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ファイト／ステイナイト 
Well, I'm glad that I didn't watch the first episode on its own because I may not be as interested in this series if that had been the case. The first episode of this series reminds me a lot of Azumanga Daioh in the sense that they are compilation of short comedy scenes. Even though I don't mind this kind of format, I still prefer to watch a series with some kind of a theme within each episode. Thankfully the second episode of Sensei no Ojikan contains two overarching themes and each theme is longer in its execution. I also prefer the characters in this series a bit more to Azumanga Daioh. I think the characters in Sensei no Ojikan are funnier despite the fact that they are more stereotypical than the ones featured in Azumanga.
In some ways this episode reminds me a lot of episode 2 except with Akari as the center of the attention instead of Hikari. Having said that, this episode is not as embarrassing as the second episode fanservice-wise and it actually has some hints of plot as well. The episode introduces the viewers to a new character called Kimi and I'm glad to know that she's actually an interesting supporting character unlike Mari. The series also starts to hint that things are not what they appeared to be. Hikari may appear all innocent, normal, and boring right now but I think these are all just a front to fool everyone around her. This episode seems to suggest that Hikari wants to tighten her claws around Takeru. It also appears that she dislikes either Akari or Ryo for some reasons.
I've been watching too many new anime lately that I start to neglect the old ones that I haven't finished. But I finally managed to marathon 4 episodes of Ultra Maniac last night. It looks like the plot starts to advance in these episodes and the show also seems to know which character they want to pair off with the other at this point in time. In addition to this, it's good to see that Nina and Tsujiai start to get some much needed character development and focus in this series, especially since I feel that they are far more interesting than Ayu and Kaji. Hmm, maybe I'll get my wish that somehow Nina and Tsujiai will take over as the two main leads of this series.
This chapter basically continues the flashback story of Kyoko and Katsuya. I find it strange, however, that Kyou seems to know a lot about Kyoko and Katsuya (since I assume this story is told through Kyou's memory). Oh well, I'll just assume that Kyoko did sympathise a lot with Kyou's fate to the point that she told him the story of her life. At the same time, since no one else seems to know about Kyoko's background, this kind of implies that Kyoko had no other person to talk to about her own past. It is sad in some ways but not unusual either because sometimes humans don't want to burden the people that they love or know with some sad stories of their life and find it easier to actually spill his/her sorrow to a complete stranger.
Just like other previous episodes, this one combines three chapters from the manga (Days 5, 18, and 35) and adds some extra scenes to make the anime flows better. This time around the anime introduces Takamizawa Shuichi, a hardcore otaku with a scary fetish for dolls and their accessories. And in my opinion he's even scarier in the anime. There's some kind of creepiness about him now that he has that sleazy voice. In general, however, this is another enjoyable episode and on top of things, there is no overt fanservice to be found anywhere in the episode. So that should alleviate the worry that some people have about the anime looking like a version that is created only to fan service the viewers with nudity.
I ended taking a look at these chapters because I was curious about the latest development in the series after someone asked me if the series is actually going anywhere as of late. Thankfully my local Japanese bookstore still has the two latest issues of Shounen Sunday Magazine. Unfortunately, I can't find a copy of the magazine that has chapter 73 of the manga. At any rate, it looks like the series is going somewhere and I think there is a big possibility that the manga will end very soon. As usual, be aware that this is just a rough summary and unless you've followed the manga or like reading spoilers like myself, then don't proceed any further.
I'm glad to see that this turns out to be a really good film that wraps up its plot neatly while leaving some nice trails of possible future storyline behind. I really like that there are so many unpredictable moments happening throughout the second film. I thought things will go as they were in the first one but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the experience of watching the second film was not the same as watching the first one. Having said that, I have to admit that I missed the cool-looking action scenes of the first film when I saw the second volume. I think some of the action scenes in the first volume were drop dead beautiful and I can't find something similar in this second volume. The neat plot and storyline presented in this film, however, are good substitutes for the cool action scenes. Especially since the first film itself was rather light on plot and storyline.
I've been a bit disappointed with this series lately that sometimes I want to stop watching it. Having said that, the opening title has always managed to make me see the entire episode. I think this is partly because every time I see the opening, I ended up thinking that maybe this time the episode will be as promising as the opening. Well, this episode is an improvement over episode one and especially two but that's not saying much. What makes the third episode more interesting to me is the fact that it contains some philosophical discussions that hopefully will be part of the story in future episodes.
When I first ordered the R2 limited edition box of Kill Bill Vol.1, I've resigned to the possibility that I may not get it because I ordered the DVD past the pre-ordered date. Thankfully, AmoTokyo came through for me as usual so now I have in my hand the big yellow box, as well as some cool extras such as the Okinawan T-shirt, Kill Bill Kubrick, and a miniature sword. The best of extra, however, can be found inside the R2 disc itself: the full-colour version of "The Showdown at the House of Blue Leaves" scenes. Please be aware that I'm not talking about the blue/black silhouette scene which appears near the end of the film. That part is still in duotone palettes even in the Japanese version. I'm actually referring to the parts in the middle of the Crazy 88 fight scene which got turned to black/white due to the supposedly gory scenes.
Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. So they worshipped the dragon who gave authority to the beast and they worshipped the beast, saying "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?"
Revelations 13: 1, 4
The writers chose to focus on Seiji and his childhood life for this particular episode. This is a good thing because I always think of Midori no Hibi as the story of both Seiji and Midori and not just either one of those two. So I'm glad that Seiji does not become a second fiddle to Midori unlike other anime male characters in this genre. Anyway, as expected, the anime ended up reshuffling some of the manga episodes while making them compact at the same time. This time, it's chapter/day 6 and 14 of the manga which are compressed into one single anime episode. I think at the end of the day, this works to the anime's advantage because chapter 6 on its own is too short to be made into an interesting half hour anime. Having said that, the changes obviously creates a few minor alterations in the anime but rest assured it's nothing that will upset the fans of the manga.
I finally get to play Forbidden Siren after having to wait such a long time for the English version of the game. This is quite an interesting game that is marred a little bit by horrible dubbing and slightly annoying control. But rest assured, the game is as freaky as I thought it'll be. At one point I was so stressed out because I can't decide which one is worse: turning my character's flashlight on and risk the chance of being found by those Shibitos or walk around in the dark and hope that I won't bump into one of those creatures. The problem is, unlike other survival horror games like Resident Evil or Silent Hill, this game requires you to stay as far away as possible from these creatures or else. This mostly stems from the fact that the first character you get to use is unarmed. So you really don't want to be bumping into these creatures because they can kill you easily with 2 or 3 attacks. Anyway, the following is a spoilery short impression of the first 5 to 10 minutes of the game before I encounter my miserable death.
I just realised that I have a rather long list of previous seasons' anime that I haven't completed yet. I normally like to take my time with them but it's a bit overwhelming right now due to the sheer amount of new series that I try to watch. Having said that, I don't want to drop them off my watching list either since thus far most of them are actually quite good. I guess I just have to keep doing it as much as I can while keeping up with the new series. Speaking of the older series, Scrapped Princess is getting more and more interesting now that I've finished the first half of the series. The series has definitely answered the majority of the mysteries thus far even if those answers are provided in expository manner. And those answers in some ways explain why Pacifica is referred to as "the girl who will destroy the world" by the other characters in the show.
Gah! I really hate technology sometimes or rather I hate video codecs technology. I just downloaded this episode and realised that I can't watch it on my Macintosh computer because the video was encoded using WMV3 codec which Macintosh can't recognise. So I had to actually open the file on PC (which also has to have Windows Media Player 9), watch and screen grab the episode there, then process them on my Mac. Thankfully the episode really worth all of the troubles. Having said that, I hope next time I can find an episode that's been encoded with DiVX 5.1 or anything that is not WMV3 codec so I don't have to go through the same problem again.
Well, that was disappointing. I was hoping for a heavier storyline in this second episode especially since the first one was quite light in plot but instead I got a situational comedy with some fanservice thrown in for good measure. There are actually some plot hidden in this episode but in comparison to the rest of the elements, they feel like an afterthought that is inserted into the episode after the comedy and the fanservice parts of the story are completed. Oh well, at least the character designs are really nice and that gives me something to look at until the actual plot starts to kick in sometimes in future episodes.
I am sorry for not posting this one sooner but to be honest, I wasn't exactly excited with this particular chapter and I still have to catch up on the new anime as well as other things that I prefer to watch or read first. Anyway, this chapter is basically all about the first encounter betwen Kyoko and Katsuya (Tohru's mother and father). And yes, that is Katsuya that is featured on the colour layout. And his physical similarity to Kyou hasn't lost on me. It looks like the mangaka likes the idea of showing Kyoko and Katsuya as the mature version of Tohru and Kyou while making Kisa and Hiro looking like the younger version of the two. But don't let the physical resemblence fools you. As this chapter shows, Katsuya and Kyou can't be more different to one another even if they try.
I've been watching way too many anime lately that I feel I need something a bit different just for a change of pace. The usual solution to this problem for me is to watch a horror film. I need something unrelentingly disturbing that I'll wish that I had watched that episode of Sensei no Ojikan instead of the horror film. So on a whim I bought a copy of Onmyoji mostly because I've heard some good things about this film. To begin with, the film was a box office hit while it was screened back in Japan. It also span off a TV series as well as a sequel not long after its release. A quick scan of the cast list also reveals a rather good ensemble of Japanese actors. Mansai Nomura, who was last seen in Akira Kurosawa's Ran, plays the coveted role of Abe No Senmei. His best friend, Minamoto No Hiromasa is played by a popular actor, Hideaki Ito. Last but not least, the villain of the movie, Doson, is played by Hiroyuki Sanada who was last seen in Ringu and Ringu 2.
It's been a while since I last bought a copy of Tsubasa Hardcover Edition. To be honest, I am actually wondering if this story will go anywhere at all. It was fun for a while but right now I think CLAMP should stop before the storyline becomes repetitive. This manga starts to feel like Sliders, if you actually ever managed to see that Sci-Fi show where the main characters jump into a parallel world, do what they need to do, and then move on to another parallel world.
I found three cool Japanese trailers today. First I finally managed to obtain the Quicktime trailer of The Devilman. I personally can't wait for this movie. The big battle between the Devilman and his arch nemesis looks like a sight to behold. The second one is a trailer for a French film called The Immortal but it's been translated as God Diva in the Japanese trailer for some reason. It looks weird. It's like a mixture of Metropolis (the Fritz Lang movie) and Egyptian mythology. Finally, there's a trailer for the new Katsuhiro Otomo's anime, Steamboy.
Wow. Now this is what I called an excellent premiere episode. Everything that I wish the producer will retain from the manga are here. They've also added little touches here and there that make the anime a rather new experience for those who have read the manga. The opening theme itself is perfect. I think I've played it for at least 6 times in a row by now. The opening somehow manages to convey all of the important elements from the series: Midori's longing, Seiji's loneliness, the happiness that the two share when they are with each other, and the wonderful supporting characters. It's also accompanied by センチメンタル (Sentimental), a powerful song by CooRIE that makes the opening images even more meaningful.
I'm not sure what to think of this series. I supposed I can start by saying that I like the opening theme song, Metamorphose. For some reasons, the song reminds me a lot of the opening theme from one of those 80s mecha anime. I also like the character design in general and the colour palette that the show utilises. But as a first episode, it wasn't exactly special. But then again, I also wasn't that interested in Evangelion until the third episode so I think I'll continue watching it for now.
While the previous four episodes seem to focus more on the action as well as the character development, episode nine to eleven seem to be used to develop the mystery behind Exile, Alvis, and Alex's past. One thing that I've enjoyed about the series thus far is the fact that it lacks filler episodes. If I remember correctly, so far every episode has been written as such so that it'll advance the entire plot and narrative of the series. Admittedly, there have been some grand flying scenes that occupy a lot of screen time within each episodes. But at the same time, these scenes normally are there to serve the entire storyline as can be seen in episode nine and ten. I also like the fact that in between the action and battle scenes, the series still manages to insert some interesting character interactions between the regulars.
