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ローゼンメイデン 
November 28, 2004 | 
9 Comments
And the procrastination continues. Having said that, I'm not a believer of 'all study and no play' is a good thing prior to exam so yay! to procrastination. Anyway, this episode is another good one for the series. I'm really tempted to say that this is a keeper but I'll wait until a few more episodes. But if they keep the quality like this, I'm sure I'll be quite keen to have this on my DVD collection. Plot-wise, I realise now that despite its outer similarity to Kodocha, this series seems to focus more on the adventure/mystery/comedy aspect of the story instead of on the serious drama path that Kodocha often takes. It doesn't affect my enjoyment of the series but it does require me to adjust the initial expectation that I had when I first watched this series. Besides, I find it hard to believe that Mikan is capable of angsting longer than a couple of minutes.
November 28, 2004 | 3 Comments
I am too lazy to think up non-spoilery comment at the moment so I decided to use this space to feature some random links about Kouign Amann and Kabuki. I figure it's useful to know a few things about them since these two things are mentioned frequently in this episode. This site contains small information regarding Kouign Amann (Breton Butter Cake). Fuji TV site also has a small article on a Kouign Amann bakery. Similarly, there are equally interesting sites that deal with Kabuki. English-language informations about the art can be found from this site. But if you're interested, this Japanese site also has small English-language information about Kabuki Theatre. Anyway, some of these sites are not in English language, so you probably need to use Babel Fish to understand some of the articles.
November 24, 2004 | 1 Comments
I didn't realise that this episode was already out a long time ago. There are just too many anime to keep up lately and I haven't got the time to see them all. Anyway, I'll advise everyone to watch this episode themselves before reading this review. I think it's better if you watch this episode unspoiled because the last few minutes in this episode is pure thriller that must be experienced first-hand, without prior knowledge of the story. So, if you do decide to read the rest of the paragraph, please be aware that you're going to spoil some of the best moments in this series for yourself.
November 24, 2004 | 9 Comments
I'm sorry for the lack of update lately but I'm trying to cram for the upcoming JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test). This means that I'll have to slow down with the blogging until the 5th of December. I probably will try to keep up with Yakitate!! Japan and Gakuen Alice since I've been enjoying these two immensely. But other series will have to be on hold for a while until I finish the exam. I'll probably post Monster ep.30 soon though since it's already halfway done.
On another note, CLAMP has just announced that they're going to create a new manga, Shou Hato (Little Dove). It's about a girl who's been sent to make a boy happy. However, the catch is she can't fall in love with him. It sounds shoujo but I get the impression that Sunday GX is a shounen compilation manga. I don't care much about it except for the fact that this means X will be on hold much longer than I thought.
While we're on CLAMP, I may as well mentioned this other news item. I'm not sure if this is official or not but Moonphase site mentioned that Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle will become an anime after all. Click on that link above and type this word ツバサ・クロニクル and the first hit you get is the blurb you're looking for. The anime will start April 2005, and it'll get 26 episodes. Bee Train will animate the series.
Edited to add: I just found out that my favourite R2 online shop, AMOTokyo, is closing down soon. I'm quite sad about this since they've been the best online shop I've had the pleasure to do business with. Their shipping cost is low in comparison to the likes of Amazon Japan or cdjapan and they always managed to get me some of those hard to get first-pressed items. Thanks to Kira-san, I managed to obtain X and Princess Tutu limited edition boxes despite being a couple of months late in ordering them. Anyway, I just want to say "good luck" to Kira-san on his new job and "thank you" for years of excellent service.
November 21, 2004 | 14 Comments
Please be aware that the following episode contains violence perpetrated by a stuffed animal. Grown-ups who have fear of dolls, clowns, and stuffed animals, are advised to stay away from this one. I am not going to be responsible for the massive therapy bill you'll incur on your side once you see this episode or read this recap. Similarly, small children are advised to divert their attention away from this episode unless they want to become one of those traumatised grown-ups.
Joking aside (or not, depending on who you are), I can't be the only who think that this episode reminds me of that song, The Teddy Bear Picnic. Having said that, judging from the lyrics in the manga, it seems the song that Tachibana-sensei had in mind is actually Mori no Kuma-san. Because of this, I ended up scouring the net looking for its lyrics and along the way, stumbled upon some amusing Japanese teddy-bear related articles. These include: a literal Teddy Bear Picnic, a recipe for 'Bear in Forest' cake, and an awesome Flash animation.
November 21, 2004 | 10 Comments
School Rumble ED Theme
Performed by Yuko Ogura
Kanji/Kana version
男の子は 女の子のこと いつも 追いかけてる
一日中 女の子のことばかり 考えてる
だけど男の子は やっぱり少しバカで
全然女の子の気持ちなんて ホラわからないみたい
うう ほんとうにダメよね おバカさん
教えてほしいの おバカさん そう
この世でいちばん 大切なコトは
やっぱりタイミング だと思うけど なんちてな
女の子も 男の子のこと何故か 好きになるの
ひと晩中 眠れないなんてくらい 夢中になる
だけど男の子は やっぱりいつもバカで
全然女の子のココロなんて まだわからないみたい
ねえ 本当に本当に おバカさん
教えてあげよか おバカさん そう
この世でいちばん 大切なっコトは
ぜったいハズしちゃ いけないことはね
やっぱりタイミング だと思うでしょ
そう 好きだと言うのも デートをするのも
何をするのでも ウウ
キスとかするのも さよなら言うのも どんなときにでも
そう この世でいちばん 大切なコトは
やっぱりタイミング だと思うので 思うので コンニチハ
そう 好きだと言うのも デートをするのも
何をするのでも ウウ
キスとかするのも さよなら言うのも どんなときにでも
そう この世でいちばん 大切なコトは
やっぱりタイミング だと思うべな
思うべな 思うべな 思うべな ぽんぽこりん
ララララ。。。
November 18, 2004 | 6 Comments
This episode is one of those cases where you'd be better off watching it than reading a description of it. Seriously, none of the screencaps here do this episode justice. You just have to see it yourself to appreciate the hilarity that is Mokoyama Tsuyoshi, as well as the atmosphere that this arc creates. On top of this, for some reason Azuma's voice doesn't bother me at all in this episode. I guess I'm quite used to the voice by now. On a rather related note, if you love food-based anime/manga, I think you should check out Curry naru Shokutaku (Addicted to Curry). David was the one who originally rec this interesting manga on his journal. So thanks to him, I now have another anime/manga 'addiction', so to speak. The characters in the story are interesting and the series has a more ecchi tone in comparison to Yakitate!! Japan. It's like GTO meets a cooking show.
November 17, 2004 | 6 Comments
I'm too tired and lazy to think up and write non-spoilery comment. So I'll just say Kon is King! Long live Kon!! Also, please be aware that the following paragraphs are very spoilery for someone who has not read the manga.
November 16, 2004 | 2 Comments
This episode confirms my guess that Saki is indeed one of the more important characters in the story. In fact, I'd say that her importance in this series either ties with Sasahara, or even higher than his. After these two, Madarame is probably the next character that appears on the importance scale. Unfortunately, much to my disappointment Kousaka is not utilised effectively in this series. I mean he's there most of the time, but he mostly serves as Saki's foil instead of as a full-fledged character whose thoughts and opinion is taken more seriously. In fact, most of the characters in the series actually see him as someone strange because he doesn't fit either side of the pigeon-holes. However, the fact that he doesn't fit the mould is what makes him interesting. So I wish they'll explore his character a bit more in the future.
November 16, 2004 | 0 Comments
Mai Hime OP Theme
Performed by Minami Kurabayashi
Kanji/Kana version
青空いっぱいに
私たちの想いが散りばめられていく
運命の人があなたならいいのに
現実はうまくいかない
光る風の中
夢の羽舞い降りるよ
勇気だして未来へ
そう 美しく
動き出す 厚い鼓動が
あの日と同じ速さを刻むよ
真っ直ぐな 眼差しが好き
ずっと見ていたい
煌めく流れ星
大切な願いごと小さく呟いた
まぶたを閉じるとあなたあだけ浮かぶの
今すぐに会いに行きたい
二度と戻らない瞬間を
逃さないで
命を輝かせて
そう 麗しく
見つけたい 本当の私
生まれ変わるよ あなた守るため
超えていく 奇跡掴んで
次の世界まで
動き出す 厚い鼓動が
あの日と同じ速さを刻むよ
見つけたい 本当の私
生まれ変わるよ あなた守るため
超えていく 奇跡掴んで
次の世界まで
強く果てしなく
November 15, 2004 | 5 Comments
I have to say that I'm out of my league here. This episode contains too many bread terminologies that just went over my head. It probably explains why I didn't enjoy this particular story when I read the manga back then. The anime actually tries to make things more fun by adding some wild hallucinations/bread tasting scenes but it's not enough to keep my attention to the episode. In fact, if I didn't repeat the episode while typing this recap, I probably wouldn't have remember the story. The only thing I can remember vividly is this cows and goats illustration. And no, I haven't lost the plot and I'm not drunk either. It's just that I think those cows and goats have the funniest expression I've ever seen in animated farm animals.
November 15, 2004 | 6 Comments
Monster is definitely on a roll at this point in time. It's been enjoyable trying to guess this series' future direction, especially now that more and more people start to know about Johan's existence. Normally in a fugitive series like this one, the series tends to focus on one person's attempt to prove his innocence to the world. Therefore, it is surprising to see other characters in this series actually finding out about Johan's existence without much of a help from the main character. I am actually starting to wonder now if some of the seemingly useless one-off characters will also contribute to the story later on in the series. If not, at the very least I hope that the series will revisit Karl's story again. I want to see this because the last time I remember, he seems to be quite shocked when Johan interferes with his life and yet the series never gets to show how he feels about it.
November 14, 2004 | 4 Comments
Update: Subtitled version of episode 1 is out now at Animesuki.
I think I finally cave in to the opening. The music is not that great, but seeing Mikan trying to chase Hotaru over and over again without much success is quite amusing. As for the episode itself, unfortunately I didn't enjoy this one as much as the last one mostly because there are some unnecessary fillers added in between the original story. They're entertaining to watch at first but eventually, it kind of disturbs the flow of the story a little bit. Despite that, this episode does a good job of showing the nightmare of one's first day at school. If you had a bad experience back then, you'll probably sympathise with Mikan a lot here.
November 12, 2004 | 5 Comments
A recent browsing through my own blog a few weeks ago made me realised that the music category is pretty empty. Because of this, lately I've been trying to find a way to fill that section with some contents. So when Animedia December 2004 arrives with autumn anime song lyrics, I figure, I'll peruse them and romanise the kanji and kana for my own use. I will probably do some other song titles later on. But in the meantime, I hope you can find some use for these lyrics. As a note, unless I indicate otherwise, all lyrics are from the full version of the song. Each entry is arranged so that the Kanji/Kana version is displayed first, followed by the Romaji version. So if you're looking for the Romaji version to sing along, click on the 'Read the Rest' link to find it. Also, please let me know if I make any mistake as usual.
Update: To All That Dreamers (Yakitate!! Japan 2nd ED Theme) is added to the list.
Chiisana Hoshi ga Oriru Toki
(Mai Hime Battle theme - Minami Kurabayashi)
Kinjirareta Asobi
(Rozen Maiden OP theme - Ali Project)
Life is Like a Boat
(Bleach ED theme - Rie Fu)
Onna no Ko rabu Otoko no Ko
(School Rumble ED theme - Yuko Ogura)
Pikapika no Taiyou
(Gakuen Alice OP theme - Rie Kugiyama)
Scramble
(School Rumble OP theme - Yui Horie with Unscandal)
Shining Days
(Mai Hime OP theme - Minami Kurabayashi)
Sunday
(Yakitate!! Japan ED theme - The Babystars)
To All Tha Dreamers
(Yakitate!! Japan 2nd ED theme - Soul'd Out)
November 11, 2004 | 1 Comments
For a series where the majority of its characters are comprised of dolls, this series certainly turns out to be darker than its surface appearance. From these two episodes, several dark themes such as the fear of others, feeling of isolation, and hatred for mankind are explored or hinted at in details and at a reasonable pace. For example, Jun seems to be modelled after children who suffer from psychological sickness called Hikikomori. People who suffer from this problem has fear of getting out of one's comfort zone/area due to bullying or family and societal pressure. A quick googling using the keyword reveals some interesting articles regarding the problem. If you're interested, check out the one from BBC Online and the one from Time Asia. The articles help to shed lights on some of Jun's behaviour as well as what this series tries to show in episode four.
November 10, 2004 | 7 Comments
Yay! They didn't botch this episode after all. In fact, this is probably the one episode apart from the 3rd episode that have really impressed me. I actually noticed a few things here that I didn't notice before when I was reading the manga, such as the shot of Rukia's trembling hand at the start of the show. Maybe I'm reading too much into it but I think this is Kubo Tite inserting hints of the upcoming 'Soul Society' arc into the current storyline. Speaking of Kubo, that man does a good job as a voice actor as he does as a manga artist. Kon sounds as cool and funny as I expected him to be. Having said that, I wonder why they decide to make Kon a bit more violent and powerful here. Edited to add: sorry guys, the voice of Kon/temporary Ichigo in this one is not Kubo. See comment for explanation.
I wonder if the animators created some kind of a rule where the even-numbered episodes have to be funnier than the odd-numbered episodes or something? Because this episode and the second one are definitely funnier than the third and the first one. In this episode, the series decides to focus more on cosplaying and video-gaming. I'm not big on cosplaying so I can understand Saki's reaction here. On the other hand, I'm crazy about video games although I admit that I suck badly at beat-them-up games like the Guilty Gear and Street Fighter series. I normally tend to go for the survival horror and the RPG games because they are more entertaining and less frustrating to play. The only exception to this is that last boss on Silent Hill 4. What a nasty piece of work that guy turns out to be even in the normal mode >_<.
Well, the Kodocha effect is finally here. Natsume and Mikan finally meet one another and the 'sparks' begin to fly out of control. The 'sparks' that appear here are not the romantic kind though. When it comes to these two, the 'sparks' are more of the flaming arrows and meteor rain types. It also seems to me that the 2nd episode follows the manga storyline quite closely and as a result, some of the situations presented in this episode are quite 'colorful'. They're all comedic in nature but there's a possibility that some people may be weirded out a bit by the joke. This episode is also prelude to a chapter where I started to dislike Hotaru's cold attitude. It's good to know that this will eventually be explained in the future but I can't help but feeling sorry for Mikan sometimes. Anyway, check out Matthew's blog, Momotato Daioh, JASCII, and Ume's Journal for more opinion on this series.
I just found out that you can actually buy Azuma's Japan No.55 in Japan. This clever marketing effort is courtesy of a large convenience store chain in Japan, Lawson, along with TV Tokyo and Shogakukan publishing house. The three agrees to manufacture and sell breads which look similar to Azuma's various versions of Japan (the announcement is here if you're interested) . The product will then be available on Lawson's shop all over Japan. *grumble* I wish I'm there so I can try that chocolate cream bread (Japan No.12). In other news, Shogakukan also decides to re-release the first 3 volumes of Yakitate!! Japan manga as one giant compilation version. If you collect the Japanese X tankoubans, you probably have encountered this kind of giant compilation manga before. This compilation tank will cost you 300 Yen and is on sale now.
If you haven't seen this series, I'll recommend that you do so now while the episode count is still low. Now that I've seen this episode, I can safely say that this is one of the neatly written thrillers I've had the pleasure to see. Everything that has happened in the past 27 episodes finally start to come together in this episode. I really didn't expect this since I thought this arc is a side-story that has little to do with the main story but I couldn't be more wrong about it. I am also impressed with the way the animators manage to ratchet up the tension in this episode, especially when Richard starts having one of his episodic nightmares featuring the killer and his creepy smile. When this happens, for some reason I keep thinking that this time the killer will turn out to be real instead of Richard's imagination. After a while, this ends up being quite disturbing and tense to the point that I feel like looking away.
Animated News has reported that a new footage of Howl's Moving Castle has been released in various formats. The footage looks good and suggests that the film will have a European look and feel, especially with its use of Waltz-like music. The music actually reminds me of many Jean-Pierre Jeunet's films such as Amelie and the upcoming A Very Long Engagement. If you want to see the footage, you better download now since there's always a possibility that it'll be yanked out quickly. Howl's Moving Castle will be released on the 20th of November this year in Japan.
MPEG version
AVI version
Windows Media File version
November 5, 2004 | 11 Comments
It may not mean much to anyone else but today is the first anniversary of this blog. I can't believe that it's been a year since I wrote my first post on this blog. Yay! I originally started this because I want to keep a record of things that I like, thus the name of the blog. But somehow the blog transformed into what it is now. Anyway, I just want to say "thank you" to those who have visited this blog so far and hope you'll continue to do so in the future.
You know, there was a time when I love Star Wars. Actually, I still do love the original three in the series but after the prequel came out, my interest dwindled down to nothing. This is mostly because of the crappy plot, zero character development, and obnoxious use of CGI in the first 2 prequels. But the time for the prequel's final chapter is getting close now and I can't help but getting my hopes up again. Maybe, just maybe, this will finally restore my interest in the series. The teaser trailer is out everyone! And it does look good as the trailer shows some of the returning characters from the original trilogy. Yay! for Chewie!! Download the trailer from this site. If that does not work, try this one.
I'm suffering from another bout of anime-overload here so I thought I'd watch something different for a change. If you're here because you're looking for some information or scans for that Naruto art book, however, you're in the wrong place. The article you're looking for is here. This Uzumaki is actually a live-action adaptation of Junji Ito's famous horror manga of the same name. The film seems to be an okay adaptation of the manga. It doesn't have the same intensity of terror that the manga offers, and some of its storyline are altered here. But the fact that it's a live-action makes the terror slightly more realistic. Having said that, I dislike the fact that the first quarter of the film looks more campy than creepy. But thankfully the rest of the film makes up for this flaw. Before I continue, please be aware that the following paragraphs are full of spoilers and some of the screenshots are quite graphic.
Rozen Maiden OP Theme
Performed by Ali Project
Kana/Kanji version
薔薇の首輪つなげて 銀の鎖くわえて
今宵もひとり果てる あなたが憎らしい
跪いてお嘗めよ 苦い愛の雫を
天使に施す青いドレサージュ
自分という柩の中 魂はまだ動いてる
千切れた羽は月光に 生き返り 潤むわ
闇よりも 怖いのは孤独
ふたりの証 十字架の元で 貪りませう
薔薇の手錠はずして 白い手首かさねて
触れ合うことの奇跡 あなたが愛しい
跪いて捧げよ 痛い愛の言葉は
包帯に滲んだ赤いアラベスク
罪でもいい 好きと言って 禁断のくちびるを
世界は聳え建つお城 門を開けるのは神
そんなふうに導きつづけて
そしてわたしの目を 塞いだら
誰よりやさしく 名前を呼んで
その時知るでしょう 永遠の意味を
薔薇の指輪まじえて 革のリボンむすんで
鏡の間の舞踏会 すべてが狂おしい
迷い込んで悟れよ 巡る愛の歴史を
涙で飾ろう黒いマリアージュ
嘘では嫌 好きと言って 純潔のくちびるで
薔薇の首輪つなげて 銀の鎖くわえて
今宵もひとり果てる あなたが憎らしい
跪いてお嘗めよ 苦い愛の雫を
天使に施す青いドレサージュ
薔薇の手錠はずして 白い手首かさねて
触れ合うことの奇跡 あなたが愛しい
跪いて捧げよ 痛い愛の言葉は
包帯に滲んだ赤いアラベスク
心から 好きと言うわ 穢れ泣きくちづけを
School Rumble OP Theme
Performed by Yui Horie and Unscandal
Kana/Kanji version
伝えたい 事がもう重すぎて
このまま つぶれちゃいそうです
言葉に 出来ない気持ち多すぎて
届かないよあの人まで 近くて遠い距離
どこまでも青い空 同じように見てるのに
あなたにはくもり空 見えてる 気がしちゃう
グルグル回る グルグル回る グルグル回る グルグル回る
フラフラなフリしてあなたの胸に飛込みたい
グルグル回る グルグル回る グルグル回る グルグル回る
フワフワに浮かぶ私今日も一人雲の上
伝えたい 言葉もう多すぎて
このまま 歌になりそうです
すぐそばに 居るはずなのに遠すぎて
届かないよあの人まで うまく行かないよね
どこまでも続く空 眺めるのもいいけど
いつまでも青い空 みている だけじゃダメ
グルグル回る グルグル回る グルグル回る グルグル回る
フラフラなフリしてあなたの胸に飛込みたい
グルグル回る グルグル回る グルグル回る グルグル回る
フワフワに浮かぶ私今日も一人雲の上
グルグル回る グルグル回る グルグル回る グルグル回る
フラフラなフリしてあなたの胸に飛込みたい
グルグル回る グルグル回る グルグル回る グルグル回る
フワフワに浮かぶ私今日も一人雲の上
November 4, 2004 | 69 Comments
Bleach ED Theme
Performed by Rie Fu
Kana/Kanji version
Nobody knows who I really am
I never felt this empty before
And if I ever need someone to come along
Who's gonna comfort me and keep me strong
We are all rowing the boat of fate
The waves keep on comin' and we can't escape
But if we ever get lost on our way
The waves would guide you thru another day
遠くで息をしてる 透明になったみたい
暗闇に思えたけど 目隠しされてただけ
祈りをささげて 新しい日を待つ
鮮やかに 光る海 その果てまで
Nobody knows who I really am
Maybe they just don't give a damn
But if I ever need someone to come along
I know you would follow me, and keep me strong
人の心はうつりゆく 抜け出したくなる
つきはまた新しい周期で 舟を連れてく
And every time I see your face,
The oceans heave up to my heart
You make me wanna strain at the oars,
And soon I can see the shore
Oh, I can see the shore
When will I.... can see the shore?
I want you to know who I really am
I never thought I'd feel this way towards you
And if you ever need someone to come along
I will follow you, and keep you strong
旅はまだ続いてく 穏やかな日も
つきはまた新しい周期で 舟を照らし出す
祈りをささげて 新しい日を待つ
鮮やかに 光る海 その果てまで
And every time I see your face,
The oceans heave up to my heart
You make me wanna strain at the oars,
And soon I can see the shore
運命の船を漕ぎ
波は次から次へと
私たちを襲うけど
それも素敵な旅ね
どれも素敵な旅ね
Just as I suspected, I don't like this episode. The colors are all washed out and blurry most of the time since the majority of the story revolves around a Hollow fight. I tried my best to focus on the rather exciting fight scenes but failed miserably because I can't help but thinking how washed out the colors are in some of the scenes. Even the Rukia and Chad comedy show doesn't help much in diverting my attention from the horrible colors. Although I do wish that I'll get to see more of these two interacting in the future. The other saving grace of this episode is the horrific story that the serial killer recounts about his previous victim. But other than that, I am quite disappointed with this episode. Ichigo's cheesy re-appearance to help Rukia does not help either.
November 1, 2004 | 13 Comments
If you're interested, there are some scans from various anime magazine on the series info page. Ditto with other October anime series' info sections. Anyway, this episode turns out to be a rather good first episode. If you like Kodomo no Omocha I think you'll be amused at this little title. The choice of colors for the animation are also appropriate with bright colors dominating most of the scenes. Opening and Ending theme-wise, there's nothing out of the ordinary here. In fact, the opening makes the series looks too kiddy. Teddy also looks kind of crappy here. If you see the manga version, it actually has furs. Here, however, it looks as if someone has shaved its body or something.
First of all, I'm really sorry for the downtime yesterday. I knew the site was going down due to excessive bandwidth use but since it was only for a couple of hours, I figure no one is going to lose sleep over it. Anyway, I finally managed to watch this episode in its entirety without falling asleep halfway through. I guess I'm not really big on doujinshi and therefore can't understand why anyone will want to line up with hundreds, if not thousands, other people on a rainy day just to buy doujinshi. There isn't as much humour here either in my opinion. Or at least not one that makes me laugh out loud. What is good, however, is the episode's observation on Sasahara's gradual change as he turns from an ordinary fellow to an Otaku.
