does not normally occur when there is no school on Monday due to some kind of holiday.
Eddie: Hey man, what's wrong with you? You look down.
Vincent: I just don't want to go to class tomorrow and I still need to finish a paper for English.
Eddie: Sounds like you have a bad case of Sunday Depression.
Vincent: I just don't want to go to class tomorrow and I still need to finish a paper for English.
Eddie: Sounds like you have a bad case of Sunday Depression.
Sunday Depression by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ September 10, 2010
Big O
Paradigm City is a place without a past. 40 years ago, something happened that wiped away the memories of everyone in it. Unfortunately, the people of Paradigm City were very busy before then, making Megadueses (giant robots) and monsters. People who were born after the memory wipe are gaining/recovering memories of the past and using them to build newer threats. Roger Smith keeps Paradigm City safe with the help of The Big O (a faithful giant robot), his butler Norman, and the android Dorothy. As problems mount and more memories surface, Roger's past and Paradigm's future begin to become suspect.
Big O by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ September 10, 2010
Hajime no Ippo
Ippo Makunochi was a very shy high school student who never had the time to make friends, because he was always busy helping his mother run their family fishing charter business. Because he kept to himself, a group of bullies led by Umezawa got into the habit of picking on him. On one particular day, these bullies decided to give him a rather serious beating, but a middle-weight professional boxer who was passing by stopped the bullies and took the injured Ippo to the Kamogawa Gym, owned by the retired boxer Genji Kamogawa, to treat his wounds. After Ippo awoke to the sounds of boxers training, the boxer who saved him, Mamoru Takamura, tried to cheer Ippo up by letting him vent his frustrations on a sandbag. It was then that they had their first glimpse into Ippo's talent for boxing. After that incident, Ippo started his regular training and began his path in Japan's professional boxing, beginning with two spars against the talented Ichiro Miyata who is the same age as Ippo.
Hajime no Ippo (also called Fighting Spirit) is a boxing anime with 76 episodes. The Sequel to this anime, Hajime no Ippo New Challenger, has 26 episodes.
Hajime no Ippo by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ September 7, 2010
Eyeshield 21
Kobayakawa Sena is a little guy who always gets bullied at school. Since elementary school, he always played the role of the errand boy to the extent that he has become swift and fast. Coincidentally, Hiruma Youichi and Kurita Ryukan are looking for a fast running back for their American Football team (Amefuto) and want to put Sena on the team. To hide their new star player from the eyes of other High Schools, Hiruma encases Sena in an Amefuto helmet with a dark visor and names him Eyeshield #21.
Eyeshield 21 by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ September 5, 2010
Slam Dunk
Slam Dunk centers around Hanamichi Sakuragi, who starts as a delinquent outcast, becoming the leader of a gang. Hanamichi, being very unpopular with girls, has been rejected by them fifty times. Yet, he finds out that Haruko Akagi is the girl of his dreams, and is happy when she's not scared of him like all the other girls he has asked out. Haruko Akagi, who recognizes Hanamichi's athleticism, introduces him to the Shohoku basketball team. Hanamichi was reluctant to join the team at first because he had no previous background in any sports and thought that basketball was a game for losers (also because the fiftieth girl rejected him for a basketball player). Sakuragi, despite his immaturity and hot temper, proves to be a natural athlete with potential and joins the team in order to impress Haruko and prove that he is worthy of her. Kaede Rukawa — Sakuragi's bitter rival (both on the basketball court and love, even when Rukawa doesn't acknowledge Haruko's crush on him), the star rookie and a "girl magnet" - joins the team at the same time. Hisashi Mitsui, an ex-junior high school MVP, and Ryota Miyagi, a short but fast player, both also rejoin the team and together these four struggle to complete team captain Takenori Akagi's dream of making Shohoku the national champion. Together, these misfits gain publicity and the once little known Shohoku basketball team becomes an all-star contender in Japan.
Slam Dunk is a sports-themed anime series about a basketball team from Shohoku High School. There are a total of 101 episodes.
Slam Dunk by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ September 4, 2010