[ Novel Review ] This Book is Not Good For You (Secret Series #3)

This Book is Not Good for You (Secret Series #3)
by Pseudonymous Bosch

Bosch: I'm really busy eating chocolate right now but I might as well tell you about the further adventures of our young heroes....
Yo-Yoji: Yo, I'm starving. Got a chocolate milkshake?
Bosch: The mission's dangerous, deadly, and.. delicious! Watch out for the evil chef and, of course, the always-upto-no-good Midnight Sun!
Cass: I don't care about the danger. I want to know who I am!!!
Bosch: They're going to be eating chocolate, then learning chocolate trivia, then eating chocolate, then visiting a chocolate plantation, and then.... did I mention that they're going to eat chocolate?
Max-Ernest: But I'm allergic to chocolate!!!

The third installment of the Secret Series did not disappoint! It was a very enjoyable read, as usual. It had been really hilarious and the part with Yo-Yoji going samurai mode was seriously awesome! Haha!

It didn't have as much codes or puzzles like the previous books, but it still makes you think and analyze. I find it exciting that it had been using different languages like French, Japanese, Italian, and you even have a glossary of "Hello" in a hundred languages! It even shares trivia related to animals and places. It was like the series went international and is acting like a tour guide for you~

And of course, what you'll learn most from this book would be stuff related to none other than CHOCOLATE! It really shows how the author loves it... and how knowledgeable he is of it! Interestingly, this book makes you see how much chocolate is connected to alchemy, which is one of the main themes of this series' story.

But no matter how much I adore this book, I've got to admit that there are several things that didn't seem right to me. One of them is the Japanese part. We were taught of what a haiku is. We got a translation of a haiku and it has the correct number of syllables BUT the character who said that line spoke in Japanese. Isn't it more appropriate that it's the Japanese lines that were in correct format, not the English translation? I mean, I pretty much doubt that the Japanese version of the haiku in the book would be in the same number of syllables as the English translation. Or was it because the author wasn't able (or got lazy) to do the Japanese version of a haiku? Come to think of it, not all of the lines that were supposedly uttered in Japanese are written in their original form.

Another thing that bothers me is that Cass has become... too special. It all began with the second book where she turned out to be a descendant of someone important. And what happened to her "prophetic abilities" from the previous book? Only applicable to the homonculus then? What the.... anyway, my point is, the more special Cass's background and role is becoming, the more special abilities she possesses. And that's quite..... boring. Super special characters are so boring.

But at least, in this book, Cass's mother has become involved in her adventures. It promises to me that this won't be your usual "parents don't know anything" adventure any longer. I'm also happy that we learned more about Mr. Wallace in this book. Hopefully the other older characters in the series get a chance to shine. I'm especially interested with Yo-Yoji's teacher, whose background was promised to be revealed sometime in the future. And Owen should do more awesome stuff, seriously.

Overall, I honestly think that this third book still can't beat the first book, it's certainly hell better than the second one! Hopefully the fourth book has a pleasant surprise for everyone~

B (COOL! So good I like it, baby!)
A very entertaining read! Much better than the second book!
4.5 Hearts ---> ADDICTION
The first book's still my favorite but SAMURAI YO-YOJI WAS AWESOME! HELL YEAH! Haha!

Hetalia World Series - Episode 23 (Extra: Cleaning Prussia-san, Manga Trailer, etc.)

Female!Matthew is sooooo adorable~ So he has pigtails like Female!Arthur, eh? Daaaaw~ (And wait, Female!Alfred is quite similar to Female!Francis.... hhhhmmm.... while the male versions are the other way around [Matthew's hair is like Francis's then Alfred's to Arthur's].... omg my fave Hetalia "family" still has the similarities/connections even in female versions xD)

Now about the episode.....

It started with Ludwig getting an order that he should make Roderich part of his territory. Feliciano and Elizaveta were begging Ludwig not to do it (If you see it as a scene of family members defending their daddy it's so.... awwww~). It was also against Ludwig's will but he can't go against orders (Poor guy.) Surprisingly, Roderich didn't mind.
He was even enjoying it... leeching on Ludwig. Haha! The conqueror was being bullied, LOLz~ What's more amusing is that Roderich's even using Feliciano to indirectly threaten Ludwig, haha!
I'm not certain if this part is historically accurate.... it doesn't seem to be so from articles I've read so far but... well, it did happen.

The another part of the episode is a continuation of the Antonio and chibi Lovino strips....

(LOVINO = SQUISHABLE; TURKEY = SEXY VILLAIN; ANTONIO = LOVE)
I find it amusingly adorable that Lovino still has the guts to say insults even when he's facing an enemy he's freakin' afraid of, haha. What I couldn't get off my mind was the end though.... Antonio shouting Lovino's name when he heard the boy in danger was like..... OMGTZEDRAMA!!!! Hahahahahahahahahahah!!!!!!

Of course the episode this week was cool but..... the best Hetalia-related stuff that happened this week is the:

CLEANING PRUSSIA-SAN MINI GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Himaruya-sensei has it available for download at his ever-so-awesome blog~ Well, it's in Japanese, but thanks to jammerlea and gilbolove, we can see the parts of the game translated! w00t!
THANKS TO GILBO, THERE'S FINALLY SOMETHING EPIC AWESOME ABOUT HOUSEHOLD CHORES!!!! DOING GOOD FOR OTHERS HAD NEVER BEEN THIS AMUSING ADMIRABLE!!!! GILBO!!! YOU'RE OUR IDOL!!! IN GOOD DEEDS AND IN EVERYTHING ABSURD!!!!
Those shots on the nation-tan's houses.... they're so.... WOW! And all options in the game were fun~ The most touching one was the Ludwig option - good ending (Gilbo loves his younger brother so much, daaaaw~) and the funniest one was the Berwald option (Bwahahahhahahahahahaha!), and I believe the craziest one is the Roderich option (And my goddess was there! =3 And it looks like Elizaveta always treats Gilbo's wounds if she has injured him, haha!). My favorite though is the omake section, the bad friends trio are still the best of friends! Hahahahahah! I love how those two tease Gilbo~ Teehee~

Oh, on other news. The covers of the next three Counting Sheep CD series are out:

Just heard the first and second one. Lovino was counting tomato while Ludwig was counting wurst. LOLz. Feliciano's ever so adorable while Gilbo's as crazy as ever xD Haha! Gilbo's acting like the younger one as usual, hahahaha! How he threw tantrums on the busy Ludwig.... hahahaha!

Lastly, Tokyopop just released a trailer of the first volume:

So.... COLORFUL and CUTE! Hahahahaha! Love it~
Waaaahhhh.... I wonder when it will reach my country. And drats, I could already imagine how much it'll cost but.... oh well ^^ Hopefully they really did it as awesome as it seems =3

I think I'm a little hyper today because I just saw Despicable Me yesterday and THOSE MINIONS ARE LOVE xD And like Agnes, I SOOOO WANT A PET UNICORN!!!! Squee~

[ Animation Review ] Despicable Me

COMPANY: Illumination Entertainment
DIRECTORS: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud
WRITERS: Ken Daurio (screenplay), Cinco Paul (screenplay), Sergio Pablos (story)
When a criminal mastermind uses a trio of orphan girls as pawns for a grand scheme, he finds himself profoundly changed by the growing love between them.

Hooray to a wonderful children's show that focuses on a "villain" this time, rather than the usual superhero. It's so refreshing to see something different (imdb)~

I love it that even though the main character was made to be as despicable as possible, instead of getting annoyed, you find his actions entertaining instead. Haha! It has been much easier to warm up to him when he begins to open up his heart.

Though I admit that I think it would be better if our main character is crueler than how he was portrayed in the movie, I considered that this is targeted to children. It's nice that they kept the rating, even with the mean acts. Haha!

I find the ending appropriate as well. It's also better for children to see the reality that nobody's born evil and consider the possibility that even mean-looking parents can be such loving people.

Story-wise, some parts didn't seem to have been explained that well or has been pretty odd to me at least. Like, how could the main character not get any police notices for driving and parking like that? (It's quite... too unrealistic) And how did the girls get ballet lessons if they're orphans (Is there a school that teaches ballet for free? (It's quite unlikely for them to be sponsored by the orphanage at the show)

Nevertheless, the laughter that it brings to the audience made up for whatever it lacked. Haha! The minions were so adorably crazy! They had been so amusing in whatever they do! The part when they wanted to have a goodnight kiss cracked me up the most, haha!

Then about the girls, I'm relieved that they haven't been the extremely annoying parts. I think I'm a combination of those three: I'm an elder sister like Margo, I'm as morbid as Edith (haha!), and I adore unicorns almost as much as Agnes does (UNICORN STUFF TOYS ARE SO FLUFFY I COULD DIE!!! Hahahahah!). Surprisingly, I even think I can relate to Dr. Gru as well... especially on the way he criticized the storybook. Haha!

All characters here have been charming in their own way. I believe that like me, many others, whether children or adults, could relate to them, whether in personal or in experiences.

This movie had been very fun to watch. It's highly recommended =D

B+ (WOW! I am very impressed!)
A wonderful and entertaining film for all ages. The idea's impressive and the story's well done. And everything else is 100% fun~
4 Hearts ---> ADORATION
I ADORE THE MINIONS!!! AND HOORAY TO UNICORN LOVE!!! w00t!!!!

[Novel Review] Corydon and the Island of Monsters (Corydon Trilogy #1)

Corydon and the Island of Monsters (Corydon Trilogy #1)
by Tobias Druitt

Corydon: I am just a normal shepherd boy.... except that my foot isn't one of a human's.
Stheno:According to the stars, he's the Mormoluke that can lead the monsters to survival....
Corydon: That's impossible...
Medusa: You're the one who will save us from the Olympians, Corydon.
Corydon: But I'm no hero...
Perseus: I so don't wanna fight but I HAD TO because I'm a HERO! Let's go to Monster Island, boys! I'm already so physically prepared even if mentally unprepared!
Corydon: *gulps*!

The author had a very interesting idea for this trilogy. He didn't modernize mythology unlike the other mythology based series nowadays; he maintained the classic storytelling with a little twist: the monsters are the good guys. Through this we were given a different perspective on mythological events, and the monsters were given personality.... not just some beings that are like defeatable per stage until the hero reaches the final boss and becomes victorious.

Unfortunately, despite the potential, it failed to become as impressive as it seemed. The monsters are portrayed too symphathetically, making them drama queen and drama king wannabes. I could no longer count how many times it was mentioned in the book on how badly they were treated, how they prefer soltitude and nature,, and how much their fate relies on the young hero... thus making them such boring characters.

They whine and rant a lot.... but none of them beats the main character as the most annoying creature in the book. Ignorance is forgivable, but the boy's beyond stupid. I believe it's more than once when he did something dangerous right after he has been warned about it and informed about the consequences. What's worse is that he always relies to another being, who is unconditionally protective towards him, to help him out. He was useless except for around the end of the book, when he finally thought of using the skills he had been so proud of since the earlier chapters. I don't expect him to be a courageous hero too early, but not having any character development except around the end makes him so despicable.

The only chapters that had been quite fun to read are those that are centered on the "bad guys". They are very silly, but at least they are humorous, unlike the "good guys". I believe this book would've been more entertaining if only the main characters are as silly and wacky as the antagonists.

Unfortunately, the most that the funny chapters of this book could do is to make you giggle a little. Yeah, they're funny, but not funny enough to make you laugh your head off. In other words, some jokes are pretty lame. But if you're someone easy to laugh, then you might not feel the same.

The best part of this book for me is: The Glossary. The descriptions were really amusing that makes me wonder WHY this type of humor hadn't been used in the entire book?! The author had the potential in making this book fun and hilarious, but it appears that he preferred his audience to feel sorry for the monsters rather than laugh at them.

I have so many other complains on this book like with how disturbing it is for a YA novel (Please, there's no way Corydon only saw Medusa as a mother with how he sees her), how absurd some parts of the story had been (A human became Corydon's companion so easily), how dumb some solutions had been (Corydon was able to know an answer from a riddle by BEGGING), and so on. But my biggest complain on this book is: BORING. VERY BORING.

It was a pain to finish this thing. I have no intention of experiencing the same pain by reading the next book.

D+ (REALLY DISAPPOINTING! How could you do this to me?!)
Interesting idea on making the monster in mythology the "good guys" but.... it's extremely boring!
2 Hearts ---> DISLIKE
I like Kharmides. I find Perseus amusing. But the overall I didn't enjoy it so nah...

Season Preview: Fall 2010

(I dunno why but I suddenly missed Lelouch)

Time really flies so fast. Here I am doing the fall preview and I haven't even felt the summer season.

As usual, mine and Sapphy's comments are here.

Of course, comments are all LOVE. 

A Certain Magical Index 2

Sapphire Pyro: I haven't finished the first season unfortunately.... Totally not sure when I could.... *sigh*

xtine06: I didn't finish watching this one because I got confused with the story line.


Battle Spirits: Brave

Sapphire Pyro: Please stop creating Yugi-Oh wannabes. Please. And seriously, there are still kids who don't get tired of this? *sigh*

xtine06: Another Yu-gi-oh wanna be, but my brother says that this is good so I am watching this with him.


Arakawa Under the Bridge

Sapphire Pyro: THIS IS EPIC CRACK AWESOME and I am so happy that there'll be more weird entertainment from this series ^^ I need to marathon the first season though.... now where did I stop.... but I don't mind rewatching them to kill meself from laughing again, LOLz

xtine06: I didn't watch the first season and I didn't like it so I am skipping this one.


Bakuman

Sapphire Pyro: I'm no longer that updated to this but oh I looooooooooooooove Bakuman! Yeah, yeah, it's by Death Note's creators, but those two are such geniuses that they managed to create a series that is as awesome even if it's nothing similar to its predecessor. w00t! Let the anime audience be open to the manga world xD

xtine06: Another one of my series that I am looking forward in the new season. Weeeee~


Fortune Arterial

Sapphire Pyro: Vampire + School..... NOOOOO!!! STOP IT!!! GET AWAY FROM ME!!!! Though I've got to admit that the bishies (preferring to the leading guy's new friend and the leading girl's brother; the leading guy's boring while the rest I don't know) are fun, but the other characters are.... uuuugggh. So..... no.

xtine06: Another vampire series......but then again, the bishes are calling for me. WAAH. What to do?!?!


Hakouki 2:

Sapphire Pyro: This would have been nice to continue IF ONLY THEY'D STOP PROTECTING THAT ANNOYING LEADING LADY ALREADY!!!! AAAUUUGGHHH!!!!

xtine06: I know that I am not blogging about this, but I AM SO LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS!!!!!


Hyakka Ryoran Samurai Girls

Sapphire Pyro: This looks like Queen's Blade samurai version (and with a leading guy) to me. Maybe it won't be as fanservicey as Queen's Blade but.... that "naked" scenes in the trailer brings me to despair.

xtine06: I AM LOVING THE PLOT. It has been one of my "what-if" questions and I am so glad that an anime will be handling this.


Ironman

Sapphire Pyro: I am not a hardcore western superheroes fan but I really do love them~ The trailer looks awesome and it seems to ahve more story compare to the movie (I dunno about the actual graphic novels since I haven't really read them). Go Madhouse! ^^

xtine06: WOW. A Japanese version of Ironman, my oh so loved Marvel character of all time. If subs will be out, I am checking this one.


Invasion! Squidgirl

Sapphire Pyro: I like the "nature fighting against human pollution" thing but..... with those type of characters in the preview.... it looks stupid and filled with moe!fanservice. But hhhmmm... I don't know much about this so it might not be as bad as it seemed.

xtine06: I like the idea that is something about the environment and pollution thing. But I might get bored watching this one, so I will not bother watching this one.


Karl and the Mysterious Tower

Sapphire Pyro: Errr... the "mysterious" tower is just something to signal people for lunch? And they're making a fuss about it? Whut.... zzzzzzzzzzzz

xtine06: Eeepp. A kids show. No, no.


Kurogehime

Sapphire Pyro: A josei series with a beautiful trap.... and it's by Brains Base..... shet, can't resist.

xtine06: I am so curious in the plot, because I wanna know what does those "she" in the summary mean.


Letter Bee Season 2

Sapphire Pyro: I expect this to be as good as the first season~ Unfortunately I haven't marathoned it yet (not even caught up with the manga).... I'M SORRY GAUCHE!!! BUT I DO MISS YOU AND STILL LOVE YOU!!!! ^^

xtine06: Oh no, I should catch up on this. I wanna watch this new season. I will find time to catch up. :)



Motte to Love Ru

Sapphire Pyro: I WANT Mx0!!!! NOT THIS CRAP!!! GIMME Mx0!!!! PLEASE!!! I BEG YOU!! EVEN YOUR ONESHOTS WILL DO! JUST STOP THIS ONE!!! STOP!!! WAAAAHHH!!!

xtine06: I didn't watch the previous seasons, so it's a no-no for me.


MM!

Sapphire Pyro: Errr.... I'm no psychology expert but seriously, the leading guy is more like a "fanservice!masochist" than a genuine masochist. The leading girl isn't even sadistic enough for me.... she's more of just someone who's too full of herself. This feels too stupid....

xtine06: I really cannot believe that there is an anime about masochism. Guuhhhh ;_;


My Little Sister Can't be This Cute

Sapphire Pyro: I am so sick of the "My biggest secret is that I'm an otaku" crap. And this screams incest and moe.... I'm not interested on such things. =_= Though I have to admit that the anime seems decent compare to the manga.

xtine06: I have been seeing this for a while now especially every time I check Manga Fox. I am not really interested with this. I can feel moe and the title bothers me, so I am not watching this one.


Otome Yokai Zakuro

Sapphire Pyro: The leading girl annoyed me with her "I hate men but I can't help fangurling when I saw the bishie" attitude... even if she's returning to being tsun tsun later because the bishie she liked turned out to be a jerk. But putting her aside, the rest seems cute/sweet and the leading guy is love xD Hopefully this would be better than I thought. Youkai and military dudes cooperating~

xtine06: I am still a bit tired with fox related plot, but the bishies are attracting me. HAHAHA. I will be checking this one out, and I will try my best to not mind the fox there :P


Panty and Stockings

Sapphire Pyro: Angels and Ghosts? And such.... unique.... names. Haha! And BY GAINAX??? Ooooo..... interesting~

xtine06: Whatta title and interesting plot. But I might pass this one.


Pokemon: Best Wishes

Sapphire Pyro: It's a nice try that they tried to create a new pokemon series without Ash and Pikachu on it..... but I'm totally over with Pokemon ^^;

xtine06: Woah, I dunno there still Pokemon around, wow.


Psychic Detective Yakumo

Sapphire Pyro: HELL YEAH!!!! I'm a sucker for mysteries and the supernatural; and this series has been a fantastic combination of those two *_*

xtine06: OMGEEE. I love the plot. I am so looking forward to this one. I love the image as well.


Rita et Machin

Sapphire Pyro: I like the "French-ness" but.... I think watching this will certainly make me sleepy... even as a kid x_x

xtine06: A kids' anime, so I am passing this one.


Robin and his 100 Friends

Sapphire Pyro: I think this is for toddlers o_O

xtine06: Let's just leave the kids to be watching this one.


Sora no Otoshimono: Forte

Sapphire Pyro: The only thing that mattered to me here is still my OTP, the rest crap. And no, that's not my kind of fanservice. Ugh.

xtine06: The image looks cute... will check this one out before judging it.


Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru

Sapphire Pyro: If Kaichou wa Maid-sama is a Maid Cafe series in shoujo perspective, this one is in seinen perspective. And.... I didn't enjoy it very much. I like childhood crush stuff but I'm getting bored with the one-sided love from a dude who doesn't even know the reason why he's so in love with his ditzy childhood friend. Guh. Megane girl was fun though, but I didn't enjoy it much.

xtine06: If only the leading girl looks like Misa-chan. But aside from that, the plot is about detectives and I am always hooked to that type of stories. I am checking this one out and see if I can handle this series.


Star Driver

Sapphire Pyro: Seems like a typical shounen fantasy-adventure-series-with-a-lil-harem series but.... it's by Bones O_O Maybe it isn't as bad as it seemed form the promo image and plot. Hhhmmm....

xtine06: Seems to be technological and a shounen series. It seems okay for me, and if ever I will watch it next season, this is not my priority list.


Super Robot Ward

Sapphire Pyro: I watch mecha but this one is just.... *yawn*

xtine06: I am only for Gundam. So sorry.


Tantei Opera Milky Holmes

Sapphire Pyro: Haha! I love Sherlock Holmes, but a kiddie show with Holmes wannabes.... nah ^^; It looks cute though~

xtine06: WAAH. If only this not for kids.....:|


The World Only God Knows

Sapphire Pyro: YES, IT'S HAREM! BUT IT'S NOT YOUR USUAL TYPE OF HAREM! AND THAT'S WHAT I LOVE ABOUT IT!!! Oh damn I need to catch up on this xD

xtine06: I think this is heavily influenced by Kuroshitsuji. Demon, hell, contracts and that is exactly why I am checking this one as well.


Togainu no Chi

Sapphire Pyro: *_* Bishies.... BLOOD.... 'nuff entertainment for me, LOLz. Anywayz, I loved the manga and the music in the trailer is already oh so epic!!! I look forward to this very much! Hopefully there'll be more of the bloody scenes instead of the you-know-what x_x I was so shocked when I've learned that there are such scenes in the game...waaaah!!!

xtine06: Interesting plot. So interesting. I will be checking this one out. (Initially, I thought it was Zero on the picture. HAHA.


Yosuga no Sora

Sapphire Pyro: Twins.... it's supposed to be my thing~ But I'm not exactly into twincest and reading this made me really really really bored.... Yes, the twins have been sweet and touching.... but the strong hint of them having a romantic relationship soon really bothers me x_x

xtine06: Hopefully, this will not turn into incest...because I am interested to pursue to watch this.


OVERALL IMPRESSION:

Sapphire Pyro: My certain favorites from this season are Arakawa Under the Bridge 2, Letter Bee 2, Psychich Detective Yakumo, Togainu no Chi, The World God Only Knows, and Bakuman. The ones I have no manga background but find very promising would be Kuragehime, Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt, and Ironman. I'm giving Star Driver, Otome Yokai Zakuro, Kyokai Ryoran Samurai Girl, and Invasion Squid Girl a chance. While the res, I either can't watch or don't want to bother to watch anymore.
But hhhmmm.... comparing this to Summer and Spring seasons this year.... it hasn't been filled with as much promising series as those two o_O Hopefully the next season would be better.


xtine06: I guess this is the time of the year, eh where the anime season is not as promising as it was this season. Though there are good and watchable in the upcoming titles, the hype and the excitement is not as high as my excitement when the summer season entered. But in anyway, let's all look forward to the upcoming anime season.