Persona 4 the Animation: Episode 11

I am not happy to learn that Rise's is Lovers Arcana. Hopefully it just a random shit and has nothing to do with the plot because if indeed Yuu and Rise ended up having a relationship, then I might just dropped this. I'm just that intolerant when it comes to character that I dislike. Even Margaret warned him against it.

Anyhoo, another murder in town just when they thought they have figured out the clue. King Moron (the annoying teacher of theirs) didn't appear on TV or in the Midnight Channel. They are back to square one. Shits get a little bit cheesy as they discussed what they should do next while eating a mega beef noodle.

They wanna tried the TV but was surprised to find Teddy in the real world having a blast with the message chair. I'm disturbed that none of the people there were suspicious of Teddy. Did they think he was a mascot or something? Oh wait a minute... looks like he has transformed into a real boy! Pinnochio would have been very jealous of him, I am sure. Even more so if he knew that he becomes a boy so he can score with Yukiko and Chie.

(c) pixiv id 2249592

There is some psychotic guy in town by the way. He might be the King Moron's killer. He has his eyes on Yuu's niece. He was the same guy that confessed to Yukiko several chapters back. He was determined to kill the gang now since they were in the way. He even confessed that he was the killer in the internet but who the fuck will take him seriously. What did he do to prove himself? He turned himself in. Jeebus. And thus I don't believe that he's the killer at all.

It was also revealed that Naoto is helping out the cops with the investigation. Yuu's uncle wasn't too happy about it but since their investigations weren't going anywhere, he doesn't have much of a choice. It was authorized by the higher up anyway so basically that was nothing that he can do about it. But once that psycho was caught, Naoto quickly got the boot. Heh, not for long. I think he'll join Yuu soon.

Since the culprit has been identified, Yuu and the rest of the gang were pretty bumped at the thought of not hanging out together anymore. Jeebus, what? Why not? They are being unnecessarily melodramatic about it. Since none of them wanted that, they decided to continue watching the Midnight Channel and what do you know... that psycho appeared, taunting them.

This ought to be interesting. For the past 10 episodes, we only see Yuu and his friends trying to save whoever it was that got caught and thrown inside the TV world but what will he do when it's someone bad and evil?

p/s: I didn't mention this earlier for obvious reason but Rise has joined the team as well. If she turned out to be a liability then I'm gonna rage and do a Chuck Norris on her.

I wear a megane too! Are we friends as well?

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Bleach: Unmasked 3

A few days ago, I found out that Kubo has indeed granted my wish. He actually did tell us of Ulquiorra's back story in one of his special side comic. I wasn't sure when it was published but apparently it has been around for some time. It just goes to show how little the Bleach fanbase is nowadays compared to... let just say 5 years ago. 5 years ago, we would have the fans tripping on each other with this kind of release.

(c) pixiv id 1725061

Thankfully though, there are still fans of Bleach who care and thus why I stumbled upon this. I was reading a fanfic of Ulquiorra and Rukia (yeah I'm that crazy about Rukia) when the writer said that it was based on Ulquiorra's back story. I was like, WHAT BACK STORY? And so my search for Unmasked 3 begun and quickly ended because it was only 11 pages long.

Having read it, I have a better understanding of how Ulquiorra can be so cold towards anyone and everything. It was just his mechanism for happiness and weird as it sounds, I think he has some valid point about it. What is happiness anyway? To each is his own, and having just set my new resolution to stay void of anything human referred to as love, I seek of the same thing as him. It is only then that I can go about my life without having to feel the lost.

Why the hell am I saying those kind of shit here?

you lots were deceived. They are fuck buddies
(c) Rusky_boz

Anyhoo, even though I am not a fan of Ulquiorra/Orihime (then again, I want Orihime to rotten in hell alone) shipping, it seems like Kubo wanted to tell us something through this chapter. Kubo is always hinting of his shipping through out the manga and he did it again. I wish he just have the ball to fucking get it done with. We all know that Ulquiorra and Grimmjow are the good guys anyway...

AND YES THEY ARE STILL ALIVE BECAUSE I SAID SO!

Also, with this chapter, I hope it settled the bullshit about Ichigo and Orihime. BITCH PLEASE.

Oh, before I signed out, how very rude of me to talk about this Bleach chapter of Unmasked 3 without providing you guys with the link, even though you could have google it yourself, you lazy fuckers :)

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First Impression: Rinne no Lagrange

Episodes: 12
Producers: Production I.G, Xebec
Genres: Action, Comedy, Mecha

I wouldn't be bothered by this show if it wasn't for Production I.G. If anything else fails, I was hoping that Production I.G did their part and produced some good quality animation, just like they did with Guilty Crown. Having said that, I did drop that shit after the second episode. Good story > quality animation for me.

I did say that it looks promising in my preview but I do not get my hopes up when I saw the staff who are working on this show. They don't really has that much experience under their belt except maybe for the Series Production Director, Tatsuo Satou. Hmm, maybe this show can be their catalyst for stardom? Let see...

dafuq? O_o

Fansub [commie] leaked the pre-aired episode and the quality was quite bad. Served us leech right but that won't stopped me from checking it out.

Rinne no Lagrange is about a girl who loves to help people out. The show started with her jumping into the ocean (she just happened to wear a swimsuit underneath her school uniform) to save a girl from drowning. She also always bring her jersey around, just in case. Her name is Madoka Kyono. She is helping out in every club that you can think of and is good at each of them which of course makes her a popular student at her school. Sounds normal enough, yes?

But of course her life was about to change forever. She was visited by strange person whose name is even stranger. Lets just called her Fin Lan for short. From that day on, she becomes a mecha pilot fighting the evil aliens, known as Demetria, who just happened to be hot bishies. I mean, I wouldn't mind swapping life with Madoka just so I can seduce and f-

Nevermind.

Did I mention that her family is against her piloting a mecha, as if it was a job that was advertise in the newspaper? Unnecessary drama, in my opinion. Also, how the fuck does a highschool girl suddenly knows how to pilot a mecha? Oh right... their "hearts" were connected. DAFUQ!

But I am an optimistic girl. When I saw the two mechas fighting, and knowing that Array was this hot headed bishie, I immediately wanted to see these two persons fight again - in bed. LMAO

Just like that I have found my OTP.

Sadly though, the way these characters were depicted, there is little room for development. Take Madoka for an example: she is just depicted as a happy airhead who went along at anything that was thrown at her. If this wasn't the case, then this show could have some potential to be more than just a shallow mecha anime.

To make things worse, it has cheesy BGM too. At one scene when the bishies appeared, suddenly the airship turned into some cheap blues bar that you imagined was preoccupied by fugly hosts. They were trying too hard. It was rather annoying to be honest. Same goes for the OP and ED. Definitely not this show's strongest point. Then again, nothing is.

this is a lie

The animation was smooth as expected from Production I.G. The character designs however, are average at best. The hot bishies have this dead expression on their faces and the background could have been improved with more details. Also the choice of color could have been better. It failed to make this show looks more dynamic. Everything is just as flat and as bland as the plot (if indeed there will be one).

I might dropped this but if it manages to constantly pique my interest with the "fights", then who knows. But for me to survive the fanservice... This show is like them bimbos. Pretty to look at but dumb as fuck.

Recommended? Only if you a hardcore mecha fans.

arts & animation 6/10
story 5/10
characters 6/10
sound 5/10
enjoyment 6/10
overall 5.6/10

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My Top 10: Anime of 2011

It has become sort of a tradition for us fans to list out our top ten anime of the year and since I've been doing it for the past couple of years, I might as well continue with the tradition. I think you can tell a lot from the list as to what the person's preferences are when it comes to anime, and how (or if) it changed over the years.

When I look at my 2010 and 2009 lists, I spotted a difference. Comedy anime pretty much dominated my list in 2010. However, I rather enjoyed anime with heavier plot and solid story in 2009. I am excited to see which anime will make it to the list for 2011.

My top 5 choices were easy but I was having quite a hard time with the bottom 5. Some I like because of the characters but found the story to be weak and the end anti-climatic while some I like for the story but didn't have anything that stood out. I need my criteria sorted out lol. Besides, shits were crazy at the start of the year and I hardly watched anything which mean I missed watching some few good anime like Madoka, Steins;Gate, Hourou Musuko, etc. I am pretty sure that at least my bottom 5 anime would be slightly different if I did completed those shows. Thus, after looking around the aniblogsphere I can see how my list is different from most of them. Oh well...

So for the time being, lets just get on with the list. After a long and very careful deliberation, here are my personal top 10 anime of 2011 in mixed orders:

9. Ao no Exorcist
Aired: Spring 2011
Episodes: 25
Producers: A-1 Pictures, Aniplex
Genres: Action, Shounen, Supernatural
My rating: 9/10

(c) pixiv id 3606202

If it wasn't for the anti-climatic ending and the fact that half of the episodes were fillers, Ao no Exorcist could have ended up higher up on my list because despite everything I just freaking love the Okumura twins. They also managed to keep me interested even through those fillers episodes that included the obligatory beach episode for the summer. At the end of the day, the casts and strong characters became it's backbone and carried this show through for me. Ao no Exorcist is a pretty darn typical shounen anime and A-1 Pictures knew this so when the series can't be original, they sure as hell live up to expectation by making sure that it was entertaining with a decent story for me to enjoy.

6. Yondemasu yo, Azazel-san!
Aired: Spring 2011
Episodes: 13
Producers: Production I.G.
Genres: Comedy, Supernatural
My Rating: 9/10

Each episode is only 12 minutes long but it manages to offend pretty much everyone and everything which in my opinion what makes this show so brilliantly funny. The comedy was unconventional and the characters even more so. Azazel-san pretty much reminds me of Gintama with it's random jokes and anything that reminded me of Gintama's humour deserved to be in my top 10 list. Beware though, enter at your own risk.

2. Ano hi Mita Hana no Namae O Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai
Aired: Spring 2011
Episodes: 11
Producers: A-1 Pictures, Aniplex, Fuji TV
Genres: Slice of life, Drama
My Rating: 10/10

(c) XI-Hypocrisy-IX

This show is as real as it gets when it comes to dealing with friendship, death and feelings and learning to deal with all that while day after day you grow farther apart from each other yet the attachment, or that bond, is still as strong as ever. Ano Hana for short (We Still Don't Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day - for the long English translation), hits so close to home that even to this day, I can't bring myself to watch the last episode of the show. I am not ready for either a disappointment, or a heartbreak. With Ano Hana, I was forced to see, consider and analyze far more than what would be considered healthy. Thanks to this show, it gave me the courage to seek those friends that I thought would have been best forgotten. Meeting them again was liberating and it made me see how much each of us have grown up as a person, either for better or for worse. For an anime show to have that kind of effect on a human being in real life, Ano Hana is definitely quite special in it's own right.

5. Kimi to Boku
Aired: Fall 2011
Episodes: 13
Producers: J.C. Staff, Aniplex
Genres: Slice of life, Comedy, Drama
My Rating: 9/10

(c) pixiv id 2678365

There is no practicing of trash music, or tea time after school. If you think this is the male version of K-ON than you are incredibly wrong so for the haters, clearly you are missing out on this one. Granted that it is full of bishies, but what is wrong with that? If us females can watch Lucky Star or K-ON, then it is definitely manly of you guys if you could watch this without feeling disgusted. People have the pre-notion that this show has no plot and is just a BL fantasies for us fans/gays. It is anything but that. Kimi to Boku tackles real issues growing up as boys (I grew up surrounded by boys so I have an idea or two). It was an honest show and because of that I found it alluring and it left me wanting more.

4. Fate/Zero
Aired: Fall 2011
Episodes: 13
Producers: ufotable, Aniplex, Nitroplus
Genres: Action, Fantasy, Supernatural
My Rating: 10/10

(c) Yukihime

I know shit about Typemoon and thus why I have some doubts going into the Fall season, as I've said in my preview. However after watching the first episode, and the fact that ufotable didn't disappoint me at all with their delivery, I quickly become a fan. Part of it was thanks to Reiki, a reader of my Fate/Zero episodic posts who never got tired in teaching me the ropes about the Fate-verse and gradually made me interested in it as well. It's true what the saying goes then... tak kenal maka tak cinta (you can't fall in love if you didn't know them). Fate/Zero far surpasses Fate/Stay Night, it's predecessor, in every way imaginable. I love Kara no Kyoukai for the dark themes and I basically got what I was asking for in Fate/Zero due to the awesomeness of ufotable, from the directing, visuals, character expositions and everything/anything else you can think of. It all adds up into a much more complex and intriguing tale, a journey that is certainly unforgettable and definitely fulfilling.

1. Working'!!
Aired: Fall 2011
Episodes: 13
Producers: A-1 Pictures
Genres: Comedy
My Rating: 10/10***

(c) Atsu Takashi

Wow, really klux? Two years in a row? YES REALLY. Working'!! is a fine piece of work. The changed of director and crew for the the second season really did pay off as can be seen from the story. Everything from the animation to sound, characterization to story are all quality materials and together form both a visually and emotionally satisfying experience. The anime is far past the point of debate whether watching it would be enjoyable and worth one's while, because it most certainly is. The comedy is casual and yet hit with such force that all you can do is laughed your ass off. Unlike in first season where the focus was only on Inami and Takanashi, we have different plots that keep us on our toes because the way Working'!! is written you don't know what to expect. Most of the comedies I watched were average if not mediocre so when something like Working'!! comes along, something new, something exciting, something that you can watch and be merry about, I just ended up enjoying it. The fact that it had pique my interest from season 1 meant that it had established itself as something special, something good enough that A-1 Pictures able to be improved on after every episodes. Just how did they do it, really? For everything that Working'!! does just beautifully right, there is usually little it gets horribly wrong. I absolutely endorse this anime to anyone even if they didn't ask for my opinion.

7. Persona 4 the Animation
Aired: Fall 2011
Episodes: tbc
Producers: Aniplex, AIC A.S.T.A, Sentai Filmworks
Genres: Mystery, Supernatural, Adventure
My Rating: 9/10

(c) pixiv id 1329357

I didn't play the games but from what I've heard from those who did play and watch the anime, the anime is pretty faithful to the games and though it has it shares of pros and cons, I want to pay my respect for the producers. I thought it would be straight as an arrow and just action from end to finish. Persona 4 surprised me at the humors which I didn't expect from such show and it is mostly the reason why it ended up on my list. Since the show is on going, it wouldn't be fair to exaggerate so I ended my thoughts here.

10. Ikoku Meiro no Croisée
Aired: Summer 2011
Episodes: 12
Producers: Satelight, Sentai Filmworks
Genres: Slice of life, Historical
My Rating: 9/10

(c) Nya?

This show was the biggest surprised for me for the summer. It wasn't even on my radar until I watched the first couple of episodes. Croisee was mostly overlooked and quickly disregarded by many because just like me, the initial reaction to the preview was that this anime is nothing more than another "moe-trash" and simple pandering. Well, true that Yune was moe but damn she's adorable. This comes from someone who has a personal vendetta against moe (that of K-ON's standard). I love the interaction between the characters especially the two main protagonists. I found myself leaning a bit closer to the computer screen whenever the scene involved Yune and Claude. In fact, I didn't feel the slightest of guilt trying to make Claude a lolicon. Croisée of the Foreign Labyrinth is a piece of resistant to much of the failings that we often found in both historical and slice-of-life anime.

3. Mirai Nikki
Aired: Fall 2011
Episodes: 26
Producers: FUNimaton, Asread
Genres: Thriller, Action, Mystery
My Rating: 10/10

(c) pixiv id 345349

I love blood in my anime but sadly we didn't get enough of that lately. Deadman Wonderland was promising but damn it all those censorship, as well as the weak ass story, made me quickly lost my interest. Mirai Nikki on the other hand has a compelling story and a company of pretty wacky characters, especially Yuno Gasai, who quite possibly the only character that made this show so much win. Mirai Nikki has everything I am looking for in anime that isn't a comedy or a slice-of-life. It is a psychology thriller, with murders, gore, sins and some demented killers. They are the mechanics that makes this show so addictive. Nutcase is the right choice of word that really sums up Mirai Nikki as a show. Haters be damned.

8. Chihayafuru
Aired: Fall 2011
Episodes: 25
Producers: Madhouse Studios
Genres: Drama, Sports
My Rating: 9/10

(c) pixiv id 280496

The general idea that this show is about a Karuta card game should put us all to sleep but after one episode, most of us has nothing but praise for this show. It wasn't just about the card game, which they successfully made it looks like it was an exciting game, but it also has that element of friendship and romance that surrounded the three main protagonist. I quickly found myself rooting for Taichi, knowing very well how hurt and lonely it could be when your love is unrequited. The fact that I can identified with Taichi should be enough reason why this show ended up in my list but that is not all. The premise is simple and yet the story is so well written/thought of that it will just pull you deeper with every passing episodes. This is an anime that is best experienced one episode at a time as it thrives from the long exposure.


And so ladies and gentlewomen... that concludes my list. I'm pretty balance with my choice of anime of 2011 from heavy stuff that involved friendship, murders, horrors, and even Master/Servants relationship to the more light hearted comedy with a dash of slice of life (and perhaps a little BL) in it.

I wished for the anime industries to have better anime produced in 2011 and my wish was granted. Compared to previous couple of years, 2011 can be said as a come back year for some anime. They have everything that taste just right for my palate from thought-provoking anime to slice of life anime about boys instead of girls. Hopefully 2012 would be even grander than 2011.

Having said that, from 2011/12 Winter season preview... it looks rather disappointing... T_T

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Diary of a tard: Week 5, December 2011

I went to my hometown to celebrate Christmas and New Year here. I basically spent the whole week running around meeting friends and hang out with them like old times. God, I didn't know I miss them that much until we sat and started chatting away. We were all busy with our lives and can only met like this once or twice a year.

(c) pixiv id 290713

I only managed to read yaoi on the last day of 2011. VulpineNinja recommended Poison Cherry Drive. I decided to check it out and because of the poor translation, I didn't manage to enjoy it much. This yaoi is about a secret gay service company that will do anything gay for the client. They will help solve any gay problems as long as they can afford it. It's pretty confusing and it didn't even have any decent sex scene either. Yaoi without sex is like reading a picture book without the picture.

Happy New Year everynyan ^_^

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Welcome 2012

With 2011 out of the way, it's time to welcome the new year, the year where the world is supposed to end. Fuck that though. Instead of worrying about shit that mortal men made up, lets just live our lives the way we fucking want it to be. No regrets.

(c) Oldxian

2011 has been sort of kind to me and I hope 2012 will be even kinder. It certainly looks like that from where I am sitting at the moment. Just few days ago I got several offers regarding my career path, all in the same day. I can hardly believe my luck.

The first offer is as an editor for Iskandar Malaysia. I don't think I can say anything about the project just yet since it was still confidential shit and what not. I am kinda not sure about this one since I was trying to have a more flexible working hours and having to come up with at least 60 pages of shit to write every month would probably means late working hours and thus, limited anime time. I'm in dilemma. Having said that, this is one hell of a golden opportunity. To be involved in such project would be a great boost for my career.

The problem lies with the fact that I am trying to get out of that career path and venture to a new one which is why I am taking the part time classes at the Academy of Pastry Arts Malaysia. If everything goes according to plan, I'll get that certificate in Pastry and Bakery Arts in April. With that certificate I was planning on opening up my own pastry shop. Though I initially planned on having opening one this year, I changed my mind. This because the capital will be used for my other plan which is opening a gas station with my cousin. I am hoping with the return of investment, I'll be able to open scrumbtious pastry house by 2013.

In the mean time, I will strengthen my branding for scrumbtious which lead us to my second offer. A friend of mine is opening a cafe in the middle of Johor Bahru town soon. I talked to him in passing about my plan for a cake house when we met several months ago. I was quite surprised when he called and asked if I am interested to supply the desserts for his cafe, granted that I can used my own branding. It won't even required a lot of capital since I only need to prepare for the equipments that I need at the cafe like the chiller and a freezer. Needless to say, I'm interested as fuck. I don't even need to be there, just supplying my goods daily. I think that I can do this as a part time job but if I were to accept either one of the other two offers, will I have time for it?

How I imagine my pastry shop would be like
(c) koyori

And that's my first resolution of 2012: establishing the brand scrumbtious and made it known to the public.

Now, on to the third offer: I can get my old job back at JOHO. They are expanding and since I have been with them since the beginning, they feel like I should be there celebrating the success of the company. I am honored but because I know the amount of work that I'll be subjected to, it quickly drained my excitement. I quit because it poses no new challenge for me. I got bored. However from what I've heard, the company is going places in 2012 which mean I might get to learn something new as well. I must admit, it will indeed be fulfilling to be with the guys to reap the fruits that we sow together.

At the moment I am still undecided which offer will I accept. The only person that I can confide in is not around. I have a week to think it through though. Plenty of time to come up with a decision and excuses. Can this be another new year resolution? I think not.

Speaking of resolution, I am no longer give a shit about love and relationship. I have had enough and since I don't give a damn anymore about being a mom, men can fuck among themselves. 17 years of love going down the drain and I don't even shed a tear. If he wants to come back, he better crawl on all fours and show me how god damn sorry he is. That should teach him a fucking lesson for taking me for granted. I can't believe that I have fallen out of love with him. Never thought such day would come.

I guess I am truly single now. inb4 my waifus
(c) Enami Katsumi

My second resolution for 2012 is to be actively writing again. I don't mean writing posts for blogs but finishing my books, or at least one of them. I hardly update anything in 2011 which is inexcusable. It's not like I wasn't inspired but rather I let the laziness/procrastination consumed and eventually killed my desire to write. I will try to at least get one chapter out per month. Earlier last year, I made Wednesday as writing day. I think I should resumed that tradition. Easier said than done though because if work didn't get in the way, anime and yaoi will.

I would also like to be more wise and have more discipline and self-control when it comes to spending my monies. I should be extra careful now that I have projects and plans underway. And thus ladies and gentlemen, this is my third and last resolution.

That should be all. My consumption of anime should not be interrupted. The same goes for maintaining this blog. Doing both provide me with constant fangasm and fapping moments. They are part of my life and something that I have been doing unconsciously, like breathing. Part of this is thanks to to the awesome aniblogsphere community.

I am in a happy place right now and is very content regarding of where I am at this stage of my life. I hope nothing will disrupt the tranquility that I feel at the moment.

(c) Hombre

Lets hope this time next year, the world as we know it still exist.

Goodbye 2011, welcome 2012. Happy New Year everyone ^_^

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