Animeshoon

Chihaya Furu 15: When dreams become real

2012-01-27T22:19:00.000+08:00

As I expected, Chihaya didn't win her match against Shinobu, the queen. That is just as well. If she had the won the match, we'd be heading for the denouement in the story already. At least this way, Chihaya has plenty of room to develop. Besides, she needs a strong opponent in order to become good enough to beat Arata in a match.

But this episode wasn't just about Chihaya actually. It's about Taichi, too -- his gradual realization that karuta may be a worthwhile pursuit after all as for the first time he feels the pain of defeat.

In the end, the Mizusawa team won not one of the matches, group or otherwise, but they come back from the tournament with an even stronger determination to be better.

FIRST LOOK: Moretsu Pirates

2012-01-26T17:10:00.000+08:00

Moretsu Pirates, also known as Bodacious Pirates, tells the story of Kato Marika, a high school girl who turns out to be the daughter of a pirate captain. The series begins with Marika, being observed by a suspicious-looking duo as she lands a spaceship. She's very skillful about it, which leads the duo to conclude that she is really someone's daughter. Who is this someone, you say? Why, it's a pirate captain of the very famous pirate ship, Bentenmaru. But pirates in this series, unlike common knowledge today, are actually the good guys and are completely legal. As in, they have an actual pirate's license. Hilarious, I know.

So anyhoo, this part of Marika's heritage has been kept secret by her mother until one evening when the same suspicious-looking duo pay her a visit. They bring sad tidings: the captain of Bentenmaru, Marika's father, has died. Which means that Bentenmaru is without captain. Which also means that Marika may have take over the helm. Oh wow. Apparently, this is a most coveted position and many people soon get interested in Marika to the point where someone attempts to kidnap her. Fortunately for Marika, a transfer student classmate of hers, named Kurihara Chiaki, saves her skin.

Chiaki also happens to be a member of the same yacht club that Marika is in. The yacht club isn't what you typically know to be a yacht club. Instead, it's more like a spaceship enthusiast club but with real spaceships. The club's adviser is Kane McDougal who also happens to be Marika and Chiaki's homeroom adviser, who also happens to be the helmsman of the Bentenmaru. In other words, he's totally there just to stalk Marika and report about her to the other crewmembers. Again, this is because she could be the next captain of the Bentenmaru. Also because of this very real possibility, Ririka, Marika's mother, takes her out one night to teach her how to shoot guns.

The end.

LOLz, no. The series has 25 episodes so we're far from that.

This series isn't in my short list. I guess I wasn't too impressed with the plot or the promo pics. But after reading a somewhat glowing review from the dudes at ANN, I thought I'd give this a try. After watching the first two episodes, here are my impressions:

Not really digging the plot. I really don't get how high school kids in anime end up being the pilot of The World's Super Secret Massive Amazing Weapon or some such. Especially, when there's absolutely no basis for the superior skills that they develop other than that they are "special." Moretsu Pirates seems to be taking that course as well although it's too early to tell. At least, the storytellers have bothered to explain how Marika got her pilot skills -- from the yacht club. But, as one of the characters said, piloting is different from commanding, and that particular skill requires careful honing and may take years to develop. Will Marika grow into the role? Or will she get dropped into it like the proverbial pirate from space?

Not really digging the visuals. While the animation is smooth in many parts, the CGI shiny, there's something off about the character designs. The hairs are almost restro, yet not, and it bothers me somewhat.

Not really digging the characters. I've never liked the main characters in shounen series so I kind of expected the fact that there's not much love between me and Marika. But usually I'd like the sidekick, and in Moretsu Pirates, that would be Chiaki, but I don't like her all that much either. Ririka seems a bit cool but she's the older, wise chick and I'm pretty sure she'll rarely appear in the series or may even die later for the sake of character development so I'm not willing to watch the series just for a glimpse of her and have all my emotions invested in a character who may die in the end.

Not really digging the music. Or I think I wouldn't if only I can remember what the music sounded like. Honestly, I've forgotten about it.

verdict: giving it the 3-episode test

more screencaps from episode 2:

UPDATE: File deletions

2012-01-26T16:41:00.000+08:00

Related post.

All DDL links on posts labeled "ost" have been deleted. The files uploaded to Mediafire in 2011 are still available so if you want copies, post a comment and I'll email you the links. I guess I'm going to keep these files until Mediafire takes them down or whatever. I have also deleted the links and videos from their file host, except the trailers and PVs, which will remain for as long as the files don't get taken down by Mediafire. All manga downloads that are up on Mediafire are still alive and will remain so unless they, too, get taken down.

A few changes

After a long discussion, jute and I have decided to keep the soundtrack and download section alive, with some changes. See, ever since I took over this blog, I have been a little neglectful in reviewing things -- soundtracks, series, etc. and have just been offering downloads instead.-_- So what happened? When I took down those DDL links, the post became no more than a pointless summary of the tracklist and the album cover. We're changing that by doing an actual review, like jute has always done before.

Also, if Mediafire starts deleting our files, we're changing file hosts. I already have a back-up in mind so never fear.

Anyhoo, up next is a first impressions post on a show that I didn't include in the short list.

Another 2-3: What doesn't exist

2012-01-24T18:22:00.000+08:00

This show is a little slow, so for those people who can't stand shows like that, steer clear from Another. However, if you're a horror-mystery fan and don't mind the mystery aspect being stretched for all its worth, then this show is for you.

Episode 2 has Koichi interacting more with his classmates. His classmates are still ignoring Mei, which leads him to wonder more about Mei. He finds himself thinking back on the day he first met her at the hospital. Soon enough, he calls the nurse who attended to him while he was a patient there and asks whether she'd seen Mei around. Describing her as a girl about his age with an eye-patch is hard to miss but the nurse hasn't seen her. Next, Koichi asks after the patient that Mei was supposedly visiting that day. The nurse calls him back a couple of days later to tell him that the said patient, whose name could be 'Misaki' or 'Masaki' had died. That afternoon, Koichi secretly follows Mei and ends up at a doll shop. At the shop's basement, Mei appears and the two of them talk for a while about said dolls. Then, Mei suddenly decides to show Koichi what is under her eye-patch.

Mei's eye-patch hides a false eye -- a doll's eye. She says that she can see "things" with said eye, which is why she keeps it covered. Koichi next asks why one of the dolls bear an uncanny resemblance to Mei, to which Mei responds with a non-answer: dolls are hollow, body and soul, before she urges him to continue their conversation upstairs where they would be more comfortable. There, Mei starts to tell Koichi the story of Class 3 26 years ago -- how a student named Misaki died and how the whole class pretended that she was still alive until graduation. Mei adds that in the class' graduation photo, the dead student appeared. Mei is about to tell him the rest of the story when Koichi gets a call from his grandmother. That evening, Koichi learns from his aunt Reiko that his mother had been a member of Class 3 26 years ago. In the next couple of days, Koichi gets warned by his classmates to stay away from something that doesn't exist. He also gets a call from the nurse who tells him that the girl who died is actually Mei's cousin, who is also called Misaki. During exam day, Mei reveals that Koichi that he is the only who can see her and that she doesn't really exist. Then, one of Koichi's classmates comes out of class in a hurry and is shocked to see Koichi in the hallway with Mei. She turns around but in her hurry, she slips and falls down the stairs, impaling herself on the neck with her umbrella.

I have to say that death scene took me by complete surprise. Finally, we're back to that super creepy first scene of episode 1, at least in the horror factor. Granted, that wasn't creepy -- it was more disgusting than creepy. What is scary, however, is what this could mean for the entire plot. Is there some sort of curse on Class 3? Already answered. What sort of curse? Misaki has probably turned into vengeful spirit because of what the original class 3 did, which prevented her from passing, and now she's systematically killing everyone in class 3. But who is Mei exactly? She doesn't seem vengeful to me. In fact, she seems very patient towards Koichi.

VERDICT: watching

more screencaps from episode 3:

Taking down some stuff (edited)

2012-01-24T06:58:00.001+08:00

I'm sure you've all heard about the news. The FBI has taken down Megaupload and many other file-storage sites are falling in line. Now, we at Animeshoon don't feel as threatened by this recent move by the U.S. Government since this is primarily a blog for episode summaries and reviews, but we do offer downloads here and seeing as how our primary storage sites, i.e. Megaupload and Mediafire, are not safe, jute thought it a good precaution to just take down the download section of this blog for now. There's no telling if this is going to be permanent. Maybe all this will just blow over. But we want to be safe. And we want this blog to be safe. And this seems to be the only solution for that. I wouldn't worry too much though because there are online file storage sites that are putting their foot down on this issue and these sites happen to be off U.S. shores. So there.

In the next few days, we'll be slowly deleting our files from Megaupload, Mediafire and 4shared. So I suggest you grab whatever you can now or archive them somewhere.

Go internets!

xoxo,
Lu

EDITED 1/25/2012: Cleaned up the Mediafire and 4shared account. All links in the downloads section have been removed. All files uploaded to 4shared have been deleted. As for the Mediafire account, files that have been uploaded in 2010 and earlier have all been deleted. Needless to say, all files up on Megaupload are no longer available. Jute and I are still in the process of deciding what our next step would be. A private server is out of the question as we're not making money out of this site. No, not even those googleads amount to anything. And we don't want to ask for donations. But the internet should be free so we're looking at various ways to make that happen. If not in the whole of internet, then in this blog at least. Stay tuned.

Natsume Yuujin-chou Shi 2-3: Friends in high places

2012-01-23T21:15:00.000+08:00

Sorry if I have to blog about these two, wholly unrelated episodes.

oh, hello, Hinoe, a.k.a. "Source of All That is Yuri in this Anime"

Episode 2 pretty much picks up from the first -- that is, Natsume has a conversation with Matoba, then manages to escape with the help of one of the captured monkey-masked youkai. Meanwhile, Natsume's youkai friends, including the awesome Hinoe and the equally awesome Misuzu, hear about their friend's trouble and tries to lend a hand by finding the monkey-masked youkai's master. It turns out that the master has fallen asleep due to the spells that Matoba placed on the forest. Eventually, the misunderstanding between Natsume and the monkey-masked youkai is resolved and all's well that ends well for our heroes.

Episode 3 is one of those one-episode stories that Natsume Yuujinchou often indulges in. I don't mind it. It's a nice change of pace. In this particular episode, Natsume encounters a very unusual youkai -- a hairball that looks really cute but is actually quite fierce. Through a series of unfortunate coincidences, however, Natsume gets into trouble with a powerful youkai whose name he had just returned. This youkai threatens to devour Natsume unless he can find and return its lost ring. It turns out that the ring is stuck to the hairball youkai that Natsume has saved. With help from Hinoe and co., Natsume stumbles into the lair of the hairball youkai just as they are preparing to migrate. The hairball youkai save Natsume from the powerful youkai that threatened him.

It seems that most of Natsume's youkai friends warn him against making friends with strange youkai. Yet time and time again, Natsume does the exact opposite of what they tell him. He's not being stubborn. He's just trying to be kind. I hope nothing bad happens to him, meddling with these dangerous youkai. My overall impression (because that would make it three episodes as of this blog), is that I think I am going to enjoy this season better than the last.

more screencaps from episode 2:

REVIEW: Bamboo Blade

2012-01-18T10:15:00.000+08:00

So I found myself with a bit of extra time last week and thought I'd catch up on some shows I've been meaning to watch. I wasn't really planning on watching any anime. However, I found this great site that has anime in PSP format. What else was I supposed to do? While I was marathoning Downton Abbey Season 1, I decided to download a few series, Bamboo Blade being one of them.

I remember watching the first few episodes of this series on Crunchyroll back in the day, but kind of dropped it randomly from my list. Anyhoo, here's me getting back into this series, years later.

Bamboo Blade follows the story of Toraji and his five-member all-female kendo team. The series actually begins with a bet between Toraji and his high school senpai wherein both would pit their kendo team of five girls against each other in a practice match. If the senpai wins, Toraji has to give up the trophy he won in a kendo tournament back in high school. If Toraji wins, his senpai would treat him to his father's famous sushi restaurant for an entire year. The luckless Toraji jumps at this chance at a free meal. Only one problem: he hasn't exactly been paying attention to his job as kendo instructor, much less his team, which has now been reduced to just three members. Nevertheless, he sets about looking for the perfect candidates to join his all-female team.

Bamboo Blade is a generic anime. Even the characters are generic. However, the series has made enough changes in the usual trope to set Bamboo Blade apart from other sports-based school-setting anime.

For one, the show spends more time on the characters and how they interact with each other outside of matches than within matches. This means that Bamboo Blade, despite being a show primarily about kendo, isn't really an action-based anime but more of a character-based comedy. Odd right. But this also accomplishes what few shows do: make us care for the characters. And make no mistake, there's plenty to go around. The girls may be cut from the same mold of the kendo girl trope but each has its own personality and ticks that distinguish her from the others. What's more, this anime likes to debunk the usual trope, for example, by turning the genius megane to a clumsy character who has poor academic grades, the pretty shoujo type is actually a yandere, etc. etc.

The soundtracks are great, especially the theme songs. Many of the voice actors used in the series are also singers so the studio has decided to capitalize on that. Both the opening and ending theme songs, as well as an insert song (ep. 26), of Bamboo Blade are sung by the seiyuu of the five girls. Speaking of which, the voice work for this show is really fantastic. You can really hear the effort that actors put into their roles, especially in the fight scenes where there's predictably lots of screaming. Of course, it helps that one of my favorite seiyuu, Toyoguchi Megumi, plays my second favorite character from this series, Kirino.

As for the visual side, Bamboo Blade provides some good animation. As said earlier, there isn't much action but what action there is is executed beautifully. The character designs, while not that awe-inspiring, serve their purposes well. My favorite would have to be Tamaki's design. Tama-chan! What can I say? She's just adorable. Even the girls want her.

Bamboo Blade is a comedy and it is pretty funny. Some scenes are even genuinely laugh-out-loud funny but other jokes take too long to unfold and are tried too often and for too long.

Overall, Bamboo Blade is not a great series but it offers good, clean fun.

MORE INFO:

Bamboo Blade @ Wikipedia
Bamboo Blade @ ANN
OFFICIAL (Funimation)

BUY:

Bamboo Blade DVDs @ Amazon
Bamboo Blade Complete Series (S.A.V.E. Edition) @ Rightstuf.com
Bamboo Blade OSTs and Drama CDs @ Play-Asia
More Bamboo Blade products @ Yesasia

FIRST LOOK: Inu x Boku SS

2012-01-17T15:17:00.000+08:00

Inu x Boku SS has some fantastic art. That much I can say. As a matter of fact, that is the main reason why I even shortlisted this series from the 2012 Winter anime. However, other than that, there's not much going on.

A summary: Inu x Boku SS is the story of Shirakin Ririchiyo, a seemingly harmless-looking girl with tsundere tendencies. At the beginning of the series, she moves into the highly exclusive Ayakashi Apartments, the popular residence of the social and financial elite. Although each tenant of the Ayakashi Apartments receives a secret service (SS) agent to act as their bodyguard, Ririchiyo had opted out of this when she signed the lease contract. Nevertheless, on the day she moves into the apartment, Miketsukami Soushi introduces himself to her as her SS agent. Ririchiyo initially denies Soushi's services, claiming she doesn't them, however, soon changes her mind as Soushi's response to her rejection is to try to end his life, saying that Ririchiyo is his raison d'etre. Ririchiyo soon meets another tenant in the Ayakashi Apartment, Sorinozuka, who seems to know Ririchiyo when they were children, as well as other SS agents. As Ririchiyo begins to settle into her new surroundings and even get used to Soushi, a threat arrives in the form of would-be robbers. The incident leads to the revelation that the Ayakashi tenants are in fact half-demons and the reason they need bodyguards is not to protect them against humans but against much more powerful entities.

Majority of the episode was pretty meh. It was not until the twist towards the end that I actually sat up and started paying attention. This could be interesting. Or not. I don't know. This show by the way is by David Production and this relatively new animation studio has done some pretty unusual (in a good way) stuff in the past. Just for that, I might give this series a three-episode run before I give my final verdict.

Chihaya Furu 14: Hail to the Queen

2012-01-14T21:13:00.000+08:00

It's the individual tournament and Chihaya finds herself up against the reigning Queen of Karuta!

This is probably the most exciting episode of Chihaya Furu yet. Individual tournaments! But uh-oh, who's this familiar-looking girl with the "fashion sense of a rock"? It's the girl from the temple! No, wait, it's Shinobu, the current Queen -- the youngest ever in history. Chihaya has reason to be nervous and excited as the Queen wastes no time proving her status by completely demolishing her first opponent. Next up, Chihaya! But obviously, the Queen plays karuta on a whole new level and Chihaya finds herself losing card after card after card.

Meanwhile, at the tournament for Class B players, Taichi conveniently wins his match by default, so of course he heads over to the Class A players to see Chihaya play the Queen. He is in for the shock of his life as he has never seen Chihaya so utterly behind in a match. He sees immediately that it's still Chihaya who reacts first when a card is read but the Queen's reflexes are so fast, the advantage doesn't seem to matter. Having never played such a player before, Chihaya is at a complete loss; at one point, she doesn't even attack. However, an accident involving the lights in the room, shakes Chihaya up from her despair as she sees both Taichi and their team coach, rooting for her in the corner. Suddenly, Chihaya remembers the first karuta game she ever played with Arata and this gives her the strength of mind and determination to start to fight back. She takes the "Gust of wind" card, then offers up the "Chihaya" card and takes that one, too. She's all fired up now but the Queen is, as well. Who will win this match? One thing is certain, it's going to be exciting next episode!

FIRST LOOK: Another

2012-01-11T09:08:00.001+08:00

This might just be the season's highlight show. Another is a horror anime in the tradition of Ghost Hound but with the creeping scariness of Shiki. But I think the closest this anime gets to is Ghost Hunt.

First thing's first, I don't scare easy, especially of horror anime. Shiki had some pretty scary animation but I wasn't in the least bit scared by that series. No, I was more disturbed by Shiki than outright scared. Jute swears that Ghost Hound had some scenes that had her gripping her seat but eh, I dunno. I saw the series one fine day and, while I admit, some scenes were pretty disturbing (but not as disturbing as Shiki), I thought the scary was meh. This series however.

The first few minutes of Another scared the sweet bejeezus out of me. I mean it. I actually had to cover my eyes in this one particular scene. I think it had something to do with the BGM. If you thought Ghost Hound had some great BGM moments, wait till you hear what Another has in store for you.

The OP and ED themes are also great. I thought the OP was done by Kalafina but the credits say it's done by ALI Project. I didn't know ALI Project did gothic opera but then again, when I think about it, it's really not too far from their repertoire. The ED theme is a sweet ballad done by some artist whose name I forgot. Anyway, it was good enough to keep me riveted to the ED video clip (even though not much was going on there) when normally, I'd just skip through all that to see the preview clip towards the end.

So anyway, Another is supposed to be about this one particular class (Class 3) in some middle school in a rural village. Several years ago, a student in this class, named Misaki, who was beloved by both students and teachers alike, suddenly died, but the class went on as if Misaki were still alive. This continued until graduation. Years later, a boy, Sakakibara Kouichi transfers from Tokyo to this school and joins Class 3 where he meets beautiful, aloof student, named Misaki Mei.

VERDICT: Watching (definitely)

More creepy pictures below.

FIRST LOOK: Nisemonogatari

2012-01-09T21:39:00.001+08:00

And the second series on my short list to air this season is Nisemonogatari. But since the show, like its predecessor (Bakemonogatari), is too idiosyncratic and a little all over the place to blog with even a semblance of cohesion, I'm not going to say much, other than NisiOisin's mind must be very strange.

As I expected, there is too little Senjougahara in this sequel

Seiyuu Love: My fave VAs and the characters they play

2012-01-06T21:41:00.000+08:00

Happy 2012!

Not too long ago, Lu posted a meme about her favorite anime series and it gave me an idea. No, I'm not going to post my own meme about my own favorite anime series. Instead, I'm going to do a sort of a list of a big aspect of the anime industry that this blog rarely focuses on: the seiyuu. Below is a list of my top 5 very favorite seiyuu and 5 random anime characters they provide their voices for.

5. Sawashiro, Miyuki

Actually, Miyuki-san is on this list just by playing the Dorm Leader, a.k.a. God, in Maria+Holic. While I wasn't surprised to find that she voiced Busujima-senpai in High School of the Dead, finding out that she's the voice behind Durarara's Celty (who doesn't speak, by the way) and Kimi ni Todoke's Ayane was. One thing I can say, majority of her roles are characters who are the epitome of 'cool.' Other notable roles are Chie (not cool but cute in a thoroughly weird way) from Eve no Jikan, Maria from Arakawa Under the Bridge and Chiaki from Nodame Cantabile.

4. Noto, Mamiko

She voices mostly soft-spoken, gentle characters exemplified by the characters Shimako from Maria-sama ga Miteru and the shy but old-man-fetishist Jiji from Kuragehime. Tough private detective / immortal Asogi Rin from the very graphic and explicit Mnemosyne is a little different from her usual trope. But her role as Makie from Blade of the Immortal forever endears Noto Mamiko to me. Another notable role is Tomoe from Hana-saku Iroha -- another distinct role for Mamiko-san.

3. Hayashibara, Megumi

She did a very impressive job voicing the dual roles of Atsuko and the titular Paprika in the late Satoshi Kon's oeuvre about dreams and the dangers of tampering with them. And her role as the sexy barely-clad bounty hunter Faye Valentine in Cowboy Bebop is nothing to smirk at, either. She's also the feisty Lina from Slayers. How varied is that.

2. Toyoguchi, Megumi

This is a close call. Sei from Maria-sama ga Miteru is probably my absolute favorite female anime character with Revy from Black Lagoon close at her heels. At one point, I watched these two series for the sole purpose of listening to Toyoguchi-san's voice work. That's how much I loved these two. Unfortunately, for every great thing that this seiyuu does, there's one that's just generic. Her work as Honoka in The Third - The Girl with the Blue Eyes is an example but this was a good series so I can forgive the mediocrity. As Klan Klang in Macross Frontier, Toyoguchi actually did a pretty decent job but her character is only a supporting character who was not well-developed. And that's the reason why she's only no. 2.

1. Paku, Romi

In Japan's first ever seiyuu awards, Paku Romi won best seiyuu for her roles as Nana O. from NANA and Hitsugaya from Bleach. But her most memorable character for me would be no other than Kuromitsu from Kurozuka. A vampire immortal tormented for all eternity, Paku Romi lent Kuromitsu an other-wordly voice that seems to come from deep inside, out of thin air, out of nothing. It's eerie and very, very convincing. Of course, people would probably recognize her best as the voice of Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist.

Mid-Season Round-Up: Chihaya Furu Picspam

2012-01-05T20:41:00.000+08:00

This series saved the season for me. Thank you, Madhouse.

OTP

I don't mind this pairing either

banner pwn

SECKS

FIRST LOOK: Natsume Yuujin-chou Shi

2012-01-03T20:55:00.000+08:00

I caught this one quite by accident. Oh, I know this is on my 2012 Winter Anime Short List but remember my anime malaise? Yeah that. Anyhoo, how did this accident happen? I was doing a favor for a friend who is well on the way to being obsessed with all things Shibasaki Kou and somehow I wandered over to TokyoTosho for some PVs of said actress/singer when I came upon this unexpectedly: Natsume Yuujin-chou Shi. I had no idea it was even starting. Oh well, I guess that officially kicks off the 2012 Winter season. Hello!

Natsume Yuujin-chou Shi is the fourth installment of this popular series about a boy who inherits a powerful book from his eccentric grandmother and a cat-pig bodyguard who wants nothing more than to get its paws on said book in order to gain its powers. The series started out as a monster-a-week offering with a lot of character development for our main protagonist, Natsume Takahashi, before evolving into a subtle punch-in-the-gut drama. Now, with some of the dramatic issues resolved and Takahashi comes into himself more and more, the series shifts its focus to something that resembles an actual plot.

The first episode of Natsume Yuujin-chou Shi spends the first few minutes orienting viewers into the show as we're told how Natsume has changed from the lonely, fearful boy who hated youkai into a young man with a number of close friends, a loving foster family and youkai who seem more like friends now than sources of fear and annoyance. However, this being a series that's partly about youkai, it's not long before we meet our first youkai in the form of an old man asking Natsume to rescue his friend whose leg is trapped under a rock. After rendering his assistance, Natsume is also tasked to return said youkai's name. This proves to be a big mistake on Natsume's part as masked forest youkai have been observing the encounter and see with their own eyes the powerful Book of Friends. Together, they attack Natsume but he is saved at the last minute by Nyanko-sensei. All seems well but the next day, Natsume is again attacked by the same masked youkai. In an effort to lure them away from the public eye, Natsume runs into the woods where he is overtaken by the youkai and rendered unconscious.

Meanwhile, Nyanko-sensei asks around about the masked youkai and he is told that they live in a forest where the line between youkai and humans has been blurred. They probably want the Book of Friends in order to gain an upper hand with other rival youkai. Armed with this knowledge, Nyanko-sensei goes to said forest just in time to facilitate Natsume's escape from the masked youkai. However, in trying to escape from them, they and one of the masked youkai stumble into a trap set by the leader of the Matoba Clan. Natsume ends up a prisoner of the Matoba's secret youkai hunting base, a mansion deep in the heart of the forest.

This was an OK episode. It's exciting in a generic way. Matoba is definitely a villain and I can't help but feel a bit worried for Natsume, but I know he'll come out on top. I wonder if Natori is going to show up to save the day. The OP theme was so-so. The ED theme is, as usual for the Natsume series, INCREDIBLE. I love it already. But as for the story, not too excited. Then again, I expected this initial reaction to this particular series. Here's to hoping it gets better next week.

Nisemonogatari PV

2011-12-26T21:07:00.000+08:00

DDL PV

I don't know if this is going to be as interesting as Bakemonogatari. I'm hoping it'll be fun.

Inu x Boku SS PV

2011-12-26T21:02:00.000+08:00

DDL PV

I'm not really sure about this. Seems a little like Dantalian no Shoka. I'll watch the first episode probably and see how it is or where this is headed. The trailer doesn't really tell me anything.

Claymore 121: Help is here

2011-12-06T08:00:00.000+08:00

This made my week. It will probably make my month, considering that The Walking Dead is on hiatus until February (mid-season finales are inventions of Satan, I tell you!!)

Anyhoo, chapter-wise nothing much happens here. Exactly what you can expect from where the previous chapter ended: basically, the three former nos. 1 awakened and shit hits the fan. The claymores are all scrambling to get away but some are born heroes and Miria almost awakens after attention-seeking Hysteria practically forces her to. But then, help arrives in the form of friendly faces. The long awaited reunion between Miria and Miria's harem + 1. :D Plot-wise, this is the chapter where everything starts to get interesting. Or, I sincerely hope.

til next chapter

2011-2012 Winter Anime Line-Up

2011-11-27T18:39:00.000+08:00

Except for the new installments to Natsume Yuujinchou and Rurouni Kenshin, I'm not so excited about the line-up. I've shortlisted a few titles below, but as I have mentioned before, I don't know if I will be able to watch any of these titles, let alone blog about them on a semi-regular basis:

Natsume Yuujin-chou Shi
Of course. I started blogging about this series last season. Liked what I saw. Already checked the first and second seasons. No reason why I shouldn't watch the fourth one. Crossing my fingers for more Reiko.

Inu x Boku SS
I don't know about this but the promo art looks really good. Keeping an eye out for this.

Nisemonogatari
The sequel to Bakemonogatari. This time it focuses on the protagonist's little sisters but Senjougahara will probably do a cameo. If so, that would be enough reason to check this anime out. Also, NisiOisin. Nuff said.

Another
A ghost story. Need at least one for my year-ender report. Although, at the rate I'm going, I don't think I can make a proper report.

ToraDora! BD
jute followed this show. She's gonna insist that this be part of the line-up.

Gyo OVA
The promo art looks good. Probably of the horror genre or something dark. This might be a gem.

Steins;gate Special
I actually liked this show. Just never got around to blogging about it. :)

Usagi Drop Special
This was adorable until I found out what happened later on in the manga. Err. But watching this, I guess.

Rurouni Kenshin: Shin Kyoto-Hen
Yeah.

The Moon: Tsuki ga Hoshii to Oujo-sama ga Naita
The title freaks me out. Might be good.

Apologies, my lovelies

2011-11-24T06:46:00.000+08:00

Dear Readers,

I'll cut the bullshit right now. If you're wondering why this blog has been so quiet lately, wonder no more. It appears that I've lost some of my interest in anime. Honestly, the only title I'm still watching now is Chihayafuru, which I'm enjoying very much, thank you, but can't seem to find it in myself to blog about. As for the other shows, I know I gave glowing first impressions for some of the 2011 fall line-ups but really, after that first impression, I stopped watching them. I don't know what's wrong with me. I guess my taste is moving on to different things. It may be temporary or it may be permanent. I don't know. I do know that I am busy with my real life and only have precious little free time to indulge in my "me-time" activities. Right now, I'm watching a lot of non-anime TV (The Walking Dead, The Good Wife, New Girl, Sons of Anarchy) so you can understand a little why anime is being edged out of the picture. Also, I've been working on my webcomics, Eve's Apple, and that's sucking a lot of my time actually.

Again, I apologize. I can't make promises of when I might be coming back.

cheers,
Lu

Claymore 120: Awesome Miria is awesome

2011-11-05T20:15:00.001+08:00

So cool, it hurts.

So Cassandra awakens, to Roxanne's never-ending delight and everyone else's utter horror. Her hate now complete, Roxanne battles the awakened Cassandra, taunting her all the way and forgetting about the twins for the moment. Meanwhile, Miria moves into action, ordering the twins to take all the single-digit warriors to safety while she attempts to join forces with Roxanne. Unfortunately, Hysteria is not quite finished with her and is feeling a little left out after having been "ignored" once more. Miria loses an arm to her when Hysteria figures out Miria's technique. But all is not lost for Miria, who discovers that Hysteria's weakness is precisely in her elegance: she cannot anticipate dirty attacks. So Miria sacrifices her remaining arm to impale Hysteria right through the chest and then picks up another sword with her mouth, using that weapon to stab Hysteria in the throat. As Hysteria dies, Miria looks up just in time to see Roxanne's limb-less body flying through the air. Cassandra has eaten all her limbs. The scene then cuts to Rubel confronting Dae about knowing beforehand that such a thing would happen. The Organization is apparently ill-prepared for the simultaneous awakening of all three resurrected Nos. 1 but Dae is uncaring, wanting only to observe the carnage that results. At that moment, Miria finds out for herself that her problem just got bigger.

COMMENTS:
Oh. my. god. Awesome!

Yousei Teikoku - Kuusou Meirosogii (Mirai Nikki OP & ED Single)

2011-11-01T22:44:00.002+08:00

RELEASED: 10.26.2011

LABEL: Lantis

TRACKLIST:

1. Kuusou Meirosogii

2. The Creator

3. Kuusou Meirosogii (instrumental)

4. The Creator (instrumental)

BUY @ Play-Asia

MEME: Lu's Anime Q & A

2011-10-28T11:59:00.000+08:00

Pick 5 of your anime (in no particular order) and answer the following questions about them:

1. Arakawa Under the Bridge
2. House of Five Leaves
3. Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai (Ano Hana)
4. Bleach
5. Claymore

Who is your favorite character in #2?

Yaichi

Who is your least favorite character in #1?

Stella

What’s your favourite episode of #4?

Episode 48: Hitsugaya Roars! (Season 3: The Rescue)

What is your favorite season of #5?

There is only one season of Claymore. But if we're talking about story arcs, I have to say it's the Teresa of the Faint Smile arc.

What’s your favorite relationship in #3?

The friendship of the Super Peace Busters

Who is your anti-relationship in #2?

Uh...Yaichi and Masa? Although I can see a lot of possibilities there.

How long have you watched #1?

When it came out in spring 2010.

How did you become interested in #3?

I picked it up on a whim, without knowing what it's all about. It aired in the noitaminA time-slot.

Who is your favourite actor in #4?

Paku Romi as Hitsugaya Toushirou.

Which show do you prefer out of #1, 2 & 5?

Claymore

Which show have you seen more episodes of, #1 or 3?

#1

If you could be any character from #4 who would you be?

Well, I would not be Hitsugaya although I adore him. I think I may make a more convincing Soi Fong.

How would you kill off your favorite character in #2?

Yaichi, saving somebody's life. It doesn't even have to be a member of the gang.

Give a random quote from #1

First, we are born in the same galaxy. Born of the same species. Our lifetimes overlap. The meetings between humans are so unlikely as to be miraculous. To laugh, to cy, and to fall in love. Everyone is made up of a collection of 1% chances. Thus, I am dazzled by the fact that there are so many miracles in this world.

Would a #3/4 crossover work?

It could work.

Overall, which show has a better cast, #3 or 5?

#3 has some pretty solid characters but #5 has some of my favorite characters. Ultimately, the difference is that #5 has a huge cast but not all of them are finely developed. While #3 doesn't have the handicap of having a too-huge cast. Each character gets his/her own time to shine.

Which has better music, #2 or 4?

#4 Bleach had some pretty awesome BGM and op/ed themes.

Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai OP and ED Single

2011-10-28T06:46:00.001+08:00

RELEASED: 10.26.2011

LABEL: Media Factory

TRACKLIST:

1. Zannenkei Rijin-bu (Hoshi Futatsu Han) by Tomodachi Tsuruki-tai

2. Egao no Dessan by Inoue Marina & Itou Kanae

3. Zannenkei Rijin-bu (Hoshi Futatsu Han) (Original Karaoke)

4. Egao no Dessan (Original Karaoke)

PRE-ORDER @ Play-Asia

[MANGA] Kimi ni Todoke 61: Changes

2011-10-26T08:28:00.001+08:00

Heyyyyy! It's me. So I've been catching up on my mangalist and though I don't really blog much about the manga I read, except for Claymore, but lately, Kimi ni Todoke has been surprising me with the relationship development of some of its side characters. So here I am, giving my two cents about the latest chapter from the manga.

So the chapter picks up right where the previous one left off -- that is, Kazehaya returns to Ryu's home to drop off the food that Chizu asked him to give to Ryu. Kazehaya also tells him that Chizu asked him about the confession and that he couldn't lie. Ryu asks him where Chizu is and Kazehaya says that she went home. She's in her room, crying. The next day, Chizu's mom asks Ryu to give Chizu's lunch bag to her since she forgot it that morning. However, Chizu isn't in school. Pin thinks that Chizu is purposely absent in order to escape having to submit the future survey form. Ayane and Sawako are both worried that she might be sick and they decide to visit her after class. Ever the jaded one, Ayane sends Chizu a text to make sure that she's not just skipping school. Kento then appears and Ayane is awkwardly reminded of their strange encounter at the train station the other day. But Kento is there to talk to Sawako, which kind of puts off Ayane a bit as she immediately leaves, telling them to talk far away from her. Kento asks Kazehaya's permission to talk to Sawako but Kazehaya tells him that of course he can talk to Sawako since Sawako isn't his property. Kento tells Sawako that Ayane is more perceptive than most people. He then adds that he has noticed the awkwardness between Kazehaya and Sawako and advises her to close her eyes for five seconds. Sawako is shocked to hear this since this is exactly what Pin said as well. Of course, Pin was setting her up for a kiss and Sawako is still all sorts of terrified of this. Then Kento unexpectedly thanks her for helping him notice many things, including how cute Ayane is. With that Kento leaves her to find Ayane, who is in the hallway outside, checking her cellpone for Chizu's reply. When she sees Kento, she asks him what he and Sawako talked about and Kento tells her that they were talking about Kazehaya. Ayane scolds him for meddling again and Kento only smiles, which creeps out Ayane a bit. He says that she's always worrying about others but Ayane refutes him, saying that she's only concerned about herself. The entire conversation consists of Kento trying to get Ayane to admit that she's not as selfish as she thinks and that she's actually quite cute while Ayane denies everything. Pin then arrives and, noticing their closeness, asks if they are going out. Ayane emphatically tells him no and takes this opportunity to leave. The two men stare after her and Kento comments that she's sometimes pretty dense. But Pin gently says that he actually thinks she's quite clever. Later, Ayane and Sawako decide to buy some of Chizu's favorite snacks to bring to her. As the girls go off on their own, someone pokes Kazehaya on the shoulder. Meanwhile, Chizu is at her usual hangout place by the sea and she is getting hungry. At that moment, Kazehaya arrives with her lunch bag. She's surprised to find him since it's always been Ryu. He says that it was Ryu who told him about the place and asked him to bring her the food. Chizu irrationally blames Kazehaya, bringing up how as a kid she was on a winning streak but that Kazehaya did not even compete with her. Then she declares that she wants to be Kazehaya in her next incarnation. She mentally adds, that way she'll always be friends with Ryu. Ryu's confession and her rejection has caused her to question her relationship with Ryu and fear that she's going to lose him as a friend. Kazehaya then asks her something which never occurred to her: Isn't she a little bit happy about it? The chapter ends with Chizu thinking to herself that she never saw it from that angle and it looks like she's smiling.

COMMENTS:

Ok, INSANE. Ayane x Kento? Never saw that coming. Honestly. I always thought Kento would end up with Kurumi, but him and Ayane...hm, it's actually pretty cute. Then again, I'd like for Ayane to end up with someone, doesn't matter who. I even briefly entertained the thought of her with Pin, no matter how wrong that is. It would've been hilarious, too, and not angst-ridden. But Kento's fine, too. It would be more of the typical shoujo, teenage, angst-ridden stuff. Oh, but a love triangle? Urk. Kill me. My mind is going places.

On the other hand, Chizu x Ryu is finally going somewhere. Makes me happy.

FIRST LOOK: Chihaya Furu, Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai, Hunter x Hunter 2011

2011-10-19T08:28:00.000+08:00

Chihaya Furu (1-2)

I didn't include this title in my short list because I thought it was just another generic shoujo. However, when I realized that it's by Madhouse, I decided to see what's it all about. So Chihaya Furu is about this girl, Chihaya, whose dream is to see her sister become a famous model, until a classmate from grade school told her that dreams are supposed to be for one's self, not for others. The classmate is a prodigy with furuta, a type of card game. After seeing him play one afternoon, Chihaya gets excited by his dream of becoming the best furuta card player in the world and wants the same for herself. There's also another classmate with an unrequited crush on Chihaya. With furuta as their common ground, the three grow very close but soon separate due to the fact that they attend different high schools. Although Chihaya is popular in her new school because of her good looks, she has also acquired the reputation of wasting her beauty since she's only interested in furuta and nothing else. What I like most about the show is the beautiful art. Typical shoujo indeed. The story is a bit meh. I mean, obviously Chihaya hasn't learned her lesson well. She went from dreaming that her sister would become a model to "stealing" her classmate's dream of becoming a furuta card player. Tsk-tsk. There's also seems to be a love triangle going on. Anyhoo, the production value is high enough to warrant a three-episode test.

Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai (1)

I thought this was going to be a lot like ToraDora!, what with the mistaken-for-a-delinquent bit, and for a while there, I really thought the protagonist in Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai is another Ryuuji (oh, look, he does housework, too!) But then the anime takes a turn for something different with the introduction of the main girl, who, strangely enough, reminds me of Senjougahara with her constant self-contradictions. Anyhoo, the two have something in common. They just cannot make friends -- they don't know how to, for some reason or another, and they decide that the solution to their problem is to form a club with the aim of making friends. The show is funny -- not lolwut funny, but you know. Check out that screencap, a shout-out to Marimite? For that alone, I'm giving this the three-episode test.

Hunter x Hunter 2011 (1-3)

Ah, nostalgia. But I have to admit that I was quite disappointed with how there seems to be little changed in how our main characters look. Not that there was anything wrong with them, but I expected to see some minor changes that would distinguish this 2011 version from the older one. Anyhoo, Hunter x Hunter 2011 seems to be more fast-paced and each episode more tightly-packed with action and revelation.... I think this is definitely an improvement. The show passed the three-episode test so I'm blogging it.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Natsume Yuujin-chou San

2011-10-16T13:41:00.000+08:00

For someone who's new into the Natsume series but marathoned the first two seasons to get a better grip of the Natsume Yuujin-chou San, I think I'm in a good position to say that out of all three seasons out so far, this one's the weakest. Have hope. Apparently, there's a fourth season coming up in three months' time.

Funny thing about this anime. When I watched the first season, the one gripe I had was the Mushishi-style episodic approach to the series. I craved continuity where there was clearly none and loved every episode that featured recurring characters, even if their presence in a particular episode are only negligible, at best. For that reason, I enjoyed Zoku Natsume Yuujin-chou more than I probably should because the second season featured more episodes with recurring characters, and yet, my all-time favorite episode from all three seasons was the one with Hotaru/Kiyo in it (Season 1, Ep. 6) -- an episode so different from all the rest that even its BGM was different and seemed totally chosen only for that particular episode. So...why do I not like this season?

I can't put my finger on one thing. Yes, the continuity aspect does factor in. While I love that the season focuses less on the youkai-a-week and more on Natsume's back story, that inevitably meant less Reiko, and let's face it, Reiko is way more awesome than Takashi. While I love that the man-hating lesbian youkai Hinoe made a cameo in the last episode, none of the youkai this season are interesting or have stories that came even close to Hotaru of Season 1. The season's theme seems to be acceptance, which itself is just a continuation of Season 2. But where Season 2 focuses more on Natsume's acceptance of youkai as beings much like himself, Season 3 is all about Natsume's assimilation into his human family and friends. That's all well and good, but dammit, want more Reiko. It doesn't help either that the art seems a bit off although the music is still pretty good. Again, it's the ED theme that did me in.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Hana-saku Iroha

2011-10-15T21:28:00.000+08:00

An anime that started with so much promise only to fall flat on its face. I'm sorry but this show disappointed me.

Hana-saku Iroha is the story of Ohana, a somewhat emotionally neglected and, hence, extremely self-reliant teen who moves from Tokyo to her estranged grandmother's countryside hot springs resort. The move wasn't some spur-of-the-moment thing, mind you. It's an obvious plot device so, of course, Ohana's Mom has to be this crazy woman whose insensitive nature easily crosses the border of parental neglect as she runs off with her debt-ridden boyfriend, leaving Ohana basically orphaned. Oh, but not entirely. See, the anime is about growing up and since Ohana can't do much growing up in the big city where everything is fast-paced and gray, she has to do it in a picturesque small town in the middle of nowhere. Enter Ohana's grandmother who conveniently owns a somewhat large but struggling hot springs resort, populated by mostly invisible guests and waitresses who are, surprise, about Ohana's age. Ohana head butts at first sight with Minchi, the resort's apprentice chef, but soon melts the cool reserve of the shy Nako. And then there is the grandmother who prefers to be called 'Manager' and acts the part the entire time. Apparently, Ohana's Mom and the Grandmother are barely on speaking terms but the latter takes Ohana in anyway after demanding that Ohana work for her board and lodging. XD Also, there's a boy that Ohana likes but he's back in Tokyo and they're not really in a relationship but think like they are anyway, and complications, and Minchi provides the requisite tsundere while Nako provides the fanservice. The plot -- what plot? There is no plot -- gets convoluted with each episode and really this is nothing more than slice-of-life at its worst. That makes me sad, because the art of Hana-saku Iroha is really very good. Overall, the show's production values are topnotch. I wish I could say the same thing with the story. I feel like the whole thing packed a strong wallop but entirely missed its point, so that by the middle half I was only watching the show just to get over it and have it done with.

Un-Go PV

2011-10-09T15:20:00.000+08:00

DDL PV [MF]

I'm not super-psyched about this series. Is it going to be another Psychic Detective Yakumo? That series was shitty, I hated it. But...I'm willing to give this one the benefit of the doubt, although I don't know why.

Claymore 119: Remember that time when I killed you?

2011-10-08T20:13:00.000+08:00

We're still in the Organization's headquarters where Dae had let loose his three resurrected beings against Miria's harem2. Picking up from last chapter, Miria's strategy of half-awakening in order to increase the speed of phantom step seems to be working against Hysteria the Elegant but at the expense of her own strength. Every time she comes up against Hysteria, both of their bodies suffer almost the same level of damage. At the rate they are going, it's a war of attrition -- only the toughest can survive. Meanwhile, Roxanne notices that someone is messing with her movements and vision so that what should have been an easy win for her against the twin trainees is becoming an annoying battle. However, even while she is busy fending off the twins' attacks, she still watches Cassandra, who has just about finished off Aubrey and co. But all is not well on Cassandra's end as she begins to remember her death and who is to blame for it. This recollection may prove to be fatal for all concerned but Dae doesn't seem surprised. Could it be that he planned for this all along?

This is getting to be very interesting. Miria's fighting a desperate battle but so far it's working. And an awakening Cassandra is an unexpected development. I'm hoping that next chapter would have Deneve and co. arriving to join the fray. It's gonna be awesome!

Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica OST 1

2011-10-04T22:15:00.001+08:00

RELEASED:

LABEL:

TRACKLIST:

1 - Sis puella magica!

2 - Salve, terrae magicae

3 - Gradus prohibitus

4 - Credens justitiam

5 - Clementia

6 - Desiderium

7 - Conturbatio

8 - Postmeridie

9 - Puella in somnio

10 - Umbra nigra

11 - Terror adhaerens

12 - Scaena felix

13 - Pugna cum maga

Guilty Crown Promotional Video

2011-09-19T21:56:00.000+08:00

DDL PV [MF] (11.7mb)

Doesn't look too interesting but the fact that the music is composed by Kajiura Yuuki and that this is done by Production I.G. makes this not quite dismiss-able. For someone who's lost interest in the recent crop of animes, here's to hoping this is gonna be good.

Clammbon - Hanasaku Iroha (Hana-saku Iroha ED2 Single)

2011-09-06T09:17:00.001+08:00

RELEASED:

08.24.2011

LABEL:

Lantis

TRACKLIST:

1. Hanasaku Iroha

2. ito suzushiyo e

3. Hanasaku Iroha (TV Size)

4. Hanasaku Iroha (Instrumental)

BUY @ Play-Asia

2011 Fall Anime Line-Up

2011-08-22T07:11:00.000+08:00

Some interesting titles....

Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai
OFFICIAL | ANN

Adopted from a manga of the same title (lit. "I don't have many friends"), the show is produced by AIC Build and features the voicing talents of Inoue Marina, Itou Kanae, and Hanazawa Kana. The story is about a boy who gets mistaken for a delinquent so he doesn't have a lot of friends. One day, he meets the campus beauty who's also known for her cold and aloof demeanor and the two of them make a club with the primary aim of making friends. They are soon joined by other students who are more or less popular but for some reason or another, find it hard to make any real friends. I tag this a romantic comedy and has many elements similar to ToraDora! It could be good. It could be a disaster. I'll give it a go.

UN-GO
OFFICIAL | ANN | MAL

This apparently based on a light novel set in the Meiji era. The Bones version will, however, be set in the future but the premise is basically the same: a detective investigates a series of mysteries involving his friends. This one's on noitaminA so it should be a worthwhile watch.

Guilty Crown
OFFICIAL | ANN | MAL

Production I.G.'s newest original anime, the story is set in the future, following a boy who has a strange power in his right hand, which allows him to extract weapons from his friends. Eventually, he falls in with a guerilla group after meeting a strange girl with equally strange powers. Hm. Sounds like Eureka Seven. Also has mecha. But will watch because Production I.G. is still the best at producing the best visuals.

Hunter x Hunter
OFFICIAL | ANN

Madhouse! I remember this anime way back. I enjoyed it while I was still following the episodes but later, I kind of lost touch with the storyline so I didn't really understand anything. Anyhoo, Madhouse decided to make the series from the beginning of the manga. Sounds promising. Will watch.

Mirai Nikki
Wikipedia

Animated by Asread. I keep hearing about this series. This is apparently a very popular manga. Proof of how popular it is: it even has its own wiki site.

FIRST LOOK: Blood-C, No. 6

2011-08-20T18:12:00.000+08:00

Blood-C (1-3)

Blood-C is the latest installment in the Blood series. This time, the CLAMP, of Cardcaptor Sakura and CodeGeass fame, is giving this old franchise a face-lift with the group's trademark limber, narrow-eyed characters. The story revolves around Saya, a shrine maiden who lives alone with her Dad, whom she idolizes to a fault. She has a neighbor, a young gentleman who owns a cafe where Saya regularly has breakfast. By day, Saya divides her time between her duties as a shrine maiden and as a high school student. But at night, she wields the Holy Blade to fight with monsters.

COMMENTS:

Oh, was I ever so wrong about this show. What I thought was a Victorian dress is just a school uniform...so yeah, it's the same old high school girl with a sword stuff that the Blood series is known for. Also, Saya is a total klutz. Uh, since when? I admit, I never saw Blood+ properly so all I really know about the series is from the anime movie, Blood: The Last Vampire. (Let's not mention the live-action version -_-). Anyhoo, the show has some potential but I don't think I can wait 5 more episodes for the show to get its stride. Maybe, I'll come back to this series some day. But for now, dropping it from my watchlist.

No. 6 (1-3)

No. 6 is set in a futuristic world, particularly in a futuristic city-state where people live under the protection of a totalitarian government. The story begins when our two protagonists are still boys -- Shion is one of the elites chosen to study in the Special Course as well as live in Chronos while Nozumi is an escaped prisoner, hunted by the authorities. Serendipity leads the two to meet up and strike up a friendship. However, when the authorities discover Shion's harboring a known fugitive, he is stripped of all privileges and sent off to live in Lost Town. Years later, Shion, now working as a park attendant, discovers the dead body of a man who died of a mysterious disease. After voicing out his suspicions that the authorities may be trying to manipulate information, Shion finds himself captured and carried off to a correctional facility. However, an old friend shows up just in time to save him. Reunited with Nozumi, Shion learns more and more about No. 6 and the secrets its authorities are desperately trying to hide.

COMMENTS:

Is this yaoi? If it is...not sure I want to watch it. But the mystery is kind of getting to me so I'm probably staying around to see this through.

FIRST LOOK: Dantalian no Shoka, Blade

2011-08-06T19:18:00.000+08:00

Dantalian no Shoka (1-2)

Visually, it looks good, and the story is intriguing. At least, it caught my attention. However, I have so little free time these days, plus I'm following so many shows (not just anime) that unless the show is that compelling, I just can't get into it. That's unfortunate for Dantalian no Shoka because I really can't fault it's take on the library/book sub-genre of anime. For one, it doesn't try too hard. We're introduced to the two main characters on the first episode as the script explains their situation. The story treatment reminds me a bit of Spice and Wolf, which, I know it seems far-fetched. But the tone of the conversation and the general character dynamic between Huey and Dalian is a bit like that between Lawrence and Holo. Oh well, maybe I'll come back when the series gets better.

Blade (1)

The fourth collab between Marvel and MadHouse. I must say it looks really, really good. Better than Wolverine. Wayyyyy better than Ironman. I never saw X-Men so I can't compare. But...vampires. -_- Not watching this, MadHouse, but good job. Here's to hoping you'll finally get it right this time.

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FIRST LOOK: Usagi Drop, Natsume Yuujinchou-san

2011-07-31T08:11:00.000+08:00

Usagi Drop (1-4)

So the story goes like this: 30-year-old Daikichi goes back home for his maternal grandfather's funeral and finds out that his grandfather has an illegitimate daughter, Rin. His family is embarrassed by this so they treat Rin like an outcast. Daikichi feels sorry for the kid, who hasn't really done anything, and in a sudden, unexpected move (unexpected even to himself), he volunteers to take care of the child himself. Even though he is single and knows nothing about raising kids. Thus begins his hard life as a single parent of a child, who is technically his half-aunt. :)

It's cute. That's the first thing I can say about this anime. Rin is probably the cutest anime kid ever. And she isn't annoying. Mature for her age although still retains her cute, child-like traits. She's fascinated by Daikichi right from the get-go, maybe because Daikichi resembles his grandfather, but also kind of afraid of him. But when Daikichi offers to take her home, she attaches herself to him almost immediately. It's started into such a beautiful relationship. My only gripe is that...I was so curious about the story and I know that the manga is finished already so I thought I'd like to read how it ended (yes, I do that sometimes) and was horrified to find out what happened in the end. What? WHAT? I MEAN WHAT THE FUCK? Noooooooo. I was right after all? That is so wrong. So wrong.

Anyhoo, that all happens ten years after. So for now, I'll enjoy what I can get from this anime and forget that the "ten-years-after" story line ever happened.

Natsume Yuujinchou-San (1-4)

This series surprised me. The story is about this boy, Natsume Takashi, who can see spirits. He apparently inherits this book from his grandmother, Reiko and the book contains the names of spirits that Reiko defeated in her lifetime. There's also a cat-pig, named Nyanko-sensei, that can turn into a beautiful, wolf-like spirit that serves as Takashi's bodyguard (although that title is suspect). Anyway, so Natsume goes around returning the names to their spirit-owners but while that sounds boring, that's not the heart of the story. Natsume is really about Natsume's friendships, the spirits' loneliness and their connection and disconnection with humans, and a few glimpses into Reiko's life. It's nice. The fourth episode kind of departs from the usual format of the series -- that is, instead of focusing on a spirit that Reiko met, it focuses instead on a spirit that Natsume had met as a child. It's really, really nice.

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FINAL THOUGHTS: Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai

2011-07-23T12:18:00.000+08:00

Sorry it took me this long to post my final thoughts on this wonderful, amazing, heartwarming anime. I actually have no words to describe the exact feeling I got from watching AnoHana. So instead of me telling you (with words) what the last couple of episodes of AnoHana encapsulated, can I just show you pictures instead?

The anime was just perfect from beginning to end. So beautiful. I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a more substantial summer fare.

Sakakibara Yui - Tokitsukasadoru Juuni no Meiyaku (Steins;Gate ED Single)

2011-07-21T08:44:00.001+08:00

RELEASED: 05.25.2011
LABEL: Media Factory
TRACKLIST:

1. Toki Tsukasadoru Juuni no Meiyaku
2. Uruwashiki Seduce
3. Toki Tsukasadoru Juuni no Meiyaku (Off Vocal)
4. Uruwashiki Seduce (Off Vocal)

BUY @ Play-Asia (DVD+CD Edition | Normal Edition) | Yesasia (Normal Edition | First Press Limited Edition)

sphere - hazy (Hana-saku Iroha ED Single)

2011-07-17T18:57:00.002+08:00

RELEASED: 05.11.2011
LABEL: Lantis
TRACKLIST:
1. Hazy
2. Neo Eden
3. Hazy (Off Vocal)
4. Neo Eden (Off Vocal)

BUY @ Amazon (CD+DVD | Regular) | Play-Asia (CD+DVD | Regular)

Claymore 116: The Organization strikes back!

2011-07-02T21:27:00.000+08:00

go ahead and read whatever you want into that ;p

Miria and her harem are still struggling against the abyssal eaters when the Organization unleashes another menace to stomp down the rebellion once and for all. Dae's experimental warriors -- the three resurrected number ones -- are released into the hapless warriors who are aware of the danger only too late. In barely a minute, almost all of Miria's group gets entirely massacred, save for Audrey's team and the Phantom herself. But for how long? Especially since these warriors are no ordinary Claymores -- they were exceptionally strong number ones who had to be put down brutally before they awakened.

One of them, Hysteria the Elegant, uses the same principle in her technique as Miria's phantom steps but her accuracy is of an entirely different level. It looks like Miria's going to have to give it her all just to stop her in her tracks. Meanwhile, the other two number ones are occupied with Audrey's team and with the trainee-twins. However, it seems that the Organization don't know exactly what they have unleashed. These number ones don't seem to have any memories of their past lives, but one of them, at least, is starting to remember and it doesn't look good for either side.

this could be the fight of her life...again

COMMENTS:

Ok, so who here thinks that the Miria x Hysteria fight is freakin' hot? I mean, Claymore is probably as un-yuri as they come but that cap I showed above can give people ideas. :) Anyhoo, god I hope Deneve's group gets to them soon because Miria is going to need all the help she can get. Also, what happened to the abyssal eaters? Suddenly, they're gone. Did the three resurrecteds kill them as well? If so, that was convenient.

Yagi-sensei, please don't kill my Miria. I don't think I can stand another death scene of hers a second time.

Blood-C PV

2011-06-30T21:30:00.000+08:00

DDL PV [MF]

Saya is a sword-wielding miko mega-ne? I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. Anyhoo, I was totally misled by the promo poster for this. I really thought the setting was going to be Victorian because of the frills and lace dress that Saya was wearing. That somehow kind of diminishes my interest in this. However, since this is Production I.G., and they make such pretty anime, I'm willing to check this out.

Usagi Drop PV

2011-06-28T21:16:00.000+08:00

DDL PV [MF]

It looks good. I want to read the manga as soon as I have some extra free time. In the meantime, Usagi Drop will start airing in July. I'm pretty excited :)

Kayano Ai, Tomatsu Haruka, Hayami Saori - Secret Base (AnoHana ED Single)

2011-06-22T22:50:00.001+08:00

RELEASED: 04.27.2011

LABEL: Aniplex

TRACKLIST:
1. secret base - kimi ga kureta mono (10 years after ver.)
2. secret base - kimi ga kureta mono (memento mori ver.)
3. secret base - kimi ga kureta mono (10 years after ver.) (off-vocal)
4. secret base - kimi ga kureta mono (memento mori ver.) (off-vocal)

BUY @ Amazon | Play-Asia (Limited Edition) (Normal Edition) | Yesasia (Normal Edition) (Limited Edition)

Galileo Galilei - Aoi Shiori (AnoHana OP Single)

2011-06-19T18:45:00.001+08:00

RELEASED: 6.15.2011

LABEL: SME Records

TRACKLIST:
1. Aoi Shiori
2. SGP
3. Swan

BUY @ Yesasia
More: Galileo Galilei CDs @ Play-Asia

No. 6 PV

2011-06-13T20:46:00.000+08:00

DDL PV [MF] (mp4, 36.25mb)

REVIEW: Colorful

2011-06-12T20:01:00.001+08:00

I heard about this anime through Tha Baka Blog and decided to check it out. Five weeks later, I finally got around to watching it. Below is my two cents on this wonderful little film.

Colorful is the story of a soul who is given a second chance at life by inhabiting the body of Kobayashi Makoto, a middle-schooler who committed suicide. With the help of his guide, PuraPura, the soul must try to remember the great sin he did in his past life as well as figure out why Makoto committed suicide.

At first, the soul remains detached from his new life and is actually grateful that Makoto's family is not related to him but as time goes, he gradually begins to understand the importance of connection, even the smallest, seemingly inconsequential ones, and to appreciate the gift of life.

The award-winning animation film of 2010 from Sunrise, directed by Hara Keiichi, based on the book by Mori Eto, Colorful is essentially a story about second chances and the beauty of life. The movie is about two hours long, which is very long indeed, but the whole time I was watching it, I was transported and wasn't even aware of the passage of time. That's a testament to how absorbing this anime is.

Right from the start, Colorful draws you in with the image of a train station populated by humanoid, gray...blobs -- souls of people who died. For a moment there I was even reminded of the first and final scenes of Grave of the Fireflies, except that in Colorful we are looking at the afterlife and not at life slowly coming to an end.

In stark contrast to his colorless surroundings, PuraPura, a neutral guide spirit -- who looks more like your school-age bratty baby brother (and sometimes acts and talks like one) than the wise, old sage that we've all come to expect from someone of his occupation -- stands on the platform as though waiting for someone. We hear a train arrive. In a moment, the screen turns black and we read, rather than hear, the first few words out of the mouth of our protagonist.

This style of presentation continues for the entire duration of the conversation between the boy, PuraPura, and the protagonist soul, and it is here that the premise of the whole story is laid out. (Incidentally, trains are used all over the film as a symbolism. In Colorful, they are not just modes of transportation but as the tangible object that connects people together).

There is nothing really new about the story of Colorful. Even the way it is approached is not entirely revolutionary. But time and time again, I've found that you don't need an entirely new idea to make something great. Because great is what this film is. It's a very simple story, when you think about it, but the way it has been executed, it manages to transcend the boundaries of its own material. This is a true gem, a drama that takes on the dour and usually taboo topic of suicide, that seeks to understand, rather than glorify or preach against, those who have fallen victim to it.

I especially love the last dialogue between the main character and one of his classmates. More specifically, when he says that every person is comprised of different colors. Pure colors, dirty colors, they're all the same, they all make up a beautiful picture.

On the art side, Colorful certainly deserves its title. The anime is beautifully drawn and animated. The film also makes use of still black-and-white photos of old trains and railways. While I understand the symbolic function of these, I can't help but feel that the director or someone from the production team must have loved, or at least felt very nostalgic for, trains. As result, not only are we treated to beautifully rendered blast-from-the-past panels but we also get to learn a little bit of Japan's history through its old railways.

I love the character designs -- almost Ghibli-esque but not quite. Shoko totally reminded me of the character played by Miyazaki Aoi in Tada, Kimi wo Aishiteru, so imagine my surprise when I learned that the character is actually voiced by said actress. :) Speaking of voice acting, Colorful features a top-notch voice cast who not only portray well their characters but lend a certain depth to them.

If I have to complain, I guess I can gripe about the BGM a little. While I didn't mind the ending theme (I barely listened to it, TBH), some of the tracks used in the BGM for Colorful were a little distracting.

In conclusion, Colorful is a wonderful little film that has a simple premise but with a heavy theme. A story that seeks to understand rather than look down in judgment upon those who seemed to have given up on life. A beautiful look at what it means to live a happy and grateful life.

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2010 Anime Report: The Best List

2011-06-07T20:36:00.000+08:00

So I realize that I haven't really made my year-ender report for 2010 as per this blog's tradition in the past two years. I suppose I got busy. I'm also about to get busy but I still have at least one week before work will get the better of me. Therefore, allow me to milk these precious free moments to give you my humble list of best and not-so-best titles of anime for the year 2010. (BTW, for categories, I'm taking my cue from jute's previous year-ender posts.)

Most Highly Anticipated Series

The Tatami Galaxy

(Durarara!!, High School of the Dead)

I have to admit that this was a tough choice. What did I most look forward to? These two series came out in two different seasons and perhaps because of the gap in time, it's a little hard to compare the anticipation I felt for each one. So I'm afraid that my decision has largely something to do with the overall feeling of satisfaction I got from the series, and not necessarily with how I felt before I watched the first episode.

Best First Episode

Occult Academy

(Katanagatari, High School of the Dead, Kuragehime, The Tatami Galaxy)

For the most part, this was a no-brainer. Occult Academy did have a strong opening, which makes all the more ironic the extent to which it downgraded and eventually fell flat on its face. In hindsight, the series could have done better if it didn't have such a good first episode because then, expectations would not have been set high and I would have come off it a lot less disappointed.

Best Finale

Katanagatari

(Durarara!!, Arakawa Under the Bridge, The Tatami Galaxy, SoRaNoWoTo)

Another no-brainer. What a revelation Katanagatari turned out to be. This is anime done right, and if I knew a word of Japanese, I'd go read the light novels right away. NisiOisin, you the man!

Best Randomly Picked Series

Katanagatari

(Arakawa Under the Bridge)

Hands-down. And just imagine that I never even paid attention to this series the first time I heard about it. I thought the art style was a little child illustration book material and it is, for the most part, but strangely enough, it works for this series. And the best thing about it is the story. Fantastic.

Favorite Title

Katanagatari

(The Tatami Galaxy, House of Five Leaves, Durarara!!)

Do I have to spell it out? And to think that I almost dropped this series, not because of anything lacking in the material itself, but because of its airing schedule. White Fox made it difficult with a once-a-month release, but in the end it was worth it.

Favorite Female Character

Busujima Saeko [High School of the Dead]

(Nino, Yasuri Nanami, Tsurugi Meisai, Kazumiya Rio)

Busujima-senpai ♥ ~ Nuff said. Although Nanami and Meisai made the choice a little tough.

Favorite Male Character

Yasuri Shichika [Katanagatari]

(Watashi, Shizuo, Yaichi, Ichinomiya Kou)

I liked Yaichi mainly because of his sexy voice. Kou, despite the insanity surrounding him, developed nicely. Watashi is love but talks too fast. Shichika, on the other hand, had the luxury of a one-hour-long-episode-a-month-for-twelve-months time to develop from a complete toolbox to a human being. Watching it was superb.

Funniest Character

Hoshi [Arakawa Under the Bridge]

(Togame, Kuwashiro Maya, Hoshi, Maria, Sister)

No doubt about it. Arakawa Under the Bridge has the best cast that if the categories included one for best cast, it would surely win. As it is, if I were to chose between Hoshi and all the other eccentric characters from the series, I'd chose the former. Why? Watch the show.

Favorite Villain

Yasuri Nanami [Katanagatari]

(Yasuri Nanami, Tsurugi Meisai, Ozu, Izaya, zombies)

I loved Meisai. I thought she had an excellent story. But in terms of bad-assness, Nanami pwns them all.

Favorite Couple

Yasuri Shichika x Togame [Katanagatari]

(Yasuri Shichika x Togame, Watashi x Akashi, Susukihotaru x Riken, Ichinomiya Kou x Nino, Kurashita Tsukimi x Koibuchi Shu)

I couldn't take them seriously at first. Togame was obviously using Shichika for her own gain and Shichika was too quick to declare himself in love with Togame right after she asks him to that it was just too incredible. But as time went, the love story became real, made more poignant by its bittersweet ending. Who can't love this couple after all that?

Favorite Crack Couple

Maria x Sister [Arakawa Under the Bridge]

(Kuwashiro Maya x Uchida Fumiaki, Yaichi x Otake, Kazumiya Rio x Filicia Hiediman, Busujima Saeko x Komuro Takashi)

Talk about S & M. But the love story between Maria and Sister is pretty one-sided, and the violence that occurs whenever the two are together in one scene makes it doubly hilarious. Ah, love.

Favorite Slash Couple

Izaya Orihara x Shizuo [Durarara!!]

(Yaichi x Akitsu Masanosuke, Kazumiya Rio x Filicia Hiediman, Togame x Hitei-hime)

Simon pretty much confirmed it in the last episode, calling Izaya's constant picking on Shizuo as his "Shizuo complex." Besides, what's love without a little man-handling? (and vending machine throwing?)

Best Horror Series

Shiki

(Occult Academy, High School of the Dead, Dance in the Vampire Bund, Hakuoki Shinsengumi Kitan)

The series started out very slow, so slow in fact that I could barely get through it. Add to that the very distracting character design and hair-do. But don't let appearances fool you because this series is creepy. No, I don't mean you're going to spend the entire time screaming pantsless at your monitor. The scary is more psychological here for the monsters aren't the only monsters in Shiki.

Best Comedy Series

Arakawa Under the Bridge

(SoRaNoWoTo, Kuragehime, Occult Academy, The Tatami Galaxy)

When I came up to this point, I thought to myself: "Hm, which is funnier? A cross-dressing nun with an unhealthy regard for guns or a boob wall? But Arakawa Under the Bridge has the advantage of having an insane number of cast who, well, insane, so it wins by sheer number.

Best Drama Series

House of Five Leaves

(Katanagatari, Shiki, Kuragehime, Durarara!!)

I think Shiki should win this category. But I have not yet finished watching the entire series so I can't really say. House of Five Leaves, however, turned out very well.

Best Action Series

High School of the Dead

(Durarara!!, Katanagatari, Star Driver Radiant Takuto, Heroman)

If there was a category for best fan service, the series would win it, too. Busujima-senpai ♥ ~

Best Romance Series

Kuragehime

(The Tatami Galaxy, Arakawa Under the Bridge, Otome Youkai Zakuro, Katanagatari)

I don't know if you can correctly classify this series as a romance. There certainly are some romantic elements in it. At the very least, there are unrequited crushes. But the show doesn't resolve any of the possible romantic entanglements so...eh. On the other hand, the runners-up aren't really about the romance either so there. Kuragehime wins this category because I actually was aware of the romantic tensions at first blush and primarily watched this show for that.

Best Production Value

The Tatami Galaxy

(Kuragehime, Katanagatari, Star Driver Radiant Takuto, Heroman)

Madhouse. Need I say more? With this title, they've saved themselves this year. Now, if only I could say the same thing for 2011. But perhaps, I'm saying too much too soon. After all, we have two whole anime seasons still coming up.

Best Opening Theme

"Maigoinu to Ame no Beat" by Asian Kung-Fu Generation (The Tatami Galaxy)

Best Ending Theme

"Kimi no Kirei ni Kizuite Okure" by Sambomaster (Kuragehime)

Best BGM

SoRaNoWoTo

(Kuragehime, Arakawa Under the Bridge, High School of the Dead, House of Five Leaves)

Kaijura Yuuki, baby. Also, Kalafina. (Keiko-san ~)

Best Voice Cast

Katanagatari

(House of Five Leaves, Arakawa Under the Bridge, Kuragehime, The Tatami Galaxy)

I really, really liked Yaichi's voice. But I'm judging this based on the entire voice cast and Katanagatari has the best, IMHO. The Tatami Galaxy also came close because...Sakamoto Maaya (who is also in Arakawa Under the Bridge).

Best Style

The Tatami Galaxy

(Arakawa Under the Bridge, Katanagatari, House of Five Leaves, Shiki)

SHAFT / Shinbo did something amazing with Arakawa Under the Bridge. But stylistically, The Tatami Galaxy was pure insanity. Add to that the really messed up presentation and we have ourselves a winner.

Best Animation

Kuragehime

(Arakawa Under the Bridge, Katanagatari, The Tatami Galaxy, Durarara!!)

Because I don't know. The whole series was just cute.

Best Background Art

Arakawa Under the Bridge

(The Tatami Galaxy, Durarara!!, Heroman, High School of the Dead)

Not much of a choice really. I thought High School of the Dead would win this one for sure but on second look, SHAFT did a pretty good job with the river scenery.

Best Character Designs

The Tatami Galaxy

(Kuragehime, Occult Academy, Katanagatari, House of Five Leaves)

The designs fit the characters. Watashi looked generic enough as to be anonymous. Ozu certainly looks devious. And Akashi is seriously cute and fits the bill for the girl-next-door type only with more grrr.

Best Storytelling

Katanagatari

(The Tatami Galaxy, Shiki)

NisiOisin. Nuff said.

Best Concept

The Tatami Galaxy

(Shiki, Durarara!!, Kuragehime, Occult Academy)

Everything about it, even its title, screams: GENIUS. And the whole rewind bit confused the shit out of me at first but in the end, all I could say was BRILLIANT. And a main character named "Watashi?" Absolutely inspired!

Anime Series of the Year

Katanagatari

(The Tatami Galaxy, Kuragehime, Shiki)

As much as I loved The Tatami Galaxy (for its eclectic style) and thoroughly enjoyed Kuragehime, Katanagatari offers a more complete package. Style, it has it in spades. Cuteness, why, yes. See Togame and Nanami and Pengu. Story? Absolutely.

Hana-saku Iroha 8-10: The pressure is...where?

2011-06-07T08:39:00.000+08:00

lolz, this guy wouldn't pass Hell's Kitchen....or Master Chef for that matter

I'm not enjoying this show as much as I'd like to. It's a bit sad because after a really wonderful first episode and an interesting second and third episode, Hana-saku Iroha has really downgraded. I don't mean the visuals have changed. No, there's no obvious lowering of production values in the series. Everything is still as pretty as it can be...but the story lacks punch. Do you know what I mean?

That look spells trouble

I know, I know. I said this show is refreshing. And fluff can be good, too, but only in small doses. Otherwise, you'll be left with nothing but air, and you know what too much air does to the human digestive tract. I'm hoping against hope that Hana-saku Iroha is going to prove different -- that this show isn't just hot air without nothing inside, because that would be...sad.

this is sooooo wrong

What is wrong with asking for a little conflict? A little clashing of personalities? A little tension and pressure? The irony is that these last three episodes are supposed to be all about the former and the latter and yet I remain disconnected from it all. Don't get me wrong. I like Ohana and the other staff members of the Kissuiso but other than superficial liking, there's nothing. It needs something more.

The previews for the next episode shows the return of Ohana's mom, so hopefully, I'll get what I finally want from this series? Crossing my fingers.

Claymore 115: HAY THAR

2011-06-06T10:17:00.000+08:00

Read @ Manga Reader

Not much happens this chapter, apart from seeing Raki in action. Miria of the bad-ass x-shaped scar is acting a little OOC, what with her unable to determine for herself that the abyssal eaters are becoming harder to kill as the fight goes on and has to have No. 3 tell it to her. The fuck, Miria, what? Go back to being awesome, quick. Also, towards the end, we get to see the former number ones that Dae revived. Here's big hint: It's not Teresa T_T

AnoHana 6-8: How to get over someone

2011-06-04T20:42:00.000+08:00

paying their respects

So AnoHana is pegged by ANN at 11 episodes. We're now on the 8th episode and our gang isn't even anywhere close to fulfilling Menma's wish. Ahhhh, but I'm so enjoying this show.

Yukiatsu lecturing about the high cost of fireworks

Now, my real problem is how to blog this series. Because each episode is so beautiful and nuanced, it feels like a crime to floss over all the details by bulk-blogging (that is, blogging two to three episodes at one time). The plot is going along steadily: our gang is still trying to fulfill Menma's wish by first figuring out what that wish is. They think it's the fireworks but we learn in episode 8 that that isn't it at all. Now, I could bore you to death about the extent Jinta and friends go through to make the said fireworks canon for Menma but I'd be barely scratching the surface of this beautiful series. The thing is, that isn't all that AnoHana is about. It's about characters, too, not just the gang, but also about all the others left behind.

Anaru's confession...ten years too late

In the end, don't we all owe something to our past? Don't our memories deserve more than a quick glance through a dusty photoalbum, a few scathing remarks about the stupidity of youth? We've done things. We've said things. And maybe they are stupid and laughable and entirely silly now, but they weren't then. No. Because then, they were moments in time. They were real. And maybe you really can't relive the past but you can honor it, even if it means being silly and acting out for a few seconds of every day. What is a few seconds? They make up your entire life.

2011 Summer Anime Line-Up

2011-06-03T08:14:00.000+08:00

A few interesting titles.

click on image to enlarge

Appleseed XIII
Jinni's Animation Studios & Production I.G.
OFFICIAL | ANN | Wikipedia

I've seen only one of the movies and I remember it was about this cyborg and his girl partner. The movie featured lots of CGI, which I don't care for. I'm only putting this on the short list because of the names involved: Production I.G., Masamune Shirow, Sakamoto Maaya. We'll just have to see if it's any good.

Natsume Yuujinchou-San
Brain's Base
OFFICIAL | ANN

Jute watched the first and second seasons and seemed to enjoy them. I had no idea there was going to be a third season and if I watch it, I'll be a total newbie in the series. However, I have to follow blog tradition so here it is.

Usagi Drop
Production I.G.
OFFICIAL | ANN | Wikipedia

It's another one of those helpless tool of a guy who gets a wake-up call when he finds himself having to care of a little kid. Probably some mild lolicon undertones in this one. However, it gives me hope that it's in the noitaminA time-slot, although after two or three duds, it's beginning to occur to me that the legendary time-slot is finally showing some signs of slipping. The anime is based on a josei manga, btw.

No. 6
BONES
OFFICIAL (Kodansha)

Apparently, this is based on a children's book series set in a futuristic city called No. 6 and is about a boy, Shion, who is supposed to be an elite. Well, whatever. The poster looks attractive and it's by BONES so it's probably going to come on strong before the story scatters about like a headless chicken. Or it could be good. I enjoyed Xam'd, despite the headless chicken bit.

Blood-C
Production I.G.
OFFICIAL | ANN | Wikipedia

There are a bunch of vampire tropes in this line-up. There's Blade and that other vampire series. I thought if I had to pick one for this season, I'd rather go with this. The Blood franchise gets a face-lift. The designs are now by CLAMP, who are also writing the story, so it's probably going to be interesting. I don't know. Did I like CodeGeass? I know I liked Cardcaptor Sakura way back when. One thing I can say though is that I am liking the Victorian-goth frilly dresses that Saya is wearing in the promo poster.

Dantalian no Shoka
Gainax
OFFICIAL | ANN | Wikipedia

It reminds me a little of GOSICK (which I dropped by the way). I don't know if this is going to be better or worse. There are demons though and the male character is holding a gun in the promo poster, so maybe this is a lot celebral and more visceral? Not that GOSICK was very cerebral.

ADDENDUM: I liked none of the OVA, OAV, ONA and Specials this season. Well, except for Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail. As for the movies, only two titles leap off the page for me. Towa no Quon, which is a six-part theatrical movie release by BONES, and Studio Ghibli's Kokuriko-Zaka Kara.

Mid-Season Round-Up: C is for what?

2011-06-01T18:46:00.003+08:00

C: The Money of Soul and Possibility of Control (4-6)

Uhhhhh.... I don't understand this show. I thought I was beginning to enjoy it because for a minute there, it seemed like it was going to delve into the psychology of the characters. Psychology with a financial twist!

But eh, I was gravely wrong. Besides, I'm never that into psychological whatchamacallits. That's jute's area, not mine. I like my anime simple but interesting, light-hearted yet story-heavy, action-packed but also dramatic, funny but with serious elements. In short, I don't like heavy doses of anything. It will kill me.

C didn't actually kill me though but if I were to continue exposing myself to all its financial mumbo-jumbo there's a very big possibility -- nay, there is certainty -- that I will just drop dead in front of my monitor.

I'm not saying the show is bad. I'm sure it has its audiences and I can't really fault the production or the execution of the idea for its story. It's just that C strikes me as a very stubbornly niche series and I just can't get on the wagon for it.

Sorry again, noitaminA. Like Hourou Musuko before it, I'm dropping this one, too.

Angel Beats! OST

2011-05-31T21:07:00.003+08:00

RELEASED: 07.28.2010
LABEL:
TRACKLIST:
Disc 1
1. My Soul, Your Beats!
2. theme of SSS
3. school days
4. girl's hop
5. art of war
6. today is ok
7. memory
8. my most precious treasure
9. tactics
10. enemy country
11. operation start
12. decisive battle
13. attack!!
14. critical point
15. study time
16. niku udon
17. invention
18. toy of spring
19. deochi!
20. light drop
21. worthy rival
22. burial
23. play ball
24. walkure
25. let's operation
26. evening breeze
27. moment of rest

Disc 2
1. initial impulse
2. my heart
3. soul friends
4. kanade
5. my most precious treasure -orgel-
6. memory -orgel-
7. unjust life
8. nocturne in the afternoon
9. anxiety
10. abyss
11. alter ego
12. siren
13. transforms to the shadow
14. otanashi
15. angel's flight
16. firing preperation
17. desperation
18. breakthrough
19. Ichiban no Takaramono (Original Version)
20. Brave Song

BUY @ Amazon | Play-Asia

Girls Dead Monster - Crow Song (Angel Beats! Insert Song Single)

2011-05-30T07:16:00.001+08:00

RELEASED: 04.23.2010
LABEL:
TRACKLIST:
1. Crow Song
2. Alchemy
3. My Song

BUY @ Yesasia

COMMENTS:

So as promised, here's the first batch of Angel Beats! related downloads. GirlsDeMo forevaaaarrrrrr!!!!!!!111

MINI-REVIEW: Angel Beats!

2011-05-28T21:45:00.000+08:00

Quick now before I forget what this show is about.

Angel Beats! is not a new title. It aired last year which should be around the time I first took over this blog. The title kind of went passed me so I never saw the 13-episode series until an acquaintance generously (and quite randomly) lent me a bootleg DVD. And even then, it took about two weeks before I finally decided (for lack of anything better to do) to pop it into my laptop's DVD-ROM and check it out.

Here's the story: Angel Beats! begins with the male lead, Otonashi, waking up with no memories at all of his life. He is greeted by an aggressive, gun-toting girl who wastes no time telling him that he is dead and that he is now in the afterlife. This girl, Yuri, is the de facto leader of an eccentric group of students who have all taken up arms (literally) against God and his servant, Angel. At first, Otonashi resists the idea of his being dead but after he is stabbed in the heart by Angel but wakes up later completely healed with only his torn and bloody clothes as proof that what happened was true, he starts working with Yuri and her SS Brigade, pulling all kinds of rebellious stunts just to show up the system and its strong-arm, Angel.

The premise isn't much, which explains why jute never picked up this title in the season Angel Beats! aired. But if there's anything worth learning about in this world, it's this: ordinary stories can become extraordinary, and more so in anime.

Visually, Angel Beats! is a pretty, pretty show. The character designs are excellent, not my usual cup of tea, but still very visual novel-esque and certainly very attractive. Animation is also great, especially when it comes to the well-executed action sequences and the concert scenes. I don't think I've ever watched "musical" anime so I can't compare but I loved what Angel Beats! did for Dead Girls Monster and isn't Iwasawa just the coolest vocalist ever? I adore her and I am grateful to P.A. Works for giving her an episode, when all the others barely got five minutes.

No doubt, the music is one of the best assets of the show. LiSA performs the OP theme "My Soul, Your Beats" while some other artist performs the ED theme. My favorites have got to be the songs performed by Dead Girls Monster with Iwasawa (singing voice by marina). I will confess: I am currently downloading the soundtracks and other related albums so expect future posts to be filled with them. :)

Angel Beats! is mostly comedy and I sure got genuine laughs out of the slapstick, but some of the jokes became too repetitive to be funny. There is also a little drama involved although I didn't feel too connected with some of the characters to come up with the appropriate response. The romance aspect is very narrow but it's satisfying, despite its rather unresolved ending. People complain about how short the series is but I don't think that's it. Angel Beats!s story is pretty contained in 13 episodes, sloppy writing in a few scenes aside.

My verdict: Good.

Mid-Season Round-Up: Flower Power

2011-05-19T08:09:00.001+08:00

So it looks like I'll be blogging only two shows for this season: Hana-saku Iroha and AnoHana. Ao no Exorcist is quite interesting and C is riveting in its own way but I don't know if I can find time to blog those two anymore. I'm trying to economize and the thing is, while I may randomly watch other shows throughout this season, the two shows that I'm looking forward to, like for sure, each week are Hana-saku Iroha and AnoHana, so I might as well blog about them.

Hana-saku Iroha (4-7)

The show seems to be doing the one-character-per-week approach. In episode 4, for instance, we get introduced to a common classmate of Ohana, Minchi and Nako, who turns out to be the granddaughter of the owner of the Kisui's rival inn. But although she's the new face in the series, the episode isn't really about her but about Minchi. As expected, girl is popular despite (or maybe, because of it) her aloof, unapproachable demeanor.

Ohana once again makes an ass of herself, this time quite by accident, for finding out about Minchi's "weakness" (her crush) and confronting her about it. Minchi is naturally not loving the prying questions, but we get to see Minchi's dere side and it. is. cute.

Episode 5 picks up where episode 4 left off and this time we get to see how Minchi became a staff at Kisui. She'd apparently run away from home because she wanted to be a chef. Ohana's grandmother hadn't taken her seriously but Tohru vouched for her and volunteered to take her under her wing, thus, sparking the girl's eternal gratitude and devotion.

Episode 6 sees the Kisui staff going through some changes. Remember the crass woman in the convertible from oh several episodes ago? Well, she's back and she's of a mind to make her mark. Unfortunately, that means more inappropriate fan service in the series. Err. Good thing Ohana, with the help of Mr. Bean (lol is that his name?), finds some old kimono-maid-thing-whatever costumes that her grandmother made several years ago, which absolutely did the trick. Costumers are satisfied and the grandmother gets a little nostalgic.

Episode 7 is hilarious. This time we focus on another Kisui staff member, Tomoe. Now our first impression of her is that she's laidback and a generally hands-off supervisor. She also seems to be a big gossip. But here, we find out about her personal circumstances, which is the typical woman-in-her-late-twenties-having-trouble-finding-a-man. Her mother tries to convince her to come home for a marriage meeting and Tomoe gives it a serious thought to the point where she does all she can to get fired, as the manager doesn't want her to quit. But all her plans backfire and in the end Tomoe realizes that she finds fulfillment in her job and that she is happy. Surprisingly, her mother understands and the girls now start calling her "nee-san" which of course gives Tomoe the tickles.

This show is shaping up to be really, really cute. It's definitely light and mostly fluff but it's not so sweet as to trigger my gag reflex and there's character development, understated though it may be. There's a little bit of drama involved but it's all light-hearted fun. For a show that's about growing up, there is strangely and refreshingly no angst involved.

AnoHana (4-5)

Ah, this show. I think that out of all the series this season AnoHana is my favorite. Even better than Hana-saku Iroha. It's probably because there's more meat to the story in the former than there is in the latter. I also like the fact that AnoHana has romance in it. That's always a good addition to an already perfect equation.

Then there is the question about whether or not Menma is a ghost or a hallucination but strangely, it's not that important. The question is unavoidable, sure, but it's also not something whose answer you'd be compelled to find out. It's just sort of up in the air at the moment and you can get back to it any time, just not soon.

What is important, however, is how these kids are coping with the death of one of their own. So far, we've only seen Jintan's (sad) and Yukiatsu's (disturbing) coping mechanisms, but I find that I am most curious about Poppo. He seems to be the most well-balanced of the five but I guess he has scars, too. We'll find out more in the next coming episodes. God, I can't wait.

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DWB feat. NIRGILIS - SHINY SHINY (Deadman Wonderland ED Single)

2011-05-11T07:35:00.001+08:00

RELEASED: 04.27.2011
LABEL: wint
TRACKLIST:
1. SHINY SHINY -TV mix-
2. SHINY SHINY
3. Chocolate
4. SHINY SHINY (livetuneRemix)
5. SHINY SHINY Instrumental
6. Chocolate Instrumental
7. SHINY SHINY Karaoke Mix
8. Chocolate Karaoke Mix

Gosick OST

2011-05-10T21:27:00.001+08:00

RELEASED: 04.13.2011
LABEL: Nippon Columbia
TRACKLIST:
01 Itsuwari to Shin no Suumitsu
02 Renketsu e no Kyoumei
03 Joretsusareshi Konton
04 Anyaku to Mawaru Unmei
05 “Kuroki Shinigami” no Gakumon
06 Trunk no Shiwakenin
07 Kodou Tomarishi Shunkan
08 Deguchinaki Ketsuro
09 Yami ga Oou Shinzou
10 Semarikuru Ifu no Kage
11 Hai-iro Ookami e no Shoutaijou
12 Sakuryaku no Kika
13 Ware koso ga Karei naru Meikeibu
14 Tonariawase no Jihen
15 Shuukyoku no Mienu Kitai
16 Tenmei ni Kousuru Unmei
17 Akuma no Hohoemi
18 Kinka no Kusari ga Tsunagu Mono
19 Kanbi na Taikutsushinogi
20 Motomeru wa Shuuen no Sanbika
21 Itoguchi e no Michibiki
22 Erabareshi Mono wo Michibiku Kin-iro no Ito
23 Kawairashiki Boukenka
24 Gudon no Sakebi
25 Honrou no Naka no Seimei
26 Hanasu Kotonaki wa Mamoru beki Te
27 Kaen no Geshisai
28 Kanashimi no Hate ni aru Kotae
29 Kokochiyoi Tokoro de no Nemuri
30 Yuukan naru Hinomoto no Shounen
31 Destin Histoire (TV Version)
32 Resuscitated Hope (TV Version)

BUY @ Amazon | Play-Asia | Yesasia

FINAL THOUGHTS: Kimi ni Todoke Second Season

2011-05-05T12:39:00.000+08:00

After an extremely frustrating first half, the series almost redeems itself by finally moving the relationship of the main characters to the desired end.

I almost dropped this series. Kimi ni Todoke Second Season is one of those shows that creates conflict where there shouldn't be and makes you want to scream at your monitor because the characters are.... well, not exactly stupid but they do the most stupid things, like missing to elaborate a certain point and by doing so create a misunderstanding that fosters even more misunderstandings until everything becomes so convoluted that everyone becomes depressed and wallowing in drama and misery, when all of this could have been avoided if they.just.fucking.TALKED. Properly. Lengthily. Without the 'ums' and the 'ers.'

It's a good thing Production I.G. made this show -- they of the big studio budget. The quality of the production is beyond par. Excellent, in fact, even if everything else isn't. I haven't seen the first season but jute assures me that there's no visible downgrade with the value at all, and I have to say, I agree. Kimi ni Todoke is one of the most beautiful shoujos I've ever seen. Granted, I haven't watched many, but still. And the BGM is excellent as well, neither too distinctive as to take away from the show nor too subdued as to not be noticeable. I don't pay much attention to the OPs or EDs of anime -- any anime for that matter -- but I guess this series' offerings fit the bill.

The story itself is lightweight. Nothing extraordinary about first love in a school setting. What does stand out is the character of Sawako. A girl who is so earnest, yet so traumatized (lol) by a bad childhood nickname, that she is misunderstood by her classmates just as frequently as she misunderstands them. It takes a boy like Kazehaya, a talking-walking-Mr. Popular, and fierce friends like the wise-talking Ayane and hopeless tomboy Chizu, to finally get Sawako out of her shell and interact normally with her classmates.

And then there's love, although that I kind of don't want to talk about, because I see it as the downside of this show. Kazehaya and Sawako's love story might be sweet but it is also the most awkward I've ever seen and painful to watch. Not to mention frustrating. I'm at least grateful that they decided to resolve their relationship at the end of this season so that there's no doubt now that the two are girlfriend and boyfriend.

In conclusion, Kimi ni Todoke Second Season is a fine, lightweight shoujo romance. The characters, especially the main ones, are well-developed. The side characters don't really feature much, although there was that one bit at the end that really surprised me. Really? Those two? Never saw it coming. (Are you talking about Ryu x Chizu? They're my OTP of this fandom - jute.) But the focus is really on the main characters and their budding relationship.

In Review: Solanin (Live-Action Movie)

2011-05-04T19:59:00.000+08:00

This is a manga turned into a live-action film. I don't really trust adaptations like this. There is always something lost along the way. It could be the expressions of the characters. Manga characters are frequently entertaining because of their exaggerated expressions, something which not many Japanese actor/actress can pull out.

But despite all these initial misgivings, I decided to give Solanin a go because I loved the manga version that much and I'm kind of a fan of Miyazaki Aoi.

THE STORY

Meiko, played by Miyazaki Aoi (Nana, Tada Kimi wo Aoshiteru, Eureka) is a young office lady who, unable to bear the mundane reality of a desk job, quits and settles into a year of lazy unemployment. Her spur-of-the-moment decision creates a domino effect as her live-in boyfriend, Taneda, begins to feel that it is now up to him to bear the burden of responsibility. He sees that his part-time job as a graphic designer doesn't pay enough to support both of them and his band, composed of friends from his university days, is far from ready to cut an album. He has a choice to make and it's not easy because taking one route means closing up the other.

THE REVIEW

Plot-wise, the movie isn't impressive. It's about just-out-of-college kids who are trying to make a living in the world beyond the four walls of the academe. In short, a coming-of-age story. We've had a lot of those, haven't we? Most of all, for a movie that supposed to be, at least partially about young people in a band, there's a blatant lack of music. I understand that the actors of Solanin aren't singers or musicians but NANA, also a movie about rock bands, only had one actress (Nakashima Mika) who is also a singer yet they were able to integrate music into the work. I can't understand why they didn't do this with Solanin. A shame, really. I would have loved to know what rotti sounded like.

Now, having read the manga, I can't help but compare it with the live-action version. And as I expected, many of the entertainment value in the manga was lost on screen. The actors looked the part but lacking in expression. Miyazaki Aoi has absolutely no chemistry with the actor who plays Taneda and this is never more apparent than in that one make-out scene. The whole thing was about as fascinating as watching cow chew grass for forty-five minutes.

Another gripe I have about the movie (and this applies to the manga as well) is the sudden turn it takes halfway through the story. It's so sudden, it can literally make you go, "wtf?" and "was that necessary?" I have a feeling it wasn't but it certainly upped the ante for drama, because what follows next is a whole lot of wallowing and characters being in a rut.

Fortunately, it doesn't last long and the movie actually gets better towards the end as it closes with the highlight scene of the entire film: Miyazaki Aoi singing the title song. She's not a singer, this girl, but she can really act so that when she sings, even though the vocals are not really good, you believe her and the overall performance is powerful.

In conclusion, Solanin doesn't necessarily break barriers. What it does do -- and it does so pretty well -- is capture that time in our lives when we just finished college and were coming to the horrible realization that there are two million other people like us in the world, all with their college degrees and diplomas like we do, and we have absolutely nothing, no talent or skill, that sufficiently delineates us from the rest of the world and gives us the advantage edge-wise. Zero. The first time I learned this, my first reaction was to scream inside my own head for a couple of weeks before making the sudden decision of going to law school, all just to postpone reality for four more years at the most.

THE SCORE

Story - 6
Sound - 6
Cinematography - 7
Picture - 7
Special Effects - 5
Acting - 6

Overall - 6.2/10

REVIEW: Kawamo wo Suberu Kaze

2011-05-03T19:34:00.000+08:00

A one-shot josei anime aimed at older women. Not the description of a particularly crowd-pleasing show but at 23 minutes, watching this anime is not a complete waste of time.

Kawamo wo Suberu Kaze (roughly "the wind that skimmed the river's surface") is the story of Noriko who returns to her hometown of Kanazawa for the first time since she left the country five years ago. Her four-year-old son accompanies her while her husband stays behind in America, presumably to work, but we later find out that Noriko's marriage is far from happy and that there might be a reason for her homecoming other than that she misses her family.

The anime is produced by the Answer Studio, whose works include the James Bond-esque Golgo 13. Given its history, the subject matter of Kawamo wo Suberu Kaze is an odd choice for the studio. For one, the story is quiet in that nothing basically happens. This is just a brief glimpse in the life of a woman - the choices she made, her passions, regrets, and the question of whether or not she is happy with her lot in life. There is drama but it's much more subdued than what you'd come to expect from the usual fare. The outlook isn't in any way revolutionary but for an anime, it's just the sort of material that is seldom explored, and therefore, Kawamo wo Suberu Kaze comes off as new.

Visually, the anime resembles its plot. That is, the art is subdued and quiet. The designs of the characters are semi-realistic, actually reminds me a bit of Satoshi Kon with the angular shapes and straightforward lines. Other than that, Kon is obviously of a whole new level. Kawamo wo Suberu Kaze, however, looks attractive, but that's just my humble opinion as I tend to like this particular style. The background art...well, you can see for yourself. It's mostly heavily-rendered live photos, which can be jarring in some anime, but here, it works. Too well, sometimes. The characters can sometimes get lost.

What I like about this anime is that it's pretty complete despite its short air-time. The central character is likeable and very relatable. That is, if you are within the age group this particular anime is specifically targeted at. Fortunately, I am.

In conclusion, I like this anime. I enjoyed my 23 minutes watching it, so much so that now I am interested in watching Flag, another offering of a different sort from the same anime studio.

How old I am in anime years

2011-05-01T11:08:00.000+08:00

For the lulz. This site tells you which anime characters are your age. These are mine. XD

Mario (Super Mario Brothers)

Son Goku (Dragon Ball - Frieza Arc)

Melissa Mao (Full Metal Panic!)

France (Hetalia Axis Powers)

Leon Mishima (Macross Frontier)

Sawagejou Chou (Rurouni Kenshin)

Phoenix Wright (Ace Attorney)

Talho Yuki (Eureka Seven)

Trisha Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Kenji (You're Under Arrest!)

Sensui (Yu Yu Hakusho)

FINAL THOUGHTS: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica

2011-05-01T10:18:00.001+08:00

File this on the completed series. Grade: EXCELLENT.

So in her past life, Akemi Homura is...kawaii mega-ne?

First off, let me tell you something. I'm not entirely fond of the magical girl genre. Sure, I'm familiar with shows like Sailor Moon and Card Captor Sakura and Magical Knights Rayearth -- I even watched a few episodes of them -- but I never really got into the whole young girl in a silly costume battling demons and monsters all while reciting scripted mantras about how love and justice are all that matters in this world. No. Never really one for the frilly stuff.

they were BFFs

Fortunately, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica isn't all that. While the series doesn't necessarily overturn all my previous misconceptions and biased opinions about the magical girl genre, it does offer something new to the table. A glimpse of the other side. Because for every hope, there is an equivalent amount of despair in the world, for every joy, there is suffering, for every desire, there is grief. The show might be peopled with girls far too cute as to be sickening (time and time again, I've said in this blog that I don't like loli), but cuteness is the farthest thing from the show's actual storyline.

oh and by the way, homura-chan, i'm a force of nature now, like, literally

Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica is a story about the consequences of choices, the strong bonds of friendship, the resilience of the human spirit, the inevitability of fate, and yes, it's about magic, too, and young girls taking up the glory and burden of saving the world from the bad. The show will not blow your mind with all of this but it's a fairly novel take on a tried and true genre.

Also, apparently, Joan of Arc and Cleopatra were magical girls. lolz

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FIRST LOOK: Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai

2011-04-29T20:33:00.000+08:00

Here's a show I never saw coming.

Is Menma a hallucination brought in part by raging teenage hormones? A manifestation of guilty feelings left over from childhood and the tragedy that follows? Or simply a convenient device that serves the plot as well as viewer preferences of watching an energetic slip-of-a-girl and her innocent ways of torment? Perhaps, it's a little of everything.

The title's a mouthful. In English, it means "We still don't know the name of the flower we saw that day." Let's just call it AnoHana, for brevity. The story revolves around six childhood friends who grow apart after one of them, Menma, dies in a tragic accident. One summer, former leader Jinta, now a shut-in, starts seeing Menma's "ghost" who asks him to fulfill her wish. In order to do this, Jinta has to go and find the rest of the group and reunite them.

Along with C - The Money of Soul and Possibility of Control, AnoHana is one of two shows airing this season in the noitaminA time-slot, which ought to say something about its quality. It's produced by A-1 Pictures, whose works vary in style and tone, though not in sentiment and thematic elements, from the light-hearted SO.RA.NO.WO.TO, to this season's action-oriented fantasy shounen series, Ao no Exorcist. Ultimately, AnoHana is about growing up and how the sheer unexpectedness of circumstances, and the shock that follows, can shape and define people. It's also an examination of feelings, old and new, and how and where one goes from here.

Production-wise, AnoHana is not by any means excellent but still very good. There's the cuteness factor in the design of the characters, with the roundness of lines shown in Occult Academy, albeit with more finesse, at least for the first three episodes. And here's to hoping they keep it up and not downgrade the art to save on budget costs. The voice acting is also great, with my favorite "voice" being Tsuruko's. I also like her character's look best and totally ship her with Yukiatsu. :) There's a hint of romance but it's not the focus of the show. Just how I like it. And best of all, AnoHana features what is probably the prettiest, cutest ED theme song out of all this season's offerings. The song is performed by the show's female voice actresses themselves. LIKE.

In conclusion, I like this show and I'm following it.

FIRST LOOK: Ao no Exorcist, C The Money of Soul and Possibility of Control, Deadman Wonderland, Hana-saku Iroha, Sket Dance

2011-04-25T07:55:00.000+08:00

So the spring anime line-up has just kick-started and among my watchlist, quite a few have delivered. Of course, there's still the 3-episode rule to consider but if you're a long time reader of this blog, then you already know that I'm not particularly a stickler for rules. Well, here goes nothing: my first impressions on the 2011 spring anime line-up.

Ao no Exorcist (1)

The first episode of Ao no Exorcist starts out slow. This is not bad because it allows us plenty of time to see and understand the main character and his situation in life. Rin is basically a good-for-nothing guy, emphasis on the good. Ever heard of the saying "the road to hell is paved with good intentions?" Well, Rin has good intentions but his actions in pursuing those good intentions somehow always end up with him getting in trouble, whether with the local neighborhood bullies, his employers or even his own family, which by the way is an entire congregation of monks/exorcists. Just what the heck is he doing wrong? Everything, as it turns out. He's actually the son of a demon and a human woman. And not just an ordinary demon either, but the demon of demons: Satan. Rin's demonic powers manifest themselves by the end of the episode in the form of blue flame engulfing his whole body, which scares some would-be bullies, except for one: a kid who is possessed by a demon, Aseroth, who invites Rin to come home with him. Fortunately, Rin's father (or foster father?), a great exorcist, arrives just in time and purges the demon away. But Rin's troubles are just beginning.

The premise is not that original. Isn't Bleach and every other shounen anime a little like this? Except that this one involves the widely Western concept of exorcism. I understand that this is an adaptation of a popular shounen manga and is actually one of the more hyped up shows this season. As far as the first episode is concerned, I say Ao no Exorcist does not disappoint. The visuals are great, the music's the usual fare, I like the pacing. But I'll have to see the next two or so episodes to make my final judgment.

C - The Money of Soul and Possibility of Control (1)

What does it say about a show when you can't remember the name of its main character thirty minutes after you've watched (and liked) it? Or maybe it has nothing to do with the show at all and everything to do with my inability to recall Japanese names. Sorry. My bad. *sweatdrop* C - The Money of Soul and Possibility of Control is about this guy who's too poor to go on drinking parties, buy a nice lunch, or take his crush out on a proper date, who has to work two part-time jobs just to make ends meet, who has to review for the civil service exam early in the hopes of becoming a civil servant, not because he wants to perform public service but because he thinks that a government job is safer than a private one. In short, this is a guy whose entire life revolves around money -- how to make it, how to make it last, how to make more of it -- and, thus, the perfect candidate to play in a weird game set in a psychedelic world where the currency is, well, money. Interested yet? The show is a little out there, which shouldn't come as a surprise considering that the story comes from the brain of the guy who gave you Kuuchuu Buranko. As for me, I was pleased with the visuals (although not at first) and was intrigued enough to want to check out the second episode. This could turn out to be a sleeper hit this season or the next Ergo Proxy, which I liked but which almost everyone lambasted for being pretentious as hell (which is probably true)? Only the 3-episode rule can tell.

Deadman Wonderland (1)

I wasn't very impressed with this show. I would love to love it from the get-go, considering that the main character is voiced by one of my favorite seiyu, Paku Romi, but I can't seem to get into it. Deadman Wonderland is the story of Ganta, a survivor of an earthquake that destroyed the old city of Tokyo. Ten years later, he is just an ordinary boy in high school when a harrowing event occurs and changes his life forever. A man covered in blood and wearing a red cape suddenly appears and kills his entire class. As he is the only survivor, Ganta is accused of the mass murder and is sentenced to death and spend his remaining days in Deadman Wonderland, a private prison facility that also acts as a theme park-cum-tourist attraction. There he meets all kinds of people, from kleptomaniacs, to sadistic jail wardens, to a white-haired girl who talks peculiarly like a child and claims to know Ganta. Then Ganta suddenly manifests a strange power, coming from a red crystal embedded in his chest by the "Redman." Just who is the Redman? Why has he given him this power? Will he ever get out of prison alive? I guess I'll give this one the 3-episode rule.

Hana-saku Iroha (1-3)

I was so pleased with this anime because it met my expectations and perhaps gave even more. Hana-saku Iroha is the story of Ohana, a sixteen year old girl who is at the cusp of womanhood. Her mother, Satsuki, is a struggling novelist and a hopelessly neglectful parent who runs away with her boyfriend to escape his debts. She leaves Ohana to the grudging care of her own mother (Ohana's grandmother), who is the manager of an inn. Naive Ohana thinks she's embarking on a rosy adventure where everyone is kind to her and show her all the secrets to a happy, interesting life -- only to have all her hopes horribly dashed. The moment she arrives, a girl calmly tells her to die while her friend refuses even to look at her, her grandmother puts her to hard labor so she can earn her keep, and things just keep getting worse. But blessed with a can-do attitude and self-reliance, Ohana is going to make these people's lives just as hellish as they're making hers and she's going to do it with a smile, too. I am really liking this show. I love the characters. I love the art style and production values. Oh, and you won't recognize Mamiko Noto here.

Sket Dance (1)

Switch! Onihime! I don't get why the guys at ANN don't like this show. Sket Dance doesn't pretend to be deep or anything like that. It's just a slice of life anime that's there for the gags. It's like Arakawa Under the Bridge, minus the over-the-top hilarity. Not laugh-out-loud funny but amusing enough. It's refreshing, if you ask me.

Hana-saku Iroha Trailer

2011-03-21T20:40:00.000+08:00

DDL TRAILER [MF]

You know what? I'm actually quite excited about this show. The characters look really cute -- cliche, but cute nonetheless. Oh, and yukata!

LIKE.

Ao no Exorcist PVs and CMs

2011-03-15T09:27:00.000+08:00

One of the upcoming series for the 2011 spring anime line-up, Ao no Exorcist is adapted from a manga of the same name and tells the story of twin brothers who aim to become exorcist in order to combat the greatest evil, Satan. It's one of the more hyped-up series for this season and I'm sure looking forward to it. Although after the recent tragedy that Japan suffered, I don't know if the regular anime schedules are going to push through. I hope so. I pray for everyone there. My own country was spared the tsunami but we're also located in the "ring of fire" and we've got active fault lines all over.... Nature's wrath is really something that's beyond anybody's control -- rich or poor, beautiful or ugly, talented or not -- and all we can do is try and hope for the best for everyone.

Nuff said. This whole thing's making me emo and that wasn't my original intention. I was trying to cheer people up with this offering. So enjoy, for what it's worth. :)

PV 1 [MF]

CM 5 [MF]

CM 4 [MF]

CM 3 [MF]

Daisuke - Itsudatte (Hourou Musuko OP Single)

2011-03-14T08:30:00.001+08:00

RELEASED: 03.02.2011
LABEL: Epic Records
TRACKLIST:
1. Itsudatte
2. Aishi no Lilly
3. Itsudatte - instrumental -

BUY @ Amazon | Yesasia

This blog is written by

2011-03-12T13:43:00.000+08:00

a female somewhere between 18-25 years old. The writing style is personal and happy most of the time. ~ URLAI.com

Mid-Season Round-Up 2: Moe all around

2011-03-09T22:59:00.000+08:00

Kimi ni Todoke 2nd Season 7-8

Just when you thought this show couldn't get any more frustrating, Sawako and Kazehaya finally tell each other their feelings only to misunderstand each other as to the meaning of "like." Kazehaya thinks that Sawako only likes him as a friend and Sawako thinks the same with him, when in reality both of them feel the other way around. But do they bother to tell each other that? No. They stutter a few words, stare at each other and then somehow believe they know what each other is talking about. That is NOT how you communicate, kids. And it takes another whole episode for Sawako to make complete sense of it all so now hopefully, by episode 9, we'll finally have the long-awaited confession scene.

Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica 7-9

Wow, this show surprised me. I didn't expect it to be so dark. I thought this was a satire and I was expecting humor and wit, and well, there's still plenty of that here but of a darker variety. In these episodes, Madoka loses two friends but gains an old one as a result, more is revealed about Homura-chan as well as Kyubey, plus SUBPLOT, baby! Things are certainly becoming stranger and stranger.

GOSICK 8-9

The conclusion of the valley of the wolves episode has Victorika solving the puzzle that is her mother's past as well as her relationship with Kujo. There's a little role reversal as Victorika saves Kujo's life this time, instead of the other way around. In the next episode, Victorika faces the one puzzle she cannot solve: how to put on an obi. Meanwhile, Kujo goes shopping on his own and stumbles upon a new mystery involving the "blue rose" as well as creepy-looking mannequins. The plot for GOSICK is pretty weak. Even so, the episodes are entertaining enough and really, no one should try watching this show for the mystery-solving detective work.

Hourou Musuko 6-7

Despite some minor glitches and backstage drama, the play is a success. Mako gains his confidence, with the subtle help of Chiba, and everyone just has a lot of fun. Chiba and Takatsuki are still not friends but Nitori and Anna almost are. Then, all of a sudden, the next episode hits us with the shocking news: Nitori and Anna are dating. Huh?! Was not expecting that. Chiba gets upset, obviously, and stops going to school. Takatsuki who feels responsible for breaking the news to her goes to visit her at her home but Chiba is her usual cheery sociable (sarcastic) self. But the two more or less come to an understanding. Hm. Subtle drama is subtle.

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Yoshiki Lisa - Destin Histoire (GOSICK OP Single)

2011-03-06T18:41:00.002+08:00

RELEASED: 03.02.2011
LABEL: Columbia
TRACKLIST:
1. Destin Histoire
2. Kagiri Aru Sekai de
3. Destin Histoire (instrumental)
4. Kagiri Aru Sekai de (instrumental)

BUY @ Play-Asia (CD+DVD Limited Edition) (Normal Edition) | Yesasia (CD+DVD Limited Edition) (Normal Edition)

COMMENTS:

I actually like this single. The intro for Destin Histoire is pretty neat and makes you think like you're up for something baroque or, at the very least, renaissance...and then the heavy guitar riffs come in and the singer sings the first note and it's cool. The second track is also good head music. The instrumental tracks are your regular instrumental tracks.

Rie Fu - For You (Hourou Musuko ED Single)

2011-03-04T08:53:00.001+08:00

RELEASED: 02.16.2011
LABEL: Sony Music Entertainment Japan
TRACKLIST:
1. For You
2. Come On Come On
3. One Bite
4. For You (instrumental)

BUY @ Amazon (Regular Edition) (Limited Edition) | Yesasia (Normal Edition) (SINGLE+DVD)

Claymore 113: I shed tears...real fucking tears

2011-03-02T22:07:00.000+08:00

SPOILER!!!!

Ohmyfuckingnoodles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111111 YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES!!!!!!!!!! I FUCKING KNEW IT! Miria! Miriaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!

*cough*

Ok. So anyway, in this chapter, we've got the organization men talking about their ultimate weapon: former nos. 1 whom they have patched up together and are now almost battle-ready. A former no. 1 Cassandra is mentioned due to the fact that her death is particularly gruesome, having been sliced up into bits and pieces by claymores who came to dispatch her. This leads to Louvre alluding to a recent event that is not unlike Cassandra's demise in terms of gruesomeness.

Meanwhile, the Miria-less Fab 7 and their posies have decided to attack the organization's awakened ones research facility to the north. This they do even knowing that they would lose their surprise advantage as well as alert the enemy to their location.

As the claymores line up to meet them, Louvre muses how they don't even display the slightest hesitation. Then, somebody monologues about how claymores from all over the island have been called back to headquarters because of an impending attack from an unknown group. However, they were surprised to find not a group of evil enemies come to face them but a lone claymore, someone they did not know. Alone and unallied, this single warrior nevertheless had such overwhelming power that she was able to break through their defenses and incapacitate single digits all without killing or seriously wounding them.

When the fallen claymores regained consciousness, they were awed by the fact that they had been allowed to survive. Surprised, confused and doubtful, the claymores were unable to set down their blades, not when the organization was keeping a close eye on them. Instead, they made a coordinated attack on the warrior. They apparently made such a huge mess that the organization men were unable to bear looking at the warrior's mangled body. The order to clean up was given, but the organization does not know is that none of the claymores were able to deal the finishing blow...

At that moment, the claymores heading to defend the northern mountain path stop and turn towards someone stepping out from their ranks. Her silhouette looks familiar. It's Phantom Miria!

COMMENTS:

Miria's sporting shiny new scars! It looks so badass! And her hair is down, she IZ S3RI0Uz yo! Also, ohmygod, former nos. 1? Does this mean what I think -- what I hope -- it means? Are we finally going to see....Teresa I-cannot-even-bring-myself-to-say-her-name-without-bursting-into-tears????? This chapter is seriously awesome u guys. READ IT!