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ローゼンメイデン 
September 30, 2006 | 
17 Comments
This is basically 24 minutes promo for the upcoming CLAMP/Sunrise animation project, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. It features a brief storyline of the first episode, interview with the voice actors, Fukuyama Jun, Sakurai Takahiro, and Yukana. There is also a brief interview with Director Taniguchi Goro and series composition Oukouchi Ichiro who once worked together on Planetes. Halfway through, the special shows a group of young girls audioning for a role through beauty-pageant like contest B-Girl Audition. The special ends by showing brief clips of the OP theme, Colors by FLOW, and ED theme, Yuukyou Seishunka by ALI PROJECT. Overall, I thought it's an okay promo which makes me both interested and apprehensive at the same time. As a side note, I've created a new category called 'Preview'. This will contain the first few episodes that I watch before I decide if I want to include them in my regular schedule or not.
September 28, 2006 | 4 Comments
Suara - Musouka (26.9MB, for PSP/Quicktime) | YouTube version
I haven't actually watched Utawarerumono beyond the first two episodes since I got turned off by the character design and setting. Having said that I think the opening theme is one of the best OST I've had the pleasure to hear this season. I find the full song to be very addictive and often have it on a loop for up to eigth or nine times in one go. The best thing about the song is the accoustic, which gives the song a little bit of Okinawan style to it. The only thing I don't like about the song is the electric guitar sound which appears near the end of the song. It just feels off and out of sync with the rest of the song. In general, however, the song is pretty nice to listen to even when it's taken out of the series' context. Unfortunately, the PV is quite plain and only shows the singer performing in a desert, mixed with some scenes from Utawarerumono. As a side note, if you're looking for the large version of the PV, PV Fans has it on Tokyo Toshokan.
September 26, 2006 | 251 Comments
Please be aware that the images below are spoilery. Having said that, anyone who's been watching Ouran for the past few months surely know the kind of ending that this series will get. Overall, it's a pleasant ending with a few surprises in between. Those who were ready to bash Eclair should really take a second look because for a 'villain', she's actually not that bad. She's definitely far better than the girl from episode one. The epilogue at the end of the episode is a nice touch, it's giving the impression that Haruhi still belongs to no one. So it's still fair game for everyone from Tamaki to Kyouya to Mori to the twins. Anyway, the full summary is now available. I've also added the larger size screencaps.
September 26, 2006 | 17 Comments
Well, this has been a fun series to watch and I'm quite satisfied with the explanations provided thus far. Unfortunately, there is only one episode left and there are some mysteries that have not been explained properly. I really hope that the next episode won't end in a similar manner to the other ending but since this is not the final arc in the series, I doubt it'll get resolved in any manner. Another downside about this series is the occasional cheesy lines that the characters get to deliver. I understand what the writers try to accomplish but I think those scenes would have been better achived if the characters actually do something instead of saying things outloud. As a side note, I was quite amused after I watched these episode because they remind me a lot of Biohazard 4. Even though I don't think that was the intended idea, Rena's explanation in episode 25 certainly brings back memory of the game.
September 25, 2006 | 23 Comments
Long before Death Note, Madhouse adapted an excellent drama series called Monster. This is why I'm confident that Madhouse will be able to make Death Note interesting even though the majority of the story only consists of dialogues. If anything, I think the animation adaptation could be a lot more interesting because Madhouse will be able to add in soundtrack to increase the tension of the story. Looking back at Monster, I realise that it's one of the best adaptation of a manga series I've ever seen. Although it's hard to get into in the first place, once you're caught up with the story, it is hard not to get addicted and want to watch the next episode. Unfortunately I'm a slowpoke when it comes to finishing a series and as a result I'm still 14 episodes down to the last one. Well, now I can at least scratch 5 episodes off my list.
September 23, 2006 | 10 Comments
I can't believe that it took me one and a half day just to complete this post. Everytime I tried to finish it off, there's always something to distract me. Anyway, this seems to be a good halfway point for the story. I am surprised to see Satou actually achieving something here. I thought the entire galge production will come to a halt due to one thing or another. I'm glad that doesn't seem to be the case. Having said that, I think he suffers from a major setback in episode 10 since I highly doubt Misaki is really what Satou imagines her to be. This makes me wonder how Satou's progress would look like if it's represented in a chart. Will it actually look as if he's on a downward spiral with a little 'ups' in between, or will it actually look like he's moving upwards with a few sharp 'downs' from time to time? In addition to this, who do you think should be with Satou? Misaki or Kashiwa? I personally think Satou is better off with Misaki.
September 22, 2006 | 12 Comments
This weekend marks the annual Tokyo Game Show, a major game exhibition in Japan. Most people who are into gaming have probably read most of these stuff and these are mostly just for my own reference so I don't have to hunt and seek the trailers all over again when I want to see them. But if you can find some use to this, then that's good too. Personally, I think these trailers are okay. I think most of them still need more development time and polish. I hope that by the time the game is complete and out in the market, it'll be a whole lot better. Anyway, I'll update with more info as the exhibition progresses but for now, I'll return to my regular review, starting with Welcome to NHK!.
September 19, 2006 | 132 Comments
As I suspected, this turns out to be a combination of the festival storyline as well as a few additional 'problems' invented by the anime writers. I supposed this is not a bad adaptation but it's not as fun as the real festival story. I kind of miss Kuze and his stupid orange. I was looking forward to see him biting it. Anyway, since this is a penultimade episode of Ouran, not surprisingly it comes with a cliffhanger. I don't think it'll have a long lasting effect though and I suspect everything will be resolved to the way it was by the end of next week. It was interesting to see Haruhi behave like she does in this episode though. Some Haruhi/Tamaki shippers will probably be happy to see this.
September 18, 2006 | 12 Comments
This is such a strange episode. It seems as if the producers suddenly realised that they don't have enough budget to produce the remaining episodes so they need to cut down on spending right away. Having said that, the drawings are actually better than their past efforts. This will explain why they reused the same room over and over again. That way they can minimise animation and keep a tight leash on the character design. I guess this is what we get after a high quality episode like the one that comes before it. Overall, however, I don't mind the episode. The story might be a little bit hard to understand at first but it was quite eye-opener, at least for me, once I understood what Yuuko says in the episode.
September 18, 2006 | 8 Comments
Sukima Switch - Guarana (51.6MB, for PSP/Quicktime) | YouTube version
This is the theme song for a live-action adaptation of a manga series titled 「ローフ」- Rough, starring Nagasawa Masami and Hayami Mokomichi. Here is an excellent review of the film if you're interested to read it (required simple registration). I really want to see this film since the acting seems to be good and the story looks interesting. The PV itself is bright, attractive, and energetic with lots of colour bubbles inserted in between scenes. I also rarely see performers who are this excited about their music to the point that they kicked the piano chair that they sat on. Sukima Switch also happens to have Oohashi Takuya, a singer with a powerful vocal, something of a rarity in group singers these days. Overall, this is a nice PV and the inclusion of the film cut scenes help to accentuate the dramatic tone of the song as it reaches its apex.
September 15, 2006 | 53 Comments
Well, everyone else already done it, so I may as well do it now while it's still quite far from the due date. There are actually some series that started out starting from today but considering my backlong, I'd prefer to finish them off first. Having said that, I do need to trim my list down. With that in mind, unfortunately I have to stop blogging NANA and Coyote Ragtime Show. I was planning on catching up with them but it's just impossible now. I'm still undecided on School Rumble. I'll probably blog 14 and 15 because I like Yakumo but I'm not sure about the rest. As for other series, I'll try to finish them as soon as I can. Now, moving on to this list, this is just a rough list of things that I want to watch. If you have a series that you're interested in, please mention it in the commenet area. For more series, check out Moonphase
September 15, 2006 | 80 Comments
Prior to watching this episode, I suddenly realised that the writers will probably have to cut down a few things in order to fit the remaining two chapters into one episode. Not surprisingly, this turns out to be true. If you want to see the difference, you can check the last chapter of the manga. I suspect a few people will lament this fact but apart from this, I think this is a perfect end for the series. Nojima Kenji did a good job as Takemoto's new seiyuu although his raspy voice was kind of hard to get used to. The final insert song for the series is 「田舎の生活」- Inaka no Seikatsu by Spitz. It comes from their album, Aurora ni Narenakatta Hito no tame ni. Anyway, I went a bit overboard with the screencaps this time around but it's the last episode of the series so it's fully justified. :)
September 15, 2006 | 12 Comments
Kigurumi - Tarako Tarako Tarako (31.4MB, for PSP/Quicktime)
The original Tarako Advert from 2005 (3.96MB, for PSP/Quicktime)
Currently sitting at No.2 in Oricon weekly ranking is this peculiar song called Tarako, Tarako, Tarako. My friend in Japan told me about this because the song currently is taking Japan by storm. I have to say this is one of the weirdest things I've ever seen coming from Japan. Apparently the original song came from an advert for a spaghetti with cod roe sauce. However, due to the popularity of the song, people wrote in to the company, asking for the complete song. So now the PV is out and it's one of the most addictive song I've heard. The good thing about the song is that it's actually not that cutesy. In fact, it has a forebodding tone which reminds me of French films like Delicatessen and The City of Lost Children. Plus those kewpie dolls are creepy. For more information about the song and the ad, check out Big in Japan or Youtube.
September 14, 2006 | 9 Comments
Unfortunately, there wasn't anything new from these two episodes as these are just new permutations of the story. In addition to this, there are some cheese-tastic moments in episode 23. Having said that, I actually enjoyed the comedic parts of the story. The gun fights between the students at the start of episode 22 was exciting to watch. That was probably one of the few times when Keiichi actually looked almost cool. I was also amused to see Shion and Kasai's interaction in episode 22. They are quite an interesting pair to watch. I wish there is 'The Shion and Kasai story', featuring the duo on various comical scenarios. I'm sure it'll be more fun to watch than watching Shion obsessing about Satoshi. With only 3 more episodes left, I wonder if the writers can actually write a satisfying conclusion for the series.
September 12, 2006 | 58 Comments
This is not a funny episode but I was kind of expecting it since it deals mostly with Kyouya's background and how he got to meet Tamaki. I think this also sets up the conflict which will happen on next week's episode. I think the series will end in a life-goes-on style because there is no way the anime writers can end this adaptation conclusively while the manga is still on-going. In addition to this, judging from the positive reaction to the series, I doubt the writers would want to waste a chance to revisit the series once the manga's story is over. Anyway, here's hoping that the writers don't mess up next week's festival story. I am not sure how they are going to change the story from a light-hearted romp to something that looks kind of angsty, judging from the preview.
September 12, 2006 | 17 Comments
At a time like this, I wonder how this adaptation would have been if the drawing is a lot better. The interesting storylines in these episodes deserve a better design treatment than what they ended up getting. However, this show proves that a good storyline can sustain a mediocre character design while the reverse hardly ever works. It helps that all supporting characters in the series are fleshed out rather well, instead of existing simply to support Satou and his story. This also shows that although Satou thinks that he has a big problem in his life, nearly everyone in his vicinity also has his or her own problem to deal with. If I remember correctly, this is the part where the storyline in starts to show that Satou's and other character's problems are just a minor part of a larger problem in society.
September 12, 2006 | 6 Comments
Suga Shikao - Natsukage (34.4MB, for PSP/Quicktime)
Sorry for the lack of update in the past few days but I'm a bit tired lately. But rest assured, a few more reviews are coming soon. Before that though, I may as well start with this PV. Natsukage is one of the few PVs included in Suga Shikao's new album, Parade. Unfortunately the PV is pretty plain, featuring only Suga Shikao singing the song. In addition to this, the majority of the scenes seem to be repeated over and over again. Having said that, it's not a bad song by any stretch of imagination. It also happens to be the insert song for episode 7 of Honey and Clover II. It was the song that was used when Morita family had to leave their home and go to the city. It's really interesting to see the contrast between this song and Gogo no Parade. It makes me wonder if different song represents Suga's different mood when he wrote each one.
September 10, 2006 | 27 Comments
Site News
As some of you probably noticed, the site was down for a couple of hours yesterday because my web host had network failure problem. This is just a string of many problems I've experienced with this host and I'm starting to wonder if I should move to a better host. Does anyone has any recommendation for a good host that offers around 500GB bandwidth?
Anyway, my web host told me that they're going to have a complete shut-down on Monday, so in case something like that happens again, I've created an emergency site. Yeah, I know it's very basic but it is enough to let you know if there is any problem with this site and to probably post little newsbits.
On the positive side, I decided to use the downtime to create a new banner for the site. I was actually thinking of rotating this new one with the old banner (see above) but I'm worried that it'll make the page loading even longer. If you don't know, the image shows Light and L from the upcoming Death Note anime.
September 8, 2006 | 44 Comments
The end is coming. By the end of this episode, I'm pretty sure that if the writers want to , they can cram the remaining stories into the last episode. I do hope that nothing gets cut though, especially Takemoto's scene towards the end of the series. I think that scene and Takemoto's monologue encapsulates everything about the series in a perfect manner. Speaking of Takemoto, the VA who gets to replace Kamiya Hiroshi is Nojima Kenji. Here's hoping he'll do a good job voicing Takemoto's monologue. In other note, the insert song of the week is 「二人の影」- Futari no Kage (8.7MB, 320kbps) by Suga Shikao. It comes from his album, Sweet. I really like the infusion of Jazz contained within the song. Speaking of Suga Shikao, I just received my copy of Parade, the album that was released to commemorate Suga Shikao's 10th anniversary in the music industry. I'll scan the cover and a few other goodies once I have the chance to do so.
September 7, 2006 | 9 Comments
Visually, this is one impressive episode. The shot of the village covered in snow and rust looks breathtaking. Although if I think about it, it's kind of creepy as well since it reminds me of Silent Hill's alternate dimension. In fact, the theme of 'rust' presents in almost every single element in the episode from the voice of a character to the effect that the Mushi has on a living creature. Unfortunately, the story feels a bit weak this time around. This is probably the 3rd story to use the theme of alienation of someone who is different. I probably wouldn't mind seeing the same theme again if there is a twist to it. Unfortunately, the story doesn't offer any surprising revelation. There is, however, one thematic repetition that I like and that is the remainder that in most cases, Mushi and humans can't live together in symbiotic manner.
September 6, 2006 | 60 Comments
Wow, I'm impressed. This turns out to be funnier than I expected it to be. Kudos to the animators for making what could have been a boring episode into a funny one. This episode also puts the Host Club's status in question, which I assume will become a catalyst for an upcoming storyline. I wonder if this means that the competition to win Haruhi's affection are going to be stronger now that everyone has vested interest in her. I also have to say that I'm quite amused to know that all of these times Tamaki doesn't realise his feelings for Haruhi. I thought he was joking around everytime he refers himself as Haruhi's 'father'. But it's obvious now that I was wrong. As a side note, was that scene with Hikaru holding a baseball bat supposed to be a nod to Higurashi no Naku Koro ni's Maebara Keiichi?
September 4, 2006 | 7 Comments
This is not a bad episode although it's not as funny or raunchi as the manga's version. Instead, the anime writers decided to come up with their own original fanservice. On the positive side, this episode includes an insert song performed by Makino Yui, 「ダークサイドについてきて」- Dark side ni tsuite kite. Speaking of song, I'm starting to get used to the ending theme now although I admit that this is mostly because of that Hikikomori Monkey. That creature would have been a perfect merchandising item. I want one that can dance around and make silly poses. I think someone should come up with a Tamagotchi version of that creature. One where you can encourage it to go out of the house so it won't stay as a Hiki. It can then make silly poses when you forget to feed it or dance around when it is happy.
September 3, 2006 | 31 Comments
I recently had the chance to take a look at the manga version of this series and was surprised at how good the quality of the drawing is in comparison to the anime. It's unfortunate that the anime doesn't get the same treatment especially considering the fact that the animators get to reuse many scenes over and over again. It makes me wonder if the budget for the anime adaptation is really low. Having said that, I'm actually quite happy with this arc. It actually answered most of the questions posed in Watanagashi-hen. The only thing that I have problem with is Shion's obsession with Satoshi. I find it hard to believe that she'll go this far for someone she barely knows. But I assume this is one of those irrational teenage love and compounded with her 'affliction', it drove her over the edge. Anyway, I can't wait to see the answer arc for Onikakushi-hen especially since this will be the last arc for the anime adaptation.
September 1, 2006 | 32 Comments
This week's episode feels a lot more lighter than the ones that preceed it. It's especially nice to see the return of Yamada's unedible food. It's unfortunate that the series will end in 2 more episodes but I think it's better for the series to end now while it's still at the top of its game. As a side note, this week's insert song is Spitz' 「涙」- Namida (3.8MB, 128kbps). It comes from their mini album 「オーロラになれなかった人のために」- Aurora ni narenakatta hito no tame ni. This is probably one of the few insert songs from the series that I don't like. The music is nice but the singing part is kind of flat. Come to think of it, I generally prefer Spitz's more upbeat song like Hachimitsu and Spica.
