It has been a while I got this excited for an anime. In fact, I can't remember the last anime that got me all worked out like this. Needless to say, I think Aku no Hana is a very awesome anime. I definitely recommended it to everyone.
It’s that day when I got another level up in life. I’m turning a year older again today. So many things have changed in a course of a year. I read what I wrote on my birthday last year and I almost choked with laughter at how ridiculous everything sounds.
So overall, year 2012 has indeed been kinder to me. I have achieved what I set out to achieve but most importantly, I unexpectedly found love which is easily the highlight of the year for me.
I need an outlet to express how I feel nowadays. To be honest, things are going too good for me at the moment to the point that I am sort of living in fear for I do not want these extremely good feelings, and the love I have for him to end. If all these are gone tomorrow, there is a big probability that I might lose sanity.
Welp, looks like we are having this conversation again after so many years. Well 2 years and 3 months to be exact. The last time I wrote about my crush, I was in a different state of mind where I know it can be nothing more than just that, a crush.
All my hopes lie with the fact that Madhouse Studios is producing this. Let's hope then that the studio delivers even though the plot is already sounds disappointing. Having said that, after looking at the poster at MAL, my heart sinks: a loli holding a spade? Ah I hope there are other characters that makes watching this worth while...
(c) Shino (Eefy)
And thank goodness they introduced a white hair male protagonist right away otherwise I would have dropped this even before it started.
The plot is about the loli whose name is Ai. She was made to believe that she's a gravekeeper. That title mean something in this alternate world because it has power to keep the dead, well... dead. One day, her world collapse when a Hampnie Hambart went into her town, killed everyone and revealed that she's not really a gravekeeper.
And just like Madhouse, it managed to keep the mystery shit going which makes me intrigued to find out more, not only about Ai but about Hampnie as well.
I quickly judged that this show cannot deliver what it promised based on the studio and the plot that I read from the preview. However, I heard a lot of good things been said about this show on twitter so I guess I was wrong?
So naturally I'm looking forward to check this out.
(c) Mico
Well, the start of the show is definitely intriguing. You don't get to see that everyday. But it quickly goes down hill from there. The plot isn't actually original. How many times have we read/watch something similar where they gathered bunch of kids in one place and forced them to kill each other in order to survive, in this case, get out of the school.
The characters are not really special either. I feel like the anime is mocking me with the character designs. Some of the personalities are OK I guess but just take a look at the protagonist for example. He's weak as fuck and it is really annoying. One of the guy, the most meaty one at that, wears a girl's uniform. Just what the hell? Is this anime supposed to be funny or serious? It can't be both at the same time. Sadly though it seems like the studio can't decide to be which and just go with it.
Urgh I'm still mad that they chose someone that weak to be the protagonist.
Let's just hope that shit will get better with the upcoming episode. I'm sure one of them will snap and kill. Maybe then this show will appeal to me. You know, blood and all.
Episode: 13
Aired: Summer 2013
Producers: Lerche
arts & animation 6/10
story 5/10
characters 6/10
sound 7/10
enjoyment 5/10
overall 5.8/10
I know of this series through the manga. The manga is full of bishies so naturally as a fujoshi it quickly becomes one of my favorite manga to read until the day came when I stopped reading manga because I was too busy. So somewhat the series was forgotten. So I'm glad that they decided to make an anime out of it!
(c) M 0514
Well, that feeling of glad doesn't lasted very long. Half way through the first episode I was at lost. I blame it all on myself because I cannot remember anything that I've read from the manga. The only thing I remember are the characters and Circus. Other than that, nada.
So, I feel a little bit disappointed at the show as well at myself. I have high expectation for this show but it didn't satisfy me at all. Having said that I am still gonna watch this. I am sure that it can only get better from here onwards.
By the way, Gareki is my favorite character when I read the manga. I remember him being more aloof in the manga though.
That's about all I can say from watching this first episode of Karneval. Not much, huh? Not even a rant.
Episode: 13
Aired: Spring 2013
Producers: Manglobe
arts & animation 7/10
story 7/10
characters 8/10
sound 9/10
enjoyment 7/10
overall 7.6/10
I said in my preview that Hyouka is one of the show that has potential to be great, not just because of Kyoto Animation but the intriguing story line, if the synopsis isn't misleading that is. I have read quite a few opinions about this show on Twitter, especially when it was first released, and some of that opinions weren't exactly encouraging. So here I am several weeks later, trying to form my own opinion about this show.
First few minutes after watching the show, especially after Houtarou met Eru, I got this desperate feeling of wanting to rewatch The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya again. Too bad I'm in my office and the DVD of Haruhi is nowhere near me otherwise I would have stopped Hyouka and totally rewatch Haruhi again. Surely I am not the only one with this feeling, am I?
It's pretty obvious, isn't it?
(c) Hayo Kiki
Hyouka is about a boy who is happy leading the "gray" life. His name is Houtarou and he is the kind of person that don't give a fuck about anything but not in the rebellious kind of way. He has a good friend by his side who is the total opposite of him, Satoshi. Houtarou joins the Classic Club at his sister's request. He thought that he would have some quiet time but when he entered the clubroom, there was already a girl there, Chitanda Eru.
It seems like Houtarou is drawn to Chitanda and he has no power to refuse her and her curiosity. I love the metaphor that Kyoto Animation used; Houtarou wrapped up in Chitanda's hair. There are something mysterious and at the same time romantic about it. And just like that, there are three members for the Classic Club that don't do anything classical at all but instead, solving the curiosity of Chitanda.
Since this show is produced by Kyoto Animation, I found no fault in the art and animation. If there is one thing they are good at, it's that. Same goes with the overall sound which includes the seiyuu the songs used for the OP and ED. However, atfirst, because of my desire to watch Haruhi again, I thought that Houtarou would have been perfect if they used Sugita Tomokazu for his seiyuu instead of Yuuichi Nakamura but towards the end of the episode, I have a changed of mind/heart.
Needless to say, I fall in love with this show, just like I did with The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. It was pretty much in an instant. I guess it has to do with the characters more than anything else, after all when it is all said and done, I'm the character-driven kind of fan.
Having said that, if every episodes is about Houtarou solving Chitanda's curiosity, I'm not sure how long my interest in this show will last.
Number of episodes: 21
Season: Spring 2012
arts & animation 10/10
story 9/10
characters 9/10
sound 8/10
enjoyment 9/10
overall 9/10
I have my doubt about this series but Monroe said that it's worth watching. I still doubt it. For some reasons I am no longer interested in anime that has heavy dorama/romance in it. Maybe I am just envious but still, watching them often left me depressed Orz. I just think I can't handle the dorama as well as I used to. It might have something to do with personal experiences...
(c) pixiv id 1390856
Anyway, Dusk Maiden of Amnesia is about Yuuko who is already dead but lives on as ghost at her school. Only one boy can see her, and it's no big surprised that he is part of the paranormal activity club. I dislike Yuuko from the very beginning. She's dead so she should have stopped being all slutty with Niiya. Yuuko can't seem to remember anything about her life thus the title of the series so I figured that this show will be a chronicles of events that eventually lead to her remember her past, and hopefully be dead for real, though I doubt it >_>
Yuuko looks like typical Japanese hime character, with long jet black
hair and crimson eyes and the designs for the other three characters
aren't as bad either though Niiya kinda looks like one of the girls too
in my opinion. I think he looks better in the manga. The animation too was average and that pretty much saying
that this show has nothing much to offer for people like me.
They only introduced 4 characters so far and out of all four, I actually enjoyed Momoe's characters the most. She is also one of the members of that club and perhaps the only one who has no idea that Yuuko is there. If it wasn't for her I would have dropped the show halfway through. Well, I still dropped it after I watched the whole episode though.\
There were several moments where I found myself laughing thanks to the dense Momoe but my dislike for Yuuko just over-ride everything at the moment. Having said that, it won't be fair if I included this show in the anishit list for that reason alone. It wasn't particularly bad. It was just disappointing.
Towards the end, Niiya said something about being possessed and they showed a glimpse of shadow Yuuko. I thought that was the most interesting moment of the episode, since it's somewhat a promise that shit will eventually get interesting. Too bad it only lasted for less than 2 seconds Orz
art & animation 7/10
story 6/10
characters 6/10
sound 7/10
enjoyment 5/10
overall 6.2/10
This series is included in my MUST WATCH list of the season but for some reason when it was released, I have no desire at all to watch it. That is going to change though because finally I'm able to force myself to sit down and check it out.
Glo loves this series. He even changed his twitter name to the title of this series. Though I don't read the manga, he made me intrigued as to what was it that is so fascinating about this series. Well, for one, Urabe is awesome as fuck. I totally agree with Glo.
this is actually turning me on
(c) Machiko
Urabe reminded me somewhat of myself, except the saliva thingy. I know what I want and I will strive to get it, or at leas try to. Urabe is just like that. She is also sociably inept and doesn't really give a fuck what other people think of her. I liked her the moment she said no to her classmate and chose sleep over food. She's definitely not your average female character and that is always good in my book.
As for the story, it is definitely original. The fact that Urabe has that many saliva when she's happy/turn on, is a proof of that. I can't wait to see the plot with the scissors.
I understand that the art itself is a representation of the manga but it is sort of out dated and the animation doesn't added any extra value to it. The saliva for example, didn't look real, but I guess as long as it managed to interpret what was written, it's good enough. At the end of the day, it shouldn't have mattered anyway. It's either you enjoy the episode or not and enjoyed it I did.
Episode 2 get.
art & animation 6/10
story 8/10
characters 9/10
sound 8/10
enjoyment 9/10
overall 8/10
Episodes: 12 Producers: P.A Works Genres: Horror, Drama, Mystery, School
Another is one of the two most look forward to anime for this season. One of the reasons for that is because I love horror in my anime (not in real life movie though - I can't handle it) and have always enjoyed horror theme anime like Mononoke or Ghost Hound. The other reason simply because the lackluster list of anime we have for the Winter. Compared to Fall, this season is like at the bottom of the pile of shit.
(c) pixiv id 1408036
Once the show started you knew you are in for a good ride. The story of Another managed to grab you on the get go. The whispering and gossiping about Masaki and the combination with various instrument playing for the BGM really set the mood for this show. It's not even 2 minutes yet but I am already singing praises for Another. That ought to mean that I am right about this gem.
This is a story of Misaki, a girl who died 26 years ago but still a living legend to this very day. Kouichi Sakakibara, our male protagonist just transferred to the town but is ill thus he couldn't attend school until May. He was visited by three of his classmates and they seemed like an odd bunch but for good reasons. They kept asking if he had stayed at Yomiyama before, which of course he has not. For some reasons he attracts supernatural shit, which of course in this case, Mei Misaki, the ghost of class 3 everyone talks about.
When he did finally go to school, there was actually Misaki in that class of his but one of his classmate that visited him was absent. Clearly something was amiss as the other classmates trying not to let him catching on to whatever it was they were trying to hide. It was clear that Class 3 was alienated. They didn't even share their PE class with any other classes. I also noticed that Kouichi classmates got hurt and has wounds. I suspect that it has something to do with Misaki... or not.
Misaki did tell Kouichi about his name that associates to death but that was all. It keeps us wondering and it definitely got me excited to find out.
Between scenes, we are assaulted by disjointed mannequin that could easily creeps you out. Then there is how the show was directed. That scene in the elevator was quite scary, is it not? The feeling was enhanced with the BGM that in my opinion is the thing that gels and makes this show having that edge for horror. They don't even showed us the face of Kouichi's grandparents and let it remains a mystery for us viewer at this stage.
Episode 1 of Another is somewhat perfect for me. I couldn't find anything to poke about. It has definitely meet and possibly exceed my expectation for the show. I am officially a fan now and will probably blogging this every week. This is possibly the best show of Winter season. So if you are complaining about how stupid the other anime are, then you will find satisfaction watching Another.
art & animation 9/10 story 10/10 characters 8/10 sound 10/10 enjoyment 10/10 overall 9.4/10
When I first saw this anime on Animax, I was sceptical. I didn't follow it through. The second time they showed it, I thought, why the hell not since there are no other anime worth watching on that channel anyway since I've seen most of it.
Oh boy I was in for a surprised. It turned out to be quite a saga for me.
D'eon De Beaumont (c) gesshi
The creator, Tow Ubakata took the concept of the real Chevalier D'Eon who was discovered to be a man upon his death and turned it into a fantasy action novel that involved 'poet' and spells. Ubakata managed to retain the facts of the actual person history in the midst of supernatural flick that he created. I was impressed.
The story is about D'Eon de Beaumont who was set out to find the truth behind his sister's death/murder, Lia de Beaumont. The restless soul of her sister used his body as a vessel to seek revenge. He with three other friends become spies for French King, Louis IV. His majesty order is to regain the Royal Psalm and bring it back to Versailles. Along the way, he learned the truth about everything that makes him question his loyalty to the country.
In order to fully understand what is going on, you need to pay attention to the heavy dialogue, especially when it comes to the psalm which wasn't fully explained till the end. It was rather slow-paced in the beginning since it takes a while to get going but kicked ass when it does. The story is full of unexpected twists that will keep you on the edge till the end. Just brace yourself for the climax. There are some heartfelt moments in it too that makes watching this oh so worth it.
It took me a while to get fully acquainted with the characters because there are many with complicated names to boot. But I get the hang of it soon enough. Durand, Robin and Teillagory are the three friends that accompany D'Eon on his mission. The viewers will soon introduced to other characters like Maximilien Robespierre, an acquaintance of Lia and King Louis IV. I am rather fond of the sub-characters if compared to D'Eon. Apart from his love to his country and the people around him, D'Eon is pretty blah. Durand, Robin and Maximilien are my favorites due to their interesting characters. They gave out a sense complexity and mysteriousness.
I didn't know this series was produced by Production I.G, the same production studio that produced Ghost In The Shell until the third episodes when I did some research on the real D'Eon. So obviously, there are little faults to be found in the animation. They have done their research for the building, setting and characters designs which turned out to be very detailed, and managed to capture the feeling of monarchy. The swordfights are clean, swift and brutal, as expected of the knights in that era.
I like the OP and ED but I won't say that they are my favorites. I should say that the rich orchestral background music plays a role in this anime too. It further enhanced the atmosphere and added the element of suspense and drama. It was to be expected since it is from Michiru Ooshima, the same man that is responsible for Fullmetal Alchemist. I couldn't find any flaws with the voice acting either so they must have done a good job. Surprisingly, even the dubbed version is not that bad.
I really enjoyed watching this series and have no qualm what so ever to rewatch it. If you like to watch something with unique plot, this is definitely the one you should put on the list. However if you are those people who watch anime for the action or moe-ness, forget it. You'll be thoroughly disappointed.
I was first acquainted with Kusuriuri when I saw him in Bakeneko arc (eps. 9-11) in Ayakashi ~ Japanese Classic Horror. When I learned that it will get it own series as a sequel, I made sure that I get hold of it.
You cannot talk about Mononoke if you do not talk about the art. Just like its predecessor, the animators, Toei Animation do not afraid to experiment with the art. It has its own distinct style of animation. It was part of the reason that got me hooked right away. It is very different, in a very good bold and imaginative kinda way. Seriously, it was tantalizing and gorgeously unique! They compensate the two dimensional, almost paper-cut appearance with vibrant and captivating colorful backgrounds, textures and designs. In a sense, it makes you feel like you are part of a very beautiful painting. They definitely used the art to its full potential to present and distinguished the stories. It also used a lot of camera movements to add suspense and with a well control pace it has successfully exact the desired tension.
Mononoke is composed of 5 different stories which are only related to Kusuriuri, the medicine seller, our mysterious protagonist. Each story takes 2-3 episodes which features a different supernatural, more often than not, evil spirit or most commonly known as mononoke. It was up to Kusuriuri (who is a total bishie by the way) to vanquish or exorcise the mononoke. In order to do so, he needs to uncover the Katachi (shape/form), Makoto (truth), and Kotowari (reason) of the spirit. However it isn't always about the dead. Each story delved deep to the heart of everything and it is not surprising when everything that occurred is related to the living.
Kusuriuri is the only constant character in the series. His attraction is definitely lies in his demeanour, which is very unique whichever way you look at it, not to mention mysterious. Very mysterious. Some of his deadpan sarcastic comments will certainly makes you laugh at the oddest of time. He is a character that you could not help but like. In my case, fell in love with. He is one of the unforgettable characters out there.
The other characters vary with each stories but still get a decent development due to the nature of the story despite being 2-3 episodes in length. These characters are not the typical type characters (as in do not expect good looking characters). They were designed with the story in mind and the ingenuity of it in my opinion, worked wonders.
The appropriate sound effects (or lack of it) enhance the whole eerie atmosphere. The silence in most scenes does most of the work to creep you out. The voice actors did a job well done too, especially with those screeches and screams of horror. As for the OP and ED, I don't find it interesting but I guess it fits right in with the weird tune of the whole show.
This is one of the anime that I won't get tired of watching again and again. I give it a 10 for enjoyment.
The enticing, attention-grabbing, well written stories and the excellent directing and editing makes Mononoke a masterpiece. A must watch to all anime lovers/appreciators. If that is not good enough reason for you to pick up this series, maybe a threat to shove a foot up your ass can convince you otherwise?
UN-GO is one of the two shows that are featured in noitaminA so naturally everyone is looking forward to it, including yours truly. I usually ended up watching only one show between the two and I wonder if UN-GO will be the lucky one this season. As you can see, I have a high expectation for this show.
UN-GO is a story of mystery, of solving cases. There are several key players but the main one shoud be Yuuki Shinjurou, a detective, and his trap assistant that can transform into a horny bitch called Inga who has power to convince people to answer one question (asked by her). Together they will solve cases and other mysteries but Kaishou Rinroku and his daughter Rie in the end will get the name.
I thought the setting of the story is pretty ordinary considering that this show is featured in noitaminA. It doesn't exactly ball grabbing good since I can already tell who the murderer is even before Inga appeared. It was too obvious. That in itself makes this show kinda falls short for me. In that case, how can this show falls under the mystery genre? The good news however is the fact that I love the combination of Yuuki and Inga and if I'm being honest, I am actually is extremely jealous of Inga. I wanna give Yuuki a french kiss too. LOL
Considering that UN-GO is a mystery/police kinda show, it lacks the action. The way the show brought us along for the ride to solve the mystery is nothing spectacular: less talk and more action, please. Oh, and since it's a mystery, it would have been awesome if you added some suspense and drama in it too. I'm just saying...
*snaps fingers* I guess the mysteries lies at the beginning of the episode where Yuuki was claimed to be dead and met Inga the first time. This show probably wants us to figure that out instead of the murder that took place. Hmm, quite clever.
UN-GO is produced by Bones. I'm not crazy with the studio's works. Having said that, I did enjoy No. 6, Sword of the Stranger and Star Driver to name a few. The character designs in UN-GO look far too skinny (not CLAMP style though) and some of them kinda look exactly the same. To put it in a much simpler word: boring except perhaps for Inga but she shouldn't count because she can fucking transformed! Bones also failed to evoke any emotion out of me. There is no sense of drama what so ever. I'm not just saying about the BGM but by the depiction of scenes as well. It was meh and monotonous from start to finish.
For a noitaminA series, this one kinda fail. It does not leave us with proper WOW impression and personally I feel like it is forgettable at best. The least Bones could do is to excite us with whats to come in episode 2 but nope... not even that.
My expectation though has not been crushed to the ground, it was not met.
arts & animation 7/10 story 6/10 characters 6/10 sound 5/10 enjoyment 6/10 overall 6/10
ps: I'm loving that ED though!
pss: What does UN-GO even mean? Did I miss something?
Just like I am with Fate franchise, I am also a noob when it comes to Persona since I don't play the game and the only Persona I know is the anime that was aired couple of years back: Persona ~ Trinity Soul which I enjoyed a lot. Perhaps that is why I am looking forward to see this one as well, even more so now that everyone else is hyper about it too.
Lets just hope that this show lives up to expectation.
(c) Tadashi Hitoshi
Episode 1 started with the introduction of Igor and Margaret who are in the in-between realm. I dunno who the fuck are they talking to though. Then we get to see our protagonist, Yuu Narukami moving in to his uncle's house in a small village, which mean he has to transfer school as well. Ever since he set his foot in that village, something is happening to him and we all already know what that something is. He is creating a persona of himself.
He quickly makes friends: Chie Satonaka, Yukiko Amagi and Yosuke Hanamura. He takes the first trip to the other world with Chie and Yosuke when they accidentally go inside the TV. In that alternate realm, Yuu is given a spectacle that enables him to see the Shadows. At the most critical time, Yuu awakens his Persona and he just transformed!
that megane changes everything! *faps* (c) Mikuni
I am not crazy about the animation but there is just something about the character designs that added the realism factor for the story, except for the three tone face everyone is having. What is up with that? Did they only tanned from their chin below? The animation needs to be more consistent in my opinion. It was awful during the time Yosuke buying them dango but was great when they were being chased by the Shadows. I mean, I almost creamed my pantsu heh.
One more thing, I think they need to carefully insert their BGM so that it would not ruin the scene. It happened several times during this episode where I can't focus on what the characters were saying because the BGM was so out of place.
Somehow I feel like this show is forcing something down my throat and I am not comfortable with that. A lot of that has to do with Yosuke's supposedly comedic relief. Having said that, the reason why I want to see this show is because of the story and so far it manages to grab my attention and pique my interest.
this guy is pretty convincing ^^
Not a perfect first impression but it's a good start.
arts & animation 8/10 story 8/10 characters 8/10 sound 6/10 enjoyment 8/10 overall 7.6/10
p/s: Why don't they just stick with Souji Seta? Why did they replace his name with Yuu Narukami.
Is it just me or is the first few seconds of Dantalian no Shoka sounds like a woman having sex? Turns out, it wasn't even a woman but a small boy *facepalm*
Dantalian no Shoka is a place who-the-hell-knows somewhere in the universe or in your imagination. That's where the episode started which is fitting I guess otherwise the explanation for it will drag on forever. It's also where the small version of our protagonist, Hugh Anthony Disward, met Dalian for the first time.
(c) G Yuusuke
Fast forward a few years, Huey is all grown up and is a fine good looking young man. One day he received a letter of his dead grandfather who was a book-lover. In order for him to inherit the place, he has to take responsibility of Dantalian no Shoka. To be honest, I envy him. I wish someone would leave me a mansion full of books as well. That would be heaven on earth and I don't have to step out of the house ever again. Anyhoo, all the books in the mansion were moved to the basement where he once again meet Dalian, who his grandfather wants him to take care of.
Huey has no recollection of Dantalian no Shoka and he's pretty skeptical when Dalian tells him what it could mean. He is not a believer of fairy tale at all. Not even when Dalian told him that Conrad killed his grandfather for he believed that his grandfather was killed by a burglar. Conrad stole a Phantom Book and the content of that book came to life and murdered the household.
I was pretty surprised at how sharp and fluid the animation is when the characters from the book appeared and started attacking Huey and Dalian. I guess I am underestimating Gainax too much. Thank goodness that Huey is somewhat has skill with gun so that he can saved both of their asses but not from dragon though. This is when Dalian shows her true self.
The mysterious key that Huey has with him can open the lock on Dalian's chest. Since Dalian acknowledge him as the keykeeper, he gets to use the power of Dantalian no Shoka. For every problem, it will produce a genuine grimoire for Huey to read which will destroy the thus solved the problem.
Watching Dantalian no Shoka is kinda dejavu. This show reminds me of the book Inkheart (and it's series) where characters come to the real world and will most definitely create havoc. I love that book. I can't say the same thing about this show though. I need to watch a few more episodes before I made up my mind.
art and animation 7/10 story 6/10 characters 5/10 sound 5/10 enjoyment 6/10 overall 6/10
I was looking forward to this one but when I saw people's general reaction to this show, I started to have doubt. Can a show that promised blood and perhaps gore be that bad? Even more so when the protagonist is a smexy female with katana as weapon. That got me curious. What has gone wrong? Isn't this one produced by Producion I.G and is a collaboration with Clamp? Did they screw up? There's only one way to found out. So here I am, several weeks later, checking out the first episode of Blood-C. Let see if it's true what they said about this show or this show is just underrated for whatever reason. But being that I have a fetish for blood, I might probably be biased in the end ^^"
(c) Pixiv ID: 89556
Kisaragi Saya is the female protagonist that I talked about earlier. The fact that she wears a megane definitely helps me liking her right away. She's a shrine maiden and is a klutz who seems to be cheerful all the time. You wouldn't expect that from a vampire slasher now, do you? The Saya from Blood+ is all emo and shit.
Halfway through the episode, I get it why people are disappointed with Blood-C. It was all cutesy and smiley and stuff like that though some of the dudes in her class are pretty suspicious. I can't wait to see what roles are they playing. Are they the bad guys or the good guys? I am not that naive to believe that the questions will be answered straight away but I do hope that the other half of this episode will be gory and bloody, just like I like it.
It definitely gets more entertaining though as we see her performing her 'duty'. The pace of this show suddenly becomes perfect as it sets up the mood for the end. I was biting my nails in anticipation as Saya stands in thatt pool of water with seemingly a stone statue as her opponent. That was scary lol.
I can definitely see where does Clamp comes in, in term of production. The character designs definitely reminds me of XXXholic. The fact that the director, Tsutomu Mizushima is also the director for that show definitely gives off the same vibes. These are good in my book though because it is something that I am familiar with, and makes me hoping that this will be as good as XXXholic if not better. However, I can see why this might turned people off too.
Like I said, I'm pretty biased with things that I like. Blood-C is definitely my kind of thing and I am so going to watch this, among 50 other shows that I am watching. Orz
arts and animation 8/10 story 8/10 characters 9/10 sound 8/10 enjoyment 9/10 overall 8/10
I can't recall what I wrote in my preview for the summer. After checking it up, no wonder I can't remember anything because I was so ready to be disappoint by another one of J.C. Staff's anime though I did surprisingly came up with a list of top 10 anime for this production studio.
The English title for this show is "It's the only NEET Thing to Do" and it falls under the mystery genres. Since I dunno what to expect from such title, except that I've seen anime blogger wants to watch the show simply because it's the only NEET thing to do. Congratulation, J.C. Staff. Your marketing strategy works.
Err... when did kamisama translated to NEET anyway? *shrug*
Good news is, I am totally taken in by the story for the first seven minutes and 15 seconds. The great news is, I continue to feel good about this show for the remaining 17 minutes and thirty one seconds.
All the characters that made it appearance in this first episode manage to get me interested in them for one reason or the other. The male protagonist, Narumi Fujushima is a loner and there is just something in his almost golden eyes that makes me want to see how he develops as a character. There's his classmate Ayaka who might be the only person (at first) to show him any sign of interest. Then there's that NEET group of boys who seem to be working under Alice; Tetsu, Major and Hiro. Who's Alice? Well, suffice to say this show is evolve around her. She's a hikki online detective. There's also Min, the owner of a ramen shop where the NEETs hang out. The meeting of these people though not unique but still sparks something that I don't often see in anime these days.
In term of character designs, everyone else look average (nothing really stands out) but has is quite a striking traits with her long hair and big rounded eyes. Almost reminds me of Enma Ai. Though I said they are average, their personality definitely is over the top except for Naruma. He's your typical hero type of protagonist. Saying that means you have to pay credits to the seiyuu for putting lives into these characters. Even Naruma isn't as boring as his character appeared to be.
He's voiced by Yoshitsugu Matsuoka. He hasn't done that many shows. According to MAL, only two works so far and this is his second one. He's quite good as Naruma maybe that's why he's entrusted with a leading male protagonist. Someone I need to watch out for. I am not familiar of the other seiyuu (except Daisuke Ono but he's yet to make an appearance) so it's not fair for me to judge them though like I've said earlier, they did a good job.
If there's an OP to this show, I must have missed it, so engrossed I was with the whole thing.
I expected a show of tsundere loli but J.C. Staff surprises me with how 'mature' this turn out to be. The story is definitely takes a higher more sophisticated road (though Alice is still a loli). Good job indeed hough I do agree with Scamp that this show could have been on another different level if SHAFT produced it. Or Brain Base since for whatever reason this sorta reminds me of Durarara.
I am definitely going to watch this show for the summer. Who would have thought. I love it when a production studio proved me wrong :)
art 8/10
story 9/10
sound 8/10
characters 9/10
enjoyment 10/10
overall 9/10
Naturally, I was really looking forward to this OVA because of my love for the all seven movies of Kara no Kyoukai. Truth be told, I have no idea what Epilogue is all about but that's what so exciting about it: the unknown. I trust ufotable to bring me joy with this OVA, just like they did so many times before with the previous movies.
My heart is beating so fast right now in anticipation. I have missed Mikiya and Shiki badly since the Boukyaku Rokuon.
(c) moca
The scene in Epilogue would be very familiar if you have seen all Kara no Kyoukai movies starting with Mikiya walking up the hill in a snowy day to see (the other side of) Shiki by the side of the hill looking down at the snow covered town below. It was heart warming for me personally but I have always been so biased when it comes to this show.
The both of them had a pretty deep conversation about Shiki in particular, of the Shiki that is in the middle of SHIKI and Shiki. I dunno if this made sense to anyone who have no fucking clue about the story but that's how it goes. So Chester, go watch the movies before you complained about it. They also talked about personalities. Shiki presented some very interesting views about them. Her analogy: she's a box and without Shiki as a software, she would just sit there not living. It was pretty deep and cool stuff. It allows Mikiya to learn of Shiki true self, that the soul came later and Shiki Ryogi is nothingness. Because it was a void, it tendency was to hope for death of all things.
Shiki gave Mikiya a chance to ask and wish for anything but my Mikiya declined the offer. He could have asked her to return his left eye back to normal but he didn't. I love the fact that he's still so understanding of the real Shiki. It made me believe in love. It sound cliche as fuck but every time I watch Kara no Kyoukai, I really feel like I want to fall in love and be content with it. That's why this movie has inspired so many of my stories before.
Towards the end, she said something that hit me straight in the face: about Mikiya being lonely. That got me thinking real hard. Even though my personality is the opposite of Mikiya, we have both chose to live our life by picking the most lonely path out there, even though it might not seems so. I'm not gonna lie, that kinda scared the bejeebus out of me =|
Then again, Kara no Kyoukai always managed to do that to me.
As usual, the story is moving on at it own slow pace. No action and lots of talking. Might not be my favorite but it presents a good deal of a better understanding of Shiki as a person. Insignificantly, it also slightly touched the topic of romance between Shiki and Mikiya. It was done subtly which is brilliant in my opinion. Blatant shit can only goes so far.
ufotable still did a good job with the arts and animation of this OVA. Nothing was spared. I love all the details and the camera angles that were used throughout the OVA. That was some serious shit. Kenichi and Maaya were brilliant as always. Both managed to hold tightly to what makes these two characters so endearing to the viewers. The BGM was exceptional, it only heightens the good experience of watching this OVA. Too bad that it is only 30 minutes in length. I obviously want more.
This OVA is not recommended to anyone who hasn't watch the movies first because you'll find the facts extremely boring and lengthy. To those who love the series, this one is a must see. Epilogue made my weekend :)
arts & animation 10/10 story 8/10 characters 10/10 sound 10/10 enjoyment 9/10 overall 9/10
I have watched the LQ because I was too damn impatient and never did regret my decision. Watching the HQ now, no words can describe how fucking awesome this movie is. Call me a biased fucker or whatever, but Haruhi and Kyon can never do no wrong in my eyes. No flaws, only pure bliss.
Having said that, after countless of rewatched, I found Kyon and Nagato's moments to be extremely dull.
Also they said that a picture worth a thousand words. This is so true for this review.
p/s: Just wanna say kudos to Sugita for a job well done. If he phailed, this movie would have phailed too because the entire movie is pretty much about Kyon doing the monologue.
art & animation 10/10
story 10/10
character 10/10
sound 10/10
enjoyment 10/10
overall 10/10***
It was only recently that I got hold of the second episode of Switch OVA although it was released in February 2009. The first episode was released in fall season year 2008. As a bonus, I also got my hands on the stage performance. I didn't know they made a theater out of it. Cool ^_^
Based on a manga by Naked Ape, this OVA is about the two cops from the Narcotic Control Department (or also known as the Matori): Etou Kai and Kurabayashi Hal. I won't go into details on how these two are. You can read that from my review on the manga. Although this story is not exactly like the manga, it still have the key theme which is, you guessed it, SWITCH.
In this OVA, the Matori wants to stop the drug dealer Asaya that sells illegal drug named Funny Angel (F.A). Hal was sent working undercover to investigate Asaya and the elusive Kotetsu. Meanwhile Kai was sent to investigate a botanical worker named Katagishi. There, he met with Kagura Akito who I think could be the trap of this story *chuckles evilly*
In the middle of the investigation, Hal got a called from someone unknown and asked him about the key to Switch. I already know who that is because I read the manga. Spoilers sucks sometimes. It kills the suspense. Only a little though because the ending is pretty neat.
I bet we are going to have the series soon once the manga is a bit far ahead. This OVA is a nice setup.
Gah I love how cool Hal is! @_@
I can see why one might mistaken this as shounen-ai. They were kinda implied that situation in this OVA which is ridiculous because it's fucking NOT!
No BL guys... NONE
Alright that was it for the story. As for the art, there is nothing really special about it. It definitely does not stand out from the rest of the anime. It was not bad, but quite average in quality. I can't say that I am fan of the character design either because Hal if not Kai, is definitely hotter in the manga. But kudoes nonetheless because they kinda got their characteristics right.
They made Hal looks like Kira's twin brother -__-
Kai is not a redhead >_>
The OP and ED are pretty rock on. However I don't find it appealing. It was appropriate for the theme of this OVA though, just not appropriate for my ears. The seiyuu casts are excellent though. We have Jun Fukuyama as Kai. Who? Well, he's Lelouch. Win? Yes. We also has Takahiro Sakurai as Hal. He's the same seiyuu who does Kururugi Suzaku and Kusuriuri. Hell yes? Hell yeah!! The most awesome however is Tomokazu Sugita as Kagura. I mean, he's my favorite male seiyuu (Gintoki!!) so having him doing a serious character is still made of fucking win. Sugita just plain roxx0r!
No, I did not forget to mention how awesome your seiyuu is, Kagura @_@
So basically I like what Switch OVA has to offer. It might be your typical police/mystery gag but it still provide with some good suspense moments, even for me, a manga reader of the series.
art 8/10 story 8/10 sound 7/10 character 9/10 enjoyment 9/10 overall 8/10
The story is about two people, Oz and Alice who made a contract in the Abyss, a place where the condemned was sent. At first I wasn't sure why Oz was sent there on his coronation night but gradually as the story progressed, the pieces of the puzzle fall into places.
The Abyss produced Chain, a doll-like creature that want to be in the real world to obtain power but the instability forced them to make a contract with a human, just like Oz and Alice. However, the Chain will gradually extinguished the human. Once the seal on the contractor's chest is completed, they, together with the Chain, he/she will be sent to the deepest Abyss and this time there is no turning back.
Oz comes back to the real world after 10 years he went missing in the Abyss so Gil, his best friend cum servant is much older than him and is working for Break and Sharon. These two, just like the Baskervilles, are searching for the Will of the Abyss and apparently Oz is the key to it.
The only reason Alice wants to get out of the Abyss is to search for her memories so together with Oz and Gil, they search for it. In their quest both Oz and Alice find out the truth about their past and at the same time, they try to stop the hand of the seal from moving, with the help from other people who either care about them or just using them.
The art is nothing amazing. The background or the surroundings are pretty much dead, as in static, most of the time. The colors used were too contrast with the characters at times which kinda made them looked out of place. Possibly to follow the theme of the show. Having said that, I really do like the character designs. The males especially are what I would called bishies. They are really pleasing to the eyes. The females aren't bad either but since I'm not gay, I'll leave it at that. To be honest, the reason that I was attracted to this series after all, was after I saw the characters in the DVD special, which kinda explained what a huge pro they are.
OZ Bezarius
I like Oz but my god he can be so damn annoying sometimes with his insecurities. He needs to grow some hairy balls, is what I think. Because he has yet to have them balls, I say he's gay for Alice. Oz is the key to the Will of the Abyss (wanted by the Baskervilles) thus he keeps getting into trouble as he tries to find himself and helps Alice.
Alice/B-Rabbit
She's the chain for Oz. She was once human but she got murdered and ended up in the Abyss as B-Rabbit. That was where Oz found her. She took Oz as her manservant which in truth is the other way around. She came back to the real world to find her memories in order for her to remain herself. A definite tsundere when it comes to Oz. Loves to eat, especially meat.
GilbertNightray
Gilbert 'Gil' Nightray is the loyal servant/butler of Oz and has the power of Raven from Nightray. He is Vincent's brother. Just like Oz and Vincent, he is one of the few who managed to escape the Abyss. He is the only one that can sealed B-rabbit's power. His weakness is cat. Definitely gay for Oz and can't see eye to eye with Alice which consequently provide quite a lot of comic relief.
Xerxes Break
Formerly known as Kevin Regnard. The user of Mad Hater's power. The most powerful one out of the bunch. Very sly and cunning. Reminds me of Ichimaru Gin what's with his gray hair and crimson eyes. They even shared the same kind of creepy smile. However unlike Gin, he is pretty funny with his carefree attitude. He loves sweet and you definitely don't want to piss this guy off. He has a very interesting background story that kinda surprised me. Eccentric guy over all and my favorite character in the series.
Sharon
I am not sure what her relationship is with Break but Break called her Ojou-sama and she has no qualm at beating his ass with her fan. She has a chain too named Eques. Definitely a sadistic.
Vincent Nightray
He wanted to erase anything that can recalled what happened 100 years ago. Master of Echo. Most definitely gay for Gilbert. Not so right in the head but he has very cool eyes. One could even named him the series' psycho resident. It is either you like him or you hate him. I happened to like crazy evil people ^o^
Jack Bezarius
The one who stopped the Baskervilles 100 years ago. He appeared as fragments of Alice's memories and helps Oz a lot when he is in a pinch. He also warns everyone about the return of Glen Baskerville which obviously will repeat the Tragedy of Sabrie again. By the way, he was the only friend of Glen and vice versa. It must have pained him to stop his friend from going berzerk. Pretty good looking fella ^^
Eliot Nightray
Another little brother of Gil. He is the voice of reason for Oz. I like him straight away. He is the only one who can tell Oz to be a man and take his own destiny into his own hands instead of giving up on his life thinking that it would solve all the problems. He's valiant and funny and cute has quite a temper. Definitely a Nightray. He hates the Bezarius and I can pretty much tell why. Could he be Glen's reincarnation? hehehe >3
Ada Bezarius
She is Oz's sister. Very gentle and such. I don't usually like this kind of character but I like her for some odd reason that I am not too sure what. She looked like she has a brother complex but then we found out that she has a b0nar for Gil. Priceless XD
None of my favorite seiyuus are in this production but Vincent was voiced by Jun Fukuyama so a plus there. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Oz was voiced by a female so yeah, the seiyuus are good nonetheless. Also I like OP song more than the ED song as it is more catchy but not as much as I like the song Lacey from the pocket watch. It kinda present the anime with a whimsical yet foreboding feel which is perfect for the theme.
I do enjoyed Pandora Hearts. The plots are mysterious which keep me guessing from one episode to the other. It makes me interested to see the next episode to find out what will happened. There are also occasional unexpected comedy in it that I appreciate. What I didn't expect however is the end. It poses more questions than answers which can only mean one thing... second season! I look forward to watching that.
This actually made me want to pick up the manga...
art 8/10 story 9/10 sound 8/10 character 9/10 enjoyment 8/10 overall 8/10
edit: Glo said that the anime ending is different from the manga. But... isn't the manga still on going so how was that possible? =\
