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ローゼンメイデン 
February 28, 2006 | 
9 Comments
At this point in time, it doesn't look like I can play catch up with Mushishi since I'm way behind the latest episode. I will, however, continue to cover the series at a slower pace. Anyway, this episode, despite its slightly worse animation quality, still manages to tell an interesting storyline. I am particularly interested with the way Ginko manages to dispell a myth or legend from a particular village using his knowledge as Mushishi. I supposed in a way Ginko is similar to early researchers and scientists. For example, people used to believe that people whose skin starts to bleed after entering an Egyptian tomb have been cursed by the Mummy. Nowadays, however, that 'curse' turns out to be nothing more than a virus that has been carried over by the mosquitos inside the tomb. I actually was quite disappointed when I found about it as a kid. It pretty much ruined my childhood imagination, which I thought was far more exciting than the reality.
February 28, 2006 | 7 Comments
I've been obsessed with this game ever since I saw the opening and the TVCM, both of which use Hamasaki Ayumi's Startin' as a theme song. If you're interested in the lyric for the song, I suggest that you check the entry underneath this one. Anyway, there are actually two opening within the game. The first one basically plays as soon as you insert the disc and repeats after a few seconds of no action. This is the one that contains Startin'. The second opening basically starts when you hit the start button and commence the game. And the screencap you see in this entry is basically a compilation of this opening. This one basically introduces the background story for the game as well as the main hero of this fourth Onimusha game, Soki. And just be aware, I think I've gone a little bit screencap crazy this time around.
February 26, 2006 | 31 Comments
Dekita! Sorry it took longer but I had to attend a family get-together weekend, so I didn't have much time to do any kind of writing. Anyway, this episode does not disappoint and will definitely join the rank of other excellent Hachikuro episodes. The animation is actually not as good as the one from Chapter.L but beggar can't be chooser. The important thing is that the storyline and the humour are still spot on. While I wish the series can go on and on, I think it's probably a good idea if the series end on a high note. Of course I won't refuse to watch a second season if there is any but this episode seems to be a good point to end the series. For now I am just looking forward to see the live action movie and can't wait until it is released 4 months from now.
February 25, 2006 | 24 Comments
The first half was kind of boring but the second half is the fun-filled Shirou's harem. So it's not a complete lost I suppose. I do start to feel sorry for Sakura though. It seems she's fighting a losing battle. It's hard to believe that Shirou is actually attracted to her when there are two more interesting females in the form of Rin and Saber around him. I guess this is the problem of any series where there is only one legible male character and too many female characters. Actually, that's not really true when it comes to this series because there are more than one interesting male character here. In fact, some people would argue that Shirou is not even interesting in comparison to the rest. This is why I hope the writers will allow the female characters to interact more with other male whose name does not happen to be Shirou.
February 24, 2006 | 12 Comments
Ghibli World now has the trailer to Goro Miyazaki's Gedo Senki aka Tales from Earthsea. To be honest, I'm rather underwhelmed with the trailer. I was actually looking forward to see the animation after seeing the poster. But the trailer didn't really click with me. I don't think it has anything to do with the fact that I'm aware that Hayao Miyazaki is not the one who directed this. I have no problem with his son taking over the directorial role. However, I feel that the music sounds a bit monotonous. I feel bad for saying this since apparently many people like the song but I can't help wanting a different one. I remember being rather excited to see Howl Moving Castle due to the French-like background music that the trailer used. Anyway, if you have the time to download the trailer, do it now before the site stops the distribution.
Source: Aint It Cool News, Twitch, Anime on My Mind.
February 24, 2006 | 8 Comments
My first exposure to this song happened when I was in Akihabara, Japan (see Kongetsu for related post on Japan), looking for some anime/game goods to purchase. The song was included in a music video featuring the opening scene from Shin Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams game, which was out in Japan around the 26th of January this year. The game's opening sequence looks so hot that I can't help but spending a couple of minutes in front of the visual display everytime the video appeared. So imagine my shock when I saw the real PV for the song. Hamasaki Ayumi looks beautiful but the PV itself is messy and cheestastic. It basically shows Ms Hamasaki in a skimpy outfit drilling a hole before breaking into a TV station. She then changes her outfit and starts to re-enact the motorbike scene from Kill Bill. Right now I want to wipe the memory of watching the PV in the first place so I decide to prominently feature scenes from Shin Onimusha here.
15 Seconds TVCM (Streaming Flash, Official site)
February 22, 2006 | 19 Comments
It looks like this series is on a winning streak lately. After several early duds, the series finally shows some good storyline from episode 13 and forward. The problem is, I suspect many viewers have already given up on this series a long time ago. This is really unfortunate and I suspect if the producer had cut down the episode numbers from 26 to 13, they could have had a much tighter and interesting series. Anyway, this episode is an example of some of the better works within the series. On a glance, the story admittedly sounds silly. However, on a closer inspection, this is actually a pivotal episode for the series. The series also employs several social commentary, most notably the tendency of the media, especially television, to sensationalise matters. The main scene in this episode actually reminds me of a rather similar scene from Takashi Miike's horror film, One Missed Call.
February 21, 2006 | 10 Comments
These two episodes signal the return to the manga's plotline. This is a good thing because I personally am starting to get sick of Winner's subplot. It doesn't help that his voice is completely annoying and makes me want to reach through the screen and squeeze his neck. Come to think of it, lately I've been questioning some of the VAs' decision to use a particular voice for their character. Take Takahashi Mikako, for example, no matter how much I try, I can't distinguish her voice as Maki from her other roles such as Ayumi in Hachikuro and Rika in Hantsuki. Similarly, Suwabe Junichi's character, Ren, sounds just like Archer in Fate/stay night. This makes me wonder if these VAs were told to use their standard anime voice, or if they just couldn't be bothered changing their voice. I find this to be a bit disappointing because I like it when a VA make each character sounds different (ie. Kamiya Hiroshi - Takemoto in Hachikuro, Shinji in Fate/stay night).
February 19, 2006 | 60 Comments
I'll be blunt, I didn't like this one very much. It's not really the lack of action or drama which bothers me, that's par for the course for a plot development episode. It's the high degree of inconsistency especially of Arika which irritated me a great deal.
Many interesting and important revelations, but none which made me go "wow!" or made me particularly happy. Therefore, what remains is unfortunately a subpar episode.
Rating: -
February 18, 2006 | 5 Comments
I was going to recap Karin 11-12 but since don't have the motivation to watch anything right now I decided to write something else instead. So here are some more spoilers and this time they are specifically for Jigoku Shoujo. I personally think there is nothing exceptionally revealing here. Having said that, a spoiler is still a spoiler so you'll risk spoiling yourself by reading further than this. The spoilers basically cover episode 20 to 22. As expected, since it's almost close to the end, the story starts to focus more on Tsugumi, and presumably Hajime. I probably should also mention that there are some minor spoiler on episode 23-25 listed under the cut. But again, I doubt it'll ruin your enjoyment of the episodes themselves.
February 18, 2006 | 26 Comments
This is a rather funny episode involving Shirou's Harem. I supposed it's inevitable that conflict between the girls starts to happen now that Shirou has amassed quite a following here. The rest of the episode, however, feels a bit like a filler. It's unbelievable how the writers manage to stretch a spell search scene for almost a quarter of the episode's length. This is probably not a big problem since there are 26 episodes but it's easy to see why some viewers start to become impatient with the story. It really makes me wish that the fight will start right away. Or else, I wish the show will start introducing other candidates and show their background a little bit more. Because otherwise, they'll just end up as another enemy that Shirou must face. On the other hand, if they are given backstory, at least the viewers will be able to feel sorry for them should anything happen to these characters in the future.
February 16, 2006 | 7 Comments
Yeah, I know this is an old song. But the song left quite an indelible impression on me that I've always wanted to feature it here. I even still remember the first time I saw the PV on TV while I was in Japan during spring time. Back then I couldn't think of a more appropriate PV to show during Spring, a time when Sakura flowers bloom and fall within weeks. The PV itself shows Nakashima Mika performing the song in a white gown while several figurines act out the story. In the story, two childhood friends become seperated and after the seperation, the guy either becomes old or feels like he's becoming an old man in loneliness. The ending is definitely open for interpretation. Either way, I think it's one of the more interesting PVs I've seen so far. The PV also contains one of Nakashima Mika's best performance as a singer. Her expression when she sings the song looks as if she understands the pain that the poor figurine goes through.
Nakashima Mika - Sakurairo Mau Koro (27.9MB, for PSP/Quicktime)
February 14, 2006 | 10 Comments
Well, this episode seems to be tailor-made for those who like Rozen Maiden Traumend and Enju's antics. Having said that, it's still not as good as episode 17. Just like the episode that comes before it, this one suffers from an over-the-top villain. Or maybe I just refuse to believe that all doll makers are as insane as those who have been shown thus far in anime. This episode, however, shows that sending people to Hell most often than not, does not solve the problem at hand. In a way, this story is a mild variation of the stories that have been told in other episodes. The good thing about this episode is that the setting of the doll maker house is very well drawn. In fact, in general the animation looks quite good. There are, however, instances where few characters' face, most notably Hajime and Tsugumi are poorly drawn.
February 14, 2006 | 30 Comments
I decided to create a new section called Spoiler Crumbs. In this section, I'm going to try to translate whatever Japanese spoiler I can find on the net or in Anime magazines, then probably write a comment about these spoilers. Unless otherwise stated, my sources usually come from Newtype Japan and Animage. If anyone finds spoiler you want to translate, email me and I'll try to do it. I'll mainly focus on the series that I cover or will cover in the future. Having said that, I don't mind if you want to submit spoiler for other series. I'll just create a 'miscellaneous series' entry to deal with it. For now, I'll start with Mai Otome spoiler. I'll follow it up with other series soon. If you don't want to be spoiled of future plots, this is the place to stop. Everyone else can click on the extended link.
February 13, 2006 | 7 Comments
This episode is not as unique as the one that came before it. Having said that, it's still a lot more interesting in comparison to other episodes within this series. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that the writers manage to create a despicable villain, even if that said villain is a bit over the top in her crime. It also helps that the on-going plot with Hajime and Tsugumi continues to develop. I have to say, however, that I don't like where this particular plot seems to be heading since I really care for these two characters. I think part of the reason why the series has improved as of late is because Hajime and Tsugumi give the viewers some kind of emotional attachment that previously did not exist. Well, I do feel sorry for Ai from time to time but since she rarely talk and her facial expressions don't change that often, it's hard to tell what she really thinks or feels.
February 12, 2006 | 98 Comments
After pushing out 6 encodes in the last week (sorry once more for the delay, Garten, and thanks for your review!) it's time to finally get the job done.
With the last two eps, Mai Otome kick in full gear, in a very dramatic manner. In episode 17, Otome reaps what it had sown before - pretty much all fault lines break open at the same time in a wonderfully orchestrated train wreck. And in 18, Mashiro is taught a brutal but well-deserved and necessary lesson about life, with a highly emotional finish. If Otome can capture and keep this momentum till the end, it can definitely eclipse Mai HiME overall.
Episode 17 rating: (+++)
Episode 18 rating: ++
February 10, 2006 | 26 Comments
It did not occur to me prior to this episode that this as well as episode 5 are actually a two-parter and as such, the story would probably have been more enjoyable had I watched it back to back. Because while episode 5 focuses on some character development as well as some comedic moments, the bulk of the action and plot actually lies within episode 6. In an ideal world, the two should have been screened as a one hour special but unfortunately that was not the case. As a result, the story felt a little bit like Kill Bill Part 1 and 2 whereby each part is still enjoyable but the pace and the storyline would probably be a little bit tighter if they did not seperate the story into two distinct parts. Having said that, I really like the path that the writers have taken in regards to Archer's storyline.
February 10, 2006 | 8 Comments
This is one hell of an impressive episode. A couple of minutes after the story starts, it is easy to see that this one can be a stand-alone horror story without the Jigoku Shoujo association. The series would probably have attracted more viewers if most of its stories are as strong and powerful as this one. The interesting part about this episode is that there is actually no scene involving Hell, a consistent element of the series which actually is not that frightening most of the time. This episode relies purely on the horror of the unknown, of things that can not be seen. As a result, when the truth is revealed and the horror starts to take shape in the form of a monster, the story remains as strong and arresting as it was when viewers have to guess about the direction of the storyline. The addition of a little twist towards the end of the story is also a welcome change for the series.
February 10, 2006 | 6 Comments
These two episodes are a lot better than the one that preceeds them. I think this has mostly to do with the dialogues and references that come from Night of the Galactic Railroad. It's also nice to see Rika's true character being brought forward a bit more in both episode. It makes it easier for viewers to sympathise with her plight. Animation-wise, these episodes maintain the quality from the first two episodes. Although that also means that it's not out of the ordinary and the character design is still not as good as the light novel version. Anyway, with only 2 more episodes 2 go, I only hope that the writers can wrap the storyline in an interesting manner. As a side note, I've re-uploaded the opening theme. So if you want to download it, this is your chance.
Opening theme: 「青い幸福」 - Aoi Koufuku by Nobuko (Widescreen, 9.16MB, for PSP/Quicktime)
February 8, 2006 | 35 Comments
Crystal Energy - Performed by Kurubayashi Minami (16.4MB, for PSP/Quicktime)
I was going to review Hanbun no Tsuki episode 2 but I am feeling a bit drowsy now thanks to the cough medicine I just took so I'll leave that for a bit later. For now, I'll just talk about this OP. Before I continue, however, please be aware that this entry contains spoilers for episode 17 and forward. Anyway, I'm glad the second OP is a lot better in comparison to the first OP. A lot of it has to do with the song, which in some ways remind me of Saber Marionette J theme song. And then there is the visual, which is fantastic and full of spoilers. First of all, there are the fractured trio, deliciously evil Tomoe standing in front of a bunch of droids, and Sergey overlayed on top of a bleeding Rena. Then comes the spoiler: Mashiro with the Aswald group, suggesting that Windbloom will make an alliance with Aswald. It's also amusing to see Rad holding Mikoto, which I'm sure is some sort of a nod to Reito and Mikoto's relationship in Mai Hime.
Okay, it's two episodes in and I still don't like any of the main characters. I find this to be rather problematic since I don't like watching series where I can't feel anything for any of the protagonists. I can see that the two protagonists in this series, Yuuichi and Rika, have their problems. But strangely their problem don't seem that compelling to me even though when one thinks about it, they are facing serious situation. I just feel that the situations presented thus far fail to make me care about them and I think I need to care about their fate in order for the series to be interesting. The series obviously wants to head towards a budding romance and a tragic end story. Unfortunately, the writing is not strong enough to the point that it makes the series feel mediocre.
I think it was a good idea to watch these episodes back to back even though the theme from each episode are different. This is because both episodes show how Ai increasingly attempts to give hints to Hajime and Tsugumi while leaving her associates in the dark about this. As a result, in both episodes, we get to see Ichimoku Ren and Hone-Onna constantly trying to foil Hajime's attempt to help the victim. If only they know that Ai is the one who's been giving hints and visions to Tsugumi. In a way it makes sense that Hajime and Tsugumi are not introduced until episode 8 because prior to that episode, Ai probably didn't have any desire to help those who used the website using other, more normal approach. This also explains why Hajime and Tsugumi's role have intensified ever since the incident because Ai seems to believe that there are other ways to resolve dispute, anger, and sadness.
This episode seems to be a breather after the rather tense one that preceeds it. Despite this, I found myself liking it alot. I am kind of amused too with the ever growing harem that Shirou amasses without even trying. I do wonder, however, how long will it be before Sakura sees red in regard to this matter. Anyway, judging from the episodes that have been aired thus far, it seems that the writers are taking a rather leisurely approach to introducing each character. I supposed they can afford to do this since there are 24 episodes in total for the series. I do hope, however, that the writers will use the opportunity to write better story and background for characters such as Sakura and Rider if these characters will end up becoming prominent in future episodes. Because as it is now, I still haven't been able to feel any kind of concern for her and I assume I'm supposed to feel this later on in the story.
I heard this song when I first arrived in Japan this year and apparently it was debuted around the 25th of January. As of this writing, I think it still sits neatly in the 4th position of Oricon Top 20 ranking, preceeded by Gackt's Redemption, which sits at number 3. The PV is actually nothing extraordinary. It's just Ms Koda walking towards what looks like a Fight Club scene in the middle of the night before participating in said rumble. She then proceeds to TKO her opponent with her wire-fu ability. It's pretty entertaining to see although I have no idea how it relates to the song, which is about self-confidence and finding one's future in the world. The song itself has a rather nice rhythm and thanks to repetition, I ended up liking it.
February 5, 2006 | 38 Comments
This is such a weird ending. It's like halfway through animating the series, the writers/animators suddenly get the news that there will be a third season and they suddenly scramble to change whatever ending they originally had in mind. I mean, I don't really mind the ending but it doesn't feel as satisfying as the first season's ending. Probably because that one has a finality note in it while this one feels dangling and incomplete. I also think that some of the characters do not act rationally in the episode. Animation-wise, the episode features some interesting fight which is definitely better than the episode that preceeds it. I also don't mind the rather sombre music that accompanies said fight scene because the mood was meant to be sad and depressing at that point in the story. Overall, I've enjoyed this season as a whole but unfortunately the ending was a bit disappointing.
February 4, 2006 | 10 Comments
I'm sorry for being slow in catching up with the reviews but I haven't been feeling well lately. I spent too many late nights during my holiday and it's starting to take its toll on my health. But I'll try to finish them whenever I can. Anyway, in comparison to episode 3 this is definitely a more interesting episode. The explanation about the game seems to be more evenly distributed within the episode and the plot seems to be moving towards a certain direction. Saber and Shirou seem to be the recipient of character development this time around. However, since Rin and Archer are my favourites, I have to admit that I kind of miss their interaction in the first two episodes of the series. Character design-wise, the series still maintain its quality although as usual. On top of this, the fight seems to be more animated and not merely consisted of speed lines. Overall, this is definitely a good direction for the series to take.
February 3, 2006 | 20 Comments
The full trailer for the movie adaptation of Silent Hill is finally here and it does look really good and far removed from the cheese and embarassment of other video games to movie adaptation. A teaser trailer for the film was actually released a few months ago. But you could barely see anything in it so I decided not to make a fuss about it back then. Having said that, I've provided a link to the place where you can download it if you wish to do so. Also please note that the first set of images you see here is actually from the teaser trailer and not the full trailer. I intentionally put the images from the full trailer below the cut to prevent spoiling those who wish to see the film without any idea of the storyline. For everyone else, download the trailer and proceed to the extended page.
Teaser Trailer (7MB, Quicktime)
Full trailer (34MB, Quicktime)
February 2, 2006 | 56 Comments
Time to catch up finally! To make it short and sweet, episode 15 was the weakest one of the show so far - less because of the slightly disturbing Arika-Sergey crush, but more because of pacing problems. Due to the gigantic background story, Mai Otome is working on a time budget, and rarely are even 5 seconds wasted. This time however, I was wishing "come on, get rolling", a sure sign that things went wrong.
Episode 16 however was excellent, featuring a highly spoilerific new OP, interesting character development, good action, drama and what is almost certainly the opening salvo of the serious arc we wished for so much. Time to rumble!
Episode 15 Rating: -
Episode 16 Rating: (++)
February 2, 2006 | 18 Comments
Well, here's another promo video which keeps blaring throughout various stores in Akihabara while I was in Japan. This promo comes from a DVD containing Gackt's new single, Redemption, which happens to be the main theme song for Dirge of Cerberus: FFVII. There are only two contents inside this more or less priced around 1,900 Yen DVD: Gackt's version of the PV and the Dirge of Cerberus version of the PV. The first one simply shows Gackt wandering around in warrior costume. Not exactly interesting unless you're a Gackt fan, which I am not. It doesn't help that the song is not exactly that memorable. The second one, however, contains a very cool mixture of CG and in-game scenes from Dirge of Cerberus. In this version, you can see the entire FFVII crew back for another adventure.