First Impression: Danganronpa Kibou no Gakuen to Zetsubou no Koukousei

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

Read More

Aku no Hana

Well now, where should I start...

I was couple of weeks late into the series. When everyone was done hyping and spazzing about Aku no Hana, I was just about to check out the first episode. When I saw the animation, it was definitely something that is not the norm. It's like they filmed a real life dorama and then animated it frame by frame. Needless to say, I was impressed. It makes the animation so alive and gives so much personality to the characters. Take the walking of each character for example. Simple things like that, in my opinion, what makes Aku no Hana, in term of arts and animation, so much win.

(c) Doudoude Dou

And then there's the story itself, which is, if not entirely original, it sure is close. Aku no Hana means the Evil Flower in English. It derives from Takao Kasuga's favorite book. He is the male protagonist of this series by the way. The book is complicated and deep as shit, and triggered some very twisted, evil and sinister thoughts. Takao did quote some of the work inside the book earlier in the episode but after the third episode, the story itself takes the center stage.

I personally believe that the story/plot only started when they introduced Nakamura Sawa, the female protagonist who is so fucking original, I fell for her in an instant. She is like the book itself, triggering dark thoughts. Whenever she takes off her glasses, and she only did so with Kasuga, you know she means business.

Nakamura, in Kasuga's mind, is someone who is lonely and is fighting not to drown in this mundane world. Kasuga, for Nakamura, is someone that is similar to her but is afraid for the others to find out. Her mission is to make Kasuga comes out of his hentai closet.

Nakamura Sawa, to put it simply, reminds me so much of  myself that she becomes my muse. Oh, and I think she is awesome as fuck which is why she deserved to be in my most favorite characters list XD

Everything about Aku no Hana is twisted. The ED especially will give you the creep but at the same time so addictive. The somewhat fucked-up OP too is pretty telling that this series is not your average anime series.



There are couple of episodes that left me speechless but I'm sure everyone will agree that nothing can actually prepare you for the greatness of the ending of episode seven. It was liberating in more ways than one, not only for the protagonist but also for me personally as an audience. Then there's episode ten where Kasuga was once again got stripped by Nakamura. The revelation that he had however what makes the episode so enjoyable for me.

At the end of every episode of Aku no Hana, I often felt somewhat hollowed. It makes  me craving for more. 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. I forced my minions to watch it and as predicted they got hooked on it too. They all agree that watching this show is an experience in itself. I guess it helps people coming to terms with their own inner demon, if they have any.

Some people may have complains about the pacing of this show. Well, I don't. I thought it was necessary for the build up of, most often than not, a heart-pumping-fist-in-the-air, ending of each episode. Having said that, their avant-garde ending of the show kind of left me in a blur. I had to watch it for a couple of time to get what it was trying to say. It was all bunched up together incoherently. You either love it or hate it.

I do hope they are not trolling us with the hint of Part 2 of this show. While waiting for that, I am going to make sure that I pick up the manga for reading. It's just that good.

Aku no Hana... a show that I expected nothing from but get everything and more. I love every minute of it.

Arts & Animation 10/10
Sound 10/10
Story 10/10
Characters 10/10
Enjoyment 10/10
Overall 10/10***

p/s: did you know that I have the same moles on my face just like Nakamura's. One on my left cheek and the other on my chin. Talk about coincidence!

Read More

First Impression: Litchi☆Hikari Club

In my preview, I said that this show looks pretty awesome. Either that or it's another scam but the overall character designs from the poster sure is intriguing.

From what I understand, this show which is also known as Lychee Light Club, is an adaptation of a horror manga with the same title. Please do not let the horror tag turn you off  though since this is supposedly to be a comedy show as well. I wonder how this show will translate from manga to anime since it's only 2 minutes long.

Well, worry not. Though it's short, it didn't waste any time with stupid OP or ED. It get straight to the point by introducing us to the characters in a way that won't confused us much. There are 9 boys who are in the club, a robot and a girl name Kanon. Zera is their leader who I think is not much of a leader. Also, I think they came up with the horror tag thanks to the Lychee (that's the robot they created) that listens to Kanon otherwise, this show is brimming with comedic values.

Sadly, I do not recognized any of the seiyuu (which goes to show that my anime skills are not as sharp as it used to be) but I think they sound perfect for their characters so no complaining. I also approved of the arts and character designs of this show. It fits with the whole comedy-psychological-horror theme of the show.

I read reviews that said this show is so far off from the original source. Thank goodness that I didn't read the manga then otherwise perhaps I too would have raged. I ended up enjoying it instead.

I guess this isn't something I will recommend for an avid manga fan but if you are not, I don't think you'll regret watching this. Try it.

Episodes: TBC
Aired: Fall 2012
Producers: Kachidoki Studio

Arts & animation 6/10
Story 6/10
Characters 8/10
Sound 7/10
Enjoyment 7/10
Overall 6.8/10

Read More

One Outs

If you think that One Outs is about a baseball game, well you are partially right. Kinda. About 0.5% right. The truth of the matter is, One Outs is about Tokuchi Toua owning everyone after he royally kicked their asses. How? With mind games and absolute brilliance when it comes to strategy.

One Outs is the adaptation of the manga with the same title that was published starting in June 1998 and completed in early 2009. It only has 20 chapters. Kudos to the mangaka, Shinobu Kaitani for coming up with this great story I guess.


Tokuchi Toua is a great pitcher. He joined the Lycaon baseball team after he got an offer from Kojima. He then proceeds by making a deal with the owner of the team which consequently makes the owner losing money. The owner who loves making money than anything else, rather have the team loses games than paying Tokuchi the money he earned. This is where the story gets interesting. You see, most of the teams that the Lycaons are up against have better players and overall are better teams than Lycaons. It is up to Tokuchi to come up with strategies to ensure that his team wins. He always delivers the good and the he does it with a smirk on his face, overbearing at times but often than not just pumps you with adrenalin.

For some reason the art reminds me a lot of Akagi. Maybe it has something to do with Tokuchi's eyes? I dunno. Overall it is nothing to boast about. It could be the only downfall of this show, if I am to be picky about something. But at the end of the day, it does the job so it is fine, I guess.

I like the OP of this show and have it on my computer. It is definitely one of the most memorable OP I have heard. The ED ain't that bad either although it does not have as much impact as the OP. The BGM does it job, adding a sense of suspense throughout the show. It is commendable I think because it fit nicely with the theme of the show. I said this show reminded me of Akagi right? Well the seiyuu for Tokuchi is actually the same guy that did Akagi. The other seiyuus aren't really that famous as far as I know but they did their job well, adding personalities to the member of the teams and their opponents.

Now lets meet the characters.

Tokuchi Toua

That's his motto

This is the man that single handedly make this such an awesome show. Without him this show would have been an utter fail. Nothing fazes him. He is always calculating and will heartlessly eliminates all obstacles. He might not literally kick your ass, but kick it all the same. That is how fucking badass Tokuchi is. I definitely want his babies ^__^

The other characters are not really significant. They are either the enemies that he needs to eliminate or tools that he would used to eliminate the said enemies.

One Outs is about mindgames more than the game baseball itself. The show never gets boring as we seat on the edge at every episodes wondering what is going to happen next. I thoroughly enjoyed the show and only completed it recently because hell, in all honesty I don't want it to end. Definitely a must watch for those who like these kinds of anime, even if you are not into sports.



Thank you B2E fansub for picking this one up.

art 8/10
story 9/10
sound 8/10
characters 8/10
enjoyment 9/10
overall 8/10

Read More

Kara no Kyoukai 2: Satsujin Kousatsu (Part 1)

I am so glad that I chose to watch this again before I watch the 7th (and the last) movie of the series, which is Part 2 of the Satsujin Kousatsu.

Because I am a sucker for romance (not in shoujo though. I am referring to the unconventional love story) I freaking love the theme in this movie. This is the movie that made me realized that Kara no Kyoukai, ultimately, is a romance movie.

Satsujin Kousatsu is kinda a flashback when Mikiya and Shiki were still in high school. It is pretty telling that Mikiya fell in love with Shiki at first sight (April 1995), and the things that he was willing to do for her, and his influence on her as she was sculptured to be the Shiki we have known and love in Fukan Fuukei. For example, if it wasn't for his suggestion, we would probably never get to see her with her famous red leather jacket :)

love at first sight. aaahhhh @_@

Satsujin Kousatsu also shows that Shiki is a lady from a well-known/noble family, complete with bodyguard/butler and shit like that. The butler who believes that Shiki should be the one inheriting the Ryougi's household is loyal to her despite traditionally it would have been her brother that should be the head of the family one day.

If anyone has doubt about Mikiya and Shiki relationship, they even went on a date in this movie where Shiki told Mikiya of her split personalities: SHIKI and shiki. The usually cold one is shiki while the rebellious one is SHIKI. After that Shiki begun to isolate herself more and more except towards Mikiya. shiki told Mikiya that SHIKI can only feel rejection and lately she was in denial of shiki's existence. In one way, she kinda confessed to Mikiya that she was the murderer in order to ensure that SHIKI won't resurface.


Daisuke, a police officer who works on the murder cases, who is also Mikiya's uncle kind of confirmed what Shiki told him earlier. He also had a premonition of Shiki standing in front of a corpse with blood sprayed everywhere. Coincidentally, it became a reality and he saw it with his own four eyes.

How can I not want to marry someone like her =3

He was very confused and afraid for a while but it just made him more determined then ever. He then start to keep watch in front of Shiki's house without fail every night to perhaps stop Shiki from committing another murder, if she ever did. Even after Shiki totally ignored him at school. Now tell me if that ain't romantic :D

Kara no Kyoukai would not be Kara no Kyoukai without the gruesome murders and deaths. Shiki quickly became the suspect for those murders. It was too much of a coincidence anyway, whats with her double personalities etc.

At the end of this movie, something unexpected happened. Shiki wanted to murder Mikiya. I just love the expressions from both Mikiya and Shiki. The murderer and the victim. Absolute contrast. It was beautiful...

The panic stricken Mikiya

The calm and collected murderer Shiki

Damn, watching these always gave me freaking goosebumps. It is definitely one of my favorite scenes in this movie. The details was amazing. The rain, the bamboo trees, everything were so perfectly done. The way Mikiya submitted to his fate was so heart-touching in my opinion. Goes to show what a perfect gentleman he is.

The other favorite scene is when Mikiya waited the rain to stop with Shiki by his side and then he started humming a song.

He made me wants to have his babies *melts*

art 10/10
sound 10/10
story 10/10
characters 10/10
enjoyment 10/10
overall 10/10

Read More

xxxHolic Shunmuki

I am kinda a fan of xxxHolic. I enjoyed both of the seasons and I think Doumeki is hot. But that is out of topic.

xxxHolic Shumuki is the OVA which was released in winter 2008 and consists of 2 episodes.

The story pretty much is basically a short continuation from the second season. Watanuki has to repay the price to those people who have saved him back then: Himawari - the promised of true smile, Doumeki - trust and gratitude and then there was Syaoran.

This is Syaoran. Honestly, I can't remember if I have seen him in xxxHolic before...

Then Haruka-san requested that Watanuki helped him out with 5 things since he wanted to thank him, and so together with Doumeki, he completed those tasks. At the end of the tasks, Watanuki met Sakura-chan, Syaoran's girlfriend.

Watanuki comforting Sakura-chan

Apparently Watanuki and Syaoran are alike.

Eh?!!! I just realized that Syaoran and Sakura are from Tsubasa Chronicles. Could this really be? No wonder Sakura seemed so familiar... Crossover FTW? Because Syaoran did say that Watanuki is his other self. WTF I'm confused!

Then Watanuki got back from dreamland, he met Yuuko and promised to fulfill her wish. Looks like we might have a third season coming? Yay!!

After I read Glo's comment on his top ten worst anime characters, I begin to see Watanuki in different light. I have always like him and still does I guess but I can see that he can really be annoying at times too, which was why he got a spot on Glo's list. To be fair though he was made/designed to be the comic relief of this show. There are no changes on other characters as well. Doumeki and Yuuko are still the same quirky and eccentric.

The same can be said about the voice actors and the art/animation. No changes from the two seasons which provide consistency and in my book consistency is good. The OP song was pretty chillaxing and catchy while the ED was more melodious.


If you want to watch this OVA, I suggest that you watch the two seasons first otherwise you'll be thoroughly out of the loops.

Art 7/10
Story 6/10
Sound 8/10
Characters 8/10
Enjoyment 7/10
Overall 7/10

Read More

Ghost Hound

Whoa, it has been a long time since I update this region. No, I didn't mean my region. Sheesh!

I just wanna share this with you peeps about Ghost Hound.

If you love Jigoku Shoujo, you gonna love this one too. Personally I think it was better, in term of its art however to be fair they do have rather different story lines.

It is about three different kids who have suffered from different traumatic events; Makoto, Tarou and Masayuki. Because of that, they are now have the ability to traverse the “unseen world”. You might want to forgive the slow-paced few minutes of the first episode. Once the plots start to unravel though, it would not stop till the climax. The anime tells the story of trauma,mental disorders, possession, out-of-body experiences, the afterlife, etc. The people deal with all these circumstances differently based on what they believed in which allows us to see a few different point of views, either scientifically or spiritually. There will be question marks hanging above your head on several occasions, especially with the terminology shit but don't fret. It will becomes perfectly clear once explained. Just make sure you pay close attention to the details.

The characters are nicely designed, well rounded and will fascinate you with their vivid personalities. Everyone will find a bit of himself in some of them. Personally, I am a fan of Makoto but found myself more like Masayuki.

Oh here comes the best part.

Prepare to be creeped out because you definitely will. The appearance of the ghosts are so random, they'll fucking give you goosebumps. I watched the anime with the lights on. Even when I'm done with the episodes, I'm too scared to turned off the light. It just gave me the feeling like the ghosts were just waiting to pounce. That's how fucking downright creepy they are. The great sound effects do not help one bit either. It will certainly turns you into a paranoid for a 'lil while especially if the tune got stuck in your head, like it did with me.


So yeah, like I said, this anime is made of awesomesauce. Nothing is overdone and everything flows perfectly.

This anime is for people who loves and are very appreciative of horror, mystery and psychological series because if you are not you might think of it as a waste of time. It's your lost, dumbass.

Also as a reminder, this anime is definitely not for the weak-hearted.



Arts 9/10
Sound 8/10
Storyline 9/10
Characters 9/10
Overall 9/10

Read More