a parade of first impressions

I picked up anime again a few weeks ago.  What propelled this strange occurrence since my hiatus to this blog and the anime/manga world since 2009 is the most random thing:  Netflix began uploading anime with dual language rather than simply uploading the English dubbed versions.  Now I can watch select few anime series and movies on Netflix in originality with subtitles.  It's kind of nice.

On that note, I began to think back on a lot of the anime I had yet to watch but had wanted to watch for a long time.  And somehow, that wall came down and now I'm watching lots.  It just so happened that I already had a Crunchyroll account too.  So I've been checking out a bunch of anime, new and old (some that are new to me, though way old for everyone else), as well as catching up on some anime I never finished (which will be a different post later).

So let the party begin.

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
This is the first of my anime "first episodes" marathon, as the premise sounded kind of neat.  Not that it was extremely interesting or anything, but I was curious enough to pick it up.  I'm not entirely sure what the storyline is about, but it seems to follow a young boy and his djinn with a promise to return the magical creature back to his own people.

It seems like a cute and possibly exciting series so far with really pretty animation and lots of action and humor.  I'm thinking that my only complaint about it is the talk about boobies every few frames of the anime series.  And our boys are constantly groping the girls around them.  I'm not sure I feel too great about those parts, but then again, this is Japanese anime after all and we're always open to the "open pervertedness" of the anime culture, no?

After finishing up other series, I may come and pick up the rest of Magi as well as it's second season.

Log Horizon
As of the writing of this post, I've already decided to continue following Log Horizon to it's most recently aired episode.  With 25 episodes total and only around 16 available so far, I have a feeling I'll be doing quite a bit of waiting around nearing the end.

MMORPG to anime series have always been rather successful and tons of fun to watch if you've ever been someone who's spent hours upon hours stuck in a virtual world of adventure.  In the same line, series about MMORPG worlds are even more fun when accompanied by the futuristic "real body experience" virtual reality gaming where the MMO can be played as if you were really in the game rather than just watching the game play on a screen.

.hack was one of few of these types with a multi-series show from a couple years back.  Last year, we enjoyed the glorious story of Sword Art Online that included a rather intriguing, almost horrifying real world experience where players are stuck in the game and a game death would mean a real life death as well.

Log Horizon takes on a different style of "virtually stuck in a game".  I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that Elder Tales was a game that you would play the normal way at present: on a computer, staring at a screen for hours.  I'm going to assume that this isn't one of those fancy futuristic games where we use virtual reality gear to enter the game's world as if it were real.  But then due the new expansion of Elder Tales, the players somehow ended up being whisked into the game itself as if it were really a virtual reality game.

So the story taking place now pretty much follows our heroes as they try to figure out what to do with themselves in this game where, death leads to respawning and survivability is easy, and the law is so non-existent that people have come to take advantage of the system to truly become terrible, evil people.  After all, if you kill and steal from others in the game, those people will respawn anyway and you get to keep all their loot.  And best of all, there are no repercussions.  So why not go all out and do exactly what you want to do right?

I guess the entire basis of this series will follow the mystery of why players were forced into the virtual world as real people and why there is no escape from the game at all.  In the meantime, we simply follow along some mini-adventures with our heroes.

The concept of the series still seems a bit hard to grasp for me, but I'm enjoying the anime nonetheless.  There's enough MMO language, gaming excitement, character growth, and dry, yet spontaneous humor to keep me interested.  Also, running gags are pretty fun when done correctly -- Nice Job! Akatsuki-chan!

Magical Warfare
I'm a fan of anything fantasy, adventure and magic, so a series called Magical Warfare sounded like it would be interesting.  Especially when we start with a kid suddenly acquiring magic when he had none to begin with.  It's a typical hero story line with the main character gaining power and skills, joining with characters of "a whole different world".

However, I started getting bored of the action as the episode progressed.  Even though there was a lot of fighting and a lot of info being flung around, I found myself hard pressed to care about the events.  And then there was the one suspension of disbelief moment in the nurse's office when the magic girl, Mui, pulls a gun out.  Rather than freaking out that she has a gun on her person, our main guy seemed pretty darn calm about it.  The entire time I'm wondering, "Why isn't he questioning anything that's happening?  Why is he just going with it all?"  And in spite of his easy acceptance of these strange circumstances, he then ends up freaked out when his friends are exposed to magic and develop their own powers as well.

Realistic this series is not (as realistic as a magic genre can be, I mean).  However, as I've mentioned before in some other post, even within the logic of the series itself, things should make sense.  And somehow, it didn't really.  At least not for me.

In short, I may not be continuing this series at all with so many other series to watch and so many other things to do.

My Little Monster/ Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun
Here's another sweet little shoujo genre anime to add to my pile of rom-coms.  After finally finishing Kimi ni Todoke and then picking up another shoujo anime, Sukitte Ii na yo, it never hurts to have another one waiting for when I'm ready for another dose of fluff.  Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun is proving to be every bit as cute and unique as I expected, considering the fact that the main couple comprise of non-standard female and male types (if you compare with the typical shoujo characters seen regularly).

The girl is smart, academically successful, and she has a no-nonsense attitude about her.  She's realistic too, as she doesn't swoon at the cute guy clinging to her; and she also behaves appropriately around him.  When he's acting all angry, dangerous and creepy, she walks away.  This is normal behavior in the real world, because no matter how good looking a boy is, if he's exhibiting violent behavior, it's probably smart to stay away from him.

Of course, as any rom-com would have it, the boy, of course has a heart of mush as all he wants is to make friends.  He's cute AND angrily violent at the same time.  I'm... not sure how I feel about that combination.  Because the depressing and pathetic cute side of him makes you want to hang around so you don't make him cry...  But his violent side makes you just want to avoid him altogether so that you don't get hurt.

Conflicts of the dramatic, teenage world, no?

As a short series, I'll probably finish this one fairly quickly, but it'll hang for a while until I've watched some other series.  Because after this, I'll have to search for some more rom-com, shoujo-esque series to enjoy.

Tonari no Seki-kun
I can't not look away from this series for some reason.  I mean, it's seven minutes per episode of Seki-kun killing time while he's bored in class.  It's like... I'm really watching merely out of curiosity to see what he has planned next.

Which is strange considering there's really nothing else going on.  So it's probably a good thing that this series is only airing short seven-minute episodes.  And for a while there, I was wondering how they would fill 20 minutes with nothing but Seki-kun's bored feats.

Watching it as it releases an episode at a time on Crunchyroll.  This series is amusing at best, but aren't those usually the ones you end up enjoying?

Z/X IGNITION
I did not even finish the first episode.  Nothing in the story line was making sense, none of the characters made sense, and the show seemed to be another weird fantasy/Digimon/Pokemon/transformers/mecha... well, I'm not sure what this series is about and maybe I would have found out soon enough.  But I didn't have the patience to sit through 20 minutes of this series when I was starting to wander.

Definitely not going to be continuing this one.  That is all.

Wizard Barristers
This is a hard one to form an opinion on.  On the one hand, the artwork is shiny and pretty and the concept is unique.  On the other hand, the story line thus far (episode 1) was kind of boring and random.  And the world creation isn't really making much sense either.

For now, I'm just going to monitor and maybe watch a few more episodes before I make a decision on whether or not I want to continue watching this one.

There's office politics, real politics, magical politics, and some silly magical girl antics going on that doesn't quite do it for me.

Strange+
See my first impression post of Strange+.  That is all

***

So there you have it.  Several anime series that I've picked up and tried to pick up.  There are also several other ones I've begun watching as well, but that I don't have anything much to say about them.  Newer series includes Attack on Titan, which is visually and conceptually awesome, though it seems more like something my brothers would enjoy on a different level than I would.  I don't have many thoughts on it yet except for the fact that I'm enjoying it.  Other series include Fullmetal Alchemist, Soul Eater, and a continuation of Fairy Tail -- all three series of which are fun in a totally different way.  I have plans to start watching Gintama and maybe see to catching the first few episodes of One Piece... just because.

I've even been playing around with rewatching Sword Art Online, Samurai Champloo and D.Gray-man.

Otherwise, this is it for now.

first impression: Strange+ (anime)

I have absolutely no idea what the heck this anime is about, but I just... I can't... not look at it.  I'm even going to throw-in a #strange+ even though I'm pretty sure I'm not using the hash tag properly (and I still don't understand the concept anyway) and I don't have a twitter...

But hey, this series got me to actually publish a blog post on this long abandoned anime and manga blog.  I just... needed to express my opinion, because somehow, I'm just... well, I'm not quite sure what I'm trying to talk about... except that the character with the blue hair is the big brother...

Take a second to let that sink in.

Yea.  I thought so, too.

Anyway...

Now that my consciousness has returned...

This series wasn't what I was expecting and everything just kind of, "came out of left field" for the lack of a better description.  I watched the first episode as a tester just to see what the series was like.  After it sped by with the strangest rapid-fire dialogue, I realized it was only a 3 minute short and that nothing was really making sense.

I went on to watch the second episode out of some sort of morbid, twisted curiosity.  And it's not like I didn't have 3 minutes to spare, right?

And then:  "In the name of the moon, I will punish you!"

Yeah.  THAT happened; a dude said it (the tall dark dude on the left in the poster above).  It came out of nowhere completely.  I burst out in laughter.

And now I'm stuck.  Even though I have no idea what the heck is going on, I'm going to keep watching out of some twisted need to fulfill my morbid curiosity at what else will come flying out of nowhere... besides a bunch of shiny pink butts.

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: Special A

This is slightly overdue only because I had wanted to post it first thing in the morning. Unfortunately, last thing at night will have to do because of all the work hours I've been getting. And because of all the work hours to come, posting this month may be postponed.

Oh well...



It was a long and hard decision as to what I wanted to do with this anime. When I first set eyes on it, I was gleeful. I'm a hopeless romantic after all and the series was clearly labled as "romance" and "comedy" and also had the word "shoujo" following it. Granted this was before I really understood what "shoujo" truly meant in terms of anime and manga, I wanted to watch S. A. anyway.

The beginning of the series was quite the fun ride. There was humor, there were bishounen, and Hikari-chan was pretty adorable. Akira was absolutely wonderful with her violent tendencies, her high-class behavior and her creepy doting on Hikari. Tadashi wasn't bad. The twins were a little odd and Ryuu was kind of hot. Sadly, Takishima Kei was rather arrogant and that sort of annoyed me. I don't care that he's rich, talented, and good-looking. He was arrogant and he was annoying.

All-in-all, I'd enjoyed those first few episodes of Special A.

But as the series progressed -- and I scouted out the manga to get a second view of the series -- I began to become irritated with it.

Why did I come close to dropping the series altogether? It was quite simple. I had never, ever been so irritated with the two main leads of a romantic comedy like I was with Hikari and Kei. (We shall make no mention of Peach Girl at the moment since I prefer to think I never watched it, though since Suzuken was cast in it, I may make mention of the series some other time.)

Basically, it was sufferable to watch as each episode, Kei shows absolute obviousness on just how much in love he is with Hikari, and the stupid girl just assumes that he's trying to pick a fight or challenge her or look down on her. And as for Kei, maybe if he understood just how thick-headed Hikari was, he should have just come straight out about his feelings for her instead of waiting for her to figure it out on his own. I'm quite certain that everyone and their mothers and uncles and distant cousins are quite aware that Hikari is not going to figure anything out on her own about Kei's feelings or even her own.


As far as the storyline goes, it had quite a bit of potential. But sadly, it would have had more potential had it been shortened into maybe a four OVA series. Or maybe if the episodic feature were more interesting. Instead, each episode only added onto the stupidity that was Hanazono Hikari -- only God knows how she managed to get into S.A. with that missing brain of hers -- and the arrogance that was Takishima Kei.

Needless to say, I got bored of it very easily.

The series is simply just a story of the everyday lives and few not so dramatic events surrounding the seven members of S.A.

The members compete with jealous students in their high school. The members compete with each other to decide on where to go for a vacation. The members go on a vacation in Hawaii. The members work on the school festival. Hikari gets recruited as a tutor for Kei's little brother Sui.

The members meet and play "family" with Yahiro's little brother Chitose-- and I must say, this episode was actually quite fun. There was the all too rare fan service shot that shoujo manga usually doesn't have, but in anime, it's a must. Observe this when watching the part where Hikari must pick an Hibiscus flower for Chitose and Kei comes to her aid.

Other plots include Hikari dressing up to attend Yahiro's birthday party as Kei partner. Hikari has gotten a cold and must be taken care of by her S.A. friends because Mama and Papa are off on a trip. In the same episode was crammed the Megami and Yahiro dating episode where Megami speaks for the first time and even sings for Yahiro.

If this scene weren't preceded by Hikari-chan making a moron of herself, pyon. It'd actually look cute... pyon.
Basically, lots and lots of things occur with no definite destination like any typical episodic storyline. The only thing that the series plays off of is the idea of an excellent group of students called the S.A. and their daily lives, and Takishima Kei's undying love for Hikari as well as their eternal rivalry.

All else are just inclusive factors in the storyline that could be done without if necessary, but add to all the fun that should have been a decent shoujo manga to anime adaptation.

So why did I pick up this series again?

It's hard to say. For one, even after wanting to drop the anime, I continued to follow the manga and some of the details pertaining to future plot devices were rather satisfying for my hopeless romantic, shoujo manga obsessive mind. No matter what, S.A. is a shoujo manga romance first and foremost. I've probably sat through worse series/movies/etc...

And the manga boasted a very interesting "passionate kiss" scene between Hikari and Kei that made the fangirl moe-ness in me squeal with pleasure. I was curious to see just how much of the manga that the anime would adapt.

So with that in mind, I picked up Special A once again after getting ahold of every episode up to the end, and then watched it without prior biases and some things to look forward to.

As expected, the personalities of those in S.A. continued to annoy me. When the series changed themesongs, it did nothing for its own welfare and I was starting to have my doubts. But I persevered.

I think of the four couples advertised in this series, Tadashi and Akira have the best story, even though it's quite short. I love them the most.
I must say that I rather enjoyed the relationship development between Akira and Tadashi. Between the two of them, they probably have the loveliest romance in the whole anime series. A few things were altered in comparison to the manga and I feel like I like the anime version quite well. This is not to say that I don't like the manga version, because either way, Akira and Tadashi make a rather adoring, if not lovable, romantic couple.

Boy twin, Jun-kun was given a pairing with Hikari's personality twin Ushikubo Sakura who had to go through pains to win the young prince's heart. Megami was paired up with Saiga Yahiro -- an odd combination that was brought about due to Megami's need to protect Akira and Tadashi by giving Yahiro something else to focus on, like a girlfriend. They were quite cute and I liked how Megami could bring out a different, kinder side to Yahiro and saw Yahiro for the good person he was. Ryuu, of course, as hot and mature as he is, has those rare bestial-doting tendencies and so was left with his animals and without a love interest.

Left for the ending was the final pairing of Hikari and Kei -- who were both together from the start. With a little twist of manga plot around anime plot and we give Hikari a reason as to why she needs Kei in her life. And thus she realizes that she needs to be more honest with herself. So, using the Grandpa Takishima wants to take Kei away from Japan plot device, our remaining six S.A. heroes fly to England to find their Number One and bring him back to school with them.

For every hopeless romantic fangirl in the world, this is the Special A moment we all await.
Surprisingly, I am quite pleased with the ending. Even though it took twenty-four painstaking episodes to arrive at that point, I like what I saw and I saw what I liked. While there was no "passionate manga kiss" placed into the anime, there were various endearing moments between Hikari and Kei towards the ending few episodes that make up for the stupidity, arrogance, and annoyance from the first half of the series. There were enough "huggles" moments to make the shoujo fangirl in me grin whole heartedly, and I still stand that Ryuu is quite hot and needs to find himself a girl.


All in all, I was very pleased with what came of picking up S.A. once again. To tell the truth, I rather enjoyed those last few episodes of S.A. and when Hikari finally realized her feelings for Kei, it was a weight off of my shoulders -- and probably off of every other fan/viewer's shoulders. It's a little unnerving watching the clueless Hikari go through life only thinking of challenging Takishima Kei until she could catch up to his undeniably impossible level.

I will admit. Hanazono Hikari has heart. At least she's not one to give up just because things look too difficult and she's a hard worker and does everything with the utmost fullest of her extent. She's a very idealistic girl. Sadly, she's also a very stupid girl as well who probably only gets to her high academic level through sheer luck and determination.

I can't help but to think that maybe Kei could give slack just a little and lose to Hikari for once. But then again, doing that would just be an insult to Hikari's willpower and he probably knows that as well which is why he never lets up on his skills.

"You're special," is what Hikari tells Kei, and for the first time in the entire series, I actually thought she was extremely cute.

The ending is good. I liked it. Even if the beginning was beyond rocky, the ending is quite worth the arduous journey-- that is if one can be patient enough to withstand the entire journey to get to the ending. And so there is little good to say about Special A because all that is good about it would be the bishies, the romances, sometimes the comedy, and the final good ending.

Although, I have to point out that this series boasted some of the most eerie set of people within a group of seven. Between the inhuman physical abilities, beyond high intelligence, and strange personalities, its hard to say that people like this truly exist in real life. Hikari, Sakura, and Akira alone could team up and beat the living snot out of a war-trained muscle man. Ryuu could easily be the smartest person in the entire series without all his obstacles. And Takishima Kei is just impossible in existence.

Special A... watch it or leave it. I would say, leave it for a rainy day and watch it while you're waiting for something better to come along.

thoughts: Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge (anime)

otherwise known as The Wallflower or Perfect Girl Evolution
Episodes: 25
Genre: comedy, romance, shoujo, reverse harem


With the number of reverse harem shoujo manga out there, I become quite pleased when I find one that has been adapted into anime format. Ever since I discovered Ouran High School Host Club, I squeal in delight at the idea of watching any form of romantic comedy, shoujo manga adaptation, specifically reverse harem genre. Those are fun because unlike usual harem anime, the female protagonists don't give away fan service boob shots every five seconds and their chests aren't made out of synthetic materials the size of Mount Everest.

Does every female really have to have ginormous breasts in order to be in anime? Really now. That's why I like shoujo manga and anime. The chest is usually not the main focus of the screen.

Backing off of my soap box now...

And reverse harems are usually classified shoujo demographic while harems are classified as shounen or ecchi. To be given the choice, I will always choose shoujo reverse harems over ecchi harems. Less headache, less fan service... and occassionally a bit more tasteful in comedy and storytelling.

To date, this is the third reverse harem shoujo anime I've watched since anime became a regular diet on my viewing list. The first being Ouran High School Host Club and the second being Fruits Basket.

Of course, we make no mention that I've been gorging myself on shoujo reverse harem manga for the past six months as well -- Hana Kimi is god's gift to all shoujo fans out there!

hehe It's so amusing...
What better series to make mention of during this holiday season than one dealing in the dark arts and covered in skeletons, anatomical figures, and guts and gory.

Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge is a mouthful. But luckily it also has two other titles that it goes by: The Wallflower and Perfect Girl Evolution. From here on out, I shall be using whatever name pops up in my mind and whatever is easiest to type.

This series is mainly very straight forward about one girl and four guys living under the same roof with a given mission. Basically, to make a long synopsis short, these four men have been given the task of turning Nakahara Sunako (our heroine) into a proper and glamorous "Lady". This task proves to be rather arduous as Sunako-chan isn't simply a girl with low self-esteem and bad skin care habits.

It's the religion for followers of the 'Anatomical Figure' way. Or just morbid.
Her beauty is actually kind of creepy as well. I prefer the SD Sunako. Cause I'm weird like that.
Nakahara Sunako is morbid, twisted, and she's interested in everything that has to do with horror, dark arts, and the darkness of life itself. She hides her face under her hair, she hides herself in her dark room, and she probably wears the same comfortable looking track suit in every single episode. Her favorite holiday is Halloween and her best friend is a science anatomical figure named Hiroshi-kun whose guts are showing on one half of his body. Her other friends include Akira-kun and Josephine, another anatomical figure and a skeleton, respectively.

Within the twenty-five episodes, Sunako-chan is in her SD form at least 90% of the time. Only whenever she become very passionate about something having to do with her beliefs or with Kyouhei does she actually turn back into her original form as a young girl. Her heckcare emotions define the SD form and her emotional ups and downs define her normal look.

It can only be imagined how hard it would be for four young men, unexperienced as fashion consultants, to teach this girl how to become a proper lady for the sake of their rent. It also doesn't help that the girl nosebleeds every single time she comes in contact with anything overly "beautiful" or "dazzling" as she calls them.

In essence, the series is simply that straight forward. Hilarious antics ensue, interesting monologues, plot devices, and twists incur which sum up to the entire episodic series of Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge.

Our four male protagonists thankfully each have a personality of their own (as usual reverse harem men do).


Takano Kyouhei is probably the main male protagonist as the storyline boasts a bit of a relationship between Sunako-chan and him. Kyouhei is rough and rude and impatient, but even as he claims that all he cares about is free rent, he readily understands Sunako's circumstances and takes care of her as well as his friends living within the mansion. He is proclaimed as "the prettiest of them all", which is kind of disturbing, but his demeanor and personality could contradict his own looks. As contrasted to the other three, at least he tries to fight his own "prettiness" and acknowledges it as some sort of issue...

All in all, I feel like this guy probably has the most depth than the rest of his co-male characters.


Oda Takenaga is a rather quiet, smart, and refined young man with the personality and background of a young master. Toyama Yuki looks like a girl, acts like a girl, and could probably be a girl as he is the most gentle and caring of the bunch-- I feel little sympathy for him being mistaken as a girl regularly and forced to dress like one. And Morii Ranmaru is simply a playboy with no personality-- I don't like him in the slightest.

The other regular supporting character is Kasahara Noi who is depicted as the "Lady" who worked hard to look and be the way she is at present. She is in love with Takenaga, admires Sunako-chan, fights regularly with Kyouhei, and gets along with the rest quite well.


I have little to say about this series but giving such a recap of the characters and the storyline. The series itself does not leave an impression. And while I am quite amused with the horror and dark arts themes circulating this series, the plot devices become quite old after a while.

Everything is usually quite funny the first time around. And then the ideas are reused, recycled, and repeated so many times that it loses its appeal.

I liked the dark arts theme. I enjoyed the "talking" anatomical figures, and Sunako-chan's SD form was actually very, very adorable. But her nose bleeding, her constant hiding in her room, her continous moping about being "ugly"... it all just ended up becoming quite annoying. Her fascination with anything dark and twisted always piqued my interest, but got old real fast.

It was a good thing that Sunako-chan proved to at least be efficient in some areas where many shoujo manga girls are not. She can cook, she can clean, she's not academically stupid, and she has her set of common senses despite being morbid and twisted. Sunako-chan is not an idiot; she just simply sees the world in a very, very twisted way.

Did I mention that she's very dark and twisted?

The guys annoyed me too. I mean, are there truly men out there who look as beautiful as women... and even more so when they actually dress up as women? I feel a little down just thinking about the fact that a man could possibly be prettier than me when he puts some effort into it-- though it takes little effort to get to that point.

But still... I guess this is just a typical Japanese manga thing to have men be able to look just as beautiful as a woman.

Men who look "pretty" are kind of creepy in my own personal opinion.
As far as the series goes, it was all good entertainment. I like anime and manga aimed at the shoujo demographic. It's as simple as that. If the series had ended with a good romantic wrap-up between Sunako and Kyouhei, I would have been happier, but there was only a hinting and Sunako still nosebled all over Kyouhei. So even as the anime series is over, I hold no hope for any progress in their relationhip any time soon in the manga which is still ongoing.

Nonetheless, the relationship between them is quite heartwarming. Of course, this is setting aside the fact that Sunako tried to kill Kyouhei on many different occasions, can't seem to look him in the eye without having a nosebleed, and calls him "dazzling creature" in a rather resenting tone. Otherwise, they seem to like each other and can get along fine.

Side characters in the series were nothing but background noise and quite annoying. The episodic plots were some you would have to take with a pinch of salt and a spoon of sugar.


The landlady who is also Sunako's aunt, affectionately addressed as "Oba-chan" by the boys, is an interesting lady what with her constant changing of boyfriends and her outrageous entrances and exits. All-in-all, she's not a bad person and I can see how Sunako would enjoy her presence so much despite her being such a beautiful woman.

I enjoyed the series up to a certain point. I liked the theme music. And Sunako's seiyuu Takaguchi Yukiko did an excellent job, especially with all the voice changing between Sunako's human form and SD form.

As far as the must see factor on this series, I'd simply say this is something I wouldn't mind watching simply to pass the time. If you're looking for something wonderful to tell your friends about, this series probably isn't it. But it was fun, it was funny, and it was entertaining. I will admit that I really enjoyed the anime a lot. It's just not something I would become hooked on such as the likes of Ouran High School Host Club or Lovely Complex.

I've seeked out the manga version and plan on viewing it soon. It is still ongoing and so there is still much development to be seen. Hopefully it will satsify my fangirl desires where the anime could not.

I found that I quite enjoyed the relationship between Kyouhei and Sunako and I liked to see them together like this, with Sunako in her SD form. It's rather cute.

thoughts: D.Gray-man (anime) -- unexpected ending

Episode 103: It Echoes in the Long Morning

I was utterly panicked when after episode 102 I watched the preview for episode 103 and it was stated as the last episode. I thought to myself, "This can't be. The manga is still going with a lot of new plot and details." Even though I haven't followed the manga, I know that a new story arc is starting to approach. There was so much more that needed to be animated and broadcasted to the fans.


But then I went and discovered that upon acquiring episode 103 from my sources, it was indeed the very last episode.

The series wraps up rather snuggly with episode 103, and like any other anime, it boasts the possibility without promise of a continuation. The war of D.Gray-man continues on, new evolutions of Innocense have been revealed, and the Millenium Earl feels as if he's only just getting started.

I've found no evidence of a continuation anywhere, and by this point in time a possible sequel is more or less out the window considering the length of this anime in its original form.

Indeed, this may more than likely be the end of the entire anime altogether, and the main reason could most plausibly have to do with popularity and ratings.

As of present, I know only that the most popular ongoing shounen demographic anime series are three: One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach. With this in mind, we presume they are popular because of their target audience-- young children, mostly male, all with the penchant for violence and becoming the world's greatest pirate/ninja/samurai (have your pick). They're mostly kids, they have nothing to do-- and these anime also appeal internationally.

Good luck finding girls in the western area who will openly admit to watching anime or indulging in shoujo manga.

In essence, the three mentioned above have one very common factor: they were all anime that resemble the first and longest shounen demographic anime to hit it off internationally, Dragonball. My speculations are my own and will be saved for a later post, but for right now, take it as it is.

D.Gray-man, I assume, never really had that same appeal that One Piece, Naruto, or Bleach have. That, and I assume having a very, very dark themed storyline couldn't really be appropriate for young viewers (never minding that I know nothing of Naruto or that Bleach consists of very bloody fight scenes).

There's a lot of anguish that goes into the pacing and development of D.Gray-man's plot and characters. The anime itself centers around a war against machines created using people who have died who then go on to killing the person who called for that weapon termed "Akuma".

The recipe for an "Akuma":

- One part sadness and sorrow
- One part anguish
- One part longing
- One machine created courtesy of the Millenium Earl
- Two deaths of humankind
- Add an enormous side of suffering

Death may occur regularly in Bleach or Dragonball... but unlike D.Gray-man, it doesn't occur in practically every episode. After all, when you see one "Akuma" you know that at least two lives have been expended for its creation. Not only that, but where there is an Akuma, there certainly will follow more deaths since Akuma were biologically created to kill without reason.


D.Gray-man really began to grow on me after a couple episodes. The storyline is extremely unrealistic, and sometimes even if suspending disbelief, the actions of many of the characters are a little unrealistic as well. Some actions contradict others, and some actions warrant confusion and inquiry.

But as a whole, I was able to do what I couldn't do with Bleach. I watched the entire series of D.Gray-man. And this has nothing to do with the fact that one is now finished and the other is still ongoing. I gave up on Bleach long before I could make it into the third story arc-- when the rescue team saved Rukia and settled the little shinigami debacle, the entire series lost it's appeal to me.

D.Gray-man, however, I can safely say, was able to hold my attention for seventy-episodes straight until I ran out of episodes to watch and could only sit in wait for the next available release.

It's very safe to say that I'm going to miss those weekly releases of D.Gray-man now that it's over.


The ending episode of D.Gray-man does two things:

Firstly, it allows us to watch one last fight between exorcists and akuma by finishing off the battle between Lenalee, Allen, and Level Four-kun... as well as incorporating the late-comer generals. This was quite the fun battle, but it really should have ended when Allen's left-arm sword was pierced into the Level Four Akuma's torso.

Allen-kun and Lenalee do make a pretty good combo. I'm going to miss seeing the kickass Lenalee now that she's finally recovered and gotten stronger.
Any reasons that Cross Marian has can NEVER be good. So don't ask... Really. Don't. O.o
Things aren't that easy huh?

The second half of the episode wraps up the series with the idea that the war between the Dark Order and the Millenium Earl will continue to rage on even as the anime ends. Lenalee's Innocense displayed an evolution from equip-type to what Komui terms crystal-type, and Allen has been able to fully use 100+ percent synch of his own anti-akuma weapon.

Cross Marian is returning to the Order's head honcho base for further discussion, and the Bookman duet are expecting more history to be recorded of this time period.

The headquarters on top of scary black mountain is now going through a process of moving after being completely and utterly demolished by Level Four-kun, and I have a feeling that the head honcho guy, Lvellie is still not satisfied with how things are run at headquarters by Komui. Krory is finally awake since his almost demise in the ark after the Noah twins pretty much puree him.


Everything at the Order will be heading back into a normal direction. But deaths have occured and friends and family were lost to the cause. This is what happens in war, but one cannot help but feel a little aghast at how fragile all of these people we watched throughout the storyline are.

There is a lot of tension between the Order, the exorcists, and the Lvellie but none of this will ever be settled unless one continues to follow the manga, or the producers decide that fans deserve a second chance at bringing the ratings up.

All in all, I'm quite disappointed at the sudden ending even if it was a good wrap-up. Lenalee has just become her kickass self all over again, Allen is getting stronger and stronger, and my precious Lavi and Yu are no longer going to grace me with their uber-bishie presences. I'm going to miss it all seriously.



It's interesting that they get their third change in uniform at the very end of the anime series. They look pretty good though. And Lenalee is even growing her hair back out-- so pretty.
But I guess everything has to come to an end at some point in time. I just hadn't imagined it would have come so quickly when all of those other ongoing shounen anime are still progressing in the 200+ or 300+ episodes.


***

In upcoming news, I intend to return to the "old anime" area and maybe pick up another popular shounen anime in the form of Rurouni Kenshin. And along with this shounen anime, there's no reason why I can't pick up a shoujo anime either-- the shoujo of all shoujo and the originator of all reverse harems, Fushigi Yugi. There has to be something good about these two or else they wouldn't have been so popular. I'm ready to brave them and see just what was so great about them.

As for any other anime, I may pick up Gintama as a replace ment for D.Gray-man in order to fulfill my Suzuken-sama quota. Boy am I going to miss the uber-bishie adorableness that is Lavi at his cheerful best. Suzuken did wonderful and I'll miss being able to hear his voice as Lavi.


Now to look forward to whatever else Suzuken will become a part of in the future, and maybe he'll be able to work with his friend Takahiro-san as well as associate Kobayashi Sanae (Allen-kun).

spotlight: Kyoko-sama's dark magic... or just a favorite pasttime.

In keeping with the broadcast of Skip Beat!'s anime adaptation as well as my love for the almighty Kyoko-sama and her wild, extraordinary, wonderful, demonic personality, this month I would like to make mention of a particular item that I'm sure all Skip Beat! fans want a piece of.

In Volume 2, Act 15 of the manga, we are introduced to the infamous Ren and Sho voodoo dolls -- handmade by Kyoko and all accessories come separately.


As a part of her grudge at its best, Kyoko is extremely focused on doing whatever it is she can to take down the two men she finds that she scorns the most in her life. While Ren eventually becomes a respected senpai as an actor and as a person to her, there is no doubt that Kyoko had harbored no good will towards him in the beginning. As for Sho, there is no need to emphasize the hatred seething beneath Kyoko's determination to beat the man at what he does best.

Not only are posters tacked up in her room of the two men (size according to her level of hatred) but Kyoko has presented to the fans her very own handmade voodoo dolls. In essence, these are merely a form of hobby she does to relieve stress when she's caught in a corner.

In Volume 1, Act 3, page 16 of the manga -- yes, I am down to the detail -- we first see Kyoko sewing her first voodoo doll after witnessing the beauty of all the other auditioners for the talent section of LME. (Also see above for anime adaptation scene.) Because of stress, she pulls her borrowed sewing kit out and begins to make a voodoo doll, muttering something to the extent of needing someone's strand of hair for the thing to work. It is because of this that Kanae mistakens her for the "lost" Maria's mother and throws the child mercilessly at her. And it is because of this that Kyoko gets to make her first impression on the equally morbid and twisted young child.


In Volume 3, Act 16, as a ploy to "lure" Maria, the problem child and Takarada Lory's granddaughter out in order to help with a slight issue in the acting section of LME, the Kyoko handmade voodoo dolls are employed. It is here that we are introduced to the "Ren scared stiff of Kyoko" doll, the "Ren surrendering to Kyoko" doll, and the "Sho crying to Kyoko to admit his crimes" doll. There are many others, but either I've missed them or they have not made their debut.


Nonetheless, it is quite a wonder that Kyoko could do so much with just pictures and cheap fabrics and materials -- since she has no money. On top of that, the way in which she so carefully details each outfit on the dolls is extremely amazing to anyone who sees them. To Kyoko, this is just a way to relieve her stress and present her superiority versus Ren and Sho. She has absolutely no idea how strange or incredible it is that she could even get the fabric and the design of the dolls' clothes so exact.


As the story progresses, Kyoko rarely pulls out the voodoo dolls for anything other than to talk to them or pretend that they are talking to her. Especially with the Ren doll, as she grows to respect him more and more, she often pulls out a submissive Ren doll just for the purpose of imagining what he would say to her during certain situations. Sadly, Kyoko is a very good judge of character during the present story line, because she is really good at knowing what it is that Ren would say to her and usually she's right.

The dolls are an essential part of the storyline, not only because I think they're kind of cool, but they bring to Kyoko a very good ally in her plight.


Takarada Maria is the granddaughter of the president of LME and until she met Kyoko she felt that she could never trust adults at all. Kyoko straight forwardly treated Maria like she would treat anyone else, not mattering that Maria is just a child and definitely not mattering that Maria is the granddaughter of the company president.

Sharing a love for the "dark arts" in the doll's items, Maria easily showed herself upon seeing all the Ren dolls, praising them for their attention to detail. She then gets into a deep discussion with Kyoko about the different types of dolls that can be used and reveals that she's been trying to make Ren fall in love with her with various types of dolls.

Kyoko, of course, uses her dolls for the sake of cursing Ren and Sho. On a side note, it mentions in one scene of the manga that Kyoko will work on her dolls whenever she is feeling particularly stressed.

Handcrafted wonderfully, I'm sure everyone would love to have a submussive Ren or Sho doll. I'm almost tempted to google such items to see if any company has decided to manufacture these dolls. I'm sure a lot of fans would do the same.

So why are the voodoo dolls created by Kyoko-sama the spotlight for October? There are a plethora of reasons.

Kyoko has too many traits about her that I want to talk about from her personality to all her little crazy, quirky actions. If I wanted to do a spotlight on her, it would take a long time to accumulate all of her qualities on paper. And also, I want to leave all of that for a feature piece in the future. Make no mistake, I would probably do a spotlight on Kyoko and there is a possibility that I would do it next month or the month after. I love this girl a lot just because of how strong and innocent she can be.

But I ran out of time because the end of the month is drawing near and I really couldn't think of a good spotlight for this month. And then I decided on writing one over a particular item in a manga or anime and the first thing I thought of that stood out were the dolls.

A wonderful idea if I may say so myself. And along the way, it is October and Halloween is coming up soon. While voodoo dolls cannot be counted as items for the holiday, they are nonetheless something associated with the dark arts, which in turn can be associated with Halloween. Good twist, no?

Anyway, of all the quirky Kyoko habits, I found this one to be one of interest. Just the amount of work and detail that go into making her dolls is a wonderful feat. I often tell myself that Mogami Kyoko is not as simple as she always seems. There is just so much to this girl and Moko-san is right to fear her.

As an afterthough, I look forward to seeing the actual dolls in animation soon.

*All photo's credited to Skip Beat! and its creator Nakamura Yoshiki.
*Anime screenshot taken from Skip Beat!'s second episode.