Kemonozume: Don't Let "Fugly" Art Discourage You to See Something WTFLOLWOW

(The Beast Claw)
by MadHouse

Toshihiko: I belong to the Kifuuken and it is our job to hunt down Flesh Eaters.
*Toshihiko and Yura meet*
Toshihiko: I wanna f*ck you.
Yura: Let's do this.
*Toshihiko and Yura do their thing*
Yura: I love you but I don't think we can live happily ever after.
Toshihiko: Why not?
Yura: Because.... I'm a Flesh Eater.

RATING: B (NICE! Really unique~)
FAVORITISM: 3 Hearts --> LIKE

Violence. Guts. Body Chops. Gore. Nudity. Sluts. Erotic.
Not for minors and those with innocent or pure minds.

Kemonozume's an adult-themed love story with lotsa action, comedy, drama, and... wtf scenes. It's one of the most unique monster series I've seen so far~

Tron - Legacy: USERS RULE!!!

1989!Kevin Flynn: Two friends and I created a new world in The Grid. We had been doing a lot of cool stuff. Can't wait to show it to you, son.
1989!Sam Flynn: I'm thrilled, dad, but.... you suddenly disappeared! How could you break your promise T_T
2010!Sam Flynn: My old man's dead... but I have to do something about the injustice that's going on on the company that dad had left.
2010!Alan Bradley: Sam... I have news for you! Your father sent me a message... on my pager! He says you should go to the arcade!
2010!Sam Flynn: Don't wanna. *goes to the arcade and sees secret hideout* Ooooooo.... *does something and his surroundings suddenly changed* Where the hell am I...?

RATING: C+ (NOT BAD! It was pretty cool but...)
FAVORITISM: 3 Hearts --> LIKE

Interesting story concept, but I hope the it hadn't been that predictable or cliche. Characters are pretty charming but.... strangely not that memorable. Action scenes are awesome though~

Demon's Lexicon #1: Please Remove the Angst From the Brotherly Love Fanservice

by Sarah Rees Brennan

Nick: Demons and Magicians are a pain. I just want to live a normal life with my brother, Alan.
Mae: My brother was marked by a demon! Please help him!
Nick: Who cares....
Alan: I'll help you! I don't care if I'll also be in trouble in doing so!
Nick: ALAN!!! NOOOOOOOO!

RATING: B- (PRETTY GOOD! But it could have been better!)
FAVORITISM: 3 Hearts ---> LIKE

The novel's pretty good actually.... but it's just too angsty for my tastes.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: The Movie's Better As Usual

Edmund: I'll be much happier in Narnia than being stuck here in England.
Lucy: Rejoice, Edmund! The two of us are back in Narnia!
Caspian: Happy to see your majesties again. You're now boarding the Dawn Treader and I'm on a quest to find the seven nobles who journeyed to Aslan's country during my father's time. Care to join me on my journey?
Edmund: Absolutely!
Lucy: We have to take care of our extra company as well though.... our cousin was brought along with us.
Eustace: My cousins have kidnapped me!!! Bring me home at once or else I'll be telling the British Council!!!

RATING: A- (OH MY GOD! Amazing, fantastic, oh really wonderful!)
FAVORITISM: 4 Hearts ---> ADORATION

Like The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe, and Prince Caspian, the recent movie adaptation of the next installment of the Chronicles of Narnia series is much better than the source material. Biggest applause to the writers (or any other staff that's involved with the script, storyboard, and the likes) and the CG artists (because the special effects are really fantastic~) of the movie!

Manga Discoveries: Flower Boy, Modern Samurai, & Smooching Cat (ft. Liar Game Drama Season 2)

[ LIVE ACTION DRAMA MARATHONED ]

Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinally I've finished the whole second season and even the movie. Slept until 2 AM just to finish it, ahahahhaha!
Well, of course, the manga is still better.... in all aspects. I didn't see the point of making the series have Biblical references though (the vaccine thing became angel/demon stuff, and the Garden of Eden thing)... hhhmm... but it was okay. It just got my mom more intrigued, ahaha.
And oh, the drama gave me a nicer Yokoya, a female who's sort of like a Yokoya + Akiyama combo, a Nao saying she wants to see Akiyama more, and an ending. So I'm pretty satisfied xD Not to mention there was a scene like this and a poster image (not sure if it's authentic though) like this. Those two main characters keep on getting sexier, huh? xD Teehee~
Wah! Hey manga! If you plan to make the series much longer still... at least gimme more Akiyama x Nao scenes, will ya? Lack of OTP scenes is driving me crazy, haha!

[ NEW SERIES SPOTTED ]

From Left to Right: Hanamatsuri, Samurai Drive, Tenchi Shinmei
Favoritism: Hanamatsuri > Samurai Drive > Tenchi Shinmei

Manga Discoveries: God of Fire, Female Alien, & Anti-Church (ft. Crepuscule)

[ FEATURING A MANHWA ]
H*P is an anime and manga blog, so I didn't think of featuring manhwa here, because even if the art style's the same... they're still different from each other.
But drats, I happened to read Crepuscule lately and I couldn't get it off my head ^^; Ahahaha! Ugh, even if it's not exactly manga, I'll post it here in H*P, as a feature at least ;D So here goes:

It's about a human boy who has become an outcast in his community because his red eyes imply that he's a monster, particularly a vampire. However, one day he meets an actual vampire. They eventually become close friends and due to some circumstances, he was brought to a world where everyone is a supernatural creature. The boy who was mistaken for an "abnormal" kid among the ordinary kids before is now the "normal" one. Interestingly, he's still different among the rest in both sides. And as you read more of the story, he turns out to be even more different than he already is.
Back to the story, the two friends got separated. But the story doesn't just focus on how our main character will adapt to his new environment nor on how he will reunite with his friend. There is more to it; the mystery behind the painting and whoever helped our leading character easily pass his entrance exam are some of some of the keys that could help us unlock behind the mystery of the main plot.
The storytelling may be so simple that you could mistake it for a kid's manga. Many parts of it are actually pretty cliche even. But it's actually deeper than it seems.
It has a nice set of characters too. They could either annoy or delight you, but so far, I don't find any of them 100% stereotypical. I admit that many of the jokes are a little lame, but the characters are so adorable that you would no longer mind those ^^ Hehe.
This series isn't really that outstanding but even with its short chapters, it remains cute and interesting. I guess that's its charm~
By the way, I've heard that the creators of this series only post the chapters in some web forum.... and yeah, it's not exactly published officially. It shows that even those who aren't professionals can share to us wonderful stories =D
I'm quite hooked to this xD Setz's my favorite~ (He said "You will die" in a happy and innocent face xD Cracked me up so much) Hopefully he hasn't turned into a typical dark tsundere bishie when he got older.

[ NEW SERIES SPOTTED ]

From Left to Right: Hi no Kagutsuchi, Akatoki Hoshi Residence, Blood Soul
Favoritism: Akatoki Hoshi Residence > Blood Soul > Hi no Kagutsuchi

Manga Discoveries: Hell, Flower Necklace, & Dark Side (ft. Bakuman 110)

[ CATCHING UP ON READING LIST ]

So these three made it as the most loved characters of the series xD I'm quite surprised that Hiramaru made it there to be honest (I was expecting Shuujin) but I'm happy that such a fun dude like him made his way up here xD I love that guy... he's fully aware that his editor manipulates him and even praises him for it. That cracked me up so much xD Hahahaha!
Nice to see Saiko there, and oh Eiji should remain on top! Battle series mangaka being inspired by a little "RL" romance scene.... he's soooo adorable xD And oh Saiko.... he only had Miho as his other favorite thing.... daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw~ He's such a pure pure boy it's pretty unbelievable. Gotta cuddle him, haha!
Latest chapter hadn't been exciting though. It drives me crazy to see my best friend duo acting like they're in bad terms even though they're not really in bad terms (They're that complicated!! Aaaahh!!!)
And oh hang in there Kaya! I would hate to see you and Shuujin separated because of his stupidity ;_;

[ NEW SERIES SPOTTED ]

From Left to Right: Inferno, Hana no Mizo Shiru, Monochrome Myst
Favoritism: Hana no Mizo Shiru > Monochrome Myst > Inferno

Manga Review: Seven Days

Seven Days
by TACHIBANA Venio and TAKARAI Rihito
(Published by Taiyo Tosho in Craft )

A third year high-school student, Shino Yuzuru, met Seryou Touji, a junior in the archery club, at the school main entrance on Monday morning.
Seryou is popular among girls and there is a rumour saying that he must go out with the first person who declares love to him on Monday and then he breaks up on Saturday.
Due to curiosity, Yuzuru asked Seryou to go out with him on that day... (MAL)

[ OVERALL IMPRESSIONS ]

Manga Discoveries: Young Masamune, Future-Seeing Guy, and Story Collector Dude (ft. Kuroshitsuji 51)

Oh my god.... I've been catching up on series and at the same time checking out new ones as well. I hadn't been doing this for so long so this addiction had been quite... uncontrollable, lately. Ahahaha.
Since they're so many I guess it's better to do them by batches, starting with either a series I'm already following or a oneshot, and then to introduce 3 or more new series I've discovered recently:

Kuroshitsuji - Chapter 51

The official beginning of the new arc! w00t! I was sad that Arthur didn't become part of the main cast but in exchange, it's someone from the circus arc that took that place! Yay! What's better is that Ronald will be playing a big role in this arc too! He's so much fun; I'm very happy that he's in this~
The phenomenon this time involves resurrection of the dead, eh? No wonder the shinigami are involved in this. Oh this is interesting!
It was nice to see Ciel being happy because of Lizzy... Sebby ruined the moment though, bwahahaha!
I love this series but believe it or not, I'm not done marathoning the second season yet (only the last episode's left). I think I still can't accept the fact that it might be the last Kuroshitsuji related media that I'll see with Alois on it ^^; Waaaaaahh!!! Aloissssss!!!

From Left to Right: Neo Dragoon, Enigma, 13 Club
Favoritism Order: Neo Dragoon > Enigma > 13 Club

Anime Review: Night Head Genesis

Night Head Genesis
Animation Production: Actas, Horipro, Media BlastersL, Four Some, Bee Media | Director: Yoshio Takeuchi | Storyboard: Masahiko Murata | Music: Shigeru Umebayashi | Original Creator: George Iida

It is said that 70% of the human brain capacity is unused. If humans possess incredible power, it is strongly believed to be lying dormant within this region. This unused 70% brain capacity is known as "Night Head".
The famous work 'NIGHT HEAD' is going to break the silence. They were abandoned by their parents because of the psychic power they possessed. They are the Kirihara brothers, who lived in a laboratory within a barrier-protected forest. They have escaped from the laboratory, and a new wave of 'Revolution' is about to arise.
A new "Night Head" is about to be awakened.

[ OVERALL IMPRESSIONS ]

Season Preview: Winter 2011

Lack of hyper posts recently.... we've been really busy in various stuff this past few months. Hopefully this early season preview will make up for it ;D
Sapphire Pyro here, and I'll be dominating this post for now because I can xtine06 has some stuff to attend to. But she'll be adding her inputs here eventually ;D
This is going to be shorter than the usual season previews because aside from the fact that there aren't much upcoming titles in this season anywayz, uploading images just take me too long x_x I'll make up for it with... long comments, haha!
As usual, we;re going to be focusing on series only. As for OVA's and movies, I'm excited for Goulart Knights; Koisento seems interesting; but the one I look forward to the most is Supernatural; followed by Mirai Nikki:

SHE SCARES ME!!!! For some reasn I find her freakier than those Higurashi girls O_O.... COOL xD
IMHO, the upcoming season's shows don't seem to be as interesting as the previous season's. I familiarized myself as much as I can on the original materials of these upcoming shows.... but none had really hit me so far =/ Still, a number of them are still very promising so here goes:

Beelzebub
Sapphire Pyro: *RECOMMENDS* As long as the anime staff won't mess up, this will certainly do well because the source material is so much fun xD
Yeah, yeah, it's the standard shounen wherein the main character is just so unbelievably indestructible that no one can beat him. But the funny twist in this is that.... he has to take care of a baby (though it's no ordinary baby ;P)! Plots with "babysitting" isn't limited to shoujo/josei alone! Hahaha!
This series can be appreciated by NOT taking it seriously. It's so ridiculous and amusing that could make you laugh your a$$ off because it's just so... crazy! Haha! But surprisingly, for a "stupid" story, it manages to show some intereseting twists and... it has a story!!!
Another thing that's so cool about this series are the fight scenes.... they're just so badass xD Ah well, we're talking about delinquents after all.... but at least the fighting characters here are actually likeable. The biggest relief for me are the females..... it's one of the few shounen series without a damsel-in-distress... w00t!
I used to blog this before but.... waaahh.... I can't do it anymore x_x

Cardfight!! Vanguard
Sapphire Pyro: *FACEPALM* Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy???!!! Will these Yuugi Oh! wannabes ever gonna give up? Stop being a wannabe! I firmly believe that no series could replace Yuugi Oh in its throne.
*sigh* Or perhaps there are still tons of kids that suck up to these kinds of shows/games? But damnit... I'd rather they think of something new; create a new phenomenon! But noooooooooooooooo! Market over Innovation, huh? This is too sad...

Dragon Crisis
Sapphire Pyro: *HEADACHE* I've had enough of plots involving non-human girls being so fixated on a "normal" leading guy. The plot even mentions that she goes as far as wanting to bathe and sleep with him?
I don't think I need to guess abot it having ecchi and loli fanservice.... which I never appreciated. And this girl needs to be protected that much? Oh gawd, I'm so tired of stories like this. It might've been more interesting for me if the dragon girl is the violent type, not the fragile type. Ugh, just thinking how lame the plot seemed to me already makes me sick...

Fractale
Sapphire Pyro: *INTERESTED* It had an interesting concept of what the future is going to be like: everything's so high tech and people can go around without using their real bodies. It's sci-fi but it seems to have some supernatural twist, because of the dark stuff going around in the convent. Smiles are being regarded as something significant in this... which is cute.
The story in the manga is pretty interesting so far (even with the usual "normal boy's life suddenly becomes not normal when he meets the girl" plot). The art's really really gorgeous too *_* I'm hoping for the anime's art to be better or more wonderful than the manga's. Those scenes seem nicer in color *_*

Freezing
Sapphire Pyro: *NAH* I thought of checking out the first chapter because the plot mentioned about sibling love (younger brother loves older sister so much). Being an older sister with a younger brother myself.... I just couldn't resist it ;D
Sadly, this doesn't seem to be that different from other supernatural action harem shows (with fighting women)... it looked like only the women do the fighting... and of course they are sexy and will give the reader as much fanservice as possible.... yeah, even naked ones.
I'm not interested in boobs nor with women exposing their sexy legs. I see nonsensical fights and cfrequent blushes.... but a story I do not. Or perhaps I'm just being biased because this is not my type of fanservice... sorry =_=
I did get my brother to sister love though.... but the other stuff in it are just too unbearable for me ^^;

Gosick
Sapphire Pyro: *ROARS* Yes, I'm a huge sucker for mystery stories set in historical Europe.... but this one is really SICK... in a negative way!
I've seen a lot of genius characters but the genius loli here is just too unbelievably genius that makes her seem to me that the mangaka is trying TOO HARD to make this girl as incredible as possible. I mean, being able to read so many books yet talking normally to someone AT THE SAME TIME? Unless she's not human, I call her Mary Sue.
I've also read/watched a lot of mystery manga/anime, but the cases here couldn't be compared to those because the detective work in this sucks so much. The girl's deductions being correct are too coincidental... and she didn't even bother to investigate EVEN A LITTLE. She just knows everything! While sitting there! Oh gawd, another Mary Sue charactersitic. And did I mention that she's really very pretty? And it has been mentioned that she's like a human doll. I'll forgive this series if she is indeed one, or something like it.
The other characters? Leading guy's too lame to be a son of military officer. The inspector with a weird hairdo is too stupid to exist. The short haired girl has two sides and she's just there for the leading guy to have another person to talk to and be suspicious about for the sake of adding more "mystery" in this series.
And oh, it looks like the author is very proud of his/her knowledge in French because I was getting tired of only seeing the simple sentences like "How are you?/Are you alright?" and "I'm fine. Thank you." being written in French (I think they're supposed to be conversing in French, but only those lines are in actual French).... and ah, also the counting numbers in French in a certain chapter. Jeez, stick to Japanese. Or just use French words when it comes to terms and stuff.
I think I was too disappointed in this that I've been ridiculing even the little things. I can't help it!!! =_= BONES! Please do something else instead of this x_x

Haiyoru! Nyaruani: Remember My Mr. Lovecraft
Sapphire Pyro: *FACEPALM* I am soooooooooooooooooooo sick of plots with non-human girls rescuing normal high school boys. IS THIS THE TYPE OF PLOT THAT SELLS????
Oh gawd... that thought alone is giving me nightmares.

Hourou Musuko
Sapphire Pyro: *OKAY* It shows a unique and more realistic presentation of what people with... complicated gender statuses feel and act like.
However, though the story's really nice and interesting, I find it boring. I'm not sure if it has something to do with the fact that it's by the creator of Aoi Hana or it's because I don't find this serious and dramatic slice of life shows that appealing.
Anyway, I think this series is good, but just not my kind of thing. It's hard for me to tell what makes it remarkable, so I suggest that you look into Aorii-chan's post for more appreciation to this title ^^

Houkago no Pleidas
Sapphire Pyro: *HMM* Car manufacturer involved in some highschool anime? That's.... something new. And it's by Gainax, huh? Perhaps it'll be something worth checking out because it's something.... quite unusual, hehe.

IS: Infinite Stratos
Sapphire Pyro: *FACEPALM* WHY are there increasing mecha shows wherein the machines could only be piloted by girls except for a certain machine that could be piloted only by the leading guy? Are they copying Evangelion and trying to be as popular as it? Oh crap.... so many imitators try too hard but can't see the obvious that legendary series can't ever leave its throne....
Back to IS... ah well, seeing that there are going to be plenty of girls here with the leading guy being the special opposite sex.... I sense ecchi and harem once again. No... I'm tired of this.

Kimi ni Todoke 2
Sapphire Pyro: *YAY* I am still not updated with the manga nor have I finished the first season, but I still consider this as one of the most heartwarming shoujo series I ever met. And when you think it's using shoujo cliches, later you find out that it actually doesn't. The characters are charming in their own way. The story's simple yet really lovely. You can't get enough of it ;D

Kore wa Zombie Desu ka
Sapphire Pyro: *NAH* Serial killers? Zombies? BUT THEY LOOK LIKE MAGICAL GIRLS THAT HAPPENED TO SEEM A LITTLE VIOLENT???? And the leading guy has to go along with these girls? Errrr..... I don't find the premise that fascinating anymore so.... pass.

Level E
Sapphire Pyro: *INTERESTED* I've read some chapters of the manga and oh my god it's soooo hilarious xD It seems so random at first but things start to connect little by little. It's so entertaining and at the same time so interesting xD Now THIS type of alien shows that writers should look more into.... not the sexy alien girl that always lets herself to be groped by the leading guy that many ecchi shows are not yet tired of using =_=
And ooo.... two studios working on it? Staff seems promising? I can't imagine this anime going wrong... especially that the original material is awesome enough ;D

Mistudomoe 2
Sapphire Pyro: *CRIES* I could never appreciate shows with children being as perverted as grown men; much more if in the show, they are hell more perverted than the actual adults in it. So NOOOOO!!!! STOP DOING THIS KINDS OF SHOWS!!!! IT SCARES ME!!!!

Onii-chan no Koto nanka Zenzen Suki Janain Dakara ne!!
Sapphire Pyro: *CRIES* WHAT'S WITH THE INCEST CRAZE???!!!! Honestly, I could actually tolerate stories with incest BUT NOT OF THIS TYPE! Aaaaaaahhhh!!!!! I'M SCARED!!!!

Rio - Rainbow Gate
Sapphire Pyro: *HMM* I have absolute zero knowledge on the original material but it has Pandora Heart's staff so.... hhhmmm.... perhaps it could turn out nice.

Starry☆Sky
Sapphire Pyro: *FACEPALM* If you're only after the bishies, seiyuus, or prettiness, then perhaps this is something worth looking forward to. BUT I'm not one of those so I'M AVOIDING THIS CRAP!
I had NEVER seen a good anime/manga series that is based on a reverse harem game. The plots are more-or-less the same, and the bishies will all be too protective or have some special relationship with the overly special leading girl.... who will either be the naive type or the always-blushing type. AND IT IS ALWAYS HER ROLE TO BE USELESS AND TO CRY A LOT!!!! UUUGGGHHH!!!! JUST DIEEEEEE! DIEEE!!!!! DIEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!
Please don't liken this to Hetalia just because if Hetalia is to nations, this one is to zodiacs. Aside from bishies and personifications, that's their only similarities. Hetalia being NOT reverse harem and having women that don't need to be protected/rescued all the time made all the difference.
I love the seiyuus of Starry Sky. The artist of the manga is even a favorite of mine. But the plot's too hopeless.... it's impossible for this to be.... anywhere near impressive.

Usagigoya
Sapphire Pyro: *NAH* Too kiddie... 'nuff said.

Wolverine
Sapphire Pyro: *SIGH* GIMME GAMBIT INSTEAD!!!!!!!!!! *ehem* Ironman was such a disappointment and I don't think how this Wolverine anime would turn out will be any different from it even if the trailer looked really awesome. I also think it won't ever be as cool as the Wolverine movie. (Hugh Jackman! Love ya!)
I'm sorry Madhouse... I love you, but I really think it's better when Western studios do Western comics. =/

Yumekui Merry
Sapphire Pyro: *SCREAMS* ANOTHER GODDAMN KITTY SHOW!!! STAY AWAY FROM ME!!!! *despises the kitty that freeloads at her home that she's being unconsciously bias to cats* I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THE NEKO CRAZE!!!! IT ALSO DOESN'T MAKE SENSE THAT IT'S NEKO GIRLS WHO ARE IN THIS DREAM THING!!!! AAAAGGGHH!!!
There are so many species in the feline family. WHY CATS? There are tigers, leopards, lions, jaguars, and so on. THERE ARE SO MANY SPECIES IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM!!!! STOP USING CATS ALL THE TIME!!!! AAAUUUGGHH!!!

Alright, that's it. Opinions are opinions. First impressions are just first impressions. There's always the chance of the show being better than what you first thought of it (though from experience that doesn't happen that often).
If you want to see the chart version, Scamp was kind enough to create one

Fall 2010 1st Impressions: Guy Killing + Girl Hunting (xtra: Fortune Arterial's Bishie Vampire)

I suppose a lot have already mentioned on how generic and unimpressive Fortune Arterial is when its first episode debuted. I think the ones who could enjoy this are those who are bias to pretty art, bias to anything with vampire or harem, or other forms of bias. If not out of bias, then it's simply because there's nothing better to do. Really, it's so bad that I really wish to avoid it because it's so rich of overused plot elements and character stereotypes. The anime writers always have the freedom to change the manga's story flow, I don't know why they didn't bother to experiment with this one. Anywayz, this series may suck so much but.... damn this scene:

(screenshot form Aroduc's blog)
Gorgeous bishie that is crack meanie by morning, and a sexy bloody beast by night. STOP!!! STOP MAKING ME STARE AT HIM!!! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!
I wish there'll be some loyal fan who would be very industrious enough to take screenshots of this series, and then I'll just take & stare at this bishie's scenes, and then ignore the rest. xD Bwahehehehe.....

Alright, time for some quick impressions on the first episodes that I bothered to check out as an episode or just through spoilers (two for each). I don't plan on picking anything this season but I'm so easy to tempt so.... oh I just hope I won't be x_x

THE RECENT FALL 2010 SERIES IN THIS POST:
~ Watched an episode ~
[ Blood of the Reprimanded Dog ] - blood... gimme bloody corpses xD
[ The World God Only Knows ] - harem... rarely does it make me delighted
~ Just spoiled myself ~
[ Detective Opera Milky Holmes ] - magical girl fanservice
[ Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru ] - pretty cool & interesting seinen maid show but...

[ BLOOD OF THE REPRIMANDED DOG ]

We have a kickass main character who is just so awesome that he easily beats a bunch of punks. But of course, he can't beat the main villain just yet... and the main villain can't kill our main hero as early as episode one, so we have this favorite excuse of the main villain saying that he like's the hero's eyes so that he could spare the dude's life.
Yeah, yeah. That part of the episode was crap, but the rest is intriguing.
You see, this series has a bunch of pretty boys but things looked ugly in this episode. It's not because the art is ugly, but I believe it's more of because it's being true to its theme. It's a dark series, filled with death and destruction. How could something like that have a pretty fight?
And it's not just a game where the hero is proclaimed victorious and yada yada. The winner is just used for political reasons. There's something going on with the drug stuff; money and power is totally involved. Our players are jsut their puppies fighting to the death. And when it's fighting to the death, we see struggles of survival (not just in battle), and also get to see ugly things like betrayal, cheating, etc.
It may be SRZS BZNS but the preview of the next episode hints that there's some crack too. And I guess those who are familiar of the game or are seeing the hints in this episode that it's also going to be having shounen-ai fanservice. I don't know if the anime will aim to have any pairings canon, but the teasers would be enough to delight the BL fans. I just hope it won't go as far as... you-know-what. That's just.... scary.
I admit that I'm also after fanservice from this show. Mainly, this guy:

Badass Bishie Pose + Wind Effect + Red Full Moon Background

Shiki is not only a fearsome kickass sadistic bad boy in the series.... he's also the one who provides me the BLOODY (literally) fanservice. There's usually a lot of bloodshed on scenes of him playing with his katana xD
UNFORTUNATELY.... WHAT'S WITH THE FREAKIN' CENSORSHIP???!!!!
Waaaahhh..... my blood splatters and sliced joints and ugly corpses and stuff.... all covered with that freakin' "darkness"... uuuggghhh.... I'm lazy to wait for an uncensored version x_x
Oops! My morbid tastes might have scared people ^^; Ahaha.... back to the series: I wish the series had focused more on the creative fight choreography instead of just the bloody and angsty stuff.... the story's already so dark, show me something cool ^^; The music's actually pretty good... just not the... errr... songs. As in the parts with a person singing. The one in the OP just sounds... weird... and the singing in the ED made me sleepy. But if there were no voices, they could have been soothing to the ears, hehe.

[ THE WORLD GOD ONLY KNOWS ]

The anime adaptation was really good... especially the OP visuals! Really creative and... wow *_* The song... however... you don't need to be a grammar nazi to notice how awkwardly it was sung x_x She should've just sang in Japanese...
Watching the first episode made me nostalgic... I hope I can catch up with the manga soon (though I doubt I can do a 2-day marathon again like with Bakuman). I still remember why I liked it very much though: It's not your usual harem series. It's an interesting twist to see a main character actually capable of making girls fall in love with him if he wants to (when he's neither the "sparkling host club boy" type nor the "bland and so-so but for some reason everyone loves him" type).

And oh I love my OTP:

They're so cute~ And the girl reminds me of Botan from Yu Yu Hakusho (who is also a girl from hell with a ponytail and a broom). Oh nostalgia~

I love both shows.... Togainu no chi if I want to satisfy my gore fetish for my dark badass bishies then The World God Only Knows for the cute, teehee~

As for the others I feel that I've been wise enough not to watch anymore:

[ DETECTIVE OPERA MILKY HOLMES ]

This is a magical girl series that.... isn't for little girls. The main cast is for the loli perverts, the female villain is for the ecchi perverts, the young boy villain is for shota perverts, the blonde bishie is for naked dude perverts, and the katana vdude villain is for... errr... serious guy perverts. In short, it seems to be a series that is mainly for perverts that want a series with a plot somehow. It looks stupid but it's certainly something new to see magical girls losing their powers on its first episode. But with the look of things, I think the series is more focused on the fanservice than doing something with the plot. So... *sigh*.... it's giving a bad reputation (sort of) to my favorite fictional detective...

[ SOREDEMO MACHI WA MAWATTEIRU ]

I prefer butlers, not maids. But I still gave its manga adaptation a try. It was honestly interesting, but the umore didn't grab me much. And it also has something to do with the main girl: she's not really annoying, but her extreme naiveness is like begging me to hate her =_= I like her best friend though, and the other maid seems cool.
The ED looked fun; while the OP seems really creative to me~ I like it very much ^^ But even so.... nah, not following this one.

Fall 2010 1st Impressions: Psychic Boy + Youkai Girl (xtra: Arakawa Bridge x Bridge)

I still haven't marathoned the first season of this series either.... but I think I only missed less than 5 episodes so perhaps it wouldn't be that difficult to catch up, hehe. I can't help spoiling myself with the first episode of the second season though, and I find this scene in the OP very adorable:

Alice in Wonderland like setting! It would've been nicer if Recruit had the top hat, but still, IT'S SO CUTE! I love the beautifully bizarre yet very creative visuals~ The song, however,..... was she really singing? o_O I think it's the same singer but.... it didn't have the charm like the OP of the first season did =_=

Alright, time for some quick impressions on the first episodes that I bothered to check out as an episode or just through spoilers (two for each). I don't plan on picking anything this season but I'm so easy to tempt so.... oh I just hope I won't be >_<

THE RECENT FALL 2010 SERIES IN THIS POST:
~ Watched an episode ~
[ Otome Youkai Zakuro ] - more enjoyable than I thought~
[ Psychic Detective Yakumo ] - not as cool as I wished it to be...

~ Just spoiled myself ~
[ My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute ] - it's incest and fanservice no matter how you look at it
[ Yosuga no Sora ] - oh gawd no... the manga was surprisingly more tolerable than this.... aaaahhh!!!! nightmares!!!!

[ OTOME YOUKAI ZAKURO ]

Yeah, yeah, there's a youkai vs human conflict here. But unlike most shows with youkai, at least the humans are aware of their existence and they interact like normal.
Yeah, yeah. There's the cleansing supposedly spirits thing, obviously the villains are behind it. But at least instead of magical wands our super girls are acting like shrine maidens that kick ass (because after the flower branch thing, there's the sword fight, w00t!).
Yeah, yeah. The super girls, especially the leading one, get to do the action. But at least the leading guy isn't 100% useless. Hopefully there'll be some things that only humans can do.
Yeah, yeah. The story sounded generic and boring. But at least it knows how to crack jokes and make the interactions of the characters so much fun~
Yeah, yeah. It's such a coincidence our main characters get to have a romantic (or close to it) relationship with an opposite sex. I have no idea what's so difficult in having some of the main cast partnerless. But at least, THEY ARE SUCH ADORABLE PAIRS (trio for one of them rather). THEY ARE CUTE IN THEIR OWN WAY!!! I DON'T CARE!!!! ESPECIALLY THIS COUPLE:

I know that there are a lot of other pairings that bicker.... BUT THESE TWO ARE SO FUNNY xD All the holding hand stuff hint that they're so going to be together.... I just hope they won't get too mushy when that happens. I love how they're interacting right now~
I LOVE THE BLONDE BISHIE FOR BEING SUCH A SCAREDY CAT TO SUCH THINGS YET HE CAN GO HOST CLUB BOY MODE IF HE FEELS LIKE IT!!! LOLz LOLz LOLz YAY FOR MY PRETTY SOLDIER BOY!!!
I didn't like Zakuro when she was easily infatuated with Agemaki when he seduced her with his roses and sparkles... but fortunately things quickly got interesting between them when she found out his true personality.
Alright, back to the episode. Honestly, I don't see it fantastic (and the music's really....zzzz), but it has potential if there's something more into its story. But for now, it's just very very enjoyable to watch. Such lovely characters, they're so much fun that looking at them already brings me joy, hehe.
This is something to be watched for fun, not if you want to see something extraordinary, intellectual, or spectacular. Its characters will not impress you, but charm you. I adore this series.... I think I'm hooked now~

[ PSYCHIC DETECTIVE YAKUMO ]

I looooooooooooooooove the manga version (especially the one at Asuka) while the anime is.... hhhhmmm... it doesn't seem to be as dark as the manga, despite the dark themes and the seriousness of how the artstyle looks. I mean, where's the scene of the basement filled with blood! I was so looking forward to the scary scenes scenes!!
Speaking of the scary scenes, the anime hadn't really been scary at all. It's a disappointment to a horror fan, but a relief to those who are afraid. It's not as thrilling or suspenseful as the manga either. Instead it's so.... shounen?

Shounen in a sense that Yakumo seemed like he had some super power when he creeped out the culprit with his strange red eye. Then he's got a rival that has double red eyes. I dunno if the villain is an anime original or based on the manga (I haven't read that far), but I wish the villain has a different ability.... or someone normal yet threatening instead. Like with Death Note. Sadly it hadn't been like that here.
What's with the art style.... I mean, it's nice but it looks too similar to Requiem for the Phantom. Perhaps Bee Train is better with the dark action series than the dark supernatural mystery ones. This makes me think that Madhouse could've done this better ^^
While with the music, the ED's nice. While the OP... some parts were cool while some feel.... errr... off? I dunno if it's the song or the singer. And I wish there were more creepy parts in the visuals of the OP =_=
Back to the episode, well, I enjoyed it.... but not as much as I hoped for. I'm relieved that the characters are in-character and the anime didn't remove much of the humor, hehe. I wish the anime had given more focus on Yakumo's and Haruka's personality....... Yakumo was supposedly not as cool as he appears, and neither was Haruka as normal as she seems.
Overall, the anime adaptation doesn't seem to have fully grasped the cool aspects of the manga versions. I wish the anime was more suspenseful, eerie, and bloody. I also wish it had more drama and humor.... I've seen the manga version as a dark series yet has some heartwarming moments. *sigh* I like the Yakumo anime but it really could've been better. I'm quite disappointed.

Both Psychic Detective Yakumo and Otome Youkai Suzume were pretty good but Yakumo hadn't been as good as I anticipated while Zakuro had been much better than I expected. Zakuro was very enjoyable to watch, looking forward to more~

As for the others I feel that I've been wise enough not to watch anymore:

[ MY LITTLE SISTER CAN'T BE THIS CUTE ]

This really could've been interesting especially with that snarky main character. The sister's disturbing tastes seem interesting xD But it's still meh. Especially the incest thing. I don't know if it had really been like that in the manga and I don't care if people insist that it's not really incest..... those scenes that she does with her brother scream sexual tension that it's disturbing.
And ugh, even if I put aside the disturbing parts, it's really pretty boring to me. And I don't know what else its story could tell.... aside from more progress to the incest relationship and more disturbing scenes because of the girl's tastes. Ugh.

[ YOSUGA NO SORA ]

O_O... what the.... the anime is going all-out on the incest and the harem thing. It wasn't this explicit in the manga (at least in the initial chapters). Oh gawd... cliche and stereotypes... and the fanservice... and my eyes when I saw the sister wanting to be raped and to rape (that's how it seemed on that scene to me O_O! She disturbs me!).... and is it me or it appears that there's yuri in this as well? Dear lord.... I'd rather go with the fanservice shows that are aware of how stupidly perverted they are instead of some "deep" romance that do.... aaaaaaaaaahh!!!!!! It's scary!!!!

WHAT IS SO DIFFICULT WITH PLATONIC/PURE/SIMPLE SIBLING LOVE??? IS INCEST THE HOT TREND THESE DAYS???? IT SCARES ME!!!!

Fall 2010 1st Impressions: Old Anime Super Hero + Modern Western Super Hero (xtra: Letter Bee Reverse)

I still haven't marathoned the first season and I no longer remember to which manga chapter I stopped. But I know one day I shall catch up on this and there's something that I won't change:

Gauche will always be my favorite character. xD
I'm not sure if they intentionally "reversed" it to the extent that the OP and ED credits are written in reverse. If it was, that was pretty cool. If not, maybe there's a problem with the copy of the video I watched ^^;

Alright, time for some quick impressions on the first episodes that I bothered to check out as an episode or just through spoilers (two for each). I don't plan on picking anything this season but I'm so easy to tempt so.... oh I just hope I won't be >_<

THE RECENT FALL 2010 SERIES IN THIS POST:
~ Watched an episode ~
[ Bakuman ] - epic shounen series by geniuses is epic. read/watch now!
[ Ironman ] - a huge disappointment. please kill the reporter. the music's good though.
~ Just spoiled myself ~
[ MM! ] - as expected, it sucks. there's an interesting twist though, but made me sad.
[ Sora no Otoshimono ] - it still sucks but I'm still quite concerned about my OTP

[ BAKUMAN ]

FINALLY THE ANIME ADAPTATION OF ONE OF THE BEST SERIES THAT IS STILL SERIALIZED IN SHOUNEN JUMP RIGHT NOW HAS DEBUTED!!!! AND IT DOES NOT DISAPPOINT!!! w00t! w00t!

Well, the artwork doesn't seem to be as good as they look in the manga though. And for some reason, the first half was kinda so-so (it didn't give me a similar effect when I read the manga version), but finally it was starting to be the Bakuman I knew I loved around the second half. It was so funny and exciting xD Or maybe Shujin's the cause... haha! It's more fun to see how he acts with voice and background music xD Teehee.
The anime-only fans will finally be more familiar to the manga world thanks to this series. Hopefully that'll help boost up manga sales somehow, not only on Bakuman tankoubon or Shounen Jump issues, but even other manga and manga magazines as well.
I hope people won't be watching this just because it's mainstream shounen or only because the geniuses behind Death Note are had created it. Bakuman'samazing in its own way. It's no regular shounen.... seriously, what other slice-of-life shounen series that you know that made it this big? Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, Dragonball.... the popular mainstream series have characters with superpowers. Even Death Note. I can't recall any aside from Bakuman.
In this series, we have kids with no superhuman abilities and can actually exist in real life. And unlike most mainstream shounen, it has decent character and story development.... rivalry's not with a tsundere and romance is canon!!!! I loooooooooooooooooove those that deviate from the usual xD
If you're still deciding whether to follow Bakuman or not, DON'T THINK ANYMORE! JUST WATCH/READ!!! IT'S AWESOME!!! REALLY REALLY REALLY AWESOME!!!!

HELL YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Which reminds me that I have to catch up on the manga already. I think I stopped around chapter... 40+ O_O;;;; Gah!
Oh yeah, among all the OP and ED themes I've seen so far, Bias aside, Bakuman is still the best in both themes, in my opinion. Especially the ED! And yes, even the random super hero OP was... it was classic xD Teehee.

[ IRONMAN ]

I'm no hardcore Marvel fan but I do adore movie/series adaptations of Western comic super heroes. I have been familiar with Ironman since childhood but I honestly only understood its story better upon seeing the recent movies with Robert Downey, Jr. Seeing Madhouse, a studio that I salute to, working on an anime adaptation of this popular superhero.... that got me really curious~
So, it has finally debuted and instead of introducing Ironman to us all over again, the target audience seems to be those who are already familiar with the story The story in this series seems to be original.... and instead of an Ironman series... it's more like an "Ironman in Japan" series. I mean, it's sort of like.... with "CSI: Miami" and "CSI: Las Vegas". That sort of thing. Same super hero (with CSI it's a different cast though, but still same "type of heroes"), just in a different setting for a particular season.
It's nice to see the cultural differences... and that Tony Stark is still in-character. (Stark speaking in Japanese is already o_O What more if he acts like one! O_O;;;) He doesn't seem to be as funny as his movie version though. :/
I'm not happy with this episode. My disappointment is the animation.... because it sucked. Perhaps they only focused on making the fight scenes and the OP/ED themes look good, because the rest look... meh. The music's very cool though.
The first episode is honestly a huge disappointment for me that I don't care about what happens next anymore.... if it weren't for this scene in the OP:

HELLO BISHIE!! WHAT'S YOUR NAME???? xD
Is he an anime original or an actual Ironman character in the comics?

*after a while* I've been thinking about it and.... I've decided not to bother with this series anymore. Why?: BECAUSE OF THE FREAKIN' FEMALE REPORTER.
I am very very very very very sick of seeing a lame female reporter in a super hero series. Let me share that I don't like Superman and his story at all..... much more of the damsel-in-distress he always needs to rescue and apparently she is a reporter. See the connection? UUUUGGGHHH!!! I don't wanna see Louis Lane-like females!!! I will not be surprised if she'll be rescued by Tony in a future episode. (My relief that she's not the canon Tony love interest)
And even if that girl wasn't a reporter, she's already so annoying. The Ironman anime was already pretty bad for me.... but could have been tolerable if only her existence didn't make it worse. Sadly, bishie in the OP didn't brighten things up for me. I have a feeling that he'll just be some typical villain wanting to ruin Ironman for being a star and also wanting to destroy the world just because he feels like it. Meh.

Bakuman was fantastic while Ironman had been a disappointment. Fortunately I watched Ironman first, so I'm in a good mood right now thanks to Bakuman~

As for the others I feel that I've been wise enough not to watch anymore:

[ MM! ]

I didn't like the manga and the anime is just as lame. I'm surprised on the twist on the leading guy's crush though O_O that character almost became my favorite for being cute. O_O Sadly, even if there are several bishies here, it'll mostly spend more time on the fanservice type that annoy me. Gotta admit that I find the OP and ED theme songs pretty catchy tough, but the scenes make me puke. Ugh. The masochism idea was a waste... they just use it for fanservice and overused jokes =_=

[ SORA NO OTOSHIMONO 2 ]

As usual, my only concern here is my OTP while the rest I only wish them death Unfortunately, my OTP only had a quick moment on their own here. It seems that my goddess was sort of half naked when she showed the tattoo writing on her back to my fave bishie while they're inside a dark room.
Wait... dark room... almost half naked woman.... the two of them alone. It feels... wrong... O_O
But they're not doing anything.... fishy... I think. I don't even know if they're canon already. Well, they should be. Or maybe I'll just imagine it because I can't stand to marathon the whole series just to figure that one out =_=

Durarara!! - Episode 12.5

The professor stole the weapon and escaped the organization, but he was cornered eventually... He entrusts it to the beautiful psychic and dies!

The "beautiful psychic" that got the "weapon" in DRRR!! RL version is Orihara Izaya.

*laughing so hard.... it lasted for quite a long time*

*finally returns to her senses.... somehow* Ahahahaha xD Okayz. let me distract myself with this totally random scene from some manga:

Recognize familiar characters there? Shocking to see them casually in a fastfood restaurant together, yes or YES? LOLz

Alright, now onto this special episode that takes place between Episode 12 and Episode 13~

[ THE STAFF MEMBERS ARE GENIUSES AS USUAL ]

(PLEASE TELL ME THAT THIS HABIT OF ISAAC AND MIRIA CAMEOS IS A HINT THAT BRAINS BASE IS PLANNING TO MAKE A BACCANO! SEQUEL SOON!!! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE!)

Here they go again with a unique narration style, explaining to you what the heck is going on as it features what happened earlier part by part later in the episode. I'm so pleased that the staff doesn't run out of creativity, and they still manage to execute them well. *worships*
My complain though is the Engrish.... seriously, they should get voice actors that can speak the language better. They're not major characters anywayz. They should've had enough budget for that by now T_T

[ WALKER AND HIS NOVEL OF AWESOME ]

(I WANT SHIZAYA DOLLS TO PLAY WITH TOO!!!! xD)

It was so cute to watch how much Walker insisted that everything that he has been writing in his novel is becoming a reality. Haha! Some had been pretty close to what really happened, but most of them are more of.... what he insists to be close to what he wrote to his novel, hehe.
I like the story he makes.... they're so out of this world. As a fiction lover, I find it entertaining~ Hehe. And through Walker, we could see that Narita-sensei has more interesting story ideas~
I also love Narita's message in this episode by the way: Reality is stranger than Fiction
It's so true..... frighteningly true. That's why reality is sometimes scarier ^^ Hehe.

[ THE ALIENS ARE REAL.... ? ]

(I love Shinra's expression upon hearing how wtf the alien video was... LOLz! And Celty checking if he's not an alien!! So cute xD)

No matter how much Shinra tells Celty, indirectly or directly, that aliens don't exist.... she's still believes in them. It's so cute when she's so frightened about them and believes everything that was said on TV. It would not be more difficult to convince her now that she has seen "aliens" herself, hahaha!
It's not a surprise that Walker and Erika also believed in such.... they're not an otaku duo and a fiction-loving duo, they're into the occult craze as well. They went as far as trying to call upon aliens, haha! It's so cute~ Like Celty, it would now be more difficult to convince them otherwise, because of those shiny flying things they saw in the sky. Haha!
The trio saw it differently though.... at least fireworks are closer to reality compare to aliens, haha!

[ SHIZUO NEVER FAILS IN BEING BADASS ]

(I missed his theme song... teehee)

Those "aliens" in the sky were mainly thanks to Shizuo.... who mainly provides to us some badass fun entertainment. Teehee.
My favorite is the tree part. He was shaking it at first but got pissed when the dude insulted his brother. YAY for theme song and tree swinging! Haha!
I think it was the first time we see their superior (someone higher than Tom)... looks like he could also tolerate Shizuo's... temper. Hehe.
It's nice that he could control his temper on women. It's just too awkward to see women flying in the sky like that ^^;

[ FANSERVICE DONE DECENTLY ]

(Pyon!)

Okayz, Shizuo is a personal fanservice to me and other Shizuo fans xD The actual fanservices are: Anri cosplay, the trio with animal ears, and the maid cafe. It's always very refreshing to see maids in a maid cafe just wearing their uniforms and acting cute.... not seductive or being sexually provocative that the other shounen/seinen series tend to do. *phew*
I think Masaomi's happiness is so shallow that he finds joy in being recognized to be hanging out with a babe with huge breasts and in a cosplay. Haha! But ah well, we know what truly made him happy during that moment....

[ SEEING THE TRIO TOGETHER AGAIN FEELS NOSTALGIC ]

(*sniff*)

So Masaomi dragged Anri and Mikado to do something that silly to have some memories on them. It looks like they are already expecting the time wherein their relationship won't be the same as before. They seem more prepared about it than I had anticipated when I watched the last episode. Oh this has been so sweet~

[ HE'S BEHIND EVERYTHING AGAIN ]

(Mr. Shiki.... crap, reminds me of the animanga series entitled "Shiki"... I freakin' miss it)

Well, sort of. Most of the dangerously wacky events are all Izaya's plotting, but it looks like Mr. Shiki also has a big involvement in it. We've seen the mafia war arcs among teens in the recent arcs of the first season, but in this episode it's the grown-up mafia version. Thus, more dangerous and... it's even international! Hehe. The act of the professionals are really different~

[ I MISSED YOU DARLING ]

(He's wearing something different! Too hot to wear favorite jacket, baby? Teehee~)

I LOVE YOU, IZAYA! I LOVE YOU, IZAYA! I LOVE YOU, IZAYA! I LOVE YOU, IZAYA! I LOVE YOU, IZAYA!
YOU'RE SUCH A SEXY BASTARD AS ALWAS!!! xD

[ OVERALL THOUGHTS ]

(WHY DIDN'T SHIZUO AND IZAYA WEAR THE ANIMAL EARS IN THIS EPISODE???!!!!)

Durarara!! doesn't disappoint as usual! This episode isn't just some random filler to somehow satisfy the fans who demand for more; It still made a connection to the events in the episodes in the series. It's not only focused in amusing the audience either, for it still delivers what it usually does: lots of action and well-thought (evil and crazy) plots! Haha! It may be pretty bizarre, yet it still has some intense, deep, and heartwarming scenes. This episode had been really wonderful~