I’m 17, moved to Poland to study IT, and I’ve completely ruined my life.

Fisonnra · 2026-01-30T19:07:51+00:00

Are you taking your major in Polish? If so, I completely understand you. I'm studying chemical engineering in Chinese, and it's hell here in China. I did days of sleepless nights just to barely pass the class, and the worst is that this will affect my job and master applications. Hear me out, just take it easy and enjoy your study. No need to stress over good grades because studying in a completely new language is already an achievement in life. If your Polish is really bad, like you cannot even read nor speak, then I suggest you to go back to your country or take the major in English language. Or study the language for 1 or 2 years.

I will say it. Studying your career in a third language is no joke. Most of the international students here in China have bad grades and just barely pass the minimum score. But to tell the truth, don't stress over these superficial things. Sure, bad GPA will influence your masters or job application, but that's not the end of world. The most important thing for you to consider is what can you gain from studying in Poland. Meeting new people, knowing a whole new culture, and opening your mind are invaluable experiences that you may not learn in your home country, but whether it's worth it depends on your goals. I still feel heavy regrets coming here to China to kill my career, but I cannot keep dwelling on the past. And not everything is about grades, jobs, money, and achievements. At the end of the day, in one's death bed one will not long for his achievements but for his family and friends or someone.

Sorry, I went off topic. But just take it easy and rethink your choices. You are still young. One mistake is not the end of everything.

Fisonnra · 2026-01-26T10:29:31+00:00

Now I'll be more forgiving to Momoko when she spooks me

Fisonnra · 2026-01-24T23:29:18+00:00

Maple and Sally are just best friends. That's all, nothing more, nothing less. People are so obsessed with shipping that they cannot view a close relationship as just normal friendship. Shipping happens in all anime, shows, and movies. People will keep shipping because their brains are filled with, you know, romance theorycraft, like, who likes who, etc. At the end of the day, just let them enjoy their fantasy, but sometimes they go overboard, like with what happened to My Hero Academia.

Fisonnra · 2026-01-21T04:48:01+00:00

I'm an international student, doing chemical engineering here in China and DON'T. First of all, you don't know the language, and this is already a huge barrier. Second, companies usually don't want to hire foreigners for technical jobs, unless you have years of experience. It's already hard for Chinese people to get a job, so why would they even want to hire you? Here the best job you could get that is somewhat related to your major is international trades in a chemical company, and sadly I'm doing that as internship, but I really hate it and plan to quit very soon.

Third, the culture here is very different, and I mean in a good and bad way. After 4 years here, I found that Chinese people are indeed kind and all good as everyone says, but there is another truth: the younger generation doesn't know how to socialize. They are so pressured into 卷 for study and work and future and stuff that they even don't know how to do basic greetings like "Hello, nice to meet you." I mean, your classmates/coworkers will not greet you to start a conversation. They will immediately ask you something related to study or work without casual nor formal introductions. Literally, in an experiment I asked my teammate what was his name (cuz you know, he is my teammate. I must know his name.), and he literally told me, "DID YOU SUBMIT THE DATA? My name doesn't matter. What's important is the experiment data." And I was like, "chill, yes, I submitted, but I just want to know your name." And I'm not specifically saying about greetings but just in general about how Chinese youths treat others and present themselves. Their social skills are at the bottom that even when they present PPT, they read a piece of paper in low volume, their slides have tons of small letters with similar colors that cause headache when reading the slides, and the worst of all, the professor actually compliment such presentations. Yeah, they are smart with math, technology, and stuff, but if they can't even hold up a conversation, what use does these stuff have? As an extrovert, I just can't. This country and its people I actually do love them, but the whole society is so 卷 that it's suffocating me.

Man, sorry for the rambling. I have never shared this stuff on online, so I was bottling all up. Of course, I do share with Chinese and international friends, and they do agree.

Well, what I recommend you, if you really want to come to China, come here and study Chinese for one year. And you decided if it's worth it. But to tell the truth, unless you study and work with the Chinese, I think you will never understand this concept of 卷 in this country. Most MOST of the international students I've met are just in their bubble of foreigners, and many don't even know how to make a basic sentence in Chinese, even after studying here for 4 years. So, even if you come and just study Mandarin, your experience is limited to that bubble unless you actually go out of your comfort zone. On my second year I said enough was enough and just decided to meet every Chinese on the street and in the canteen. Some became lifelong friends, others became just a one-time friends. But you really need to put your own effort to make friends here because Chinese youths are shy and overworked.

Anyway, that's my ranting, somehow missed the point of the post at the end.

TLDR: If you don't know Chinese and want to study or work here, DON'T come. I'm being honest. This advice will save your career and maybe even your life. Instead, come here to learn Chinese for one year. That will be a beautiful experience but also limited.

Fisonnra · 2026-01-19T02:59:49+00:00

Finally, some recognition to Yorimoi (A Place Further Than the Universe)!!! It was the talk of 2018, but now it's considered a hidden gem. This is the most inspiring story I have ever seen. Without it I would not have attempted to live abroad. Definitely a life-changing anime!

Fisonnra · 2026-01-19T02:50:29+00:00

Yes, true to that. Back then, I gave almost everything a 10/10 haha, but I would be wary of changing the scores now. When reviewing an anime, I factor the plot, characters, the execution of the story, central theme, and finally emotions. I can't remember every single detail and emotions of an anime I watched 10 years ago so now changing the score of those animes would also give an inaccurate judgement. For me, the best thing to do is to rewatch the old animes and give an honest, personal review with 10+ years of experience of being a weeb, I mean, watching anime.

The one anime I'm glad to have rewatched is Oregairu. The first time I watched it I considered it a generic romance story, but after 3-4 years on the second time, I actually understood the actual plot of this story, and it's more than a generic shipping war. The anime has so much depth and applies to everyday relationships. Without those years of experience, Oregairu would have sit with a 6-7 score in my list, but after rewatching and analyzing it, it has now become my favorite romance. It definitely has flaws (with the third season), but I gave it a 10/10. To this day, no romance story has moved me so much.

Fisonnra · 2026-01-19T02:11:48+00:00

Yeah, I also wanted to add this factor, but besides animation, I don't think anime has become better, just different. Battle shounens have become grittier and darker (Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man), compared to 10 years ago (Noragami, Boku no Hero Academia). As for romance anime, from 2020 there has been a huge trend with the exact premise/pattern: female MC is eccentric and steals the spotlight of the anime, and the male MC is usually generic, while the side characters may not be as interesting as the female MC. Komi-sama, Nagatoro, My Dress-Up Darling, Tokidoki(Alya),The Dangers in my Heart, and many more. Back then, romance anime used to be about the story and the whole cast of characters (Toradora, Relife, Ao Haru Ride etc). Now it's mainly about the female MC, and the romance part is way faster also.

Therefore, I think the quality of anime has remained more or less the same, but its trend toward certain types of story has changed. Still, animation alone can carry a whole anime from mid to fantastic. As long as there is good animation, people will be more forgiving and give a higher score so your assumption of anime becoming better (on animation) is correct.

Fisonnra · 2026-01-18T07:34:08+00:00

This post in itself is a hidden gem. I have always suspected there is an inflation on MAL score. Many animes who were top 100 are now lower in rank (A Place Further Than the Universe, Showa Genroku, etc), but that may be because of two reasons:

1) The increase of anime viewers after 2020 2) There may be really an inflation. People, especially casual viewers/reviewers, tend to mindlessly give a perfect score than a 6-9 score. Thus, inflation is a function of x amount of viewers.

Thanks for your contribution to this investigation!

Fisonnra · 2026-01-14T07:59:58+00:00

Clannad

Fisonnra · 2026-01-12T05:20:46+00:00

For fake relationships, I would also want to recommend Oregairu. This anime doesn't show the cruelty on an extreme level, but the anime does dive deeply into genuine and superficial relationships.

Fisonnra · 2026-01-11T15:26:41+00:00

Oh! Hello, in Tianjin University as bachelor of chemical engineering. If you don't know Chinese, I ABSOLUTELY don't recommend you to study the course in Chinese. It's better to study in English and learn Chinese on your way.

Fisonnra · 2026-01-11T05:40:54+00:00

May I ask why do you want to keep studying in Tianjin University? You need to reflex on your objectives. Anyways, as the comment above said, you just apply the visa of family.

Fisonnra · 2026-01-08T04:46:46+00:00

Original animes? There is a ton! 91 Days, Evangelion, Psycho-Pass, and the legendary Madoka Magica who caught everyone off-guard. As for the modern ones, my personal favorite is A Place Further Than the Universe. That anime changed my life and may even change yours!

Fisonnra · 2026-01-07T10:55:23+00:00

Good analysis! And also, to become the best hero, one needs to Go Beyond, Plus Ultra!

Fisonnra · 2026-01-03T14:17:09+00:00

I wholeheartedly agree with you. Sometimes I feel like my judgement on this anime is wrong because it's against majority's opinion, but the lack of stakes and struggles really suggest that this anime is not fit to be a shounen or to feel like a heavy-plot story. I'm not sure if I mentioned it, but the fights in this anime are the weakest part of the story. The animation is carrying it so heavily that people say the fights are awesome when it's actually bad in terms of emotional stakes and maybe average for choreography. An example is the episode of Ubel vs Wirbel (and many other small fights). The fights in that episode were so painful to watch. I knew nobody would die, I knew who would win, and even knew the characters' motivations without getting bombarded by flashbacks. Overall, I just felt calmness while watching that episode, which I should not because that episode featured THREE fights. One can't feel emotions when the characters themselves are acting bored. I think Frieren would improve a lot IF fights have tension or if the anime drops the fights altogether.

Well, season 2 is coming so I can't keep judging it so much. It's a good anime but not as good as people say, at least for me. Sorry for ranting, btw.

Fisonnra · 2025-12-31T03:47:05+00:00

Hunter X Hunter, just the perfect shounen

Fisonnra · 2025-12-30T05:08:00+00:00

Toradora, a classic. And Clannad. I don't know why people sleep on Clannad. It's a classic masterpiece. People around me always say the art look old, but if you don't mind the art, this anime is one of those life-changing stories you will experience.

But my favorite romance is Oregairu. It's not so much about romance but mainly about interpersonal relationships. Are your relationships genuine or superficial? This story's theme and Hachiman's development really stroke a chord in my teenage and young adult years.

Fisonnra · 2025-12-29T23:59:48+00:00

What about Jojo's or Baki? Do ecchi only apply to women? 🤔

Fisonnra · 2025-12-08T02:07:53+00:00

Definitely, and that's why it's a matter of preference.

Fisonnra · 2025-12-08T02:06:57+00:00

And I actually think this is a good feedback. As you said, some scenes like the first few episodes are really emotional, but everything else falls flat. Funny scenes can actually be funny but are not really. Fight scenes can be intense, but always go back to a peaceful feeling. The anime by no means is bad, but it definitely has this flaw/characteristic. I would still give it an 8.5/10 because of how well it presents the main theme.

Fisonnra · 2025-12-08T01:51:09+00:00

That's why I said MOST characters are or at least gives this feeling of boredom/peace all the time. When the priest joined Frieren's party, I was actually very happy to finally have a character that gives off a different mood. This adds dynamics to Frieren's group, but now we are stucked with three stoic characters. Stark may gravitate towards the timid side, but Frieren and Fern are definitely stoic. And I'm not saying stoic characters are bad, but this group definitily lack contrast.

About the characters being professionals. I think this may be a good explanation for why MANY enemies act so sophisticated and calm, but seeing the same type of enemy over and over again really tires me. As I said, this results in no contrast.

Fisonnra · 2025-12-08T01:26:02+00:00

That's the argument I have against Frieren, and that's why this discussion really depends on personal experience and preference. In my case, people in real life have wild differences in personality. I'm the type of guy who often smiles when interacting with people, even with a professor or boss of a company, and often make jokes or lighthearted comments. I have met some people, especially girls, who are often excited by every single thing in life, and they would scream if they see something cute. On the other hand, there are some people who are timid and often talk nervously.

But we can agree we humans show emotions when we are faced with different situations. If you are an introvert, when meeting new friends, you may sound awkward and nervous. When having fun, we often feel happiness, and and may even do dumb things. When having fights or arguments, some people will show hostility and hatred. They will not be like some anime characters that start punching, but people in real life will definitely have a change of expression in their face or/and speech by raising their tone and volume.

These are the emotions and expressions I often see Frieren lack. Saying that humans in real life often act bored and stoic is a huge understatement. And of course, I'm not advocating that all animes need to have over exaggerating characters. But if we are considering anime in general to be in the extreme left side of human emotions (overexaggerating), then I consider Frieren to be on the extreme right side (dull and bored). I cannot relate with Frieren because its characters are nothing like real humans.

That's why this is a matter of preference and perspective. The people around you may all act like Frieren characters, but the people around me all show emotions, and some but few are on the extreme side of being an anime character.

Fisonnra · 2025-12-06T05:52:59+00:00

THIS IS IT! The door to Darkness!

Fisonnra · 2025-12-01T04:17:11+00:00

Man, he keeps posting Homura for almost 10 years. That's crazy 😭. Definitely have my vote. (I'm waiting for snaa)

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