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ファイト／ステイナイト 
December 28, 2007 | 
9 Comments
Silent Hill: Origins trailer (Gametrailers, various format including downloads)
Mary Elizabeth McGlynn - Hole in the Sky (Soundtrack, YouTube video)
Mary Elizabeth McGlynn - Shot Down In Flames (Soundtrack, YouTube video)
I just finished this game, which turns out to be much better than Silent Hill 4: The Room. Despite the game format, I'm surprised at how effectively creepy the game can be when played in a dark room and with the headphone on. One thing that I love about this series is its ability to make me apprehensive at exploring the areas. There's always that sense of dread that makes me tense, as well as glad, that I'm not really there inside that disturbing world. I think most of that was missing in Silent Hill 4 so to see it back in this prequel is a definite welcome. Graphic-wise, this is one of those showcase pieces for the PSP. Although the polygons are not as smooth as I'd like it to be, the texture work displayed here is amazing. It's hard to believe that the programmers manage to squeeze so much details into a handheld game. I'd talk about the plot next but if you haven't played the game and plan to do so then I'd recommend that you don't read further. Be aware that the following paragraphs contain spoilers.
December 24, 2007 | 12 Comments
As one of my Christmas presents, I got Blade Runner: The Final Cut special edition briefcase. This is one hell of awesome boxset, if you can call it that because it's more than that. I'll talk more about this next time after I have the chance to take photos of the boxset. For now, however, I just want to jot down my thoughts on the film. I didn't actually like Blade Runner the first and second time I watched it. My first exposure to the film happened because I was a student of media studies and Blade Runner was one of the requisite film noir that I had to watch. I fell asleep the first time I watched it. I didn't have the patience for the slow burning nature of the film. The same thing happened again when I tried to watch the film for the second time. Fast forward a few years later, I played the video game inspired by the film. I enjoyed the game immensely and from that game, I got a thorough understanding of how the world of Blade Runner works. Armed with this new interest from the game, I tried to watch the film again. This time around I loved the film and actually able to grasp its finer details. Anyway, before I go further, be aware that this article contains spoilers.
December 22, 2007 | 14 Comments
Hachikuro 15-Sec CM (YouTube video)
Hachikuro 30-Sec CM (YouTube video)
It's obvious that I've been living in a cave that I didn't even know until now that there will be a Honey and Clover live action drama coming up on the 8th of January next year. Just when I thought they can't milk this even more, Fuji TV proved me wrong. If the movie was good, I might have been more receptive towards this one but the movie was a disaster so I'm wary about this drama. Thankfully they get the casting of Takemoto right this time around. Ikuta Toma definitely looks more like Takemoto than Sakurai Shou. And it's not like Shou was an acting powerhouse in the first place so he will not be missed. Unfortunately they decide to cast Narimiya Hiroki as Morita. Sorry to his fangirls but I dislike him very much. I find his 'acting' to be the worst part of NANA: the movie. I wish they had cast Eita as Morita. As for the rest, the girls who'll play Hagu and Ayu and the guy who'll play Mayama look okay. Also, that Hirai Ken's theme song is awesome.
December 22, 2007 | 9 Comments
I was about to give up watching this series around episode 11 because Kotomi's story around that episode felt too similar to Fuko's story. It doesn't help that I can't stand the frothy nature of the girls' interaction. Thankfully I decided to see episode 12 as well and that really changed my mind. While I don't appreciate the silly and sudden appearance of Fuko in this episode, the rather sinister tone that appears halfway through the episode was worth the wait. I also wonder about the little robot that appears in episode 10. He seems to be a metaphorical representation of Tomoya but it's hard to tell at this point in the story. All in all, if you almost give up the series like I did, I'd recommend watching episode 12 because the story in this one may pull you back into the series.
December 15, 2007 | 23 Comments
Final Fantasy XIII and Versus XIII Extended (40MB, for PSP/Quicktime)
These are trailers which were included in Cloud Mook (Picture book) released yesterday in Japan. I'm not even sure if these are new or old trailers. They don't look new but there are elements of the trailers that I haven't seen before. Out of the two trailers, Versus XIII is the one that I like better. The gothic-like atmosphere, operatic music and the quick cut of this trailer just gives off better impression of how the game's universe would look like. The FFXIII trailer gives the impression that the world will be Star Wars-like and it's a bit too similar to FFXII. I do like the character design for Lightning (the female character for FFXIII) but I prefer the stylish look of Versus XIII world.
December 8, 2007 | 18 Comments
I'm sorry for this super-late review. I had a really rough week lately and wasn't in the mood to do anything. It takes me a while to actually create this post too. These two episodes are okay. I think I would have like it better had it been more conclusive. However, at the end of this episode, I wasn't sure whether I was happy or sad or confused about the ending. I guess in general I understand the sentiment that Tomoya and Nagisa feel. However, since I'm not too fond of Fuko, I wasn't really sad about the final outcome. Oh well, the next episode seems to focus on Noto Mamiko's character so let's see if she fares better than Fuko. Personally, the only girls that I find interesting in the series are Tomoyo and Kyou.