Aku no Hana

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.

A Year Older: Again

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.

Goodbye 2012 and Hallo 2013

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.

Light Writings: Love II

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.

Light Writings: Crush II

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.

Showing posts with label kara no kyoukai. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kara no kyoukai. Show all posts

06 February 2011

Kara no Kyoukai Epilogue

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

29 December 2010

My Top 10: Anime of the Decade

I already did anime of the decade last year but I was lazy and I actually focus more on OVA and movies in that one instead of TV series. Having said that, I am completely right with my choice of anime show and I adamantly stand by it.

This list, just like previously, is not ranked. Instead, this list consists of anime that doesn't necessarily top the chart when it was debuted nor was popular but it has a profound effect on me as an animetard and molded me to become the kind of anime fan that I am now.

Samurai Champloo (Spring 2004)

(c) hibiki

I have always been fascinated with Samurai theme ever since I watched Samurai X. Samurai Champloo was the first anime DVD that I bought. I have no freaking idea what it was about when I bought it. I know it has samurai in it and that's all my knowledge of the show was. I bought it because I thought that the theme was right and the art style was definitely something fresh. This was before I've seen Cowboy Bebop, mind you. So I watched it and was totally fell for Mugen. The way the story was told definitely something that I have never seen before. It set up quite a high par for any other anime that I want to spend my money on.

The best thing is, or rather a misfortune, I bought Samurai Champloo DVD three times. The first DVD I bought was lost during the moving to our new house. So I bought another one. My dad borrowed it and took it with him when he was working off-shore in China. He lost it. So I had to buy the DVD for the third time and this time around it is off limit to anyone. The DVD is definitely one of my prized possession.

Thanks to Samurai Champloo I got interested with other anime from Shinichiro Watanabe and that was how I ended up loving Cowboy Bebop, Mitchiko e Hatchin and Ergo Proxy. I love the dark story with lots of dorama I guess.

Bleach (Fall 2004)

http://www.pixiv.net/member.php?id=90533

I am no longer watching the anime. Just a loyal fan to it's manga but I plan on catching up to the anime some time soon. You see, I watch anime far in between before Bleach made it's debut. I bought anime DVD occasionally and most of the anime I watched was the one on national television which pretty much were just the 90's anime most of the time. It was like they had the Dragon Ball series on repeat.

It was only after I discovered Bleach that I know what an avid fan really is because I obviously become one in no time at all. Lets admit that the Soul Society arc led us to believe that Kubo Tite is a genius. I just couldn't get enough of Bleach.

It was this series that sparked my interest with manga. Before that I never bother. Through Bleach, I got to know some of the most amazing people I have ever met through facebook. Bleach unites us. It is because of Bleach too that I started taking real interest with other anime. That was how my obsession with anime started. I started downloading anime in chunk one after the other. It just so happened during that time I have just started working from home which mean I had plenty of time to spend on my new found hobby. I marathon any anime that had my interest. Some were great, some were not so much. This is how I learned about what genre I love and dislike and it has thought me a lot. Through Bleach I also started my figures collection and becomes not only obsessed with the whole show but of my shipping as well. I started writing fanfics and despite how many years it has been I still only write Bleach fanfics. I can't immerse myself with other series or characters like I can with Bleach. I've tried once but it turned out to be so superficial I abandoned it.

So you see, there was a lot of first with Bleach. Despite of the shit that Kubo trolled us with after the Soul Society arc, I am still a fan of this series to this very day otherwise it won't have it's own category in this blog. It would be a very sad day for me when Bleach eventually comes to an end. Thank goodness it is not for at least another 2 years :)

Genshiken (Fall 2004)

(c) kio shimaku

If Bleach made me an anime fan, Genshiken thought me what being an otaku is all about. It made me fall in love with the culture I guess. It opened my eyes of what it means being an otaku in Japan and how it was seen from a foreign point of view. It also introduced me to Akihabara, cosplaying and doujinshi. It made me aware of the conventions that I never thought exist. A place for all tards to gather around? It makes me want to go to at least one convention and after all these years, I finally managed to go to one this year. Above all else I learned that you do not mess with an otaku for any reason at all.

When I saw this, I was at the point in my life where I don't really know what I want to do with my life and pretty much content with the fact that I am a borderline hikikomori. I was totally unsociable. I only go out when I needed to and at one time had not had a conversation with real life person for almost a month. I locked myself in a room doing nothing but watch anime, reading manga, writing fanfics and occasionally tend to my workload. This continues for almost 4 years. It was awesome as fuck.

I kicked myself sometimes when I thought of the decision I made to actually get my life together for a change. Curses!

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny (Fall 2004)

(c) Robographer

I am truly aware of how Gundam fans perceived this show, especially that of SEED fans. They thought it was a phailed attempt. Shit it may be for others but this is the show that truly made me interested in mecha. My like or dislike for a show is strongly stemmed on whether or not I enjoy the story and the characters. Even though I think highly of SEED but Kira and Cagalli pissed me off so much I found myself raging at it most of the time.

I might fell for this show for all the wrong reason but it doesn't changed the fact that I thought the characters were far more awesome when they get into their Gundam. I have already fangirling about this show before so I'm not going to do it again here.

I am still not a big fan of mecha. I still can't name all the gundam even if you pointed a gun to my head but thanks to Destiny, I have learn to appreciate it a little bit more.

Gintama (Winter 2004)

(c) kaninn

Do noted that I saw Gintama after I watched Bleach. I was expecting a shounen anime but was presented with something that was totally whacked I couldn't help but fall in love with it. This is the anime that set the par for comedy for me. The randomness just totally blew me away. I have said over and over again that this show is THE GREATEST GAR SHOW ever. Gin has fought with aliens, the authority, your grandmother, you named it he has done it. Not to mention that thanks to Gintama, I fall hard for Tomokazu Sugita. I never paid attention to seiyuu before but because of this show, I am slowly turning into a seiyuu fag.

So imagined how sad and in rage I was when I found out that Gintama has come to an end. I mean seriously, I have never been so worried about my sanity like I was then. I thought it was another scam of theirs but the anime fandom was buzzing about the truth in it, I was left flabbergasted. Around the same time, they announced the movie date so that helped ease my trouble mind a little. I kept rewatching the old episodes to keep me a tad sane. Then earlier this month Glo came bearing the good news. The world is okay again and I am no longer tempted to do homicide.

I know that this does not sound significant to you but think of it this way. If someone asked you what is your favorite anime of all time, and this or that anime popped up instantly in your head, you know that it got to mean something to you. I have always trust my guts and there is no way I'm gonna turn my back on it now.

Gintama has helped me with all sorts of life problems. It has become my source of power to put my depression away and move on with life. I think I have become a stronger person because I can laugh my problems away watching this show. It doesn't necessarily solved my problems but it made me realized that these problems are not worth crying over for, that life is actually worth living :)

Sensitive Pornograph (Winter 2004)


If you have paid any attention, you know that yaoi is like my guilty drug. It all started when I came across this particular show. This show started my obsession with BL/yaoi. Before I knew what happened, it has taken over my life. LOL sounds so dramatic but it is the truth. I become bolder. Exploring about sex in general (only in theory of course) and accepting few things that surprised even myself. Words won't do justice but I'm gonna leave this one at that. I doubt GAR men can handle what's on my mind most of the time >=3

Honey and Clover (Spring 2005 & Summer 2006)

(c) chika umino

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not good with romance or relationship but the irony is I am a sucker for romace if it is done right. That's why my fanfics always turned up with romance theme in it. Not shoujo though (because I dislike shoujo) but romance. There's a difference.

Before Honey and Clover, I don't usually picked up anime with such theme. I thought that if I want drama, then I just watched all the Japanese drama that I have in my possession. But I am glad that when I decided to start watching romance theme, I started with this particular show. It just left me in awe with it's mind blowing craft. From the story telling, to the comedies and the dorama. It tells real story with real characters. That was the most appealing side of this show in my opinion.

This show has become the gateway anime for shows with similar theme like Lovely Complex and White Album.

Honey and Clover made me realized that my friends were not at fault when we drifted apart. It just part of having a life is all about. We don't always get what we wanted but it's either we cherished the moment we had that counts. It allowed me to remember all the good times me and my friends had instead of why we didn't regularly get in touch with each other anymore.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (Spring 2006)

(c) sugimasa

I never thought that I would see the exact copy of myself (minus the Godly power) in anime. When I first saw Haruhi, the realization just smacked me right in the face and made me into an overnight fan of her and this show. I am just as obsessed with Kyon like Haruhi is obsessed with him. Sometimes it is scary and thrilling to realized how similar our taste and personality are.

Back in high school, people (mostly girls) generally don't want to be friends with me. I'm cool with that. I have my own set of friends (just like Haruhi has her SOS Brigade members) to keep me happy an entertained during my school years. The same happened when I got into college. After that I just don't give a fuck anymore and became a borderline hikikomori.

I am constantly want to try out something new. Always planning the next big things in my life or just do something that I have never done before. I graduated with an IT degree. Work for about 8 months before I got bored with the shit. Then I started writing and it opened up to an endless world of adventures for me from motorsports to anime and everything in between. After that I started learning how to make dresses out of boredom and end up with a business under my belt. Now I'm in an advertising business slashed event management where I got to mingle and hang out with local artists and such. The passion last for about a year and a half and I am already bored with it. I have mega project in my mind for next year and if it comes to fruition, then I'm saying goodbye to this glamorous life. See what I mean? I need someone who can keep up just like Kyon is with Haruhi.

I guess this show have the most profound effect on me more than any other anime because of the similarities, for better or for worse.

Btw, the movie was freaking amazing. I'm just saying.

Kara no Kyoukai and Mnemosyne (Winter 2007)

(c) hara takehito


I know that both of these shows are not TV series. One is a 7 parts movie and the other is an OVA but I have to include them in this list because of the simplest reason. Both of the female protagonists are very strong women who knows what they want and are not afraid to achieve their set goals despite of all the obstacle, especially when it comes to romance and relationship. Thanks to this, I realized that an ordinary love story just won't work for me which is why I won't settle down until I found my Shiki/Mikiya or Rin/Apos kind of romance. Crazy is me.

Kannagi and Hyakko (Fall 2008)

http://www.pixiv.net/member.php?id=438240

http://www.pixiv.net/member.php?id=65947

Needless to say that these shows featured moe characters. I always thought I hate moe shits but shows like these proved that I'm pretty shallow when it comes to moe. I like moe when it is funny and the story presented was intelligent. What I hate is the kind of moe who took us for a fool and thought that a bunch of girls sit around having tea after school is great. I mean Hyakko is about a bunch of girls having fun at school too but they managed to make the show entertaining and engaging through their characters' depth.

I also found out what my favorite studio production is through Kannagi. A1-Pictures have brought me a number of enjoyable anime. They are coming up with Fractale for Winter and it got a noitaminA time slot. That I think speak for itself. I am turning into a studio fag as well because I will watch whatever this studio will throw at me.

And that is the end of my list. But before I conclude this list, allow me to make a special mention to one more OVA anime that has tickle my funny bones and allowed me to enjoy profanities like I have never enjoyed it before.

Detroit Metal City (Summer 2008)

because it made this kind of fanart possible and no one can feel offended :P

Phew what a decade it has been. Hopefully my passion for anime will continue for another ten years so that I can do the same shit when it comes to the end of 2020.

30 December 2009

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

28 December 2009

Kara no Kyoukai 1: Fukan Fuukei


I was in a mood for review as I re-watched all seven movies of Kara no Kyoukai hence why this periodic post dedicated to the movie is up (I abandoned my Pandora Hearts marathon for this although in reality I was just looking for an excuse).

Kara no Kyoukai: Fukan Fuukei (Borderline of Emptiness: Overlooking View) is the first movie of this series. This is the movie that started my addiction to Kara no Kyoukai and makes me gay for Shiki and wants to marry Mikiya but you guys don't want to know that.

I remember that I have to download the movie more than 3 times. It was my first experience with *.mkv file and it was such a headache thinking where the fuck did the subtitle disappear to? I was such an inexperience n00b back then -_-"


Fukan Fuukei is about a bunch of girls who seemingly committed suicide by jumping of from an Fujyou Building without leaving any suicide note. In truth, they were all control by a single entity.

I didn't realize this before (what the hell, how can I missed it) but it kind of obvious from the get go that Shiki has feelings for Mikiya. Maybe when I first watched it, it did not occurred to me that this movie might have romance theme in it because I can only see (and in awe) with the bloodfest and the horror. We can read from Shiki's attitude when Mikiya was "out". She was obviously annoyed and irritated and was extremely worried about him.

wake up Mikiya!

She made the connection between Mikiya's condition and the suicides even when Touko said it wasn't related. Mikiya would be the 8th victims if Shiki did nothing to stop it. She even cut her own artifical arm in order to save him without giving it a second thought

Despite Touko's warning, Mikiya went to the Fojyou Building to investigate the suicide cases. The ghost (who was controlled by a girl at the hospital, the evil entity I was referring to) at that cursed place has Mikiya's soul with her and Mikiya's body ended up to be an empty vessel unless Shiki can do something about it. And that she will because she's very possessive and pretty much tell us that Mikiya belongs to her and her alone (again, how the fuck did I miss this blatant confession? O_0)

I am so glad that I re-watched this movie. I forgot about Touko telling Shiki how Mikiya ended up working for her. It was a romantic story of how he keep staring at one particular doll as Touko interviewed him.

The doll sitting there is Mikiya's favorite. Care to take a guess why? @_@

At the beginning of the movie, Shiki said that she doesn't like ice-cream and kinda make you wonder why Mikiya still bought the strawberry (because it reminds him of her (jacket)) ice-cream for her. This is why:

She ate the ice-cream. She hates it but she still consumed it. Guess who is missing Mikiya >3

Remember I mentioned about the evil entity? She had a crush on Mikiya when she saw him every week as he visited Shiki when she was in a coma. But of course I didn't knew this the first time around so it didn't registered. Now that I've seen all seven of the movies, it made perfect sense. The girl ended up killing herself which made her the 8th victims thus returning Mikiya's soul to its rightful owner.

The last few words exchanged between Mikiya and Shiki made me smile. I love the metaphors that Mikiya's used of explaining his "dream". That is so like him and damn he is so smooth. I would blush too if I was Shiki *giggles*

Oh yeah before I forgot. For those who were clueless as to why Shiki has the "eyes", well it allows her to see the points of death on her enemies so she could just stab them as what her eyes see.

The famous eyes

the points of death that I was talking about

The art is one of the thing that stands out the most. It is definitely one of the reason why I am so into this series. The details are incredible, they took everything into consideration. You can see this during the fights and at the surrounding backgrounds. To enhance the experience, they inserted sounds effect that would totally made you so into this movie and invoke your emotions.

I love the character designs too. For example, Mikiya is not really a bishounen nor does Shiki a bishoujo but their characters and personalities what made them real and so damn likeable. I guess part of the kudos have to be given to the seiyuus as well.

What a delectable movie this is.



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

31 July 2009

Kara no Kyoukai: Boukyaku Rokuon


hehehe I've been waiting all day for my Kara no Kyoukai torrent to complete its download. At 11:04pm, the notification that I've been waiting for from u-torent makes me giggling like a fangirl that I am.

This is the 6th installments of the 7 series movie. I've rated 10 out of 10 for movie #2, #4 and #5 while I rated 9 out of 10 for the first installment and the 3rd one.

For this one, I'm giving it a full mark yet again.

Seriously, I couldn't stop giggling or squealing. Part of it was because I'm too effing excited to watch it and also because this time around, the mood started of lighter compared to the previous installments, thanks to the incest thing going on --

Wait, where the fuck do you think you're going? Just because you can't tolerate incest, that doesn't mean you have to stop watching the whole damn thing. Stupid faking moe...

Anyway, like I was trying to say earlier, the theme of incest doesn't go that far. It was implied but we all know that it never going to happen because we all know who Mikiya really likes anyway. And to be honest, I am a 'lil jealous when she holds his hand. She doesn't know it, but besides Shiki, she has to compete with me too *giggles and blushes*

Shiki is funny without trying to be one. That's why I like her from the very beginning. I wish I could say the same about Mikiya's sister, Azaka. She's trying oh so hard to be tsundere and moe at the same time. Phailed. But I have to give her some credit though. she did a good job making this movie enjoyable with her antics and she kinda redeems herself in the end.

This time around, the movie focused on fairy that stole memories. These fairies are being used by a magician to cover up certain something. Shiki was sent by Touko to Azaka's boarding school to investigate the matter since she has the 'eyes'. Oh you guessed right, she's cosplaying a school girl this time around. Thehehe... See why I got excited? *cough* moving on...

Like the other movies, this one gets really dark as the story progress but... Shiki is more human in this one, talking to Azaka about Mikiya, of her feelings/unfeeling. It also gave us flashback of Mikiya's past, albeit it's related to Azaka.

The characters are simple enough. Art is superb and flawless as well as the sound effects. I think Kalafina did the ED for this movieas well. All in all, I don't have any complains at all regarding this movie. Excellent as always.

Now I can't wait for the final installment! Did you see the preview? Oh. Em. Gee! Bloodfest!!!!!! *squeals*

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