I ended up talking about myself - Ore no Imouto go Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai: Episode 3

(c) tsuruta hitomi

I heard a lot of things about Ore no Imouto go Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai this week so naturally I look forward to episode 3. I hope this week is as good if not better as last week's episode.

Kirino kinda reminds me of myself when she went to Akiba and bought the limited edition figures. I would buy and think later when it comes to the character that I am obsessed with (example: Ritsu). But if I need to compare myself with the most relate-able character in OreImo, who have the same kind of taste in anime and the way she lives her life "normally", I have to say Kuroneko.

I love how they interact with each other at Akiba. It just show how passionate they are with their anime, despite the difference in tastes. I'm sure that many of us have been in the same situation before, debating about stuffs and arguing about which anime/character/genre/seiyuu/etc is the best. But at the end of the day, we are all feel fulfilled because we got to share our passion with someone else who is just as crazy.

But this is not what the episode is about. Episode 3 is about Kirino trying to get out of the closet and come clean with her parent of her real hobbies. I think she's a tad envious that Kuroneko and Giant Girl can be so honest about it with their families. I don't think she's ready though, judging by her reaction when her dad found out about the eroge. I don't blame her dad. Any parent would freak out when they found something erotics.

So it was Kousuke's responsibility as her brother to take the fall. I gotta hand it to him though. If it was me, I wouldn't even bother from the beginning. She smacked him right in the face for trying to help her, FFS. I would probably just let her solved her own fucking insecurities problems.

But of course. I have to put my blame on the media for creating general public perspective that anime is bad influence for kids. I mean, even in Malaysia, one of the state has already banned anime. I say that the general public needs to be educated. That is why I am constantly talking about anime whenever I got the chance and is basically very open about it. Having said that, I'm known for being perverted because of it. LOL

In Kirino's case, it also has something to do with the word "otaku". In any other part of the world, that word has totally different meaning and implications. Some, like in the US, even take that word as complimentary hence why many bloggers flaunt that words in naming their blog. In Japan however, that word is considered derogatory and always connected with negativity. So naturally her dad will freak out, just because he is the typical Japanese dad trying to raise a typical Japanese family. Kousuke explained it to her nicely.

If it was me, I won't go on a tantrum like Kirino did, crying about it like a spoiled brat. Truth be told, sometimes my parents are worried about me. I spend my free time in front of the computer watching anime instead of going on a date or socializing. I spend thousand of dollars buying figures. They don't understand it so I do get scolded once or twice about wasting my life with these stuff but I just shrugged it off. I still talk about anime and still buy figures and other merchandises. I understand that they can't help but worried about that kind of stuff since it is what parent does, but they also have to understand who I am as a person/human being. I know I'm not getting younger but at least I know I'm living my life the way I want to live it. I didn't turn out as a hypocrite. That's how I see Kirino atm.

She should just stand up to his dad and be frank about it, just like Kousuke did in her stead. It rather annoys me though. Kousuke imo kinda over did it. If I was the dad, I would probably kick him out of my house for being so annoying.

But for all his trouble, Kirino finally called him "aniki' so in the end it was worth it for the perverted Kousuke.

(c) yanagida shita

On a side note, I thought it was rather sweet of Kousuke talking to his "girlfriend" before bed times and how they kinda understand each other without having to say much. I think we have something going on here. He is obviously oblivious about her feelings but I am rather excited to find out whether or not he will notice it at the end. If he does, then will he accept her? Gosh, I am really into romance this season, aren't I? So why am I not liking the romance in Bakuman?

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Arakawa Under the Bridge

(c) shishio

I was very excited when I first saw this show. It has that unusual comedy that I always have a knack for. Was it original? Well, Akiyuki Shinbou is the director for Arakawa, the same man who directed Bakemonogatari, Maria+Holic and Zetsubuo Sensei. All four kinda have similarities: dark comedy and colorful cast of characters. But yes, I do think Arakawa has that originality to it. I mean, I haven't seen any other anime having a story about the people who are living under a bridge.

So, kudos to SHAFT.

The story: Kou Ichinomiya comes from a family that does not rely on anyone, no matter what the circumstances are. To inherit the family business, he has to prove that he can do just that. All that change when he met Nino who thinks she's from Venus and the rest of the denizens who reside under the Arakawa bridge. One thing lead to the other and Kou is suddenly Nino's lover much to the irk of (almost) every male under the bridge. There wasn't really a strong plot to Arakawa. They attempted to do one but it was half-ass.

Towards the end, Kou initial intend to inherit the family business kinda dead. Well, he does ended up a changed man although still very whiny about everything else. All that bullshit about not wanting to rely on anyone disappeared with every episodes as he developed and learned few things from the wacky denizens.

In the end, I think Arakawa Under the Bridge is an unusual love story. I feel like it sending all kind of deep beautiful messages such as

• it is okay to be different as long as you love who you are
• true love transcends everything that is normal
• love is accepting the other half of you and allow him/her to complete you
• you don't need words to express love. Action speaks louder than words
• there is all kind of loves
  

If you care to look and learn from the poetry at the beginning of every episodes, you'll get the message. Those, for me, are the highlight of the show.

It is through the characters that Arakawa is given life. Well, I have already introduce Kou and Nino but they are boring. Lets move on the the more interesting characters. Allow me to introduce my favorite character of the series:

Hoshi

(c) minishiba3

There are several reasons why I like him the most

1. Sugita Tomokazu is his seiyuu
2. He plays the guitar
3. He can sing
4. He lives in a trailer
5. He is a shooting star
6. He is a potato
7. He is in fact a very successful pop-star in the normal world
8. He is good looking
9. He never gives up on his love
10. He is cool as fuck
    

My second favorite character made her debut in episode 7 and her name is P-Ko. I just love her red hair to death. She's the girl who loves the mayor and knows that it will forever be an unrequited love. The reason she loves the mayor? Because he's green. You see, her profession is pretty much the one who supplies vegetables to the denizens and loves everything that reminds her of her veggies. She is also useless with direction. Comparing all the characters in Arakawa, I think P-Ko is the prettiest. Like I said, it's her hair. They are so perfect =3


We can't talk about Arakawa if we didn't mention the mayor who wears a kappa suit but refused to admit that fact. He might seems useless but at one point, he did save the people from being chased out from under the bridge in episode 12. Everyone except Kou seem to sincerely love the mayor. Sister in particular kinda over doing it as can be seen in episode 10. The mayor is responsible of giving the resident their name. This is how Kou ended up as being "Recruit" or "Ric".

Then there is Sister who isn't really a sister but a fugitive foreign man wearing a Sister outfit. He runs the church and responsible for the mass. As expected from a man with his caliber, he solved every problem either using gun, or more guns. He's so hopelessly in love with Maria, the super-sadistic bitch that runs the farm. He also has a disciple. A kid named Stella who can grow as big as he whenever she wanted. She is evil and has successfully recruited the Tetsujin twin who believed the alien are after them. Let's not forget the Liner who walks around with a white-line-drawing thingy in front of him. He only walks on the white line he had make. In the last episode they re-introduce the samurai guy, Billy (man with parrot head), Jacqueline and the Amazon woman. All to gear up for season 2.

(c) kuren

Credit to Tatsuwa Naoyuki for the OP and ED video. I was a fan of the OP at some point because it reminds me of Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu. It is fresh and I like the theme that he used. It was also pretty telling about the romance between Kou and Nino. The OP song itself (Venus to Jesus by Etsuko Yakushimaru) wasn't that appealing to me. It was good but nothing special though I think I can recognized it when I heard it somewhere else. The ED (Sakasama Bridge by Suneohair) on the other hand sound more interesting to me. Maybe I am biased about it because Suneohair did the ED for Honey and Clover too.



In term of art and animation, credit has to be given to SHAFT for once again coming up with something that is visually attractive and unique. I actually have read people complaining about it but too me that is the most endearing part of SHAFT's anime. I love the art direction of the show. The extreme close-up on the facial expression really captured the emotions that the character has. That in my opinion, is one of the strongest point of this show. Guess what it reminded me of... Yep, Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu. Again.

Like I said earlier, the characters in Arakawa are the one that made this show enjoyable. This is made possible because the seiyuus did a good job. Sugita obviously. But through Arakawa I begin to take notice of Kamiya Hiroshi and Amigawa Chiako, the seiyuu for Kou and P-Ko respectively. Kudos to them for getting into the character so well.

The humor in Arakawa are entertaining and craftedly done but I think because it focuses a lot more on the comedy, the series doesn't create a strong lasting impression. It was enjoyable to watch, but it is hard to give the show high praises because it did not leave this heavy impact. The characters were superb, the animation and music decent, the comedy golden, but something was missing that could have made this show much, much stronger.

Having said that, I am looking forward for season two. Bring it on!

(Edit: I've seen the first couple of episode from Season 2 and it's going down hill atm.)

Final verdict? Less than what I initially gave it.

art 9/10
story 6/10
sound 8/10
character 9/10
enjoyment 7/10
overall 8/10

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Diary of a tard - Week 2, October 2010

Sunday, October 10

I am determined to watch the remaining fall anime that are on my hard drive today:

• To Aru Majutsu no Index II
• MM!
• Iron Man
• Shinryaku! Ika-Musume
• Arakawa Under the Bridge x Bridge
• Star Driver
• Otome Youkai Zakuro
• Yosuga no Sora
• The World God Only Knows
  

Finally, I got to see episode 5 of the Wagaya no Oinari-sama Special. This time they are all at the beach with all kinds of adventures. Gah, I want to see the other 7 episodes. Anyone has any idea where can I get the torrent of it?

Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai (jeebus, that title is a mouth full -_-) episode 2: Surprisingly Kousaka has good ideas. I mean, I get into blogging and RPing because I want to find friends who share the same passion. I can't relate to Kirino for being so reserved though. Probably because I live in a society that is still pretty naive about otaku or simply because I don't give a damn about other people's opinions about me. I can't imagine myself hiding the fact that I love anime/manga/figure or how big of a tard I am. And I think meeting IRL kinda cool but I don't want to meet any girls. Just boys please. I don't get along well with girls. Anyway, Kirino made friends with Saori and Kuroneko. I love how they interacted. They insult one another and have disagreement about their taste for anime. I'm definitely on Kuroneko side. MOE CAN JUST FUCKING DIE! I have had the same argument countless times with my friends since the K-ON invasion. Oh god, listen to me talking about myself instead of the show. Yep, that's how relate-able it is!

trufax

Monday, October 11

I am watching episode 2 of Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt. In the first half, the girls went to school and exterminated the bee monster. It was okay until Panty decided to have sex with the rugby team. That is just awkward, man. But that just only the tip of an iceberg. The second half was full with dirty cheap sex jokes, it made me cringed. it left a really bitter and bad taste in my mouth.

Friday, October 15

Fuh, I thought Haru gonna get lucky in episode 2 of Yosuga no Sora. Sora just wanted him to measure her for the school uniform which mean she'll be going to the school in this episode. Looks like Akira has some dark secret about her parent that she wanted to hide otherwise people around her won't be too sensitive about it. And somehow she's related to the Ojou-sama. Ah this is a disappointing episode. I want some twincest action! But I think I like the end skit with the maid. ^^"

Arakawa Under the Bridge x Bridge episode 2: Continuation of Kou meeting the Amazoness and her tengu (who btw are just men wearing tengu mask and shirt with a bra printed on it). She's protecting some stupid ice-cream. Just WTF? The Amazoness was supposed to be this really scary character but turned out she's just plain fucked up. I found her rather annoying but I admit she's slightly funny too. Looks like the other residents of the bridge haven't met her yet. There is a new character introduced: Captain of the Earth Defense Force. He's there to combat the Venusian. He really has an over active imaginations. Kou's plan to send him away backfired. By the way, we finally have an ED and who sing it? Tomokazu Sugita as Hoshi! w00t w00t!! Instead of just the Kappa, we have a real life action Hoshi. I wonder if Tomokazu wears that mask for real.


You really got to hand it to JC Staff. The animation in Otome Youkai Zakuro is so freaking fluid and pretty. It is what makes me want to continue watching it. In episode 2, they have to send away a spirit at a hotel. The mission ended up quite a mess. Hanadate came and saved the day. Zakuro is completely smitten with him but there's something about him that I can't trust. He kinda reminds me of Gin.

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Bleach: Episode 292

Whoaa another new OP for Bleach. Gotta love the quality of the animation in the video. If only we got the same quality every week. The song itself is already my favorite, just like any other Bleach's songs. The video btw is pretty telling with spoilers of what to come.

I wish they would just hurry the fuck up with the flashback. They are wasting my freaking precious time showing the death of Tousen all over again. Fuck that. I thought I have seen the last of him.

I feel bad for Ichigo. His entrance to the fake!Karakura Town should have been grander. Unfortunately the quality of the anime was abysmal. At one frame, Ichigo doesn't even looks like Ichigo. Even his attacks were weaksauce. I mean, he doesn't even has his vaizard mask on and he expected to wound Aizen? That's over-confident for you.

I don't remember Aizen said anything that protects the back of his neck though.

But meh whatever. He's invincible anyway. To be honest, it hurts my ego watching the fight between Ichigo and Aizen. It is too unbalance, it starting to look like a joke. Aizen continue mocking him about it and like a naive ryoka boy that he is, he fell for it.

The yaoi moment that got all the fangirls squealing. Too bad it was short lived in the anime. I remember the effect from reading the manga was totally on different level

Why? Because he's so freaking worried about Aizen's zanpaktou thus he was afraid to get closer to him.

If it wasn't for Komamura and the others, Ichigo would have given up, that's how cunning Aizen is with his words. But yeah, looks like every other standing captains and vaizards have bow to protect Ichigo so he wouldn't see Aizen's shikai. That, my friend, is the stupidest strategy I have ever heard.


I laughed listening to the silly captains and vaizards. In their condition, they still boasting about shitty stuffs. I wasn't convinced at all. Out all of them though, I think only Soi Fon's words are less conceited.

This episode is full of jokes. For example when Aizen used his Hinamori trump card at Toushiro. The outcome was so obvious, wasn't it?


Oh, we have a new ED as well? And what is this? Grimmjow? Ulquiorra? They are alive!!! Other than that fact, the video is pretty stupid though the song is not >>

For better explanation about the episode, check out chapter 388.

For my rants on previous episodes, click here.

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First Impression: Arakawa Under the Bridge x Bridge

I just completed season one like a week ago. I purposely delayed the completion because I kinda lost the feelings of awesomeness halfway through it. But since it was still fresh, I am motivated for season two of Arakawa Under the Bridge x Bridge.

The story picked up from where it left of. Basically they are still the same people with the same antics. Heh, I'm so glad that my mind is still fresh from last season's episodes. And I'm so glad they are still the same fucked up people under the bridge.

Kou asked Nino to move in with him, hoping that they'll be closer together. What he doesn't expect however that he got kicked out from his own home as Nino moved in. Basically they traded houses. In second half of the episode, Kou met the Amazoness who reminds me a lot of the President of in the Detroit Metal City. FUCKING CUNT! *chuckles* Ah DMC brings a lot of good memories...

The episode ends with the same dream Nino had at the beginning but this time around, she managed to see her as a child, with her parent, on a rocket blasting off to the sky. Yeah, extravagant as always.

Err, personally I think the OP takes a while for it to get going but then it quickly grows on me. As for the ED... What ED?

So yeah, I enjoyed it very much. It feels like watching the first episode of season one. Good feelings all around. This time looks like they are setting up a plot at the beginning on the season so it wouldn't feel forced like in the first season. More reason to follow this show, then.

art & animation 9/10
story 8/10
character 10/10
sound 9/10
enjoyment 9/10
overall 9/10

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First Impression: The World God Only Knows

(c) wakiki tamiki

Hmm, this is the show about games huh? I doubt I can relate to this show since I don't play games. But I can relate about human interaction and relationship. We all can. Hopefully this won't be just another one of those disappointing show I've seen so far.

This show is about a high school kid named Katsuragi Keima who is an expert on "dating" games and loves only the 2D girls. One day he received a request to conquer a mysterious girl and being the God of Conquest, he accepted the challenge. Little did he know, that girl was a devil sent from hell and he has to help her collects loose souls, according to the contract. If he breeches the contract, OFF WITH HIS HEAD! Heh. The only way to gather the loose souls is ts to make them fall in love with him. Easy enough right? Wrong, because he only knows how to do it in games. We all know 2D and 3D don't mixed. And thus how the hilarity ensued.

I would have like it more if they actually really did fall for each other rather than just sharing a kiss and the girl lost memory of the conquest. Jeebus, this is actually the second anime this season that I find decent even with the underlying romance theme in it. I am getting soft for sure...


In term of art and animation, it was average at best. Nothing really stands out. Even the main characters looks like average Joe.

The OP kinda have that dark and mysterious qualities to it. I kinda like it. The ED is forgettable though. Katsurugi sounds very familiar until I can pin point where I heard that voice from. He sounds just like Akihisa in Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu so Hiro Shimono must be his seiyuu too then. The other seiyuus did a great job overall.

I enjoyed this one so I'll look forward to episode 2. If they keep switching girls (like I know they would), I will probably found this show less and less appealing as it goes.

art & animation 7/10
story 6/10
character 6/10
sound 6/10
enjoyment 7/10
overall 6/10

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