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ファイト／ステイナイト 
This one seems to be a one-off story but there are some Amber-after effects coming out of last week's episode. I do hope that this 2-parter will shed more light on the doll's background and mechanism. I just feel that lately they start to resemble the name that's been given to them. This is a contrast from the first doll on the show, Chiaki, who's as normal as any other humans until her programming over-rides her. Ever since then, however, other "Dolls" including Yin, seems to be emotionally stunted and robotic. This makes me wonder if there was anything special about Chiaki that makes her far more humane than the other "Dolls"? More importantly, I'd like to know how and why someone decided to make a "Doll" in the image of Kirsi. If Yin was created to remind someone of Kirsi, then wouldn't it be in their interest to infuse Yin with Kirsi's personality? If Yin is actually Kirsi, why do some characters treat her like a robot which can be re-booted easily?
Metal Gear Solid 4 (MP4, bittorrent/stream/download) | Mirror (Quicktime, GameTrailers)
Trailer 1 (YouTube version) | Trailer 2 (YouTube version) | Trailer 3 (YouTube version) | Trailer 4 (YouTube version)
Wow. This is insane! I can't believe the game could look this good. I didn't have that much interest in the game prior to seeing this gameplay demo but this one really turned me around. The textures are so detailed and the animations are top-notch. I like how the entire place is so open that you have no choice but to keep moving before a soldier finds out your whereabouts. The hilarious part was when Snake has to pretend to be a statue and grab the crotch of the statue next to him. In general, I am surprised to know that the game already looks this polished at this point. I'm glad Konami still have 6 more months to go before the release so hopefully they'll use the time to make the game even better.
White Knight Story trailer (WMV, 79.2MB) | YouTube version (thx to TranceKuja)
That's just awesome. I know that the majority of the trailer are composed of real-time cut scenes and CG (the last 20 seconds). However, I'm really impressed with the atmosphere that the trailer tries to convey. The game feels like an old-school RPG (Final Fantasy VII, Legend of the Dragoon). And judging from the trailer, there will be some wild places and enemies that the characters will place. The song is probably the best part of the game. I really hope they don't replace it with some different song for the Western version of the game. I know many people hate cut-scenes but I have to admit that I miss them on my RPGs. I think they are important part of a game and gives me a sense of achievement when I reach a certain part of the game. The trailer is rather big in size so it's a good idea to right click and save it on your hard drive instead of watching it through your browser. I'll post the YouTube version once there's one online.
Well, I now have seen Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. In general, I'm far more satisfied with the film than the book but they both are better than the 6th book, The Half-Blood Prince. If I have to compare the series with something else, I think the series suffers from the same problem that plague long-running Shounen anime series. From book 6 and forward, the series ended up with some unnecessary paddings which slows down the pace of the series. This is the danger of setting a specific target for a series completion. The series can appear rushed or padded. I think it would have been better if Rowling had ended the series naturally instead of aiming to achieve certain book numbers. Anyway, below are my attempt at reviewing the 5th film and the 7th book. As such, anything below this line are full of spoilers. If you haven't seen the 5th film or read the 7th book, look away now.
Okay, I finally finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and I'll talk more about it in great detail tomorrow since I still haven't really formulate my thoughts about it. With that in mind, I'll do an episode review first. On the surface, this feels like a static episode to me mostly because I'm already aware of the spoilers. However, for those who are unspoiled, some of Rika's solitary scenes actually contain some plot development. As for the rest of the story, there are some comedic scenes included but in comparison to last week's episode, it feels mild and not as funny. It was amusing, however, to see someone actually fawning over Keiichi of all people.
I'm sorry that this comes even later than usual but I've been sick in the past few days and didn't feel like writing anything until now. Anyway, this is a very gratifying episode because everything that I wanted to happen actually does happen in this episode. It's unfortunate that some of the incidents in question are not permanent because the show would be a bit more interesting if the writers actually killed a few annoying characters. In other note, I think the answer to Hei's love interest is provided in this episode. I think I was partially right in that it's a toss up between Amber and Yin. Misaki is still not on the picture though despite what the opening implies. In other note, the animation for this episode is unbelievably good. The flashback battle between November and Maki is a good example of this.
HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR - Dreams (24.8MB, for PSP/Quicktime) | YouTube version
This is basically the new ED theme for Darker than Black. I'm not a big fan of the group so this is actually the first time I've heard their song. They're actually pretty good singers but the song, at least the longer version, doesn't sound as good as Tsukiakari. The PV itself is nothing special. I like the marble imageries but not so keen on the hair cutting part. There are so many things they can do with the PV but they instead settle down with many shots of a girl (who is the lead singer) getting her hair cut and styled by a hair dresser. Dreams will be released as a single on the 1st of August this year.
Large images will follow later. I'm kind of strapped for time at the moment
This is actually a pleasant surprise. I didn't expect the original arc to be this entertaining. It's also nice to see the animation quality to be higher than last week. The blur effect that the animators overused on last week's episode is barely seen here. In addition to this, the artistic styles that the studio employed for the super-deformed characters are pretty good. Story-wise, this is pretty much the comedy part of the arc. As a result, there aren't much information given about the arc. Judging from the arc's name, I wonder if the story will focus on the three main houses in Hinamizawa. One thing that I also notice here is that most of the main characters are a lot closer to each other than they were in the other arcs. I wonder if this means that they'll less likely to become paranoid.
OP Theme: 「覚醒ヒロイズム ～THE HERO WITHOUT A “NAME”～」 (Kakusei Heroism ~The Hero Without A “Name”~) by アンティック-珈琲店- (Antic Cafe) - AVI version (960 x 540, 42.4MB) | PSP version (14MB)
Well, things are starting to become interesting. I like how this time around the people targeted for extermination are the MI6/SIS guys. The series also come with a set of new OP and ED theme. I personally like the new OP better than Howling. I just think it's more consistent and there is some kind of rhythm to it. Having said that, the song is nothing special and the animation that accompanies it are not as good as the first OP. The new ED theme, which is performed by High and Mighty Color, is pretty good but I prefer Tsukiakari, which is far more melancholic in nature. This new song seems like a love song. It makes me wonder about the girl in the white hat seen with Hei and Yin. This brings me to another point, Hei's love interest, which I always thought is Yin. However, it seems like he'll either be paired off with Misaki or Amber.
Update: Uncharted's new trailer.
Another year means another E3. Unlike last year, however, this year's popular gaming exhibition is a lot smaller and restricted to game journalists. The exhibition will last from today, July 11th to Friday, July the 13th. The 3 major console producers, Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft, have all had their main presentation earlier this morning. While nothing Earth-shattering was announced, I figure it'll be nice to have lists of what's been announced thus far for my own reference and in case others want to read it as well. As usual, the rest of the contents are under the cut. I will try to update this entry as more information comes in. Personally, I'm waiting for an announcement on Silent Hill 5.
I am kind of sleepy but I figure I should write about this first. Nodame Cantabile drama will return for a 2 consecutive broadcast nights next January (2008). The story will focus on Noda "Nodame" Megumi (Ueno Juri) and Chiaki Shinichi (Tamaki Hiroshi)'s adventure in Paris. Shooting in Paris will start for 3 weeks this autumn. I am personally surprised and delighted to find out about this. Thank you to Nodaki for letting me know about this. I now wonder how the story will work considering that Nodame and Chiaki have to interact with non-Japanese characters. One possibility is that they will still speak Japanese and we will have to pretend that they're actually speaking French. However, the report also mentions how there will be new characters who are not in Ninomiya Tomoko's manga. So maybe they'll replace the foreign characters in the manga with these new characters. I hope that won't be the case though.
Source: Tokyo Graph (English) | Sankei Sports (Japanese) | Official Site (Japanese)
Since I can't seem to find that many summer season that I'd like to follow, I think I'll use the time to catch up with older series that I neglected. I admit I've been really lousy with some series. I started watching Monster 2 years ago and I still haven't finished the series. I do, however, promise that I'll finish it in the next 2 weeks. The thing is, I actually love the series while watching it. It's just that it takes quite a lot of effort to make me sit down and watch it. Anyway, these 5 episodes are just mind-blowing. I really like how the new arc takes place in a small isolated town. I think the arc is a good way to end a series about the monster that lurks in every human's heart. The author even manage to tie the storyline with the "Monster without a Name" storybook that is showcased as the end credit.
Rebuild of Evangelion trailer (YouTube version, High Res)
Update: New footage is out now.
My friend just alerted me to this first released footage of Rebuild of Evangelion first trailer. The footage is grainy because it's shot inside a theatre but it seems legit because it comes complete with the information on when ticket goes on sale. I'll try to update this entry once I find a much better version of the trailer but until the official site release it, I don't think it'll be likely. My first impression upon seeing the trailer was that it doesn't look that different from the old version of Evangelion. However, on a closer look, the animation and character design are far more refined than the one in DVD/VHS. That version of Fly Me to the Moon by Utada Hikaru is god-awful though. I never thought I'll hear a bad version of Fly Me to the Moon. At any rate, I'm excited to see the film and actually entertain the idea of going back to Japan again just to see the film. Rebuild of Evangelion will be released in theatres in Japan starting on September 1st 2007.
Instead of announcement of the airing date, the official site released a viral video showing a live-action Haruhi re-enacting the Tanabata story. There's nothing wrong with the viral video but I was personally hoping for something more and it feels slightly disappointing that all we got is just a viral video. In the end, we still have no idea when the second season will start. For those who want to see the video, Nico Douga has it for download. Joining is not difficult, but unless you have premium account, your access is limited between 2AM to 7PM (Japan time). There's also a copy at Tokyo Toshokan. Another option is watching the streaming video that pKjd posted on his site, Moetron. Personally, I'd recommend watching the streaming first to see if you want to download it or not. I got bored watching halfway through the video and fast forwarded right through the end to see if there's any kind of announcement. There isn't.
OP Theme: 「奈落の花」- Naraku no Hana (12.4MB, for PSP/Quicktime) by Eiko Shimamiya
I give up trying to find a high quality copy of the raw. I've put up the opening and ending for download but they are only in PSP format since the avi format is way to crappy to watch. As for the story, this is actually a reunion episode which is meant to bridge the first season with the original arc, Yakusamashi-hen and the last two original arcs, Minagoroshi-hen and Matsuribayashi-hen. They do this by presenting the informations that weren't included in the first season. These are seen through stories told by Asakusa, Ooishi, and Asakusa's kouhei in a reality based on the Tatarigoroshi, Himatsubushi, and Tsumihoroboshi-hen. Since I've pretty much guessed the real plot back then, it's kind of hard to be excited about the series. I'll probably still cover the second season but I think I'll cover it arc by arc instead of episode by episode. I do hope that the series can still fill me in on several plot points that I didn't understand in the first place.
This is definitely the kind of episode that elevates the series to more than just an action espionage series. There are so much emotions poured into Yin's scenes that even though the character herself seems emotionless, one can't help but sympathize with her. Unfortunately even after this episode, the character's past is still not fully explored. It would have been good if the series could deal with her character again in the future. However, due to the 2-episodes arc nature of the series, it'll be a while before we see another Yin-oriented episodes. In a way, this series is kind of similar to Cowboy Bebop when it comes to character-based arcs. In other note, this episode also did a good job in making the villains of the piece, especially Berta, look sympathetic. The only thing that feels off here is the appearance of Gai and Kiko but their appearances are quite limited that they don't detract much from the parts of the story which involve Yin.
The latest Newtype Japan has just announced a real second season of Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu. The story will begin with Tanabata event that Haruhi mentioned in the first season. There's no starting date mentioned yet but the official site will have a formal announcement on the 7th of July so hopefully it'll be revealed soon.
Maroon 5 - Makes Me Wonder (external site's AVI) | YouTube video
I fully realized that this has nothing to do with anime and it's not even a Japanese pop. However, this song has been on the back of my mind for the last month. It started when I was trying to write my research proposal and decided to turn on the TV as some kind of background noise. It was then that the song was playing and I've been hooked ever since. It's been a while since I like a non JPop music this obsessively so I figured it deserves a mention on the blog. I've actually never heard Maroon 5 prior to Makes Me Wonder so I was pleasantly surprised by this song. It has that cool, jazzy style to it. The PV helps to accentuate the song's cool factor by associating sexiness with airport, airplane, and stewardess. I never thought that I could associate airport with sexiness prior to this PV.
In general, this is a satisfying finale for the anime adaptation. There's no surprises or extremely powerful scenes like the live-action's final episodes but the episode was solid. This brings my point to the live-action adaptation. I think it was unfortunate that the live-adaptation came first before the anime. I didn't think it would have been a big deal at first but I was wrong. If the anime had been given equal or better budget than the live-action adaptation, it might have had the chance to compete on equal level. However, it's obvious that this production was strained in terms of money and time. I also think it was a mistake for the animator to try to replicate Honey and Clover's visual look for this series. It's just not the right look for the series to use. With the exception of the static illustrations, the water-color effect don't have as much impact as it did when it was used in Honey and Clover.
