This site is designed for accessibility. Content is obtainable and functional to any browser or Internet device. This site's full visual experience is available in a modern browser that supports web standards. Please consider upgrading your browser.
ローゼンメイデン 
Since the Spring season anime is about to start, I thought I may as well re-organise all of the informations about this series while I still have some free time. I have to say that I'm quite surprised with the amount of coverage that Hachikuro has received from various anime magazines. Newtype seems to be very keen about the series. So far it has given its reader 2 two-page spread of the series in the past two months. Animage and Animedia seems to be interested as well although so far neither magazine has bothered to give a 2 page spread. That seems to be reserved for series such as Tsubasa, Eureka 7 and Sousei no Aquarion.
I have to say that it's really hard to write this introductory paragraph without revealing anything about the story. But it looks like the slow burning plot of the past few episodes will finally end. I can't wait to see what's in store for some of the characters, especially Suk. For a Detective, he sure is quite slow in figuring things out. On top of this, he turns out to be even more naive than Tenma during his specialist surgeon days. At least Tenma quickly wises up to the world around him and takes an appropriate action so that he is not being used by other people. Anyway, I assume most people already seen this episode so I decided to make a rather short summary this time around.
Wow, can someone please check if Hell is frozen over? I'm so used to seeing Mikan suffering within this series that seeing so many good things happening to her at once is a bit of a shock. It helps that the animation in this episode is unusually good. I think I'll be quite happy if the series had ended with this episode because the story has a nice resolution feel to it, with everyone being happy in the end. I'm not sure how weird it'll be to see everything turns bad again in the next couple of episodes. I also noticed that this is the first time Natsume laughs like a normal kid. It's quite a change from the manga where he doesn't even smile that much. Anyway, please note that I had difficulty understanding some of the dialogues in this episode, so if I make some mistakes, please let me know.
Finally, after 25 episodes, I get the feeling that I understand what Mai HiME is all about: "Omoi" - Feelings/Emotions. This is the underlying theme which has been presented and repeated in dozens of variations. And if my hunch is right, this will be the key to the resolution in the final episode. More about that in the extended entry.
On the outside, this episode has given us most of what we expected after the last one - however, in a much more gentle, almost sweet way compared to the brutal high-impact melodrama of old. I'm particularly impressed by what's one of the sweetest and satisfying death scenes which I've ever seen. It never ceases to amaze me how this show manages to show so much believable character development, and I particularly loved the resolution to the Natsuki/Shizuru storyline. I wished that more anime would invest as much emphasis on character growth, and maybe - with Mai HiME's great success in Japan - this is going to happen. One can hope.
After alot of thought, I eventually decided to give "only" a (+) rating, because compared to the strongest drama arcs, this episode didn't feel quite as gripping and enthralling. But this was not due to poor execution, but because the storyline called for a more somber tone. One more to go! I can't wait!
Episode Rating: +
RAW complexity: Fansubs are out
I just realised that all of the OP and ED songs in this series also has its own individual PV (music video) created by the singers. Here are some screenshots of Houkigumo, Sunday, To All Tha Dreamers in case you're interested. I really like these PVs because they usually give the songs a rather different mood, tone, and style from the one given by the anime's OP and ED. For example, when I first heard To All Tha Dreamers, the song sounds more like one of those 80s style song. However, upon watching the PV, I get the impression that the song is supposed to have a more contemporary feel to it. I think this is because the version used as Yakitate!! Japan ED does not include the rather contemporary musical arrangement part of the song. The image of Ken dressing up in 80s style get-ups also change the way the song comes across to me in the first place.
I'm sorry that I've been lazy to blog lately. But I finally get the chance to play MGS3 and it has taken a lot of my free time. I wish I had the money to buy this sooner but with the amount of money I spent on anime, sometimes my gaming hobby gets pushed aside. But it's better to be late than never especially since this turns out to be one good-looking game. I haven't played too far into the game, but I'm relieved that I don't have to play as Raiden this time around. To sweeten the deal, a friend of mine recently gave me a poster of the image above. Now I just want to know who's obsessed enough with the series to buy this life-size Solid Snake?
The latest Animage magazine comes with a slew of Spring 2005 Anime trailers. I managed to rip the Speed Grapher and Hachimitsu to Clover trailers. I kind of like both of them although I'm a bit worried about Hachikuro's rather bright trailer. Hopefully this is not Bleach mark 2. The Speed Grapher trailer is the same to the one that is available on the official site but this one is bigger. If you have a particular trailer you want to see, please let me know. Of course, that will depend on whether or not that trailer is available.
Hachimitsu to Clover (3.5MB, DiVX)
Speed Grapher (10.2MB, DiVX)
Sousei no Aquarion (12MB, DiVX)
Ichigo Mashimaro (9.5MB, DiVX)
Saikano: Another Love Song (8.2MB, DiVX)
Gundam Z (7MB, DiVX)
Eureka 7 (32.8MB, DiVX)
Emma, Victorian Romance (10MB, DiVX)
Koi Koi 7 (11.2MB, DiVX)
Zettai Shounen (3.5MB, DiVX)
Izumo (6.3MB, DiVX)
I'm sorry for the late recap but I had to finish a design job and didn't have the time to complete this until a couple of hours ago. I am also a bit disappointed with this episode. I think that overall this is not as funny as the manga version. Anyway, it looks like next week's episode will be the dance party chapter. Everyone looks good in the preview and I hope that episode will be better than this one, and especially last week's episode. With 7 more episodes to go, I also wonder how the anime writers intend to wrap up this series. I think the only way the series can have a satisfying conclusion is if it actually jumps a little bit plot-wise, and uses the plot from the start of volume 6 of the manga involving Iinchou.
Aaaaah. This entry will feel so relaxed, because for the first time in ages the fansubs are already out - so I don't have to do a play-by-play summary, but can instead lean back and only comment. How refreshing! This will mean much less text, but I'll try to compensate that with a few more captions ^_^
Episode 24 concludes the quarterfinals, on to the semis! We have the second _real_ death of a HiME after Alyssa, interesting revelations about Nao and Shiho, destruction and in the second half of the episode, a brilliant dilemma confrontation which got me to tear up. The scene was so unfair and cruel... and yet beautiful. A feast for drama lovers like me.
After episode 23, which was still good but somehow lacked the oomph and impact of the 19-21 range, I was starting to wonder if I was becoming desensitized to the carnage. This episode proved that I wasn't, and that it was obviously caused by the atrocious selection of preview frames. Episode 24 was a real gem, so we have a clear (++) again.
Episode rating: ++
RAW complexity: Fansubs are out
This episode marks the addition of another supporting characters for the series. This time around the character is a rather innocent detective called Suk. I have to say that it's been a while since the series shows an adult with this kind of innocence. Tenma started out this way but it doesn't take long before he wises up and becomes a darker character. It will be interesting to see how Suk turns out in the next couple of episodes. That is, of course, assuming that he doesn't die in the next episode. Unfortunately, judging from the way the body counts start to pile up again, there is a likelihood that someone as innocent as Suk may not be able to survive in this series.
This episode is the latest casualty of the inconsistent character design problem that also struck this week's Gakuen Alice. Much to Sunrise's credit, however, the inconsistencies are less noticeable here. I'm also quite surprised to see the story in this episode being funnier than the way I remembered it. I guess it didn't feel that way to me before because the first thing that I remember about this particular plot is Yukino's cruel machination. Having said that, there's no denying that she is quite an effecitve and formidable enemy. To begin with, she has no redeeming quality whatsoever so it's very easy to hate her. There's no need to feel guilty here. :P Her presence also makes Azuma and his friends realise that they have to be careful when dealing with this monster.
I finally received my copy of CLAMP no Kiseki. Yeah, it's very late and all but the shipping fee is kind of expensive and I didn't want to bother my friend with too many shipping request. So in the end, I had to wait until there are a couple of them to send. Unfortunately, the magazine themselves are a bit of a letdown. I have a lot of CLAMP artworks and IIRC, the majority of the artworks featured in this magazine have been shown in those books. The rest of the content usually are filled with character information as well as interview with CLAMP about a particular series. And finally, there are some short original comics which I'm not too crazy about either.
Gah. I really like this show but the animation and the pacing in this episode are really horrid. It feels as if the animators were running out of budget and therefore couldn't be bothered to draw the characters' face correctly. The character design in this episode is ghastly. It's not even supposed to be super-deformed. On top of this, the writers clearly try to stretch what should have been a half episode material into a full episode story. Because of this, expect some unnecessary paddings and flashbacks. Manga readers will also notice that several scenes which are considered as either 'too naughty' or 'controversial' have been changed in the anime.
Well, what can I say? The classic drama arc would demand the "new hope, starting the rebound of the heroes" now, but it doesn't happen. It's more like that this burning train wreck has broken through the final barrier and is headed for the cliff. They are going to complete the carnage - and then?
Two HiME victims, and even the survivors (you can't really call them victors) seem more dead than alive. At least Reito and Nagi enjoy this perversion of a festival to their fullest. I've got to admit that I'm already looking forward to them meeting their by now well-earned demise.
The episode suffered from an incredibly stupid selection of preview frames in ep22. The spoilage was waaay too big and therefore destroyed much of the impact of what could have become another drama shocker episode otherwise. Nevertheless, you shouldn't hold this one accountable for the failings of someone else in the past. Therefore (+) on the overall rating, and an intermediate rating on the RAWability.
Episode Rating: +
RAW complexity: Medium
Monster continues to impress me with the quality of its storyline and its characters. Not many series can make me sympathise with its secondary or tertiary characters but this series always managed to do this easily. One thing that has also impressed me so far is the quality of its animation. It's rare to see a drop in the quality of the animation within this series even though there have been 42 episodes ever since the series started. It'll be interesting to see if the animators can maintain the quality of the series in the remaining 36 episodes. I'm also interested to know where the writer is going with this particular arc involving Grimmer. The thing that I like the most about this series is its ability to connect the secondary characters to the main story with a lot of credibility. I'm hoping that Grimmer won't be an exception to this quality.
Hachimitsu to Clover website has been officially opened with brief informations about the series. I have to say that I really like the water-color look that the animators have picked for this series.
Cast members
Takemoto Yuuta: Kamiya Hiroshi (Tetsuji Kaji in Ultra Maniac)
Hanamoto Hagumi: Kudou Haruka
Morita Shinobu: Ueda Yuji (Sagara Sanosuke in Rurouni Kenshin, Kazuki Kakyou in X TV, Urashima Keitaro in Love Hina, Takeda Masashi in Mai Hime)
Yamada Ayumi: Takahashi Mikako (Tendo Rushuna in Grenadier)
Mayama Takumi: Sugita Tomokazu (Motosuwa Hideki in Chobits, Sumeragi Subaru in X TV)
Opening Theme
Dramatic
Performed by Yuki
Ending Theme
Waltz
Performed by SuneoHair
And for those of you who are interested in Speed Grapher, the official site has announced that the manga serialisation of the series will begin on March 26 inside the monthly Comic Gao magazine. The manga design looks quite good so I think I'll try to get the magazine when it's released.
The basic storyline for both Hachikuro and Speed Grapher can be found inside the Spring Anime 2005 entry a couple of weeks ago.
Sorry for posting this late but I was hesitant to buy this month's Shounen Ace because I thought it doesn't have any EVA chapter. I don't really like other series inside Shounen Ace so I'm always hesitant to plonk money to buy this magazine. Sadamoto-sensei seems to follow CLAMP's way of writing when it comes to this series. One chapter in a month then no news for a couple of months. But then all of a sudden, there's another chapter when I least expect it. The problem is, unlike other series, EVA manga don't normally tells you when the next chapter will come. Oh well, at least Sadamoto's artworks are worth it. That light sketch of Rei at the end of this chapter, for example, is enough to make me worship at the altar of Sadamoto. :)
Hmm, the animation in this episode is a bit inconsistent. There are instances where the characters (mostly Iinchou and Ruka) appear all of a sudden and then conveniently disappear when the next scene comes up. Apart from that though, this is a relatively good episode that differs slightly from the manga. The animators have chosen to combine two Hotaru-related stories and place a few transitional scenes to connect the two. The result is actually pretty good and the transition from the two stories are well done. BTW, is it just me or does that bucket/scoop shot in Hotaru's flashback reminds other people of that 'Rosebud' scene in Citizen Kane? Both stories deal with the lost of a child's happiness because the child is taken away from their parents and happy environment.
What's worse than lying in bed with over 40 degrees centigrade, pumped up with antibiotics and suffering a feverish head? Riiight, going through all that while watching Mai HiME 22. True to its recent trend, the anime continues with the destruction of Natsuki's life, paints Shizuru in a much less glorious light than before and - my vow not to be fooled into making predictions again be damned - lays the foundation of what I expect to become Midori's demise in the next episode. Feel happy yet? Yeah, me too ^_^;;
Please forgive me if this entry is going to be much more terse than the usual ones, but I'm still in a very bad shape and needed 4 sessions to complete writing it. Therefore, I'll summarize quite a bit more than usual, with only few play-by-plays. Overall, what we have is a typical setup episode with no big bells and whistles attached (rating o), with the exception of the Shizuru/Yukino/Haruka showdown in the end. Since the episode had lots of dialogue in it, it will be difficult to follow RAW.
Mai HiME Rating: o
Absolute Rating: o
RAW complexity: Difficult
Ugh. The character design in this episode is quite shoddy. I can't remember how many times Azuma and Kawachi's face look different from their original design. Thankfully the comedy and the conflict within the story manages to lift this episode up to its usual level. I was particularly amused at Tsukino's attempt to flick paper balls at Ken's forehead/nose. Anyway, judging from the way the storyline has unfolded so far, it seems that this arc will indeed conclude around episode 24-26. Unfortunately that means there are only 21-23 episodes left to complete the Monaco arc. I hope the animators can retell that arc without the need to condense the original story.
I'm sorry for the lack of update in the past few days. I just got a bit lazy since real life has been kind of hectic lately. Anyway, much to my surprise, episode 40 is the start of a new arc for this series. I certainly didn't expect this since I've been kind of attached to the Munich arc's characters. Plus, the change from the tense situation within that arc to this new one feels a bit abrupt. Having said that, I understand that the writer needs to change the setting since there isn't much story left in that arc. Besides, the majority of the main characters such as Tenma, Johan, Nina and Dieter have left Munich to begin with. At any rate, it's a relief to know that the series still maintain the quality of its story regardless of the change in its arc. The characters and mysteries presented in this new arc seem to be as interesting as the Munich arc's characters and mysteries.
