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ファイト／ステイナイト 
The animation quality of the series remains good which bodes well for the rest of the series. I'm especially impressed with how the character design works so well with the color scheme of the series. If there's one thing that I hope the series will improve is the ship designs. I think it's been said before that this series has some of the most ridiculous ship design ever. I don't actually mind the design of the human-form weapons and its associated Xam'd-like creatures because I get the impression that they are meant to have the animal-like quality, or rather, they look like the animal Gods from Egypt. What I want to know, however, is if these creatures come from the same source or if they come from different origin. It's kind of hard to tell who's fighting who and on whose side a particular human-form weapon is at this point in the story. On that note, do we actually know the name of the postal ship? Because I've been having difficulty distinguishing one ship from another.
The jazz music in this series is just beautiful. I was especially impressed by the track that was playing when Natsume agrees to accompany Santo. Come to think of it, the majority of the soundtrack in this series are the kind of music that I like to listen to so I think I'll get the OST once it comes out. Anyway, this is a really nice surprise for the series. When one thinks of original episode, one usually associate the idea with 'filler'. However, this is more than a typical filler. The storyline is actually interesting and offers some perspective on spirits behavior according to Japanese folklore. And although the spirit doesn't appear in the manga, Santo is actually looks cute and well-designed. In addition to this, it's nice to see Natsume finally making friends with the people that he encountered in the previous episodes, namely his two classmates, Tanuma, and Sasada. It's kind of funny because Natsume doesn't actually make that much of an effort to be friends with any of them but they come to him anyway. Also, is it just me or does everyone else thinks that Sasada has a crush on Natsume?
Episode 17 was 30 minutes (well, more like 15 or so since I keep fast-forwarding the episode) that I'll never get back. I'm just glad that I didn't watch it on its own or I'd have lost enthusiasm for the whole series. Thankfully episode 18 is the complete reverse of 17 and delivers a lot of tense moments. I kind of wish that there wasn't that break between episode 16 and episode 18 because it feels weird going from a not-so-funny comedic episode to a serious one. Anyway, it looks like the next few episodes will be full of cool-looking battles between the Shibusen students versus Medusa and her freaky friends. I just hope that Square Enix gives Bones the budget to animate all of the fights.
Back when the original Forbidden Siren was released for PS2, I was extremely interested in the game. Upon playing the game, however, I found that there were many problems with the control and in addition to this, the game is extremely hard. If you fail a mission, for example, you will have to repeat an entire level. Your character is completely vulnerable in comparison to other survival horror characters out there. After several trial and error attempts, I felt that I didn't have much fun and stopped playing the game. I always regret it because I like the non-linear storyline offered by the original game and wanted a chance to figure out the story. Fast forward 2008, Sony suddenly announces that Team Siren will release Siren: New Translation (Siren: Blood Curse in US and Europe) via PSN and Blu-ray. The game is basically a remake of the original with different casts and tweaked controls. I became interested in the game and when it was released last week, I decided to purchase it. I completed the game yesterday so here's a review.
A few weeks ago, a friend asked me what kind of ending am I looking forward to see in Code Geass finale. After thinking about it for a while, I have to admit that I have no desire for a specific ending. This is probably one of the few series where I have little to no attachment towards the characters. I mean I feel sorry for C.C but since her main intention is to die, then wishing her to not die will be kind of the reverse of what she wants. The other characters are fair game as far as I'm concerned. It's probably a good thing as well since despite how it looked last week, the writings have actually gone towards a train-wreck style ending. What I mean by this is that I can see the ending being one of those endings where almost everyone dies in style like Evangelion. I admit that I've read spoilers for this series and while their validity is in question, I can see the series heading towards that direction now that part of the spoilers are proven to be true. As a side note, I'm including some of my commentaries in the summary section since it's better to do it like this for this episode.
I haven't paid much attention to the BGM of this series prior to this episode but they're really nice and reminds me of some Ghibli BGM for some reason. The piece that plays as Akiyuki realizes that they're no longer above Sentan is a good example of this. It's a quiet yet melancholic piece that is perfect to describe Akiyuki's mood at that point. Speaking of mood, I noticed in this episode that the series go through a great detail to describe a person's emotion. For some reason, despite Kakisu's calm answer at the meeting shown at the start of this episode, his body language suggests something else. Throughout the meeting, he is shown tapping his feet to the ground like he's enjoying the situation or he's impatient with how the things proceed. I'm impressed how BONES put so much focus on what is actually a minor scene. At this point in the story, Kakisu's characterisation is kind of dubious. It's hard to see if he'll become one of the heroes or if he'll be the villain piece of the story. But at least now we know why there's a tapping feet in the opening scene.
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.
