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ローゼンメイデン 
Sheesh, I hate doing backlogs. It doesn't help that one of the episodes I have to cover here is an original filler episode (translation: completely unnecessary and doesn't further the plot whatsoever). And to top it off, this particular episode is filled with some of the worst character designs/animation I've had to endure as of late. For example, just when I thought Yukino couldn't look scarier, she manages to do so in episode 29. The problem is, I have no idea if this is intentional or if it's just part of the lousy animation quality. Having said that, I hope the presence of this filler means that the animators have been given the greenlight to produce more episodes. Anyway, please forgive me if this recap comes off a bit short and rushed. I am just keen to get into the Monaco arc episodes as soon as possible.
TiA - Promise (MP4,30.3MB, for PSP/Quicktime)
I was actually rather apprehensive when I first heard the 2nd opening theme for Yakitate!! Japan. After all, Houkigumo was already ingrained in my mind as the opening theme for the series during the first 29 episodes. Now all of a sudden there is this new song that I have to get used to. But much to my surprise, it didn't take long for me to warm up to the song. Anyway, this is one of those rare PVs that fits the song. The PV's bright color scheme conveys the mood of the song really well. TiA is also absolutely captivating here. I am not normally this enthusiastic about watching a singer's performance on a PV because most of the time they look like a wooden prop on a set. But TiA looks like she's really enjoying the song and as a result, she gives the song the convinction it needs.
Yakitate!! Japan 2nd OP Theme
Performed by TiA
Kanji/Kana version
輝く君の瞳に誓った
小さな窓から 青空が見えた午後
逃げることなんて もうしたくはないよ
背中にあたたかい 手のひらを感じている
傷つくよりもつらいのは
明日をあきらめて
自分に嘘つき続けること
大事な夢をひとつ ココロにいつでも
信じて守って 乗り越えて行こう
大事な夢があるから もっと強くなれる
思い描いた未来を抱きしめて
これからも
少しだけ前を歩く肩ごし
おんなじ歩幅で 白い雲追いかけた
選んだ道が正しいかなんて
誰にも分らない 迷うときもあるけれど
つまづくことを怖がって
待っているだけじゃ
昨日と何も変わらないから
大事な夢をひとつ ふたりでいつでも
信じて守って 歩き続けよう
大事な夢があるから 前だけを見つめて
もっと遥かな未来を目指してく
これからも
傷つけて傷つけられて
くやしくて泣いた日も
次のドア開く勇気を
君がくれたよ
大事な夢をひとつ ココロにいつでも
信じて守って 乗り越えて行こう
大事な夢があるから もっと強くなれる
思い描いた未来を抱きしめて
これからも
These three episodes marked the end of the new bakers competition arc. While there are few minor surprises in these episodes, in general the storyline is mostly geared to tidy up the arc. Having said that, it's nice to know that the series does not stretch out some of its minor plots such as Kawachi's desire to work for Pantasia's main store. The anime writers also seem to be aware that the material that they have left from the new bakers arc are not enough to fill up episode 27. Because of this, they decide to include a live-action instruction on how to make Japan #2: SuihanJapan, a bread made inside a ricecooker. This particular segment is quite interesting and offers a brief diversion from the usual baking battles contained within each episode.
If you're interested to see what the Yakitate!! Japan bread line up looks like in Japan, here is how the breads are usually displayed inside Lawson store. And here is Japan 58: Melon Pan. Unfortunately, I have to say that the bread itself doesn't taste good. The sweet crust is too soft and the 'Melon cream' that they use taste more like whipped cream. I've had better Melon Pan from normal bakery. The best Melon Pan I've had, however, was from a bakery inside Asakusa shopping mall. The Melon Pan was green in color and inside the bread, there's a rather thick orange cream. The bread was so good I almost wanted to go back to the store just to get another one. But thankfully sanity prevailed and I decided not to go back because the weather was really cold that night.
I just realised that all of the OP and ED songs in this series also has its own individual PV (music video) created by the singers. Here are some screenshots of Houkigumo, Sunday, To All Tha Dreamers in case you're interested. I really like these PVs because they usually give the songs a rather different mood, tone, and style from the one given by the anime's OP and ED. For example, when I first heard To All Tha Dreamers, the song sounds more like one of those 80s style song. However, upon watching the PV, I get the impression that the song is supposed to have a more contemporary feel to it. I think this is because the version used as Yakitate!! Japan ED does not include the rather contemporary musical arrangement part of the song. The image of Ken dressing up in 80s style get-ups also change the way the song comes across to me in the first place.
This episode is the latest casualty of the inconsistent character design problem that also struck this week's Gakuen Alice. Much to Sunrise's credit, however, the inconsistencies are less noticeable here. I'm also quite surprised to see the story in this episode being funnier than the way I remembered it. I guess it didn't feel that way to me before because the first thing that I remember about this particular plot is Yukino's cruel machination. Having said that, there's no denying that she is quite an effecitve and formidable enemy. To begin with, she has no redeeming quality whatsoever so it's very easy to hate her. There's no need to feel guilty here. :P Her presence also makes Azuma and his friends realise that they have to be careful when dealing with this monster.
Ugh. The character design in this episode is quite shoddy. I can't remember how many times Azuma and Kawachi's face look different from their original design. Thankfully the comedy and the conflict within the story manages to lift this episode up to its usual level. I was particularly amused at Tsukino's attempt to flick paper balls at Ken's forehead/nose. Anyway, judging from the way the storyline has unfolded so far, it seems that this arc will indeed conclude around episode 24-26. Unfortunately that means there are only 21-23 episodes left to complete the Monaco arc. I hope the animators can retell that arc without the need to condense the original story.
February 26, 2005 | 
7 Comments
No matter how many times I see this story in different formats, it never cease to make me wish that I can reach out through the pages/screen and wring Yukino's neck myself. She and Shiho (of Mai Hime) are two of the most despicable characters I've had the misfortune to endure this month. It's funny that I say this considering that some of my favourite characters include Suigintou from Rozen Maiden, Fuuma Monou from X, and Yagami Raito from Death Note. I think it's because in Yukino (and Shiho's) case, their actions and reasons are extremely tasteless and petty. While they do make good antagonist, I doubt I'll miss/feel sorry for them if they're gone at the end of the series. At any rate, this episode definitely rates as one of my favourites in the series. In fact, I think I've gone overboard with my screencaps because of it.
February 12, 2005 | 4 Comments
Unfortunately there aren't that many food or bread reference in this episode. In fact, I have to say that I have never seen a bread that is sculptured to look like an animal before. Having said that, I have to admit that the idea of eating a Marmalade/Chocolate pastry that was made by Koala does sound tempting :D. The only other food item mentioned here is the Candy Apple, a sure way to get you to the dentist in no time. The lack of food references in this episode, however, is offset by references to popular cult films such as Enter the Dragon and Daikaiju Gamera. Enter the Dragon is of course the famous Bruce Lee film while Gamera is a film about a giant turtle that shares the same interest with Godzilla in destroying Tokyo.
The highlight of this episode is probably the part where both Azuma and Koala demonstrate how sometimes bread-making can be a complex and intricate work of art. Animation-wise, it's good to see the anime finding a way to show Azuma's 'magic' in an effective way despite the fact that the scene was already in color to begin with. It's certainly not as surprising as the manga version, but there's not much that the animators can do about it since the difference of the two medium makes it impossible for the two version to be identical. This is interesting because color is actually one of the elements that makes anime stands out better in comparison to manga. But in this case, the easy access to color actually limits the effect that the story tries to demonstrate.
I'm sorry for almost missing this one. I thought I've done episode 15 but as it turns out I made a mistake last week. I actually named episode 14 as episode 15, thus the confusion. Anyway, this week's episode is quite hilarious thanks to the never ending supply of comedy courtesy of Kuroyan. I also never realised this before but this series always ends up making me hungry thanks to the never ending display of foods. This episode itself, for example, shows at least 3 different type of foods for one to drool on: Yakisoba bread, Okonomiyaki, and Panini (grilled bread). Okonomiyaki is actually a favourite Japanese food of mine along with Takoyaki. Unfortunately there is no Okonomiyaki restaurant where you can cook the pancake yourself in my area. If I want one, I have to go either to a normal Japanese restaurant where they'll cook it for you. Either way, if you haven't had one before, I'd recommend it.
Yakitate!! Japan OP Theme
Performed by Rythem
Kanji/Kana version
どこか遠くで 耳を澄ましている人がいる
あらゆる場所で 空を見上げているひとがいる
夜空の下で 口笛ふいてる僕たちは
言葉もないまま 指でただ星座をなぞってる
寒がりやの夢 冷たい君の手
あたためる魔法は １つの道を信じること
彗雲の向コウに 見つけた 一粒の星は
輝く星でも かすかな星でも
君だけの光
胸の雲の向コウに 見えないままの道しるべ
さあ この手をひらいて 今 何を信じますか？
眠れむ夜に 一人で鳴いてる人がいる
朝を迎えた地球のどこかで笑う人がいる
途方に暮れてる 迷い続けてる
踏み出す魔法は 明日の自分信じること
空は越えた向コウに 探してたあの日の星は
どこに忘れたの だれか見つけたの
君だけの光
胸の置くの暗闇 目蓋を閉じてきり開く
さあ 扉よ開いた 今 何が見えてますか？
本の少しの風が吹きました
最後の魔法は弱い心も信じること
彗雲の向コウに 見つけた 一粒の星は
輝く星でも かすかな星でも
君だけの光
胸の雲の向コウに 見えないままの道しるべ
さあ この手をひらいて 今 何を信じますか？
目を閉じて いや
目を開けて 今
何が聞こえるの 何が見えてるの
君だけの光
青い屋根に上って産まれた夜空に見下ろした
叶わないことなんてない
開くのそろの君の手
January 22, 2005 | 10 Comments
Well, it looks like the Italian-American Spencer Henry Hokou has finally appeared in the series now. In fact, there'll be some more new characters coming up in the next couple of weeks. Some of them can be seen in the picture above. This is basically the result of the character popularity poll held in Shounen Sunday Magazine quite a while ago. This image is also included inside Vol.13 of the manga, albeit in black and white form. Seeing this image makes me wonder how much of the manga's stories will be incorporated into the anime. Especially now that I know the series will only have 47 episodes. I hope that at the very least the anime will reach the end of the 'Monaco cup' arc. I'm a bit worried though since there are a lot of stories to cover within that arc.
January 19, 2005 | 12 Comments
Yakitate!! Japan 2nd ED Theme
Performed by Soul'd Out
Note: Thank you to nanashisan for correcting some of the mistakes in the romaji version below.
Kanji/Kana version
Now everybody move
Can you get a little somethin'
Got to do
So better believe in, better believe in yourself
Everybody move
Can you get a little somethin'
Got to do
So better believe in, better believe in yourself
"D-r-e-a-m"
"Dream" この胸にでっかく強く
光り輝いて負けない眼差し
手さぐりで探した風ん中
答えなんかまだ Un...
今はまだ Chance うかがって待つ I got したたかさ
叫んでるだけのPrisonerじゃダメだ
Just follow me! 時に肩貸すから
Yo got
"D-i-g-g-y"
ア アラララァ ア アァ!
"Step into tha game"
It ain't nothin' nobody can say
'Cuz I neva can let my Dream get away un
決して儚い夢じゃない
この想い届けよう Heart to heart Soul to soul
めぐる季節 Spring stormのように豪快
Win Big がモットー
Some say "Nothin' lasts forever"
永遠のものは果たしてあるのだろうか
だから俺たちは...
そうさ俺たちはキラめく瞬間をフリに生きていたいんだ
With all tha love
1-2, S.O cru
Stay true to you
So, what you gonna do? c'mon!
ア アラララァ ア アァ!
Now everybody move
Can you get a little somethin'
Got to do
So better believe in, better believe in yourself
追い風利用して今日と闘え all tha soldiers
Better believe in, better believe in yourself
January 12, 2005 | 11 Comments
Well, well. It looks like Sunrise Animation has changed the ED Theme for Yakitate!! Japan as well. This one looks really cool and appropriate for the series. The new ED theme, To All Tha Dreamers (Quicktime, 8.8MB) is a swinging rap/boogie music accompanied with a pimp-looking 3D animation of Ken "Daddy" Matsushiro. :D Now, why can't Mai Hime get a new OP as well? That series' OP seems misplaced in the context of current storyline. Anyway, back to this series itself, it's Sushi, Melon, and Melon Bread time for this episode. Personally, these 3 are some of my favourite foods so I really like this episode. For those of you who didn't know, Melon bread is a specialty at Asian bakery. It's a sweet bread with a crunchy cookie crumbs on top of it. Some bakeries actually take the name quite literally and place Melon crumbs instead of cookie crumbs on top of the bread. And if you're in Japan, you can get the Yakitate!! Japan brand from Lawson retail chains. :)
Well, here is the Yakitate!! Japan 1 hour special. As it turns out, however, this special is simply episode 11 and 12 combined into one screening. The only thing that makes this a 'special' is the short omake called Yakitate!! Reaction Grand Prix 2004. This is basically some kind of an award section given out by Kuroyan and Kawachi for 5 best reactions in the series. If you're curious, the winners from number 5 to 1 are as follows: soy-milk bread reaction from Azuma's grandpa, Kawachi's reaction to eating the sheep-milk bread, the Horse reaction when it eats the manager's bread, Tsukino's reaction to Azuma's wasabi bread, and Kuroyan's reaction to Japan's version of Nan bread. The episodes themselves are pretty good, especially every scene with Kuroyan in it.
December 27, 2004 | 8 Comments
Apparently the PV for the opening and ending theme of this show were broadcasted a few days ago. I wish I can see it because I really like both themes. It's also unfortunate that so far the opening theme CD is not on sale yet. Anyway, this episode itself is quite good. It's a precursor to the upcoming newcomer battle arc which is one of the best arc in this series. And judging from the teaser at the end of this episode, apparently that arc will kick off with a special 1 hour episode this week. I hope this means that the ratings have been doing quite well and therefore the series will hopefully get more than 26 episodes. The last time I check, Animedia reported that the series sit in the 7th ranking amongst other autumn anime shows selected by its readers.
December 18, 2004 | 12 Comments
If you understand the joke from the first 3 screenshots, then I'm sorry for being crude. But hey, I wasn't the one who drew them to begin with. And besides, if you can understand them easily, then your mind is already as filthy as mine :P. If you don't understand them, then good for you. Stay that way. The mind is such an easy thing to corrupt ;). Anyway, the topics of this week's episode are basically Wasabi (Japanese horseradish) and Sake (not just the Japanese Rice Wine variety but alcoholic beverages in general). The funny thing is, both of them actually goes well with Sushi. Now, bread with alcohol mix is not that surprising. It's not unusual to put a bit of liquor or rum in some cake/bread dough to give them a rich taste. This is, however, the first time I've heard of Wasabi Bread. I probably wouldn't mind trying one though since I like Wasabi.
December 10, 2004 | 6 Comments
There isn't much comedy in this episode but I don't mind it much because this episode mostly serves to give Kawachi some character development. Interestingly enough, Kawachi has been the only character who receives character development thus far. Despite being the main character, Azuma remains as Azuma everytime. He's the boy wonder who can do it all. Kawachi, however, has gone from having snotty attitude towards Azuma to being a character who slowly accepts Azuma as a friend. In addition to giving Kawachi some character development, this episode also reveals more of Tsukino's personality and intention. Top this off with a generous dose of fanservice and this turns out to be one decent episode.
Yakitate!! Japan ED theme
Performed by The Babystars
Kanji/Kana version
使い古された「愛してる」も君を想って口にすれば
こんなにステキな響きになる 君だけのためにある言葉
日だまりで SUNDAY ありきたりの いつもと同じ今日は SUNDAY
いつまでもなんて そっと願う そして君はしゃべり続ける
わたしのどこがそんなに好きなの？ いきなり難題を君が出すから
借りてきた 映画ひとまず止めて まじまじと君を見るよ
毎日見てても足りなりないくらい 咲き誇る笑顔が大好きです
意外と着やせする極上ボデイ 言うまでもなく大好きです
それって外見ばっかり肝心のなか身はどうんあのよ？
憤懣ヤルタナイ君が鼻息も荒くおこるけど
本当はもっともっともっとあるけども
巧くは言えないんだなあ これが
好きになるのに理由はいらないだろ
そこらへんは謎ってことで勘弁して
使い古された「愛してる」も君を想って口にすれば
こんなにステキな響きになる 君だけのためにある言葉
日だまりで SUNDAY ありきたりの いつもと同じ今日は SUNDAY
何気ない時間が過ぎてゆく そしてふたりはなごみ続ける
強がりな君が時々見せる 儚げな涙にゃ白旗です
何も言わなけりゃ言わないだけに よそ見なんで出来ないんだよ
悲しみだの苦しみだの
そりゃ生きてりゃやっぱりいろいろあるけど
何気なく君が言う「頑張って」にチカラ もらってるよ
もしも小さな背中震えるときには 僕がすぐ抱きしめるから
窓から見える景色 変わっていっても
寝癖のひどい君のままで 傍に居て
使い古された「大嫌い」も 君がふくれて口にすれば
反対の意味に 聞くえるのさ 僕だけのためにある言葉
日だまりで SUNDAY ありきたりの いつもと同じ今日は SUNDAY
改めて言うよ 君のことを どんなときだって愛してる
いつもと同じ SUNDAY
ありきたりの SUNDAY
でも特別な SUNDAY
November 28, 2004 | 3 Comments
I am too lazy to think up non-spoilery comment at the moment so I decided to use this space to feature some random links about Kouign Amann and Kabuki. I figure it's useful to know a few things about them since these two things are mentioned frequently in this episode. This site contains small information regarding Kouign Amann (Breton Butter Cake). Fuji TV site also has a small article on a Kouign Amann bakery. Similarly, there are equally interesting sites that deal with Kabuki. English-language informations about the art can be found from this site. But if you're interested, this Japanese site also has small English-language information about Kabuki Theatre. Anyway, some of these sites are not in English language, so you probably need to use Babel Fish to understand some of the articles.
November 18, 2004 | 6 Comments
This episode is one of those cases where you'd be better off watching it than reading a description of it. Seriously, none of the screencaps here do this episode justice. You just have to see it yourself to appreciate the hilarity that is Mokoyama Tsuyoshi, as well as the atmosphere that this arc creates. On top of this, for some reason Azuma's voice doesn't bother me at all in this episode. I guess I'm quite used to the voice by now. On a rather related note, if you love food-based anime/manga, I think you should check out Curry naru Shokutaku (Addicted to Curry). David was the one who originally rec this interesting manga on his journal. So thanks to him, I now have another anime/manga 'addiction', so to speak. The characters in the story are interesting and the series has a more ecchi tone in comparison to Yakitate!! Japan. It's like GTO meets a cooking show.
November 15, 2004 | 5 Comments
I have to say that I'm out of my league here. This episode contains too many bread terminologies that just went over my head. It probably explains why I didn't enjoy this particular story when I read the manga back then. The anime actually tries to make things more fun by adding some wild hallucinations/bread tasting scenes but it's not enough to keep my attention to the episode. In fact, if I didn't repeat the episode while typing this recap, I probably wouldn't have remember the story. The only thing I can remember vividly is this cows and goats illustration. And no, I haven't lost the plot and I'm not drunk either. It's just that I think those cows and goats have the funniest expression I've ever seen in animated farm animals.
I just found out that you can actually buy Azuma's Japan No.55 in Japan. This clever marketing effort is courtesy of a large convenience store chain in Japan, Lawson, along with TV Tokyo and Shogakukan publishing house. The three agrees to manufacture and sell breads which look similar to Azuma's various versions of Japan (the announcement is here if you're interested) . The product will then be available on Lawson's shop all over Japan. *grumble* I wish I'm there so I can try that chocolate cream bread (Japan No.12). In other news, Shogakukan also decides to re-release the first 3 volumes of Yakitate!! Japan manga as one giant compilation version. If you collect the Japanese X tankoubans, you probably have encountered this kind of giant compilation manga before. This compilation tank will cost you 300 Yen and is on sale now.
First of all, I'm really sorry for the lame sex jokes on the title tags. But I can't help it. This episode really calls for it. Besides, food-type films/series somehow always goes so well with sex. And those of you who have read the manga must already know that this series is full of sexual innuendo of various persuasions as well as some equal opportunity fanservices. So when it comes to food and sex, there's something for everyone here. Ohkay, that's enough 'sex' for one paragraph. I'm going to try to say something else now so I don't appear like a sex maniac. Hmm, the animation impresses me again this episode. Just look at Kawachi's reflection in the shot above. I think it's been a while since I see an anime that goes to that kind of detail with people's reflection. At the same time, the character's face seems kind of screwy at times. But that's probably has more to do with the silly looks each character has to exhibit in this series.
The second episode of this series confirms that the first one wasn't a fluke. The story flows smoothly and the characters' interaction feels and looks natural here. The bread impressions, on the other hand, come across as over the top and as fun as they should. I also think that the series has a good collection of background music. The music sound like one of those jazzy tunes that were used in old Hollywood films and appropriately conveys the relaxing atmosphere of the series. And despite my initial reservation, it didn't take long for me to start liking the ending theme, Sunday. Unfortunately, the second episode also suffers from Naruto-itis long-winded recap flu. I really hope that the recap will only appear for the first couple of episodes but I find that to be unlikely in a long-running shounen show like this one.
October 13, 2004 | 19 Comments
This is actually a really good adaptation of the manga except for one minor problem: the voice of Azuma Kazuma. I guess I always have this impression that Azuma is shy and his voice is a bit calmer. Here, however, he sounds almost exactly like Naruto. Yeah, I know I was the one who actually compared him with Naruto before. But I was talking in terms of storyline and not voice. Oh well, at least everything else is great here. I personally don't like Rythem's Naruto S2 ending theme, "Harmonia". But I enjoyed their non-anime songs like "Mangekyou Kira Kira" and relieved to find out that the opening theme for Yakitate!!, "Houkigumo", turns out to be really good. The character design of the manga is also well-preserved here with every character looking quite close to their manga counterpart. I noticed some CGIs being used in this episode but thankfully, its use is minimalist and actually enhances the show quite a bit.
September 14, 2004 | 16 Comments
As we're closing into October, the promotional juggernauts for the upcoming autumn anime season has begin. Multitude Japanese anime magazine have already done major coverage on every single anime that will be released this October as well as some that will be released later on this year. I don't think it'll be possible for me to cover all of the new season's series. So I decided to just choose some that interest me. This list shows the shows that I'm interested in. I'll probably consider watching other titles when October arrives. But the first four on that list is a lock-in for me. Because of this, I figure I may as well start now by presenting some basic information about the series. Please be aware though that unless you have read the manga or are the sort of person who doesn't mind spoiler, then I'll suggest that you don't read the 'About the series' part of the info.
