first impression: Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou (anime)

Natsume Takashi is a young boy who can see ayakashi-- a trait that other humans do not have. He inherited from his grandmother, Natsume Reiko, this ability to see ayakashi as well as the all-powerful Book of Friends. With the Book of Friends, Natsume Takashi is constantly being attacked and seeked out by various demons and spirits who either wish to have their names returned, or who just want to own the book for their own evil purposes.

This is a continuation-- the second season-- of Natsume Yuujinchou which ended on thirteen episodes during the 2008 fall season.

To be exact, this particular post is more for my own opinionated thoughts rather than for a first impression. As a first impression, it is more a way for me to compare the first season with the second season's beginning. In a way, Natsume Yuujinchou fans of the world will be given a chance to compare Natsume Yuujinchou's second season with the glory of its first season.

When I first picked out Natsume Yuujinchou from various other broadcasting anime in the fall, it was because I had been drawn to the advertised poster. This is all explained in first impression: Natsume Yuujinchou.

As the first season drew to a close and the anime loving community was informed of a second season, I was extremely ecstatic. After all, the first season was rather short and left much to be desired. While I had intended to draw up some hype on the soon-to-be-aired Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou, my busy schedule and loss of motivation sort of threw all of that into the dumpster.

But lo and behold, having finally gotten my hands on the first episode of the second season of Natsume Yuujinchou, I am thoroughly revived and ready to tackle my almost abandoned anime blogging once again.

And now back to the anime.

I remember why I liked this series so much. It's relaxing and it makes you really think about every situation and every scene and every dilemma. As I had described it in the end of series thoughts, instead of being an action packed, supernatural and fantasy adventure, Natsume Yuujinchou borders more on a serene, slice of life, drama-esque type of genre. Supernatural elements just happen to be its basis, used to better distinguish Natsume Takashi's growth and development and how he learns to deal with the world around him.

The second season starts off in very much a bit of a bang compared to how the first season had started. Of course, once again, our beloved hero is being chased by some greedy ayakashi out to get him for the Book of Friends, and again, Takashi-kun meets up with a danger to himself involving more dangerous ayakashi. The second season has Takashi tripping over yet another barrier and releasing yet another high level ayakashi from its seal. And then the story goes from there.

It feels less of a sequel and more like a continuation from the first season, exactly where it had left off. Little seems to have changed save for Takashi-kun's level up in emotional and mental quotients.

The anime is still aiming for the same feel and wonder as the first season.

The only difference I can filter out of it is that Natsume Takashi seems a bit livelier than he did from the first season. It could be because of a plethora of things, such as all the friends he had made from season one, and how much more secure he is feeling in his own home now. His sense of duty from accepting the presence of youkai has been amped up a few levels-- its as if he feels that, since he has the power to do so, he needs to play mediator between youkai and humans.

Otherwise, his personality still remains quite the same: he is a good kid with nice qualities and a penchant to think for other people's sakes. He's just a little less monotonous, more active, and less depressing-- not that he had been depressing in the first season at all.

The second season seems to be trying to bring up the comedy just a little more, but hopefully it will incorporate that element as the first season had done-- the first season had the perfect dosage of every genre it portrayed and hopefully the second season will remain as such.

I have to admit though that the first hit of comedy which involved Takashi-kun being smashed in the face with a soccer ball unawares as he is reminiscing was very classic. I jumped and then I gasped and then I laughed. The bit with Natsume Takashi's overpowering strength towards ayakashi is quite admirable-- and amusing-- when he is pissed off enough to take action instead of just relying on his unreliable feline/high-level ayakashi bodyguard.

On top of everything else, I think that I have become mesmerized everytime Takashi-kun does his little clap and blow bit when returning a name to the present ayakashi. Something about how he does it and the fact that he has proven to be quite the bishie and kind-hearted boy... it just makes me unhesitatingly add him onto my list of favorite bishounen males.


Natsume Takashi has become one of my favorite main anime characters. Hands down, he's great!

The theme song is more upbeat than the first season's, but I like it. It kind of synchronizes with Takashi-kun's personality as he continues through this serial anime journey. It took me two watches, but I had noticed that the first half of the theme song shows scenes without ayakashi and the second half shows those exact same scenes with the ayakashi. I feel like it's really significant in showing just how natural the presence of youkai are in the Natsume Yuujinchou world.

Overall, I will continue to look forward to watching the rest of Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou, although I know I'll be hard pressed not to compare it to its first season.

On an end note, the ending theme is not only animated beautifully with Takashi walking through snow and his friends joining him one by one, but it is also catchy and pretty. I will wait patiently for the full version of this song.

spotlight: Natsume Yuujinchou (anime)

It's a wonder that I've even been trying to show my enthusiasm for blogging. I've been slacking off extremely for the past couple weeks-- past month, actually-- and had even disregarded the December spotlight.

However, with the coming of the new winter season in anime as well as my continued love for shoujo manga, I think I can manage to post a few things here and there for the sake of keeping this blog alive somehow.

To start the year off, my first order of business happens to be the first spotlight of the year. The Januaray spotlight goes to none other than one of the best anime series of fall 2008 and hopefully of the winter season in 2009.

***




I'm hooked on this particular anime for many, many different reasons. I truly do believe that Natsume Yuujinchou can easily be called a "diamond in the rough." It's also one of those surprising pleasures that you would have never thought you'd fall in love with.


As explained many times before, I picked up this anime series purely because I thought the poster was gorgeous. The summary seemed cliched, just like any other supernatural series, and I hadn't had much high hopes for it in the first place. But then, after watching the first and second episode, ditching it for a while and then picking it back up, I found how refreshing and mellow the series made me feel.

I fell in love with it and then I basked in the moment of knowing that a second season would be airing soon after.

This is a true episodic series in which every episode has a story of its own, which also pertains to the rest of the running story line. And everything just kind of falls into place neatly and nothing seems forced. If a filler had been interjected, I don't think I would have noticed. Because even as the series progressed in a nonlinear fashion, our main hero, Natsume Takashi continues to develop and continues to grow and continues to learn new things about hisself, about the world around him, and about his special ability.


I fell in love with Natsume Yuujinchou, despite my main genre being romantic comedies based around shoujo manga. Comedy meshes naturally with the drama, the melodrama, the supernatural, and the everyday slice of life elements.

Instead of being a supernatural series with a side of drama, comedy and adventure, Natsume Yuujinchou prides itself on the drama and slice of life areas, which just so happen to have supernatural, comedy, with a side of adventure and sprinkles of action. Natsume Yuujinchou is not flashy or fast-paced, and Natsume Yuujinchou does not force action or comedy.

In a sense, it depicts one specific kind of subject: "This is what your natural life would be like if you could interact with ayakashi." And then, "This is what Natsume Takashi's natural life is like, having always been able to interact with ayakashi." There is nothing thoroughly exciting and funny about being able to see these things, and we are shown this through the flashbacks and the emotional stress that Takashi-kun exhibits throughout the series. He is in contact with ayakashi every day of his life, every hour of every day, and everything is suddenly second nature to him. Like interacting with various people, Takashi simply ignores what he doesn't care to see and deals with what he thinks should be dealt with.

This life is not an adventure for Takashi, this is just how life is for him. And the series does well to depict how he comes to accept his abilities and the constant presence of ayakashi around him. Yes, he is different from others and because of this, he has been shunned and thrown from household to household. But somehow, Natsume Takashi has been able to manage himself quite well.

In other comments and posts around the anime-internet community, it has been mentioned that Natsume Takashi's personality is quite different from manga to anime. In the manga, I've read, he is more melancholic and less kind than he is in the anime. Frankly, I really do prefer to see a serene and good-natured Natsume Takashi over one who will brood and hate because of his lonely and tortured history. Somehow, it adds onto the wonder and amazement that is the anime of Natsume Yuujinchou; the character of Natsume Takashi makes the series such a hit.


Everything from his past history, his flashbacks, his insecurity, his sense of needing to know where he belongs, and his consistent state of kindness and serenity towards the world and the people around him despite all that has happened to him make him a very unique person.

And it is this part of the series that makes for an awesome beauty. The characterization of Natsume Takashi. He can be melancholic, but in a rather subtle way, and he can be a bit terse. But he is depicted overall as a very nice boy who cares about the people around him and cares about the welfare of any perfect stranger, be that stranger ayakashi or human. He is simply lonely and full of concern about what will happen to him and about all the people he may or may not trouble because of his ability to see and communicate with ayakashi.

In a perfect world, one would be hard pressed to find such an optimistic person who has gone through what Natsume Takashi has gone through. But it is this type of person who allows the viewer a sense mysterious hope that not all views of life are filled with drawbacks and malicious evil. There is always a silver lining.

Natsume Yuujinchou is a wonderful and lovely series. And if you think I haven't boasted enough about it, then you haven't read my thoughts on the first season. Another written post for the second season may enter into this blog as well as soon as I finish watching it.


Throughout this post I have mentioned only the series itself and the main hero. I have made no mention of the fat cat, which is also a significant factor to the series. Of course, I feel like the anime really fluorishes because of its tone and it's slow paced storytelling. The characterization of Natsume Takashi is wonderful, and the supporting role of Madara/Nyanko-sensei is a must as the cat actually gives Takashi the hope that there is somewhere he belongs and someone who will always be with him. The introduction of each ayakashi and their episodic storyline can be touching or amusing, and they all add onto the greatness of Natsume Yuujinchou.

Natsume Yuujinchou is probably not for those who seek shounen adventures and the like. But I definitely recommend this series to anyone and everyone who just wants to sit back and relax with a good series. It is a series that needs to be felt rather than rushed through, and I enjoy watching the entire series slowly by episode as it seems only right to feel at ease when watching such a serene series.


Indeed, as the first spotlight of 2009, there is no other who could take the place of Natsume Yuujinchou, the unexpected treasure of 2008's fall season and the looked forward to love of 2009's winter season.

first impression: Kuroshitsuji (anime)

So my first impression of this anime after seeing the opening theme was: "Is this a bit... shounen-ai?" And for those of you who don't know what that means, don't ask, because it just means you haven't been exposed to anime and manga enough.

But I really think that the opening is simply misleading. Were this strictly a romance genre and were the two main characters romantically involved somehow-- despite the boy love ideals that I haven't been able to truly open up to yet-- the opening theme and sequence would have been perfect and very... well, "pretty."

Anyway, the premise to this series is about the Phantomhive family and the butler-- who is basically "super butler max". The story currently centers around Ciel Phantomhive, a young twelve year old master of his home and his business, and his butler Sebastian Michaelis.

The episode begins in a rather dramatic, morbid and twisted way. But as it progresses, the comedic antics and the incredible actions of the butler and the staff of the Phantomhive villa come into play. The story just centers around the devotion of Sebastian to his job as Ciel's butler and bodyguard. Everything Sebastian does, he does with ease and can probably do anything and everything ever tasked to him.

The first episode centers around a business contract and financial issues that need to be resolved by Ciel in order for a company to continue running. The staff, in an attempt to one-up Sebastian, take things into their own hands, but screw up immensely before the guest arrives at the mansion. Sebastian, with his demonic skills, fixes everything with ease and prepares the appearance of the villa, dinner, as well as all service for the guest's arrival.

During this time, Ciel receives the guest but seems to only be interested in playing games with him. As dinner progresses and their negotiations seem to be going nowhere, the guest is found talking about how he hasn't been able to procure the money he needs from the Phantomhive child and we learn that he is trying to cheat Ciel by running away from the factory after getting the money. But little does he realize that Ciel already knew of his betrayal and thus, the little boardgame they'd been playing ends up being reality when the guest loses his legs and is given a fiery demise in the end.

The whole concept of the series is supposed to have a creepy, horror-ish feel to it. And it is successful-- or rather it would have been successful if there weren't so many comedic antics thrown in. This is like an Addam's Family alternative, but without a family and simply a master and his staff.

But I have to admit that I enjoyed every bit of what I watched, even some of the lame attempts at hilarity. Maaya Sakamoto does wonders as a twelve year old child's voice actor-- her monotone and her boy's voice is excellent and as expected of such a versatile voice actor.

All in all, I think I may enjoy Kuroshitsuji, even if it doesn't become one of the best anime of the season. This is sort of like a secret delight for me. Kind of like Wagaya no Oinari-sama was, because even though the anime wasn't all that great, I still enjoyed it immensely.

I look forward to slowly easing through this series, because though good, it doesn't really have me hooked. Not just yet.

thoughts: Natsume Yuujinchou (anime)

Since the very beginning, I know that I've been drawn to the majestic beauty of Natsume Yuujinchou. From the artwork to the animation, and most importantly to the characters and the storyline, everything about Natsume Yuujinchou has held my attention long enough for me to feel awestruck by just how gorgeous this anime can be.



As stated in my first impression post of Natsume Yuujinchou, I was drawn to the anime via the poster. It was a very pretty poster. The summary did nothing for me, really but let me know what was going on.

In essence, what actually kept me watching the entire series from beginning to end would have to be the feeling I get from viewing Natsume Yuujinchou as a whole. It's almost like reading about a majestic legend, or some form of old folklore. The mood is relaxing, the music and artwork help with that, and altogether, without being over exaggerated or flashy, Natsume Yuujinchou delivers a very fascinating, amazing story for the viewers.

This may be a horrible comparison, but I get a slight feel for Hayao Miyazaki when I see the stories of each episode unfolding and hear the music playing softly in the background.

Like works by Hayao Miyazaki, Natsume Yuujinchou sort of plays on images and feelings more than the actual action of each storyline of each episode. And also more so than words.

The storyline is cliched, but the way it's executed is simple and soothing for a supernatural anime. The characters, though limited, are interesting to follow. Natusme Takashi and Nyanko-sensei are really the only two that we get to follow throughout the series and we learn a lot about the two as the thirteen episodes progress. Natsume Reiko, Takashi's grandmother with the same ability as Takashi, is mentioned infrequently, and a plethora of ayakashi are presented each episode along with their sentimental stories.


With this anime, I hate that I can't seem to relay the exact feeling I have of each and every episode. But I can still try to describe how I feel...

It's almost like watching the sun rising-- something phenomenal, yet at the same time so natural is taking place. The scenery is wonderful, but at the same time it's not loud or flashy. It is simply one simple event. But it's wonderful nonetheless.

This is Natsume Yuujinchou in a nutshell.

Many would not be drawn to it because it is so quiet and simple as an anime filed under fantasy. But in essence, this anime is more so a slice of life drama hidden within all the beautiful supernatural phenomena it boasts as it's central theme.

Up to the ending of the thirteen episodes, the only conflicts we encounter are very realistic and everyday normal, even for a storyline that plays on a boy being able to interact with supernatural beings where no one else can.

As others have stated before, Natsume Yuujinchou delivers its central theme much differently than many would expect. Natsume Takashi is living in a life where he is the only person who can see youkai, ayakashi, ghosts, spirits, and the like. No one believes him because of what he can see and instead he is shunned by his family and tossed around until he is finally taken in by Touko-san wherein he does what he can to keep others from suspecting what he can do.

For Takashi-kun, it is hard for him to explain his strange behavior, and at the same time, his personality does what can be done to remain a good person, which is what Natsume Takashi is from beginning to end. Even though he may refuse to help certain youkai, he cannot help but to butt his nose into their business when he feels he needs to help.

After all, as he reasons, he can see them after all. There's no reason for him to pretend that they don't exist.

Overall, Natsume Takashi is a very kind person.

But going through life seeing youkai does not mean a walk in the park. Others who don't see these spirits and demons have nothing to fear because of such. Because as the saying goes, when you look at someone or something, there is always the possibility that he, she, or it will look right back at you. In Takashi-kun's case, because he can see youkai and youkai can see all humans, when it is known that he can see youkai, they don't simply just look right back at him. They also act, as is revealed by all the dangerous youkai who make a habit of chasing Takashi around.


Up to this point, I've made no mention of the second central theme in this series. The Book of Friends is the item that brings Takashi and Nyanko-sensei together, as well as propels the series' beginning. The Book of Friends is a small pamphlet of papers recording the names of various youkai, big and small, calm and dangerous. This book was passed onto Natsume Takashi by his grandmother, Reiko who had made a habit of collecting these contracted names assumingly because she was lonely and wanted friends.

But as the anime progresses, less is mentioned about Reiko and her Book of Friends. Instead, the producers seem to have forgotten about the book altogether and decided to focus more on other issues of Takashi surrounding his ability to interact with youkai... as well as his long, lonely childhood past.

Can you only imagine...?
The anime itself seems adamant on featuring Takashi-kun's morbid life from day one of being able to see youkai and being shunned from his family because of the "strange things" he keeps saying. A lot of the latter episodes of this series pays strict attention to the worries and the emotional turmoil that kind and caring Natsume Takashi has had to endure from past to present.

His most important worry being whether or not he can continue to remain with Touko-san in his current home, and whether or not he will ever find a place he can feel like he belongs in.

Takashi was lonely and abandoned since childhood, as was his grandmother. His grandmother created a Book of Friends for her own sake, and from the beginning of the series, Takashi is dead set on scrapping his grandmother's Book of Friends by returning all the names contracted. His only few human friends are merely background noise, and when he meets others who know of his plight, nothing seems to be as he had expected.

This was probably not the kind of "I can see them too" friendship that Takashi-kun was looking for.
Tanuma is a boy who is curious about Takashi because he can see the shadows of youkai, though not the actual youkai itself. Natori-san is an older man who can see and interact with youkai, had the same horrible and lonely childhood as Takashi, but who takes action against youkai in a way Takashi would have never even dared do.

Gee, I wonder why Takashi's not scared.
Yea... that would be why.
The only true close friend Takashi could probably boast would be his fat cat, Nyanko-sensei (also known as Madara in his true form) who gets a beating from Takashi regularly. The relationship between this youkai and Takashi is hard to consume in that how they act towards each other seems rather unbelievable... at least until you realize that the cat is always going to be on Takashi's side.

And the persistence of Nyanko/Madara...
What? Gave up already? It was only a left knuckle to the head.
After all, when transformed into his true body as Madara, I really doubt that it would be extremely hard for him to simply pluck Takashi off the ground and eat him. Had Nyanko-sensei been a little less caring for Takashi, there would probably be no story to tell.

What youkai as powerful as Madara would allow some mere human to beat him over the head all the time?

I think that's relative to how much the fat cat actually wants the book. But this scene is so sweet and beautiful.
Everything that is part of the true episodic adventure of Natsume Yuujinchou comes around to develop the character of Natsume Takashi and his relationship with both the youkai world and the human world. And as his own story is told from childhood, you feel with him and you feel for him.

To be able to be such a kind and calm young boy after all that's happened to him... it's a little hard for a viewer to grasp. But in the end, I am personally glad that Takashi-kun is the way that he is. He brings much needed optimism to such a morbid fate and at the same time he conveys the reality of his own fate.

Natsume Yuujinchou is a success because of the way in which it ties together the theme with the main protagonist. The series itself is a distinct and grade-A expample of, "So you can see youkai? Well this is the reality of what your situation would be like if this were a possible occurence." And it has little to do with action or comedy-- this series is pure slice of life drama.

The drama, the angst, the action, and even the comedy is all natural rather than artistically timed for best effect. This is real life at its best concerning a boy who can see things that others cannot. This is not a horror or thriller, and this is not forced comedic timing nor is it forced action and adventure just because supernatural beings are a part of the scenario.

As I already stated, Natsume Yuujinchou plays on the emotions of the viewer and relates to us everything that is Natsume Takashi.

An eager, joyful childish hope.
It wasn't until episode three when we see a flashback of Takashi as a child that I realized just how emotionally damaged Takashi could have become. Realizing that he is the only one who sees strange things, realizing that no one believes him, and realizing just how lonely he is becomes a tremendous, sad stone sitting on his shoulders. When he meets a nice onee-san who claims that she "can see them too," little Takashi is thrilled because he no longer has to be alone anymore. But then the reality struck when he was asked what he was doing all by himself at the park.

Realization.
I could feel my own breath catching at the realization of what Takashi's friendly onee-san really is. At that point in time, with the color of the setting sun showing in animation as well as the expressive look on little Takashi's face, I probably couldn't feel what the child was feeling, but I knew just how surprising and saddening the situation had become.

Sense of loss and betrayal.
Once again, Natsume Takashi was all alone. It was absolutely a wonder that Takashi grew up to be the kind and caring kid he is.


A very endearing friendship between youkai and human. Tsubame thanks Takashi-kun for his efforts in making her wish come true.
This could have turned out into some other type of series if Takashi-kun had some sense of romanticism in him. But no, we remain pure and innocent.
There are a lot of very touching moments in all of Natsume Yuujinchou, many of which involve the simple guest appearances of many youkai per episode.

Some other unfortunate soul falls victim to a forbidden romance. This was one of the saddest scenes in the entire anime. To have fallen for someone and then never be able to see her again. And for Hotaru to be able to see, but not let him know that she was always there and shares his feelings as well...
No matter how, each story interrelates with Takashi's own feelings of self-worth, of loneliness, of understanding, and of his relationship towards the youkai and his human friends and family. Aside from that, we also get to see a slight bridge in the similarities and differences between youkai and humans, which is yet another insight of Natsume Yuujinchou that is rarely brought up in more action/adventure-packed supernatural series.

We are brought to the attention of various questions that have always plagued Takashi since the beginning of time, and one by one, the questions are asked, but the answer is so vague that there's no way that even Takashi himself could answer no matter how thoroughly he's thought them over.

How does he view the youkai in his life? Who else in this world has the same ability as himself? Is there really that big of a difference between youkai and human? Will he see youkai for the rest of his life, or will he lose that ability at some point in time? Why is it that only he can see these youkai?

So many questions and no answers are given. Instead, the viewers are indirectly given the chance to think over these issues. Because as far as I can tell, Natsume Yuujinchou focuses on the here and now, taking from the past in slight, and only speculating about the future that is to come.

A good way to wrap up the first season with fireworks. Sadly, Takashi-kun sees none of it...
There are always setbacks for being able to see things other people cannot.
I thoroughly enjoyed this series as I had predicted in my first impressions post. I pegged it as a Wagaya no Oinari-sama, but much better. I don't know how to comment on that assumption, because both series are on completely different levels of supernatural awe. While I believe that Natsume Yuujinchou is indeed better than Wagaya-- and better than a lot of other anime I've seen recently-- there is no way to compare.

Natsume Yuujinchou is in a league of it's own.

The ending wraps up quite well by bringing back a few of previous episode guest youkai and human, but somehow, it definitely is missing something. It feels as if it's just another episode and that it hasn't really ended yet. Like others have mentioned, it's like a recap or an intermission curtain call for all the viewers to reminisce in the reappearances of some of the series' cameo youkai and human.

And then what's this, Natori-san and some secret gathering? A scene that is shown only briefly but left to the wonderings of the viewers.

Takashi and his friend Tanuma spend a good portion of the ending episode searching for Takashi's "fat cat" who is held hostage by Takashi's classmate Sasada in an attempt to keep him around her for her amusement. But overall, the ending had the same soothing feel as the rest of the series.

*

Season two of Natsume has been announced to begin broadcast in January of 2009, and so we know for a fact that the series has yet to reach its end. I'm glad, because although there is very little to keep you hanging at the edge of your seat to look forward to, Natsume is a good enough anime series to keep you hooked as each episode rolls out slowly.

Though without action or adventure or over the top comedy or exaggerated storytelling, Natsume Yuujinchou is definitely a must see anime. Not bad are the visual affects, the background music, the theme music, and even the seiyuu of each character.

Natsume Takashi's seiyuu Kamiya Hiroshi is not familiar to me, but he does an excellent job portraying Natsume's calmness and his kind demeanor. Included in the voice cast role call are Inoue Kazuhiko as Nyanko-sensei and his youkai form Madara, and Kobayashi Sanae in her few appearances as Reiko.

If I were to describe Natsume Yuujinchou to someone, I don't think I would ever be able to fully give an appreciable account of the anime as a whole. Maybe one of these days I'll just go through and give more thoughts about various parts of Natsume Yuujinchou that are notable, but then, that'll be quite a lot of different posts.

thoughts: Hatenkou Yugi (anime)

I'm taking on a different format for reviewing anime now. Not that I even really had a specified format to begin with, but the more I think about things, the more I feel like I should just try and be a little less formal about my blogging. After all, blogging is blogging and it's not like I get money to pretend that I'm a professional.


I love teddy bears and all, but this has got to be the best invention in the world. I think Rahzel could carry her entire life in it.
So I know I mentioned that I would try and digest my current anime diet first before moving along. But Hatenkou Yugi was calling on me and somehow, I just couldn't resist and got a little gluttonous.

I spent about two days watching Hatenkou Yugi, also known as Dazzle. The first day I only watched the very first episode, which is something that I do to decide whether or not I will continue to watch a specific anime. If it's good, it'll entice me to continue. If it doesn't draw my attention, then lingering thoughts of watching the rest of it will slowly be left in the dust. And then I forget I even saw the first episode.

Not long after watching the first episode of Hatenkou Yugi, I easily began to watch the rest of it. As it is quite short, being merely ten episodes of fun-filled adventure, I quickly finished it off in one sitting. The title on my sidebar of current anime playlist hasn't even sat there long enough to be significant and I'm a little embarrassed. Though I guess it gives me something to do on this blog every once and a while -- heaven knows I've been slacking on my blogging not even one month into it.

I know little about the original manga, nor of the "strong manga support" that some say this series has behind it. What I do know is that I thoroughly enjoyed the entire series from beginning to end. The pacing was fast and upbeat, the storyline was interesting, and most importantly, I believe that this series plays on its characterizations more than anything. Our three protagonists exhibit a number of diologue, actions, and emotions that could probably tell the story better than the story itself.

I've found so far that I rather like the one girl two guy combination of adventuring trio a lot. Samurai Champloo is another very good example.
For as long as I've watched anime, there have only been a select few with the same type of uniqueness in character creation, witty dialogue, and comedic timing. The telling of Hatenkou Yugi doesn't drag on nor does it present anything unecessarily, weaving each scene smoothly into the contents of the rest of the series. Drama is cut into comedy is cut into the emotional build-up of tragedy like a collage of different colors. Although I must add that the series gives little time to dwell on the injustices that occur in life, even when it gives you time to realize the entirety of the situation.

This is the adventure story I've been waiting for since Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop made their impressions in my otaku-developing heart nearly two or three years ago during my first anime viewing experience. For the series itself, there is no need to explain anything uncessary and it leaves further conclusions to be drawn by the viewer alone. The interaction between the three main characters gives priceless moments of endearment through insult and teasing, and draws the viewer closer to their emotional moments of heartfelt words. It's simply witty and unique. It makes you wish that it wasn't so short.

Everything has to be loud and commanding with this girl. I guess that's why she's so lovable.
I've got to hand it to the creator of Rahzel. She's a new surprise to me every episode. Even with her tragic past and her sudden dismissal by her father to "see the world" after being unceremoniously booted onto the streets, she still holds up quite well for a fourteen year old girl. Instead of sobbing in wait for her father to change his mind and retract his statement, she instead wishes that she could have a companion on her journey, easily accepting that this is what she needs to do now. After all, life needs to be lived right, and there's no point in moping around.

I sort of admire her knack for never really panicking in any situation. Being thrown out of her home onto her a** included.
To top it off, once she finds her new and mysterious companion oh-so-conveniently, she sets up her own stage for creating a fun-filled adventure together. "I'll make this damned boring life more interesting and mysterious for you," she proclaims to the pigment-lacking Alzeid as she is held at gunpoint. After all, even though he'd just been trying to steal money from some unsuspecting fool as part of his "part-time job", he looks bored and like he could use a good adventure, right?

Again with the no sight of panicking... just cause she's got magic powers and all...
Bang!
And so the adventurous little trio is born, although during these first few minutes of the first episode, we know little about Rahzel and her magical powers, Alzeid and his personality, as well as the third companion Baroqueheat and his own role in this storyline. There is no direct destination for these three and Rahzel never announces where she wants to go exactly, but her proclamation of making Alzeid's life much more interesting proves to be quite a feat as we wonder if anything excites the albino gunman at all.

Throughout the rest of the series, we begin to learn about Rahzel, Alzeid, and Baroqueheat -- much less of the latter than the two former -- we begin to relate with them as they travel. Alzeid from the beginning is only looking to seek revenge against a woman with long black hair and blue eyes -- not so much unlike Rahzel's own physical appearance.

Hehe... Alzeid finally couldn't resist. I wonder how long he's been holding that trump joke up his sleeve.
And yet the question remains to be unanswered by Alzeid of what he would actually do if he finally found this woman. Will he kill her? Will he let the idea of vengeance go? After all, our poor little heroine is adamant about keeping Alzeid's thirst for revenge settled at the last part of their adventuring to-do list. Her thoughts on revenge, after all, may reflect a little bit of the tragic incident that incurred when she was just a child -- the loss of her mother, followed by the subsequent loss of her old childhood life when she abaondoned by her birth father.


I often wondered, though they interact very little in terms of their beliefs, whether or not Alzeid took to heart Rahzel's thoughts on the concept of revenge and killing. Killing is killing no matter how one looks at it. Someone will be affected by someone's death and someone will in turn feel sadness or anger, thus leading to the desire for revenge. The cycle continues to repeat itself which is a truth in life itself. As Rahzel holds an innocent boy at gunpoint, she imparts these words to him when he is about to take the life of a person which may in turn cause her to lose her traveling companions. Thus she tells him that she will seek revenge as well and when that happens someone else will come find her.

"This is what it means to kill someone. Do you have the courage to endure ever-greater eternal sadness? Are you prepared to force your sorrow on others?"

As for the person who does the killing, no matter who you are, good or bad, the feeling of having taken a fellow human's life can't be a comforting one. To think that your one action was the one that had decided someone's life or death. Just thinking about it can give a person the chills.

Significant words from someone who knows best.
Baroqueheat's involvement with the other two is not really revealed until closer towards the end, but his various attempts to romance the leader of the trio makes for good entertainment. Even near the end when he choses to leave the trio, a mere slight of Rahzel-approved verbal lashing drives him back into the trio in his role as "the one who loves Rahzel-chan to the death."

He also appears consistently as "the one who is separated from the trio or shows up late giving albino boy and the loud one much needed alone screen time to build their budding (non?) relationship." It's pretty much a given that Alzeid and Rahzel were meant to be our main male and female protagonists and Baroqueheat is really just a tag-a-long, but his presence is still ever welcome.

From beginning to end, I've enjoyed the various interactions between these three characters. Alzeid, though immediately cold and uncaring towards everyone else slowly grows to naturally care for the welfare of Rahzel regularly. His rare and inconsistent quirky moments and sarcastic remarks, and even his even rarer moments of "don't leave me out of the loop" tantrums makes one want to grin and give him a hug. For a cold-hearted killer, he's somewhat of a softy when it comes to Rahzel. The end scene where he's looking for the most suitable birthday present makes one giggle with utmost otaku-ism.

The jokes that they play on each other serve for some cutesy amusement, and when Baroqueheat spontaneously kisses Rahzel, you're just itching to see the subsequent slap-in-the-face scene; but upon seeing the look on his face, it makes you really think. When it seems that Alzeid is about to deliver the same treatment as a means to teach Rahzel a lesson in life, you're holding your breath in eager anticipation. Then you realize that Alzeid was just trying to teach Rahzel a very important lesson about being able to take care of herself and being too overconfident. In this scene alone, you finally grasp just how much Alzeid really cares about Rahzel despite his clipping words and cold demeanor towards her.

With each episode comes a new event for the three to encounter, and with each event comes yet more of the same philosophical life lessons imparted to others and the viewers, all packaged nicely in dazzling colors -- lameass pun intended. Or even the much less strongly believable half-baked philosophies that the characters can come up with by themelves.


There are just some things that they can say with so much meaning and it makes you wonder. At the same time, they show off a part of their personality that makes you understand them even more.

And now, a neat little life lesson-- because every life situation involving a trio must always come across the "who's more important to you" question. Right? O.o
Oh, that's an easy one to answer.
Honestly, who didn't see this response coming?

Oh, I see Alzeid didn't much like that answer. So let's try again.
It makes me wonder what kind of twisted logic Rahzel goes by sometimes. Does it really work that way? Really?

Our heroes help people in need and along with it present to the audience and each other another little part of themselves that can be new and suprising and revelating. Often times these adventures involve poorly animated fights and lots of colorful magic sparkles by our three invincible heroes: Rahzel with her cleverly utilized magic and wits, Alzeid with his level-headed tact and his gun, and Baroqueheat with... well, with his charm and his strength, I guess-- it also helps that the third of the trio has a nice little hand turns into sword weapon.

As this is a fantasy and adventure from the get-go, we don't find ourselves questioning anything about these three. Where did Rahzel get her powers? Does everyone else have them as well? And how come no one gets over exaggeratedly surprised or scared that she has such powers? And then there's Baroqueheat's arm... why does it turn into a sword? Not only that, but how does one young fourteen year old girl go about traveling with two men, much older than herself without getting scrutinized by the public?

I'm glad someone finally voiced this questions. Isn't it a little weird and... well, inappropriate? Even for fantasy genre anime? Not that I'm complaining really...
You don't say.
Makes you wonder how many times they've gotten away without having to answer this question in the past.
Okay, so maybe some uncessary questions can be asked. And others more will come such as that of the mysterious pasts of the three heroes. But by the time these questions have come to surface, the storyline has already moved forward and you disgard these questions for later as somehow, you know they will be answered at some time within the rest of the anime. As far as the presentation of the storyline goes, it seems that jumping back and forth from flashback to present is a common device; utilizing sudden surprising twists without explanation goes along with it as well. After all, if you learn about everything from the beginning, then what's the fun in experiencing an adventure?

Even though I already knew the premise of this manga, I was still a little surprised to notice how Alzeid suddenly uses his magic in order to save Rahzel's life in the nineth episode. How come he'd never used it before? And if he did, why was it never made clear to the viewer? The manga, as I've learned, boasts Alzeid's extraordinary use of powerful magic, much more powerful than Rahzel's which she relies on in practically every episode but the last three. Maybe Alzeid's sudden use is just a way of convey how much more awesome he is now than he was before he revealed his magic. After all, he'd only been using a gun and hand-to-hand combat to get out of situations and the magic was used to save Rahzel when it seemed no other way would work.

Within these ten little episodes alone, the interaction between Rahzel and her two male companions grows lovelier and closer. It is a shame that the series ends so abruptly. There is yet much more to learn about our three heroes, and even the idea of a sequel is left hanging in the air since other characters introduced in the last episode have yet to reveal much more about their own purposes.

This is one of the most memorable scenes of the last episode when Rahzel jumps off of the moving train without even an ounce of hesitation and onto Alzeid. It's so sweet and uber.
Hatenkou Yugi is amazingly fun to follow along with, and the little bits of comedy thrown into it casually make for a few good laughs. On the off-side, had this series been longer than ten episodes, I feel that it might have had room for more and better development. After all, even though I liked the fast paced story telling of Hatenkou Yugi, I didn't much like that so many things were glossed over like a background picture, even though they surely have some significant role in the bigger scheme of things.

Since this is the case then I will absolutely look forward to a sequel to this series. Ten is just quite short for me, and honestly, I don't think I've actually made myself sit through an anime series that was shorter than twenty-four episodes anyway. I tend to like the long, extended form of storytelling, because then you know that you still have a ways to go until the end rolls around.

On a side note, I firstly began watching Hatenkou Yugi for a few various reasons. First of all, I've read a good review of it somewhere, though I can't remember where. Secondly, THAT Anime Blog managed to blog all ten episodes of Hatenkou Yugi even if I haven't read them yet-- I tend to find certain reviewers and bloggers out there in the web world very insightful and will hold their opinions to some crazy high standard until I find somewhere to disagree with them. Lastly, I'm familiar with two of the seiyu who star in this series: Sakurai Takahiro and Kobayashi Sanae.

Takahiro has been a favorite of mine ever since the days of Final Fantasy VII and his portrayal of Cloud-sama in Advent Children. Kobayashi-san has become a familiar name to me ever since I became obsessed with watching D.Gray-man as this female seiyu is quite proficient in voicing young male roles a la Allen Walker. And just as I suspected, while listening to Rahzel's speech, I often caught a little bit of that voice known for Allen Walker in certain intonations and the laughing of her voice. It was enjoyable to think that way. I wouldn't mind finding Kobayashi-san's voice in another spunky, free-spirited young girl, nor as another young boy with a strong will and a gentle demeanor.


On an end note, while the artwork wasn't the best, the characters and the storyline made up for the most of it. Rahzel is your rarely seen strong female protagonist what with her kickass magical powers and her "don't cry if you can fix things by yourself" attitude. She's far from a damsel in distress as she easily overcomes all her troubles even without the help of magic, and attempts to help fix everyone and everything troubling that comes across her line of vision. She might be rash and quick to act, but she is also not all brawns without brains-- she's clever enough to get herself out of situations without having to rely on other people.

Similarly, her male counterparts do well to balance out her loud, justice and adventure seeking personality. Alzeid is cooler and calmer and keeps her from doing stupid things or dwelling on too emotional matters. Baroqueheat is like a bodyguard who will show up to protect her on the off chance that she really can't save herself-- he's also her little whipping boy to do all the messenger running oddball tasks as well as be the medium between her and Alzeid.

The music was well chosen and the themesongs were very catchy and meaningful. Hatenkou Yugi is an anime series that I would bet is one to live purely off of its characters and fast paced storytelling and still live dazzlingly -- pun not intended this time.

Bang!
Echoing her claim from episode one, this is a nice way to wrap up these ten episodes.
Again, if a sequel were to be born soon, I wouldn't mind anticipating each and every part of it.