tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84862490753826770252024-03-06T10:16:34.202+08:00Daydream SanctuarySapphire Pyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394234356231157323noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486249075382677025.post-11963346941812678152011-11-27T16:19:00.001+08:002011-11-27T20:35:51.628+08:00[ Anime Blurbs ] Autumn 2011 Anime - Part 7<div style="text-align: center;">
I managed to marathon Ikoku Meiro Croisee last week:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5pK56E4zQL_wUBMITPLssqWcByvQbsm66_ZqYxZESvZeyrpVcC06Kd10W9cOI15HNh_WIhmmR2vfMrOawSQyPyVm7i4chq4et_pVIi1jgyyu0HTgg6PPZSj9gh29J2i_UbxyyoemnWS8/s1600/autumn07.jpg" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="20" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/zldk6q.jpg" width="20" /> RATING: <b>B (NICE!) </b> <img height="20" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/iqe99h.jpg" width="20" /> FAVORITISM: <b>4 Hearts (ADORATION)</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It was beautiful *_* The anime was way better than the manga. It's sad that we didn't get to see The Grand Magasin in it (perhaps they lacked people to do background animation for it? They can't degrade the quality... setting illustrations in the series had baan magnificent *_*), but I liked all those anime fillers xD</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Alrighty, now for my weekly dose of anime xD</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">[ Fate/Zero - Ep. 9 ] </span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><img src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f277/jeanedwar/Daydream%20Sanctuary/Anime/autumn07_fate.jpg" /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
When I saw that *points image on the left* My reaction was like this *points image on the right*... plus tears.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Oh it got me so worried!!!!!!!!! WAAAAAAHHH!!!! My Lancer ;_;</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
So <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diarmuid_Ua_Duibhne">Diarmuid</a> died like that... well, from the Irish myth, he got killed by a boar. In the anime though, it seemed that he was still not forgiven and was killed by the girl. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I don't wanna accept that Sola reminded him of his former girlfriend. Perhaps the reason why Sola's advances aren't working on him because he actually regretted falling in love with Grainne? Maybe he wasn't really in love with her.... she was successful in seducing him though... and oh, it looks like in the myth, she actually jinxed him? (Okay, I don't exactly know what a geis is. )</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Oh either way, I think this shatters my hopes for Lancer x Saber. I believe he just sees her as a fellow knight. A brother-in-arms. A dude. Plain as that. (At least he doesn't do gender discrimination, love him for that~)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Waah... I hope Sola won't use the command seal to flirt with Lancer. Poor Lancer. His master doesn't even treat him that nicely despite his loyalty. ;_;</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Rider and Waver are adorable as usual. Rider was so proud that his master had done something useful and impressive, hehe. The boy's being underestimated by Kirei and Kotomine unfortunately. I hope he proves them wrong already xD</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
How Caster and Ryuunosuke live in such a place, I don't know. I also wonder if there'll come a try when Ryunosuke will be using the command seal.... it's Caster who bosses him around lately ^^;</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I... don't think I will enjoy the next episode much. I see Rin's name T_T</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">[ Guilty Crown - Ep. 7 ]</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><img src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f277/jeanedwar/Daydream%20Sanctuary/Anime/autumn07_guilty.jpg" /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
My favorite antagonists in the series are being bossed around by some bug guy. LOLz LOLz. Segai's Scarface, huh? The glasses dude will most likely nicknamed as Megane. How about my blonde bastard? Oh I'm so not used to see this arrogant jerk being pushed around... he's being obedient even! It's so cute to see him abused. Mwahahah xD</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The new girl's soooooooooooooooo like Millay from Code Geass. She's not just as crazy or as confident. She's not bad, but I prefer Millay xD</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I was amused with her interactions with Gai. His style of flirting around includes insulting. His armadillo, eh? His mocking's kinda lame, but he looked fabulous in a ponytail so I forgive him. LOLz</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
By the way, Gai and Shu are undercover but Shu has been calling out Gai's name reeeeeeally loud and often while in the ship. And Gai's not yet discovered? No one else heard? Ya really.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ugh, why are they back to school again?! Oh well... at least it didn't give me headaches like last time. One of them actually asked if there were gay soldiers. Bwaahahahah. Oh fujoshi.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Is this series really the serious type? It got me laughing so much xD</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">[ Mawaru Penguindrum - Ep. 20 ]</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><img src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f277/jeanedwar/Daydream%20Sanctuary/Anime/autumn07_mawaru.jpg" /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Wait a minute.... THE CHILD BROILER THING WAS <b>LITERAL</b>???</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
What... shet... <b>WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT</b>????!!!!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This series never ceases to.... shock and disturb me O_O</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Speaking of disturbing, oh Kamba and his <i>squeezes</i>. He can even go erotic on vegetables. LOLz</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
So Himari's in love with Sho-chan..... However, Kamba's the one in love with her. Sho-chan.... it's hard to tell ^^; </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am still trying to get used to the non-freaky Ringo. It's nice that he doesn't shove her away now. But hhhmm... it looks like he has only been sharing his true feelings with her O_O He's more open to her.... well, next to his aniki, I suppose. I think he only said he hated his parents the first time to Kamba.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Since Himari's not his real sister.... I think it's also likely that Kamba's not his real brother either O_O During the flashback, Kamba seemed to have treated Shouma as a stranger. Then that means.... Shouma's the real Takakura son? O_O And... and... MASAKO CALLED KAMBA HER ONII-SAMA??? ... WHAT WHAT WHAT???!!! (Or wait, maybe she still doesn't know Kamba personally during that time, so she was being very respectful)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hahaha... the popular speculation was that Shouma's the adopted one. Looks like it's the other way around.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
If that's the case... <b>FINE</b>, I'll accept the idea of them not being twins, but I would like to see how Kamba got into the family *_* But oh please, not Himari.... which is more likely... explains how he completely forgot about Masako though they seemed really close before. *sigh*</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I'm happy that Kamba didn't become jealous when Himari only blurted out Shouma's name. Perhaps he really wouldn't mind who she ends up with, as long as she's alright and happy. Oh anime, I love it when playboys in your universe are in love. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The brothers are so the same.... they prefer to shoulder all the punishment. Their difference though is that Shouma blames the parents while Kamba doesn't. Perhaps it's because Kamba's been listening to the organization's speeches, while Shouma was just... playing around ^^; So he doesn't know why his parents have been doing such things...</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Anyway, what happened between Shouma and Himari in the past was really sweet. But I don't get how... HIMARI HAVE FORGOTTEN ABOUT IT T_T</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">[ Mirai Nikki - Ep. 7 ]</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><img src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f277/jeanedwar/Daydream%20Sanctuary/Anime/autumn07_mirai.jpg" /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This was the arc that made me see how intelligent Yuno can be.... and how much she freakin' loves Yukiteru. It's romantic... yet it also feels so wrong. Hahahaha....</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I really wonder if it's possible in RL for people who got electrecuted like what happened to Yuno in this episode be still alive, and be healthy enough to slay people after a little rest. Oh well, this is anime. And Yuno's not human... LOLz</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
YAY! This arc's done xD Akise Aru's getting closer~</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">[ Phi Brain - Kami no Puzzle - Ep. 8 ]</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><img src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f277/jeanedwar/Daydream%20Sanctuary/Anime/autumn07_phibrain.jpg" /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Oooo... so Anna's not only some art prodigy... HE'S PSYCHIC xD (But it's really difficult to see Anna as male...)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I really can't understand the Puzzle Givers. If they want Kaito dead so badly, they should just assassinate him through the usual means already. But, oh, it has to be through a puzzle huh? Puzzle freaks.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's nice to see an episode with fun puzzles instead of expectedly dangerous puzzles. There's no POG Giver that gets butthurt for having his/her puzzle solved either. It was a heartwarming episode overall.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I'm more excited for the episode *_* They're gonna crossdress... Anna won't have any difficulty, bwahahah! And Gammon in maid costume... bwahahaha! And oh that Kaito x Nonoha scene is supposed to be romantic but he has... LIPSTICK. So... bwahahahah xD</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
And it looks like Student Council President's gonna be involved. But it looked like he turned into a villain in the end O_O</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">[ Un-Go - Ep. 7 ]</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><img src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f277/jeanedwar/Daydream%20Sanctuary/Anime/autumn07_ungo.jpg" /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This episode was interesting... Shinjurou fell under the novelist's spell (sort of). He somehow remembered Inga, and thought Rie was familiar. Kazemori almost got through him but failed.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Looks like Inga's familiar with the other mystery girl. I wonder if that girl also eats souls like Inga.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I like the different perspectives about war that were exchanged by the actresses. But a movie with three girls in their underwear running ward is just....o_O </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Next episode seems more exciting. I admit that Un-Go is pretty boring with just Shinjurou. And Hayami's in the next episode... yay yay yay xD</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">[ OVERALL ]</span></b></div>
For the ranking of the most entertaining episodes to be this week:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
(6) Un-Go (it was interesting, but not fun)<br />
(5) Phi Brain (not as crazy as usual)<br />
(4) Mirai Nikki (maybe it's because I'm not a fan of the 5th)<br />
(3) Guilty Crown (hilarious xD)<br />
(2) Mawaru Penguindrum (*brain dead*)<br />
(1) Fate/Zero (mncvjsdfndkkgfrslkgdgnhbksd)</blockquote>
Alright, I dropped <b><u>Ben-To</u></b> from my weekly watching. I'll just marathon it when it ends. The same goes with <b><u>Sekaiichi Hatsukoi</u></b>. As for these six.... I can't ^^; At least for now... let's see next week.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">[ THE OTHERS ]</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I gave <b><u>Kimi to Boku</u></b> another try. And... it just sucks T_T The abundant screentime of cats got on my nerves too. UGH.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I'm almost done with my WInter 2012 post but... I want to see the 3rd version of the chart first before posting it. It's supposed to be out by now.... or maybe the creator got distracted or something ^^; HAha.</div>Sapphire Pyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394234356231157323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486249075382677025.post-52038082722095627102011-09-18T14:37:00.000+08:002011-09-18T14:55:25.647+08:00[Anime] Tiger & Bunny - Saving the World is... Show Business!<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1KGPcKxb-xKEBOXGt_RsZRUlRQPSOZRcZDRXsEM9mVNpJBdA_Mp71hpr1TOLmLYRL4QwnojoKQZZkBo9KPfrVWtvdBK2_20bGAgPFR6WKSIaZ4BdIYHefymtLr-4V10yypuEXtIh8TNY/s1600/tiger_bunny_00_poster.jpg" /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Tiger and Bunny</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
of Sunrise<br />
Directed by Keiichi Satou; Written by Masafumi Nishida</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<blockquote>
<b>Wild Tiger:</b> I'm a Super Hero. I arrest criminals and save the citizens of Sternbild. I'm catching a thief right now... *runs while... <i>causing a lot of property damage along the way</i>*.... people's lives are more important than that!!.... *becomes slower* Yikes! My power has reached it's limit for the day! *falls* Aaaahhh!!! Somebody... *closes eyes*<br />
<b>Dude in a Pink Robot Suit:</b> You're quite a lame superhero to be needed some rescuing... and even be carried like a princess.<br />
<b>Wild Tiger:</b> *opens eyes and realizes* W-what?<br />
* Dude in a Pink Robot Suit catches the criminal and makes it to the headlines*<br />
<b>Wild Tiger:</b> W-WHAT??!<br /><br />
= The next day =<br />
<b>Wild Tiger's Boss:</b> You are going to pay for the things you damaged.<br />
<b>Wild Tiger:</b> Ahahaha.... <br />
<b>Wild Tiger's Boss:</b> I have worse news than that...<br />
<b>Wild Tiger:</b> Come on, I'll pay for it. I prom-<br />
<b>Wild Tiger's Boss:</b> Our company is closing. You've got a new boss *hands over a business card*<br />
<b>Wild Tiger:</b> W-what?<br /><br />
= Wild Tiger with New Boss = <br />
<b>Wild Tiger's New Boss:</b> Ah, so you're Wild Tiger. First, you need to wear a new suit. *points a cool Green Robot Suit*. And, I'm assigning you a partner.<br />
<b>Wild Tiger:</b> No way.<br />
<b>Wild Tiger's New Boss:</b> If you don't want that, then feel free to quit.<br />
<b>Wild Tiger:</b> Ahahaha.... fine, I'll do it.<br /><br />
= Wild Tiger meets up with Partner = <br />
<b>Dude in a Pink Robot Suit:</b> Looking forward to working with you from now on.<br />
<b>Wild Tiger:</b> O_O..........</blockquote>
</div>
<br />
<table align="center"><tbody>
<tr><td valign="top" width="70%"><b>SETTING:</b> <br />
Fictional City. Futuristic.<br />
<b>ELEMENTS:</b> <br />
Super Heroes. Live Broadcasting. Points. Sponsors. Crimes. Powers. <br />
<b>GENRE:</b> <br />
Action. Comedy. Mystery. <br />
<b>DEMOGRAPHIC:</b> <br />
Shounen.</td><td valign="top"><img border="0" height="25" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/zldk6q.jpg" width="25" /><b> RATING:</b> <br />
A- (AMAZING!)<br />
<br />
<img border="0" height="25" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/iqe99h.jpg" width="25" /><b> FAVORITISM: </b><br />
4 Hearts ---> ADORATION</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Tiger & Bunny is <b>not</b> your <i>typical superhero show</i>... yet it is just <b>as charming</b> and <b>as exciting</b> <i>as your favorite superhero shows</i>~</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
If you look into this series as the <i>usual</i> comical mecha show, you'll definitely be disappointed... since <i>it's not even a mecha show in the first place</i>. Tiger & Bunny isn't the type of series which you can appreciate for <i>what it appears on first impression alone</i>, but for <i><b>what it is</b></i>.<br />
<br />
Tiger & Bunny has its superheroes participating in <b>Reality TV</b>. It's <b>entertainment business</b>, where the highest goal is to get good ratings. <sup>(1)</sup><br />
<br />
It's about <b>rampant commercialization</b> and <b>corporate sponsorship</b>.<sup>(1)</sup> There have been other series which advertise, blatantly or subtely, companies that actually exist in the real world. To viewers they're considered as <i>trolling</i>, but only in a series like Tiger & Bunny where this kind of "trolling" is... quite <u>appropriate</u>.<br />
<br />
This series has been criticized for its <b>predictability</b>... <i>but as if other superhero shows aren't as predictable</i>. Cliches are alright if it's still written and executed well anyway. Besides, this series is deeper than it appears. It also serves as a social commentary, and it has more morals to share aside from the "power of love and friendship".</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f277/jeanedwar/Daydream%20Sanctuary/Critique/tiger_bunny_01.jpg" /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
But the <b>BEST</b> part of the show are the characters. It has a huge cast, but all of them had a chance to shine, and majority of them had undergone character development. They are no stereotypes, and the do great stuff in their own way. They don't need good looks or cool powers to gain fans; they're just <i>that awesome and lovable</i>.<br />
<br />
Praises to Tiger & Bunny for its fresh ideas, interesting premise, amazing story, and wonderful characters! This show knows how to humor you, make you cry, and drive you crazy because you are dying to find out what will happen next. It also reminds you that: <i>Anyone can be a superhero, regardless of age and ability.</i><br />
<br />
Tiger & Bunny is a very enjoyable show.... I encourage you to join the fun and cheer for our favorite superheroes~ <strike>SKYHIGH!!!! w0000t!!!!</strike></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>(1)</sup> Ideas from the paragraph are based on or quoted from <a href="http://myanimelist.net/profile/IceAndCream">IceAndCream</a>'s review in MAL</span>Sapphire Pyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394234356231157323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486249075382677025.post-41722782097252716682011-08-13T13:56:00.000+08:002011-08-13T13:56:04.626+08:00Fandom Blurbs 2011 #002 (Arakawa Under The Bridge: AnimeMangaDrama)<div style="text-align: center;">I'm in "Arakawa Under the Bridge" mode lately, and it so happened that it had several adaptations and I checked them all out, so I'm gonna be considering it as a <b>Fandom Blurb</b>. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD-xreVZ-QdWlVNQdv9YUb3qlI7Sg4e6Mg7KEzd4bP0tKbD-hSo4ERrIY3oglZ4QhxPuIdz_NjZ8wRLUwyuT1H24868c8jgw-1r2JA8lkO5vGqc7gksBs9TANk-qG4wceamocPbciaodY/s1600/_top.jpg" /></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Arakawa Under the Bridge</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">of Shaft; Originally By Hikaru Nakamura; Directed By Akiyuki Shinobu</div><blockquote><div align="justify"><b>Kou:</b> You have saved my life. I always repay to all people I'm indebted to. What do you want me to do?<br />
<b>Nino:</b> Live close to me.<br />
<b>Kou:</b> Okay... and you are... ?<br />
<b>Nino:</b> I'm a Venusian. But you can call me "Nino".<br />
<b>Kou:</b> ....<i>Venusian</i>?<br />
<b>Nino:</b> Yes.<br />
<b>Kou:</b> ......<br />
<b>Nino:</b> But I get along with you, Earthlings, just fine. Don't worry.<br />
<b>Kou:</b> ..........................</div></blockquote><br />
<table align="center"><tbody>
<tr><td valign="top" width="70%"><b>SETTING:</b> <br />
Under the Bridge. Contemporary. <br />
<b>ELEMENTS:</b> <br />
Venus. Debt. Weird. Fish. Sister. Kappa. Samurai. Yakuza. River. Star. Work. <br />
<b>GENRE:</b> <br />
Comedy. Romance.<br />
<b>DEMOGRAPHIC:</b> <br />
Seinen.</td><td valign="top"><img border="0" height="25" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/zldk6q.jpg" width="25" /><b> RATING:</b> <br />
B+ (IMPRESSIVE!)<br />
<br />
<img border="0" height="25" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/iqe99h.jpg" width="25" /><b> FAVORITISM: </b><br />
4 Hearts ---> ADORATION</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">At first I thought that it was <i>too weird</i> for me, but after reading more I've realized how impressive it actually is underneath the silliness. It makes you wonder what's really "normal" and "common sense". It's a social commentary that deals with quite a number of psychological/ethical/moral issues as well. Though they're presented in extremely absurd ways, they had somehow reflected reality. There's <b>genius</b> behind the nonsense if you think outside the box; I like that.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Besides, it had been <b>very</b> entertaining. Moreover, I seldom see character development on gag manga, so I'm happy that even a little, the characters here had a chance to shine (even if they're a little late).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">My favorite's the love story. (Unfortunately I torture myself in shipping non-mushy pairings *mopes in a corner*) It's more acceptable for me if the main couple's so ignorant about love if they're <i>that</i> weird and idiotic, haha! Besides, they're really cute and sweet~ Roc x Nino and Sister x Maria forevah =3</div><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<table><tbody>
<tr><td valign="middle"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm7IMqywJZcnB9uQka43xBPc5HKOWrxwb13QsHXsWwSE3CGZjOuxrgTSET-cz-hzl1pgZU8SzSx8XqMBuZjn6WySbW4pA7zhzrYSfNckdD1lAnWvaYFRimbSNNZaM_n4tS7T8Z6a8bG1Q/s1600/arakawa1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm7IMqywJZcnB9uQka43xBPc5HKOWrxwb13QsHXsWwSE3CGZjOuxrgTSET-cz-hzl1pgZU8SzSx8XqMBuZjn6WySbW4pA7zhzrYSfNckdD1lAnWvaYFRimbSNNZaM_n4tS7T8Z6a8bG1Q/s1600/arakawa1.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Arakawa Under the Bridge</b></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Season 1)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="10" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/zldk6q.jpg" width="10" /> A-</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="10" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/iqe99h.jpg" width="10" />4.5 Hearts </div></td><td><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>ANIME</b></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">The first few chapters of the manga weirded me out, but watching the whole first episode of the first season was what finally drew me into this series (which covered more than the chapters I've initially read). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I like the directing. I'm fine with majority of the changes in the anime. I like the opening and ending themes of the first season more though.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I also like the first season more in general. That one had better more story and character development. There was more romance and drama, but the second season focused more on just comedy and action. </div><br />
</td><td valign="middle"><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXF-uUhyphenhyphenOkwPed0OyhfhSor9U26eDCOm9IZmof_3OgfK1-JQgfbB7WbflCyUL0l5yBrREdaTOGBLubCBuPgy6C60WR7U8Yr6h33uwSbAb_ycltJEgSb9-yWEN6gYUiysnIindPTkRT-cw/s1600/arakawa2.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Arakawa Under the Bridge x Bridge</b></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Season 2)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="10" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/zldk6q.jpg" width="10" /> B</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="10" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/iqe99h.jpg" width="10" />4 Hearts </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw86LPj-Df2xPC02EKZ4JFvJJw2bhijhDR5RKOPHRL6GXjpIGgz40-CsaWK3xGm0lMvY3hVcOZ0P8N9V8y3bbRhzofzALPUTkHH1ZgPQ4MbQVrOgBL4lzS6GAVHLijF5oQgIMn1Efg3Rc/s1600/arakawa_otp.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Ric x Nino!!! Oh so sweet~ YAAAAY!!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Alright, what actually got me hyper to this series lately is... the....</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>LIVE ACTION DRAMA</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="25" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/iqe99h.jpg" width="25" /><b> FAVORITISM: </b> 4 Hearts ---> ADORATION</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Eh4uLasfd8g" width="560"></iframe></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Only three episodes out at the moment. I'm fine with the changes so far; the story narration's somehow improved even (the minor characters weren't left out but were introduced as early as episode 2). Some additions seem a little cliche, but I think those will help in speeding up character development so I think they're okay.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2tKntAnUo5-Sk2E_y5ctaZFLttTAKrAiXaZCw84xeDQ_UMSppdTvGZsdChpegqKn280nDqhbCvU8cJBxbQNrPN0KzC5KYEA6FLEmBpLUmdnZg0W2Bf5IaBFSGTGcciSzWBWXAl_p-3s/s1600/drama01.jp" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">("I want to be with Nino forever" [AniManga] to "I only want Nino" [LiveAction Drama].... squeee xD)</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Too bad it isn't as wacky as the animanga counterparts though... but the original's weird enough so the drama's would be able to grasp its insane genius, haha. Besides, it looks like there's going to be more romance in the drama (which most live-action adaptations usually do) and I totally want that *_* Fufufufu~</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi29sno8XoWo9UGDWlPL4QorcNNr68g0kzPt4TJqbdrUFf9uPBNnFzW3ZKPjaMPcRMkOKOhZbABU6XPTt52VUaTSA6eNJIchyzR5xa0veIsSh20Qfnk_X2BKqKYcBog-apzSmrQqydOMAw/s1600/drama02.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Feel Maria's power. Haha. Poor Sister~)</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">CG's pretty lame though. The dance in the ed theme bores the hell out of me (if seen more than twice). And I don't like the summaries and the Kappa's intermissions . They're freakin' long =_= I don't hate Kappa, but too much of him doing recap is getting annoying. But the part of Ric calling him by his actor's name was pretty amusing xD Oguri Shun seems so popular... for a popular actor to be casted as a mascot character... so fun, haha. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoNzN1uNuA_TiTC_dCaoPyK8TtlXquxfLJCWVYAscabZF6ay0et1CFhbad99m1rWBy1ir86lPzWXQfoI2MF_AlqTlcZcF9kWkRqd3EMvlrCvOvi4KF2iSD56_zB6dEdSkMy1Nw5kNAXpI/s1600/drama3.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">(More weird poses please xD)</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">I'm loving the live action drama so far. I'm not that impressed with the directing (lacks insanity!!! xD) but storytelling seems pretty good. Actors did okay... I just wish Ric had been more overreacting xD (Not enough screaming... and not as amusingl as Kamiya Hiroshi voices Ric, bwahahaha!) I hope they lessen the episode intros, trivia notes (too texty), and the music video-ish scenes.. but the background tracks were great~ Heck, even Hoshi's supposedly epic fail songs sound cool, haha!</div>Sapphire Pyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394234356231157323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486249075382677025.post-91037462096397349052011-07-06T23:26:00.001+08:002011-08-07T06:53:14.037+08:00World's First Love - Gays in the Manga Industry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKgvUf52wbXTfZgqdhDnGKWgiqstBM0BbxiD2ERS6wwKLr1QaCqAPRgb510bF8V0dMPBnI7nEcZe6bqn9bb8a5AVD8Ok3aCrUBxcqe6KGrHZ3P9qdUbNh1DaahhEFTeuLaIqiiszMuNw/s1600/hatsukoi__top.jpg" /></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Sekaiichi Hatsukoi</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">of Studio Deen<br />
Originally By Shungiku Nakamura & Miyako Fujisaki; Directed By Chiaki Kon; Composed By Rika Nakase</div><blockquote><div align="justify"><b>Onodera:</b> Ugh, people at my workplace think I only get to handle the popular authors just because I'm the son of the owner? I'll show 'em!!! *joins another company*<br />
<b>Marukawa Publishing Employee:</b> You've been accepted as a new shoujo manga editor! I'll guide you to your office~<br />
<b>Onodera:</b> Wha-? Wait, there must be a mistake. I appled as an editor for novels, not manga.<br />
<b>Marukawa Publishing Employee:</b> But that's the decision (so there's nothing you can do). Are you coming or not?<br />
<b>Onodera:</b> *shrugs* Fine, whatever *follows*<br />
<b>Marukawa Publishing Employee:</b> This is your office and here are your co-workers. <br />
<b>Onodera:</b> Errr... *looks at his exhausted co-workers* Are you sure they're still alive? They're more like corpses.....<br />
<b>Marukawa Publishing Employee:</b> Take care~ *disappears*<br />
<b>Onodera:</b> Hey wait! Don't just leave me here! Hey, miss-<br />
<b>Takano:</b> Shut the hell up, newbie! Come with me, we've got work to do.<br />
<b>Onodera:</b> Err... okay.<br />
<b>Takano:</b> Wait. *stares*<br />
<b>Onodera:</b> What? *bothered*<br />
<b>Takano:</b> You look.... <i>familiar</i>.</div></blockquote><br />
<table align="center"><tbody>
<tr><td valign="top" width="70%"><b>SETTING:</b> <br />
Japan. Publishing Company. Contemporary.<br />
<b>ELEMENTS:</b> <br />
Manga. Editor. Mangaka. Love. Break-up. Misunderstanding. <br />
<b>GENRE:</b> <br />
Romance. Comedy. Drama.<br />
<b>DEMOGRAPHIC:</b> <br />
Shoujo-ish Josei with Non-Explicit Yaoi.</td><td valign="top"><img border="0" height="25" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/zldk6q.jpg" width="25" /><b> RATING:</b> <br />
B- (PRETTY GOOD!)<br />
<br />
<img border="0" height="25" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/iqe99h.jpg" width="25" /><b> FAVORITISM: </b><br />
2.5... Fine! I admit:<br />
3.5 Hearts ---> LOVE</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">I.... I... I....<b><i>F*ck I just completed a yaoi series for the first time.... and loved it!</i></b></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">I think I got a lot of my friends shocked that a yaoi phobic like me actually appreciated such a series (I started with the manga... which is really explicit), ahaha!<br />
<br />
Anyway, what I honestly can't stand in yaoi is that majority of what I've encountered focused more on the sex scenes instead of telling a story (even if it's stupid, bother to do that than just on fanservice please =_=). Sekaiichi Hatsukoi, however, was the first I encountered that have been like that. <i>The cliches and stereotypes are easy to forgive for being a yaoi series that has been different from the ones with absolutely no sense.</i><br />
<br />
Watching this series is like reading (or watching) a typical shoujo manga (or anime). We've got couples with one of them being pretty aggressive (seme stereotype) while the other the complete opposite (uke stereotype)... yet they have chemistry and after all the stupid drama and misunderstandings, things will work out eventually and they're so going to get a happily ever after. Some times mushy talk first, or kisses at once, and then <i>go beyond</i>.<br />
<br />
The series could've ended earlier actually, if only the "heroine" hadn't been so stubborn to admit that he's obviously in love <i>for the sake of increasing the episode count</i> =_= And seriously, do majority of the main cast <i>have to be gay</i>? And why are <i>most</i> of the dudes in that shoujo department homosexual (it's like saying a guy has to be gay in order to appreciate shoujo)? And do <i>all</i> of them have to be male? And are they really behind on deadlines THAT often? Oh come on, in a way it's giving a bad impression to the people in that field. *facepalm*<br />
<br />
But despite the cliche overuse, lame execution, and unremarkable characterization, it's really a relief to see a series centered on romance to have characters that can prioritize work over flirting/f*cking time.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUBrQT_GXsg5wDVJd0V0xd09zEG6CfXX-VKPZdcYFvrBgMdJoLTI26_qs7LLJ-dNaUB9sqqy9QgdOuP5hj3ta2TSKDWjreQ8WfqvRrhzDl_tW-LPX0lyZR6ZdEjk8igEO98dqC_Xeh2UA/s1600/hatsukoi_01.jpg" /></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">The characters in this series are working adults. We see them do their job, get scolded, feel exhausted, skrew up, hear praises, and gain achievements. The manga didn't focus too much on the things they go emo about, but also tackled about what exactly they do for a living.... the struggles they have.... the happinness they get after all the hardships.<br />
<br />
There's been a lot of series that tell about the lives of the creators of our favorite series (the mangaka). But there aren't much about the other, who are as valuable as our dear mangaka, such as the editors. This series had shared to us what edtiors do and what it's like to become one. Their job isn't less difficult, and with all that work they do for our favorite stories, they deserve as much praise~ It has been nice to get to know them more~<br />
<br />
It had also been very nice to see the bond and the teamwork between the Editors and the mangaka they handle. It was good to see relationships other than romantic ones in this series.<br />
<br />
It's really good that the characters are capable of separating their private lives from work. They are mature enough to take responsibility and make the right decisions in what to prioritize. Of course, <i>that doesn't happen all of the time</i>, but still, there aren't much characters who are like that. It's sickening to watch scenes like a character not attending a job interview because he prioritized flirting around then later goes emo when he failed to get the job =_=<br />
<br />
Yeah, yeah, many of the scenes are REALLY cheesy (annoyingly cheesy even). And for some reason the "uke" character's <i>too easy</i> to sexually harrass o_O<br />
<br />
But this had been very decent, so the crap's bearable. It had a story to tell, even if it's too dramatic most of the time. But those drama scenes, if aren't followed by love scenes, are ended by comedic ones.... and they're really funny! Well, at least I find them so (no matter how overused or predictable... The humor really got me xD)... Wspecially the main character! Onodera's so amusing, haha! (his inner monologues FTW!)<br />
<br />
The music's cute too. The OP theme is more tolerable if I just listen to the audio (the visuals were so lame... the bunny makes me giggle though). The ED theme song was nothing special but for some reason it was pretty addictive....while the visuals were alright. The background tracks though... are mostly very fluffy, haha!<br />
<br />
Yeah, this show's so fluffy... which makes it so shoujo though it seems to be targetted to an older audience. I suppose those people who are more used to shoujo and shounen-ai can start with this series as an introduction to yaoi (though the fujoshi don't consider this as yaoi). This feels so much like watching a shoujo series if only there aren't any you-know-what scenes.... and having the couple both male would be nothing new to shounen-ai readers/watchers.<br />
<br />
I still can't believe that I still look forward to more of this series.... but I admit that I enjoyed watching it =)</div>Sapphire Pyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394234356231157323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486249075382677025.post-52953578243496619482011-07-03T15:15:00.000+08:002011-08-07T06:53:14.043+08:00Deadman Wonderland - "Amusement Park" filled with bloodshed and despair<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL6fL095_PmmbGopD4zW4uMo1ghqAFVd8vQbyNbj3JbJE9IJbOvg_msDdD5_zNL7Mk6NefB8jOIbyZe-GIp3J-umMAXLepfc0v_LWKDQHNW7Or22SnZS1mgZiwwn-PDu3ZCfRBDQ0pbcs/s1600/spolight__top.jpg" /></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>デッドマンワンダーランド</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">of Manglobe<br />
Originally By Jinsei Kataoka & Kazuma Kondou; Directed By Koichi Hatsumi; Composed By Yasuyuki Muto</div><blockquote><div align="justify"><b>Ganta:</b> There was a huge earthquake in Tokyo 10 years ago. But the evacuees now are living a normal life outside that place. I'm just a student, but I'm enjoying my peaceful days here. Aren't you enjoying as well, everyone?<br />
*all of his classmates were killed by someone*<br />
<b>Ganta:</b> A... Red... Man.... why did you... no.. everyone's... dead? ... It can't be... sh#t... what do you- *knocked out*<br />
<b>Police:</b> Feeling alright now, Igarashi Ganta?<br />
<b>Ganta:</b> *open eyes* I suppose so. How about my fr-<br />
<b>Police:</b> You are the only survivor of that unfortunate incident.... as well as the prime suspect.<br />
<b>Ganta:</b> But I didn't do it! It was the Red Man!<br />
<b>Police:</b> Discuss that in court. *bring him along to court*<br />
<b>Judge:</b> GUILTY. You're sentenced to death and shall be brought to the special prison.</div></blockquote><br />
<table align="center"><tbody>
<tr><td valign="top" width="70%"><b>SETTING:</b> <br />
Dystopia. Japan. Prison.<br />
<b>ELEMENTS:</b> <br />
Blood. Prison. False Accusations. Candy. Psychos. Amusement Park. Penalty. <br />
<b>GENRE:</b> <br />
Sci-Fi. Gore. Psychological Horror. Action. Drama.<br />
<b>DEMOGRAPHIC:</b> <br />
Seinenish Shounen.</td><td valign="top"><img border="0" height="25" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/zldk6q.jpg" width="25" /><b> RATING:</b> <br />
B+ (IMPRESSIVE!)<br />
<br />
<img border="0" height="25" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/iqe99h.jpg" width="25" /><b> FAVORITISM: </b><br />
4.5 Hearts ---> ADDICTION</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Deadman Wonderland is a about a hell on Earth where sanity....<b><i>is pretty much unattainable.</i></b></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">I'm really impressed with this show's setting. It just appears as some strict prison on the surface, where prisoners are made useful as laborers as well. Workers for an amusement park, to be more particular. They can earn money if they perform stunts that will entertain the citizens who live freely. If a prisoner works hard enough, he can extend his life sentence, or buy his way out of prison.... provided that there won't be bullies who'll put his hard work in vain.<br />
<br />
But the bullying prisoners are nothing compare to the real hell that establishment really is. A certain number of prisoners are being toyed sadistically just because of a power that they happen to possess: the ability to control their blood.<br />
<br />
Our leading character happened to be one of them. He already went to the bottom when he saw his friends slaughtered with his very eyes... even worse when he was even accused for it... then now he's forced to suffer further for the enjoyment of a twisted (substitute?) warden. <br />
<br />
The special prisoners are forced to fight to the death... if they lose, they would lose a part of their body as well... live on television.. without or not enough anesthesia either; if they win, they don't get to feel their vistory much either... especially if the warden wasn't pleased with how the fight turned out. They weren't treated as humans at all..... no wonder if they're slowly losing their humanity... if not already.<br />
<br />
Majority of the cast have some loose skrew on their heads.... if not completely lost their mind yet. Deadman Wonderland may be a living hell, but the root of insanity of some of the characters didn't start in that facility. As one of the characters have said:<br />
<blockquote><i>"You think this place (Deadman Wonderland) is crazy? The outside's no different."</i>~ Crow</blockquote><br />
That reality is frightening...<br />
<br />
Speaking of crazy, almost everyone in this series may have some abnormality in them.... but they're really diverse. From dual personalities, to a sadistic psychopath, to a torturing loli, and so on. Some of them you'll find loathsome, some pitiful, some irritating, some creepy, some awesome.... none of them are really your typical characters... <br />
<br />
Oh well, as if psychos are typical.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSvR2rOrOgE3-B6S-97w-swFvqW0ou-ES9wMI4PVVZzXJqMXr8gSHZXpM6SdAWtXVTIM5yPCgM4U2JE_WkK063SsNq2q1SCIGrqKnY_DDiD3Xv3_wLrqAo8VrEHK7R6JcM-bjGl7Os2tQ/s1600/deadman_psycho.jpg" /><br />
(Squee! Mockingbird!!!!)</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">I suppose the one who got closes to a stereotype is none other than the leading character. For some reason, he's so special and powerful that there's no way he'll die or lose easily. What made him really unbearable to most people who watch this series is that he cries and whines most of the time.<br />
<br />
But I dislike Ganta more for being so special (even if there are reasons for it) than his whining, to be honest. I mean, he's just a 14 year old kid who's more used to a peaceful life. If he was able to toughen up and gain so much confidence in such a short period of time, that's just too unbelievable. I actually appreciate it that he accepts his weaknesses... and falls from time to time. It makes him seem more <i>realistic</i>. And though he had whined most of the time, he quickly gets up afterwards.... not just go emo about it for and <i>do nothing</i>. In other words, the kid may be a weak crybaby, but he's not absolutely useless.... and he tries to make himself better. <br />
<br />
And I think the watchers are too distracted with his whining to realize that the kid's not really dumb. He was able to think up of an interesting strategy on his own (Too bad it wasn't featured in the anime) and the victories in his games, though it's true that he had been "special" to be able to surpass his limit on his first one, he won because of his wits... not just because his power increases all of a sudden... or for some reason he has become more skillful than the more experienced fighters. <br />
<br />
Action scenes in this series looked good. The leading character's not among the coolest fighters though, haha! </div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcRzpt32aAwf-PJa6Lp_WinSwNqA4Ygu7Hfg6k_zJU65Ms0B3AysLNCGVnV7w4tOJA0Sa7Arb6faHeKaNzLqHQAHxl8lImPe12v-DdCVqRJRdg7r-ow03fG7L4yUs0mQiKd3oxxzTZqck/s1600/deadman_crow.jpg" /><br />
(Crow!!! w00t!!!!)</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Hmm... I'm not that certain of this but it feels that the leading character has been whining more in the anime compare to the manga. Well, I'm fine with the changes in the anime... which aren't really that many... though I admit that the manga is still better. There is more development over there... and I find the art in the manga really breathtaking.<br />
<br />
Nevertheless, the anime is still fun to watch! I love the music the most! The background music fits the mood of the series so much. The opening theme was really badass. As for the ending theme, though I find the song quite boring, seeing those scenes are heartbreaking, especially if you're already familiar with the character featured on those photos. *sniff*<br />
<br />
Deadman Wonderland is a wickedly beautiful psychological horror thriller with a mix of action, mystery, and sci-fi. Most of the time it can be quite disturbing and depressing, but a lot of scenes there can also make you stare in awe, laugh your a$$ off, or cry your heart out. But of course, this series is not for everyone. If you can't handle the violence and the madness, there's no way you can appreciate this. The leading character is also pretty difficult to like... but honestly, there are many who are <i><b>a lot worse</b></i>.<br />
<br />
The anime adaptation might not have been able to show all of the the impressive things in the manga, but I think the anime staff still did a good job. <br />
<br />
Though I hope they it clear that this is just the first season of the series... because even if they've selected a nice arc for the end of this "season", it still feels lacking. Hopefully they do make a second season once the manga's over.... The later events are honestly more devastating... and intriguing~ </div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFXZSlHXbkbuvKjtV_M4ehCkKEyzPHdsWk3JfTtlHutZ7Gz_SxtMLlDnw1iukMrGZq1eLCW7C3bS2_gmp7JR2l4b4VXgKj5Y2ldQOTQRhMpB7RUF8Zl0rwP-GAwyBZgelMpl9ZVkeqP8/s1600/deadman_heartrob.jpg" /><br />
(Hello favorite character~ You freakin' heartrob xD)</div>Sapphire Pyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394234356231157323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486249075382677025.post-29693240410705839322011-06-29T22:23:00.000+08:002011-08-07T06:53:14.049+08:00[C] - get Cash through Credit for a Chance to gain Control.. it's your Choice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6uOq0SPyaRICTd7UYUjK2mv_zu71zSxAajSFk3OMKPKKRLNIrLS8dMkl7Z27jWVQ1Zz9YojiFiBlrfsMR9W_bN3UrIzyXmup9vHNoxZE5xCqGn1ryXsJ_5KKn6U1i66reBhCy4KDczAc/s1600/c_rev_top.jpg" /></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>[C]: The Money of Soul and Possibility - Control</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">of Tatsunoko Production<br />
Directed By Kenji Nakamura; Written By Noboru Takagi</div><blockquote><div align="justify"><b>Kimimaro:</b> I need to save money. <br />
<b>Masakaki:</b> Hello Kimimaro! I have come to offer you a <i>wonderful</i> opportunity that will help resolve your money problems! I can lend you money.. any amount that you need <b>IF</b> you agree to become an <i>Entrepreneur</i> in the Financial District. <i>You can become rich!!!</i> So rich that you no longer need to do part time jobs! You can also hang out with friends like other university students, and buy things to impress the girl that you love! And no, there aren't any qualifications. Age, physical traits, and background don't matter. <i>So what are you waiting for?</i> Join us now and <i>make your dreams come true~</i> We only ask for a <i>small</i> collateral in exchange....<br />
<b>Kimimaro:</b> NO THANKS.</div></blockquote><br />
<table align="center"><tbody>
<tr><td valign="top" width="70%"><b>SETTING:</b> <br />
Contemporary. City. Japan. Fictional World. <br />
<b>ELEMENTS:</b> <br />
Control. Money. Future. Collateral. Cards. Deal. Bankrupt. Economics. Midas. <br />
<b>GENRE:</b> <br />
Supernatural. Action. Romance. Drama. <br />
<b>DEMOGRAPHIC:</b> <br />
Shounen and Seinen hybrid.</td><td valign="top"><img border="0" height="25" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/zldk6q.jpg" width="25" /><b> RATING:</b> <br />
A (EPIC!)<br />
<br />
<img border="0" height="25" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/iqe99h.jpg" width="25" /><b> FAVORITISM: </b><br />
4 Hearts ---> ADORATION</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">[C] is no masterpiece..... <b><i>but it got really close</i></b></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">This series appears to be a Yu Gi Oh! show that just happened to have economic references instead of Egyptian ones. The similarities are undeniable, and having the leading character win most of the time makes it even less different from your typical shounen.<br />
<br />
But.... <br />
<br />
Have you thought of looking up those economic terms, and compare the actual definition to what's going on in the battle scene? Have you taken notice of the imageries displayed when those attacks are called out, look up on those symbols and relate it to the character? <br />
<br />
The terms used aren't just picked at random, nor are all of them just used only for the sake of sounding "cool". <br />
<br />
There's <b><i>a reason</i></b> why a character uses and has that sort of attack. There's <b><i>an explanation</i></b> on why the attack is in that form (example: The "Scorched Earth" attack uses <u>fire</u> because the original definition has something to do with <u>burning</u> your enemy's territory). There's <b><i>a reference</i></b> on the images used when calling out the attack (mostly <a href="http://animeotaku.animeblogger.net/2011/05/tarot-mysticism-and-the-symbolism-in-c-control/">Tarot references</a>). There's <b><i>a similarity</i></b> between the battle scene and what happens in the real world. <br />
<br />
Indeed. Majority of the terms used in the series, if not all, do use economic, finance, or corporate jargons. But the references the show makes in general <b>aren't limited</b> to those mentioned fields.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmn-KQrsJ0BZaaGzOW2esXIDoMLssVJfiYF8i375J-lM4RUtOYyiok69KLdDPvgZcNFYiCOd6ft5FAoVBDyYcu8XH2fkj4GqOvrZJHHQ6zTyauujoGIZTZ8rqnr1_cUm0MjDNWEABSUAc/s1600/c_rev_01.jpg" /></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">[C] is <b>full of symbolisms</b>. Even something that seems very ordinary can have a meaning, like <a href="http://animeotaku.animeblogger.net/2011/05/c-control-a-color-analysis-and-chromatology-of-the-series-and-the-ed/">a certain scene when a character is choosing among the burgers wrapped in the following colors respectively: magenta, cyan, and yellow</a>. <br />
<br />
[C] and its elements are also like <b>allegories to the real world</b>. The idea of having your "future" taken as a collateral may seem surreal, but <i>if you don't take it literally</i>, something like that actually occurs in the real world. According to Oosaka Naoki, the supervising director of the series (who mainly checks up on the economic set-up and dialogue), that's the method used by the "Project Finance": <br />
<blockquote><i>Instead of taking something of equal value to the borrowed money as collateral, the projected profit of the enterprise is calculated, and that is taken as collateral. It’s very common in large scale projects such as oil drilling and infrastructure expansion. <br />
In Project Finance, before the loan the bank examines the possibilities in detail, and the bigger the risk the bigger the attached interests. In exchange, the loan repayment can only come from the cash income generated by the project, and in case the project falls through, the bank can’t touch the borrower’s personal properties.<br />
Therefore, entrusting your future in exchange of cash, and depending on the circumstances having your future taken away is not just a fantasy. Its constantly happening near us.</i></blockquote>(If that's true, that's certainly pretty intriguing. If otherwise, that would be quite disappointing, but I find that unlikely since it's from the official site... and it would be a bad image to the staff if they're sharing "fake facts".)<br />
<br />
[C], without a doubt, is <b>thought-provoking</b>. A character's line can be so meaningful that can make you reflect on things:<br />
<blockquote><i>“Make money. Then use it for something. When you spend money, somebody else profits. Saving money will make only you happy. Even if that peaceful happiness makes you satisfied, it won’t bring happiness to those around you.” ~ Souichirou Mikuni</i></blockquote>"Saving money" is something commonly considered as "the right thing to do", and that conflicts to what Mikuni just said. It makes you wonder whether he's right, especially when the official site even mentioned that: <i>"Many experts have pointed out that excessive reservation with money can have negative effects on the restoration of the economy. "</i> <br />
<br />
Of course I have my own thoughts on that. It's upto you whether to agree with them or not. The series may deal with ethics and morality, but that doesn't necessarily mean that what it's sharing is what you're supposed to follow.<br />
<br />
The series has been considered <b>a social commentary</b>. I don't think that's arguable especially when the behavior of the characters in [C] are being compared to the Japanese citizens in the real world. Like with Mikuni's statement regarding Kimimaro's money saving, for instance, a staff member of the series, who is obviously a Japanese citizen, notes that: <i>"... people are carrying doubts over the future of Japan. More than spending and investing, they judge saving as the most appropriate plan. "</i><br />
<br />
Even the difference between the way of thinking of two certain characters' is being paralleled to the real world. Sennoza believes that <i>“If all that’s left is a hopeless future, there’s no meaning for the present.”</i>; while Mikuni thinks that <i>“Even if you call it future, it’s nothing but a continuation of the present. If the 'now' is destroyed, there is no 'later'.”</i> The official site mentions that there's presently a discussion about mass issuing of bonds in Japan.<br />
<br />
The series makes references to quite a number of <b>philosophical ideologies</b> and I'm highly amazed with <a href="http://animeotaku.animeblogger.net/2011/06/the-philosophy-of-c-a-mock-dialogue-and-a-titular-analysis-featuring-kierkegaard-and-hegel/">the fans who were able to analyze them</a>. <br />
<br />
I really think this series has been well researched and well thought of. The story was nicely written and the cast had good characterizations.<br />
<br />
I don't disagree with its flaws; some parts of the story really lack explanation (some parts only make sense if you read the write-ups at the official website.... but as if anyone who watches the series would bother about that), don't make sense (yeah, some things just... happen), or are absolutely unecessary (awkward romance is awkward), while some characters lack background, don't have much role, or are almost unnoticeable.<br />
<br />
But it didn't do a bad job at all. Seldom do I see a series who give more priority in fleshing out its setting and characters, rather than provide an audience as many episodic battles as possible. It's also very rare for an anime series to share different perspectives that ALL have a point. Moreover, the ending might've seem like the typical result when the leading character wins against the final boss, but in actuality it wasn't really the main character who did most of the rescuing. <br />
<br />
As for the characters, it's not usual for a series to bring back characters who seem so minor or are just "opponents for the day". It's also highly unusual to have characters who lose in a duel to accept defeat and have stupid grudges against the one who had defeated them. And the most impressive character created of all, in my opinion, is the "bland" main character. <a href="http://daydream-sanctuary.blogspot.com/2011/04/c-money-of-soul-and-possibility-control_2637.html">He appears so "boring", yet he possesses a lot of qualities that deviates from a lot of typical leading characters.</a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_1TgqDmr9NWfPqrP990y-wjRSFZdYHGnvUOuyXt-F7vM0rUWUMEG_HZECuikdcK614VY2h1Ed-OqzYe_v2E-S5gYbV5jYtN3CJiF6GJJYKulQF0Jy7nbLyEFo-AIh4XXAEa_VL0Nh45k/s1600/c_rev_02.jpg" /></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">That's what I love the most in [C]. It overflows in uniqueness that it managed to avoid a lot of the things that other shows commonly have. Heck, the directing style is already very different from the usual.<br />
<br />
Not many are appealed with how the show is being directed and presented though, but I really find them very creative. Watching scenes from this series had made me surprised, awed, and amused~ It's best during the action or surreal scenes, though weakest on highly emotional scenes (But I think some dramatic scenes have been presented nicely, particularly when a certain sickly character tried her best to speak out what she wishes for the most... and when a certain "dying" female character was about to let go of something important to her).<br />
<br />
Speaking of weaknesses, I'm not sure why there are a lot of complains about this series being a poor economics show, <a href="http://daydream-sanctuary.blogspot.com/2011/04/c-episode-1-its-not-really-economics.html">when it is not really an economics show in the first place</a>. Yes, there are economic references and how some of those terms are use might contradict to what an economics textbook says, but like what's mentioned in the official site: <br />
<blockquote><i>[C] is not a textbook with the purpose of “studying” the mechanisms of economics. It was made with the wish that it would serve as a spark for you to begin to think for yourself about the meaning of money.</i></blockquote><br />
<b>[C] is about money</b>, and that has been made as obvious as possible <a href="http://daydream-sanctuary.blogspot.com/2011/04/c-episode-1-its-not-really-economics.html">since the very beginning</a>. Money is indeed related to economics, but <b><i>it's not limited to that</i></b>. It can also be related to a lot of other areas: from philosophy to occult to games and so on. <br />
<br />
Thinking about the nature and essence of money, is the main theme of the series.<br />
<blockquote><i>“In the end, is money just money? More than that? Or less than that? Depending on where you are standing, the way you see it changes as well. It’s a mysterious thing, isn’t it? Money.” ~ Souichirou Mikuni</i></blockquote>I think [C] had such great potential that it deserves more credit for that. It may not have turned out to be as awesome as it promises to be, but it had been impressive enough overall to have high ratings despite its numerous flaws. (Besides, it has <b>INCREDIBLE MUSIC</b>! Listening to its soundtrack must've been such a wonderful experience~)<br />
<br />
If only this series had more budget for better animation, more episodes to narrate its story even better, less focus on the unneccessary things, and less favoritism on the leading character for sometimes being luckier than usual.... this really could have been <b>a masterpiece</b>.</div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Notes:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">~ <a href="http://daydream-sanctuary.blogspot.com/search/label/C%20%28Control%29%3A%20The%20Money%20of%20Soul%20and%20Possibility">Daydream Sanctuary: [C]</a> - consists of my posts related to the series</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">~ <a href="http://animeotaku.animeblogger.net/tag/c/">Anime Otaku: C</a> - blogger whose blog post can make you appreciate the series more</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">~ <a href="http://soulcontrol.wikia.com/">The Money of Soul Wiki</a> - your [C] Bible</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">~ SoWL - translator or the one who shares the translations of the goodies at the official website</span>Sapphire Pyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394234356231157323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486249075382677025.post-62247069197429853352011-01-05T22:28:00.002+08:002011-08-07T06:53:14.055+08:00Togainu no Chi: The Anime Brought the Original Nothing But Shame<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/s5zg4k.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Blood of the Reprimanded Dog</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">of Aniplex, Picture Magic, A-1 Pictures</div><div style="text-align: center;">Original Story By Nitro+</div><blockquote><i><b>Akira:</b> Oh, I won the Blaster game again.<br />
<b>Keisuke: </b>You're so awesome, Akira!<br />
<b>Police:</b> *takes Akira to prison* You are arrested for murder.<br />
<b>Akira:</b> But I didn't do it!<br />
<b>Police:</b> We are not listening!<br />
<b>Woman:</b> I can get you out of jail.... if you participate in Igura... where you should defeat the most powerful guy in it.<br />
<b>Akira:</b> Fine, just get me out of here already.<br />
*Akira was brought to the city where the game is set*<br />
<b>Akira:</b>..... What kind of place is this?</i></blockquote><br />
<div align="center"><img border="0" src="http://img18.picoodle.com/img/img18/3/1/22/f_staricons08m_82fea0f.gif" /> RATING: <b>D (HORRIBLE! whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?) </b><br />
<img border="0" src="http://img18.picoodle.com/img/img18/3/1/22/f_staricons19m_c95c713.gif" /> FAVORITISM: <b>2.5 Hearts ---> NEUTRAL (But the manga is 3 or 3.5 Hearts)</b></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">As many are already aware, this is based on a BL game (one of the game adaptations even had yaoi). It also had a manga adaptation, which didn't have much BL scenes from what I've read so far, and I appreciated it. The announcement of an anime adaptation naturally made the fans of the game and the manga very excited.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Unfortunately, the anime was a disappointment...... a <b>huge</b> disappointment.</div><br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;">Before the series aired, I was very pleased when I've heard the news that it's not going to focus on the BL stuff much. The plot is good enough to not rely on the BL fanservice. The potential is there, and you can do a lot of stuff with this kind of post-apocalyptic setting with a survival game involving war and drugs.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But why... <b>why did this fall in the hands of the WRONG writers?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The series failed on providing enough background on how exactly its world ended that way. It's hard to connect events if very little is mentioned. If ever it does tell us some parts of its back story, they're mostly done through <u>narration</u>... <i>not showing the actual scenes being narrated</i>. When it comes to flashbacks of the character's past, if it wasn't a <i>plain narration</i>, they do an <b>overdone</b> presentation of it ("overdone" in the sense that the same style has been done to present the dark pasts of those characters), which makes me feel that it might've been better if they showed the actual scenes instead of trying to be "creative", because they <b>fail</b> so much on it. The scenes were so <b>predictable</b> that it makes me annoyed with the characters instead of feeling sorry for them.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's also so biased with its characters.... <i>especially</i> with Akira and Shiki. Akira's like the leading character of a reverse harem series: so special and so loved. He gets away with many things because <i>they think his eyes are <strike>pretty</strike> interesting</i>. *facepalm* And for some reason, the characters love to lick <b>his blood</b> (only his!!!). As for Shiki, for some reason, survived from something that is <i>supposed to be absolutely fatal</i>. We never got a reason why he's such a <i>special</i> case. The only explanation that we can see on such events is just they are all for the sake of <i>plot convenience</i>... and that the <i>writers didn't really think about it</i>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Oh there were so many plot holes.... on some parts the series is even aware that they didn't provide any explanation on it (like how the hell Keisuke ended up in that city!). It would be forgivable <i>if it was a parody... but obviously it wasn't</i>. Some parts even seemed like they were just done for the LULz (The bite and lick scenes were so WTF in a negative sense... it might've been better if they made blood a delicacy instead of "freaky yet sexy effects".... meh) Unexplained events don't really help in making the story more understandable, you know. Its philosophical statements at the beginning of the episode makes things worse too.... it tries so hard to be deep and mysterious.... but it just ended up in making the story more confusing than it already is. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I can <i>understand</i> a "confusing" story if it's a psychological series... and if it had at least done a good job in its story and character development.... but this series fails on those... and it's not exactly psychological. It felt like the writers couldn't think of anything else to put into it so they just made it extend and extend... when in fact the story they had in mind could already be over in less than 5 episodes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">You know where the series wasted its time on the most? <b>THE DRAMA</b>.... and it <b>sucks</b> on it really really <b>badly</b>. It <b>tried so hard</b> to be as dramatic as possible.... but they <b>fail</b> so much on it that it's <b>pathetic</b>. All of those "drama" scenes were so <b>lame</b>.... so <b>forced</b>.... and they're soooooo <b>obvious</b>! What's worse is that they express their emotions mostly <i>through words</i>. They do <i>too much talking</i>.... sometimes things are even being <i>repeated over and over</i>. There isn't even much emotion on the characters when the actors were delivering their lines. I'm not sure if it's the voice actor's fault or the director told them to act that way. Oh gawd... the writers and the directors of this series are a bad combination in doing drama scenes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Aside from drama, it also tried its best to put as much <i>action</i> as possible. Unfortunately, it also <b>sucks</b> on action stuff! Yeah, yeah, there are fights (or massacres) in almost every single episode.... but you'll only see some slashing or people suddenly dropping dead. There aren't any impressive stunts, angle effects, power impact, unique moves... no fight choreography to amaze you at all. If the action can't make its audience awed, at least scare the audience with the bloody and dystopian setting! But noooooo! It couldn't even make you frightened because the gore's censored (I didn't see the point in that because what's the use of making a bloody series if you're going to put a shadow on like 85% of the screen anyway?). The torture and bloody scenes also look so fake.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I wish it didn't focus on the excessive blood spills so much.... because they totally don't look natural. The setting just looked like it had a lot of fresh red paint being spilled (how could there be so much blood in some scenes if there aren't any freshly killed people nearby?). Hadn't they really considered that blood doesn't stay bright red for long? Being a bloody action series doesn't necessarily mean you'll need some blood spilling around the streets in majority of the episodes. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/oq9gec.jpg" /></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">It saddens me that even the characters weren't given any justice. They could only be classified under the following descriptions: boring, annoying, or disgusting. Shiki was my favorite but I don't know what they did to him in the end. I also liked Rin very much, but he had become a little angsty later for the sake of drama and plot twist. If the main characters were already done badly, then much more on the supporting characters! Too bad, some of them could've been really interesting if the series made the more involved in the story and play a bigger role.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">A poor job on the story and characters are what annoys me most on a bad series. Much more if it also sucked in directing and it didn't use its themes very well. It's also saddening if it can't even do a good job on the genres it's focusing on (in Togainu's case, it seems to be drama and action). So honestly, the animation is not much of my concern... but in this case, it's so difficult NOT to notice because it was done really really badly! (the promo images and the PV animation looked nice though) It's strange because the art quality comparing the anime to its other adaptation has such a HUGE difference! So many scenes were even done so poorly that it didn't look like to be drawn by professionals. The mistakes were so many and obvious... it had been really difficult to watch! Oh gawd... even the animation couldn't save it from its pathetic storytelling!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ah well, even if this series sucks in so many areas, it doesn't really mean it didn't have any good points, you know. It had good songs... its ED theme song changes in every episode and most of them have been cool and nice to listen to. The OP theme song would've been better if it's just instrumental... I didn't like the vocals much, ehehe. Aside from the music, what got me very impressed is its <u>episode previews</u>. It has a creative way in showing future events... and the jokes there had been pretty amusing. Yeah... strangely, the previews were more enjoyable than the actual episode. Too bad.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's extremely sad that the series ended up as a failure despite its potential. Even fanservice couldn't save it... because there isn't even much of that (its little <i>fanservice</i> scenes were more of <i>awkward</i> instead of <i>delightful</i>). This was an embarrassment to the fans... it would be more recommendable to check out the other adaptations of this titles instead of the anime one. </div>Sapphire Pyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394234356231157323noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486249075382677025.post-28927073171168750492011-01-03T21:08:00.000+08:002011-08-07T06:53:14.061+08:00Kuroshitsuji II: Dark and Twisted Fanservice Done AMAZINGLY<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/okn2g3.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Black Butler II</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">by A-1 Pictures, Square Enix, FUNimation EntertainmentL, Aniplex</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote><i><b>Claude:</b> I'm the new demon butler in this series. <br />
<b>Alois: </b>Claude will do whatever I wish~ *dances* Ole!<br />
<b>Claude: </b>Yes, your highness. Until the contract is fulfilled, I am your loyal servant.<br />
<b>Alois:</b> *hyper* You're the best butler in the world, Claude! *whispers with a hidden glare* (Go roll in sh!t)<br />
<b>Claude:</b> *pretends not to hear the whisper* <br />
<b>Alois:</b> *hears someone knocking at the door* Yaaaaay!!!! We have a guest! <br />
<b>Claude:</b> *opens door*<br />
<b>Alois: </b>*examines stranger* He seems.... interesting. *grins*<br />
<b>Claude:</b> He seems.... familiar. *glares at stranger*</i></blockquote></div><div align="center"><img border="0" src="http://img18.picoodle.com/img/img18/3/1/22/f_staricons08m_82fea0f.gif" /> RATING: <b>A (EPIC! Super terrific!) </b><br />
<img border="0" src="http://img18.picoodle.com/img/img18/3/1/22/f_staricons19m_c95c713.gif" /> FAVORITISM: <b>5 Hearts ---> OBSESSION</b><br />
<img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/nffo69.jpg" /><br />
Violence. Sadism. Morbid. Foul Language. Homosexuality. (Subtle) Nudity. Female/Child Abuse. <br />
Not for minors and those with innocent or pure minds.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">The first season sucked.... <b>a lot</b>. But miraculously, the writers of the second season had become brilliant enough to make up for the mistakes of the previous season with its new story, characters, and.... <i>rating</i> (rating as in "R18" rating). It picks up the storyline from season 1, but the quality between the two seasons are <b>incomparable</b> (the difference had been <i>that</i> great!). It's already rare for a sequel to be better than its predecessor, much more on sequels that manage to improve a lot when its prequels are unbearably horrible.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Unfortunately, not a lot had appreciated or acknowledged its brilliance. From what I've noticed, these are the top reasons why:</div><ol><li>They didn't like the new characters</li>
<li>They couldn't tolerate the disturbing scenes</li>
<li>They find the story confusing or ridiculous</li>
<li>They think the series had too much fanservice</li>
</ol><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Well, you can't please everybody. But it still makes me sad because.... <b><i> </i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>those are some of the things that made this series so brilliant in the first place</i></b>!</div></div><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Why do I say so? Allow me to elaborate....</div><br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;">Before the first episode aired, the staff of the second season never gave hints on whether the main characters of the first season will make a comeback; but instead they introduced a new master and butler pair (plus new set of additional servants). </div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/2i1im39.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Trancy household; Alois has as many servants as Ciel did.... but more reliable!)</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Reactions to this vary: some think that a new cast makes the new season promising, while the majority thinks that Kuroshitsuji won't ever be the same without Ciel and Sebastian. So Alois and company hadn't really been welcome at first.... and in the end, the Sebastian + Ciel loyalists got what they wanted.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/506d904033.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Ciel and Sebastian.... so blue~)</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">I love the original pair; but honestly, <b>I don't think the new season would work out if it weren't for the new pair.</b> The rivalry shows that even someone as <i>perfect</i> as Sebastian has <i>a match</i> (he had a lot of battles ending up in a draw with Claude); the same goes with Ciel, who has met someone who is just as <i>cunning</i> (Both of them could also do physical combat). It's boring when the main characters win all the time, you know.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/161a0a86be.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Trancy versus Phantomhive)</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">The new pair's also responsible for the R 17+ rating the show suddenly had (previous season was PG13)... or more specifically, because of the new young master: Alois. His misogynistic and sadistic acts are quite <i>inhumane</i>.... his seductive gestures and strange habits make him <i>peculiar</i>.... he's so psychotic that he has become so complicated to understand. People who are more used to the norm or are very serious on their good morals would find it uncomfortable to watch him on screen.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/4ebc655e59.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Claude and Alois.... so wicked~)</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">But all these cruelty and insanity are actually what's <b>perfect</b> for this series... because it deals with <b>demons</b> <i>in the first place</i>! If you're going to involve such creatures in a plot of a horror series: <b>the more evil and twistedness, the better</b>. I was so relieved that the demons in this series are <i>acting as such</i>: selfish monsters that only see humans as prey. Being bad is their nature. People who have managed to live with such beasts couldn't exactly be considered pure or innocent either... </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This series has been true to its theme. It's dark, but not because they're wearing gothic fashion, but because creatures from the dark are involved.... and everything in the series is filled with horror and madness! Naturally, you can't expect its characters to be 100% sane. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/7e2347f6ab.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Crazy characters and their crazy finales)</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">With all these twisted characters and events.... it's no wonder for some things to be ridiculous at times. If the characters are crazy, not everything will make sense. If not everything makes sense, it makes the story confusing. If the story is confusing, it drives its audience crazy... and it has achieved its goal! Haha!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But you know, the crazy events and characters just helped in making the plot complex, rather than getting rid of it. And yes, <i>contrary to popular belief</i>, it still has a story despite its overflowing amount of <i>very obvious</i> fanservice scenes. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/b97ed87dff.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">(He already looks girlie anywayz, so why not make him dress like one?! Yay for pretty trap who made even Ciel blush, LOLz)</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">The series is already labeled as "crazy", so why not <i>add some fun in that insanity</i>? It's cool when a dark series is being as dark as possible, but adding some humor and delight would help in making the series even more entertaining than it already is. The fanservice in this series had helped in making the fans laugh and smile... and temporarily forget (or will have lesser impact on) the tragic and horrifying parts in the series. It would have been boring if it was serious all the time, hehe.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/d9159c7df3.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">(MY ALOIS JUST WANTS TO BE LOVED! I KNEW THAT FROM THE VERY BEGINNING xD)</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">It's most popular in catering to shounen-ai fans but I honestly can't see the relationship of the characters as such (except for Grell to Sebastian). As far as I see, the only romance in it is between Ciel and Lizzy. And yeah, despite the seductive stuff that he does, I don't think Alois has been romantically in love. Yes, even with Claude. As for the main duo, if you don't use your imagination, Sebastian and Ciel aren't really a romantic couple. The staff loves to tease those fans though.... like with this image:</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/0f8981ff8c.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Oh my god those hands and lips and pose... oh my god)</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Ah well, the fanservice isn't really that bothersome since they're not as excessive as they appear. In other words, <b>it's not mindless fanservice all the time</b>... because, believe it or not, they had also been used to keep the story going... and for character development even! The fanservice had shown some sides of the characters.... mostly their weak and dark ones. It's really great when fanservice isn't just for the LULz.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I've heard that someone had said that the Kuroshitsuji manga is <b>a story with fanservice</b>; while the second season of the Kuroshitsuji anime is <b>a fanservice with story</b>. Whoever said that, he/she is so right.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The story in this series may not have been absolutely fantastic because of some plot holes here and there.... also of those sudden occurrences for story convenience here and there.... but those flaws are so minor that, in my opinion, are easily overshadowed by the excellent parts of this show's story. No series is perfect... don't let the little mistakes distract you from seeing the big picture.... which is actually magnificent if only you bothered to look at it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The second season showed a lot of mysterious scenarios... it reveals its secrets little by little... yet becomes more mysterious as the story progresses at the same time. It has a number of good plot twists... and also has interesting story flashbacks to share. Its characters had a background, had expressed their feelings openly and within, had undergone development, and had a chance to shine. The setting provides explanations on what the characters are like and gives hints on what had happened. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Being a historical and supernatural series, there would be a lot of references to mention (from demonology to Victorian England household furniture). The things where the characters and the story are based from are naturally influenced by the original materials. <b>Even little things in the series could mean something</b>, from the character's dialogues to the random things that are usually not given notice in a show (such as the scene with a spider eating a butterfly). And don't you know that the episode intervals (characters with tarot cards, in proper position and upside-down)? This series is very well-written by such excellent and imaginative writers.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/e4fddcf6a8.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">(I like the idea of Alois being the director and Ciel doing something with the script.... then Sebby's the actor while Claudie's distracted with the food? xD Haha)</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Alright, aside from a great story and a cool set of characters, those weren't the only things that the second season has to offer. Like the previous season, animation and music were really wonderful. On the art, I'm most amazed on the background settings because they're so magnificently detailed. Background music's really terrific, especially on eerie or solemn parts. Opening and Ending themes rock as usual... stunningly awesome visuals on both opening themes (many say that the first one's far better... but I also find the second one really really cool).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">As for favorites, I like the moments when Ciel and Sebastian are together... especially when they're pissing each other off~ Ciel's okay, while I really really love Sebastian. He's still my favorite character and his attachment to cats never fail to amuse me~ </div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/f418efa74d.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw.... why didn't it end this way?)</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">However, I found a new favorite whom I like more than Sebastian: Alois Trancy. You can say that <strike>aside from the fact that he's <b>pretty</b></strike> it's mainly because I'm quite fond of psychotic characters~ <b>They're so intriguing, and full of surprises!</b> He's so mysterious and complicated... which makes him more interesting for me~ And even in a twisted way, he's so freakin' entertaining~ Not to mention that he's actually a very intelligent boy.... and not totally heartless. I really love this kid~ Kyaaaa~</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And oh, his butler is also fun... and of Claude's such a cool tap dancer~ I really love it his heartwarming and amusing moments with Alois.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's also very cute that the way the Trancy pair act around one another is so... different form the Phantomhive pair xD The Trancy pair is honestly more... daring xD Haha!</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/8a03efc68f.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">(They both look so evil here... I like that, hehe)</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">The series had a marvelous ending.... Interestingly, the antagonists were the ones who had a <i>"happy ending"</i>.... while the protagonists aren't exactly enjoying their time... especially Sebastian, haha! I'm not sure if I should be amused with what happened to him or pity him instead, haha! (And yes, I'm a Sebby fan.... perhaps a sadistic Sebby fan, LOLz). </div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/49643ee6af.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Hott butler fighto! My favorite was when they fought with egg yolks... ROFLz)</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">I loooooooooooooove this series and I find it so wonderful! I highly recommend it to everyone who can... handle it xD</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Kuroshitsuji is not a show for those with innocent minds nor those who couldn't tolerate disturbing scenes. Those who prefer fluffy and happy stuff can't ever appreciate it; even those who can't comprehend out-of-this-world silliness (in other words: fanservice crack). Brutal violence is also a common occurence in the show. Thus, it's absolutely not recommended to minors and i-only-want-happy-moments people. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Though there's a character who flirts with people of the same gender in this series, homosexuality isn't really its main focus (It just adds to the twistedness in it). And though it's mature, it's not really yaoi (not even shounen-ai, imho). The love in this is twisted, but I don't think it's considered the romantic type.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So if you're fine with all of those, then enjoy a dark tale filled with mystery, horror and madness! It has a fantastic set of characters playing a role in a very intense and thought-provoking story. This got me so intrigued, amazed, and thrilled! Hell I care with the majority's complains, <b>it's freakin' awesome</b>!</div>Sapphire Pyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394234356231157323noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486249075382677025.post-62815704388317398372010-12-25T11:12:00.000+08:002011-08-07T06:53:14.067+08:00Kemonozume: Don't Let "Fugly" Art Discourage You to See Something WTFLOLWOW<div align="center"><img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/wmbamh.jpg" /><br />
(The Beast Claw)<br />
by MadHouse</div><blockquote><i><b>Toshihiko:</b> I belong to the Kifuuken and it is our job to hunt down Flesh Eaters.<br />
*Toshihiko and Yura meet*<br />
<b>Toshihiko:</b> I wanna f*ck you.<br />
<b>Yura:</b> Let's do this.<br />
*Toshihiko and Yura do their thing*<br />
<b>Yura:</b> I love you but I don't think we can live happily ever after.<br />
<b>Toshihiko:</b> Why not?<br />
<b>Yura:</b> Because.... I'm a Flesh Eater.</i></blockquote><div align="center"><img src="http://img18.picoodle.com/img/img18/3/1/22/f_staricons08m_82fea0f.gif" /> RATING: <b>B (NICE! Really unique~)</b><br />
<img src="http://img18.picoodle.com/img/img18/3/1/22/f_staricons19m_c95c713.gif" />FAVORITISM: <b> 3 Hearts --> LIKE</b><br />
<img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/nffo69.jpg" /><br />
Violence. Guts. Body Chops. Gore. Nudity. Sluts. Erotic.<br />
Not for minors and those with innocent or pure minds.<br />
<br />
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~</div><br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;">From what I see, what stands out the most in this series is the <b>art</b>. You think it's fugly? <b>I beg to disagree.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I think most people took the its strange art style negatively because the majority's more familiar with "pretty art". Those with an open mind took their time to try to get used to it. Fortunately, many had eventually acknowledged that its <i>peculiar</i> art style actually portray one of the greatest qualities of this series: It's <b>creative</b>. Deviating from the rules of the art style of mainstream shows gave the artists freedom to play with how they want to present the characters and events in its story. As a result, we got a series that's filled with surreal and bizzare scenes that shift from kiddie drawings to realistic stills and to beautifully drawn images. The beauty in its art isn't with how nice it looks to the eyes, but on <b>how imaginative they have been presented~</b></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/24yssur.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">It's creepy but.... really beautiful in a morbid sense xD Haha!<br />
Fine, it's scenes like <a href="http://videoanons.ru/uploads/posts/2010-02/1265002628_Kogti_Zverya_Kemonozume_2006_RUS_JAP_16_7.jpg">this</a> which are actually pretty, hehe.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">And don't you know the messy art had actually been a tool in making the series less horrifying? There's a lot of body ripping, guts exposure, and blood baths in this series.... if they have been drawn in the usual way.... scenes would've looked scarier. It shows that horror isn't one of its main genres; it's more of <b>action</b>. The focus of the series isn't to scare its audience, but to thrill them upon watching the characters killing off monsters.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Speaking of action, it had a lot of fight scenes but most of them hadn't really been that... cool. The impressive ones weren't from the battles wherein the protagonists are hunting down monsters.... but instead they were those wherein <i>the protagonists fight against their comrades in order to protect the monsters they're supposed to kill</i>. I especially liked the part when a supporting character had beaten the robot (yes, there's mecha in this series!) <b>very easily</b>.... though those robots were supposed to be the ones who would surpass the human fighters, hehe. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/28btvzk.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Yay! Fight-o! Pink vs Blue~</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Aside from action, romance is obviously a main genre of this show as well. We've got a couple falling in love at first sight but their love's against all odds so they had no choice but to elope. It's more than a monster killing and Romeo + Juliet story though... it also deals with family, friendship, pride, satisfaction, joy, greed, traditions, revenge, betrayals, politics, and so on. The plot's deeper than it appears though I've got to admit that it's somewhat taking advantage of its strangeness as an excuse to story conveniences (the monkey's so almighty and intelligent... and shall definitely show up when necessary... o_O). The final battle gives you a "That's it?" feeling too. Nevertheless, it's still impressive that it managed to deliver to us a simple, yet meaningful, story. It may be cheesy at times, but it was cute. I liked the ending.... can't help being happy for them after all they've gone through.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/5num3a.png" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">When it comes to Romeo and Juliet love stories... I prefer a Juliet that can fight... not just some damsel-in-distress. Thankfully Yura's a cool type, even though she's not exactly a fighter.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">About the characters, well, Toshihiko is okay, but it greatly annoyed me that his talent had been absolutely useless during the actual fights because he suddenly gets stomach problems =_= For story convenience though, his body doesn't act up during important times (especially when he's protecting Yura). Yura, on the other hand, had been fun and cute. She's not my favorite, but I find her very likeable. My favorite characters are the following: 3) Hoozuki - he's a nice guy 2) Ooba - he's a despicable bastard but he's also freakin' amusing xD 1) Kazuma - I find tragic characters very interesting.... he's a poor boy that's only been misunderstanding things... and his one-sided love's pretty cute.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">What I didn't like in this series is the... errr... you-know-what ^^; I'm fine with such scenes, <i>but to have such scenes in almost every freakin' episode</i> is kinda... too much. Oh well, at least some of those scenes had been really hilarious. <b>Comedy</b> is another main genre of this series, and it sure has a great sense of humor. It can make stupid things enjoyable. I could still remember the bitch fight... the two girls in love with Toshihiko had been exchanging insults.... they're so petty, shallow, and lame (perverted too)... instead of getting annoyed, I was very amused! Hahaha!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Overall, what I find this series very <b>stylish</b> thanks to its very creative art style and storytelling. The music, particularly the background tracks (because I didn't like the opening and ending themes much... not that they're bad. They're just not my type), made it even more stylish than it already is~ Even if I got disturbed (I'm really not the type to appreciate you-know-what scnees), watching it had been very enjoyable thanks to its charming characters and nice comedy~ I highly recommend it to those who want to see something <b>different</b> yet <b>fun</b> at the same time~</div>Sapphire Pyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394234356231157323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486249075382677025.post-37627163984684474632010-11-21T20:21:00.001+08:002011-08-07T06:53:14.073+08:00Anime Review: Night Head Genesis<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/4zyul0.jpg" /><br />
<b>Night Head Genesis</b><br />
<b>Animation Production:</b> Actas, Horipro, Media BlastersL, Four Some, Bee Media | <b>Director:</b> Yoshio Takeuchi | <b>Storyboard:</b> Masahiko Murata | <b>Music</b>: Shigeru Umebayashi | <b>Original Creator:</b> George Iida</div><blockquote><div align="justify"><i>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".<br />
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.<br />
A new "Night Head" is about to be awakened. </i></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><b>[ OVERALL IMPRESSIONS ]</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu321/hyperparfait/Reviews/Icons/parfait_312.png" /></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Despite the interesting premise, there are quite a lot of things to complain about its story. I'll tell you my top 3 complains:<br />
<br />
First are those freakin' recap scenes in almost every episode. If you cut out all those recaps, I believe 20 episodes would've been enough to cover the whole series. Please don't underestimate the memory of your audience; we are capable of remembering significant events even without showing it to us more than thrice.<br />
<br />
Second, there are still so many parts that have not been explained. Being a mystery series doesn't mean that you'll leave too many things as vague as they are from the beginning.<br />
<br />
Third is that some things just happened so... conveniently. To be specific, our main characters managed to attain additional special powers... on such a wonderful timing. Some coincidences happen... just when they need it. Some miracles happen.... for the sake of making our main characters win. w00t! Applause to the writer! *sarcastic*<br />
<br />
Speaking of characters, our beloved brotherly duo seriously got too much spotlight. If you still don't know the younger brother's name after watching a few episodes, <i>there must be something wrong with you</i>. His older brother screams his name for so many times that you'll lose count.<br />
<br />
Sadly, despite all that focus, they still hadn't been developed that well. Well, yes, there was character development; but it didn't happen gradually. In other words, it <i>just happened</i>, not developed. Like, for example, dear little brother was able to get over his "shock problem" all of a sudden on a certain episode as if he had been doing it often already even though though in previous episodes it was something he couldn't control at all. Hhhmm... that's just weird. At least show him getting used to it little by little, right?<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/2sbjvxl.jpg" /></div><br />
But at least, even though our main characters have such special abilities, they don't win all the time. They have weaknesses; they can be outsmarted; they fail. Even with their godly abilities, they're still human.<br />
<br />
Though the other characters didn't have enough development or background, they weren't fully neglected for no matter how small their roles in the series are, they played a significant part in the story. The villains aren't simply "people who just want to destroy the world" either. They're more complex than they seem, and I love it that they manage to overpower the main characters even though the main characters are supposedly more powerful.<br />
<br />
Anyway, even though there are some problems with how the story went, it's still very intriguing and remarkable. It has quite a convincing concept about the root of all the supernatural phenomenon... it's even connecting history, mythology, and science.<br />
<br />
I love how it presented the possible terrors when possessing psychic abilities; being able to read what other people think isn't exactly cool all the time. You've got to excuse the main character who's undergoing breakdowns for seeing such images often.... the negative thoughts of others could be that terrifyingly unpleasant. That's how frightening the human mind could be, no matter the age or background. Even if they're just thoughts, it could already be very dreadful.<br />
<br />
It had been really good on the psychological horror aspect. It's strongest point, however, is the music! It's really amazing! The songs were nice to listen to, and all the background music, especially the eerie ones, fit the series very well~ No sarcasm this time; the music composer and the artists deserve a huge applause on this =)<br />
<br />
Aside from the music, one of the things that makes me so pleased with this series is that... even if there had been so much brotherly love drama, at least it didn't go <i>beyond</i> that (believe it or not). Romance isn't the highest form of love; I salute to series which acknowledge other forms of love aside from the eros one.<br />
<br />
Though I have to admit that it was pretty dull at times... only because this series was just too... serious, ehehe. Some humor would've made this more enjoyable to watch, in my opinion. And seriously, they shouldn't have attempted in including action scenes.... the characters suck so much on it, ehehe.<br />
<br />
Oh well, despite the numerous flaws, the story concept was just too good that it managed to be interesting and intriguing from beginning to end. You need some patience and tolerance in watching it though, but in exchange you'll get to see one of the most remarkable psychological horror stories out there~ </div>Sapphire Pyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394234356231157323noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486249075382677025.post-60316079290803912352010-07-03T08:32:00.001+08:002011-08-07T06:53:14.078+08:00Finished Anime: Durarara!!<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i45.tinypic.com/339sfp0.jpg" /><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Durarara!!</span></span></div><div align="center"><i>Ryuugamine Mikado is a boy who longs for the exciting life of the big city. At the invitation of his childhood friend Masaomi, he transfers to a school in Ikebukuro. Masaomi has warned him about people he doesn't want to cross in the city: a champion fighter, an informant, and a mysterious gang called "Dollars." Nervous from Masaomi's stories, Mikado witnesses an urban legend on his first day in the city, the Headless Rider astride a black motorcycle. From then on, the existence of supernatural cases and a gang called the Yellow Turbans will rise to the surface, and Ikebukuro will pushed to the breaking point.</i></div><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Type:</b> TV | <b>Episodes:</b> 24 | <b>Aired:</b> Jan 7, 2010 to Jun 24, 2010 | <b>Genres:</b> Action, Comedy, Psychological, Romance, Supernatural<br />
<b>Animation Production:</b> Brains Base | <b>Main Cast:</b> Miyuki Sawashiro (Celty), Toshiyuki Toyonaga (Mikado)<br />
<b>Original Creator:</b> Ryohgo Narita | <b>Director:</b> Takahiro Omori | <b>Series Composition:</b> Noboru Takagi | <b>Music:</b> Makoto Yoshimori | <b>Character Design:</b> Suzuhito Yasuda, Takahiro Kishida</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">[ OVERALL IMPRESSIONS ]</span><br />
<img src="http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu321/hyperparfait/Reviews/Icons/parfait_5.png" /><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Should one be really surprised of this? Haha!</span></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Shounen series, particularly those with action scenes, tend to have a number of teens that kick ass in its cast. When the protagonists fight, there should be incredible stunts.... doesn't matter if they're not exactly realistic. And most importantly, this formula should be followed: protagonists will go through some struggles and challenges but in the end they should be victorious in one way or another. A hero's death could still be a victory; what's important is that the villains shouldn't ever win in the last fight.<br />
<br />
Durarara!! actually follows that shounen formula. It even has the fanservice (thankfully not that explicit) and the random fun. It contains the generic stuff that entertains fans. It's no surprise that it has become very popular and had a huge fanbase!<br />
<br />
But please, don't put Durarara!! in the same level as the <i>typical shounen</i>. Even though it follows the standard shounen elements, it deviated from a lot of things that are <i>usual</i>. It makes fun of the cliches and avoids following the same path as other shounen plots follow. It may present you with something common at first but later it will surprise you that things aren't actually what they had seemed.<br />
<br />
Want to go into a bit more detail on what makes this series amazing? Then let's explore some of the aspects of the show:<br />
<br />
<b>=== THE ENVIRONMENT</b><br />
The main setting of the series is a city that actually exists in the real world. Do you have any idea how CLOSE the locations that have been featured in the series are to the real one? If none, please check out the <a href="http://kissmygeass.livejournal.com/tag/ikebukuro">comparisons done by kissmygeass</a>, or you could also take a look at this video:</div><br />
<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7rY3exryGq8&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7rY3exryGq8&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="385" width="640"></embed></object><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">In a way the series had acted as a tour guide to this city in Japan, for it featured most, if not all, of its famous tourist spots! And of course, not only the popular places are featured; even the common restaurants, parks, and so on! Moreover, they don't only look <i>similar</i> to the real location, they're <i>almost the same place</i>! It's so detailed that the location of the signboards, positions of vending machines, and others are even taken note of.<br />
<br />
That's not the only thing that made the series so close to the real world. Putting aside the supernatural and extraordinary elements of the show, the events here are actually realistic. We have people sharing gossips, the streets being so crowded even during the night, children attend school, and so on. But like many other cities in the real world, though it may seem peaceful on the surface, it's not without its <i>dark sides</i>. Horrible things like fights, crimes, sufferings, and other forms of chaos and disturbance still occur. There are times that something big makes it to the headlines. But no matter how bizarre it is, just leave it to <b>Time</b> and eventually things will be back to <i>normal</i>.<br />
<br />
Seeing how close this series has been to our world had made it seem so <i><b>real</b></i>.<br />
<br />
<b>=== THE ORIGINS</b><br />
The series thought of making its realistic universe a bit more interesting by adding something that couldn't be possible in the real world. Introducing, a supernatural creature from Celtic/Irish mythology: The Dullahan.<br />
<br />
<img src="http://i46.tinypic.com/wsv19l.jpg" /><br />
<br />
Although the <i>monster</i> is based on an actual myth, it didn't exactly follow its original descriptions in the mythological records. Making the said creature undergo amnesia is a nice technique to be used as an opportunity to create a totally different personality for this mythological being. We are given a different perspective on something that is supposed to be horrifying, and it didn't exactly rebel against the original characteristics of the creature. In other words, if this show involved a demon, it has a good excuse on why its demon isn't being evil; unlike other shows that have demons that don't act as such without any explanation at all.<br />
<br />
Speaking of origins, some of the names of its characters have interesting sources. Mikado, someone who looks so plain, has a very <i>grand</i> name... which will make sense once you see the other side of him. Shizuo's name though is quite ironic... for its meaning is the absolute opposite of how he's usually behaving... when angry. As for Izaya, for a person who is popularly known as someone rotten and evil, has a name that is based on a <i>Biblical</i> character… a <i>prophet</i> in particular. The connection of the names and the personality of the characters possessing them sure are... intriguing.<br />
<br />
<b>=== THE PEOPLE</b><br />
One of the most astonishing things in this series is the number of main characters it has. It will take a while to remember all of them (for others though, they don't get to remember all the names at all).<br />
<br />
<img src="http://i46.tinypic.com/2samg7s.jpg" /><br />
<br />
But even with its huge cast, it managed to give each character <i>"individuality"</i>. The ages, statuses, backgrounds, abilities, and personalities vary. All of them have good and bad sides; and a majority of them have a cool side, whether they're a major or a minor character.... even extras or side characters! <i>"Stereotype"</i> is not part of its vocabulary; they would possess or do something that makes them <i>different</i> of what you commonly see from other shows. Not all of them are likeable though. In fact, some of them are meant to be pathetic or despicable. But one thing's for sure: most of them, if not all, will provide you entertainment..... and entertainment comes in many forms.<br />
<br />
The characters here are dynamic, and the show sure made proper use of its time to give each character some development and a chance to shine, whether major or minor. Yes, even some random dude who works while wearing a bunny suit get to do something awesome; a character doesn't need to have supernatural abilities or incredible skills in order to do something cool. And no, not only the main characters play a role on the significant events. The main characters don't even get to perform the "hero's role" all the time nor are they immune to screwing up and chickening out.<br />
<br />
<b>=== THE DIFFERENT</b><br />
Aside from the fact that the main characters here aren't your usual <i>perfect</i> ones, the central character of the show isn't someone usual either. Despite the “obviousness” in the title, many of the audience have mistaken Mikado as the one with that position. The reason is most likely because his debut has been the same as the common way on how central characters are introduced in an animanga series.<br />
<br />
<img src="http://i46.tinypic.com/zsk8k2.jpg" /><br />
<br />
The original creator, fortunately, intended to use a type of character that seldom, if not never, gets to have a big role in a series: a Dullahan. Have you seen a shounen main character who is headless elsewhere? I haven't.<br />
<br />
The uniqueness of our main character doesn't stop there. I believe it's <i>natural</i> that a shounen main character plays a big role in almost every arc in his/her series; but that's not necessarily the case for DRRR!!'s. The main plot involves her, but she doesn't claim the spotlight all the time. And even though she's not the focus of a certain arc, she still fulfills her main character role by trying to connect the main actors in the arc. She's a great character, but it's also nice if it's not all about her all the time.<br />
<br />
Another thing that makes it so different from other shounen shows is how the fight scenes are shown. The moves are superb and the stunts are epic; yet it didn't need to include some loooooooooong exchange of lines with the opponents bragging to each other during fights not did it make the battles take so loooooooooooooong to finish. Awesome fights are not measured by the number of episodes it had taken, nor are they judged by how powerful the fighters who have participated in the battle are.<br />
<br />
<b>=== THE BLEND</b><br />
The series is not limited to slice of life, supernatural, and action. It also gives you a taste of horror, romance, suspense, mystery, and comedy. I find it very remarkable on how these genres are mixed and balanced.<br />
<br />
<img src="http://i48.tinypic.com/11rxdvm.jpg" /><br />
<br />
Don't you know that this show is mainly a love story? It's more on the <i>twisted</i> romance though. It tells us different love stories.... different types of couples.... different ways of how their love is being expressed. Some are canon; some are one-sided. Some are pure; some are so wrong. Some have happy endings; some are not meant to be happy from the beginning. Despite the differences, they end up with one thing in common: in a way, it's <i>twisted</i>.<br />
<br />
Thanks to the twistedness, the characters and their relationships have become pretty complex. They aren't exactly what they seem.... and exploring the peculiarity has made this series psychological and philosophical (either those or plain creepy, haha!).<br />
<br />
<b>=== THE THEMES</b><br />
Even though the series intentionally shows silly and random things at times, it could also be complicated enough that you have to analyze the situation and crack some puzzles in order to discover the mystery behind what initially appears to be deep or nonsensical. In other words, this series makes you <i>think</i>. Or if you're reading a book, it's like <i>reading between the lines</i>.<br />
<br />
<img src="http://i48.tinypic.com/s31vnq.jpg" /><br />
<br />
Some scenarios here by the way are things that you could relate to or could compare to the real world. It's even upto date on its examples because the timeline of the series is so close to the time it aired on screen. About the issues tackled here, majority of them have in relation to the problems/experiences encountered by the youth. They could be about oneself, relationship to loved ones, to society, and so on.<br />
<br />
Eros love may be one of the primary focuses of the series, but since this is a shounen series, I think it's safe to conclude that the most general themes of this series would always center or involve the youth. They are the main target audience after all. So this series didn't only discuss about their problems and their love lives, but also their relationships with family and friends, their growth, and so on. Each character has a story to tell, and we learn something from them.<br />
<br />
<b>=== THE NARRATIVE</b><br />
The story's not just told by a narrator.... and neither is it told by the main character alone.<br />
<br />
<img src="http://i48.tinypic.com/2rz9fmb.jpg" /><br />
<br />
On certain episodes, a certain character, whether major or minor, will tell you their story.... and the subplots or the minor parts of their story could be the main one of another character. We can see the same scene in different perspectives.... in different angles.... in different manners. You get amazed on how so many things could happen at the same time thanks to this style of have various characters tell the same story in their own way. How these stories have been connected have been brilliantly presented. It's also a relief that they don't exactly do recaps, nor repeat almost the entire episode. They'll just replay what's necessary for the audience not to be so lost on when it exactly happened.<br />
<br />
Durarara!! isn't just a story of the main character being largely involved by arc. It's a series with multiple stories of multiple characters intertwined magnificently; some of them get to play a big role on a certain arc while in others it's for the other characers' turn. Though it's true that there are certain characters that don't get enough screentime, but at least, when they do, <i>they steal the episode</i>. They're not absolutely neglected. They're not exactly <i>just there</i>.<br />
<br />
<b>=== THE "DISAPPOINTMENT"</b><br />
Not all stories or arcs turn out to be as exciting as the others. A lot of fans weren't pleased with the events in the final arc that they end up calling this series a "disappointment" because it had potential and it blew it.<br />
<br />
<img src="http://i46.tinypic.com/w1qjap.jpg" /><br />
<br />
I admit that those parts bored me as well.... but hey! They're about teen angst! Teen angst is never awesome! Whether you admit it (that you have undergone or are undergoing the same stage as a teen) or not, for some reason, the teens are the most annoyingly angsty age group ever (Of course, not all teens are like that. But the majority I believe had their moments of… duh). That makes teens never awesome all the time. For me, the series recognizes that it has teens in its cast, and want to show how much they can suck aside from how much they could rock. We see their stupidity.... their weaknesses.... their drama. But the good thing is, in the end, they finally talked about it.... apologized.... made up.... and moved on. They learned from their mistakes and going through such obstracle has made their bond stronger even if they're apart. This series has been teaching teens a positive light over the depression they're going through since episode 2.... should you wonder why the main characters aren't excluded?<br />
<br />
A story event that isn't "fun" or "cool" <i>doesn't</i> make it "bad". And since the matter has been resolved smoothly anyway (and it didn't take too long), I don't even think that it could be considered a "flaw". More of a "strong point" if you look into it in another way. Ah well, this is just my opinion.<br />
<br />
<b>=== THE COMPARISON</b><br />
Fans of the predecessor would certainly have reminded of their favorite series upon watching Durarara!! It's no surprise, because the creator's the same, the staff's the same, the style's the same, and so on. It is indeed a fact that fans of the predecessor may appreciate Durarara!!, but of course, that's not true all the time.<br />
<br />
<img src="http://i50.tinypic.com/k2ivyx.jpg" /><br />
<br />
And no, it's not exactly because the predecessor's much better. It's more of because: <i>they're not the same</i>. Even though they are from the same creative origins and even presented in a similar style, I think from their difference in storytelling and level of violence alone could already tell that each is aimed towards a different audience. Like, a person who doesn't get<br />
jumpy" storytelling could enjoy Durarara!! (because it's much straightforward and in chronological order) but not its predecessor. There are other differences aside from that of course. I think I could elaborate those but…. The purpose of this article is to post my final impressions for this season of DRRR!!, not to compare these two…. And I believe they shouldn’t be compare (in regards to which is better based o the same terms) at all.<br />
<br />
So yeah, I'm intentionally not mentioning the title of the predecessor for one to focus on Durarara!! This series doesn't really need to rely on its predecessor to become awesome. It's more popular and successful even. Durarara!! and its predecessor are awesome in their own way.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>=== THE AWESOME</b><br />
Aside from what I've already mentioned, there's no doubt that Durarara also has good quality animation and excellent music, whether in background tracks, songs, and so forth! Great acting from the cast as well, though it'd be better if the voice actors have been fluent on the languages they're speaking since their characters <i>are</i>. But the staff in general had done a really good job on it… especially on their research on Ikebukuro! Wow!<br />
<br />
Overall, this series is so outstanding that from the title alone, it already stands out a lot! It's very different from your typical shounen. It delivered a lot of fantastic and amazing stuff. It's so enjoyable, interesting, and brilliant that evry single episode is something to look forward to! But naturally, there's no such thing as a "perfect series". Nevertheless, if this series indeed have a number of flaws.... you think such TINY flaws could make such a magnificent series go down???? I think the problem is that the audience got exposed on many of the awesome stuff so early that once they see the downfalls, they <i>forget</i> about what's so fantastic about this show.<br />
<br />
Perhaps I'm the only person (or only one of the few people) who think that this series had been excellent overall.... I don't care if people see it as my bias to Ryohgo Narita.... I think it's a fact that the guy's a <b>genius</b>. He's so rare; we should treasure him. People who write stories that deviate from the popular patheticness should be honored!</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i50.tinypic.com/205rq51.jpg" /><br />
<br />
I highly recommend this show, of course. It’s definitely a gem, especially among the shounen series. Don’t miss an amazing show because they don’t come around often~</div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 78%;">Sources:<br />
- Anime News Network<br />
- Google Search<br />
- MiniTokyo<br />
- AnimePaper<br />
- Lovely People at the LJ comm</span>Sapphire Pyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394234356231157323noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486249075382677025.post-20488498950224359692010-05-21T09:00:00.000+08:002011-08-07T06:53:14.084+08:00Anime Review: Black Cat<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i46.tinypic.com/15hbx2q.jpg" /><br /><b>Black Cat</b><br /><b>Animation Production:</b> Gonzo | <b>Director:</b> Shin Itagaki | <b>Series Composition:</b> Shuuichi Kouyama | <b>Original Creator:</b> Kentaro Yabuki<br /></div><blockquote><div align="justify"><i>Train Heartnet is known as the Black Cat for his quick reactions to attacks and his title as Number Thirteen as member of the secret society Chronos. He is an unbeatable master gunman, a cold and unfeeling killer until he meets Saya, a bounty hunter, or "sweeper". She teaches him the value of a human life, and that one should live in order to repent for one's mistakes rather than die because of them. Through her, Train learns to love and care for other people as he too becomes a sweeper and travels with his partner Sven and the mysterious girl Eve. </i></div></blockquote><span class="fullpost"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>[ OVERALL IMPRESSIONS ]</b><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu321/hyperparfait/Reviews/Icons/parfait_4.png" /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Black Cat's premise is honestly not original. Shounen action fans would certainly have encountered another series wherein the main character used to be a cold-blooded killer but eventually changed into some goody-goody (yet can still be badass if he wants to) idiot. The series also follows the typical shounen miraculous ending (where the leading character will always be triumphant no matter how impossible and that he will get the luck he needs in the end).<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">But who cares if it's unoriginal and typical if it manages to be so awesome?!<br /><br /><img src="http://i50.tinypic.com/35m19x3.jpg" /><br />(Train hit Creed with his gun while in the manga he punched Creed with his fist)<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Usually, the original manga materials are better than their anime adaptations; I'm not sure if the same can be said about Black Cat because the anime series didn't seem to intend to cover everything in the manga in the first place. The anime made a lot of changes on the story; aside from the chronological order, it even changed some events that have happened and also on how it was presented. I believe the anime staff were left with no choice but to compress the story and make it more fast paced that it already is. Most likely the main reason is because of budget limit concerns.<br /><br />I have to agree that many of the events had been better in the manga; but comparing this to other series that had been experiencing a similar situation, the result of this one's had been pretty good.<br /><br />How the anime connected different events in the manga had been impressive; it blended so well that you wouldn't have thought that the first arc actually consisted of more than two arcs in the manga. And no matter how compressed the story had been, it managed to cover what's necessary in the main plot. I admit the disappointment on the changes of the events that have been much better in the manga.... but the series composition was really done well so I think that totally made up for that.<br /><br />However, the story development went downhill on the later half of the series because of those filler episodes and that epic fail original ending. The idea and attempt on the ending wasn't actually bad (it tried to make all the events that happened in the series [ah, even added Train's childhood!] more connected compare to the manga) but actually, what they've come up with wasn't good enough and it seemed so rushed.<br /><br />Then again, perhaps it could be excused because of the episode total and budget limit, but the script writer had so much potential that I think he/she could've done a better job on it. I'd rather have a cliffhanger or an open ending than a nervewrecking one... guh.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i46.tinypic.com/2v1n2ie.jpg" /><br />(Creed versus Train)<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I think the script writer is very promising for he/she impressively improvised the manga's story and narration. Sadly, the anime originals that deviated <i>a little too much</i> from the manga's storyline were those that had kinda sucked. So my conclusion to that: the script writer is excellent when it comes to improvising/compressing an existing story but needs a lot on work in making up original stories and in making drastic changes on the original story.<br /><br />Aside from those, a big difference I've noticed if we compare the manga and the anime to each other is that it appears that the anime is targetting a younger audience compare to the manga (the anime's so shounen-ish while the manga is almost like in-between shounen and seinen). Explains why the characters look younger than their actual age.... and some characters even had their ages changed like the kids that Saya rescued. The bloodshed, violence, and sexy scenes were milder and lessened in the anime as well... (best example on that would be on Kyouko.... 'coz she burns people and her clothes get slightly burned along.) thus making the manga cooler for me. But if you think about it, they're still equal when it comes to awesomeness if you have the target audience in mind.<br /><br />Despite their differences, the manga and the anime are actually both full of cliches. It's a similar case with the characters....<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i47.tinypic.com/2a0jb6p.jpg" /><br />(wahehehehehehehehehehhe)<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">But at least the cast has a good variety! It's not your usual bunch of teens kicking ass, and the main character isn't even one (from what I recall he's supposed to be in his early twenties). The age group varies not only on the main cast alone, and further varies on the other bigger groups.<br /><br />Naturally, they don't only vary by age, but by personality, ability, and specialty as well. Even so, majority of them are fun and kickass in their own way! Haha! The cast is so lovable that it's difficult to pick whom I dislike a lot.... except for those that were meant to be disliked. But yeah, it had the typical evil villains... not to mention that the main one is old. And yeah, the main characters seem too powerful and lucky at times...<br /><br />But characterization and character development actually hadn't been bad... the only problem that I see that some of the minor/supporting characters lack of it or the development had been done really <i>really fast</i>. On the later, it might be because the series is fast-paced; but still, no harm in making it a little <i>less</i> rushed, right?<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i49.tinypic.com/2lnk7a.jpg" /><br />(Manga!Saya didn't say that line in the anime and vice versa)<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Surprisingly, development on character relationships had been better compare to the development on the characters individually. Train and Saya have a beautiful relationship, whether you see it as platonic or romantic. They only spent time together for a short while but Saya had such a huge impact on Train. On their story, the anime had been better on their fun moments while the manga did a much better job on the drama. Another pair that I adore would be Sven and Eve and I love how their bond grew stronger and stronger as episodes go by. It's a beautiful father-and-daughter-like relationship.<br /><br />There are many other interesting relationships, even if they didn't get enough moments (like with Jenos x Rins! w00t!), but the most entertaining one for me had been Train and Creed's twisted relationship! Haha! Creed's obsession sounds so BL but it's not: Creed's just simply a twisted stalking bastard that it surprises me that Train hadn't peed on his pants yet because Creed is so CREEPY! But hhhmm... psychopathic bishies in anime/manga amuse me... so his crazy personality actually entertains me. Haha!<br /><br />Speaking of entertainment, though Black Cat seems to be more of an action series, it has good drama and comedy too. Most of the fights seem standard and generic though.... but there are several that had been really impressive, like Saya's special move. On the drama, the lonely parts are okay, but it has been better on the <i>touching</i> parts~ Oh they're so sweet~<br /><br />But where Black Cat has been best, though, is in comedy!!! It had been very funny in different ways and they're mostly obvious humor (so you don't always need to read between the lines to get the joke). The comedic scenes aren't out of place either; the series knows when to be funny, or if ever it mixes some humor on some serious scenes, it blends well and it's not on an awkward timing. What made me laugh the most by the way is Train's random singing about different kinds of milk! Hahahaha! Oh just thinking about it makes me chuckle again xD<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i47.tinypic.com/2d78qo1.jpg" /><br />(The part when Train had been singing his milk song)<br /><i>White milk and red milk</i><br /><i>Yellow milk is oh, so bad!</i><br /><i>Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, yeah!</i><br /><i>It's our milk festival, ooh!</i><br />(Watch and Hear the Rap at YouTube: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foJNYoLBwJ0">Jap</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAAwSQJsQyE">Eng</a> version)<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Speaking of songs, the opening and ending themes are okay. The song and the visuals in the opening theme don't seem to match though for some reason... well, for me. As for the ending theme, it's really really CUTE and FUNNY. I'm no cat lover, but the kitty versions of the characters are just so adorable! Kyaaaaa~<br /><br />Though the opening and ending themes are pretty much average, the background tracks, however, ROCK! The beats and tunes are awesome, and they fit the mood of the scene so much. The character themes also suit the characters. The best for me are the operatic ones.... which mostly involve Creed. They were so frighteningly eerie.... fantastic! This series definitely has one of the best soundtracks out there!<br /><br />But you know where the anime excels in the most? For me, it's the <b>animation directing</b>, or whoever handles the storyboard sequence and comes up with the ideas on how the scenes will be presented (since there are different kinds of directors in an animated show, I'm just not certain which of them).<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i45.tinypic.com/e80d1t.jpg" /><br />(A scene of when Saya encountered Creed)<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I love how the story events were arranged, how they were impressively connected, and how they're creatively presented. I'm not sure of the proper term of those directing techniques, but the one of the notable styles is how a certain event from a different place/situation/timeline is connected to another one (like if we see a character shoot someone, we're later shown of a character in a different place who is shot at the same time afterwards. We saw the outcome of a different scene but we're not certain if it's the same with the previous scene. Yet they felt like they're part of the same scene). Another is how some of the flashback's were presented: it doesn't show you the actual event but just glimpses of it. Like with the part on when Saya encountered Creed, we see her shift dialogues and conditions, and from those we get hints of what exactly happened. Another notable style is how the last episode was presented. We already get glimpses of the epilogue early in the episode because they're inserted in between the narration of the actual climax/resolution/ending. It may have been pretty confusing to some, but I think it's just doing some foreshadowing style. This is a good way to make up for the already very cliche ending.<br /><br />I am happy that such a talented staff had worked on a really fantastic series. Even if we don't consider those aspects, Black Cat's already very interesting with its main plot alone. I don't think I'm the only one who's fascinated with stories that involve skillful assasssins (I find the Chronos number stuff pretty cool too) ~ It's not just an action show; it also included some supernatural and sci-fi elements with taoism and nano technology respectively. Occassionally it consists themes related to fighting for what you believe is right~<br /><br />It has references to other areas by the way, and Black Cat himself is both a supernatural and literature reference. His being a murderer and his favorite line awesomely fits the superstition reference of his alias, for there's a belief that black cats bring bad luck. His <i>bad luck-ness</i> was even more emphasized by his Chronos number, which is thirteen, that is also popularly believed to be a symbol of bad luck. He was still considered a Cat even when he's no longer an assassin. The initial black cat superstition may no longer be applicable to the new him, but his alias had still become a reference to another medium, which is literature, particularly Aesop's fable entitled "<a href="http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/Aesop/Aesops_Fables/Belling_the_Cat_p1.html">Belling the Cat</a>". With that, Train's ribbon and bell on his neck aren't just mere decorations, but have a meaning behind it. I really love how those various references got linked to the series~<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i48.tinypic.com/19varp.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Black Cat may seem average, but I see it as a terrific series despite its numerous flaws. The cliches and the stereotypes dragged this down too much, but the impressive twists and modifications done to the story and the characters had made up for those. It's already a very interesting show, and its execution/presentation/directing and background music made it even better! Overall, it's a very awesome and enjoyable series. Do check it out!</div></span>Sapphire Pyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394234356231157323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486249075382677025.post-19706252725874302132010-04-21T15:30:00.000+08:002011-08-07T06:53:14.090+08:00Anime Review: Himitsu - The Revelation -<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i42.tinypic.com/rk4efq.jpg" /><br /><b>Top Secret - The Revelation -</b><br /><b>Animation Production:</b> Madhouse Studios | <b>Director:</b> Hiroshi Aoyama | <b>Series Composition:</b> Satoshi Suzuki | <b>Original Creator:</b> Reiko Shimizu<br /></div><blockquote><div align="justify"><i>The story takes place five decades from now, when brain scanners have been perfected to the point that the government can retrieve up to five years' worth of memories from people's minds — even if they are dead. The investigators of the National Research Institute of Police Science's 9th Forensics Laboratory must weigh the ethical choices in the ultimate invasion of privacy as they delve into people's minds to solve crimes. </i></div></blockquote><span class="fullpost"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>[ OVERALL IMPRESSIONS ]</b><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu321/hyperparfait/Reviews/Icons/parfait_412.png" /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(It should be a 4.75; but no icon for that =()</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">A lot of crimes occur every single day in many parts of the world; some are solved, however many of them aren't. Lack of evidences and witnesses make it very difficult for investigators to capture the criminal. Sadly, there are also times wherein the real criminal is never caught, because of wrong suspects or wrong conclusions in cases (e.g. judged as suicide but actually a homicide). The one who would naturally know the truth would be the victims themselves, but can one interview the dead? Well, this series makes us think that it can be possible.... in a way.<br /><br />Behold the MRI system: a technology developed in the future that can see the memories and thoughts of the human brain under observation. In the series it's being used by the Japanese police, particularly Section 9, to solve crimes by studying the scene of the crime from the victim's memory of the incident. Thanks to this technology, identifying the murderers have become more convenient.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i42.tinypic.com/2edte09.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Sounds simple, right? But it's actually more complicated than it seems.<br /><br />This process actually raises ethical issues because of invasion of privacy. Confidentiality is also highly considered because there are secrets that when leaked can be used for bad intentions. And though identifying killers is supposed to be made more convenient with this process, there can still be difficulties encountered. For example, there are cases wherein the victim hadn't managed to see the killer's face (because the killer was wearing a mask, etc.) or not at all (because the victim was killed from behind, etc.). There are instances wherein MRI won't exactly be useful because the victim is blind anyway. Moreover, things aren't always as one sees them. There's a saying "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", right? In relation to that, people at times see things differently compare to how other people do (like their loved one looking more beautiful than what she/he really looks like, etc.). Or if we go to the extremes, a person could also see hallucinations, and these are caused by various things. There are also cases where the brain is forgetful, or had some parts of his/her memory damaged.<br /><br />With these hindrances, we get to realize that Section 9's cases are actually pretty tough and complicated. The members of the division need to be more observant and have keen attention to detail. They should also be able to think beyond of what they're seeing, like questioning why the victim/killer has seen such things, or done such things, and so on. And the the toughest part of all: because they also get to see how the horrifying murders occured, they had to endure watching such frightening images. Watching bizarre murders can cause one to have nightmares, delusions, and even to go insane! It's not just a horror movie after all; for what they see are <i>real</i>!<br /><br />I love how this series considered and dealt with all of those. It's really fantastic!<br /><br />It has a nice set of characters as well. It's not just some bunch of teen geniuses out to save the world; it's a group of matured adults with experience to this line of work and with sufficient knowledge in criminology and areas like psychology and programming. Each has his or her own expertise and limitations; even supporting characters get a chance to handle crucial roles and even the main characters fail big time. Not only the main duo gets the spotlight, for the others get a chance to shine as well. There is no protagonist immunity (in other words, it's not one of those series wherein allies of the main character don't die thanks to miracles) and no gender inequality either. For a cast that mainly consists of males, the series actually discourages discrimination on women, and that's greatly demonstrated by one of the show's female characters: Amachi.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i44.tinypic.com/zmo2ts.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(image from womentalksports.com)</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I highly admire her. She may appear to be <i>just some</i> clumsy girl at first impression, but she actually has very good persuasion skills for she knows how to talk into people (and she researches about them... really quick and thorough). Interestingly, aside from a woman's hunch, she has this sixth sense. I guess you can say that ability of hers makes things a little too easy and convenient, but it's interesting for there are really stories (even in real life, I believe) where psychic abilities are used in police investigations. What I liked about her the most was that she was able to see through the lies in the compliments of some religious leader. That person was an obvious sexual harasser, and she was disgusted with his sweet talk... and she has figured out what he really is and brought his organization down. That was so awesome.<br /><br />My top favorite character is Maki though. He's so beautiful that I sometimes see him as a girl, haha! He amuses me for odd reasons and I love his relationship with Suzuki and Aoki~ Fans see his relatioship with those two men as... <i>something else</i> though, especially with Aoki. Reiko Shimizu, however, writes series with homosexual relationships... so I guess that wouldn't be a surprise. Especially with the recent chapters in the manga... ehehe ^^;<br /><br />Speaking of Reiko Shimizu, I greatly admire many of her works for their stories are wonderfully told and are rich in creativity. I also adore her art for such beauty and detail (my complain though is that some characters look alike so much that it's quite... a <i>challenge</i> to differentiate them. Fortunately the personalities are so different). The anime art style isn't as gorgeous as the manga's however, but it's good enough.<br /><br />Though the anime is an adaptation of an ongoing manga series, it did some changes on the order of the cases and removed/added some events as well. I think there are even cases that are anime original, and they're as good so I have no complains. I have no complains on the story order either... because the arrangement seemed good, considering the limit of the anime's number of episodes. And since the anime studio doesn't seem to have plans of making more seasons of this series, the staff has to resolve everything on its last few episodes, or the main final arc to be particular. I like the final's attempt to make many of the past events connected, and the final case being as big as the future of Section 9 itself. It was a good attempt but... there had been inconsitencies... creating flaws on this almost-brilliant series. For example, the method on how two of the main characters became insane had been the same, but the effect had been different for Character A seemed to be still himself while Character B had been like hypnotized as a puppet. (Not mentioning names to avoid further spoilers)<br /><br />But ah well, no series is perfect, and those flaws weren't that horrible anyway.... and the brilliant parts of this series are just so awesome that the bad parts have become ignorable. Haha!<br /><br />This is one of the series that made me think and reflect a lot. It has a creative idea of seeing the possibility of seeing people's memories through one's brain, right? Do you think it's actually possible in real life?<br /><br />I don't think so.... even if we get super advanced technology in the future.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i44.tinypic.com/53pg0h.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(image from doubleexposure.com)</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm not claiming to be absolutely correct since I'm no psychology major, but I don't think you need to be one to realize that even though the human brain is gazillion times better than a computer, it doesn't record events like a video camera. The MRI watches people's memories as if the person's eyes is like a camera and the memory is a film. Try to study yourself; do you actually remember how exactly you went down the stairs or the scenes that came to your view while looking outside the car window? You may remember what you were doing or what you saw, but the particular things you've seen on each second while doing it... I doubt that. Besides, not everyone has an excellent photographic memory. For that I even doubt that victims or witnesses could 100% identify who the violators are unless it's someone they know. It's because of these and many other factors (those I've realized after browsing the pages regarding memory in my psychology book) why I think this kind of future is impossible, unless people will do some manipulations or enhancements on the human brain, I guess.<br /><br />Nevertheless, this series is not to be judged for its plausibility (it's science <i>fiction</i>, duh), but for its creativity~ It's actually something very simple that even a child could think of, but how the series handled that idea in a mature was really terrific~<br /><br />There are already so many things to mention on why this series is cool from the story and characters alone, but the series had also been excellent in other areas. Like for instance, the music! Not only the OP and ED themes, but even the background tracks! They fit the mood of the series, especially the intense and chilling scenes. The voice actors have been doing a good job on their characters as well (great acting when they go insane~ Haha!) though I admit at times some of their reactions seem off or delayed... or maybe the delay thing was done on purpose (at times delayed reactions are more hilarious).<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i41.tinypic.com/jjbbyg.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Himitsu has been a very interesting and thought-provoking show; overall an incredible mystery psychological thriller! I don't recommend it to those who are easily disturbed however, since it contains mature stuff and very disturbingly horrifying images (manga's more frightening though) but if you're fond of detective and psychology stuff, this series is definitely worth a try!<br /></div></span>Sapphire Pyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394234356231157323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486249075382677025.post-19211609357123864622010-04-03T18:55:00.000+08:002011-08-07T06:53:14.097+08:00Anime Review: Ookiku Furikabute<div align="center"><img src="http://i42.tinypic.com/1z72as5.jpg" /><br /><b>Animation Production:</b> A-1 Pictures | <b>Director:</b> Tsutomu Mizushima | <b>Series Composition:</b> Yousuke Kuroda | <b>Original Creator:</b> Asa Higuchi</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote><i>The series, set in Saitama, follows Ren Mihashi, who had previously excelled as his middle school baseball team's ace pitcher, due to his grandfather's connections as its manager. As he graduates to high school, whose baseball team his grandfather does not manage, he initially does not believe he is good enough to succeed at baseball, however, but assisted by his friends, he grows in stature, confidence and skill, helping his team excel with his own ability.</i></blockquote></div><span class="fullpost"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>[ OVERALL IMPRESSIONS ]</b><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu321/hyperparfait/Reviews/Icons/parfait_5.png" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I am not that knowledgeable about baseball, but you don't need to be one to appreciate this series. There are a number of animanga titles out there that deal with this sport, but Ookiku Furikabute (or Oofuri for short), in my opinion, is one of the best out there.<br /><br />When thinking about the types of players that are incredible in a baseball team, one usually thinks of the pitcher and/or the batter, right? I thought that as well, but Oofuri made me realize that the other players are actually just as incredible. Well, yes, other sports show also show that teamwork is essential and that players in other positions have value as well, but it's not as emphasized as how this series did. This series made me realize that the relationship between the pitcher and the catcher is important, that the coach or the captain aren't the only ones who think of strategies, and so on. What's more, the players of the leading character's team aren't good because they're main characters.... nor because they highly depend on the skill of the most talented one. They are all skillful in their own way... and they got it from experience, hard work, and trainings. It may be true that it's too incredible for their newly formed team had beaten the champions from the previous tournament; but take note that they were underestimated, and they had been well prepared for that big game. It's no shounen sports miracle at all; they deserve it.<br /><br />Moreover, it's not your typical shounen sports show wherein the leading character is someone who at the beginning has no idea or interest about the sport but later turn out to be extremely good on it. The leading character of Oofuri is different, because he became skillful out of hardwork. The players that are born gifted in the series even acknowledge that there are things they can't do if it's out of hard work. It's so wonderful that this series shows not only the awesomeness of gifted ones, but also the hardworking ones as well.<br /><br />Like other good sports shows, this series also shows that an athelete doesn't only need skills, but he needs mental training as well. There are also strategies in sports, so it's valuable for players to do observations, analyses, and think of plans. You don't need to be intelligent to be good in such, but it's also important to do well in studies. Failing grades suck, no matter what a talented athlete you are. Baseball isn't everything.<br /><br />Emotions and confidence also count... what great things one can do when he's happy and supported; how underestimation and intimidation can affect an individual; and so on. There are a lot of dramatic and also heartwarming scenes/moments in this series.... but none of them felt forceful.... nor angsty. It's not boring either.... it may look plain and simple, but it's actually very entertaining! It has great humor, from crack to subtle humor. Blame it on the characters for being so much fun~<br /><br />Speaking of the characters, I really love the characterization and character development in this series. Not only the members of the leading character's team, but the players from other teams and even those who don't play at all are incredible in their own way. I find none of them as stereotypes.... which is perhas why I find none of them annoying. Even the females! It's true that not many of them get a big role in the show, but at least they don't just exist there to become a main character's love interest nor just to act as cheerleaders. What I also find wonderful is that many of the characters get a chance to shine! And if you watch this series form beginning to end, you can see that there is character development, and that's not only on major characters! They don't change fast, but they improve little by little... and only in the end you realize it easier how much they've changed compare to how they were before.<br /><br />The relationships between the characters have been really wonderful as well. Opponents are friendly rivals; teammates have been like family; and so on. Hmmm... about the team bondings in this series, their interactions.... can make people think it might be BL/shounen-ai ^^; But seriously, it's not, and our boys get crushes on girls (*remembers Haruna's unrequited love*....*giggles endlessly*).... but maybe the creator is teasing the fans and giving subtle fanservice.... haha! If you watch those scenes with a perverted mind... you might think of... <i>things</i>. But honest, they're really innocent boys ^^; (Fine, I'm not sure with one of them *eyes Tajima*). I see those as friendship love.... and they're really adorable~<br /><br />Overall, you don't need players with flashy/fancy/wild hairstyles nor teens with unbelievably muscular bodies to have cool characters. Neither do you need balls that emit flames or have players run in speed that can take down trees to have a cool sports series. By being simple, and focusing what a sport is supposed to be like, is enough to create a brilliant series.<br /></div></span>Sapphire Pyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394234356231157323noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486249075382677025.post-33982845900174938462009-10-07T19:20:00.001+08:002011-08-07T06:53:14.103+08:00Finished Anime: Pandora Hearts<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i33.tinypic.com/14l7fr9.jpg" /><br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pandora Hearts</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Oz Bezarius, heir to one of the duke houses, has just turned fifteen. His life is rich and carefree, darkened only by the constant absence of his father. At his coming-of-age ceremony, however, everything changes. For no reason that he can discern, he's cast into the prison known as the "Abyss", only to be saved by a "chain" known as Alice, the bloodstained black rabbit. It is unknown why was he cast into Abyss, how does Alice factor into it all, and what does the organization known as "Pandora" want with him.</span></span><br />
<br />
Type: TV | Episodes: 25 | Aired: Apr 2, 2009 to Sep 24, 2009 | Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery<br />
Producer: XEBEC, Square Enix| Main Cast: Junko Minagawa (Oz), Ayako Kawasumi (Alice), Kousuke Toriumi (Raven)<br />
Director: Takao Kato | Original Creator: Jun Mochizuki | Series Composition: Mayori Sekijima | Music: Yuki Kajiura | Character Design: Chizuru Kobayashi and Shinichi Yamaoka</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">[ OVERALL IMPRESSIONS ]</span><br />
<img src="http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu321/hyperparfait/Reviews/Icons/parfait_412.png" /></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Do you love the story of <i>Alice in Wonderland</i> and are interested to see its different adaptations? The Pandora Hearts is certainly something you shouldn't miss! Though it doesn't exactly devotedly follow the original material, it does have the references and some of its characters.<br />
<br />
This might not be considered a <i>classic</i> like the original material, but I believe it's certainly one of the greatest dark and twisted fantasy tales ever told. The story has been intriguing and it surprises you with so many interesting twists. It's something pleasing to the gothic lovers, but it manages to delight even those who aren't because of the crack comedy in this episode~ I like it that the comedy doesn't feel out of place no matter how silly it is (so many of its silliness have been really funny!). It knows when to have fun; and, when to get serious. The intense moments here exhibit the terror and the drama in the story very well~<br />
<br />
Other things to praise are its set of characters! Though I have to agree that the leading character had been too angsty sometimes (fine, not just him), but what they had gone through had certainly been painful enough that it makes it reasonable for them to feel that way (or maybe I'm just biased, haha!). Oh yeah, I did mention this is a twisted story, right? And the characters in it of course are just as twisted. They are broken individuals with unpredictable or complicated attitudes. They all have tendencies to be jolly, emotional, insane, and many more. Though they are similar in that sense, they still managed to be very different from each other. Even the look-alikes in this series don't exactly have the same personality! I am so please on how varied the characters in this series are~ They are also even in different age groups (even from different timelines and worlds!), and not to mention that none of them have been complete stereotypes!<br />
<br />
The huge downside of this series I guess is . . .well . . <i>some</i> of its animation. It actually had a good style, and nice art, but the artwork on some scenes are just so wrong (distorted faces, unproportional body parts, etc.) that I can't help noticing! I was also not that impressed with how the fight scenes were presented. Well, I guess that's forgivable since it's not an action-based series. But the ones that disappointed me were anime original portions . . . so . . . I don't think the manga adaptation had anything to do with those dull fight scenes. Speaking of anime-original stuff, I wasn't that satisfied with the ending. Well, it wasn't really that bad and I don't exactly insist on the anime to follow the manga very devotedly. It's just that. . . I still think it could've done better.<br />
<br />
Ah well, those are just little flaws~ Aside from the story and characters, the other stuff in this series had also been excellent! I like the voice cast, especially on the Cheshire Cat. Really fantastic job on it~ Also the music!!!! Well, the OP and ED themes are okay . . . just okay . . . BUT THE BACKGROUND MUSIC IS EPIC!!!! GO LISTEN!!! GO LISTEN!!!!!!!!<br />
<br />
*ehem* Overall, Pandora Hearts is a great gothic version of the famous classic, Alice in Wonderland. The quality may be . . .err . . . old anime style (90's anime-like I think) and there are some art . . err . . defects . . . and the story may seem "duh" in the earlier episodes, but as you go on, things get better and better! You'll regret missing a great story! (Unless, well, it's not your kind of thing. And you're not fond of the type of fanservice in this series. Ehehe)</div>Sapphire Pyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394234356231157323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486249075382677025.post-23561281257515460172009-10-04T11:35:00.001+08:002011-08-07T06:53:14.108+08:00Finished Anime: 07-Ghost<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i37.tinypic.com/2wrf9m0.jpg" /><br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">07-Ghost</span></span></div><br />
<div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 78%;">Set in a gothic fantasy world, this is the story of Teito Klein, an orphaned slave who became the top military academy student. However, an unexpected turn of events left him pursued by the forces of the Barsburg Empire. Now an escaping convict, Teito's sheltered by the church and it’s law of sanctuary. Here, he discovered many mysteries surrounding himself, the church, and the Empire itself. The fact that he might be connected to a dethroned king and the mystical stone of god, 'The Eye of Mikhael' made him the target of the empire more than ever. Fortunately the church is under the mythical 7 Ghost protection. But who are the Ghosts really. Will Teito be free from the military's clutch, And what of his said mission to uncover the history. And who is the military's Chief-of-Staff Ayanami exactly. Teito's future seems to have spiraled into an unexpectedly perilous path.<br />
</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Type:</span> TV | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Episodes:</span> 25 | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Aired: </span>Apr 6, 2009 to Sep 21, 2009 | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Genres:</span> Action, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Producer:</span> Studio DEEN | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Main Cast:</span> Saiga Mitsuki (Teito)<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Director:</span> Nobuhiro Takamoto | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Original Creator:</span> Yuki Amemiya, Yukino Ichihara| <span style="font-weight: bold;">Series Composition: </span><br />
Screenplay: | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Music: </span>Kotaro Nakagawa | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Character Design: </span>Maki Fujii</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">[ OVERALL IMPRESSIONS ]</span><br />
<img src="http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu321/hyperparfait/Reviews/Icons/parfait_412.png" /><br />
<span style="font-size: 78%;">(I actually want to give this a 4.75 . . . but that might be because of bias. Haha!)</span></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">07-Ghost is one of those series that has so many bishounen that are oh-so-pretty, which brings to delight to fangurls who just want to see bishies and don't care for anything else. And since the boys/guys are being so close and sweet, it's fanservice to BL/yaoi fans, even if it's not exactly such a series.<br />
<br />
The story is not very original either; lots of cliches to spot here and there. Some story changes and additions (aka fillers) had sucked so much that I couldn't blame the people saying "MANGA IS HELL BETTER!!!". At times it also goes too dramatic and overdone to the point that the angst is becoming pretty annoying (oh the main character does that pretty often).<br />
<br />
So why the hell am I still watching this series despite those stuff that are such eyesore and make my head hurt so much? Well, aside from the fact that I'm a huge fan of the manga, THIS SERIES HAD REALLY BEEN AWESOME!!!!!!!!<br />
<br />
Yes, the story is your typical narration of the life of the main character with a dark past on the quest for revenge. Teito had also been so special and he possesses a lot of the typical leading character traits. But despite all those, the story had remained interesting and . . .different actually. What I'm trying to say is that, the writers (mainly the original author) have some magic that they were able to use these stereotypes in a good way. Like, even though the event you're seeing is something usual, later you'll be surprised with a twist or see a revelation that there's actually different from what it seemed.<br />
<br />
The characters are a bunch of stereotypes as well (heck, even my favorite. He's not the first divine being with a crack attitude). However, though they're pretty stereotypical, they still possess some unique traits that make them different from their counterparts and look-alikes in other series. Take the main villain for example: Ayanami is your usual shounen bad guy who is oh-so-evil and is very merciless towards the main character and had been hunting him while he's on the run. He had also been using some pawns in doing that job, but since they're not the strong ones they were easily taken care of by the protagonists. It had been episodic in that sense in the earlier episodes. But later, in one occassion he himself gets involved (he had sent someone and had been there at the same time. Will be spoilery if I specify) . . . and what's cool is that he actually won! <b>The villain won!</b>. That alone is seriously not something common in the anime world. Moreover, despite Ayanami's cruelty to the protagonists, he's actually being very caring towards his subordinates. He's not being evil exactly either, because he's not causing chaos simply because he wants to rule the world and other evil goals, but actually, he wants to save it. So we often see villains like these? I could go on and mention what's unique in each main character of this show . . . but this review might become too long.<br />
<br />
Oh yeah, I like the genre mix in this series. It has been a little overdramatic though, but it still showed us a wonderful fantasy setting! As for the action scenes, I'm not that please with the actual battles; but their moves had been awesome! If only those cool moves were executed and exchanged well, they would have looked really good! And of course, the comedy here had been enjoyable! Some jokes may be a little overused (like with Teito being small and called a brat, but as FMA also has that overused joke) but it sures knows the riht time to be funny and it had been hilarious (that Doll!Frau cracked me up so much!)! I also believe it's also supernatural since we encounter demons/monsters and angels as well after all.<br />
<br />
I am a huge sucker for stories that has church vs military involvement. It's interesting that this series presents that both actually have a good cause yet they don't really get along well, and the church and the state remains separated. Applied to the real world, right? And though I like series that emphasize how annoying religious fanatics are, it doesn't mean I dislike the decent ones. The religious stuff here isn't exactly based on Christianity, but it had references. Despite that the bishops here are badass, they do act like what church heads are supposed to be: serving and helping the people, no matter who they are. They also show forgiveness and pray for even those that had done wrong to them. That's what religious people are supposed to be! Genuinely kindhearted! I'm emphasizing this because I know of other series wherein the protagonists are part of religious groups, however they only focus on just fighting demons; not exactly showing what people of the church are supposed to be like. Priests/Bishops and Nuns doing fights are cool, but it's still nice to show of what they're really like in the real world.<br />
<br />
Other amazing things in this series include the animation and the music! Though I agree that the part in some scenes were a little weird/distorted, but most of the time it had been very very pleasing to the eyes! And no, I'm not jsut talking about the characters' faces! Haha! Even the backgrounds and effects and other parts have been beautifully illustrated! I especially love the art directing on some scenes! It had been really really creative and stylish! Big applause to the art director!!!! And as for the music, the OP and ED themes may not be exceptional, but they sound very very very nice. Background music is excellent though! Maybe it's jsut because I'm a fan of church music, but it sounded really wonderful and mystical~ So pleasing to the ears~ I'm dying to get a copy of the OST!<br />
<br />
Overall, this series had been so stereotypical in some parts to the point it made me got *facepalm*. But despite those flaws, the 07-Ghost is still very amazing! Especially on the animation and the music part! It was very enjoyable, and oh there should be another season of this once there's enough manga material!</div>Sapphire Pyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394234356231157323noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486249075382677025.post-17219891139233392362009-10-04T09:59:00.001+08:002011-08-07T06:53:14.115+08:00Finished Anime: Shangri-La<div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><img src="http://i37.tinypic.com/2u8w2s2.jpg" /><br />
Shangri-La<br />
</span></div><br />
<div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 78%;">The story of a young woman fighting for her survival in a real "urban jungle." Only 18 years old, Kuniko Hojo finds herself at the heart of the battle for humanity's future when she discovers that the government which rules Atlas intends to continue marginalising the less-privileged masses outside the tower - by force, if necessary.<br />
</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Type:</span> TV | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Episodes:</span> 24 | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Aired:</span> Apr 5, 2009 to Sep 13, 2009 | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Genres: </span>Action, Drama, Sci-Fi<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Producer:</span> Gonzo | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Main Cast:</span> Mikako Takahashi (Kuniko), Yui Ariga (Mikuni), and Yuka Iguchi (Karin)<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Director: </span>Makoto Bessho | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Original Creator: </span>Eiichi Ikegami | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Series Composition:</span> Hiroshi Ohnogi | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Music:</span> Hitomi Kuroishi | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Character Design:</span> Range Murata</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">[ OVERALL IMPRESSIONS ]</span><br />
<img src="http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu321/hyperparfait/Reviews/Icons/parfait_412.png" /><br />
<span style="font-size: 78%;">(It's more of a 4 1/4 stars instead of 4 1/2 stars . . . but ah well . . .)</span></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">It's by Gonzo. And that alone had made a lot of people see this show negatively without even watching the first episode. And even if they did, the fact that it's by Gonzo is still in their mindset so that every little thing that will remind them of what they've hated of Gonzo would already make them consider this series being epic fail.<br />
<br />
I have to agree to people who have disliked this series that this series certainly had flaws. My main complains I guess are the plotholes, some WTF "plot twists", some of the weird animation, Kuniko sort of being almost unbelievably perfect, and so on. And I have also disliked a lot of shows made by that production company.<br />
<br />
But has there been a series without flaws?<br />
<br />
And hey, even if this is Gonzo, I don't see it as the typical <i>horrible</i> Gonzo series. For one, it doesn't have the senseless perverted fanservice! We have sexy women, but their boobs aren't gigantic and their clothes aren't too revealing that they're almost naked! The CG is in tolerable levels, and some had been very amazing!<br />
<br />
I love it that in series Gonzo had dared to be creative and unique. Sci-fi here has a fantasy twist. Hacking isn't just presented with a person infront of his/her computer; a virtual self could also sort of explore that other dimension! In other words, I think it has a magical and creative presentation of futuristic technology~<br />
<br />
This series isn't just about the high-tech stuff, but it even explores economical and environmental issues. Those ideas and concepts may not be exactly new, but they're not really used in anime series that often. In a way it had also been post-apocalyptic, it's in a setting of Japan after a great disaster after all. Surprisingly, it also showed some otaku culture, and it added fun and humor to the series! The otaku part may not make sense in this kind of series, but it didn't feel out of place.<br />
<br />
It's true that some parts here are just too unbelievable and doesn't follow the laws of physics. But, this is a <b>fantasy</b> series after all. If a series is under that genre, I believe all other unrealistic elements can be forgiveable, since it doesn't aim to be 100% realistic in the first place! Though I admit it does bother me at times . . .<br />
<br />
Another thing about the story: indeed, there are a lot of things to complain about it (like that <i>forced and rushed</i> happy ending . . . it seems that way to me), but as a whole it had been intriguing and interesting! It had many surprising twists and revelations, and those got me very impressed! I hope it had been like that all the time though.<br />
<br />
It's strongest point I believe, are the characters! They're so diversed and none of them had been a freakin' stereotype (yeah, even Kuniko, though she has this oh-so-perfect leading character role . . . )! They had been interesting in their own way, their personalities and point of views are so different, and almost all had development and a chance to shine! If this was your typical series that sucks so much in character development, we won't even get to know much of Kuniko's girl friends!<br />
<br />
What else . . . ah, about the action scenes, not all have been fantastic, in my opinion. I only liked the scenes when Kuniko does incredible stunts, but with the actual battles, not really that great. The "final battles" was the most MEH for me.<br />
<br />
As for the music, I love the background track and the OP and ED themes. I find it weird that not many people had appreciated the OP, because I find it really good! Or maybe my tastes are just weird . . .<br />
<br />
Overall, this series is very underestimated, because it's honestly better than what it seems! If you can forgive some plot holes and some not-so-nice animation, then you're in for a great story and a terrific set of characters!</div>Sapphire Pyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394234356231157323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486249075382677025.post-55506299609809503842009-08-04T09:10:00.001+08:002011-08-07T06:54:09.057+08:00Finished Anime: Sengoku BASARA<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i31.tinypic.com/28vdao7.jpg" /><br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sengoku BASARA</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">In the bloody Warring States period of feudal Japan, many generals fought in an endless struggle for power, but one man proved to be too big a threat - The dark lord Oda Nobunaga. Sanada Yukimura and Date Masamune, two young warriors from different regions who become heated rivals, begin to form an unlikely alliance with the rest of the generals to take down the Devil King.</span></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Type: </span>TV | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Episodes:</span> 12 | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Aired: </span>Apr 1, 2009 to Jun 17, 2009<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Genres: </span>Action, Historical, Martial Arts, | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Rating:</span> PG-13<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Producers:</span> Production I.G | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Main Cast: </span>Nakai Kazuya (Date Masamune), Hoshi Souichirou(Sanada Yukimura)<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Director:</span> Itsuro Kawasaki | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Series Composition:</span> Yasuyuki Muto | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Screenplay: </span>Yasuyuki Muto | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Music: </span>Hiroyuki Sawano | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Original Character Design:</span> Makoto Tsuchibayashi | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Character Design: </span>Tooru Ookubo | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Art Director:</span> Shunichiro Yoshihara | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Chief Animation Director:</span> Tooru Ookubo | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sound Director: </span>Yoshikazu Iwanami | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Director of Photography:</span> Naoyuki Ohba | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Animation Producer:</span> Tetsuya Nakatake | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Art Setting:</span> Iho Narita</div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">[ OVERALL IMPRESSIONS ]<br />
<img src="http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu321/hyperparfait/Reviews/Icons/parfait_4.png" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sengoku Basara is something you should watch just <i>for enjoyment</i>, <b>not</b> for the story. If you do that and not be incredibly strict on seeing a deep plot and good development, then <b>entertainment is guaranteed</b> . . . <i>unless</i> it's not your kind of thing or the style wasn't your type or you dislikedsomething about it.<br />
<br />
The story is your typical shounen samurai show wherein the heroes engage in battles and are united to defeat an evil lord and of course they will be victorious in the end no matter what they'll go through. So with such a stereotypical and simple story, what's so great about this series then? Everything else. The animation had been superb, especially on the fight scenes. The music (background tracks, insert songs, op and ed themes) had been really fantastic! The characters had been awesome and lovable (I have a few exceptions of course . . . )! And their voice actors made them even livelier! You can already be amazed and entertained by this series even if you don't understand what the heck they were saying. Haha!<br />
<br />
But you know, even if the story isn't really it's strong point, there are also a lot of good things in it. Like for one, it's not just action and fighting all the time. There's something going on . . . there are conflicts . . . there are betrayals . . . there are defeats . . . there are struggles. In other words, there's a story. Well, I'm saying this because I've read a manga that is also a samurai series but there's nothing much going on but fight fight fight. With this one there are ups-and-downs, happy moments, tragic moments, exciting moments, etc.<br />
<br />
Moreover, it's not only fun because the action scenes were cool to watch. The characters had also been very hilarious! Even if there's an overused joke there (I'm referring to the "YUKIMURA!" OYATAKA-SAMA!"), a fan can't get tired of them because they're just that funny~ And aside from action and comedy, it also has some romance and drama, and they don't feel forced (I mean, some romance was put in a shounen series just for the sake of the leading character having a love partner. That just sucks). I really like shows that don't focus on just one or two genres.<br />
<br />
And back to the action scenes, yes, they are obviously exagerrated. Making samurais have powerful auras and stuff are of course there just to make the battles look cooler. But well, it's anime, don't expect it to be too realistic. Also, even though it's historical and the characters are based on actual historical figures, they're not really 100% accurate. Well, remember, this series is for entertainment, not for education.<br />
<br />
Though it's not meant to educate its audience, it does teach some life lessons though: like war doesn't do good, loyalty and trust, etc.<br />
<br />
Overall, it's a very awesome series because it had been so much fun to watch! Where else will you see an anime with a dancing samurai in the OP theme? Bwahahaha!</div><br />
<span style="font-size: 78%;">Sources:<br />
~ Anime News Network<br />
~ My Anime List</span>Sapphire Pyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394234356231157323noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486249075382677025.post-53357606765612020782009-06-20T02:51:00.001+08:002011-08-07T06:54:09.063+08:00Finished Anime: Eden of the East<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu321/hyperparfait/Reviews/Parfaits/anime_edenoftheeast.jpg" /><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: 180%;">Eden of the East<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;">(Higashi no Eden )</span></span><br />
</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">On November 22, 2010 ten missiles strike Japan. However, this unprecedented terrorist act, later to be known as "Careless Monday," does not result in any apparent victims, and is soon forgotten by almost everyone. Then, 3 months later... Saki Morimi is a young woman currently in the United States of America on her graduation trip. But just when she is in front of the White House, Washington DC, she gets into trouble, and only the unexpected intervention of one of her fellow countrymen saves her. However, this man, who introduces himself as Akira Takizawa, is a complete mystery. He appears to have lost his memory. and he is stark naked, except for the gun he holds in one hand, and the mobile phone he's holding with the other hand. A phone that is charged with 8,200,000,000 yen in digital cash.</span><br />
</span></div></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Type: </span>TV | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Episodes:</span> 11 | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Aired: </span>Apr 9, 2009 to Jun 18, 2009<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Genres:</span> Action, Comedy, Mystery, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi, Psychological | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Rating:</span> R - 17+ (violence & profanity)<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Producers: </span>Production I.G | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Main Cast:</span> Ryohei Kimura (Akira Takizawa), Saori Hayami (Saki Morimi)<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Director: </span>Kenji Kamiyama | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Original creator:</span> Kenji Kamiyama | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Music: </span>Kenji Kawai | <span style="font-weight: bold;"></span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Original Character Design: </span>Chika Umino | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Character Design:</span> Satoko Morikawa | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Art director:</span> Yusuke Takeda | <span style="font-weight: bold;">Chief Animation Director: </span>Satoru Nakamura |<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Screenplay:</span> Kenji Kamiyama</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">[ OVERALL IMPRESSIONS ]</span><br />
<img src="http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu321/hyperparfait/Reviews/Icons/parfait_412.png" /><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">The story of this series is incredibly unique and creative! It's futuristic and surprisingly it's very believable and realistic! Things also get more and more interesting the more episodes you watch! Not all episodes had the cool acts, but when you get to see one, they are really really awesome! And of course there had been fun and hilarious parts too! It doesn't fail in the entertainment department! Also, storytelling had been done well! Full of mysteries in the beginning, then slowly some things become clear yet there are more questions that get raised! Not all of them had been resolved, because they had been saved for the movies. But still, it ended good.<br />
<br />
The biggest selling point of the series are the production values. Animation is simply superb! Scenes had been greatly directed, story flow was good, and the music totally rocks! For a short series, it certainly had such great budget! Not to mention the cast had played their roles well.<br />
<br />
No wonder it turned out to be so terrific!<br />
<br />
However, like any other series, Eden of the East isn't immune to some flaws either. First one I'd like to take note of are the characters. The good sides are that the characters aren't stereotypical and even minor characters can fulfill a significant role. Sadly, aside from the main characters, the others didn't get much development. We don't even have enough background on them either!<br />
<br />
I don't think the lack of episodes could be an excuse because they found time to add unnecessary stuff (like Akira's weird dream in one of the episodes). They also added some scenes that don't make sense (like the kiss) and they were somewhat just forgotten in the next episodes.<br />
<br />
But putting those aside, overall it had been a very excellent series! It's a must-watch! It's not usual for an anime fan to encounter something this amazing!</div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: 78%;">Sources:<br />
~ Anime News Network<br />
~ My Anime List</span>Sapphire Pyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394234356231157323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486249075382677025.post-82227402831717094192009-04-26T21:26:00.000+08:002011-08-07T06:54:09.069+08:00Monochrome Factor<table><tbody>
<tr><td><span><b>Monochrome Factor</b></span><b><br />
by GENCO</b><br />
<br />
<i>It seriously sucks in many ways! Too bad because the story idea was actually pretty interesting. But despite its flaws, it had been very enjoyable to watch! The characters had been fun, and I really like the comedy!</i><br />
<br />
<img src="http://img18.picoodle.com/img/img18/3/1/22/f_staricons08m_82fea0f.gif" /> <b>Rating:</b> <span>C-</span> <i>SO-SO! Very average and typical whatever!</i><br />
<img alt="" src="http://img18.picoodle.com/img/img18/3/1/22/f_staricons19m_c95c713.gif" /> <b>Favoritism:</b> 2.5/5 hearts = <b>AVERAGE</b></td><td><img src="http://i40.tinypic.com/2v91x7p.jpg" /></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span><i>The story revolves around high school student Akira Nikaido, a typical slacker living a normal life. That is, until he meets the mysterious Shirogane, a man who suddenly appears and tells him that they have a destiny together. When Akira hears this, he is shocked and doesn't believe a word of it. Aya, a friend of Akira, forgets something in the school one night, and asks Akira to help her and go find it. He agrees, and while there, he gets attacked by a shadow monster. Shirogane convinces him that the balance between the human world and the shadow world has been distorted and that Akira must become a "shin"- a creature of the shadow world- in order to help restore the balance. The anime has shonen-ai themes which are completely absent from the manga. (Wikipedia)</i></span><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>I saw the manga version of this first. I got attracted to its cover because I thought the two Akiras there were identical twins (I'm obviously very interested on anything that deals with goodlooking identical twin boys) and the supernatural stuff in the plot got me really interested (that's one of my top favorite genres, I can't help it. Hehe). When I read the first few chapters though, I was pretty surprised that it's actually <i>gay</i>, though fortunately it wasn't yaoi level, so I was able to tolerate it. It didn't get me that impressed but I still looked forward to the anime adaptation because . . . of the seiyuu cast. Haha!<br />
<br />
But a good cast can't really save a series if it's just too horrible. Biggest disappointment in this series is the story. Actually, the story idea was pretty interesting, but the development, pacing, narration, and other story related stuff . . . . all sucked! It used up too many cliches and its twists had been so terrible and predictable. Speaking of twists, I don't know if I can call the <i>twists</i> in the story as <i>real</i> twists because <i>supposedly</i> the later events explain or reveal what actually happened previously, right? As in, it connects each event so things make sense later. But here? No. The twists from before were <i>changed</i> later in order to <i>force</i> a twist. It's like done <i>for the sake of making a twist</i>. They changed what had happened. What kid of <i>plot twist</i> is that?! Oh I find that really really stupid. <br />
<br />
Another thing that's so bad is that <i>there aren't any progress</i> in the story! It builds up in the first few episodes (which is done badly as well) then it's always the same thing on the later episodes: Main characters encounter a character, then later it'll hold a grudge, villain shows up to the victim to make a monster possess it, the good guys beat up the monster, and it's always a happy ending. Same formula, <i>all the time</i>. Though the story does pick up around the middle part, but later <i>it goes to usual <b>again</b></i>. And then all important parts get <i>rushed</i> in the ending. It makes you think "I waited for 20+ episode for <i>just</i> this?!". <br />
<br />
I know that this series is actually episodic, but they shouldn't have wasted <i>that many</i> episodes with the same type of weak villains and the same way things happen and end. At least make <i>some variety</i> or show <i>something new</i> on those stories and characters. Even if it's episodic, there should be some advancement or difference in each episode at least! <br />
<br />
I know some story flaws in this series were done on purpose for the sake of crack, but I think that's only excusable if the main genre of the series is comedy, however <b>it isn't</b>! They had excuses on some story flaws in the end though (like the deal with the enemies ALWAYS popping out on people around the main characters), but still, it had been lame and typical.<br />
<br />
And about the characters . . . oh they're just as bad in terms of development. Main charater recruitment was done per episode until they're complete (except for one who only showed up later . . . because he only became necessary on the part where the story began dealing about his kind). Main character's friends are also <i>so special</i>, because since they're the buddies, they get to have powers too . There are other characters who can have fighting potential that got close to the main character too, <i>but NO</i>, only the main character's buddies get to have the magical weapons (oh bummer!). <br />
<br />
And also, for some reason, it's like a <i>requirement</i> that the main cast <i>always</i> has to be <i>complete</i> in <i>every</i> freakin' episode (or at least, almost all episodes, if not all). I didn't see much development on the characters as well, except for the main character I guess (who only had such in the middle and in the end . . .. yes, there had actually been improvements only in the middle and in the end *sigh*). I didn't see them change; they had been the same since the time they showed up and the time they got involved in the supernatural events in the story. For instance, there was a time that a character had betrayed them, but he didn't seem evil enough to the point that I absolutely expected it that in his heart he isn't really a bady guy. In other words, the betrayal wasn't <i>that convincing</i>. So it also follows the stupid rule that a main character can't possibly part of the bad guys, eh? <i>Right</i>. Speaking of bad guys, the main villain is the biggest let down of all. You know, he finally shows up in the ending as someone pretty powerful but after one hit by the <i>leveled up</i> leading character, even though he's not really that damaged, he claims that he's no longer in the mood to continue and leaves, after the main character became unconscious (who became conscious a few minutes later. The hell . . . ). So much for a season finale. <br />
<br />
About my other complains, this series actually had some demon summoning. I like mix of religious stuff, but summoning a shadow king with Shinto outfits and materials, but with a pagan symbol and uttering names of christian devils? <i>Oh come on</i>. You can't mix different religions just like that. It's like the writer or author hadn't done any research on this kind of thing. It's similar to a shoujo manga making the devil Lucifer a gay bishounen and acting like a good guy. <i>The hell</i> . . . Another thing is <i>the fanservice</i>. I know it wants to cater to shounen-ai/yaoi lovers but many of those fanservice scenes are seriously out of place. It's like those nonsense were forced to be added in the episode even if they don't exactly relate to what is going on. <i>The heck</i> . . . you think fanservice can make up for the bad story?<br />
<br />
So yeah, it had been really really <b>horrible</b>. Not to mention the animation is so average. There's nothing fantastic on the fight scenes. They all look the same. And the costume transformations sucked. I think magical shoujo series had done it better. Oh this series sure used a lot of ways to <i>waste time</i>.<br />
<br />
But despite all those bad points, this series is actually very <b>enjoyable</b>. Why? Believe it or not, it had been very entertaining because the comedy was <b>good</b> and the characters had been <b>fun</b>. There are several types of comedies, and this belongs to the lame-but-damn-hilarious type. If the comical parts of a series had been funny, then I call it <b>good comedy</b>! Haha! I admit some nonsensical in this series made me go "WTF"; but most of the time, they were so amusing that I laugh a lot in each episode! Hehe! <br />
<br />
Also, if you ignore the lack of character development, the characters are actually so fun and dynamic. They had been so funny, I can't hate them. And it's because they're so fun that the show had been so fun to watch as well.<br />
<br />
Other good points I'd like to mention I guess would be the voice acting cast and the music. No, I'm not exactly being biased on the seiyuus, but they really did a good job. The voices really fit the characters and how they acted made the emotion of the characters seem real. I hadn't paid attention on the backgorund music, but the OP and ED theme songs had a really nice tune. At least for me they were.<br />
<br />
So, if you're not strict with good stories and don't mind shounen-ai undertones, then I guess you won't have much problems with this series. It can't be considered as one of the greatest series out there, but it certainly is one of the enjoyable ones. :-)Sapphire Pyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394234356231157323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486249075382677025.post-68347071026275609462009-04-12T21:23:00.000+08:002011-08-07T06:54:09.074+08:00Honey and Clover<table><tbody>
<tr><td><span><b>Honey and Clover<br />
aka Hachimitsu to Clover</b></span><b><br />
SEASON ONE and TWO<br />
of J.C. Staff</b><br />
<br />
<i>I wish there will be more anime love stories that are as impressive, sweet, entertaining, and refreshing as this!</i><br />
<br />
<img src="http://img18.picoodle.com/img/img18/3/1/22/f_staricons08m_82fea0f.gif" /> <b>Rating:</b> <span>A</span> <i>EPIC AWESOME! So addicting I cannot get enough!</i><br />
<img alt="" src="http://img18.picoodle.com/img/img18/3/1/22/f_staricons19m_c95c713.gif" /> <b>Favoritism:</b> 4 out of 5 hearts = ADORATION</td><td><img src="http://i39.tinypic.com/bfgjlu.jpg" /></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span><i>Takemoto Yuuta, Mayama Takumi, and Morita Shinobu are college students who share the small apartment. Even though they live in poverty, the three of them are able to obtain pleasure through small things in life. The story follows these characters' life stories as poor college students, as well as their love lives when a short but talented 18 year old girl called Hanamoto Hagumi appears. (Anime News Network)</i></span><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>At first glance it was honestly not my type. Well, since when had a slice of life series had caught my attention at first look?! Haha! But, many people have been saying how good it is. As I stared at the promo pictures, I still couldn't figure out what's in it that made people think of it as something awesome. But good reviews really arouse my curiosity, so I gave the first episode a try, until all of a sudden I'm already at episode five without me realizing it! I finally began to understand why the series was so lovable during that time! However, during that time as well I think I've been busy with exams and projects, so I put it on-hold until I forgot about watching it. <br />
<br />
Then recently, the character designer of a recent anime, called Eden of the East, is the same as with Honey and Clover's. That reminded me that I'm not done with the series yet. I thought of continuing where I left, but I could no longer remember most of the story, so I had to start from the beginning again. I marathoned it for two days, the two seasons and the specials. Seriously, it was addicting.<br />
<br />
I'm very impressed with its love story. It's not your typical cheesy or angsty romance with overused plotlines. The romance here had been happy and sad at the same time. Surprisingly, the relationships here hadn't been the types that annoyed the hell out of me. And it sure emphasized that . . . "<i>Love is complicated. There are hard times but joyful times as well.</i>" I think many true loves in real life are like that. Love stories with instant happy endings in fiction don't always happen in real life after all.<br />
<br />
But of course, this series is not only centered on romantic love, but even friendship and family love. <br />
<br />
The bond of friendship between the main characters had been really great. I'm glad that all of them, even their teacher and other supporting characters, get to have very good character development and a chance to shine. I also love seeing their <i>imperfectness</i>. Even the extremely talented Shinobu has his own faults and weaknesses too.<br />
<br />
Among family relationships, I adore the Morita brothers the most. I admit that in a way it has something to do with my adoration to brotherly love, but those two were really sweet. I love Shinobu and Kaoru a lot. Perhaps, these two had also reminded me of the relationship of my brother and I. I'm the elder sibling, but I'm somewhat like Shinobu, because I'm the child with the most talents in the family: in arts, studies, and so on. Though I am in many ways better than my brother, he was the one who is loved most by people. Apparently, he's better in socializing than I am. Like Kaoru, I had been jealous of my little brother. <br />
<br />
Events in Honey and Clover sure remind me of my personal life. It's so real, I can relate in many of the events. It also made me think about and realize a lot of things. It's not just some love story, it contains lessons about life as well. It makes you analyze and reflect. It suggests to you not to lose hope despite all those hard times. It has a very deep and rich story, so wonderful I'm very amazed.<br />
<br />
Of course, it's not just focused on the serious things and the romance stuff. What made this series so freakin' entertaining is the <b>COMEDY</b>! It's so damn hilarious that I could no longer count the number of times I cried from so much laughter. My stomach had also hurt from too much laughing as well. Blame all characters for being so funny! Haha! Especially Morita Shinobu, he's so wacky and silly! He's so crazy that it makes him such a fun person! Haha!<br />
<br />
I also find the art in this series really <b>AMAZING</b>! Well, yes, I admit that I find the character designs a little plain, but later they grew on me. But anyway, just focus more on the art pieces. The series is set in an art college, so of course there are different art pieces that are featured here. I am most amazed with Hagu's works. Her drawings are really <i>beautiful</i>. <br />
<br />
This series is not only entertaining and amazing, but also very <b>AWESOME</b>! Just check out the OP and ED themes! They are so creatively done! Though I have to admit the voice of the artist of the OP themes irritate my ears, but overall they're still good. I also really love all the insert songs in the episodes. I like this series' choice of music. They have been really good. I wish I could have them part of my collection soon! Haha!<br />
<br />
I love so many things in this series, but of course I have my favorites. I guess from what I've typed so far, my favorite guy is Shinobu, then followed by Kaoru. Among the females I really like Miwako, followed by Yamada. I used to dislike Hagu, for girls that are incredibly fragile and helpless yet other people dote on her really annoy me, but later she grew on me. So from then on, I don't dislike any character in this series at all. I like a series wherein all characters are lovable. As for pairings, I guess my top favorite is Nomiya x Yamada. That's the only pairing that actually made me go: "OH MY GOD THAT WAS SO ROMANTIC!". Haha :-) Though I don't particulary despise any pairing, I have to admit there's one that bothers me and another that displeases me. The former I'm refering to the Shuu x Hagu pairing. I really highly prefered them as having something like a father and daughter relationship, not a romantic one! And what displeases me is any romantic pairing with Shinobu in it. Truth be told, it has nothing to do with my favoritism towards him. I just can't imagine him in a romantic relationship, like he's really not suited for romance. Honest! But well, preferences and tastes of each person really differ.<br />
<br />
Anyway, this series had been a very enjoyable watch. I highly recommend it to people who like meaningful and wonderful stories! Also those who enjoy shows that know how to balance seriousness and silliness! Hehe! It's sad that there doesn't seem to be another season of it. I don't know if the manga had ended already. But there's actually a live action version of this. I look forward to watching it soon!Sapphire Pyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394234356231157323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486249075382677025.post-6767646856929689332009-04-11T21:22:00.000+08:002011-08-07T06:54:09.080+08:00Maria†Holic<table><tbody>
<tr><td><span><b>Maria†Holic</b></span><b><br />
Shaft</b><br />
<br />
<i>I wouldn't be able to imagine this possible in the past, but well, for a shoujo-ai/yuri hater I was actually amused with this series!</i><br />
<br />
<img src="http://img18.picoodle.com/img/img18/3/1/22/f_staricons08m_82fea0f.gif" /> <b>Rating:</b> <span>C+</span> <i>NOT BAD! Better than I expected!</i><br />
<img alt="" src="http://img18.picoodle.com/img/img18/3/1/22/f_staricons19m_c95c713.gif" /> <b>Favoritism:</b> 2.5 hearts out of 5</td><td><img src="http://i42.tinypic.com/awye7k.jpg" /></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span><i>The story centers on a sophomore named Kanako who is allergic to men to the point of breaking out in hives any time she comes in contact with one. She enrolls in the same all girls school where her own parents met, Ame no Kisaki, because she wants to find her destined yuri (lesbian) partner. She meets a captivating freshman named Mariya who fits her criteria — except her seemingly ideal mate happens to be a cross-dressing sadistic boy. (MyAnimeList)</i></span><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>When I saw the title, I got interested on it because it seemed to have something to do with religion. But when I read the plot that the main character is a freakin' lesbian in an all girls school, I didn't think of watching it anymore because I'm seriously disturbed on such things. However, when someone had mentioned that one of them is actually a trap, that completely changed my mind. I usually find series wherein a girl pretends to be a guy in an all boys school, not the other way around. So I checked out a few chapters of the manga, and I actually enjoyed it! So I didn't have second thoughts on watching the anime, which turned out to be even more hilarious than the manga!<br />
<br />
Yes, it has shoujo-ai and Kanako is an absolute lesbian. Her thoughts are seriously perverted and disturbing that I am not sure on how I could talk to her if I meet a real version of her. Not that I hate such people, it's just . . . <i>awkward</i>. Ehehe. But you know, even with all the shoujo-ai elements in this series, there's no actual shoujo-ai in it. I mean, in canon, there are no actual girl to girl romantic relationships at all! This got me really relieved. I guess those who feel uneasy on really shoujo-ai like me can also tolerate this series. But I have to admit, those shoujo-ai thoughts of Kanako had been really funny. It may have been for perverted fanservice, but at least they have been amusing, unlike other series that do perverted fanservice just to please perverts.<br />
<br />
It had been really really hilarious! I can no longer count the number of times my stomach had hurt from so much laughing! Haha! Some had been really corny but still, hilarious! Haha! It sucks that they imitated/reused some joke styles done in Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei though, but the original jokes had been pretty good. And although it's more focused on comedy, it had actually been pretty educational. Like the facts related to religion and history. They're actually accurate, though presented in a funny way. It's also pretty cool that it throws random trivia. They have no relation to what's really going on, but still, ealrning trivia is fun! Haha!<br />
<br />
True, there are many things that don't make sense in this series. Some are just too random, or don't connect to what's going on, or just popped out of nowhere, and many more. However, this series is not meant to make sense in the series! It's crack comedy! So of course you should not be surprised if it's being silly and ridiculous! Haha!<br />
<br />
Despite my compliments to this series, I have to admit that it gave me some headaches and made me utter "What the hell?!" (with a facepalm!) a lot of times. It's honestly a waste of time. It's actually not the type of series that is worth watching devotedly, in my opinion. But, if you're dying from boredom and wants to have a good laugh, and you also don't despise shoujo-ai/yuri with a passion, then this series will be a fun watch! Hehe. :-)Sapphire Pyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394234356231157323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486249075382677025.post-29743980734978156842009-04-01T21:21:00.000+08:002011-08-07T06:54:09.086+08:00Tytania<table><tbody>
<tr><td><span><b>Tytania</b></span><b><br />
of Artland</b><br />
<br />
<i>It's a little slow and some events are kinds typical. Nevertheless, it's one of the greatest space opera anime I've ever seen! I am really impressed and I love it! </i><br />
<br />
<img src="http://img18.picoodle.com/img/img18/3/1/22/f_staricons08m_82fea0f.gif" /> <b>Rating:</b> <span>A-</span> <i>OH MY GOD! Amazing, fantastic, oh really wonderful!</i><br />
<img alt="" src="http://img18.picoodle.com/img/img18/3/1/22/f_staricons19m_c95c713.gif" /> <b>Favoritism:</b> 9 hearts out of 10</td><td><img src="http://i41.tinypic.com/hurbjt.jpg" /></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span><i>The capital of the empire of Euria is attacked by the empire of Titania, a much more powerful enemy that controls a large part of the galaxy. The story follows a soldier who flees the Titania empire and seeks refuge with the rebellion force, that rose up since the battle. (Anime News Network)</i></span><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>When I found out that this was the space opera type, I no longer needed to think about watching it. I lack series with such a genre in my anime database. Haha! And besides, it has military, royalty, and political stuff too. Those things always capture my interest.<br />
<br />
And I'm really happy that it actually turned out to be better than I expected.<br />
<br />
I'll start with the music. I like the idea of having an <i>opera</i> for an opening theme of a space <i>opera</i>! Haha! I like opera and the singer had actually sang well but . . . . it just wasn't my type. The ending theme, however, was totally awesome! It shows that the series is not only serious, but badass as well! Background music had been pleasant to my ears too.<br />
<br />
But well, I have to admit that the reason why the leading guy finally rebelled against the antagonists being the death of his girlfriend is kinda typical, so-so, and expected; but a relunctant hero that may be a genius but not perfect nor talented in everything in the beginning is much better than some angsty hero who becomes super powerful later all of a sudden. I am also impressed that the antagonists have variations too. The points of view and methods of the heads differ even if they serve the same clan. Moreover, character sides division isn't simply black and white. Both sides have their own traitors and idiots, geniuses and badasses. <br />
<br />
I really love the cast. My favorites are Jouslain and Ariabart. I love kindhearted nobles like Jouslain, while Ariabart is simply damn goodlooking! Haha! I also love their tea times and talks together because I really adore cousins who care for each other. Hehe! The female I admire most is Lydia. For a child, her opinions actually mean something and even her simple actions can make great changes and save lives. I love her bond with Bal'ami. They are so cute and I would really love to see them having either a brother-sister or romantic relationship. Other guys that I also like are Fan, for being crack and I love his bubblegum eating during battles, and Dr. Lee, for his treating of humans as research material always amuses me. While other women that I also admire are Miranda, for being such a GAR woman, and perhaps Serafin and Lira too. To be honest, I didn't appreciate the Fan x Lira love story development much, but they had been such a cute couple. And damn to tragic love . . . always pierces me heart so!<br />
<br />
Storytelling was actually pretty good. However, some events had been too slow while some had been too fast. I think the intense moments had been portrayed or illustrated well. Like the drama during a character's death . . . it just didn't feel so real. Also like when a major character had died . . . seriously, how could one die in a battle without any wounds? The excuse might be because they want to omit or minimize the gore and violence, but still . . .. it's just so . . . <i>fake</i>. But anyway, despite my complains on those flaws, overall story still had been really good. The climax had really been epic and the series ended smoothly.<br />
<br />
However, the supposedly biggest event in the story haven't exactly happened yet: On how Jouslain and Fan will change Tytania's history for ages. The ending was good but it didn't exactly bring any conclusions on that topic. So it only means one thing: <b>IT IS ONLY THE BEGINNING</b>!<br />
<br />
So . . . <b>SEASON TWO WHERE ARE YOU????!!!!!</b><br />
<br />
Oh I really hope that there's going to be a second season and I'll definitely be tuning to it once it has aired!Sapphire Pyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394234356231157323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486249075382677025.post-61736925178746310372009-03-31T21:20:00.000+08:002011-08-07T06:54:09.091+08:00Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou<table><tbody>
<tr><td><span><b>Natsume Yuujinchou</b></span><b><br />
Second Season<br />
of Brains Base</b><br />
<br />
<i>Even better than the first season! This is as awesome as Mushishi just with more youthful crack and regular characters! Haha! </i><br />
<br />
<img src="http://img18.picoodle.com/img/img18/3/1/22/f_staricons08m_82fea0f.gif" /> <b>Rating:</b> <span>A</span> <i>EPIC AWESOME! So addicting I cannot get enough!</i><br />
<img alt="" src="http://img18.picoodle.com/img/img18/3/1/22/f_staricons19m_c95c713.gif" /> <b>Favoritism:</b> 9.5 hearts out of 10</td><td><img src="//i49.photobucket.com/albums/f277/jeanedwar/LiveJournal%202009/03%20Mar/natsume2.jpg" /></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span><i>Continuing on from the first season, Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou follows the story of Natsume, a boy who has been able to see ghosts since he was little. Unfortunately, humans shun him, and there is not much fondness between him and ghosts either. One day, he inherits a Yūjin-Chō ("Book of Friends") from his grandmother. The book is actually full of contracts that his grandmother made to trap ghosts. As one ghost after another shows up, Natsume tries to release or help them — even while many of them seek vengeance on him. (Anime News Network)</i></span><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>I really liked the manga, and the first anime adaptation was done so well; and the second season is <b>even better</b>! Everything was better in this season: animation, music, story, characters, etc.<br />
<br />
There's not really much difference in the animation of both seasons. There had been weird scenes, but most have been illustrated really well. Music, I have to say, previous season's opening and ending theme's have been really boring; but this season's are much pleasant to the ears. But the background music of both seasons have been good.<br />
<br />
The characters have been fun! Both humans and youkai that Natsume had interacted with. I find it awesome that it's not your typical all characters are lame aside from main characters and special villains kind of character cast. There had been humans that are special like Natsume, but they don't exactly have the same beliefs as he does. There had been those that despise youkai, one that fights them but also cares for them, one that needs to do special methods to see them, and another that can only get a glimpse or feel them. In other words, even among the side of characters that can see youkai, there's a variety. And even if they're just minor or supporting characters, they had their moments to shine or at least had played a significant role. As for those who can't see youkai, I have to admit that they lack edcharacter development, especially the two guys that hang out with Natsume at school, but his foster parents at least had played a pretty important role in the story. Then of course there's the youkai characters! There are some powerful ones, some evil some not; there had been mischievous ones and kindhearted ones, and many more! There's also a variety even in the different race or type of beings. Even if the character had just appeared on one episode in the entire series, they still played a significant role in the overall story.<br />
<br />
Speaking of episodes, this series is actually episodic. Though episodic, each standalone episodes hadn't been useless fillers, and all have somehow had a connection with the story. It's also good that this season had also provided some backstory on Natsume's grandmother. Even if she's no longer alive, she had greatly affected the events in the story. I am very impressed with the story development and I really liked it how they ended this season with the conclusion that you don't have to choose between spirits and humans if you can be friends with both. Humans aren't exactly the most superior beings. All creatures deserve equal amount of love and attention. <br />
<br />
That love . . . this series is very touching and heartwarming, you know. It's hard not to fall in love with the characters and feel sad if something bad happened to them. I am impressed on how drama is presented in this series. It's not overdramatic nor were there any stupid angst. It's simply drama that can affect one's heart. <br />
<br />
Well, this series isn't just drama, it also had a lot of comedy! It's much funnier than the previous season. All those crack and silly things . . . no matter how corny, I can't help but smile :-) <br />
<br />
My favorite character here is Natsume. He's a kindhearted young fellow (not to mention goodlooking, haha!), it's hard not to love him. It had been fun to see his interactions with the other characters. I really love it when he's around Taki, Tanuma and Natori. His moments with Nyaanko-sensei were simply the best! Haha! And my favorite female character has to be Reiko. She simply rocks!<br />
<br />
Oh how much I love this series! I'm actually already satisfied with just two season, but it would be very nice if there'll be another one! Natsume's very powerful after all so I look forward to seeing him do actual exorcisms without anyone else's guidance. It would also be very cool if he faces more challenging enemies. And it would also be good if not only Natsume and Madara do most of the work for a change; let more regular characters do something awesome together with them more frequently. It would also be good if there'll come a character that is almost as powerful, if not more powerful, than Natsume.<br />
<br />
. . . . . <br />
<br />
Whoa . . . even if this series is already so good, there are still many ways to make this even better! An anime that can still have continuous improvement even if it's already so great. Wow! Now that's a really good anime! Totally remarkable! I highly recommend this series!Sapphire Pyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394234356231157323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486249075382677025.post-60763277635176074862009-03-31T21:19:00.000+08:002011-08-07T06:54:09.097+08:00Gundam 00 season 2<table><tbody>
<tr><td><span><b>Mobile Suit Gundam 00</b></span><b><br />
Second Season<br />
of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment</b><br />
<br />
<i>It's better than the previous season! What an awesome Gundam series since Gundam Wing's reign! </i><br />
<br />
<img src="http://img18.picoodle.com/img/img18/3/1/22/f_staricons08m_82fea0f.gif" /> <b>Rating:</b> B+ <i>WOW! I am VERY impressed!</i><br />
<img alt="" src="http://img18.picoodle.com/img/img18/3/1/22/f_staricons19m_c95c713.gif" /> <b>Favoritism:</b> 8.5 hearts out of 10</td><td><img src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f277/jeanedwar/LiveJournal%202009/03%20Mar/g00_season2.jpg" /></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span><i>Four years have passed since the final battle between Celestial Being and the UN Forces. Humanity, having established the Earth Sphere Federation, forms an independent security preservation force, A-Laws, separate from the formal Federation army to further unify nations and the will of mankind. But the reality was the inhumane oppression of misuse of powers, doctrines, and ideologies in the name of unity. <br />
(MyAnimeList)</i></span><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>The Gundam series is a phenomenon ever since Gundam Wing had become intensely popular back in 1995. I have not seen much of the Gundam series that followed Gundam Wing, but this new Gundam series had certainly been almost as glorious as the legendary Gundam series. And another thing's that's good about is that even though it had some similarities with Gundam Wing, it's still different. In other words, it's no copycat.<br />
<br />
I love the way Sunrise animates shows with mecha, so it's not a surprise that I liked how the animation was done in this series. Music's good too, but I think the insert songs and background music sounded better than the actual opening and ending themes. The staff, actors or those behind the scenes, did a good job in this series. I believe there's sufficient production budget on this anyway, so it has to.<br />
<br />
As for the characters and the story, they're both the biggest flaws and the greatest strong points in the seriest at the same time.<br />
<br />
Some characters lack development, while the others got too much of it. Some characters had even acted too out of character all of a sudden in later episodes. Some of them even do things that simply don't make any sense. In these ways they have become pathetic, but in some way they had still entertained and delighted fans. What I really like about the characters, in general, is that there are no annoying stereotypes. They aren't one-dimensional, and they aren't perfect either. Obvious character relationships are presented as obvious straight to your face. There's no more messing with the fan's mind whether they're canon or not. Romantic relationships here hadn't been that mushy either. Romance isn't really the focus of the series anyway, so it's good that they didn't focus too much on that but they've managed to show it efficiently. <br />
<br />
The story, however, is a big mess. Story development was done in such a rush that you'd still be confused even if you actually understand what's going on. Some events happen for the sake of fanservice or for convenience of the later events or they just want to make some lame plot twist to drive fans crazy. Many things that happened are just too sudden or don't make any sense. Not to mention those sudden miracles to keep the characters safe and alive. But though the storytelling had so many flaws, the overall story is actually good. It did a different approach on how to eradicate wars. It presented themes as well, which mostly dealt with humanism. I always admire shows that emphasize how wrong fanaticism can be, and this series had showed that clearly. Nothing good can be brought out from it. Ever.<br />
<br />
By the way, Gundam 00 isn't exactly over yet. There's a movie coming out next year. It's most likely a sequel. The ending seemed to have already concluded a lot of things but I guess there's more into the story than we have expected. I honestly am looking forward to it very much :-)<br />
<br />
Sunrise shows never cease to amaze me that no matter how much of a trainwreck their shows become, they're still very entertaining and <i>addicting</i>. I don't actually hope it'd continue that way, but it would be nice if they maintain the good stuff.Sapphire Pyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394234356231157323noreply@blogger.com0