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ファイト／ステイナイト 
OP Theme: 「プリズム」 (Prism) by Ikeda Ayako - AVI version (17.6MB) | PSP version (9MB)
This is a rather interesting first episode for the series. Unlike other series that have been released this Spring, there is actually a sense of originality with this one. The basic idea is quite unusual because it deals with the merge between the real world and the virtual-reality like world. It's fascinating to see how the humans react to the the half-real, half-virtual world and find the two barely recognisable because of the glasses that they wear. Despite this, there are major differences between the two world. I suspect the majority of the conflicts will arise due to elements from one part of the world crossing over to the other side of the world. The OP and ED theme themselves are great. They have this calm, relaxing feel which suits the pseudo techno/slice-of-life feel of the series.
Hmm, unfortunately I still can't make up my mind about this series so I am not putting it on my regular list like Darker than Black for now. I just can't seem to tolerate cute characters like I used to. It doesn't help that my time for blogging seems to be thinning lately. The good thing about the series is that the background images are quite nice so that's an incentive to go back and see it. If I don't end up covering the series regularly, I'd probably still post impression about it in one giant post about series that I've seen within a week. I know a few people have asked about the possibility of covering other series from this season. The thing is, I am not that excited about most of them to be able to do a full summary post. However, I may be able to post short impressions for 3-4 series that I've seen and put them all in one entry. I'll give it a try in the next few days just to see if people like the idea of reading just the impression.
OP Theme: 「時空を超えて」- Toki (Jikuu) wo Koete by II MIX DELTA with YUPA - AVI version (22.8MB)
OP Theme: 「君がいる限り」- Kimi ga Iru Kagiri by STEPHANIE - AVI version (16.4MB)
I think the story is too messy and all over the place and it's clear that the animators were not planning properly because it's already week 2 and they are still using scenes from episode 1 to do the OP. It reminds me of Speed Grapher all over again. It's unfortunate because it has some nifty effects and the character design is quite good. Another thing that attracts me right from the start are the OP and the ED theme. In the first episode, the OP was actually placed in the ED while the ED was only heard during sponsor's screen. The OP is probably my favourite because it reminds me of DDR song. It's such an energetic number that I feel is a bit wasted here since the animators couldn't be bothered to give it a nice looking animation to go with the song. The ED theme is slightly better and features illustrations of the characters.
"Jikuu wo Koete" will be released on the 4th of July this year while "Kimi ga Iru Kagiri" will be released on the 30th of May this year.
OP Theme: 「暗黒天国」(Ankoku Tengoku) by Ali Project - AVI version (22.8MB) | PSP version (15.6MB)
I am not sure I should be watching something like this but I am just a bit surprised at the production quality. The character design and animation are pretty good. Plus the story is actually kind of interesting with a little dose of sadness and a good dose of humour. I am just not sure if I can tolerate all of the cuteness abound. I also don't like the character design for the main male character, who looks a bit like a girl. Apart from that, however, the series does look good. If I have to compare it with another series, I get the impression that this series is trying to emulate Card Captor Sakura and to a degree it does look as good as that series if not more so. The OP theme by ALI PROJECT is also not bad and gives the series a slight dark theme to what is otherwise a cute little series. If you have read the manga and know more about the series, I'd appreciate it if you can let me know if the series stays good throughout.
Opening Theme: 「働く男」- Hataraku Otoko by PUFFY
Download: AVI format (30.2MB)
Hmm, I'm not as impressed by this series. Of all the series that I've blogged so far, this is the one that I think is not as interesting. Maybe it's because I'm in the workforce as well, so watching this is similar to spending an extra hour at the office. I also don't like the characters that much except for Matsukata and Tanaka, the two competing editors. The opening theme and the ending theme are nothing extraordinary either. I will try to upload them once I get the chance. But I don't think you're missing anything from not seeing it. Anyway, I don't think I will blog this more than the first episode. I will also place this on the bottom of my priority since I have three other series that interest me today. I may change my mind if the second episode is good but in general, I'm not fond of the animation style and the story.
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.
Opening Theme: Last regrets by Ayana (13.3MB, for PSP/Quicktime)
Kanon: Prelude is a special DVD which is released to introduce Kyoto Animation's remake to the potential viewers. Since I've never watched the previous version of Kanon, I have no idea who these characters are supposed to be. Although I can tell right away that the male character is voiced by Tomokazu Sugita (Mayama from Honey and Clover, Kyon from Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu). This promo DVD contains some of the most beautiful character, background, and animation design. It's definitely up par to other Kyoto Animation's series such as Air and Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu. I am not that impressed with the opening and ending song though. They feel a bit...flat, for the lack of better word. If I have to compare the two, I'd say that the ending song is slightly better than the opening song. Anyway, I've decided only to screencap promo 01 and 04 since the other two promos are pretty much just repetition of these two.
Opening Theme: 「Coyote」 by Naoki with Power Sound - AVI format
Hmm, this is already the second episode and I'm still not sure what to make of the series. I think the things that attract me the most have been the opening and ending theme as well as the background song. The opening theme is vibrant and suggests excitement and like I said on last week's recap, it reminded me of 80s mecha series theme. The background song is also equally pleasant and made up of mostly jazz tracks. Having said that, I am still not completely sold on the character design, which although high in quality, often looks rather strange especially in Angelica's case, where her mouth looks unusually big. I am also not sure if I like having Marciano Sisters as the main adversary for the Coyote group because they're too dumb for a supposedly high-tech robots. Anyway, if you're looking for the PSP version of the OP and ED, I'll try to make them after I write the summary.
I'm sorry for the delay but I ended up going out with some friends to see Death Note live action. It's a rather good film and I'll write about this as soon as I finished this one. Anyway, this is not a bad first episode at all. I like the killer robotic maid and the 80s style opening theme. It reminds me of old anime series for some reason. There is no official opening this time around and the opening theme is placed at the end of the episode with only scrolling credits to accompany the song, Coyote. I decided not to make a PSP file out of it since there's nothing much to see out of the opening. But I've created an AVI file for those who want to watch the credit/listen to the song.
Coyote Ragtime Show OP Theme (credits only, AVI file)
Opening theme: 「君へ向かう光」- Kimi e Mukau Hikari by Akino Arai (15MB, for PSP/Quicktime)
At this point in time, I'm not too sure if this is the kind of series that I'd like to follow. On the one hand, the character design is quite good, the characters are interesting, and the story has enough mysteries to keep me intrigued. On the other hand, the CG is abysimal in my opinion. I hate flourescent kind of colour and this one has this kind of colour in spades. I personally think this element brings the quality of the series down quite considerably. It feels really jaring everytime the animation switch from the nice 2D to the crappy 3D build of the robot. Having said that, there are actually some nice use of CGI found throughout the episode. For example, the CG used in the opening theme's visual is beautiful in that James Bond 007 DVD menu kind of way. That is until the flourescent giant robot and 3 ugly large rectangle boxes start appearing on the screen.
Opening Theme:「愛したゲル」- Aishitageru by Loverin Tamburin (17MB, for PSP/Quicktime)
Well, here's the anime adaptation of the famous PS2 game, Makai Senki Disgaea. As expected, the animation looks quite good as you can see from the opening. Unfortunately, the song itself is rather mediocre. I've never played the game beforehand so I have no idea if this song is actually the same as the one that was included within the game or if it's an all new song. After watching this episode a bit more to write the review, I think the first episode is not as bad as some people have described. Maybe it's a good thing that I've never played the game beforehand but from what I've seen so far, there are other much worse shows that are out there at the moment. Anyway, I'm going to stick around for a few more episodes of this title before I decide whether or not I want to follow it right through the end.
Opening Theme: 「夢想歌」 - Musuoka by Suara (16.3MB, for PSP/Quicktime) | Mirror
To be honest, I'm not that keen on the character design but the opening theme sounds really good. I think the refrain part of the song sounds a bit Okinawan in tone. In general, the animation is quite good and the background looks a bit Mononoke Hime-ish. Having said that, at the moment I'm still undecided whether or not I'll follow this. The cat ear is a bit amusing but also a bit of a turn-off for me. Story-wise, I'm quite surprised to know that the first episode actually presents a rather interesting mystery right off the bat. I'll have to wait and see if the story is right up my alley but so far I have to admit that this one is quite an interesting story.
This is actually a re-make of the original version that was aired 3-4 years ago. Despite this, I'm probably one of the few people who don't know anything about this series. I still haven't seen the original version and I have no idea about the storyline. I supposed that is a blessing in disguise because if I do end up watching this, then I won't compare it with the old version. The brief promo available on the official site, however, suggests that this will at least be a good-looking series like Air. I guess this means I have to start watching Air since I actually never watched more than the first two episodes of that series. At the very least I'll know what kind of story I can expect from this one.