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ローゼンメイデン 
Let's just get the bad thing about this episode out of the way. I think the dialogues on this episode are too stilted and abrupt. One moment they're talking about one thing and in a matter of seconds, they're already talking about something else without any transition in between. It's really disorienting because there are times when one can be fooled into thinking that they'll go into one direction with the dialogue only to be abruptly shifted into another topic. I also think that the motivation of the spirit in question is not very clear this time around. On the one hand, he is annoyed with the girl for coming to the school over and over again but then he also doesn't want her to stop coming to school. On the positive side, the whole ghost story part was pretty fun. I also can't help but feeling nostalgic for Honey and Clover when Kamiya Hiroshi said "Chiisai koro kara...." in this episode. The way he delivers that line sounds just so similar to the way Takemoto said it back in Honey and Clover.
Bionic Commando: Rearmed - Anime Trailer (18MB, for PSP/Quicktime)
Some people have probably seen this trailer but if you haven't seen it, then you have to see it. I never played the original Bionic Commando game but this remake looks unbelievably good that I think I'll get it once it's out. First thing first, do not confuse this game with the upcoming new, fully 3D game called Bionic Commando. Bionic Commando: Rearmed (or Bionic Commando: Master D in Japan) is basically just an updated version of the original with new graphics. The designers have said that they're aiming for that 1980s look and I think they've done an excellent job at it. One noticeable change is how they've redesigned the Nazi-like uniform of the villains. Instead of the swastika symbol, that villains are now sporting an eagle-like logo on their uniform and flags. Despite this, it's not hard to see that some of the design are inspired by WWI uniforms. Speaking of villains, some of them look pretty fruity. There's one that looks like a metal wielder but holding a lolipop on his hand, making him looking like a Pedobear. Another looks like a a half-dead guy.
This show is hot. It's been a while since I have a desire to purchase anime on disc and the last series I purchased on disc were Honey and Clover and Suzumiya Haruhi. However, I think I'll at least get the first few episodes of this show on Blu-ray. I just think the combination of the character design, story, and animation are top notch here. It's probably a personal taste but I like this one better than Code Geass's first few episodes mostly because it feels more adventurous than political. It helps that the opening gives me a Cowboy Bebop kind of feel but the thing that impresses me the most about the series is its character design. Character design is my main reason for watching anime. I know it's not a really good criteria to judge an anime but I have the tendency to dislike series that doesn't have good character design. On the other hand, it doesn't take much to make me interested in an anime than a set of well-design characters. It can't be helped since I'm a graphic designer and looking at pretty graphics is something that I love to do.
This is one of those transition episode that doesn't give much twist but simply lets the viewers to catch up with what's been happening thus far. The episode does promise future character development and what looks like a possible future reconciliation between Lelouch and Suzaku. I think the only mystery that is still unsolved at the moment is the whereabouts of Marianne (if she's still alive), why C.C can still communicate with her, and Anya's true identity. This episode also suggests that war is imminent. I don't think the Emperor will let go the countries that he's conquered so easily and it seems he's willing to lay waste his men as long as Lelouch doesn't win. Anyway, I'm sorry for the short summary for this week's episode but I'm a bit tired today. I tried to add in some large images to go with the highlights instead.
I kind of suspected that getting next-gen console is a bad idea in terms of productivity. That turns out to be true now that I'm completely obsessed with several games including but not limited to: Metal Gear Solid, Devil May Cry 4, and the new SIREN: New Translation (so awesome, review will come sometimes next week). Anyway, I can't believe it's been a while since I last saw this series. It's so weird having to do this now since the review was meant to go up not long after it went on air. Of course, something had to happen and now I'm struggling trying to finish not one but 3-4 series that most people already watched a long time ago. The episode itself is not bad but I feel that it's a non-event episode. I guess the writers want to save the good stuff for the last 2-3 episodes so this one is just a lead up to all of the things that will happen later on in the series.
FLOW - WORLD END (48.6MB, PSP/Quicktime format) | YouTube version
Code Geass returns full circle with this opening since FLOW was the first band that performs OP single for the series. I don't think the song is as good as COLORS but it's definitely better than other attempts at OP theme after COLORS. As a background, the band's origin can be traced back to the time when two brothers Kohshi and Take started playing together. The two then formed FLOW in 1998 and eventually joined by Keigo, Got, and Iwasaki. The special thing about the band is that the two vocals often sing together, producing a rather nice duet for every song that they perform. As for the PV itself, this is definitely better than COLORS (which mostly feature the band members jumping around while singing the song). At least there's a theme of world destruction/revival in this one.
I think I'm getting slower these days. It took me forever just to finish this one post. There's always something that distracted me from completing it until now. Either I was too tired/sleepy to finish the post or there's an interesting series/movies that I wanted to watch. Anyway, this is another nice albeit slow-paced story although I feel that it's not as powerful as the first or even the second episode. Speaking of story, I wonder if the series will just end like any other one-off series, with no overarching arc whatsoever. I don't see the manga finishing off anytime soon and I really don't want the anime to come up with weird ending that conflicts with the manga storyline, especially if it has anything to do with Nyanko-sensei.
The Dark Knight trailers (various sizes/types)
This turns out to be a pretty good entry in Batman franchise. Ever since Memento, I knew that Christopher Nolan is really up for the task of adapting dark series like Batman. I also think he's done a good job in making Batman as interesting as the villains that he must face. In other Batman films, Batman is usually just the character who has to fix the mess that has been created by the villains. The only exception to this is Batman Returns, because in that film Batman becomes personally involved with his nemesis (Catwoman). As a result, there are some interesting interactions between the two. Speaking of Batman Returns, one thing that I miss from this new reboot is the gothic buildings that characterize Burton's films. I just think Batman fits better in that kind of setting than modern-day setting that Nolan has used in his Batman films. Anyway, before I go further, please be aware that anything below the cut might contain some spoilers.
As I thought, the interesting part of this particular arc lies in the second half of the story. It's like there are 3 separate stories here. The first one is the continuation of Chrona vs. Kid's fight, which is far more intense than Chrona vs. Maka's fight seen a few episodes ago. I think if Kid wasn't too pre-occupied with irrelevant things, he'd probably be able to defeat Chrona. The second story is the continuation of Maka/Soul's problem with the Black Blood and Medusa's involvement in it. It's nice to know that this particular plot is resolved right away. The last part of the story is actually a sub-plot of the second one but I feel that it actually gives side characters like Sid-sensei and Eruka a bit more exposure than what they normally get in this series. I just hope that this is not the end of their characters because I'd like to see how powerful the adults are in comparison to the students.
This episode makes me want to make my own Miso but unfortunately I don't have the resources to do so. Speaking of Miso-making, the story doesn't really give much detail on how to mix the yeast, and what happened between picking the good beans and stomping on the beans. A few years ago, I lived for 3 months in the biggest Hatcho-Miso producing city in Japan and had the opportunity to visit the biggest Miso factory there. If I remember correctly, it takes at least 6 to 12 months (2 years for Hatcho-Miso) of storage before you can get the final product. In this episode, however, it seems it only takes a couple of hours, or at most - days, to produce a Miso paste, which is ridiculous. It was like one day Osen ran out of Miso and the next day, they already made a new one. The truth is, after the beans are crushed and fermented, the Miso mix should have been covered in a container and pressed using large stones. None of these process were shown in the episode.
It's so weird watching this show in Widescreen after watching the previous 23 episodes in pan/scan. Having said that, I don't actually feel that much difference as far as details go. It makes me wonder if the show was designed to be pan/scan in the first place since the added screen space doesn't seem to add much to the episode. I just think there are too many flat colors and there's little variation in the kind of colors that the animators used. As far as anime adaptation is concerned, I feel that Kyoto Animation did a better job on both Air and Kanon. Those two titles look much better, especially when it comes to depicting the season that they supposed to represent (summer and winter, respectively). I hope Clannad: After Story does a better job in presenting spring than the original series and I hope the series is aired in Widescreen format.
OP Theme: 「SHUT UP AND EXPLODE」by BOOM BOOM SATELLITES
Download: AVI version (72.1MB, correct ratio/no black-bars) | PSP version (16.3MB)
Otherwise known as Bounen no Xamdou, this series is an absolute delight in this otherwise dry summer anime season. I'd have paid the $2.99 for SD version or $3.99 for HD version, if only I can actually access the US movie store on PS3. See Sony, this is why you keep getting screwed by other companies. Stop doing this stupid zone restriction. I appreciate that you allow everyone to access any PSN game store. But ideally, it'd also be nice if I can access any PSN movie store as well. Otherwise, then please provide similar contents across PSN stores in different countries. I have enough credits on my European, Japanese, and US PSN account so if you want money, then let me see the show in HD. Anyway, at a first glance, this show looks like a combination of Rahxephon, Eureka 7, Nausicaa, Escaflowne and Last Exile. It's a pretty exciting series that deserves to be the highlight of Bones' 20th Anniversary.
Man, I've been too busy trying to keep up with E3 news that I couldn't even write this without being distracted every 5 minutes, trying to see if there is interesting news I should read. Also, if you've been emailing me about the past series that I covered last season, I'll try to finish them one by one, starting with one episode of Osen and one episode of xxxHOLiC Kei. The only series I'll probably not bother is S.A - Special A since no one seems to be interested in that anymore. Anyway, this is a pretty good second episode although it's not as powerful as the first one. It's kind of nice to see Natsume getting some friends though so it's a bit sad to see him losing it so quickly in the end. Having said that, I think what he really needs are some real human friends not just the spirit types. Otherwise, he wouldn't be any different from Reiko.
In comparison to last week's episode, this one is not as exciting or fun. Having said that, this is just the first of a two parter so hopefully the second half will be far more interesting. On that note, I think this is one of the episodes which would have benefited from a complete showing of the two-parter since the first half feels a bit slow. Having said that, I did find the whole "Kishin who's closest to us" interesting so hopefully that will be explored in depth in the upcoming episodes. As for this episode, for some reason seeing this makes me want to see Pirates of the Carribean again. I don't usually like pirate-type stories but for some reason that particular film made Pirate story seems kind of fun. It's probably becauase the story is mixed with supernatural elements just like this particular episode.
After watching this one, I think it's time to brace for possible massacre. Even if Lelouch manages to win against the Emperor, there are so many things that are stacked against him that I don't think he can regain everything that he used to have. Right now, the Emperor wants to use him like a puppet, he has made an enemy with V.V, he still hasn't been able to save Nunnally and Kallen, Suzaku is hellbent on ruining his life, Cornelia still want to have that Zero head platter, and of course Nina still want to unleash Nuclear bomb on him. Of course, I haven't mentioned the possibility that Villetta will turn Ougi against him, Rolo going insane on him, and the possibility that the Black Knights will bail out on him. Last but not least, there is C.C. So far she's been going along with his plan to take over the world. However, with him going overboard by killing the cult members this time, I wonder if she'll start to be wary of him.
Sorry for the late entry but it's a bit hard to muster the enthusiasm to watch this when you're tired. Sometimes I wonder if this show would actually last longer than 10-15 minutes if it doesn't stretch out some of its scenes. Having said that, the quiet, seemingly pointless scenes are also part of the charm for this kind of series. The only other thing that I don't like about the show is the low quality of the animation. It's only two episode and already the character design look horrific. The part where Sora and Kuroda talk about her just arriving from Hokkaidou is a good example of this. The weakness of this kind of character design is that at the worst time, it really reminds me Olive Oyl from Popeye the Sailorman. I remember saying the same thing about the character design in Paradise Kiss so I did a little bit of googling and finds out that the character design for this anime is the same character design for Paradise Kiss, Yoshigaki Yuusuke.
I know this is extremely late but I didn't even get PS3 until very recently so I'm now catching up with games that most people already played. Unless, of course, you're waiting for the PC version of the game because that has just came out a few days ago. To be honest, I was pretty disappointed when I found out that I can't play as Dante right away. Having to play as Nero reminds me of having to play through the majority of MGS2 as Raiden. It doesn't help that Nero has a rather annoying hot-temper personality. I mean Dante is a smug, over-confident bastard but at least he's actually entertaining/amusing and has a lot of charisma as far as video game characters go. The personality of a character didn't seem to be that important in the previous generation games because it's hard to see their facial expressions but it's hard to deny that they are an important point of this generation's games. Thankfully what Nero lacks in, Dante makes up a lot for, so I can't wait until I get to play as him. Before that though, I have to get better at the game.
OP Theme: 「一斉の声」 (Issei no Sei) by Kita Shuuhei - AVI version (12.1MB) | PSP version (11.2MB)
Of all the new anime that has been released thus far, I feel that this one has the best mix of story, humor, OP/ED, and voice acting. It's a pretty encouraging first episode in my opinion. To begin with, Kamiya Hiroshi (Takemoto in Honey and Clover) and Inoue Kazuhiko (Kakashi in Naruto) delivered their excellent voice acting as usual. I'm especially impressed with Inoue Kazuhiko here, who can change his voice from sounding silly and childish when Nyanko-sensei (the cat spirit) is in the form of Maneki-Neko, to sounding mature and dangerous when the spirit is in its original form. Upon seeing this episode, I finally realize why Kamiya Hiroshi was chosen to be Natsume and that's because just like Takemoto, Natsume is equally contemplative about his life. Anyway, the only thing that is missing here is a solid animation. The animation/style that they have here is not too bad but I think the series could benefit from a much stronger color palette and less soft filter. I really hope that the second episode will rectify this particular problem.
This episode is as hilarious as I thought it'd be. I'm mostly impressed with how the whole thing was edited and put together. You really have to see the climax of the exam scene where everyone else but Maka and Tsubaki going bonkers due to exam pressure. It really brings back memory of cramming for exam while I was in high school/university. Also props to Miyano Mamoru for making Death the Kid even more pathetic than Tamaki from Ouran High School. The way the character begs, pleads, and drives himself insane due to his OCD is just absolutely amusing. I'm also surprised that the writers decided to include the hilarious albeit creepy epilogue involving Maka and her father. I thought after the way they cut other naughty scenes from the series, they would have exculded this particular subplot as well. Thankfully that's not the case here. Although the scene is kind of hair-raising, it's also hilarious as well.
OP Theme: 「WORLD'S END」 by FLOW - AVI version (51.5MB) | PSP version (16.5MB)
As expected, this week marks the arrival of new OP and ED. Unfortunately, they are not as good as the first OP/ED despite being performed by similar groups, FLOW and ALI PROJECT. Visual-wise, the OP is as bland as previous OPs. This means it features Knightmare Frames and characters jumping in and out of the frame like usual. As for the song, I think I would like it better if it's not accompanied by the OP images, which don't go well with the song. The ED looks and sounds a bit better but I wish CLAMP would stop copying their own previous work. I don't want my memory of this very cool illustration of Monou Fuuma to be ruined by Lelouch/Suzaku version of it. Having said that, the rest of the illustration are really good, especially the one featuring C.C/Lelouch. The song is a typical ALI PROJECT song. I think ALI PROJECT are at their strongest when they compose songs for Rozen Maiden series. Outside that series, for some reason their songs are not as captivating/powerful. Although I remember being impressed by Coppelia's Casket, the OP for Noir.
For someone who spends the majority of his time discussing anime and animation, I seem to have a difficulty recognizing what is animated and what is real. When I first boot up Metal Gear Solid 4, I wondered why the eggs that a character called Sunny fries look so real. I really thought that the eggs are actually CGI but as it turns out, they are actually a film of real eggs that have been superimposed on top of the CGI. During the intro, I saw a bunch of characters that look like real humans but I wasn't sure if they are real or they are CGI that looks too close to reality until I saw David Hayter (Snake's English voice actor) as one of the character included. The same thing now happens with the new anime, Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto - Natsu no Sora (What's important for a magic user - Summer sky), otherwise known as Someday's Dreamer - Summer Sky. When I first saw the backgrounds, I thought they are real-life pictures. However, due to discussion between several posters, I now wonder if the backgrounds are actually CGIs that simply look life-like.
OP Theme: 「Fly Away」 by THYME - AVI version (25.6MB) | PSP version (11.7MB)
This is a rather interesting series and yet I'm still on the fence about it. This mostly got to do with the mixture of live-action and animation. It feels weird looking at it even though the live action scenes are very beautiful at times. In addition to this, at least in the first episode, the focus has been changed from the main character to her helping another character in need. I have to admit that I dislike this particular element of the original Someday's Dreamer. It's especially unfortunate to happen on this series because unlike the original, I feel that the main characters from this series are far more interesting. Because of this, I hope things will change in the second episode and will focus a lot more on Sora and her new friends. At any rate, let me know what you think of this first episode.
Well, here it is, the final episode of the first season. I think the series has been an okay adaptation so far. The adapted character design is good but it's clearly hard to keep up with the quality. I hope that the second season have better budget and better animation to boot. The OP and ED songs are surprisingly good and fit the series really well. They are definitely one of the better elements of the series. I also think that the voice acting, despite some inconsistencies are generally okay. My main concern is where things will go from here. I don't think that the writers should rush season 2 if the manga is still not complete. I was a bit concerned with the last few minutes of the episode but after thinking about it, I don't think this will have much impact on the storylines that haven't been told yet.
I don't know how BONES does it on a week by week basis but I'm surprised that even after one cour, the animation still looks consistently good. I mean it's not difficult to find other series where the animation has gone downhill very quickly even after the first episode. Maybe that ka-ching injections from Square-Enix does make all the difference. In other note, I thought the new ED theme will be included starting from this episode but that doesn't seem to be the case. Maybe it'll be released next week to coincide with all of the new episodes that will be released soon. I just hope that the new ED will be better than the current one because I can't tell if there's actually some kind of semblance of rhythm with the current ED.
This is slightly better than episode 11 mostly because it's filled with actions and surprising twist. There's also a good character development for Zero here and the story actually moves forward. At least now Kaname actually has some kind of purpose in the story apart from being a mysterious guy who saved Yuuki a few years ago. Although after watching this episode, I wonder how the writers will conclude the series this season. IIRC, the story that comes after this one is a rather minor story involving the council of ancients. I think that's a story that can easily be solved in one episode. In that case, I guess the first season will just end like a normal episode. The difference is that instead of waiting for one week for the next episode, the viewers have to wait for one season to watch the next episode.
Quantum of Solace - Teaser Trailer (Quicktime, various size) | YouTube version
Obviously this post has nothing to do whatsoever with anime so if you only like anime, feel free to skip this one. For everyone else, EON finally released the teaser trailer for James Bond 007's latest movie, Quantum of Solace. First thing first, if you're wondering about the title, the meaning is simple: a little comfort. It refers to what Bond probably would want after the incident that happened in the previous Bond installment, Casino Royale. It's unfortunate that Eva Green won't be in this film since she was really fantastic in Casino Royale. However, Gemma Arterton (St.Trinian's) and Olga Kurylenko (Hitman) are pretty good choices for Bond girls as well. The trailer looks pretty good as well, IMO. I was concerned that the writers will turn Bond into a perfect Ken doll now that he's a fully-fledged agent. Much to my relief, the guy still bleeds and gets bruised from his fight just like in Casino Royale. And with Craig acting as Bond, I hope the storyline holds up as well. I don't think there's anything else I can say but hit the cut for tons of screencaps of the trailer.
