Pseudo-Elf Princess Speaks:
Thursday, August 26, 2004 05:28 p.m. Melody of Oblivion
Since the new season doesn't start until October (can't watch for Bleach!) and the titles I'm currently watching are either a pain to d/l (FMwS--batch files) or lagging (SnF--I like Keep's subs, but they're the slowest ><), I decided to check out a series that I had seen recommended somewhere. Here are my thoughts.
The Melody of Oblivion: [ep. 1] The Melody of Oblivion was lost to humans after the war between the humans and monsters, which the humans lost. Years later, the monsters are considered a myth, as are the 'warriors' (senshi) who fight them. This is the world Bocca lives in, where the truth is concealed and humans are secretly offered as sacrifices to the monsters. Real weapons--even an arrow in gym class--are discouraged (so the humans cannot fight back). Everyone says the monsters don't exist. Bocca doesn't believe them, and his wish is become a warrior.
Blahbity blah blah. The first episode didn't do that much for the plot. Not to say it was bad, the story just hasn't sunk its teeth in yet. Bocca has a friend/girlfriend, Bocca wants to be a warrior, Bocca works for the crazy old man alongside a 'vagabond.' The 'vagabond' reveals himself as a warrior when a monster comes and Bocca gets pulled right along. Oh, and there was this weird section where looking at the monster (who looks human) turned some people into wooden dolls or something?
Here's what I don't like: I was initially turned off from this by the character designs. They're not ugly like, say, Akira, but ... I don't like them. It's mostly Bocca. His hair sometimes sticks to his head in an unpleasant way and his eyes, coloring, and facial expressions make him look like a girl (I don't mean he's a bishounen or a cute little Toboe type--he just looks really girly). I thought he was female until I saw that he didn't have the watermelon breasts like the other girls did. Which was another thing I didn't like, especially since they weren't so bad otherwise. Oh, yeah, and the backgrounds often look like colored pencil sketches. Ugly ones. Even though the other half of the time they're perfectly fine *shrugs*
So the plot hasn't yet awakened and the animation is from good to crappy. But--BUT!!--the music is absolutely GORGEOUS!! It's not just the opening and ending themes, either. MO has an obvious music connection, and they used it well. The in show soundtrack was a treat to the ears, featuring lovely orchestral work. Whatever budget they appropriated from the animation must have been put into the music fund, because it's a saving grace to this show.
Yeah, so I'll watch a few more episodes. The plot has some potential, and the music is excellent. Judging it all on a first episode of a 24 (I think) episode series usually isn't a good idea. *shrugs* At the least it will help me pass the time between my other downloads (well, that and homework *heh*). Peace out : P
Wednesday, August 18, 2004 04:20 p.m. Touch your heart! PRACTICE!!
WAI WAI WAI WAI WAI WAI WAI WAI!!
WAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!
*phew* fangirlish squealing sure can be tiring ^^;; But the Ultra Maniac ending--yes, I have finished it ;_;--deserves as much fangirlish squealing as possible.
KAWAIIIIII!! *ahem* Through all the time I watched it, I never stopped liking UM. Shoujo does not get cuter than this. It just doesn't. This is a show that I would have no qualms about showing to a little kid, but would still love watching myself. SO CUTE!!
Anyway, the second half of the series did a lot. Yes, a lot of the episodes can be considered 'filler,' but there was only one that I didn't like ('Virgin Love' which was a stupid name for an episode and girls' hearts/love being stolen for power. Bah). The rest were all very enjoyable--wah, I loved the cat episode ^^--and worked in character development nicely. Initially, I thought Kaji was too boringly perfect. A later episode turns this idea on its head. I thought Tsujiai was a blank wall. Then he turns out to be an otaku ^^ I thought Maya was too unexplainably focused on getting the Holy Stones (not to mention mean). It's not explained until the last episode, but her reason was very understandable and sweet. I really grew to love these characters (I loved Ayu, Nina, and Yuta immediately ^^)
I like how friendship is portrayed. Ultra Maniac doesn't waste time with silly "We'll be friends forever!" dialogue that has nothing to back it up. Ayu and Nina hang out. They worry about each other. They support each other. Very sweet, very believable.
As for the ending . . . I thought I would be disappointed, because I misinterpreted some things due to fanfiction (bah, this always happens), but I wasn't at all. The plot of Nina's search for the Holy Stones wasn't a hard one to resolve. What was harder was the Princess candidate thing behind the Holy Stones, which focused more on Nina's relationships in the human world than the plot of the Holy Stones themselves. And like any good shoujo, Ultra Maniac fixed the relationship threads into a pretty bow, leaving no loose ends. (Okay, I still don't go for Yuta/Luna, cause Luna's pretty creepy, but I guess it works. But the Maya thing was just so utterly SWEET! I liked Maya a lot more after seeing the last episode.) Also, the lighthearted feeling running through the series never goes away, though things do get tough for some of the characters in the last few episodes.
(By the way, the romance is cute, too. They're all in 8th grade, and they don't do more than hold each other, and that's not even until the last few episodes. Ayu is starry-eyed over Kaji from the beginning, but there's enough thrown into the mix between them to make it feel real. And both Ayu and Nina make it clear that boys aren't the top priority in their lives.)
Besides that, where can you find a shoujo anime with cuter art? The character designs are adorable (the girls are cute and the boys are bishies), and they stay adorable. Facial expressions, clothing, and hair are all done well, and the animation is overall crisp, clear, and colorful. It's nothing awe-inspiring like RahXephon or Twelve Kingdoms, but it just exudes cuteness.
I know, I keep saying cute. You must all be puking by now ^^;; But I really can't think of another show that's so welldone without being completely sappy. Kare Kano and Fruits Basket are great shoujos, but their manga versions stomped the anime versions up and down. I haven't read the Ultra Maniac manga yet (it's by Yoshizumi Wataru, the manga-ka behind Marmalade Boy ^^), but with an anime this, ahem, cute, it must be good. I only wish there were more episodes . . . WAII!! CUTE!! Peace out : P
Tuesday, August 10, 2004 10:33 a.m. Metamorphose
I know, a new entry so soon after my last one? Well, yesterday I polished off the final three episodes of Kono Minikuku mo Utsukushii Sekai (long name. Kono-mini for short).
Kono Mini: [eps. 10-12 (end)] Take an interesting premise, a few interesting characters, a crapload of uninteresting ones, add liberal amounts of fanservice, mix well with standard plot devices and a pinch of shounen romance. There you have it, Kono-mini episodes 1-9. What's this you say? It's 12 episodes??
I'm not going to say that it turned out spectacular (because the rest of the series will always be bogged with their problems), but these last three episodes turned down the fanservice and turned up the plot to enjoyable results. Hikari totally switches over to her passive-aggressive destroy-the-world-for-new-life persona, and thereby makes herself a hundred times more interesting as she taunts Takeru with the hurt of his past. And yes, a Takeru with serious abandonment issues is much more interesting as well. After all, love isn't just about smiling happily and blushing at each other, it's also about looking into each other's hearts, facing your demons, and destroying them. Of course, there's a lot more on the line than Takeru and Hikari's relationship, because even as he attempts to snap her out of it, the red butterflies of new life are covering the sky, waiting to be given the world. . . .
As I said, I like how things worked out. Kono-mini manages to pull off an ending that is neither unbelievably happy nor depressing while wrapping things up relatively neatly. I like that passive-aggressive Hikari was portrayed as just another facet of Hikari's personality instead of something outside of her. I like the sweet brother-sister-esque relationship that developed between Akari and Ryou (in one part, she's about to leave and he leans to kiss her, and she says, "No, we're family" and he kisses her forehead instead--they aren't really family, but they became that way). I like that things don't end perfectly, but they do end with the possibility for happiness.
All in all, I still can't recommend Kono-mini. It has major flaws--too much fanservice and long bouts of stupid filler. But it came through in the end with the plot, and while I probably won't remember it very well, I don't think I'll completely forget it either. *but I do wish I could just get a compilation of the cute Akari and Ryou and Kimi (Ryou's real little sister) moments, because they're the reason I kept watching*
Ah, our T.V.'s supposed to come back today! I can't wait to watch stuff in the basement again *happiness* Peace out : P
Sunday, August 8, 2004 12:12 p.m. AIRSHIPS!
Heheh. I know. It's really long.
Last Exile: [vol. 2] Al, the mysterious young girl who childhood friends and Van ship operators Claus (pilot) and Lavie (navigator) were entrusted with, finally gets delivered to the mysterious and powerful airship called the Silvana. But Claus is worried about Al's fate (since Captain Alex Row took her with barely a word to them), so he and the unwilling Lavie track and manage to board the Silvana (under the premise of delivering a cute goat stuffed animal to Al. Squee!) They want to take Al wth them and protect her themselves (well, Claus does--Lavie is a bit reluctant), though Vice Captain of the Silvana, Sophia, insists Al will be safe with them.
Wah! Last Exile is one of the most delightful series around. The music is lovely, the animation is lovely, the atmosphere is lovely, the characters are lovely . . . I don't think I can say enough good about it. It's a little bit hard to categorize, but I guess you could call it an adventure/action show. There's a war going on, but that's not the main focus (the Silvana is neutral--the side character Mullin is a soldier, though). Characters are still being introduced as we go (like Dio, the requisite playful but possibly crazy silver-haired bishie--I *heart* him!), and the ones that are there are being developed. Right now, the biggest question is why Al is such important 'cargo'--that and the questions about the Silvana's purpose.
There are a few small problems, of course. Mostly, the completely obvious CG. The Van ships and Silvana and other aircraft are all CG, and the show's creators are just a bit too proud of them. But this isn't hard to overlook, since the 2-D animation more than makes up for it. Some people think the opening and ending songs are awful, so it's a love it or hate it thing, since I love them. Oh. I haven't listened to much of the dub, but . . . I don't think I'd be able to, as Dio is voiced by Joshua Seth. Though I have nothing against Joshua Seth, just imagine Tai as Dilandau and you'll see why I can't stand it. Joshua Seth does Tai. Joshua Seth cannot do mysterious, playful, and slightly creepy silver-haired girly-boys. It's just wrong. But the sub pulls it all off wonderfully, so the problems are definitely overlookable in light of all that was well done.
Wai, I know I'm rambling. But I'll just give a few of my favorite scenes from this volume: Al's discreet exploration of the Silvana (ending with the amusing mechanics crew entertaining her ^_^); Mullin buying Lavie's drink and their subsequent conversations (she didn't remember him, but he remembered her); the interactions between Alex Row and Sophia (like in the ep. 9 preview); the big fight at the casino that Lavie sort of started (and it was sweet when she picked up Mullin's medals and told him not to give up ^^) . . . wai, so many good moments. I really *heart* this show!
Infinite Ryvius: [vol. 4] Mmm-hmm. This was easier to follow than the last one since I had seen volume 3. Blue decides to abandon the Ryvius with the crew of the Vital Guarder (which includes Juli ^_~), but his plan backfires and results in his little regime being overthrown (he manages to hide himself on the Ryvius, though). With that, Juli is elected (against her will) to be the new captain, and things go downhill, since she doesn't want to be the leader, and the kids on the Ryvius are getting lazy. Kozue is harrassed for being Ikumi's girlfriend (she didn't deserve it, though her attitude didn't help) and Faina starts to spread her cult to others on the ship (all while telling Aoi that she's part of Kouji's old life and is unnecessary to his new life). Meanwhile, Kouji feels guilty over what happened with Blue's gang and Yuki's feeling for Aoi (!!!) are questioned by Cullen (who has feelings for Yuki, apparently). My, what a tangled web we weave!
I can understand when people say that it's just the same thing with the leaders being overthrown or failing, but the characters and their interactions are so fascinating that I don't really care about the plot anymore. From Faina's mini-cult to Kozue's undeserved harrassment to Juli's obsession with finding Blue (and not so he can be punished by the others), Ryvius is this short of a science fiction soap opera. Of course, the characters aren't flat and boring, so that comparison is useless. Ah, and to think I now have access to the end....
RahXephon: [vol. 5] So Ayato heads back to Tokyo Jupiter in the RahXephon to get some answers. While he finds out something a bit surprising (and confusing @_@) about his mother (Maya), Haruka (who follows him with Elvy) reveals the past she and Ayato share (that we all knew about--oh, that and her connection with Maya), and Ayato's friend Asahina Hiroko begins to question the reality that all her friends don't want to talk about. Oi, and Maya (Ayato's mother) knows Quon?! (Ok, I got the spoiler for this already...) Anyway, Ayato brings Asahina with him when he leaves, and they share a brief time of peace and happiness together before the Big Sad Thing happens and makes everybody cry.
So this was a good volume, even with only three episodes. No questions were really answered, but Asahina was greatly developed as a character (and, omigosh, I actually stopped being annoyed by her!) and the whole Haruka/Ayato thing is finally out in the open. Maybe the Big Sad Thing will only make me sad, but I know other RahXephon fans were affected as well. Stuff got really emotional and reality bent once again. And the animation continues to be some of the lushest around (alongside 12K and Last Exile). Wah, only two volumes left....
Ultra Maniac: [ep. 12-13] More cuteness. Well, that and a hint of a thought of romance between Tsujiai and Nina, oh my! This continues to be a super kawaii show and I hope it stays good ^^
Kono Mini: [ep. 7-9] In which Hikari discovers that her true purpose on Earth is to DESTROY THE WORLD!!! No, really, it is. I'm serious. So she gets attacked again and has the dream about her purpose and it makes her shy away from Takeru. Meanwhile, Jennifer-san (the busty blonde drunk from America) pretends to have a purpose while fanservicing us to death. Akari has also remembered her and Hikari's purpose and reveals that she is the half (since they used to be the same O.o) who pleads to save the world. What decision will Hikari make about the fate of the world?! (Um, duh. Are we all that stupid?)
Soukyuu no Fafner: [ep. 4] I don't remember what happened. Um, there were more recruits to pilot the mecha. Or something? I still think Hisashi Hirai's character designs (also seen in Gundam Seed, Infinite Ryvius, and S.cry.ed) are the bee's knees, I still *heart* Soushi, and I still love the opening and ending themes. I don't really know what's going on, but I'll just have to watch it again ^^;;
Full Moon wo Sagashite: [vol. 3-4 of manga] Wai! The manga is SO much better than the show. Where the show putters about on fillers and silly stuff, the manga delves right into everyone's dark and angsty pasts. Just about everybody has past connections to each other, and just about all of them are depressing. Nonetheless, when she's not being too melodramatic Arina Tanemura excells in the angst department. That and her art is gorgeous shoujo to the core. FMwS isn't my favorite work by her, but it's a good, angsty shoujo for those who like that sort of thing.
I don't think I've watched any more Monster or Kyou Kara Maou! since my last entry. Did I even say that KKM is licensed? I think A-One is still releasing it, but I didn't d/l all of ep. 13, and I don't think the torrent is up for that any more. I still need to watch 10-12, though. I don't know. Since I didn't mention it before, I've gotten up to volume 9 in Bleach scans, and it's soooo yummy *heart* Max coolness. And Renji has funny eyebrows ^^ Read some other scans as well, but don't really have anything to say about them. I'm trying to push off watching the new stuff I bought, but I think I'm going to fold. I wanna know what happens! Ah, well, peace out : P
Monday, July 26, 2004 01:22 p.m. too long.
Since it's been way too long since I last updated for me to remember all that I've watched, I'm just going to rant on about random things. Oh, wait, that's what I always do *sweatdrops*
Twelve Kingdoms: Yumminess. Suzu needs a reality check, Shoukei needs a kick in the pants. Suzu is a nice girl from Japan who floated to the 12K and got stuck under the thumb of a cruel sennyo (female sennin--immortal being) who made Suzu a sennyo so she could make Suzu do chores that are almost impossible for her own amusement. Suzu dreams of the Japanese queen Youko saving her and doing something nasty to her sennyo mistress. Shoukei's the daughter of nasty king who had too many rules resulting in the 'off with their heads!' punishment. Shoukei didn't know what was going on, but she was spoiled rotten. In a coup de tat, her parents were killed and she was stripped of her immortality and sent to live as a mortal with the peasants. Didn't help her humility any, though. Shoukei is angry towards Youko because Youko is immortal like she used to be. Ah, petty jealously. Youko is learning to live politically, watching every step and unsure who to please or trust. Backslide time! (Wow that was ALMOST comprehensible! Okay, not really).
Vampire Game 7, Kare Kano 10, Suikoden III 2, Bleach 1: Cool. Yup. Very cool. VG = hot Duzzel. KK = sweetness and lovely character development. SIII = lovely character and plot development. Bleach = coolness.
Immortal Rain: [vol. 1] Ah! I like this *heart* It sort of reminded me of Trigun. And Rain--the immortal bounty head--is such a cool character! The girl's (bounty hunter after Rain who becomes friends with him) okay, too. But Ayla, the random chick carrying around her boyfriend's head in hopes of resurrecting him, was stupid. I didn't like her much. I want more of this series, though! And there was even some sweet friendshippy stuff ^^
Ultra Maniac: Continually adorable and funny and sweet. Yup. There was a funny person who looked like he was trying to cosplay a J-rock singer and failed miserably ^^ *heart*
Kyou Kara Maou!: Umm . . . I dunno . . . it's kind of lost momentum with me. Good setup, but where's the plot, hmm?
Monster: Sort the same thing . . . I haven't been interested enough even to watch the newer episodes (some of which I have, some of which I don't). I guess I'll get to them at some point . ..
Soukyuu no Fafner: [ep. 2-3] Yeah, I guess this was good . . . sort of. Mostly I just like the pretty animation and the ending theme. And Soushi. Because the idea of a boy who knows how to pilot, doesn't pilot, but does helps the pilot seems sort of intriguing. I don't know.
Kono Minikuki mo Utsukushii Sekai: [ep. 2-6] Hereafter known as Kono Mini. This series is driving me nuts. I hate Takeru, the bland main character, I hate Hikari, the fanboy's stupid dreamgirl who hasn't gone berserk since the first episode, I hate the two fanboys, I HATE Jennifer, the busty blonde drunk from America who keeps hitting on all the boys (HATE HATE HATE), I dislike the two fangirls, and I dislike Mari, Takeru's cousin who can be nice but is mostly snotty and jealous. Phew. That's a lot of hates. Oh, yeah, I hate all the nudity and fanservice and predictable plot elements.
Now for the reasons why I'm watching: I love Ryou, Takeru's calm, collected, quiet friend. I love Akari, the 'sister' of Hikari (so she's also not human) who is as opposite Hikari as Ryou is opposite Takeru. I love Ryou's little sister, who can be bossy but is mostly sweet and responsible (how Mari could have been, if she was likeable). These three together have such touching, wonderful moments that I can't help but want more. Episodes 3 and 4, when Akari is introduced, were such a far cry from the usual, 'oh, look, a cute girl who'll automatically fall in love with me and follow me home (i.e. Hikari)!' Ryou and Akari's relationship is slow and sweet and calm and not really romantic (particularly since she's a bit younger than Hikari and the rest). And the way in which Ryou's sister is doubtful at first but eventually accepts Akari feels . . . real. Natural. Everything about them feels real and natural, a contrast with the rest of the show.
It's for these reasons that I ignore the blantant fanservice and completely disgusting nudity (oh, they have to be dressed and washed and what not >_<) of the rest. Is it worth it? If we get to a plot, yes. I think the drunk American is a lost cause, but maybe even the disgustingly predictable pair of Hikari and Takeru can be improved with time (I doubt it. These two are awful). That all said, I don't recommend this show unless you like gratuitous fanservice, or can brave gratuitous fanservice for the little bits of beauty found underneath all the ugliness.
Oy, yeah, I read "Host Club" (manga) from Aku-Tenshi. It was . . . general shoujo. The art was kind of off-balance. The story was nothing special. Girl who looks like a boy stumbles upon her school's host club and is inducted after accidently breaking an expensive vase (she has to pay off the debt on it). It's pretty silly. I don't know if there was only one volume published or if that's just all A-T got to (it says complete, but I read the last chapter and it's not even close to an ending). Read it if you're really really bored, otherwise don't bother. I'll probably get whatever else they release, but it's not the kind of thing I would ever buy.
Speaking of scans, I also read chapter one of Partner, a dark shoujo by Miho Obana (author of Kodocha). I got it originally because I like Kodocha, but this is interesting stuff. Nae and Moe are (identical) twin girls who are friends with (fraternal) twin boys Takeshi and Ken. Nae likes Ken, but Ken's going out with Moe, so Nae keeps her mouth shut. Takeshi likes Nae, but she doesn't return his affections. Don't worry, though, its basis is something other than a love square. Moe dies in a car accident. Then, her body is stolen, just like so many others. And then, Nae, Takeshi, and Ken see Moe again . . . is she a ZoMBie?!
(Woo, this is getting long.) I only got the first chapter (at omanga.net) because it won't let me d/l the second one >_< I wanna know what happened to Moe! Anyway, the artwork is a lot like Kodocha--it has skinny people with big heads and big eyes, but it's still very cute. There's a little bit of humor in addition to the horror, which is nice because Obana is very good at both humor and drama (as shown in Kodocha). Good stuff.
Whew. That's it. I think. Peace out : P
Saturday, July 10, 2004 10:37 p.m. New layout at last
As you can see, I finally have a new layout. No, I didn't make it myself. This beauty is courtesy of magitek designs (a lovely free layout site), for which you'll find a little button/link before my tagboard. The layout features Ayu from Ultra Maniac. Other than her showing a few extra inches of skin, I thought it was a cute layout, and it worked for my purposes. . . . Anyway, I've been obsessed with Ultra Maniac lately, so that works, too ^_~ I hope you like it as much as I do . . . though I've been staring at it for a while so I'm actually starting to get sick of it . . .
By the way, "Practice!" is Nina's (Ayu's witch friend) phrase of choice when casting spells (meaning it's used in every single episode at least once). Maybe I'll replace it with a song lyric later. . . . Peace out : P
Thursday, July 8, 2004 06:49 p.m. Odds and beginnings
New seasons are starting in Japan, though I'm having trouble keeping up with the old stuff . . .
Neon Genesis Evangelion: [vol. 4] It's funny, because I found myself enjoying the recap episode in this set most of all. The characters are vaguely starting to grate on my nerves, and the recap offered a step back from that and a hint of the intrigue to come, which made me almost start to like the series. I'm not going to convert, but I'll hang in there for the rest, if there's any possibility of getting answers and meaning for the various odd things that are shoved in the viewer's brain.
NightWalker: [eps. 1-4] *ahem* This show is . . . bad!! I mean, between the nudity and the suggestive dialogue/dirty jokes and disturbing scenes involving blood-sucking AND nudity . . . *ahem* And yet I'm still watching it . . .?
So . . . Shido is a vampire/detective who protects humans from the Night Breed (creatures of the night who attack humans--not much else I can say about 'em). He has a lovely assistant, Yayoi, from whom he gets his meals of blood (and other things, if Shido's talk is to be taken seriously) and a young, schoolgirl secretary, Riho, whose family was killed by the Night Breed (and who has a big crush on Shido). Shido has no memories of his life before becoming a vampire, and his only link to the past is Cain, his ex-lover (*dies*), who doesn't share Shido's kind view of humans.
Most of the episodes were, well, episodic with Shido's dealings with the Night Breed, but Cain shows up now and then to ramble about "The Golden Dawn" (which I still don't get) and hurt people (including Riho, who gets vampirized in the fourth episode). All in all, despite the things I object to, it's an entertaining series, and definitely something to fill a craving for anime vampires (as there aren't too many series devoted to them). The series is 12 episodes, I believe, with six on each disc. Once I finish this volume, I will look for the second one, though there's no guarantee that I'll find it.
Soukyuu no Fafnir: Dead Aggressor : [ep. 1] Woo! Character designs by the same guy who did Ryvius and SEED! And it shows. Anyway, this is a mecha romp a la RahXephon/Eva/etc. Not much happens in the first episode: introduction to island and briefly to characters, creature comes to wreak havoc on island, boy pilots mecha. Mostly the people (whose names I don't yet know) look like characters from SEED (the main one looks like Athrun!), but the quality of animation is higher. There wasn't anything special about the first episode, but I have a good feeling about this one.
Infinite Ryvius: [vol. 3] Speaking of Ryvius . . . it was hard to get into this volume, since I had missed the five episodes of volume 2, but once I did, I got hooked again. Some people think this show is boring, since the plot doesn't change much, but the characters are really fascinating to watch as they discover more and more (or realize how little they know) about each other and themselves, sometimes changing, sometimes stubbornly staying the same.
The dynamics of the relationships--friends, more than friends, enemies--are especially interesting. With Faina and Kouji an official couple, Aoi finds herself just a little bit jealous. Ikumi and Kozoe have their first kiss, but Kozoe begins to realize just how little she actually knows about Ikumi (or, how little he'll tell her). Juli digs up Blue's profile (and origins) and confronts him with it (in regards to what he plans to do with the Ryvius, as he's in control of it), but doesn't really get an answer. (I love the tension going on between these two, it's yummy!) Other stuff goes on, too, of course, and it all makes for an intriguing bundle by my thoughts.
Kono Minikuku mo Utsukushii Sekai: [ep. 1] The title translates to This Ugly and Beautiful World. Actually this came out a few months back . . . This is Gainax, folks, so I have mixed feelings. There's fanservice galore, of course, but the plot may have some substance. An average boy and his friend follow flashes of light to find a [naked] girl in a tree, then are attacked (well, mostly the girl, Hikari, is attacked) by a giant, insect like creature. The boy, desperate to protect Hikari, turns into some weird thing magical girl style (with Hikari's help), womps the creature, realizes he's gone berserk and stops. The creature slithers off, only to come face to face with Hikari, whose sweet and dopey face suddenly looks menacingly. Cut back to the boy and his friend. They go to find Hikari again and discover her in a puddle of green goop with the remains of the creature around. The boy clothes her (which she is confused by, disgustingly) and takes her home.
I don't like the fanservice, I like that Hikari can kick butt. I don't like the main character, I like his friend (who looks sorta like Kaworu from Eva). Hmm. I might check out a few more episodes, but it's Gainax, so . . . I don't know. I'm sick of fanservice and nudity, though I'm interested in the plot, so we'll see.
I have more of other stuff, but I still haven't watched it. I'm behind on just about everything *sweatdrops* Ah, well, the summer stretches on and I will have time when my mother's not nagging me about being lazy. Peace out : P
Friday, July 2, 2004 07:38 p.m. this and that
I guess it's time for a new layout. It's not like I have any excuse not to make one, since I have a place to get photos from and the time to do something nice. Maybe it'll truly be a new layout, not just a new color scheme and pic. I'm thinking of getting one from one of those layout sites, because I'm too lazy and too inexperienced to make one from scratch. Or, probably. On to shows.
Ultra Maniac: [OAV and eps. 1-8] From the author of Marmalade Boy comes a cute shoujo about a junior high tennis player and her best friend, who happens to be a rather incompetant witch.
KAWAII! I adore this. This is what a good, all ages shoujo should be: simple but pretty art, cute character designs, focus on friendship (with less emphasis on love--including a few crushes between characters), endearing antics. It's magical girl, yes (Nina does her magic in her original school uniform), but it's not Mermaid Melody cheese. A lot of the time it's purposely funny, in a way that you don't have to have a dirty mind to enjoy. The episodes are mostly standalone to this point, with a small quest running through them. It's not terribly original, but the characters are likeable and sometimes make fun of, well, what someone parodying a show would make fun of.
Ultra Maniac takes itself lightly, which is definitely a plus to this kind of show. Sweet, funny, and sometimes giving you a warm, fuzzy feeling, the only problems I can see is that Ayu and Nina's relationship might be misconstrued as more than friendship (as Ayu is the person Nina likes/loves--but it's the friendship kind of love, not at all romantic. And Ayu likes a BOY. And a different boy likes Nina). And the last line of the ending theme, which is more than a little bit suggestive. But it's a cute, fluttery kind of show, the perfect pick for a shoujo craving. CUTE FLUFF!!
Kurau: Phantom Memory: [ep. 1] The latest from BONES studio (Wolf's Rain, RahXephon, etc.), Kurau is . . . interesting. So far a bit baffling (something about this being inhabiting the body of a young girl, taking over completely, giving her great powers, but not able to leave), but interesting nonetheless. The animation is smooth, and the character designs are pleasant enough. Problem? Older Kurau looks like a guy. Not in the way of Saiyuki (where the girls look like funky crossdressers), but she looks like a good-looking, perfectly male guy. It's weird. I kept thinking, He's kind of good-looking . . . Then she would talk, and I would remember, oh, that's a girl. Ewww! It was disturbing, but I guess I'll get used to it, since I'll probably check out the next few episodes.
Tenjou Tenge: [ep. 1] *giggles hysterically* The opening was AWESOME! I know the whole show is wacked. Little chicks who turn into big chicks with big breasts and lots of fighting. Screwy, but overall amusing. It was funny. Maybe I'll even check it out when Geneon releases it. Depends. *cackles*
I also watched an episode of Kyou Kara Maou!, but I don't really remember it. I still like it, but it's sort of losing momentum. Especially since they keep pressing the whole guy being engaged to a guy thing. Yuuri does not want the engagement. He says that it's wrong. He says he'd rather marry a girl. But he hasn't protested greatly enough for Wolfram to back down. Wolfram acts jealous. He tries to sleep in Yuuri's bed. There's a line here, and I think that we've crossed it. I still enjoy the fantasy/parody aspects of it, and I like Yuuri's character, but I'm having issues with the relationships presented, so I don't know how things will go from here.
Things I have to watch: KKM 9, Madlax 8-9 (kind of lost this one, too. It's pretty boring.), Monster 10-11, Piano, Ultra Maniac, NGE volume 4, Ryvius volume 3, and NightWalker volume 1. I think I'm entering that jaded mode. There's some stuff I still love, but other stuff I've kind of lost. And I really miss my good TV. I'm such a spoiled brat, aren't I?
Ah! And Scrapped Princess may finally be licensed! YAYAYAYAYAY!!
Monday, June 28, 2004 07:04 p.m. Orphen
So, I finally got myself to the end of Orphen.}
It was disturbing.
. . . Really, really disturbing.
Um, other than that, the other episodes were yummy. And Majic is such a . . . ugh! First the priestess, then the peeping, and now . . . that boy's a player and a pervert, all beneath that sweet innocent face *shakes head* Lots of nice moments between Orphen and Cleao, though *hears groans* What?! There were o.o
You know, I'd like to tell you why I thought the ending was disturbing, but it's the end, so it'd be the mother of all spoilers, and besides, I really, really want to see all your faces when you watch what happens. So don't try to find out, onegai. It's not like it happens to Orphen or Majic or Cleao . . . I mean, so you don't have to worry about that. I don't know. Some of the stuff that happened was just messed up. I thought. I hope you'll agree that at least some of it was messed up, otherwise . . . UGH! SO WRONG! *dies* Peace out : P
Sunday, June 27, 2004 09:04 p.m. The eternity you wish for
I figured that, after the misbegotten entry that was supposed to be posted when I got half through the series--which ended up a sacrifice a link that decided to pick that particular window and thereby delete that entry (my explanations are too long, I know)--I should probably say something about Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien (The Eternity You Wish For), the 14-episode anime I watched in a period of about 24 hours (over two days) after the download finished. Crazy, ne?
With that much story crammed into two days, I may not be able to do it justice with a review. But I know I can give you the overview.
Kimi Ga is essentially a soap opera for anime. Well, a soap opera with an exceptionally good story and exceptionally human characters. Okay, it's an emotionally charged drama disguised as a soap opera (complete with pillow talk >_<). Some people will not see past the H-game inspired character designs and occasional bit of steam (which, no, I do not condone. But I'm not going to pretend it's not there). But if you can look past that . . . well, I for one couldn't stop watching it.
Senior Haruka Suzumiya has liked Takayuki since the beginning of high school (at least!), three years ago. In hopes of becoming closer to him (because she's painfully shy), she had her best friend, Mitsuki Hayase, become friends with him while she tags along and blushes every time Takayuki looks her way. Then, at last, Haruka works up the courage to confess to Takayuki.
At first, it doesn't go so well. Takayuki accepts her confession and desire to start a relationship, but he's rather wishy-washy about the whole thing. He ends up making Haruka cry, and they part with bad feeling. But, thinking about her again . . . he seeks out Haruka and tells her that he does indeed like her, and he wants to start over. She's overjoyed. For a while, things are wonderful. Takayuki and Haruka become closer and closer and closer. Meanwhile, Mitsuki Hayase begins to feel depressed, realizing that the relationship she began with Takayuki for the sake of Haruka . . . she didn't want it to be friendship anymore, but she doesn't want to betray her friend, so she does her best to support them.
Then, at the end of episode two, Haruka and Takayuki's relationship comes to screeching halt.
Some people consider it a spoiler, but since it's vital to the rest of the series (and knowing about it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the series) I'll come out and say it.
While waiting for Takayuki one day, Haruka was hit by a car.
The third episode skips 3 years into the future. Haruka isn't dead, but, being in a coma since the accident, she might as well be. Takayuki is now in an intimate relationship with Mitsuki, who's stayed by him through these years. Then, Takayuki receives a call from Akane, Haruka's younger sister. Haruka has woken up.
The story goes from there. Scattered flashbacks tell just what happened in those three years to bring things to the point they're at, while the three and those around them (including Akane and two waitresses who work with Takayuki) go from emotion to emotion as they sort through their feelings. Selfishness, guilt, lust, love, betrayal, hurt, regret, loss . . . Characters are pushed to their limits by these and circumstances that keep getting more and more complicated.
This is not a show about happy/angsty people doing stupid things. It's a show about broken people trying to figure out if they made the right choices, and, whether or not they were right, what to do about the choices they've made and still have to make.
Sometimes you'll hate the characters. Sometimes you'll empathize so deeply that it hurts.
A big thing is character development. There's some really good examples of that here. My two favorite characters are probably the Suzumiya sisters, Haruka and Akane. Akane begins as the annoying little sister and ends as a confused high schooler struggling between protecting her sister's feelings and protecting her own. She explodes at Mitsuki when she discovers her relationship with Takayuki, but is it all for the sake of her sister? Haruka is rather passive at first, but the last few episodes bestow her with some very memorable moments, and her changes are some of the greatest. Gah, I really admire Haruka in the last few episodes ^^;;
The ending wraps things up well, though some things were purposely left vague. But I appreciate what they did. It was definitely no cop-out ending ^_^
One warning, though. ANN's encyclopedia entry (link--which doesn't have a great summary, by the way. Kinda inaccurate.) rates this series "mature" for a reason. This is not porn by a long, long shot, but there are a few sex scenes. I personally did not think that these warranted a "mature," but I'm not sure how their "mature" rates corresponding to other things. I'm thinking "NC-17," since there's nothing higher than mature (and any hentai would definitely get that rating in my book), while I would rate Kimi Ga "R" (well, maybe even PG-13, considering what Titanic got away with *shrugs*). In any case, it's there, so be warned if you find that offensive.
Long entry. Two episodes left of Orphen! WAH! Maybe I'll actually do more than a one show review next time *sweatdrops* Then again, I don't often watch 14 episode series in 24 hours . . . Like I said, if you think you can survive the steamier bits, this series is definitely a gem. It's slated for my buy list ^_^ Peace out : P
Saturday, June 19, 2004 11:31 p.m.
After an evening of cartoon network's anime line-up, I have a few things to say:
1. I am surprised that they removed the scene of Lacus struggling to put on the space suit. I mean, yes, this did have Kira blushing because he saw Lacus's underwear, but, come on, they already showed Flay in bra and panties >_< I mean, if you're going to be picky on fanservice, why not just get rid of all of it?
2. I changed my mind about Lacus's voice. I still don't like it nearly as much as Tanaka Rie's in the Japanese, but it's not as bad as I originally thought. Still don't really like the change between speaking and singing, though.
And for InuYasha . . .
"You wench!"
"You witch!"
Oh, come on. I was just waiting for either Tsubaki or Kikyo to let out the "You're gonna get bitch-slapped!" (especially when Kikyo grabbed Tsubaki's hair) or at least say "Bitch." I mean, it's not like it's never been said on t.v. Really, who are they trying to fool? In any case, they both deserved a good kisama (I don't think I spelled that right, so don't bother telling me I'm wrong). Especially Tsubaki. She's getting on my nerves even more than Kikyo . . .
For Wolf's Rain, I don't mind Toboe's voice so much any more, but I don't like Cheza's. It's . . . icky. I don't know.
I know, this was a pointless entry. I felt like doing a fun little rant after the "You wench!" in InuYasha, but my brother was on the computer and now I'm not really feeling it. Oh, well. ^_^ Twas fun anyway. And I wrote a Dryden and Millerna mini fic! But I need to watch the episodes it pertains to (for that matter, all the episodes pertaining to Dryden and Millerna) before I post it anywhere. But I'll give you the present title: "On the Night of Their Wedding." Oooh! No, it's not dirty. Get your minds out of the gutter. He was mortally wounded, remember?! Ah, you sillies. Peace out : P
Wednesday, June 16, 2004 01:38 p.m. Idol singers and shinigami
ARCHIVE! . . . the page was getting ridiculously long. Now I just need to change the layout . . . too lazy!
Today I polished off my 7 episode set (14-20) of Full Moon wo Sagashite. Surprisingly, I hardly got bored at all during these episodes. In fact, I kept wanting more.
Though it errs on the side of slightly hokey idol singer / magical girl fare, Full Moon wo Sagashite has an extra, more dramatic element: the 12-year-old main character, Mitsuki, has throat cancer and only one year to live, according to the shinigami who visit her in the first episode. Admittedly, every one stays cheerful despite this, but, for a largely kiddie show, this element makes it watchable. (Then again, I'm addicted to shoujo, so ignore me).
These episodes touched on Mitsuki's idol singer form's (Full Moon) rival, Madoka, Meroko's (bunny-eared female shinigami) jealously toward Mitsuki over Takuto's (cat-eared male shinigami) affections, and Takuto's desire to help Mitsuki whether it is part of his job as a shinigami or not. Mitsuki finally revealed her ability to transform into Full Moon to her manager (as Full Moon), Ooshige-san, and her doctor (as Mitsuki), Wakaouji-sensei. (Note: While in her "Full Moon" form, her throat cancer does not affect her). There's a lot of good dramatic material here--rivalry, jealously, Mitsuki's sickness--but I don't think the director/writer tapped its potential as much as the manga-ka (the wonderful Arina Tanemura) undoubtedly did. Nonetheless, these episodes were more enjoyable than others I had previously seen (though that may have been because I got a nice break from it). It was nice to move a little bit out of the territory of stand-alone episodes (though there were two or three in this set) and actually have some material that will affect later episodes.
In the end, FMwS is a show that probably could've been a lot better, but ends up being not too bad--nice, innocent, kiddy shoujo. I'll probably get more. You know, once I finish d/l the entire 26 episode series of Ultra Maniac. Which should only take a few weeks, at the rate I'm going (since I can't just leave it on all the time). Yup. Peace out : P
