First Squad (ファーストスクワッド)

First Squad – first corporate project by Japanese Canadian and Russian anime makers.

Description:

It is 1942. The Red Army is putting up a violent and effective resistance against the German invaders. 14 year-old Nadya is a medium. In a deadly air raid the girl is shell-shocked. Recovering from her concussion, Nadya discovers her new gift – the ability to foresee the “Moments of Truth” – the most critical moments of future combat encounters, in which one person’s actions will decide the outcome one way or the other.

Nadya’s ability is indispensable for the classified 6th Division of the Russian Military Intelligence, which is waging a secret war against the “Ahnenerbe” – an occult order within the SS. The Ahnenerbe summons from the realm of the dead the powerful prince of darkness, Baron von Wolff. With him on their side they hope to change the course of history and achieve world domination. To oppose the Baron Nadya decides to enlist the support of her old friends from the beyond – the Pioneers of the First Squad.

First of all that i notice was very unusual style of character paintings.  Film watching was very tensely for me,  wanna say that it is classic action anime with blood, voilence, demons , little girl is a hero (classic method). I think that film makers wanna to make some real money on it, cause a lot of young people  in Russia loves anime. Especially nowdays. So they make a realy good film with nice story, my recomendation.

00 S2 Novel 4 Summary

From kouryakukan, updating as I go:

000 S2 Novel 4 Summary

{some bits of this are more paraphrased than directly translated; I’m only noting parts where I’m skipping sections/heavily abbreviating it}

It covers up until Setsuna and Bushido’s final battle.
The episode with Lyle and Anew has been drastically revised.
Nena’s death scene was made more gory.

{Info about the cover and illustrations, we’ve seen the front cover, back cover is Cheridum, the pinup is of Gadessa, Garazzo and Gadess and the backside of it is Lyle and Anew again}
Since it went on sale after the series ended, there isn’t much in the way of spoilers but there are many new episodes.
Mainly with respect to the emotional component.

P23 Prologue
Lyle and Anew

{through P29, just Lyle and Anew flirting, there’s a kiss scene, idk I’m gonna skim over most of their romance shit because I don’t really like either of them}

P29 Chapter 1
Marie’s turned into Souma again and has a scene with Saji.
Saji fails miserably at trying to get Souma to understand Al’s feelings about keeping her out of battle.
“Are you trying to rob me of my chance to express my anger and my grief!?”

P55
Ribbons and Regene’s discussion.
It’s clear that Wang Liu Mei’s assets have been depleted.

P61
Explains how Marina’s song got on the radio, apparently a soldier heard it, recorded it and sent it to a radio station

P62
A shower scene of Souma was added (but there’s no illustration)
She reflects on Sergei’s death and her hatred of Andrei.

P79
Lyle/Anew scene, she asks him about his family

P81
More Lyle/Anew, Anew’s eyes go gold, apparently it’s not the first time Lyle’s seen this happen and has realized that they always get attacked a few hours after it happens {ohmygod what a fucking idiot}

P86
Illustration of Saji and Setsuna

P91
Chapter 2

P111
Illustration of GN Archer’s battle

P123
Setsuna and Saji out in the 00 when Saji’s looking for Louise.

P127-8
Depiction of Hiling’s feelings.
She demonstrates her belligerent nature, baring her teeth with her eyes open wide. {I hate this kind of not-sentence that Japanese seems so fond of}

P140-8
Louise and Saji’s talk in the GN particles.

P149
Added scene depicting Andrei’s feelings.
“It’s not a joke! I still haven’t even called her by her first name!” {sorry, no context to make that make more sense}

P158
Tieria vs Revive; Revive’s captured by Seravee.

P171
Revive imagines Hiling snidely reporting his capture to Goodman.
In her stubborn mind, Hiling swore that once the world was unified, she’d ask Ribbons to build a useless facility somewhere near the North Pole and have that stuck-up man demoted [to a position there]. {Note: According to kouryakukan at least, Hiling does expressly use the word “man” in reference to Revive; also, lol Hiling}

REIQ Hentai Works

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Cкачать архивом (228 изображения, ~66Mb):
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Все картинки по отдельности можно найти в оригинальном размере здесь

Youmacon Countdown

Image provider: blogs.mysanantonio.com

Well it’s that time of the year again, where one takes a trip to its nearest local convention to meet up with friends, artist, guest and so on; plus one shops for the latest around the block.

Can’t say much except that I’m excited to go to Youmacon; some may not probably notice me  during the convention, but I’ll be taking photos and film during the three-day (four) period. If Gohan voice actor shows up, then I’ll be probably wearing a blue shirt saying “Mystic Gohan!” on it for the kicks.

 Wanted to cosplay this year, but without funds to get a costume, it seems I won’t be undercover.

Hope to see some of you readers over at Youmacon this year (expect me to see me in the volunteer staff).

~NYORO~

Devil May Cry

I just finished watching the whole series yesterday. Well, it’s pretty good. For those who do not know, it’s based on the Devil May Cry video game. The protagonist is Dante, a demon hunter. I am not going to spoil the story here, check it out yourselves!

A little character outline here.

Dante is neither the “woe is me” type of anime hero nor Mr.Perfect. He is one frigging lazy dude who loves pizza and sundaes (apparently he eats nothing other than those two). He’s fourth on my favorite anime/manga character list. [First being Alucard(Hellsing) and second and third being L and Near(Death Note)].

Watch it online or download it here.

So How Weak is the Fall Anime Season?

Sure it’s easy to say this is a weak fall season of anime but how do you quantify it?

I could say that as of right now, I’ve seen only 2 shows that are good enough that I would consider placing them on my fall seasonal top anime list when it gets compiled in the future. Which is true, however this doesn’t really enumerate the problem well enough so instead I’ll make the following comparison:

Let’s call the following group of fall shows Group A:

4 episodes of Kampfer +
4 episodes of Nyan Koi +
4 episodes of Armed Librarians +
4 episodes of Railgun +
3 episodes of Sora no Otoshimono +
3 episodes of Miracle Train +
4 episodes of The Sacred Blacksmith +
1 episode of Trapeze +
3 episodes of Seitokai no Ichizon +
3 episodes of Kimi no Todoke

If I take all the entertainment and enjoyment from these 33 episodes of anime and compare them to a single episode – episode 12 of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Season 3, I find that episode 12 wins. Or to write it a little more mathematically:

Group A < Ep.12 SZS s3

Sadly, I’m completely serious and if I want to rub some salt into that wound, I’ll add that episode 12 wasn’t particularly that much better from the rest of the series. Here’s a recap.

Want deep discussions on science?

Want commentary on current affairs?

Want explosions?

Want chicks with weapons?

Want genderbending?

Want fan service?

I should run a poll: Kaere-sensei or Yoko-sensei?

Episode 12 had it all and it only took 23 minutes to cover all these bases.

-

I’ll probably get some feedback about including Kimi no Todoke in group A and because I haven’t written up my impression post let me just say that I do like the show but right now it’s seriously lacking in providing any sort of tension / conflict and I wonder why this show needs to run more the a couple more episodes.

The Top Ten Series: Mecha (part IV)

At last!! I do apologise for the major delay on getting this done, I’ve been somewhat crippled lately….blame the Soul Destroying NHS   Anyway, I have new drugs that are reducing the pain and swelling in my arm, so I can actually type this post up now – I’ve had it drafted in my head for weeks!  So I’ll just get right to it – my number 4 & 3 Mecha series!

4. Eureka Seven:

(For my review of this go to Short Reviews Part 3)

Thankfully this is another series that I’ve reviewed before (and that post is full of fangirling) so I can keep this quite short!  Eureka Seven was one of the mecha series I’ve only watched in the last year and I can’t believe I went so long without seeing this wonderful series.  I have a lot of love for Eureka Seven – it just seemed to have everything I love about mecha series and anime in general.  The world setting is brilliantly developed; I was really taken by the idea of turning the skies into oceans and having the mecha surf through the sky – it was an unusual spin on the usual flying mecha design, and gave the series a lot of originality in its terminology and whole mecha-verse.

The characters are what made this show for me however - Eureka Seven has some of the best character development of any series I’ve seen.  The way Renton and Eureka mature and grow up before our eyes is really special, but the supporting characters all receive their proper time to shine too.  There are clear messages being put across by this series, but it never comes across as preachy nor is its plot overly complicated – it’s a very enjoyable watch and one thats very accessable to everyone, even those that don’t like mecha.

The production quality was nothing short of stunning – even the recent Eureka Seven movie (less said the better there) didnt really have any better animation than what was on offer for this TV series – BONES really excelled themselves on this.  The mecha in Eureka Seven are organically based like those in Evangelion and they also transform into car like shapes for land use – but it’s when they are in the air that you can really appreciate the design of these machines.  They surf through the sky making the fight sequences nothing short of jaw dropping in their variety and complexity – the action is superb in Eureka Seven!  Even the sound design and soundtrack are pretty much faultless, and the voice acting is a wonderful ensemble cast.

Yes I really did love this series and had to include it in my Top Ten – it places at #4 due to it’s all around quality, and I’d definitely urge anyone to give the show a go!

3. RahXephon:

(For my review head to Short Reviews Part 6!)

Another series that I’ve already reviewed (I do seem to have reviewed a lot of these! ) so again I can keep this short (that review is pretty long).

On the surface RahXephon is quite similar to Evangelion, but I prefer RahXephon on the whole (which is why it places higher on my list), as it just seems to be much better rounded and a more satisfying watch.  EVA is iconic, but RahXephon has a better plot and vastly preferrable characters.  In contrast to Eureka Seven which had a complex but easily understandable plot, RahXephon is highly convoluted and requires some thought to really get the best out of it – not really suited for light viewing.  Its well worth the effort though, RahXephon has one of the best plots I’ve come across; very original and carefully crafted.   The central theme is a love story, even with everything else going on in the background, it’s the romance that keep’s everything together and strikes the biggest chord with me.  The characters are wonderful; complex and well developed – there is angst, but its kept to realistic levels and adds to the depth.

RahXephon is another BONES series (they’re one of my favourites for a reason) and the animation quality is once again wonderful and incredibly consistent.  Plenty of symbolic motifs and really beautiful backgrounds make RahXephon really stand out from the crowd, I also really liked the character design.  Its mecha designs are also really eye-catching and unusual.  Once again they’re more organic than mechanical, making for interesting movement and unique action scenes.  Nothing to complain about in the production quality!

The music has to be mentioned as its an intergal part of what makes RahXephon so different to its peers – clearly a lot of thought went into the score and sound design, its a wonderful piece of atmospheric work.  The voice work is also remarkable………basically everything about RahXephon has been carefully polished making the entire series a joy to watch!

I really rate this show and would urge anyone to give it a go – especially if you prefer shows that require a bit of thought, RahXephon is a stunning show and well worth a look.

There we go – many weeks later than planned, but done none the less!  I suppose most of you can guess what my top two are at this point by process of elimination!

Naruto Chapter 454 - Kelima Kage

Naruto (ナルト) adalah manga dan anime karya Masashi Kishimoto. Bercerita seputar kehidupan tokoh utamanya, Naruto Uzumaki, seorang ninja remaja yang berisik, hiperaktif, dan ambisius; dan petualangannya dalam mewujudkan keinginan untuk mendapatkan gelar Hokage, ninja terkuat di desanya.
Manga Naruto pertama kali diterbitkan di Jepang oleh Shueisha pada tahun 1999 dalam edisi ke 43 majalah Shonen Jump). Di Indonesia, manga ini diterbitkan oleh Elex Media Komputindo. Popularitas dan panjang seri Naruto sendiri (terutama di Jepang) menyaingi Dragon Ball karya Akira Toriyama, sedangkan serial anime Naruto, diproduksi oleh Studio Pierrot dan Aniplex, disiarkan secara perdana di Jepang oleh jaringan TV Tokyo dan juga oleh jaringan televisi satelit khusus anime, Animax, pada 3 Oktober 2002 sampai sekarang. Seri pertama terdiri atas 9 musim. Musim pertama dari seri kedua mulai ditayangkan pada tanggal 15 Februari 2007. Di Indonesia, anime Naruto ditayangkan oleh Global TV setiap hari Senin hingga Jumat pada pukul 18.30. Dua episode berurutan ditayangkan sekaligus, sehingga durasi penayangan menjadi satu jam. Trans TV juga pernah menayangkan anime Naruto dan sempat diulang hingga beberapa kali. Indosiar juga akan menayangkan Naruto, namun tidak dari awal melainkan langsung ke Naruto Season 4.

Akatsuki adalah nama sebuah kelompok antagonis dalam serial manga dan anime Naruto. Akatsuki (暁 , “Fajar”) beranggotakan 10 orang kriminal kelas S yang ditakuti karena kekuatan dan tabiat mereka yang buruk. Syarat keanggotaan mereka masih belum diketahui secara jelas. Tapi yang pasti, mereka semua mempunyai Kekkei genkai atau setara dengan Kekkei genkai yang unik dan mengerikan dan menakutkan.
Tujuan dan visi Akatsuki juga masih belum jelas. Tetapi mereka punya ketertarikan besar terhadap Bijuu —hewan legendaris yang mempunyai chakra yang amat besar yang tidak seorang pun dapat mengendalikannya. Sampai saat ini Akatsuki sudah berhasil mengumpulkan empat ekor Bijuu; yaitu Shukaku si ekor satu, Nekomata si ekor dua, Isonade si ekor tiga, Sokou si ekor empat,Hachibi si ekor delapan.

Setiap anggota Akatsuki memakai cincin sebagai identitas mereka. Masing-masing cincin melambangkan keanggotaan dan ditulis dengankanji yang berbeda. Orochimaru yang sepuluh tahun lalu keluar dari akatsuki masih menyimpan cincin miliknya, tapi sudah mati dibunuhUchiha Sasuke karena orochimaru terlalu lemah.

Berikut adalah daftar cincin-cincin tersebut:

• 零 – れい, Rei – Nol/Tidak ada: Dipakai oleh Pein.
• 青龍 – せいりゅう, Seiryū – Naga Biru/Hijau – Dewa Timur dan Musim Semi: Dipakai olehDeidara.
• 白虎 – びゃっこ, Byakko – Harimau Putih – Dewa Barat dan Musim Gugur: Dipakai olehKonan.
• 朱雀 – すざく, Suzaku – Merah darah – Dewa Selatan dan Musim Panas: Dipakai oleh Itachi Uchiha.
• 玄武 – げんぶ, Genbu – Kura-Kura – Dewa Utara dan Musim Dingin: Dipakai oleh Zetsu.
• 空陳 – くうちん, sora – langit: Dulunya dipakai oleh Orochimaru dan masih disimpan olehnya.
• 南斗 – なんじゅ, Nanju – Bintang Selatan: Dipakai oleh Kisame Hoshigaki.
• 北斗 – ほくと, Hokuto – Bintang Utara: Dipakai oleh Kakuzu.
• 三台 – さんたい, Santai – Tiga Tingkatan: Dipakai oleh Hidan.
• 玉女 – ぎょくにょ, Gyokunyo – Virgo: Sekarang dipakai oleh Tobi, dulu dipakai olehSasori.

Lima negara utama

Dari negara-negara yang bertebaran di dunia Naruto, lima negara dianggap sebagai yang paling kuat dan berpengaruh, yaitu:

• Negara Bumi
• Negara Api
• Negara Petir
• Negara Air
• Negara Angin

Tiap-tiap negara mewakili lima elemen (tanah, api, petir, air, dan angin; berturut-turut) dan setiap negara dipimpin oleh seorang Kage.

• Negara Beruang
• Negara Rumput
• Negara Hujan
• Negara Sawah Padi
• Negara lembah bulan

• Negara Salju
• Negara Air Terjun
• Negara Bulan
• Negara Bintang

NEGARA-NEGARA NON SHINOBI

1. Negara Burung 2. Land of the Claw 3. Land of the Fang 4. Negara Madu 5. Negara Kacang Merah 6. Negara Sungai 7. Negara Malesia 8. Negara Batu 9. Negara Rawa 10. Negara Teh 11. Negara Udon 12. Negara Sayur 13. Negara Ombak

Desa para shinobi

Dalam manga Naruto, desa para shinobi (忍の里) atau desa-desa tersembunyi (隠れ里) adalah desa-desa ninja yang berperan sebagai kekuatan militer untuk negara mereka. Desa desa ini disebut desa tersembunyi karena berada jauh dari pusat peradaban negara tempat desa itu berada. Setiap negara menaungi satu desa; contohnya Konohagakure dinaungi negeri api. Nama desa dan negeri yang menaungi mereka tidak selalu sama, contohnya negeri api menaungi desa daun, negeri angin-desa pasir, negeri air-desa kabut, negeri petir-desa awan dan desa tanah menaungi desa batu. Setiap desa tersembunyi menjaga perekonomiannya dengan melatih warga negaranya untuk menjadi ninja mulai dari usia kecil. Mereka digunakan sebagai kekuatan dalam berbagai misi, yang kemudian, mereka akan dibayar setiap kali melakukan misi-misi tersebut, dari mencabuti rumput liar untuk sebuah single payment hingga ‘gaji tetap’ dari negara dimana mereka tinggal apabila mereka menjadi tentara ketika seandainya negara terlibat perang. Desa-desa tersembunyi di lima negara utama dipimpin oleh seorang Kage.

Daftar desa tersembunyi:

• Amegakure
• Getsugakure
• Hoshigakure
• Iwagakure

• Kemurigakure
• Kirigakure
• Konohagakure
• Kumogakure

• Kusagakure
• Otogakure
• Sunagakure
• Takigakure

• Tonbogakure
• Yukigakure

Naruto Manga chapter berikutnya silahkan Klik disini

Planetes

Fuck you Hachimaki, fuck you.

A lot of times, people think back to the “good old days” of any medium (film, TV, music, anime), and only remember the good stuff. They tend to forget about the huge mountain of shit that got produced every year. That’s why they can get tricked into thinking that the current stuff is terrible, but in the past “EVERYTHING WAS AMAZING ZOMG!!!1!!1!”

Anime is not free from this. While it does seem that, with the onslaught of moe shit, never-ending shows like Naruto, Bleach, and Inuyasha still on the airwaves, and the fact that studio Gonzo still exists, anime is on the decline. However, that isn’t the case at all. Anime companies in Japan have continuously produced giant, steaming turds every single year, just like Hollywood.

One of those turds is a series called Planetes, which, like so many shows, started out as a good idea but was spontaneously aborted by really shitty writing, and what was left was such a bloody mess that nothing of worth could be salvaged.

Planetes, while technically a very well made show (nice animation and great music), had such a disappointing story (notably the ending), that it completely prevented me from enjoying it.  I was actually able to sit through to the end, but that was a punishment in itself. Fortunately, I’m a mashochist. Once I had managed to drag myself to the completion of the series, I could see why it did not perform well in ratings or DVD sales.

As I mentioned before, the biggest problem with this show is the horrible writing. The depiction of space was excellent and, for the most part, realistic, but the characters were so fucking annoying that it totally killed my interest. Plus, it deals with topics too heavy-handedly to be enjoyable in any way. If I wanted to watch failed relationships, death from cancer, terrorists, and people acting like assholes to one another, well, I already have real life. I don’t need to see it all again in anime form. Anime should really only be about one thing: tentacle rape. And there is no tentacle rape to be found in Planetes. Instead, it’s just a bunch of whiney teenage melodrama that would fit right in on MTV or the CW.

Hachimaki, the protagonist, is the one that annoyed me the most. He’s brash, an oaf, arrogant, self-centered, and all around a huge douchebag. The show could have been great if it had centered on ANY other character: Tanabe, Fee, Yuri, even Hakim would have been better. But instead they picked the least likable and least interesting one.

What I can’t understand are his motivations. He spent his whole life resenting/hating his father for always being away in space and never being there for him and his mother. And then, what does he do? He leaves his girlfriend, family, and friends behind so he can go on a selfish mission for 7 years. What? The? Fuck? He bitches and moans about being alone, but he’s constantly surrounded by people that love him and reassure him. He acts like a complete asswipe to Tanabe who, for some inexplicable reason, loves him regardless. It probably has something to do with how all women* love “bad boys,” and secretly want to be treated like shit.

In the end, after he get the girl and starts a family, he still goes away on the Jupiter mission. After all the emotional shit he went through, it turns out he learned nothing and still considers his own happiness and goals above everything else. Yeah that’s right, there was no character growth whatsoever. After 26 boring, annoying, so bad it’s suicide-inducing episodes, there was no payoff. What was the point of all that anyway? I can’t believe that Tanabe would actually be willing to wait for him for SEVEN FUCKING YEARS with their unborn child (whom he won’t see for first 7 years of its life) almost immediately after their marriage. Way to be there for your family, buddy.

Overall, the writing was just sloppy and lazy. The show began well, stalled a little during the early episodes, picked up steam around the middle, and then just fell apart in the end. Did we really need 10 episodes about Hachimaki doubting himself and acting like a brat to everyone? He’s a bigger whiner than Shinji from Evangelion. At least Shinji kicked some ass once in a while, but Hachimaki doesn’t ever do anything but mope around.

I get the sense that the writers had enough of a story for around 16 episodes or so, but needlessly stretched it out to 26 instead of cutting it down to 13. The fuckos at Anime News Network said: “Planetes is far and away the year’s best sci-fi series [of 2005].” Well, that would be true if they didn’t watch any other sci-fi series in 2005. However, in a year that also produced (at least in terms of U.S. DVD releases) Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Fullmetal Alchemist, Elfen Lied, Scrapped Princess, and Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo, there is no fucking way in hell that Planetes is the best sci-fi series of 2005. If by best they actually meant worst, then yeah, it’s the best.

If you want to watch an anime that has good production values, but does not have an interesting protagonist, has no character growth, and has a rage-aneurysm-inducing story, then check out Planetes. You are guaranteed to be disappointed.

Verdict: Shitty

*This does not apply to all women, only most of them.

400. Anime gesehen!

Jip, die nächsten 100 sind vollbracht.

Sogar schneller als gedacht. Gute acht Monate hat es gedauert.
Man erinnert sich an den anderen Artikel: 300. Anime gesehen!.

Die letzten beiden kompletten Anime waren:
Rosario + Vampire und Rosario + Vampire Capu2. Garnicht mal so schlecht, war damit auch recht flott durch, aber was besonderes ist es auf jedenfall nicht.

Ich lasse einfach mal weitere Zahlen sprechen:

TV: 151, OVA: 118, Movies: 72, Spcl.: 44,. Das entspricht 4,116 Folgen/Filme/whatever und bringt mich da auf 62,5 Tage.

Bin erstaunt, dass ich über 40 TV-Serien in der Zeit habe. das ist gut ein drittel, was ich über die ganzen Jahre gebraucht habe.

Dafür dass ich dachte, dass ich immer weniger gucke, beweisen die Zahlen ja etwas anderes. Stimmt schon, in letzter Zeit guck ich wirklich mehr als es üblich war und ich bin auch ein wenig stolz drauf. \OO/

Ich wette die 500 kriege ich noch schneller.
Das Ziel wird mein Geburtstag sein. Der ist ja in ein halben Jahr.

So ich bin mal wieder Anime gucken. \oO/

Anime Opinion: Sola

Sola

Basic story: Boy meets girl. Boy likes the sky. Girl also likes the sky. Boy: sweet! Girl happens to be some mythical creature of the night and is being hunted down. Boy: …wha? Did something happen? I was looking at the sky. Mmmm, sky *heart*

Add in details such as Boy’s sister not too happy when girl moves in with boy and displays obsession mostly found in jealous girlfriends or those seagulls in Finding Nemo. Or Boy’s friend just…being there bc her presence is mandatory in these kinds of anime along w her sister. And the fact Boy may not be who he thinks he is and you have Sola!

I liked Sola. I’m not sure why. Yorito (the main character) had a crazy fetish with the sky, to the point of maybe needing help, but for some reason, I thought that was kind of cool. I liked how he turned his ceiling into a portrait of the sky. I would never have thought of that (and frankly, I want to do up my ceiling in that manner!)

Matsuri was pretty okay as the main heroine. She didn’t do much to annoy me or PO me. She actually kept her clothes on too! Maybe that’s why I liked this anime because I didn’t have panties blinding me ever other shot (so for all you people out there that want some undies action, look elsewhere please. The only thing that comes remotely close is a trip to KAPPA Land.).

Takeshi (the guy hunting Matsuri) had to be my second favorite character, hands down (the first going to Yorito). ^_^ The Kappa Land episode just tore his I’m So Awesome Vibe down to his life’s nadir. I burst out laughing at the CPR scene. I thought: if only Matsuri would do that to you, she’d have no trouble escaping you.

Who I didn’t like too much was the sister, Aono. She had some creepy obsession with her brother. The closest analogy I can use for her is a father who sits on the porch with a shotgun waiting for his daughter’s date to arrive. Except instead of intimidating the guy with the gun or chasing him off, she’d fire the moment that person got into range. Repeatedly. Maybe even eat a body part if she got hungry. Yeah, she’s that creepy. Granted in the end she got better. Still creepy but greatly toned down.

The storyline was pretty good. I didn’t see a few twists coming though I could tell instantly that something was up with Aono. Just had that feeling.

Sola didn’t get me too emotional. It had some cheesy funny moments (Bearded Dandy had me smiling, just because Dandy sounds so wrong) and some tense moments (like during fight scenes) so there’s something for everyone.

Overall, I’m satisfied with Sola. Had there not been that one shot at the very end of the anime (one of those “interpret as you feel” scenes) I would have middle fingered my tv in rage. ^_^; But that scene was there and no finger was issued.

An Awesome kinda sorta day :)

Today has been a bit of a suprise of coursethe big news is that my observation results came back today and i did far better then i could have expected. However I shall rewind back to yesterday evening and the discovery that White Album is a rather amazing anime .

Ok I know some of you will read this and go what the hell is white album or even worse omg its a cliche Idol anime and one point i would have agreed but now ive seen it well im gonna have to hold my hands up and say I absolutely adore it in particular the theme tune this is a piano composition i heard on youtube today and well its stunning in my humble opinion.

Back to today (see how i did that ) Went to my course and finally won im my game of one upmanship against this jerk from another afterschool club so im pretty happy about that the session was pretty harrowing as we where looking at child abuse cases and well i hate having to read about that stuff at the best of times. Got an emergency call from work saying I HAD TO come in and cover for one of my co workers who had been sent home.

Tonights activities include drinking far too much vodka and watching Reborn and Shugo Chara (dont blame me i just love it xD) and maybe if i find time abit of leveling in Aion by the way for anyone who wants to look me up my characters are Huruka and Illea on Castor . Anyways thats all for tonight have a good one folks.

Top Seven Anime of the Summer 2009 Season

The final part of my look at the spectacular summer season is the countdown of the best titles of the season. This is always a difficult process since I enjoy so many different types of shows and there’s no clear-cut way of comparing a slice-of-life show to a shounen action show to a thought provoking SF drama set in the near future but at the same time, it’s fun because it helps me focus on exactly why I like certain shows.

The first step in the process is to figure out how many places will this season’s top list include. The number changes from season-to-season based on the number of quality shows that I feel deserve to be mentioned. This time I realized that if I included all the titles I thought were “very good”, the list would be much too long so I restricted the list to those shows that I consider “great” shows.

This narrowed the field down to seven shows and now the task turned to ranking these seven shows that I considered great shows. Picking the number one spot was fairly easily but the rest of the list felt like pulling teeth so; whereas, I’ll argue that all seven of these shows belong on the list, I won’t argue to hard over the exact order.

And with that, let’s head to the countdown.

Honorable Mention – Sora no Manimani

Of the shows that almost made it onto the list, Sora no Manimani was the closest and because it was such an enjoyable series, I figured it deserved to at least get an honorable mention.

I’m convinced if this had either had one of the big name studios attached to it or had eye catching animation like a Bakemonogatari then it would have been a popular series. Instead it was done by Studio Comet and outside of the nicely done night sky scenes, the animation was very average. Which makes it sounds like I’m calling anime fans shallow but I understand that with the sheer number of titles (and so many being good) that some way to filter down the number of shows that a person watches needs to be employed.

So, in case you’ve missed this show, Sora no Manimani is a slice-of-school-life show featuring the school’s astronomy club and focuses more on the unique challenges facing a club of this type with a lesser focus on the problems of it’s members. Almost every episode also mixes in a few interesting tidbits of astronomy. I plan on trying the easy method they showed for taking pictures of the night sky with just a normal camera. It’s strength resided in how it stayed entertaining and enjoyable without resorting heavily clichéd characters and became an even stronger series when they introduced some of the neighboring school’s astronomy clubs and their own quirky characters – gotta love the constellation fangirls.

And if the animators get a chance to do a second season (the ending gives that type of feeling), I’d definitely be excited for more Sora no Manimani.

7 – Aoi Hana

The term yuri is such a loaded term for the anime fan because 9.9 times out of 10 a show with yuri is using it for comedic purposes and fan service (think Maria+holic or Kampfer) or the story is so grounded in fantasy that it can’t be taken seriously. Using this term is helpful the vast majority of the time but in that 0.1 times are shows like Aoi Hana that are completely different then the normal yuri show. There’s very little, if any fan service, and the show is a more serious one and yet the story is told in such a way with the right characters that it feels very plausible.

A better way to describe this show is that Aoi Hana is yet another quality slice-of-school-life show from J.C. Staff that will remind the viewer of other J.C. Staff shows like Honey & Clover and Toradora. This show also features the best example of the sheer beauty that J.C. Staff’s watercolor look can lend a show. And speaking of animation, remember how people would talk about the attention to detail the KyoAni would show in their works – I got that same feeling of almost obsessive attention from watching how well Fumi’s hair was animated and how the snow was animated in the last episode. This is another show that if the animators wanted to do a second season, they’re more then welcome since I’d be really happy to see more from these characters.

6 - Kemono no Souja Erin

Erin-sensei!!

Earlier in the season, I talked about finally catching myself on this series and how I felt bad about missing out on such a great show for so long. Since than I’ve patiently and not so patiently waited for the next installment because after every episode I find myself liking the show even more.

The show continues to focus on developing Erin’s character and unfolds in ways that keep the viewer guessing even after 30+ episodes. For example, in the last episode I watched, Erin has become a teacher at the Beastlord school that she schooled in and graduated from. In hindsight, it’s clear that she’s perfect for the job but I wasn’t expecting something like that to happen which just reinforces how all these developments keep the show fresh and exciting to watch. Now we’re moving to the final set of episodes and I can’t wait to see what happens; there’s a very good chance that this’ll be near the top next time.

5 – Cross Game

One of the shows that will get in Kemono no Souja Erin’s way next season will be this show – I just know it. The drop in ranking (from being #1 in the Spring season to #5) might imply some drop off in quality but that’s not the case here. This show is as impressive this season as last.

The original manga author has a real knack at creating good, believable characters and then finding ways to tie these characters together and the animators have done a great job carrying this through into the anime. And if new opening/closing animation is to be believed, we’re in store for another big shack-up among the characters. Another strong point of the show is how the show can be riveting and full of tension without having to resort to cheap tricks and creating bad guys that need defeated. Occasionally, there are people who show up and feel like they should be considered bad guys but so far almost every character like that has been given the chance to redeem themselves. (Azuma is a good example and the spoiled, rich baseball manager is an example in progress.) The only two that haven’t still have time and I won’t be surprised if they see the error of their ways.

And you don’t need to like baseball to enjoy this anime, my younger sister only has a rough understanding of the game and zero interest in it but this is one of her favorite currently airing anime.

4 - Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Season 3

SZS reminds you to troll or be trolled.

Conventional wisdom states that Goodbye, Mr. Despair is either – not funny, too cultural for English speakers to find funny, or that the only decent season was the first season and from there it went down hill rapidly. I disagree with all three; I think that the majority of the comedy is gettable by even a newbie anime fan (if you like the type of comedy present in the show – which is a different matter all-together) and that the second season was the best season so far.

The difference between the second and third season almost wholly stems from Shaft being overtaxed doing this series and Bakemonogatari. The result was while the material of the show held up well to the second season, the animation looked very poor compared to the second season. I normally hate to dock a show for items not related to the actual content of the show but SZS is different, in that, the presentation of the show became a very important part of the show. I still haven’t seen the final two episodes of the series but I’m pretty sure Shaft has left the door open to make more and I think they should because when the world runs out of things to despair over, it’ll be the day the world ends.

3 - Taishou Yakyuu Musume

Real pitchers use the knuckleball.

On one hand, I’m surprised that Taishou Yakyuu Musume ended up this high but on the other hand, I wish I could have ranked it higher. This type of show normally doesn’t garner much praise – that goes to shows like Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 or East of Eden or Bakemonogatari so I might have chickened out and put it lower. What stopped me is that of all the summer series I finished this is the only one I’m already re-watching and loving every second of. If anything, I’m enjoying this show more the second time.

The show featured a theme I love to see – the underdog vs. the world. I loved it in Rocky, Karate Kid, Major League (am I showing my age yet??) and I loved it here. I deeply wanted to see the boys put in their place and have to acknowledge the girls as equals which ensured that I’d tune in every week to see what happens next. Taishou Yakyuu Musume also showed how the girls had to work hard to get to level of being able to challenge the boys which is another thing I like to see – hard work paying off. (Not saying they beat the boys because I’m not going to spoil the ending here.) At the same time though, the show was never boring or overly sports anime-esque; it was perpetually entertaining and light-hearted and slice-of-lifeish that I wished it had run 26 episodes. I don’t expect this show to be totally historically accurate but I also liked how the show was set in 1925 and they spent a little time showcasing how in this era the people where really caught between the old customs and the western influences that where invading all aspects of the country and culture; for example, some of the girls wore kimonos to school and others where wearing the new thing – sailor uniforms. So for all that, Taishou Yakyuu Musume earns it’s number 3 spot in the top anime of the season.

2 - Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood

With the overlap of the original series finished by the start of this season’s episodes, Full Metal Alchemist had no reason not to shine and has easily proved that remaking the series was the right decision. That part of me that has never stopped believing that shounen shows are the most awesome thing in the world is a very happy camper right now and even the slice-of-life part of me has to grudgingly agree that this show deserves it’s high position.

Watching the show and seeing it’s fights, revelations, twists, and reveals leave me on the edge of my seat and forgetting to breathe until the credits start to roll.

1 - Bakemonogatari

Like I said earlier, picking Bakemonogatari was a fairly easy choice for me. It had the characters, the witty dialogue, the story, the animation, the OP/ED, and it had the single best episode of the season (episode 12). Thankfully, this gem was picked up by much of the anime fan community so I don’t need to go into a long rant as to why this deserves the spot. So, I’ll end it here saying that Shaft better put together a second season quickly – I’m not going to patiently wait 3 years.

–

Well, it’s finally done. Now I can fully get to the fall season which I’ve sampled a few shows so far but will get to a full recon now. A couple of the shows, Kampfer and Nyon Koi, have left me really torn about how I should feel about them so they’ll need a couple more episodes before I can write their impression posts. Then there’s Natsu no Arashi season 2, it seems that Shaft has kicked the show up a notch over the first two episodes and that will make it one of the stronger shows this season – I’m sure.

Seiken no Blacksmith

Seiken no Blacksmith foi o primeiro anime da nova temporada que vi! ^^ E logo de cara agradei muito! O traço é muito bonito principalmente… (destaque para o Luke e a Lisa!)

Sinopse epi 01:

Seiken no Blacksmith tem como protagonista a jovem Cecily Cambell, que apesar de não ter grandes habilidades com a espada, acaba se tornando um cavaleiro para perpetuar a tradição da família de seu pai. Após uma batalha, Cecily tem sua espada quebrada e procura a ajude de Luke Ainsworth, um espadachim e ferreiro habilidoso,  para que ele possa concerta-la.

Acaba se envolvendo em outra batalha, desta vez contra monstros! e para se salvar acaba fazendo com que Luke revele sua forma de forjar espadas! ^^ (que é bem interessante, algo mágico… o q me fez ficar pensando se a Lisa é humana ou não…)

O trabalho feito pelo estúdio Manglobe na animação chama atenção. Apesar de ter participado de apenas três outros animes, o estúdio Manglobe sempre apresentou uma animação muito consistente e fluida. As cenas de ação nesse primeiro episódio mostraram que o anime tem muito potencial nesse lado, o que é ótimo, se tratando de um anime medieval.

Em termos de roteiro certamente dá pra perceber vários clichês só nesse primeiro episódio, mas eu realmente gosto de clichês então… ^^ basta que sejam bem usados… e parece que vão ser!

Acho 12 episódios pouco pra ele! Mas foi o anunciado…

PERSONAGENS:

Review:Darker than BLACK: Ryuusei no Gemini #1

If you watched Darker then Black one then is pretty obvious that you like convulted story with no real explanations, but a great presentation that allows mystery to linger. This is the kind of show Darker than Black is, and it seems like with the second season it has neither change, nor do I care for it to change.

Let’s first start of with the story. The first episode introduce new set of characters who are twins name Suou and Shion Pavlichenko. (sounds russian) Both of them are on a trip with their father in the woods, when suddenly the stars fall and hit them, and in turn changing Shion to a contractor. The story gets more complicated from there, but it seems like a throwback to the first series way of presentation, even if it is new characters; I’m perfectly fine with that. I thought overall it had a mix of light lightheartedness in the beginning to off set the later serious tone like in the first season episode 1.I hardly want to spoil some surprises in store you viewers so I’ll leave it at that.

The animation quality is pretty much off the roof, round the bend, and then some in the action areas and tense moments of the show. Everyother scenes would be nitpicking, but if there are bad things I have to note them nonetheless. Many scenes involving minor characters at times seems like a medium quality presentation, but transition to high quality, which really throws you off at times. Is better to be bad in one area for awhile, because a transition like that you see a drastic change in the character design. Still is minor characters, which would be mean to say they show up a lot, because they don’t. Is a feast of the eyes. The music they choose is on cue, and the sound of every action seems on point, not like cheap anime having no sound in many many areas. (Kempfer to name one) If you just like eye candy then watch it with no hesistation.

Verdict-Darker Than Black never seem destined for a sequel, but it got one, and is a true successor so far. Pick it up for your own good.

Update after a long absence

First off, I just decided to remove my “Bad review” entry. I may eventually re-review it, but I don’t have time for it right now and I also do not have the time to keep moderating these repetitive comments =P. Sometime, when I have more time at my disposal, maybe I’ll get to watch it again and give the review another go… but for now, deleting the entry will save me more time and will save you the energy it takes to disagree with me. Win win situation, huh?

Anyway, once I get more time away from my graphics projects [T-T my soul, it's being sucked out of my body... so many projects.... eeeep!], I should be able to post a review for the final volume of Furuba and perhaps post an entire entry for Fruits Basket, as an overview of the series in both manga and anime form. Also, once that elusive free time returns to me, I should be able to post a review on Code Geass season 1, La Corda Secondo Passo, and whatever other anime/manga I’ve read/watched since then.

Until later!
~Kaze

Canaan

La historia en un principio nos presenta a Canaan es una especie de pistolera contratada por una organización  antiterrorista, ella tiene un pasado un tanto oscuro, por otra parte se encuentra María osawa y su compañero (un tal Mino san) ellos se dirigen a Shangai para cubrir una cumbre internacional anti terrorismo, el momento en el que la historia de estos personajes se entrelaza es cuando un grupo de sujetos con mascara comienzan a comportarse de forma extraña y cuando a uno de ellos se le cae la máscara empieza a enloquecer y sangrar hasta morir Maria le toma una foto y se percata de una extraña marca en su cuerpo, en ese momento otros sujetos enmascarados tratan de matarla para que nadie sepa lo que vio, pero Canaan llega rápido a rescatarla,  después de reconoicerse y dejarla a salvo Canaan vuelve a la acción y se revelan sus poderes sinestesicos los cuales le dan una gran ventaja, pero pronto aparecerá una enemiga bastante dura de vencer.

Canaan en el momento de la accion

Canaan es una serie de 13 capítulos producida por P.A Works Adaptada de la novela gráfica del famoso juego “428:Fuusa Sareta Shibuya de” de Type-Moon donde la acción es presentada en su mayoría, especulaciones, intrigas y tiroteos, no obstante los personajes dejan un poco que desear ya que creo que el perfil de su personalidad no se logro tan bien, pero no es un inconveniente ya que la historia y la forma en la que es llevada lo justifica bastante bien, algo a destacar es  la animación que no es más que una chulada xD, y el diseño de los personajes es muy bueno convirtiéndola así en un buen estreno de este año.

Kullanhuuhdontaa

Bakemonogatari. Jakso 3, 17:39-46. Musiikki, animaatio, hahmot, ajoitus. Niin eriskummallista. Syy, miksi katson animea. (Hurja, taisteluvalmis lolihahmo sinänsä on aika kivasti rakennettu, sanoo setä. Kakkostunnari on vielä ihan peruskauraa, “asiantunteva”. Tekijät ovat Moetaninsa katsoneet ja niin edellensä. Pakko myöntää, että se erottuu eduksensa SHAFTin keskimääräisestä pseudoavantgardistisesta audiovisutahnasta, mitä ykköstunnari ja Maria+Holicin alkutunnari ovat.)

Sitten toinen, vain 2d-dorkuustestin läpäisseille. Jos kammoat yksinkertaista piirrosta, jalat alle NYT.

Mohiro Kitohin mangaan perustuva anime Narutaru, enkkunimeltään Shadow Star, on näitä yksilöitä, jotka eivät jätä kylmäksi. Varhaisteini-ikäisiä lapsia, jotka ovat saaneet käsiinsä paranormaalit “lohikäärmeolennot”, joihin he ovat jonkinasteisessa telepaattisessa yhteydessä niin, että olentojen aistit välittyvät ja heitä pystyy ohjailemaan. Hahmokaartiin kuuluvat iloinen tavistyttö, henkisesti hauras ja herkkä lapsi, yksi jos toinenkin empatiakyvytön, mutta kekseliäs pikku ihmispiru… ja joku, joka ei täysin ihminen olekaan. Julmuutta ja raakuuksia piisaa. Vähän kuin Pokémonin ja Akiran ristisiitos siis.

Vaan alkutunnarin maksimaalisen yksinkertainen, piirrettymäinen piirrostyyli, jota vielä korostaa väriliituväritys ja kankea leikeanimaatiotekniikka, ei vihjaa oikein mitään itse sarjan sisällöstä – paitsi että tuo huolestuneen näköinen sinitukkainen tyttö kompastuu täsmälleen samalla hetkellä kuin tuo toinen tähden muotoinen öttiäinen, ja myöhemmin nuo yhdet nappaavat hänet mukiloitavaksi, HÄH?! Sarjaa katsoessa huomaa, että tunnarissa on sarjan idea ja roolitus pähkinänkuoressa.

(Ynnä se valtava, taivaan peittävä iloinen, laajeneva Hoshimaru ja tultasyöksevä Shiina. Hitto mitä kuvamateriaalia. Sitä paitsi tunnarin indierockbiisi on oikeasti hyvä, suorastaan tuplaa koko pätkän riemastuttavuuden. “Ei unohda vaikka eläisi satavuotiaaksi”, totesi eräs.)

Kobato

Kobato

Here is a synopsis of Kobato

Kobato is sweet and perky girl, but also extremely naive about the world around her. She has a “mission”, which is to fill a mysterious bottle of hers with the suffering from people’s hearts so her wish to go a certain place that she desires to go can be granted. However, she must not fall in love with a particular boy she works with and whose heart she must heal.

Source: http://myanimelist.net/anime/5678/Kobato.

Some pictures of the anime for you to enjoy

Starring the great Kobata Hanato! (The graphics look amazing! )

Ioryogi-another plushie type like dog ( Is it me, or has there been lots of plushies appearing in anime lately?)

Thinking it’s a waste if she threw it out in the bin, so offers the garbage to the crows

Being chased by the crows!

What’s happening here?!

Fireball attack?

Kiyokazu Fujimoto- The other main character

Adding a lot of meat! what will the finished product look like?

The finished product!

Crying baby

Baby stopped crying!

Is it because of her singing?

I thought dogs, eat dog food only?!

What’s falling from the sky?

Some really awesome effects!

I am really impressed again by Clamp’s animation, they never seem to disappoint me. Overall this anime seems to have a great storyline, judging from the first episode. I’ve always realised that with Clamp productions, it always revolves around collecting something to grant a wish(Like Tsubasa Chronicles and Sakura’s feathers). Animation quality is superb. Overall, I would recommend anyone who is a fan of Clamp or Tsubasa Chronicles and you will not go wrong with this anime!

Hayate no Gotoku!! Opiniones

[Como es la segunda temporada de una serie, no es necesario ir en detalle en la historia por lo cual estará libre de SPOILERS]

Hayate no Gotoku!! es La segunda temporada acerca del mayordomo más fuerte del mundo con la peor suerte del mundo Ayasaki  Hayate y su hikkimori ojou-sama Sanzein Nagi. A comparación de la primera temporada, esta siguió muy de cerca el material del manga y siguió el orden en que los eventos ocurren por lo cual el humor y la comedia nunca fueron usados de más o faltaron. (En la 1ra temporada, algunos arcos tomaron lugar antes de lo normal, es decir de donde tomaron lugar en el manga.)

Entre las obvias diferencias hay que decir de que las dos temporadas fueron producidas por diferentes estudios, por lo cual la animación es algo diferente, si viste la primera temporada de seguro notaras la diferencia. La 1ra temporada fue producida por  Synergy SP (tambien hicieron el anime de Zettai Karen Children) y la 2da fue por J.C. Staff (estudio detras de To Aru Majutsu no Index.)

La temporada comienza desde el capitulo 52 del manga hasta el #147, pero como mencione antes hubo unos eventos que fueron usados en episodios de la primera temporada por lo cual se pudo cubrir casi 100 capítulos, aunque aun así es poco ya que hoy en día la serie lleva 243 capítulos.Entre los arcos incluidos del manga están: La maratón deportiva, el cumpleaños de Hinagiku, las aguas termales, entre otros.

El ultimo episodio fue el único en que hubo contenido no visto en el manga, y hicieron el final de la temporada muy adepto a la serie. Entre las referencias que pudimos ver  el ultimo episodio están:  Gundam 00, Code Geass y  Capitan Tsubasa (Supercampeones en america latina)  más un poco de humor con las ocurrencias de Hayate y la aparacion de todos los personajes favoritos, este fue uno de los mejores episodios finales de una temporada!!

Algo que si me decepciono fue que solo fueran 25 episodios ya que todavía quedaba más que suficiente material que podía ser usado del manga (Puede que tenga que ver el hecho que fue una diferente producción que hizo la 2da temporada.), más que todo porque el arco de Athena iva a venir muy pronto, hecho que la produccion J.C. Staff nos ha señalado más de una vez en la serie y hasta en el final.

En conclusión, si eres un fan de la serie entonces te tienes que ver la segunda temporada, es más directa que la anterior y la comedia esta desde el principio hasta el final. Pero si eres nuevo a la serie buscando por una comedia para tu tiempo libre recomendaría leer el manga primero y a partir del capitulo 52 ver el anime. Pienso que es mejor esto, que ver los 52 episodios de la primera temporada viendo que hay episodios inventados que no fueron muy buenos.

Kimi ni Todoke 1

How can you not love this face?

I started this manga a while ago, around the time it was listed as one on the most read shoujo mangas in Japan. I was curious, like romance and the plot was similar to Wallflower (Which I LOVE!).

After the first chapter, I was hooked. I liked the art, Sawako was cute and the overall feeling I got was sweet. So sweet I’m sure I got a cavity.

Now,  while the character designs and the art were, for the most part, spot on to the manga; the animation at times felt…. lacking. Not that that stopped my enjoyment. But it was noticeable. Maybe it will improve, maybe not. But for now. I am loving it.

This revived in me what the ES movie killed.

My love of happy, sappy romance in anime.

The only thing I can think to say is….

Refreshing!

El Santo vs. The Vampire Women: Eerie Cuties

We open Eerie Cuties with a segment called “EC Intro.” I had hoped would be an homage to EC Comics but instead turns out to just mean “Eerie Cutie Intro.” Quelle dommage. A kid, who sorta looks like a young Duke from GI Joe, gets chased around by two cute vampire teenagers in jailbait miniskirts who look like they should be at a convention for magical girl manga cosplayers.

The taller, raven-haired girl is named Layla. She also wears an exasperated look 24-7, to the point that I think a permanent giant sweat drop should be attached to her head next to her living skull barrette. Before you can say you’ve got a natural, natural, natural desire to meet an actual, actual, actual vampire, Layla digs her fangs into young Duke for a morning snack.

Of course, the bite is not fatal. (It’s tough to sympathize with vampires when they’re being emotionally manipulative mass murderers.) Bites only induce a temporary coma and a bout of memory loss. However, Nina, her purple-haired sister and the star of Eerie Cuties, still plays the part of the noble vampire: she never sups on human blood, only cherry filled chocolates. So while Nina is at low risk of contracting trichinellosis, she does run a high risk of Type 2 Diabetes.

Nina is accompanied by a living doll named Blair, who is supposedly a dude. (Tranny dolls: all the rage in Transylvania.) This character functions like Salem the cat from Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, only hornier and much, much creepier. For example, Blair likes burying her/his face into Nina’s below legal bosoms. This IS a Gisèle Lagacé comic after all.

Layla introduces Nina (and the reader) to Charybdis Heights, a high school where its supernaturally inclined students can study away from the prying eyes of the Muggles. The school is a hodge-podge of different pop culture snippets. You’ve got Harry Potter’s focus on magical children in magical classrooms, Haruhi Suzumiya’s school uniforms and relentless cuteness, and the Munsters‘ character aesthetic toward the “cheap Halloween costume” look rather than any resemblance to actual creatures of the damned.

Like most stories about a school of freaks, simply sticking a bunch of weirdos in one room makes it a story about acceptance. (Never mind that the school seems to have a standing discrimination policy against normals.) If a guy in our world has a possessed hand and had an uncontrollable tendency to molest kids, typically us close-minded human types would, at the very least, stick him on a sex offender list. In Eerie Cuties, not only is he tolerated, he’s on the school faculty and put in charge of a classroom full of young, nubile students. That’s progressive thinking for ya.

Each chapter thus far is focused on Nina meeting and befriending characters who are fulfilling some sort of horror stereotype. Look, there’s Kade Whiteclaw, who bears a striking resemblance to Inu-Yasha except he’s half cat! Yes, there’s nothing more frightening than a guy who might threaten to bat around a ball of yarn. Look, there’s a green-haired snake woman whose name, I kid you not, is Brooke Lynn. Sadly, she doesn’t walk around yelling, “Fugheddaboudit” or “Oy vey!”

However, not all students at Charybdis Heights see Nina as an eerily cute free spirit. Like a werewolf named Ace, for instance, whose name, I imagine, was his parents’ idea of a bad joke. He avoids Nina partially because he’s a racist, plainly stating that historically vampires and werewolves don’t get along. But, more likely, he doesn’t like Nina because she’s an annoying little brat who “accidentally” keeps seeing him naked. Seeing how nothing in Eerie Cuties really deviates from hard-coded anime stereotypes, the tension between Nina’s pesky intrusiveness and Ace’s glowering indifference will be interpreted as romantic tension for many chapters to come.

And lest you forget that this is Gisèle Lagacé webcomic, some girl’s boobs inflate to ridiculous sizes.

Notable contributions to the vampire woman genre:

The relationship between vampires and werewolves has been done to death — and what vampire woman would really want to date one of those prancy, mopey vampire boys anyway? Living girls, maybe, but when you’re a vampire, the last thing you want to be reminded of is the depressing ennui of being undead. Werewolves are more out-going and fun loving. If you’re stumped for something to do for the evening, you can always play fetch.

However, this is the first time I’ve seen a vampire woman (Layla) get romantically involved with an Inu-Yasha.

Memorable quotes:

Kade Whiteclaw, Layla’s “boyfriend”: “Wadda cuuute doll! And a cute dress!”

(This may explain why the vampire woman/Inu-Yasha thing isn’t more prevalent.)

Important Life Lessons:

Don’t judge a guy has got a grabby hand or wears a creepy mask to hide his balding head. It doesn’t mean he’s bad. Go ahead and give him a hug.

El Santo’s predictions for where this story will go in the span of a year:

Meeting more characters, including an octopus-man, some sort of bugbear, and the gang from Scooby-Doo.

The Triumph of Trivia

The assumption is that cyberspace is fast – that everything happens at the speed of light, or at least of fibre optic cable, that news goes around the world in seconds.

That’s only true of the technology. Factoring in the reader introduces the same delays that have always dogged the printiverse, not technical but human. The entirety of cyberspace may be rushing to your internet portal, but you still don’t know about it until you get around to opening the inbox and ploughing through the mail. You can ignore it, while the material world, messy and mundane as it is, pokes and prods and distracts and seduces you whether you want it to or not.

And cyberspace, like physical space, isn’t just fast – it’s vast. The speed of light is fast, but it still takes centuries, even millenia, for starlight to cross the unimaginable distances between galaxies. Out there on the web there are billions of posts and blogs and newsfeeds, all racing around the ether trying to get someone’s attention, desperately competing with the everyday stuff of life like feeding the cat, paying the bills, remembering where you put the TV remote and wondering whether to clear your inbox or go to the pub. Life usually wins, for the same reason that entropy usually wins: cyberspace may be bright and shiny and fun but life is persistent. The lost remote and the bills and the cat and your mates keep coming back; the emails and websites vanish at the click of a switch. The small stuff trumps the Big Important Issues every time.

This morning’s reflections on the triumph of trivia were triggered by a message from an old friend popping up on onto my screen. He wanted to know if I’d read the new Viz Media edition of Miyazaki’s Starting Point: 1979-1996 yet.  I had to admit I hadn’t. I had large sections of the book translated when it first appeared in Japan, because I was writing a book on Miyazaki at the time, but I haven’t got around to reading the Viz version yet.

It will be well worth reading. I’ve been banging on for ages about how we need more of this kind of reflective, analytical and critical work translated to build a better framework for the analysis of anime and manga in the English-speaking world. The sections I had translated and the precis of the rest of the book were intriguing and illuminating. Frederik L. Schodt and Beth Cary are sure to have done a great job. So why am I not reading it right this minute, or at least getting started once I leave the blogosphere?*

Simple: because any given accumulation of trivia trumps cyberspace every time – or, to be specific, because Hayao Miyazaki’s book, great though I know it to be, is waiting in line for my attention behind a couple of irredeemably and deliciously lightweight anime DVDs. I am, for the moment at least, wholly in thrall to the candy-coloured charms of Hetalia Axis Powers and Moyashimon.

I know, I know. Apologists for the evils of fascism may well have a field day with the idea of Germany as a brooding hunk, Japan as a sensitive fatalist, Italy as a charming goofball and Britain and America as self-obsessed squabblers. I don’t want to think how traditional Catholics, not to mention historians, might react to the notion of the Holy Roman Empire as a closet romantic driven to hot flushes at the mere sight of pretty, enslaved little Italy. The scientific probability of anyone being able to actually see microbes is minimal. I should be out there Doing Something Constructive.

But for the moment, the important stuff can wait. I have a date with a gaggle of winningly stereotypical Eurochibishies and dish upon dish of cute, wiggly bacteria.

* blogosphere: a universe with its own internal logic and music. Sounds a bit like a galosphere, but less rhythmic and less tuneful.

Autumn 2009 - First Impressions (Asura Cryin' 2, Kampfer & Book of Bantorra)

Yay copy-pasta from TSR again……may as well since I’ve bothered to write them

Asura Cryin’ 2:

Not a bad start to this sequel, seems they are actually going to address the plot at long last (most of last season was harem comedy moments with random mecha/magic battles in between ). It did start out as just another typical day (complete with standard harmen fanservice moments ) but got a lot better in the 2nd half. I can’t actually write much about the plot and new developments as it would quite spoilertastic – but I can say that this sequel does seem to be much more interesting. The characters are now established and they can get to the plot (took their time getting here!) – Asura Cryin’ does have an interesting premise (which is why I kept the 1st season on) so I can only hope the 2nd season delivers something worth watching.

The new OP & ED look to promise good things – an increased focus on Misao is welcome as last season there wasnt really any explaination given for this random ghost haunting Tomoharu (a ghost that seems to age and with an unlimited wardrobe!); hopefully her backstory will be explored and properly developed………Tomoharu needs development past typical harem male lead too

Angela is once again providing both the OP & ED and I quite like both songs (prefer the OP)……..although still prefering Spiral and Link from the 1st season ATM. The animation hasnt really improved and the character designs still have that ridiculous hair (plus we now have some sort of talking stuffed koala now ), but the action was nicely done and the set design was impressive too.

So probably going to end up watching this to the end – helps that Crunchyroll are simulcasting it (some localisation on the names going on though, tis only minor, but manages to irritate me – eg: when a Kaede calls Tomoharu ‘Natsume-kun’ its constantly translated as ‘Tomoharu’……subs are grand otherwise), means I won’t have to wait on subs

Kampfer:

Kampfer is so bad its gone all the round to good again – kind of like Akikan in that respect! It doesnt really take itself seriously and the fanservice is quite restrained in the grand scheme of things (they really could have gone to town with this gender-bender concept) – at least the boobs are much more normal looking than the balloons in Princess Lover! Kampfer basically has everything I was expecting; the comedy, mahou-shoujo transformation sequence and the action scenes although bland, were decent enough.

This 1st episode really fires a lot of information at out quite quickly, no messing about when setting up the premise here. We are told all about the Kampfer and their abilities immediately (by oddly hilarious Seppuku Plushies ) – of course its completely generic, but I wasnt expecting anything else. The comedy was surprisingly tongue in cheek – quite alot of seiyuu injokes which I didnt expect. Its nice that there isnt a total reliance on ecchi (although admittedly its the majority).

The cast is excellent. Maria Inoue is pretty convincing as both Natsuru’s male and female personas and Yui Horie is brilliant as Akane – her two personalities are highly amusing. This series has quite a lot of talented seiyuu working on it, so I’m expecting good things from the rest of the cast when they are properly introduced.

The music is fairly bland and forgetful…….although the ED has some pretty demented dancing animation – tis like a really violent carmelldansen sans hand movements!

Nomad have done quite well with the animation – although they clearly hate drawing men…….Natsuru’s male character design is pretty awful in comparison to his bishoujo counterpart! The transformation sequence just made me laugh with the way his clothes burn themselves off and on

So yeah, Kampfer is terrible and generic, but somehow I found it really entertaining definitely a contender to replace Princess Lover on the list – I’ll be sticking it out for another few episodes

Tatakau Shisho – The Book of Bantorra

Slightly underwhelmed by this 1st episode but there is some interesting ideas being fired about so think this could be a grower. At first glance everything seems kind of ridiculous (the costumes of the Tatakau Shisho don’t help matters – they’re so OTT compared to the background characters), but this show does have a nice dark edge. The standard ‘evil organisation’ are shown to be using human bombs (they call these people Meats ), which is quite a daring move; also the reactions of the mooks when they get dismembered is quite graphic with lots of screaming rather than just immediately keeling over dead. Having the dead turn into books raises some ethical questions about reading peoples memories etc – not sure how much they’re going to go into that though, the series seems more concerned with witches and magic

The animation is a bit on the dodgy side – the CGI is horrendous and the characters dont seem to quite work with the backgrounds The character designs themselves are good, although certain costumes just seem really out of place and fanservicey when seen alongside the ‘normal people’ of the world!

The OP is yet another ALI Project tune – although its not just as dischordant as the ones they did for Phantom~Requeim for Phantom~, tis more in line with their Code Geass EDs which I found bad, but not headache inducing. Shall probably skip over it in future as the accompanying animation is dull as it comes. The ED is fairly generic and the animation for it is also pretty boring. Voice acting is good – full of familiar names too.

So fairly meh beginning – there is promise, but quite worried about the animation quality if this was what we’re being offered as a 1st episode. Shall be keeping it on for a while anyway to see how things go.

Eden of the East - Final Impression

Final Impression:
Wow I’ve finally able to finish watching Eden of the East! Thanks to the storm that has stricken our country, it’s quite cold so I became lazy and decided to watch anime instead of studying physics and chemistry.

Eden of the East is a good series but it ended with a cliff hanger. The last couple of episodes kept me hooked with the plot and the answers to the mysteries that surround Takizawa, the Selecao and some of the identity and motive of its members. Looking back last spring I was so amazed with the first episode mainly because of the mystery, suspense, questions that the series presents and the fact that Takizawa is naked at the beginning. Yes, the plot is engaging and interesting because of this so called game that Mr.Outside made but at the middle of the series I lost interest because I’m confused since there are a lot of questions unanswered. I marathon it at around episode 8 and surprisingly it’s good. The end of the series is quite cool especially with the shooting that Takizawa did. There were also little details that I’ve noticed I don’t even know if it’ll play its part on the movie. It seems that Takizawa made an off screen request to Juiz that explains the beeping of his phone and why did he put his phone inside Saki’s pocket? Did he spend all of his money already? Is he the King of Japan now? What the heck so many questions that really need answers. I certainly can’t wait to watch the movie.

The only characters that left impression on me are Saki and Takizawa and their characters are I think well developed but as for their relationship I think it’s still raw. I though Isuzu was dead but no he’s not and I don’t know why the writers did kept him alive. I don’t really care about him. See, the problem of this series is the character development. They are not that fleshed out so I don’t really care whether they live or die. Of course I care about Saki and Takizawa’s character but that’s because theya re the lead characters and the story is focused on them.

One of Eden’s good points is the animation and character design. As you all know Chika Umino is in charge of the character design and she’s famous for her work in Honey & Clover. So you see a similarity in design of Takizawa Akira and Morita Shinobu which also has similar personality. The background is so detailed and the movement of the characters are also very fluid. The 3D used blends well with the 2D parts. The OP animation is really interesting and creatively done and explains some part of the series if you’ll carefully pay attention to it. The ending on the other hand uses paper-mation which is also creatively done. And the ED animation is like what happened in the last episode of the series.

The music in the OP and ED are really catching. I always found myself humming them while I’m walking. Together with the OP and ED animation it’s amazing alright. The bgm on the other hand, hmmmm…it’s barely noticeable because I can’t remember hearing it.

Overall, this is a really good mystery/conspiracy series that is set in modern times. Though there are some parts that are dragging and there are a lot of questions unanswered its forgivable because there’s still a sequel. Oh crap can’t wait to watch it.

Overall Rating: 8/10 (Very Good)

until then… ~ja

Dica de Filme

capa

Dragon Ball Evolution (Dragon Ball – O Filme)

Filme muito interessante conta a historia da saga de dragon ball onde son Goku encontra Bulma e ajuda ela a encontrar as esferas do dragão para derrotar Piccolo Daimao

Elenco

• Goku – Justin Chatwin
• Piccolo Daimaoh – James Marsters
• Chi-Chi – Jamie Chung, anteriormente Kitty Zhang era cotada para o papel.
• Bulma – Emmy Rossum.
• Mai – Eriko Tamura
• Yamcha – Joon Park.
• Mestre Kame – Chow Yun-Fat
• Avô Gohan – Randall Duk Kim