Fuuken's Anime and Entertainment Blog

Sherlock Holmes Movie

2010-01-25T18:11:00.016Z

This past weekend (to be more accurate sunday, 24th January) I accompanied my parents in a trip to the movies, and took it upon myself to finally see the Sherlock Holmes movie.

At first I was ceptical of the movie, anxious, and with negative expectations. But I eventually surrendered to Robert Downey Jr.'s expertise in portraying Holmes.

English gentleman, eccentric man, exquisite violin player, witty remarker, and world's greatest detective and analytical mind. That is the Sherlock Holmes we all know and love. The first thing that will jump out to fans of Sir Athur Conan Doyle's books is undoubtfully Holmes himself. The Holmes in the movie comes off as an extremely quirky and witty individual with 'unique' social skills and distinct boldness and rashness. Well, rashness is not exactly the word, since he plans out everything he does before putting it in motion. Except it involves Irene Addler that is.

This particular incarnation of Holmes had much more emphasis on his eccentric personality and unsocial behavior, give birth to a very memorable character. Downey Jr managed to act him out perfectly, revolutionating the original character.

Holmes and Watson

Now Watson, he was portrayed as accurately to the original character as possible. His characteristics of gambling, and his deadpan snarker behavior towards Holmes made him a very memorable character. The film also showed Watson and Holmes' friendship really well. It made Watson a perfect companion for Holmes, with features that counterbalance his. All the other characters were mostly well portrayed, but the one that should've been most carefully planned was the one that I felt more lacking. Lord Blackwood was a plain villain. Sure, he had the whole "evil mastermind and creepy cryptic speech with obscure references" thing going on, but felt very chromatic compared to any of the others. Even Addler. Though his end was very fitting.

The movie itself was very well written, and the scenes when we could see Holmes' martial prowess were amazing. We also got to see his deductive genius in great edge. Overall, I really enjoyed the movie, and the ending adressed one particular case that was bugging me since the beggining of the movie.

Addler is only in London because she was hired by an unnamed individual. In the climax we finally learn that his plot was actually to just steal a piece of the machine that was the core of Blackwood's plan. This unseen adversary worked behind the scenes during most of the movie actually manipulated Holmes and company, exploiting Blackwood's scheme at the same time to get what he wanted. To those who payed attention, he was most likely more of a villain than Blackwood. He came off as the single most interesting character of the film to me, despite only have a few lines and his face remaining unseen. His name: Professor Moriatry.

In the original books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Moriatry was widely accepted as being Holmes' arch-enemy and the only person whose intellect was comparable, or even superior, to Holmes', leading criminal organizations and pulling strings behind the scenes in the books where he starred. Since the movie clearly establishes that Holmes accepts the challenge of catching him, we can only hope he shows up in a possible sequel.

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"He is as brilliant as you and infinitely more devious." Irene Addler, to Sherlock Holmes, about Moriatry

Seitokai no Ichizon 12

2010-01-13T14:15:00.044Z

Seitokai no Ichizon was most definitely the single most entertaining and rewarding show of 2009. Fun, light, and memorable. Those are the words that come to my mind when I think of it. It completly fulfilled its purpose as a comedic anime and still offered more. You might ask yourself as an anime that's centered around the main characters discussing pointless and random things all while parodying the anime industry can be funny, since it doesn't have anything that really stands out. In fact, the characters themselves comment that they can't have their anime to feature people having pointless talks about whatever comes to mind. Breaking the fourth wall much? Yes, but that's not the point here.

Seitokai no Ichizon's charm is in fact its simplicity. It doesn't have to rely on fanservice, ridiculous settings or unbelievable coincidences in order to be fun and entertaining. It's just a bunch of regular people with distinct traits having comical talks. And making such an ordinary thing fun to watch and re-watch, that's the touch of a genius. We ought to thank the original author, Sekina Aoi, for writing the original light novel. Behind the comedy, the series has a surprisingly deep and serious core that helps us understand the characters a little better. Those serious segments at the end of each episode really made reflect a bit about my choices in life, and sympathise with the cast some more, especially Sugisaki.

Ah, yes. And then there's Sugisaki Ken, our dear protagonist. He's awesome. Seriously. I'm voting for him for Best Male Character of 2009. I have been watching anime for a long time, and he is the first protagonist that I know whose focus is the harem ending! That's right, the dream of all men, but the one none ever tries chasing after, is Sugisaki's objective. And he doesn't mind screaming it for everyone (including his declared harem members) to hear. He most certainly isn't a wimp! That, coupled with his wittyness, and easy-going behavior makes him easily my favorite character in a loooong time. Still, there's more to him that meets the eye.

Underneath that bubbling exterior, he is a kind-hearted and caring person, that always helps others. This side of him is much elaborated upon though-out the series and its most serious portions. He oftenly does comments that get him exasperated with the girls that make up the rest of the student council, but they actually appreciate the work he does and are grateful to him. In fact his justification for aiming for the harem ending is a surprisingly deep one: because according to him, it's the ending where everyone is happy.

In the finale of the anime, we finally come to learn the reasons behind his dream to make everyone happy. The cast meets Nakameguro, who has just transfered to their school. Admist the jokes and Mafuyu's desolutions, he ends up walking together with Sugisaki to the bus stop. He confesses he changed schools because he was always being bullied, and he wanted to escape to a new fresh start, and labels himself as being a weak person. Sugisaki Ken, however, does not share his opinion.

In a long monologue, Sugisaki opens up to Nakameguro and shares a story of how he came to be the strong individual he is. A story of how a weak boy met four girls, and how they helped him to become who he was, and how they taught him to be strong. How they made that one hopeless boy happy. In his eyes, Nakameguro wasn't weak at all, because he made it through alone, while he had four people helping get to where he was. The four he came to love and decided to make happy.

All of this was followed right by Sugisaki noticing the girls were eavesdropping, by the way. And then the last bus passed by them. Resulting in them all running frantically after it. Priceless. XD

Seitokai no Ichizon is a show with a lot to offer that shouldn't be underestimated. To watch if you want a good laugh or just want to take a break from those fantasy battle animes. I guarantee you'll really enjoy it.

If I had to rate this anime in a 1 to 10 scale, I'd give it a 10 anytime! It's definitely an anime to rewatch once or twice after you're finished it. =)

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"Otakus are basically islamic extremists that traded
religion by an unhealthy passion of anime and manga. Well, otakus don't blow up towers, so they're a bit different."

Darker Than Black: Ryuusei no Gemini

2010-01-01T16:41:00.021Z

I bet I'm one of the few people that actually liked the first Darker Than Black and doesn't mind admitting it. It was a nice anime, with a promising story that had some unfortunate flaws that prevented it from reaching 5 star status.

Darker Than Black: Ryuusei no Gemini did not learn from its predecessor's mistakes. That, and only that, is the main reason as to why it wasn't better than the first (Ok, maybe the comedic exageration at some points and the slow pace also contributed). When I first started watching DTB: RnG, I thought it held some promise. I also believed that the time for answers was at hand. That was a misplaced hope though.

I expected a Hollywood-esque plot with cliched twists. I expected a great deal of questions to be raised and eventual deux ex machina to happen around the new female lead. I expected the plot to thicken. Still, there were a shit load of things I wasn't expecting.

Instead of solving the mysteries surrounding the franchise and answering the fan's questions, the plot designed by BONES did nothing except help pile up the questions even more. We eventually ended up getting to know the complete truth behind Suoh, and we even got a bit more insight on past events that troubled the fans! But still. This season answered mostly questions regarding the characters, all while ignoring the bigger picture and the most important doubts.

What was Yin evolving into? How was Amber connected to the Mitaka Documents? How come Madame Oreille had all that fancy sci-fic junk? Why did the Gates appear? What are Contractors? Why did a new Earth have to be created? What happened to Pai after all? Why did Yin and Hei get separated? What happened to the two of them? WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE?!

Ok, I got a bit carried away there. I apologise, you surely get my point. While it was an average experience, the show was too closed around Suoh's own dillemas. In my opinion, DBT: RnG was probably one of my biggest disappointments of 2009.

Well, as people say: Third time's the charm!

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"You're a contractor. Make the logical choice, BK-201."

Nyan Koi Finale

2009-12-21T20:25:00.026Z

Breaking news: apparently, the second season of Nyan Koi has been given green light, and might be broadcasted somewhen in 2010. On other news...

Nyan Koi has ended. While the ending episode felt a bit rushed, and they nearly jumped the shark with the 'cliché-magical-girl-fighting-monsters' episode, I did not deslike Nyan Koi. Quite the opposite actually.

Nyan Koi! was a mostly average series, with awesomely done comedy at certain points. I loved the characters! Some might be a bit cliched, but most of them are really unique and fun to watch. The twins and Nagi definitely needed more screen time. =)
I liked the other shows of the season more than Nyan Koi, but it was fun. I don't think I will rewatch it, but I will wait anxiously for the second season. Maybe that one turns out better. ^^

On a completly unrelated note, Kaede and Junpei are cute with their love for each other. =)

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"Otakus are basically islamic extremists that traded
religion by an unhealthy passion of anime and manga. Well, otakus don't blow up towers, so they're a bit different."

Seitokai no Ichizon 11

2009-12-20T12:49:00.015Z

Cover of Seitokai no Ichizon light novel 1

I feel a bit bad I only started to notice Seitokai no Ichizon when the 5th or so episode came out. And because that was when I was the most busy, I never wrote any posts. Shame on me!

Seitokai no Ichizon is fun. It has likeable characters, fun jokes, great parodies, and good character interaction. The serious segments in the end of each episode are a reflective and serene complement to the enjoying spirit of the show. It's a light-hearted anime with good writing to watch when you're feeling down and make you think a bit about your life. And it doesn't try to be anything else than that. Seitokai no Ichizon: Hekiyou Gakuen Seitokai Gijiroku (long title there!) is truly an undervalued jewel. Yet another anime whose original media (light novel) is added to my must buy list. =)

This episode in particular had a longer and more touching serious ending that the others up till now. It did its purpose of showing that, beneath the harem jokes, parodies, teasing, and apparent deslike of Sugisaki, the girls of the student council really appreciate the work he does every day so they can just enjoy a happy conversation, and like him.

P.S: Ok, since Mafuyu was the first to confess to him, I guess he must've activated the wrong flag! xD No more harem for you, you lucky bastard!

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"Otakus are basically islamic extremists that traded
religion by an unhealthy passion of anime and manga. Well, otakus don't blow up towers, so they're a bit different."

Kampfer 12

2009-12-20T11:33:00.003Z

The Entrail Animals have switched bodies with their owners! It's a Holiday Miracle! No, not really. Holiday shit, more like.

Ok, this was a completly pointless episode, if you ask me. The jokes weren't really that funny, and they just made it because they could do it, and not to add anything else to the story.
A disappointing ending for Kampfer.

The last two episodes that finished Kampfer were stupid, and badly planned and written. Despite that, I enjoyed the series. Not the best there is, but it was nice while the good parts lasted. And then there's always Shizuku-sama. Which means there's always a reason to watch it again. Except for the last two episodes.

Overall Classification: 6.5 out of 10
Sequel: Why not?

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"Otakus are basically islamic extremists that traded
religion by an unhealthy passion of anime and manga. Well, otakus don't blow up towers, so they're a bit different."

Nyan Koi 11

2009-12-15T20:06:00.004Z

Junpei has got to be one of the densest of the dense male leads in romantic comedy animes.

I mean... Sumiyoshi practically drops hints that she likes him at every slightest chance and even invites him on a date, but he makes no assumption out of it. Well, I wouldn't either. Seeing him cry during the movie and remembering his past with Nyam was really funny though. And maybe a bit touching too.

By the end of the episode, Junpei realizes he just got cat ears (nekomimi). Yeah, right. A guy. With nekomimi. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHahaha... I nearly died laughing. Jokes aside, the curse has finally started to progress, and Kaede is starting to realize her feelings for him. What does this mean for our equally dense protagonists? Find out in the next episode, the finale of Nyan Koi!

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"Otakus are basically islamic extremists that traded
religion by an unhealthy passion of anime and manga. Well, otakus don't blow up towers, so they're a bit different."

Kampfer 11

2009-12-13T16:46:00.010Z

To quote the Arbiter: "What the hell was that?!"

Kampfer has been a pretty funny series, with action and some drama mixed here and there in adequate ammounts... up till now. Whomever wrote this episode was either drunk, high, insane, or all of them. And I am not exagerating, I guarantee you.

See, this kind of episode is exactly what happens when you run out of plot material and try to combine drama, fanservice, character past, revelation of plot secrets, details from latter points of the original media, and mai ROFLcopter all into ONE episode, that just happens to be the finale.

The result: important plot points are given just 3 minutes of attention, the story is advanced to ridiculous proportions, the girls go into saiyan mode (with the energy ripping their clothes) because of Natsuru's "love", we end up with more questions than answers, Natsuru gets free kisses and gropes, and the villains get away just to promise to strike another day.

The ending was bad because of the unbelievable mas-up of things they tried to incorporate into one episode. So seriously, I'm gonna have to agree with Kurogane on this one. Read his blog here:
http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/

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"Destiny is a frustrated writer. God is his unsatisfied editor with an habit to change the plot."
-Me

Kampfer 10

2009-12-11T19:27:00.007Z

This episode is basically summed up by two now undisputable facts:

1. Evil bitchy whore is evil - all the constant smirking, smiling and the constant evil glint in Kaede's eyes completly scared the hell out of me. We gain confirmation that she's the one controlling the white kampfers and see her using some kind of power to sway Natsuru under her influence (read: eyes flashing or changing to a different color), and she orders him to do the unthinkable: Rape Shizuku-sama. Ok, now I'm creeped out and I really want to kill her. Oh and to answer her question, since Natsuru didn't... Humm, yeah actually. I'm really scared....

2. Shizuku-sama is Awesome - Not only does she toy around a little bit with mind-controlled Natsuru, who is just about to rape her, mind you, (and manages to make me get a nosebleed in the process) but also manages to turn the situation around by knocking him out. Just for her to lament that she might've lost a chance. Seriously, she should have her own theme song!

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"From this day on, you are a kampfer! An existance born to fight!"
- Harakiri Tora

The Da Vinci Code

2009-12-06T09:53:00.016Z

Seeing as its been a while since I've been active, I thought I'd write a different post than usual. Ultimately, I decided to write a review of a book I read recently. That book was The Da Vinci Code, authored by Dan Brown.

The book follows symbologist and university teacher Robert Langdon, and cryptologist Sophie Neveu as they follow the mysterious track of clues related to Da Vinci's works that were left behind by the director of the Louvre, Jacques Sauniére, in his last hours of life. All of this in a demand for one of the most legendary artifacts of humanity, the Holy Grail. During the book they meet valuable allies, are chased by multiple parties, and learn the truth behind the Holy Grail and the shadowy organization that is the Priory of Sion.

The Da Vinci Code is a marvelous book, with an elaborated and well-though story (though some would claim historically incorrect and scandalous, but those f****rs should remember it's only fiction) that combines the genres of thriller, conspiracy, and mystery. If I might add, the riddles and puzzles that the characters are presented with have the touch of a genius and were all magnificently planned out. However, what I enjoyed the most about the book weren't the intrigues and that stuff, but the characters and the writing style.

All of the characters that interveine in the story have personality. They all have their stories, their traits, or just something beneath the surface that makes each one of them unique. Also, Dan Brown's writing style isn't very simplistic, and sometimes might require patience, but it's not complicated, and leaves nothing to be told.
I really liked the book and I recommend it greatly.

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"All our knowledge has its origins in our perceptions"
-Leonardo Da Vinci

Kampfer 9

2009-12-04T19:15:00.005Z

Heya there people! No, I'm not dead, I just awoke from a coma. Seriously now, my tests for this term end next week, so I'm finally getting some free time.

Now this episode of Kampfer is the free swimsuit fanservice episode. It has swimsuits, juggling boobs, female-Natsuru getting embarassed from guys staring at her, she and kampfer-Akane getting into another huge verbal argument.... oh, did I mention the white kampfer appeared again? I guess that's somehow important to the plot no?
Oh, and just to prove my point one of the previous posts:

Shizuku-sama fucking Pwns everyone.

And with a big P. I mean, if teasing your love rivals about how ahead of them you are and then french-kissing the boy who is the object of their affection (don't get me wrong, Natsuru is a wuss) right in front of them isn't pwning, then I don't know what is. Also, we got to see a bit of evil bitchy Sakura. It serves to add to my hate of her.

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"Otakus are basically islamic extremists that traded
religion by an unhealthy passion of anime and manga. Well, otakus don't blow up towers, so they're a bit different."

Kampfer 5

2009-11-08T21:42:00.013Z

Enter the school festival! Harassment is in order for Akane and Natsuru from their fans, for the contest preparations, more teasing by Shizuku, and the tension sprouting between Akane and Sakura for Natsuru. I really don't know if I should call him lucky or unlucky...

The really funny shit comes in the actual contest. Natsuru (female) is cosplaying as a prince and has no idea what to do for the skills part of the contest. Fortunately for her, Entrail Animals start flying out of nowhere and bride/Entrail Princess Sakura comes right in, proclaiming her love to prince Natsuru, even though they are sworn enemies! But what's this? Assassin Cowgirl Akane comes right in trying to split them and kill them both, but actually she just wants prince Natsuru's love! But the prince is actually a girl, OMG!
Ok, how did we get from a Miss Contest to a hollywood-esque touching story of love, drama and entrails that screams "BAKA!" like a tsukkomi? I have no idea. Be ready for anime references and killer jokes, for anyone planning to see the episode, because there are alot of those. Continuing the rampage now:
All seems lost for Entrail Princess Sakura. Assassin Akane has her in her sights, but fear not! The legendary Entrail Hero Sango Shizuku has come to save the day... by knocking everyone uncounscious with her daggers.

When Natsuru-kun next wakes up, he's in the student council office with Shizuku dressed in his male school uniform. Oh, and Shizuku makes it perfectly clear that she saved him from that mess, so, it would seem a thank you is in order. But that's not enough for her. What is enough? Stealing a kiss from Natsuru, leaving him with a very red and dumbstruck face.
On a side note: we could actually see her tongue for a second there.

This was the funnier episode until now, with its above average voice acting, awesome jokes, and dynamic and unique characters. And I feel better ones are to come. This might be my last post for some days, due to my exams coming up.

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"Otakus are basically islamic extremists that traded
religion by an unhealthy passion of anime and manga. Well, otakus don't blow up towers, so they're a bit different."

Kampfer 4

2009-11-01T21:22:00.009Z

And things just got escalated again, much to Natsuru's dismay, and the pleasure of the viewers.
To start it off with a bang, he discovers that apparently, his female self is participating in the Miss Contest of his school! Care to tale a guess about who signed him up?
You guessed it, Miss sneaky manipulative student council president Shizuku-chan did. I really enjoy the way she toys woth Natsuru, saying that she determined that he must participate in order to "provide a fun school festival for everyone" ^^

Of course, lil 'ol boring Natsuru doesn't like fun, so he tells her he/she won't participate. Madam president agrees, on the account that Natsu-chan gives her a massage. What follows: suggestive broken dialogues pieces, close-ups of their faces that could be very misinterpreted, and brute Akane bursting through the door with a gun in her hands. Oh, and Natsuru's still going to participate in the contest anyways.
Soooo, what does this mean? Shopping time with shy Akane for the contest! Oh, and Shizuku and Sakura butting in, resulting in everyone going to karaoke, where all of the other girls declare they will also participate in the Miss Contest. xD

Kampfer is becoming some seriously funny shit, I'll have the next episode commented in a while.

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"You've now become a kampfer! An existance born to fight!" by Harakiri Tiger plushie, from Kampfer

Fullmetal Alchemist 29

2009-11-01T11:01:00.010Z

This last episode was literally a collection of Crowning Moments of Awesomeness by multiple characters, which included Father stopping Ed and Al from using alchemy and defeating them just by stomping his foot, Ling demonstrating how deep his greed goes when he told Greed (the hommonculus) why he sought power and Scar pretty much destroying and blasting to pieces the gigantic room in which they all were with just stomp of his hand on the ground. Shame I couldn't find the time to write a full post.
So, in order to balance out episode 28's awesomeness, it's only correct that we get a less exciting episode next. It was good, and still had a bit of comedy snuck in.
Lan Fan and May getting all pumped up to fight each other because they're of different clans just to get interrupted by the doctor's threats was really funny. Also, Envy opening the door to the showers and entering just when Ed was nude was worthy of a post of its own. xD

Ed, Mustang and Al discover that Wrath has no problems in killing someone they know or threatening them in order to keep them in check. Of course, our heroes are not planning to give up so easily, and knowing how deep Father's plan goes gives them the ability to think of alternate ways to bypass the villains' watch on them.

For the next episode, the remembrance of the Ishbal war. Expect drama, bursting of contained feelings, and character past exploration.

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"Otakus are basically islamic extremists that traded
religion by an unhealthy passion of anime and manga. Well, otakus don't blow up towers, so they're a bit different."

Shakugan no Shana S OVA

2009-10-24T13:21:00.006+01:00

The setup of the OVA is that Shana and Yuji are cleaning up all of the hougus left in Friagne's collection that were left in his old hideout. Unfortunatly, they don't have any details of what each one does, so it's a long and harduous work. Well, and the fact that the room is so hot is definitely not going to motivate someone to work. Yeah, I know what you're thinking, doesn't sound very exciting or funny, does it?
The "catch", my dear friends, is that Yuji and Shana get their bodies switched by a hougu. Yep, they switch bodies. So what do you suppose that ammounts to? Ahem: Dere-dere Shana (which is actually Yuji), efeminate Shana (Yuji), Yuji (who is actually Shana) shouting "Urusai, urusai, urusai!", Yuji (Shana) accidentally entering the girls' locker room, Shana (Yuji) commenting that skirts are cool but panties are tight, and so on.

Watching them struggle with their condition was really amusing. Especially when according to Alastor they shouldn't let others know what happened to them and fix it as soon as possble. What makes it harder is Whilemina getting in their way and suspecting something is amiss... uh-oh. But fear not, for Shana (Yuji) saves the day proclaming to like Whilemina! Lol.
The best part was probably when Shana (Yuji) became unconscious and Yuji (Shana) pondered if she should kiss him. Priceless.

I thought it was a very funny OVA, and the producers still managed to sneak a bit of a more serious in the end, after they changed back, when Alastor revealed to Shana that the hougu wouldn't work if there was any kind of wall between the affected individuals' hearts. It was a good OVA, and it provided me with a good laugh.
I'm even happier by knowing that Shakugan no Shana III is going to follow soon after. ^^

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"Otakus are basically islamic extremists that traded
religion by an unhealthy passion of anime and manga. Well, otakus don't blow up towers, so they're a bit different."

Kampfer episode 3

2009-10-24T12:57:00.004+01:00

And here I thought things couldn't get any worse for Natsuru. Oh, how I was mistaken.
This episode should have been called "Attack of the Rabid Clone Fangirls", cause that's exactly what happened to Natsuru during the 23 minute duration of the episode: he, ahem, I mean she, was attacked by vicious rabid clone fangirls that were most likely on some kind of experimental drugs.
Oh, and the student council president is definitly my new favorite character of the series. Mostly because not only did she get Natsuru to enroll in an all-girls school, but she "let it slip" that the female Senou Natsuru is actually dating the male Senou Natsuru. Of course we know that's not true. But does Sakura know? Don't think so... Ooopsie, declaration of war for the heart of the female Natsuru. xD

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"Otakus are basically islamic extremists that traded
religion by an unhealthy passion of anime and manga. Well, otakus don't blow up towers, so they're a bit different."

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun episode 3

2009-10-24T08:55:00.005+01:00

It was a fairly funny episode, and I lol'ed when Saten realized her attacker had painted thick eyebrows on her. Fist she knocks people unconscious, then scribbles their faces... hummm, does that remind you of a certain pink singing pokemon? =D
I'm really looking forward to the Level Upper arc starting, but I understand they probably can't make more than 9 0r 8 episodes with it. I don't really mind though, since the fillers have been pretty fun until now, and I wouldn't mind if they continued. ^^

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"Otakus are basically islamic extremists that traded
religion by an unhealthy passion of anime and manga. Well, otakus don't blow up towers, so they're a bit different."

Fullmetal Alchemist 27

2009-10-18T10:33:00.012+01:00

This week's FMA episode has as its main focus Hohenheim. The episode is basically an aglomeration of flashbacks that reveal important parts of the plot and Hohenheim's thoughts shared with us through his dream.
I have to admit, I actually found the episode very interesting, because by interpreting it, we can partially understand Hohenheim's demons, his doubts, and what he's been feeling as he helplessly watched the Hommonculi's plan develop through the years.

The episode's ultimate purpose, in other words, its meaning, was Hohenheim rediscovering his resolve to continue walking towards his objective and him finally realising Humanity's preserverance and struggle is not in vain, through his remembering of all the good times he spent with the people of Resenbool and Trisha.
Fullmetal Achemist 26 ends with him waking up to his newfound resolve as he thanks for everything.

My thoughts: the episode was really symbolic, and very very deep in its meaning and important to the development of Hohenheim's character and I believe it marked a very important step in the story. It somehow felt like I was rewatching all of the hardships the characters went through, and the life lessons contained in every one of their adventures, but I really felt like I understood a bit more of Hohenheim in the end. Summing it up, it was one of my most favorite episodes ever.

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"Otakus are basically islamic extremists that traded
religion by an unhealthy passion of anime and manga. Well, otakus don't blow up towers, so they're a bit different."

At The End of a Math Struggle

2009-10-17T23:02:00.003+01:00

Several moments ago, by either a very slim chance of one in a billion, or by the glamorous (and ironic) steering of the strings of fate, a very unexpected thing happened, which coincidentally made me very happy.

I was doing my maths homework at the sound of music, and had just started on the final part as the music changed to the awesome and very inspiring Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn OST "At the End of a Struggle". Then, just as I finished the last exercise, the music increased its tone and reached its climax, ending in an dramatic upbeat note!
Something resembling this has most likely happened to about everyone at least once, like say, when someone is reading a book and gets to a battle scene or a dramatic revelation as he or she was listening to an appropriate music. It's also happened to me a few times before. But this time, well, it was just.... It was like it had been practised beforehand!

Laugh all you want, but I'm serious. I had been having some difficulties in the start of the exercise, and the music's tune started growing and becoming more active as I managed to make sense of my doubts until I solved it. I know, this isn't exactly related to the term of the blog, but I felt it was a fun thing to share. It seems Fate feels the need to reward me for the awesomeness and coolness of my existance with small gestures like this.

And you, ever had an experience like that? =D

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"What makes something unique and special are the feelings one pours into it."

Nyankoi 1 and 2

2009-10-12T15:55:00.006+01:00

Two in one is a nice way to improve time... maybe I should start doing double posts... Just kidding! ^_^

Now, speaking about the anime at hand. I recently started reading the few subbed chapters of the manga Nyankoi!, and I was very excited when I heard an anime was going to start this month. Unfortunately, due to my usual airheadness, I missed the first episode, so I'm doing a double post.

Ok, so Nyankoi is about Kousaka Jumpei, a second-year high schooler who really hates cats, due to having an allergy to them. And as Lady Luck would have it, his crush is a cat-lover, and his famaly all like cats.

One day, walking home from school, he accidentaly rips off the head of a stone guardian deity, and gets cursed. What's so funny about his curse? He can now listen to cats and has to fulfill 100 wishes for them, or he'll turn into one himself! At least that's how the cat of his house put it. Oh sweet delicious irony.

His attempts to adapt to his new "skill" and get rid of the curse while he still tries to develop a relationship with Mizuno Kaede, his air-head (much more than me, belive me) bubbly crush, and not involve anyone else in his troubles are very funny. Also to note, the unique supporting characters, which include Jumpei's perverted classmate who speaks in ero-games terms, Haruhiko, and my personal favorite, the overdramatic priest of the temple of the stone deity who enjoys dressing up in different fashions.

The second episode introduces Jumpei's childhood friend, Sumiyoshi Kanako, a fan of the "mamba" fashion. It was really mostly about why their relationship was so bad, and their reconciliation through a series of accidents that include her graduation from being a manba, as Jumpei manages to fulfill another wish for a cat. Watching Mizuno leasurely comment about how good friends they are when they were both catfighting was priceless.

Also, Haruhiko's right: the childhood friends flag really works. xD

Can't wait to see more of this terrifically funny anime, and for the rest of the cast to be introduced!

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"Otakus are basically islamic extremists that traded
religion by an unhealthy passion of anime and manga. Well, otakus don't blow up towers, so they're a bit different."

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun episode 2

2009-10-10T15:18:00.009+01:00

A cameo of our favorite misfortunate chick-magnet esper is the starting point of this episode, complete with Mikoto trying to fry him yet again (just to fail). On a completly unrelated note...

Kuroko is made of win. Shame her magnificent plans always get ruined by some "unfortunate" coincidence. In this case, Saten and Uiharu.
That doesn't stop her from being bold or shamelessly misunderstand things and comparing them to Casablanca in her mental theatre. Though I have to admit her choice of underwear is really skimpy, that doesn't reflect on the awesomeness of her existance and contribution to all fanservice fans out there. I mean, do you know anyone that actually orders a love potion from a specialized company and plans out a written schedule to try and get "intimate" with her friend? No? Thought so.

Still, she really got forgotten quickly. Ah~... I guess she's that kind of person that people unpurposly ignore when they start speaking with others. Kinda makes me pity her a bit. And she gets happy with so little too. ^^
Masochist and extra perverted Kuroko enhanced by aphrodisiac is win too. XD

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"Otakus are basically islamic extremists that traded
religion by an unhealthy passion of anime and manga. Well, otakus don't blow up towers, so they're a bit different."

Kampfer episode 2

2009-10-10T13:35:00.003+01:00

I really pity Natsuru. The girl he likes just confessed to him, and he can't accept the confession because:
1) Natsuru doesn't want her to get involved with the kampfers
2) He wants her to fall in love with his boy self, not his girl self

It's really an interesting setup he's got here. Oh, and did I mention there's a badass student council president? Female student council presidents may be a very overused (nevertheless awesome) sterotype, but they always kick ass. Especially when they give more trouble to the protagonist. In this case, by transfering him to a girls-only school and forcing him to be in his girl-self all the time. Oh joy.

Honestly, I'm only watching this for the laughs, but I admit, it might have a shred of potential.

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"Otakus are basically islamic extremists that traded
religion by an unhealthy passion of anime and manga. Well, otakus don't blow up towers, so they're a bit different."

Fullmetal Alchemist 26

2009-10-10T11:23:00.006+01:00

Episode 26 was a bit boresome. Despite the lack of any battle sequences, it did advance the story and situate us on the events that led to the establishment of the hommonculus and Father's hold on Amestris, all told and hinted at by Envy. Also interesting was the truth of Wrath's past and the disclosure of the reason why he does not have the same presence as the other hommunculus and also ages.

Also, we finally have the confirmation of Ed's theory about Al's body, which still lies before the Door of Truth. This is turning out to become quite an interesting predicament for our heroes.

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"Otakus are basically islamic extremists that traded
religion by an unhealthy passion of anime and manga. Well, otakus don't blow up towers, so they're a bit different."

Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn episode 153

2009-10-06T19:38:00.002+01:00

Finally the end of the fillers. It was about time.

Don't take me wrong, because I actually liked these fillers. It was probably the best theme they could have choosen for a filler arc, despite it still appearing a bit out of place in the main story. The arc dwellved deeper into the mistery of the arcobaleno and allowed us to get to know them better, as well as their personalities. The Arcobaleno arc was a good watch, and also allowed for some less serious moments, which really reminded me of the show's earlier seasons and episodes. ^^ Overall, I'd say it was ok.

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"Otakus are basically islamic extremists that traded
religion by an unhealthy passion of anime and manga. Well, otakus don't blow up towers, so they're a bit different."

Pandora Hearts episode 25

2009-10-04T10:36:00.011+01:00

I'm sure I've said it before, but the last few weeks have been a mess in anime and manga terms. So, no post for Pandora Hearts 23 and 24. More drama, chain invasion, and the characters' thoughts and exploration of their minds and objectives was what mostly consisted those two episodes. Roughly speaking.

Pandora Hearts inevitably proceeded down the road of failed anime adaptations: straying from the manga's history. There have been anime that despite straying from the original story, managed to be very good, like the first Fullmetal Alchemist anime, and I really hoped the quality of the anime would not wane. Unfortunatly, it seems fate was not on its side.

In the anime episode 25, we are revealed the shocking truth of Oz's father being with the Baskervilles and having casted Oz into the Abyss with Griffin before they decide to head to Sabrie. Oz's state of mind, and self-doubt in this episode is not very anticlimatic, and is a good contribution to the growth of the character. However, the "final" confrontation with the Baskervilles was very undewhelming, and it simply consisted of Alice and Oz overthrowing Griffin using their combined power. No tension between Zai and Oz, nothing that would've made the scene more epic. It didn't even last a full minute. It really filled me with pity as I saw a once great anime turn into just another common work. The 25 episodes were not enough to answer all of the piled up questions the viewers might've had. I really would've liked if they had made more episodes, since I can't find the translated manga from chapter 50 onwards (i don't know if it's the translators' fault or if there are no new chapters), and if the anime kept incorporating the events crucial to the story without changing much it would have an increased importance to me over the manga.
Despite all that, the final scene with Oz and Alice was amongst the lines of what I would call "touching". I did like the anime, I really did, but it had potential for much more.

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"Otakus are basically islamic extremists that traded
religion by an unhealthy passion of anime and manga. Well, otakus don't blow up towers, so they're a bit different."

Kampfer episode 1

2009-10-04T09:30:00.006+01:00

I really do not know how I ended up watching a yuri anime. Well, it's not actually yuri. Okay, it is, but at the same time it's not. Confused? (I hope so)

Senou Natsuru is your regular high school student, that has been chosen to become a Kampfer in order to fight the other kampfer. However.... to use his kampfer powers he has to transform into a girl, just cause kampfers have to be female. Yep, you read that right. Blessed be gender-bender! Not so confused anymore? Good.

First thing I liked about the Kampfer: it's funny. No seriously, it's not just the dialogue or stuff, it's the setting and irony of the situation the main character has gotten himself into. Confused much again?

Natsuru is in love with his school's "idol" Kaede Sakura, and saves her as a girl during her/his fight with miss "I'm-shy-please-don't-misunderstand-me-I'm-not-talking-about-sexual-things-and-my-alter-ego-when-I-transform-is-violent". That's quite a mouthful! Wait... did I just throw a sex joke at myself? Ahem, anyways, after Natsuru saves Sakura, she falls in love with him! Well, her, in this particular case. Confused again? Lets review it then.
He is in love with a girl, who is in love with his female self, therefort rending his rival himself/herself.

Pffft.... ahahahAHAHAAHAHAH! See the irony now? Ok, but honestly, it seems like a reasonably good anime, in all aspects, and I really want to see how the situation resolves. ^^

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"Otakus are basically islamic extremists that traded
religion by an unhealthy passion of anime and manga. Well, otakus don't blow up towers, so they're a bit different."

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun episode 1

2009-10-04T00:08:00.007+01:00

Biri-biri anime is here!! =)

To Aru Majutsu no Index (A Certain Magical Index) was a good watch, and I had high expectations for To Aru Kagaku no Railgun (A certain Scientific Railgun). Even higher than the original series, actually. It seems though, my expectations were well-placed.

The new characters which didn't appear in To Aru Majutsu no Index, Uiharu Kazari and Saten Ruiko are pretty likeable, and there seems to be more to them than meets the eye. Of course, there can be no Biri-biri without Shirai Kuroko, meaning Misaka is getting harassed.

Brainless yuri fanservice all the way, Misaka kicking ass, and funny plot and dialogue are all I could ask from this anime. It would be nice if it eventually included the story arcs from To Aru Majutsu no Index from the viewpoint of different characters, or had a significant plot.

As long as it stays funny and enjoyable to watch I don't really care. Here's to hoping the next episodes are as good as the first one! :)

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"Otakus are basically islamic extremists that traded
religion by an unhealthy passion of anime and manga. Well, otakus don't blow up towers, so they're a bit different."

Bakemonogatari episode 12

2009-10-01T21:29:00.014+01:00

Bakemonogatari is most likely, the show that earned my admiration and dedication the most this season. The characters, their stories, their mannerisms, the dialogues.... until now, I laughed, I rejoiced, I snickered, I was moved and I was touched by Bakemonogatari. And I'm proud to say that I also nearly cried with it, aswell.

The episode marked the much-needed return of Senjougahara, who had been MIA since Nadeko Snake Arc, complemented by more of her foul mouth and teasing of Araragi. She tells him to go on a date with her, and he reluctantly agrees. How, if he knew what he was in for. Her father, driving them, and more foul-mouth and physical teasing ensues.

What really touched my heart, and marked me for this episode, was how openly Senjougahara talked to Araragi in the end, even about her fears and past memories she was not fond of, and clearly stated how much he means to her. In return, he too proclaimed his feelings for her without hesitation. It was simple and it was beautiful. You can't possibly get an idea of what it was really like just through my words, but believe me when I say that it was an amazingly deep and romantic scene. Coupled with the very fitting music, I simply loved it.

If you want to understand what I'm talking about, do watch the anime. I'm sure you won't regret it (ok, almost sure you won't regret it ^_^)

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"- My ability to help you study, my cute kohai, my blunt father, and the stars. This is all I have. This is all I can give you. This is everything." Senjougahara Hitagi, to Araragi Koyomi, in Episode 12 of Bakemonogatari

Fullmetal alchemist 25 and 24

2009-09-30T16:13:00.006+01:00

Ok, there were mainly two things about episode 24 that made me unsettled. Firstly, how freaky Glutony's true form is, and secondly Envy's freaking manipulative nature which explores people's weaknesses. Oh how I hate him.... Seriously enough, it was a fairly good episode, with some of the highlights being Roy trying to save the day only to realise his flames were useless and start running away, and Roy being shrugged off by everyone, being repetedly told he's useless. Ed, Lin and Envy all got swallowed up by Glutony, unfortunately.

Episode 25 was richer in character development from Mei. It surprised me that this episode had an even freakier bit than the previous one. The revelation of Envy's real form was really well-done. The escalating dark music, and the art then was really top-notch and it fit very well. That said, I'm a bit surprised that the studio producing the anime rendered Envy's true monstruous self as a 3D model resembling 2D, and his scenes included both that model and actual 2D sequences. Not complaining though, it was awesome.
I seriously wasn't expecting that all of the generals in central were already aware of Wrath's plans and the fact that he's already an hommonculus. Not just that, he had already planned ahead, and separated Roy's entire squad, sending them all to different military outposts, and Liza to Central as his assistant.
Both episodes were good, but I much prefered episode 25.

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"Otakus are basically islamic extremists that traded
religion by an unhealthy passion of anime and manga. Well, otakus don't blow up towers, so they're a bit different."

Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn episode 152

2009-09-30T14:17:00.008+01:00

Ok, so I didn't make a post about episodes 150 and 151 because it's been a mad week.
I'll talk about it now anyway. Contrasting with episode 149's hardcore battling, 150 and 151 were mostly calm episodes. Not much action, specially because the real action was psychological. The episodes mostly dealt with Tsuna and everyone's feelings towards loosing against Reborn, and gave us some insight on their states of mind. They had respectively a feel of "lost battle" and "calm before the storm". Finally, we learnt of Verde's plan of obtaining the Vongola Rings to power his newly developed box weapons is revealed and the other Arcobaleno judge him as a traitor, coupled with some ass-kicking in episode 151

So, moving up to episode 152. The Arcobaleno dispatch the last of Verde's minions, but he's got more in store for them. He manages to capture them using a substance similar to the non-trennisete radiation. It ends up being just Tsuna and company versus his perfected box weapon prototypes. Normally, they would be fine, but let's just suppose that Verde sucked most of ours friends' dying will flame out of them? Yeah, that's tough.
Tsuna then realises he must carry out his resolution by himself and rekindles his flame by deciding to protect all of his friends. All of the guardians also get back their power, and they manage to stop the radiation incapacitating the Arcobaleno. All's fine? Not quite, because Verde makes the pods they were strapped to self-destruct.

Of course, there's no way charactres will be killed during a filler arc, so they're ok, managing to escape with one of Viper's illusions. The episode finally ends with the combined forces of the guardians and the arcobaleno crushing Verde's box weapons and himself. Only to discover that it was actually a robot of him(?!)
Argh! Why does this always happen when the antagonist is a scientific genius? Cough, anyways... I enjoyed the episode. If they wanted it to be dramatic, they could've done better, but oh well, you can't have everything. The episode was really about Tsuna rediscovering his resolution, and what it means to him. That aspect was definitely achieved.

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"Otakus are basically islamic extremists that traded
religion by an unhealthy passion of anime and manga. Well, otakus don't blow up towers, so they're a bit different."

Character(s) of the week: Willy and Spriggs

2009-09-21T14:35:00.021+01:00

Specialist Willy of the UNSC is a trigger-happy soldier stationed in Zambai Outpost Alpha with a knack for blowing things up and defying the laws of physics, and one of the protagonists of the Halo 3 machinima Spriggs. He's worth mentioning here because he an amazingly funny character and specially characterized by his hatred of one specific individual in his squad. You may have noticed that this weekly post is supposed to be about one specific character, and I have two characters mentioned on the tiltle.

That's because, you can't speak of Willy without speaking of the character with whom he maintains the most awkward, hate-focused, uncomprehendable relationship of the show. I'm of course, talking about...

...Spriggs! The mute vehicle expert, owner of Specialist rank in the UNSC military, and the most misterious character of the cast. Like I said before, his relationship with Willy is most likely the wierdest, funnier relatinship in show. Mainly because it revolves around a single thing: Willy's hate of Spriggs. Willy hates, despises, and loathes Spriggs for some yet unidentified reason. No one really knows why Willy hates Spriggs, only that he's done so for as long as anyone can remember. Willy is prone to come up with wacky schemes to kill Spriggs usually involving high explosives, giant spinning blades of doom, odd violation of the laws of gravity, and several tons of delivery packages, oftenly making us wonder where he gets all that stuff, and just to fail and be run over by Spriggs' ATV in end. Anyone who watches the series will soon realize that as long as we can see Willy failing miserably at killing Spriggs (again) while #$@*ing everything up, it doesn't matter.

They are one of the funnier duos in entertainment since great classics such as Tom and Jerry. As a matter a fact, their relationship is very akin to famous cartoon duo many might remember from their childhood. The Roadrunner and the Coyote. Along the episodes, Willy's schemes get wackier, Spriggs' kill score increases, and the ammount of explosions and injuries on screen gets very, very big. It all accounts for an amazing time watching their wild antics. Words, however, aren't nearly enough to describe the awesomeness that they are. So why speak when you can just watch?

If you liked what you saw, follow the series on youtube(http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=E7ED63EF2BA8FB9A)

Or download the episodes from their site www.spriggshalo3.com

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"BEEP BEEP

-SPRIGGS! COME BACK HERE AND DIE!" by Willy and Spriggs

Fullmetal Alchemist 23

2009-09-18T23:17:00.012+01:00

The new Fullmetal Alchemist series, subtitled Brotherhood, is now ongoing. This series is a faithfull adaptation of the manga, and I haven't found much, if any, distinction between both works. FMA has been on a roll lately, and I am really liking the episodes until now. Leaving that aside, the episode starts with Lin's escape, and Glutonny and King Bradley follow behind, leaving Lin and Lan Fan in a pinch. They are saved because of a well thought trap by Lan Fan who discards her wounded arm in order to allow them both to escape.

I'll admit I did not like Lin when he was introduced. In fact, I really desliked him for some apparent reason I cannot recall. Lately however, I've been thinking that maybe I was exagerating a bit, and I should reconsider my position about him. This episode definitly made my opinion of him take a 90 degree turn. He gallantly protected Lan Fan in both the past episode and in this one, all while showing his true skills as a fighter. And he captured Glutonny. And to think all he needed was a grenade and a iron wire...

The hurray of this episode goes to Mei for ruining the dramatic atmosphere between Scar, Ed and Al, and leaving everyone disoriented by performing alchemy from distance and running away with Scar.
She forgot her little panda in the mess though... care to guess who found it? Al did. And got lectured by Edward on always picking up lonely animals. Finally, Ed, Roy and company learn of King Bradley's true identity as an homonculus by Lin.
This episode was very good. It had a combination of action-filled to heavy emotional scenes, incluiding when Winry realises her feelings for Ed. Despite that, I'm more looking forward to the next one where the gang finally confronts Glutonny's true form.

Edit: I said it was episode 29, my bad, it was episode 23

"Otakus are basically islamic extremists that traded
religion by an unhealthy passion of anime and manga. Well, otakus don't blow up towers, so they're a bit different."

Kaichou wa Maid-sama chapter 41

2009-09-12T19:57:00.024+01:00

Kaichou Wa Maid-sama! is currently one of the most funny shoujo mangas ongoing, with a promissing and dynamic characters and plot.

Our protagonist, Ayuzawa Misaki, hates guys. The high school where she goes to recently became co-ed, with girls only consisting a minory of the population and the school's rules being constantly broken by the boys. She then takes matters into her own hands, and becomes the school's first female student council president. She reprimands the boys and tries to make the school better for girls becoming known as the "demon president". She seems to have no weaknesses or anything that can be used against her. There's just the fact that she works at a maid café!

Things start going badly for her when three delinquent boys of her school discover her part-time job and plan to blackmail her. Fortunetly, she is saved by the school's heart-breaker, Usui Takumi. While she believes he'll also just blackmail her, he keeps quiet about her secret and instead becomes a regular costumer at the café, and starts to be constantly called "perverted alien stalker" by Misaki. The manga then follows the development of their unique relationship, as Usui rescues and helps Misaki with her problems on occasion and she becomes less hateful of him and men in general. Misaki eventually realizes her feelings for him and they start dating.

The series has a vast cast of characters, ranging from the insecure student council vice president Yukimura, to the "Three idiots", also Misaki's greatest fans at the café despite trying to blackmail her before.
Before commenting on the chapter itself, there is one piece of information that I would like to share.

A tv anime for Kaichou wa Maid-sama has been decided! Finally we get to see Misaki and Usui's antics in movement! I hope they keep the Drama CD's voice actors. Well, they could change Usui's, but I'll be happy with those same voice actors. On to the chapter.

Misaki-chan is in a rush, now isn't she? I wonder why....

A date with Usui, of course. What's more surprising that her being late is how cutely dressed she is.

Moe!!! And it's a KO for Ayuzawa Misaki, instantly beating Usui Takumi's mind senseless with her cute appearance and atitudes. Well, leaving the Misaki-blushing sequence aside, they are going on a date for her birthday because she agreeded letting him be with her the whole day because she did not give him anything for his birthday. And here we are.

And his present for her is a camera, which he will use to record her expressions along the day and then give it to her. Of course, Misaki opposes saying that it's too pricey of a gift and provoking Usui into saying he'll throw it away if she doesn't accept it, for he bought it "only for her". Followed by more blushing.

Happy Misaki, eating Misaki, soffucated Misaki, surprised Misaki, unconfortable Misaki... Usui seems to be enjoying this. =)

Something had to come along and spoil their fun. -_-

What the hell is the foxy vice-president from Miyabigaoka academy doing here? He's scheming something.... leaving him for now, the rest of the date goes fairly well, we see Usui give the puppy look at Misaki again (it never fails), and both of them playing around like the superhumans they are. But, she isn't very happy she the only one who's pictures are being taken. So guess what Usui does.

Bad move, Misaki-chan. Forceful Usui and embarassed Misaki make the best picture. They're so cute like that. :3

And to finish the day wonderfully, birthday cake (made by himself) in Usui's apartment and...

Happy 17th birthday, Ayuzawa Misaki!

A final birthday picture for her. Usui is very sweet to her, despite his teasing exterior. Of course, not everything is roses.

It bugs the hell out of me that the only thing we know about these two's evil (yes, it's evil, they are evil and I can feel it's evil) plotting is that it's going to be bad for our heroine.

My overall thoughts: This chapter was great! It was pure romance, and some very funny parts aswell. They were much more open to each other than in the previous chapters, and the art is still as good as ever. I can only hope whatever the president and vice-president of Miyabigaoka student council are planning does not affect Misaki and Usui's relationship... especially considering we saw Usui with them a few chapters ago.

----------------------------------------------------

"Otakus are basically islamic extremists that traded
religion by an unhealthy passion of anime and manga. Well, otakus don't blow up towers, so they're a bit different."

Character of the week: Joker

2009-09-08T13:36:00.009+01:00

The Joker. The Clown Prince of Crime. The single craziest, most cunning and pure evil criminal of Gotham City. And possibly the individual with the most sadistic and homicidal sense of humor that ever existed. (Besides possibly Richard, but that's another story)

Anyone that has read Batman knows of Joker to some degree. As known to many, he is the arch-nemesis of the Dark Knight and his ultimate enemy. His status as his most well-known oponent and obstacle comes from the Joker's complete obssession with the Caped Crusader, developed along the years as a vital part of the character. In turn, Batman too became partially obsessed with the capture and containment of Joker over his numerous appearances. In his first appearance in Batman #1 he was a straightforward homicidal maniac with the appearance of a joker card. In that same issue, he taunts the Gotham police department by declaring he will kill 3 of the city's most prominent citizens, which he achives with the installing of his signature and modus operandi, the killing of people with a venom that leaves a grin in their faces. The story is retold in the graphic novel The man who laughs in a different fashion, and not involving Robin.

During the golden age of Batman, he would constantly get caught by Batman and Robin, only to escape again and wreack more avoc. In his following appearances in the continuity of the Batman silver age, he lost many of his defining characteristics and was reduced to a goofy villain that was more of a nuisance than a public danger. Much of the character's essence was lost then, but was recovered in 1973 by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams, who gave back the character all of its murderous attitude and psychopath behavior in Batman issue #251. This together with the issues A death in the family and The killing joke redefined the character to become the modern Joker we know today.

Why I consider the Joker the Batman's greatest enemy and anthesis, is simply because he is the one who has inflincted the most suffering, pain and more deeply affected Batman psychologically amongst all of his foes. He repetedly attempts to coarce the bat into killing, and tries to make him go insane. His devious plans never gave Batman a chance to rest, and he has in occasions, attacked his friends just in order to provoke him, shooting Barbara Gordon, then Batgirl, and paralyzing her from the wait down and beating comissioner Gordon in The killing joke, and killing the second Robin in A death in the family.

The Joker's origins are a very debated aspect of his character, and while there are multiple versions, the persisting detail is that he went insane after falling in a chemicals vat and gaining his clown-like appearance. He has appeared in almost every media related to Batman, from Batman: The animated series to The Dark Knight.

Waht reawakened my fascination with the Joker, was precisely his appearance in Batman: Arkham Asylum for PS3 and XBOX 360, where he is wonderfully represented.

As for closing remarks, i'd like to add that what is most intricate about the character is that no one knows wheather the Joker is truly insane or not. His constant maddening plans only make sense to him, and he does not want anyone to understand why. Many explanations are given for his behavior, from a mental disorder to psychological torture he might have endured. He has hidden his true face well, while never letting anyone even suspect what lurks in his mind. From my point of view, the Joker is a troubled soul who finds confort in absolute mayhem. Maybe he originally had another objective but lost sight of it with time, maybe not, but now all he cares for is satisfying his crazy desires and "amuse" himself. Maybe we'll never know why he is like he is, but that's part of him.

What do you think of him?

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"Otakus are basically islamic extremists that traded
religion by an unhealthy passion of anime and manga. Well, otakus don't blow up towers, so they're a bit different."

Hello world! Well, hello web in this case...

2009-09-07T22:36:00.012+01:00

Humm, my first entry and I already feel like I'm getting bored. Go away short attention span, shoo, shoo!

Well, where was I? Ah, yes. Why am I here. Anyways... as i'm sure it's quite visible in the front page of my blog, I'm a bit of an odd person and I like anime. Among other things. I recently noticed the number of people that seem to have blogs for basically anything. Heck, I'm even the reader of another anime blog. And so I thought: Why not make one of my own? And here I am.

I'm going to cover many different anime in this blog over the time i expect it will last, share my opinion on them, and hope to know yours as well. But it's not just anime I'll be blogging. No sir, I'll also be writing entries about comics, movies, and games I'll go trough. I lacked a way to show my appreciation for anime and other forms of entertainment before creating this blog.

I hope to make this a fun blog for people to read and share opinions with me. =)
So, for starters, my opinion on two recent anime episodes i saw recently.

Pandora Hearts 22

Pandora Hearts is a very nice fantasy anime. Now the two aspects of this series that I appreciate the most are all the unique and special characters and the plot and its influences.
Pandora Hearts has many influences from Trough the Looking Glass and Alice in Wonderland. Not going to bother you with actual plot details, but it's interesting and seems well built. The characters all have their objectives, features and their unique quirks that make people either love or hate them. Though I only hate about 2 of them.

On the episode itself... Rejoice, for there is yet another flashback! Ok, we learn a rather shocking truth this episode. Not as shocking for those that had been putting the pieces together, but nonetheless, shocking. Alice and the wicked and senseless Will of the Abyss are supposely twins. I had been wondering something like this for quite some time, so it doesn't make me stupified. I was too busy harvesting my anger for Vincent to be stupified. And there are other questions that i'd like to see answered soon, but seems we wil have to wait to learn what did the Will of the Abyss ask Break to do, and how her and Alice are connected to Glen Baskerville.

As a side-note, the character exploration of Break in this episode and the last was done well, giving us a better insight of what goesn on in his mind, and how he became who he is now.

Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn! 149

What can I say about KHR? It's funny, action packed and i love it! The series started on a much more comedic standing, but the plot naturally progressed and evolved using the existing setting to a very good action/drama/humor anime. It's impossible to hate any of the protagonists, though getting annoyed with them is a completly different thing. The characters are all unique, some silly, some sadist, some loyal, and some just straight crazy. In resume, a funny and very enjoyable cast is part of the best the series has to offer.

The villains are great, and the abilities and strenght of the characters get more awesome every new arc.

Talking about the current arc, it's the Arcobaleno Trial we've all been waiting for, Reborn's trial. To top things off it's a battle royal against all of the guardians. I couldn't take my eyes off screen after the part where Reborn beat our favorite always loved sadistic prefect, Hibari, with a single shot. Unfortunatly for our heroes, things go from bad to worse after that. the other guardians follow wight behind Hibari, falling one by one. With Tsuna ridden with self doubt if he can actually fight with the man (baby) with whom he has a bond that's even deeper than just student and teacher and reaches a level of trust and friendship, things are not looking good. Facing reality Tsuna eventually fights and outmanuvers Reborn. All that was left to win the trial was for Tsuna to land the final attack... which was stopped by Tsuna's own feelings that restrain him from hurting Reborn, despite recognizing that the fate of the world hanged in the balance. The episode ends with a bang, with Reborn finishing the fight with a single shot and coldly stating that Tsuna is not fit to be boss.

What I thought of this episode? It was very good. The hardcore fighting action was almost top-notch, with Reborn not even giving any of the guardians time to employ all of their techniques. To complement with Reborn's feelings in fighting against Tsuna, the episode shows his revolt, anger and the miryad of thoughts that crossed his mind when he was transformed into an arcobaleno and what it meant to him as a person. Despite me not being a big fan of fillers, I'm really enjoying this one, and the way it dwelves deeper into the Arcobaleno mistery.

That's all I have to say for today. Overall, i saw one one good episode, and one great episode. So, yeah, I'm actually quite happy right now. ^^

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"Otakus are basically islamic extremists that traded religion for an unhealthy passion of anime and manga. Well, otakus don't blow up towers, so they're a bit different."