Anime update

New in at Cinema Books:The Rough Guide to Anime Japan’s finest from Ghibli to Gankutsuo by Simon Richmond, $18.99 paper. Richmond gives us the cannon of anime, the 50 must see animes, stories behind the making of Spirited Away, Voices of a Distant Star. Plus glossary of terminology and explanations of main themes, styles and concerns.

[Via http://cinemabooks.wordpress.com]

JIGOKU SHOUJO （地獄少女）

STATUS: 3 SEASONS (26 episodes per season)

PLOT:

It is said that if you hold a great grudge against someone you can access the Hell Correspondence web site at exactly midnight and Jigoku Shoujo will appear. She will offer you a straw voodoo doll with a red string around it. By pulling the red string you enter into a contract with Jigoku Shoujo whereby she will send the other person to hell. But in exchange your own soul will also be sent to hell after you die. This system has continued for many years and lots of people have mysteriously disappeared due to various people calling out to Jigoku Shoujo for help in alleviating their grudge. However, there are even more mysteries about Jigoku Shoujo herself and what she does.

REVIEW:

• GOOD POINTS

I had originally heard from friends who watched this anime before me that it wasn’t very good and so I wasn’t expecting much when I started watching it. However, the more I watched, the more this show became interesting. At first the anime seemed very episodic in nature, with new people and new grudges each episode. Almost like some tv dramas that have a “monster of the week” type plot. However, in the background there is a greater, overarching storyline involving Jigoku Shoujo with regards to who she used to be when she was a human and how she became Jigoku Shoujo. The story becomes even more interesting in the second season when Jigoku Shoujo starts trying to help people and prevent some from getting sent to hell. The third season, unfortunately, becomes a bit like the first season again but at least the grudges the people hold are more morally ambiguous or are just wrong, forcing Jigoku Shoujo to ferry undeserving people to hell.

Other good points include the art and music. I especially loved the way Jigoku Shoujo looks since on the one hand she looks like those beautiful traditional Japanese dolls, and on the other hand, she looks a tad freaky because of her big red eyes. There are also plenty of bishies for the ladies in this show, including Jigoku Shoujo’s assistant, Ichimoku Ren. (By the way, some of you might want to check out the live action version of this anime. The actor who plays Ichimoku Ren is totally handsome, although the girl who plays Jigoku Shoujo isn’t cute or pretty at all…) As for the music, several good songs were used as the opening music throughout the seasons. They’re not like the usual jrock and visual kei music that I go for but they’re nice sounding enough and worth a listen –>

Opening 1: Sakasama no Chou

Opening 2: Nightmare

Opening 3: Tsukihana

• BAD POINTS

The one thing I didn’t like about this show is that it got repetitive at certain parts. Each episode still involved different people with different problems, but it would often repeat certain parts such as when Jigoku Shoujo explains to the person what she does and what will happen to them if they have her send someone to hell, or when Jigoku Shoujo prepares herself to go into the human world. It was sorta like in the Pokemon anime where Team Rocket repeats their same old slogan over and over again in every episode. It’s nifty the first couple of times but then it just gets lame and you find yourself fast-forwarding a couple of times just to get on with the story.

• CONCLUSION

Still, if you are a fan of horror, especially Japanese horror stories, or if you enjoyed the background story in movies like the Grudge of The Ring, you’ll most likely enjoy Jigoku Shoujo. But it is highly recommended you watch season 2 first since it had the best story overall. Season 1 and Season 3’s stories weren’t bad but weren’t good either and should probably be watched later only if you have become a fan of the show.

OVERALL RATING:

• Season 1 = B-
• Season 2 = A+/A
• Season 3 = B-/C+

[Via http://kitsunesama7.wordpress.com]

Wacom Bamboo Open Box from Best buy

Just got a Wacom Bamboo Pen – actually Pat and Jon gave it to me via a laptop bag which I exchanged for the open-box tablet. Installed the driver on windows vista. Installed Corel Painter essentials. And went to a quick tutorial.

First impressions: For some reason, I can’t get the sensitivity that I remember (from a couple of years ago with the Wacom Graphire- I had lost the pen that’s why I opted for this one.)

Hmm… Rica kept saying that perhaps that’s why the previous owner returned it – because it was defective.

I persisted. Opened up Corel Painter Essentials and sketched a realistic Manga female from the Mark Crilley youtube videos (http://www.youtube.com/user/markcrilley). Major fail. It appears the pen had 2 – perhaps 3 levels of sensitivity rather than the advertised 512. This made it difficult to vary the darkness and/or thickness of the line. Tried a number of different brushes – no go. I don’t think Wacom would release such a product – so I’m gonna go back to the store and wait in line again and get a new wacom tablet this time.

At the dublin store, they also had the Wacom Bamboo Craft for $130 and the Wacom Bamboo Touch for $70. I’d like the Craft since it can handle both touch and pen, but my budget only allows for a Wacom Bamboo Pen for $70. Oh well – so much for my attempt to save $7.

Once I get this, I should be able to render a bunch of quick drawings. One of the first attempts would be a speed painting like Benjamin did on the anime/manga show in france. And he did that on a wacom as well. Not sure of the application though. Then, I need to configure Photoshop (CS3) to recognize the different pressure sensitivity of the Wacom. We shall see. Wish I had a Cintiq like Sacha (www.sachachua.com)

The review shall be continued once I get a model that works as advertised.

[Via http://sirmon.wordpress.com]

Kimi ni Todoke 12 : Battle of Vipers and Slowpokes

The power of vectors... they really appear out of nothingness

It’s quite a busy period for us all, we’re all at home catching up on our RP schedules and so blogging is set at second place for a while. Do not fear, we’re still at it. Though it might be quiet until the holiday season is over. Most anime are set back for a week due to other programming. That’ll give us a good break too, after which we’ll go back on our usual blogging schedules.

That being said, let’s get started with Kimi ni Todoke 12.

We start with a flashback of what happened last episode, Ryu saving Sawako by catching the ball. Kurumin tries to convince Sawako into talking more with Ryu. However, Sawako is more interested in the match that’s about to start than in Kurumin. She tells Kurumin on how she wanted to see Kazehaya play back in middle school. Kurumi agrees with it, though from another perspective. She says Sawako doesn’t know him well, while she’s always been watching him. She almost crosses a bridge too far because of that…

in memoriam of all those girls...

Instead of going on about the girlfriend thing, Sawako mentions how tough it must’ve been for Kurumin. Meanwhile the guys are doing their best at playing the game.

Sawako then thinks back of her feelings for Kazehaya and disagrees with Kurumin on how she doesn’t know Kazehaya. Then says she wants to know more about her and Kazehaya’s feelings and for that reason, she’ll talk with Ryu.

Raise your bets now!

Kurumin walks off without watching the match. Sawako thinks Kurumin didn’t wanna watch the game with her, then thinks back of when Kurumin told her she wanted to go out with Kazehaya. Then realizes Kurumin has romantic feelings for Kazehaya and he feels her heart beating loud.

A while later, the guys won the match and Kurumin never returned back. Some of the extra girls ask Sawako to watch the volleyball match. She follows them and then looks back one more time at Kazehaya.

Kazehaya for president!

A bit later, Kazehaya calls out to Ryu. They talk the accident and about Ryu’s feelings for Sawako. It’s quite clear that Ryu feels as close with Sawako as he’s able to pronounce her name and he tells it to Kazehaya as well. Quite funny for a later on in the episode perspective is that they don’t show Kazehaya’s eyes when he answers on what Ryu said. The bond between the two of them will kinda prove what’ll happen next episode. So yeah, this is quite a big hint if you ask me.

Shaded eyes are always holding a clue

Meanwhile in the teacher’s lounge, Pin is overjoyed with the good results of his class and thinks on how to brag about it to the whole world, when suddenly Kurumin enters. Her sparkling aura is bright enough to melt all the remaining ice on the North Pole. She asks Pin if she can see the schedule for the sports festival committee. Pin doesn’t wanna give it at first, but gets disgusted after Kurumin’s… dramatic act and hands it over. Kurumin starts planning her Plan of Doom part B and hands the paper back…

no comment needed

Kurumin heads inside the shoe locker room and puts in a paper in Ryu’s locker. Suddenly, Ayane appears beside her. Although she didn’t notice her putting the paper away (I think), she does give Kurumin quite a nasty time. She accuses Kurumin about spreading the rumors about her and Chizuru. Kurumin counters her though, telling Ayane she doesn’t have any proof. Before heading back to the other girls, Ayane turns around and says…

She's epic in her own way

A bit later, the guys from Kazehaya’s team enter the locker room, Ryu’s also with them. As he walks up to his locker, he notices Kurumin’s note. He isn’t quite satisfied though, cause he wanted to take a nap instead…

Back at the girls, the girls just played their match and Chizuru brags about her REDness. They ask Sawako, who just offered her and Ayane a towel, what they’ll do next. Sawako answers she already has something planned. Ayane and Chizu understand and before Sawako heads out, Ayane wishes her good luck and to follow her own feelings. Chizu doesn’t get a clue of what’s happening, but Ayane tells her not to mind it and that they have other things to take care off…

Another viper reveals her fangs...

Sawako roams around the building when suddenly Kurumin calls her name. Sawako is almost crying because she’s relieved Kurumin’s not angry with her. Kurumin isn’t amused, but when she hears others talking in the hallway, she gets her usual smile face and tells Sawako she saw Ryu at the equipment room. Sawako thanks Kurumi and heads off towards it, Kurumin is left behind thinking about how difficult Sawako is to deal with.

A scene shift later, Sawako and Ryu meet up. Because of their denseness, they don’t realize their meeting was set up.

oh dear... *facepalms*

The meeting is… well…

relax-o-vision...

Sawako asks Ryu if he knows what romantic feelings are like. He tells Sawako he does and… admits that loves Chizuru! Sawako’s astonished and tell him they’d make a great couple.

Meanwhile, Kurumi is waiting for Kazehaya to arrive. When he passes by while holding some cones, Kurumin walks up to him and offers her help. He laughs a bit and tells her he was thinking about what Sawako would say. “This is my job, after all.” and yes, Kurumin knows that well enough, since it happened to her when Sawako was carrying the papers around.

Kurumin is pretty shocked, but doesn’t give up. She asks him about the rumors from back at the summer break, which were about him rejecting Sawako. He tells Kurumin he didn’t reject her at all and that there was no confession to start with. Besides, she doesn’t like him that way, he says. Kurumin happily agrees and adds some gas to the flame saying Sawako didn’t watch him at all in the game. She was only looking at Ryu according to her. Kazehaya seems impressed by her words and Kurumin says they should encourage the two.

Back at Ryu and Sawako, Sawako asks him what made him realize Chizu was special for him. He answers that there’re questions that can’t be answered with logics. Then, we get to see Kurumin’s smile. Kurumin and Kazehaya walk up to smiling Ryu and Sawako. Kurumin tries to convince Kazehaya… but he just drops the cones and starts running…

_

Thoughts :

Drama coming your way? Who knows…

It was entertaining to watch though. Kurumin admitting her feelings for Kazehaya and technically admitting she’s the one behind the rumors. The meeting with Ayane was highly entertaining as well. I really love fake smile, inside fangs conversations a lot and this battle of vipers was definitely one of a Class A+.

I don’t think Kurumin’s plan was work, mostly because of her freaked-out reaction in the end of this episode and because of the chat he had with Ryu before. As for Ryu, it was pretty obvious he loved Chizuru, but admitting it in order to help Sawako was just wow, really nice.

Anyway, busy days…tiring days… time for rest.

Kyon, at your service.

[Via http://whateveranimeblog.wordpress.com]

Bleach Review

This is a samurai-based anime, where mini stories illustrate the importance of humility, friendship, honesty, respect and other forgotten virtues of modern-day society. In no means is this an anime where (hot) guys get up on horses and start attacking people, it is set in mainly two places. Karakura town in modern-day Japan, and Soul Society, which is where the ’samurais’ come from.
Interested yet?

They fight demons to protect the living from vengeful beings, send the souls of the righteous to heaven and fight each other when there is need to. Whilst it may seem pretty serious most of the time, there are spots of humour when the main characters fail to comprehend each others’ stupidity or strange habits. It is mainly a drama anime – as are all – and this theme prevails through the most of the current 251 episodes as of December 26th 2009.

It may seem like a lot, but it is a worthwhile watch and really struck true in my heart.

[Via http://maddykelly.wordpress.com]

Umineko 26

That went by too quickly. (sniff) And it was rather sad, too. That smile when Beatrice asked Battler “Who am I?”… is she his mother, perhaps?

I wasn’t expecting Ange to reveal herself like that. Another emotional moment.

What was that at the end, ’see you again. have a nice day!’. What? Is it over? That’s it? What? What?

And apparently, Beatrice isn’t a true witch and cannot win the game no matter what. That was somewhat surprising. Hmm.

Excuse me if my thoughts are all over the place; I’m kind of stunned. Yet again.

[Via http://dragonarya.wordpress.com]

Another Hold-up

I won’t say anything but the truth here (right…), but I’ve been too lazy to post anything here so today I thought that I could take and make up for it at the least partially. With that said it’s time to post a bit more and first out is my extremely literally and very quickly translated (at the most 5 minutes were used) Negima ED (Mahou Sensei Negima!: Mou Hitotsu no Sekai, for more info at AniDB or/and at Anime News Network).

Click here to download the .ass script

The line-up for following days should(!) be Kanji of the day (mornings), glossary of the day (evenings) and a post containing information or anything else (might often be .ass files) should be(!) posted sometime during the day. For knowing the time I’m planning after it’s EST (GMT+1).

[Via http://yggdrasilraisondetre.wordpress.com]

Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro episode 3

Oh yeah, I’m still at it…

 Each episode only has a mystery that lasts for the whole episode, and there is no mention of it in the next episode. A crime happens, Yako and Neuro get involved, Neuro makes Yako reveal the culprit, the culprit denies it, Neuro explains it and blames his “sensei,” the villian turns into some sort of monster, Neuro attacks them back, the episode ends.

I noticed another similarity to Kuroshitsuji as well; Neuro caught a bullet in his face, and then coughed it out, just as Sebastian ended up doing. Also, Neuro has his own catchphrase (usually mystery/ food related) just as Sebastian does (“I am one hell of a butler”/”I am a demon and a butler.”)

Oh, and apparently he shares a seiyu with Exclaibur from Soul Eater. *face palm*

[Via http://nashichan.wordpress.com]

FullMetal:Brotherhood - Episode 37

C’mon Mustang, my money.

[Eclipse]:[raw|t-mkv|t-avi|DL-mkv|DL-avi]

A joyful start of episode 37, with Winry repairing/re-newing Ed’s arm, enters the dude with the axe automail, amazed with a glance. Kimberlee enters, talks crap as usual, we see a new character. Back to Mustang, buys his flowers, into Bradley’s house, Selam hears Hawkeye, later on Pride is revealed, talks to hawk eye, and slowly cuts Hawkeye O_O
-Commercial
Ed and Kimberlee have an interesting chat, includes showing of a philosopher stone, Ed hates back to jail, talks Winry and Al, then leaves with Kimberlee, later Al and Winry tags along.

Preview: New Homunculus(like 3?) show up to kill Scar

PS: go buy FF 13 the most linear game!~!~!

Pictures:
Flower women
Pride
jail cell
Pinky in the middle?
Homunculus

[Via http://blah604.wordpress.com]

Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wes Anderson, 2009)

Written by Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach
Directed by Wes Anderson
Cast: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray

*

After all is said and done, more is said than done. (I’m sure Aesop was laughing when he wrote this.)

I haven’t seen the popular film version but I am acquainted with the French fable called Le Roman de Renart (The Tale of the Fox in English). It is a famous story in European medieval literature about the fox named Renart who tricks the animals in the kingdom habitually. Receiving numerous complaints, the Lion as the king summons the fox to appear before him. Renart, after many attempts, is finally arrested. The king and the other animals have decided; Renart should die by the gallows. When the rope is about to leave him hanging, Renart tells the king that he needs to share with him a secret. He confides that some of the animals are planning to dethrone him; and a treasure is hidden somewhere that only he knows where. Deceived, the Lion gives him parole and allows him to escape.  Renart promises to give him his share of the treasure. Hearing the verdict, the other animals protest. The Lion finds out later that no such treasure exists. The end.

That’s the story I’m familiar with—a childhood wasted in anthropomorphic friends—but I’m sure the other variations of the fable either continue the story after Renart’s escape or expand the second act to make room for suspense and humor. The story, however, had left me wondering as a kid why I kept rooting for the “bad” character instead of wanting him to be punished. Unknown to me then, it may be my first encounter with the adult territory, grâce aux livres.

No, I will not make a connection between Le Roman de Renart and Fantastic Mr. Fox—not because it’s too obvious, but also because I haven’t read Roald Dahl’s book. What I’m interested in sharing is what I found out just a couple of days ago, which is rather stupid of me to discover this late—since I work at a French library—but then upon seeing the big book that spells the title as LE ROMAN DE RENARD, I think I may have something to say about Wes Anderson’s fantastic film as well.

Renart is the name of the fox—the protagonist—derived from the name Reynard (or Reinhard). One of the first thorough versions of the story was written by Pierre Saint Cloud in 1175 called Le Roman de Renart, the t and not the d was used. In French, the original word for fox is goupil, but since saying the word goupil among farmers is known to cause bad luck—probably their crops will not see the light of harvest or some bad omen will await their families—they opted to use renart instead, after the famous character. Through constant use, renart became renard, which up to now, is commonly used to denote the animal. Goupil, the Old French word, became obsolete; and renard, formerly the proper name, lives on.

The replacement reveals the nature of language to change through time. It is not only dictated by the need to create, but also by the necessity bound by a set of beliefs observed by its people. The case of the French farmers shows how superstition can override normalcy, how connotations are often more powerful than the plain and simple meanings of words themselves. Thus, if I should now relate this long interpolation to the film that I should be talking about, I must say that popularization of previous works must be careful. Texts are very brittle and malleable; they can easily infiltrate and become actively used in the culture for a long time. Popularity is always definitive of the status quo; and once these texts are no longer popular, one way or another, they have already reserved their space in our memory. After a certain time, we use them at ease; we use them as considerable references. In Anderson’s case, nonetheless, I see no reason to doubt it and be cynic on the thought—there is no way I’d damn it with faint praise.

It is a common reaction to observe how terribly painstaking the job is after seeing an animation film. One can imagine how many years it took the animators to perfect the details, to apply the colors, to smooth the transitions, to look for appropriate voices for the characters, to find the most effective music, and a lot of other things. When I see a Pixar or a Studio Ghibli film, for example, and especially when I stay to read the credits, the craft woos me. The drawing trick touches childhood memories. Fantastic Mr. Fox does that to me—and how awful!—I imagine, one by one, how the crew stops to shoot an angle, then another angle, then a closeup, then another closeup, then fix Mrs. Fox’s hair, then put some color on Mr. Fox’s tail, then where’s the next set? et cetera, et cetera. It overwhelms me. And this is not to say that I like it just because I see how difficult to have it made; but otherwise—the delivery amid the difficulty.

There is that leap of imagination that escapes the pages of the book—the creativity not fettered by Dahl’s words—that Anderson has able to translate. To call its visual style unconventional may be proper, especially on account of familiarity with Disney’s films, but it is not absolutely true. The fox figures of Mr. Fox’s family, not to mention the other animals, are charming, not even scary. It is minimal in visual depth; there are no outlandish embellishments or efforts to see what’s beyond the screen. What gives the film a specific character is the storytelling—the way Anderson inserts the subtitles here and there, the way he jumps into a beautiful closeup of one of the characters, the way he writes the dialogue and we hear them spoken impeccably, the way Desplat’s music and The Beach Boys’ songs (oh, that Brian Wilson voice and harmonies!) shoot the moon, and the way the sincere humor keeps them all together, without being too preachy on its moral overtones.

Fables endure because more than anything else, they tell a good story. Saying that these animals are (like) us—I think using metaphor rather than simile fits better—is too elementary an argument to say, but that’s really it. These stories are meant to be simple and easy to undertand; and they are narrated with the intention to entertain and to impart a lesson. Anderson does that; in an an hour and thirty minutes; and greatly so. When I see the animals interacting with the humans, I thought I’d find it weird—especially in the end when the animals win over them—but it’s surprisingly delightful. The young mind is enthralled; the adult mind is captivated; and it’s not on account of different things. When it comes to great stories, after all, there is no age to consider. We are all young at heart.

[Via http://lilokpelikula.wordpress.com]

Umineko 24

Um. I’m kind of confused. So because Ange understands all magic, she’s an Endless Witch? And the Last Witch as well, it seems.

Maria’s magic is exactly what I thought it was. Because she didn’t push her anger and sadness off on anybody, her magic remained pure. But at the same time, if we go back one or two eps, she snapped when Rosa destroyed Sakutaro. I wonder what that makes her magic now?

Ange’s bodyguard… what was his name? I forgot. But he has the same seiyuu as Lau from Kuroshitsuji. That made me laugh, oddly. Lau is so funny. XD (WHY did they kill him off in the anime!?)

This episode was kind of anti-climatic. Just when I was getting all excited in the last one for a conclusion they give us a flash forward. Nice. /sarcasm

[Via http://dragonarya.wordpress.com]

Oh just leave it to the bleach team

I was all ready for critising the filler, for its plot (ok, we know that it is a filler, but you can do it better, even if it is a filler!) and everything. Other than the weapon’s materialisation (which results in the designs of the weapon characters) as well as the chance for a glimpse of the fight between Byakuya and Zaraki Kenpachi, I have nothing to compliment it… Of course, I am upset that the fight did not get to be fought through. After all I had mentioned that the forums had been talking (Wayyyyy before this) about who would win a fight.

But this episode totally leave me speechless and hanging in the air. I feel like cursing all over again. Let’s start from the start. We finally know about Muramasa and its wielder, Kuchiki Kouga. Kouga is a very smart and talented man, skilled in both sword and brush. That is to say that he is more powerful than Kuchiki Ginrei (Byakuya’s grandfather). He is the son-in-law, in fact, of Kuchiki Ginrei (which leads to the question: is Kouga and Byakuya related by the same blood?). This is why he dresses up like the Kuchiki.

Kuchiki Kouga & Kuchiki Ginrei

Yet, however Kouga seems to resembles the young Byakuya, with his rushing into things. He thinks that he is helping Soul Society and does everything for it to have peace and etc. Both Ginrei and Yamamoto, however, worries for him. He wants the acknowledgement of people (specifically, Ginrei) for his capabilities and his position as a member of the Kuchiki clan.

Yet, in the end, he was framed which leads to his ultimate end…….

Kuchiki Kouga ... several hundred years after

So now, the idea is clear. We know why Byakuya did what he did, and what he meant by his pride…. so what is Byakuya intending to do? How does he intends to solve this problem. It is possible that he knows what is going on when Muramasa first took away the alliance between Zanpakutou and Shinigami, as even if the history refused to record this even in the Soul Society’s library, the Kuchiki clan’s extensive library would have records of it. Even Yamamoto depends on it some times! In other words, he would have known what is happening right from the start, and he would have enough time to thought of a solution. So what is THIS solution?

Other than these questions, why did Kouga kill Muramasa, who seeks him so much, to become one with him again? What is in the mind of Kouga, other than his sufferings, his humilations? Most people would probably label it as twisted, but I seriously want to know. Next week then. Man, these people sure know how to leave a hanger on you. Each and everytime.

[Via http://ultimatedammation.wordpress.com]

Anime Review- Chron Crusade

There have been numerous stories that take an unusual view of the war between Heaven and Hell and those who fight that war. Some are focused more on their interpretations of the Divine Mission, some more on action and some more on the supernatural.The focus of Chrono Crusade is on its characters and the relationships they share. Of course there’s action, too, and supernatural elements, and a touch of the Divine Mission… but mostly it’s about its memorable characters. Rosette Christopher, a nun in the Magdalene Order, has a contract with a devil named Chrono, meaning his power comes from her very soul. The more he uses, the shorter her life becomes. But Chrono is a good devil (excuse the oxymoron) with a sad past who only entered into this contract because of extreme circumstances, and is actually doing everything he can not to use her soul up. The two have a long history together and are very close, though at times Rosette’s somewhat abrasive personality gets the better of him, leading the two to argue. Whatever conflicts they have, however, they truly love one another, and it is this love and how slowly it comes to the forefront that serves as one of Chrono Crusade’s great strengths.

The anime series, based on the manga series of the same title, starts off essentially the same as its source material, but partway in begins to deviate into an alternate storyline. Even in episodes where it takes inspiration from the manga by including certain locations or events, the anime does its own take, and leads us towards a very, very different ending; it is so different, in fact, that by the last episode it feels as though we’ve experienced an entirely different story, and in many ways, we have. While I would say the manga has the superior story to tell, the anime series tells its own story very well. You would have to have a heart of stone to not come to care about Rosette, Chrono, Azmaria and Satella and the adventures they share. Other areas in which the anime excels are its animation, which is absolutely gorgeous; its music, which is also gorgeous (especially “Sayonara Solitaire,” the closing theme); its voice acting (though I’m speaking of the Japanese cast; I have not watched the English dub); and its good balance of humor, action and plot. If the anime has any real weaknesses, they would be the fact that it reveals certain secrets way too soon, and that its final battle is surprisingly underwhelming (to be fair, however, the anime’s intent in the final episodes is to focus on Rosette and Chrono’s relationship rather than the battle they are fighting). The villains, especially Aion and Fiore, are very well-portrayed and behave exactly the way anyone familiar with the manga would expect them to. Their stories are, of course, also altered, as is Joshua Christopher’s; his story ends up petering out towards the conclusion, whereas in the manga he remained important right up to the end. This isn’t the jarring change you might expect, but it doesn’t exactly carry as much weight, either.

As mentioned before, it’s the love between Rosette and Chrono that really makes this series strong, and their most tender moments together are the series’ most powerful. Episodes 18 and 24 in particular moved me greatly and brought tears to my eyes. Special praise should go to Tomoko Kawakami, who plays Rosette. She brings the character to life in ways that even the animation couldn’t. There is not a single flaw anywhere in her performance. Whether she is expressing happiness, anger, sadness or any other emotion, we believe her completely.

Don’t allow the religious imagery or elements keep you from giving this series a try. There is a lot here to recommend, from a good, moving story to beautiful, cinema-quality animation. Of course, I would also recommend reading the manga as well; the story, as I said, is different and the manga’s ending is so powerful it is certain to bring a lump to the throat at the very least. I had to wait a long time to watch the anime, but I must say: the wait was worth it.

[Via http://kimikoanime.wordpress.com]

Eden of the East Compilation to Open Before New Films

Image via Wikipedia

Director Kenji Kamiyama to personally re-edit TV series for Air Communication

The Higashi no Eden Sōshū-hen Air Communication (Eden of The East Compilation: Air Communication) film will open in two Tokyo theaters and one Osaka theater on September 26 — two months before the first of the two previously announced Eden of The East films open. Kenji Kamiyama, the director of the original Eden of The East television anime series, is personally re-editing the 11 television episodes into the feature-length Air Communication. Eden of The East the Movie I: The King of Eden and Eden of The East the Movie II: Paradise Lost will still open on November 28 and January 9 (Delayed till March), respectively.

Funimation announced at Otakon this month that it had acquired the Eden of The East television anime series for North America.

Source: Dengeki Online

[Via http://animewire.wordpress.com]

FullMetal Alchemist: Brotherhood - Episode 36

Aww…

[Eclipse]:[Raw|T-mkv|T-avi|DL-mkv|DL-avi]

We begin with Hoemhainer (SP!!) spilling blood from his chest ;o. As we travel back in time; 13 years to be exact. They have a family photo, Ed and Al sees their father set off.
-Song intro begins
Back to Briggs, they still eavesdrop on the conversation between Raven and Olivia, which Raven touches her hand(her minds about to blow).
Al and Ed, are tied up taken back; on the way they meet Kimberlee who mistaken the FullMetal alchemist like everyone else.
-Commercial
Returning, we see the homunculus retrieved, sent down to dig…. then they filled it up with cement? Olivia stabs and slashes Raven pushing him into the Cement.
-May Chang scene.
Kimberlee brings Winry into briggs, sees Ed and Al
Mustang, receive a piece of paper from a women.
Preview: Winry works on Ed’s automail

Pics:
Family
Family photo
Baby Al
Snapped
Olivia’s mind
Diggin’
dirty hands
burying
Winry/Kimberlee

[Via http://blah604.wordpress.com]

Kimi ni Todoke 10 : When everything doesn't go... just as planned...

I also have that look on my face when I hear about them...

Hoho, you better prepare yourselves for some shocking events. I advice you to put on a helmet and maybe even put the red emergency button next to you, cause this is quite a revealing episode of Kimi ni Todoke. Quite some things will get cleared up and the real war declaration at the end is providing us good stuff for the coming episodes and maybe the grand finale?

Starting at the soccer pitch today, woo soccer! Chizu and Sawako are giving their best “shot” during practice, but for some reason Kurumi shows up on the wrong moment calling out Sawako’s name and ruining the training. The same happens later in class when Chizu tries to explain some easy tactics to Sawako and it happens once more after school when again Chizu tries to explain something to Sawako. It makes both Ayane and Chizu put up an I-am-not-amused expression, but Sawako seems rather astonished by Kurumi’s attention than angry.

*smile and wave*

UGH!

*insert Marge Simpson's "hmmm"*

At night, Sawako reminisces about the past day and how she made a new friends. When she’s about to sleep, she suddenly gets an image of Kazehaya in her mind and gets all nervous making it hard for her to sleep afterall.

The next day is yet another blue sky filled with silky clouds day and in class Sawako and Kazehaya are getting fuwa fuwa as well. Unfortunately, both are so nervous about seeing each other that they start to evade each other. Ayane and Chizu are watching the scene from a distance and while Chizu wonders what’s happening between the two, Ayane had already figured out that both are “nervous”.

Suddenly, Kurumi makes one of her annoying entrance moments again. Kazehaya responds to it, because he’s trying to get out of the awkward situation. Kurumi makes use of that and brings in all her spontaneous advantages (no, no physical advantages… unfortunately).  Sawako admires the “natural” looking scene from a small distance and fangirls about Kurumi’s spontaneous behavior.

Indeed, being able to wave with her fingers like that... don't try that at home!

However, when Kazehaya turns around to look at Sawako. Sawako gets hyper embarrassed and tries to evade his face.

After classes, Sawako is doing some paperwork carrying (or something) while Kurumi suddenly budges in and surprised her. Sawako addresses Kurumi with her informal name and gets thanked by Kurumi for it. Sawako wishes to be more like her and imagines a hilarious scene with her acting like a total spontaneous girl and all-included Engrish accent.

Now let's eat hamburgers all day and wear a flag on our head. Then we'll be real Americans!

Kurumi suddenly asks Sawako if there’s something wrong and if there is, she should talk to her about it. She takes Sawako’s hand and while the guys are having PE, Sawako and Kurumi are having a chat outside.

Sawako explained she’s having a hard time trying to talk to Kazehaya. Quite an interesting sequence follows. Kurumi tries to manipulate Sawako for her own interests. Sawako isn’t aware of that and thinks Kurumi is actually giving her advice, when she’s actually trying to get her away from Kazehaya. Kurumi tells Sawako she knows him since a long time and says that Sawako shouldn’t feel special about Kazehaya talking to her since he’s just seeing her as friend. Ofcourse, that’s where it goes wrong. Sawako sees this as a good thing, while other girls who already realize they’re in love, would see “JUST friends” as a bad thing. So, Sawako is actually happy with Kurumi’s advice and when Kurumi says she’s also just friends with Kazehaya. Sawako tells Kurumi the same thing. And yes… Kurumi DOES realize she’s in love with Kazehaya so…

Indeed, so now kiss her and make up!!

Both had back to class and Sawako leaves Kurumi saying she feels a lot more relieved now after talking to her. Kurumi’s plan failed and Kurumi’s background explains a lot of details about how she feeling about what Sawako just mentioned (oh yeah… it was a pretty dark background).

And so she became known as Hell Kaiser Kurumi (chan)

Meanwhile in class, Chizu explains why she doesn’t really like Kurumi. Back in middle school, she asked Chizu to help girl who fell in love with Kazehaya because Chizu knew him well. The girl finally got to talk with him, but got rejected. Soon after another girl followed and then another and more and more followed… In the end Chizu got fed up with it and stopped with offering her help. The fangirls got angry with Chizu because of that, but Kurumi told them(with a crying puppy expression) the fighting would stop if no one confessed to him.  The fangirls calmed down and hugged Kurumi, giving her the pure maiden/angel image. So… in short, Kurumi used Chizu to get both a good image AND to get rid of possible love opponents in the battle royal for Kazehaya. Quite clever no?

That's why I like you so much Ayane!

So yeah, that’s Ayane’s reaction to Chizu’s story. She’s pretty clever too isn’t she? Well, let’s rephrase it, the fangirls and Chizu are just blinded by love or plain stupid not to notice. Anyway, back at the guys practicing baseball. Kazehaya tells them to take a break while he gets something to drink. He walks off and suddenly notices Sawako watering the flowers.

Sawako’s thinking back of what she said to Kurumi and feels embarrassed about it. She’s surprised when she hears Kazehaya’s voice calling out to her. Kazehaya blushes and says he’s nervous now not knowing what to say to her. Sawako realizes now that Kazehaya was also feeling nervous all the time and that it wasn’t just her. Kazehaya is astonished by Sawako’s smile of relief and tells her it’s the same smile he saw at Ryu’s place.

And yes, finally the nervous, fidgeting, even slightly annoying moments are over! Both talk about the puppy they found some time ago. It seems he’s been growing a lot lately and Kazehaya needs a doghouse for him soon. He invites Sawako over to his house to visit Maru (dog) once.

What "he" are you talking about?!

The two laugh, but they didn’t realize someone was eavesdropping on them. Kurumi , who’s been watching from a window above, calls out to Sawako. Kazehaya looks up and addresses Kurumi with “Kurumizawa”.

yes... like in HinamiZAWA

Her true name isn’t Something Kurumi, but Kurumi-zawa Something (in this case Ume). Well I put it like this so you would understand that Kazehaya wasn’t addressing her with her first name, but just with her formal name. That ofcourse is a big hint that Kazehaya and Kurumin~ aren’t that close. Sawako realizes she’s been mishearing things all the time and feels relieved. Kurumin~ also realizes this, but doesn’t really feel relieved as she busy twitching all over. Kurumin~ tries to act natural asking Kazehaya if she can borrow Sawako for a girl talk. Sawako is shocked and Kazehaya is slightly annoyed by Kurumin’s interruption.

Later on, Kurumin and Sawako are walking down a road. Sawako’s wondering what a girl talk could be about, but that is cleared quite soon after… as Sawako dares to call her “Ume-chan”.

So... she doesn't like being called Ume...

Kurumin quickly changes her attitude again and smiles saying it’s better to call her “Kurumi”.

Wow...just wow

Kurumin goes into frontal attack now… She says she likes someone and wonders what to do. She tells Sawako she needs advice from her. Sawako panics since she has no clue on how to help someone in love, but Kurumin says she needs Sawako to help her out.  Sawako says in herself that it’s the first time someone has ever relied on her that much. She wants to help out Kurumin, but still fidgets saying she’ll probably ruin the mood being there. Kurumin calms her saying she shouldn’t worry since it’s someone close to her…

* cicadas chirp*

_

Thoughts :

So yeah… I think I explained everything pretty sufficiently in the review itself. Also since Kurumi’s real name has been mentioned, I’ll keep on calling her Kurumin~ Cute don’t you think?

Now I’m pretty convinced Kurumin is the rumor spreader too! Not that it matters anymore now, she showed her true self in the episode (finally). So yeah Aya Hirano going heel, it’ll be interesting from now on. Her plans weren’t fitted for the Sawako type of girl. But I can’t blame her, in real life, the chances you meet a girl type like Sawako are rather slim. Then again… the chance you find such shy and stupid fangirls… is rather slim too…

Anyway, next episode will give us quite a bit of fun. The sports festival, Sawako’s and Kurumin’s reaction to what just happened and Kazehaya… well, he’s gonna go shouta moe again. Until then, goodnight.

Kyon, at your service!

[Via http://whateveranimeblog.wordpress.com]

Lovely Complex 19

remembers me,

Come Sunday morning dadadadaaaa ^&^

kawaii ^O^

……chu~

Baka Risa is he still just a friend ( devil’s face )

that remembers me some couple I really know xDDD

I totally understand how you feel

daijahbu ojo-chan he will tzatainy say it to you ^^

you say 8D

his heart has been stolen….a little ^^

how cute ^&^

oy oy a new stick has appeared >___>!

liked this episode ^O^

[Via http://mesekai.wordpress.com]