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~

[Novel Review] Demons of the Ocean (Vampirates #1)

Demons of the Ocean (Vampirates #1)
by Justin Somper

Connor: My twin sister and I got separated when we were shipwrecked.
Grace: Connor was rescued by the pirates.... while I landed into the ship belonging to the Vampirates!
Connor: Grace is in danger! I must find her!
Grace: I'm worried about Connor! I must find him!

I love stories involving vampires, but this recent vampire romance craze is making me sick. What a relief I had to read something about vampires again that is not entirely focused on romance! It made me happier that not only are the vampires her not mushy, their pirate traits make them kickass as well. The idea of a vampire and a pirate in one was really cool~

However, it might have been better if the existence of pirates that are vampires as well in the book had been a twist or at least a mystery instead of something that is obvious from the title of the series alone. Actually, not many of the twists in the story had been that surprising, even if it's so action packed and fast paced.

So many things happened in the book in every freakin' chapter yet there are still many things that are left unexplained. It appears that because the story tried to progress too fast that it didn't have time for character development.

Even the two main characters didn't have enough of it. If you think about it, they aren't really that different from what they were at the beginning. I have to admit that it's quite sickening to see Connor being too good in everything even for a newbie in a new way of life (it didn't take him too long to adjust to his new lfiestyle), and Grace being so lucky to be protected and pampered despite her selfishness and uselessness. I prefer seeing Connor having more weaknesses... and for Grace to be truly as smart as how the book tries to portray her to be.

My biggest problem with the twins is that... they're so special yet we don't know WHY. There has to be some explanation or significant clue at least on why our main characters take all the glory on its very first book. Harry Potter was The Boy Who Lived; Percy Jackson was The Son of Poseidon; so Connor and Grace are....?

The problem with the main characters isn't really the worst of it. I had so many other concerns with the flaws of this book but none of them could beat my problem with the setting. I mean, it's set in the future, where everything is supposed to be more advanced and high-tech... YET the main characters don't act like children from the future but some kids in the early 1900's. They didn't have problems in adapting to an environment that lacks technology because they appear to have no experience or idea about it. With that, I didn't see the sense of making the setting futuristic. It might've also been a great idea to have our pirate characters be on a high-tech ship... but they aren't. So the time period seemed pretty pointless.

I admit my disappointment with this series because I really could see it to be much better than what it is right now if only it did more interesting twists and avoided some annoying cliche. Nonetheless, I applaud to this series for its use of vampires: the vampires here are smart people, use a system, and still drink human blood. The sunlight weaknesses made them a little boring though (oh come on, does this mean they could only do battle at night?) unless the author does something about that limitation.

Many of the characters of this series have been charming and interesting in their own way; I love a number of them~ It was very enjoyable to read and had a satisfying ending (Hooray to focus on family love instead of romantic love for a change!). I look forward to reading more from this series.

C (OKAY! Not that great but isn't bad either!)
It's nowhere near fantastic but had several remarkable points~
3.5 Hearts ---> LOVE
I enjoyed reading this and I LOVE LORCAN!!! Hehehehe....