♥ Chan-Chan's Anime Blog ♥

Bakuman 2

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Sun, 27 May 2012 06:29:00 +0000

Bakuman manga has finally ended!! \(^.^)/ I'm probably one of the few people who feel glad that it has ended and did not drag on. Frankly, I'm quite sick of the very lame romance and the focus on rankings. If rankings truly matter that much, manga like Nurarihyon no Mago and Hunter X Hunter would have long been cancelled. They are not because they sell well, especially Hunter X Hunter. Ultimately, sale volumes still matters more than ranking as it's the best indicator of popularity.

Anyway, I managed to finish Bakuman 2. I skipped through most of the romance parts so I actually managed to finish it quite fast. There are a couple of reasons why I hate the romance in Bakuman. First, It's lame. It's even more lame than most of the fairy tales I've read when I was a kid. Second, without romance, the main characters most probably wouldn't be drawing manga. In my opinion, they are probably more passionate about their girls than manga =.= (especially Saikou).

Story: (7/10) – Fairly Good
The second season focuses a lot more on the relationship between the mangaka and their editors. I find the one between Ashirogi Muto and their 2 different editors the most boring and the one between Hiramaru and his editor the most interesting. Ashirogi Muto and their editors are constantly talking about rankings and it seriously gets on my nerves. Also I hate how Ashirogi Muto didn't stand firm to their belief and started drawing a gag manga (seriously, Shuujin has no sense to write gag), but to only drop it just because of Eiji's challenge. How can they drop a manga just like that? If they don't love that manga, why start it in the first place? They shouldn't even give in to that stupid editor in the first place. In the end, why are they drawing manga for? Because they love it? Because they want to be ranked Number 1? Because Saikou can't bloody wait for his manga to be turned into an anime so that he can get married? I think it's more of the second and third reasons. I know they do love manga but they are just more obsessed with being ranked Number 1 and with romance.

Characters: (6/10) – Fair
The main and all the female characters are a pain to watch but side characters like Eiji, Fukuda, Hiramaru and Yoshida made this series bearable to watch. I notice one thing about female characters in Death Note and Bakuman (both by Ouba Tsugumi and Obata Takeshi combination). They all lack personalities and are most of them dis-likable. I really hate how easily influenced they are. A classic example is Shuujin's wife, Miyoshi. She started out as a karate girl but became really submissive after they started dating. Can't she get a life of her own?!

As for the main characters, I have ranted enough about them so I think I shall not say more.

In the season, I like Hiramura and Yoshida combination the best. I love how Yoshida is always tying to manipulate Hiramuru to get him to draw manga. It's amusing to watch them.

Art/Animation: (8/10) – Good
The art is mostly good except for scenes where they show their derpy faces. The derpy faces are neither cute nor pretty. It's really ugly!!

Music: (8/10) – Good
The Opening and Ending themes are catchy. The only thing I can't stand is the Ending themes sequences. -.-

Enjoyment: (6/10) – Fair
The only moments I enjoyed are the moments are the ones with Hiramaru, Yoshida, Eiji and Fukuda. Sadly, that only makes up less than 10% of the series.

Overall: (7/10) – Fairly Good
I still think this series is over-rated. I can't bring myself to like this series at all.

Review for Season 1.

Natsume Yuujinchou Shi

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 13:45:00 +0000

(T_T) Natsume Yuujinchou Shi has ended and this looks like it's going to be the last season of Natsume Yuujinchou (v.v). I really hope that there will be another season.

Story: (9/10) – Very Good
Typical of Natsume Yuujinchou, this season too had many touching, sweet and heartwarming episodes. I especially love the last 2 episodes. Throughout the last episode, I was crying really hard, not only because I was sad to see chibi Natsume crying, but also because it was the last episode and I felt really touched with the way Natsume has grown and matured throughout the series. It was very heart-wrenching to see what chibi Natsume had to go through when he was a little kid.

Characters: (9/10) – Very Good
I really love the character development of Natsume. I also love his relationships and interactions with the Fujiwara couple, Nyanko sensei, friends, old acquaintances and youkai.

Art/Animation: (9/10) – Very Good
The artwork for the anime is as beautiful as ever. The animation is also very fluid.

Music: (9/10) – Very Good
The Opening and Ending themes remind me of that of Season 2. The Opening theme is catchy and the Ending theme is soothing. Love it!~

Enjoyment: (10/10) – Awesome
Watching Natsume Yuujinchou always makes me feel warm and fuzzy. I enjoyed all the episodes, in particular the last 2 episodes, this season.

Overall: (9/10) – Very Good
I have been raving about Natsume Yuujinchou since Season 1. After 4 seasons, I'm still raving about it. This shows how much I like Natsume Yuujinchou and how good it is.

Reviews of Seasons 1, 2 and 3.

Mirai Nikki

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 11:55:00 +0000

Yandere is a Japanese term for a person who is initially very loving and gentle to someone before their devotion becomes destructive in nature, often through violence. The main heroine in Mirai Nikki is a yandere. As awesome as she may seem at first, she became a pain to watch after a while. And it doesn't help that the story mainly revolves around her and her love target.

Given how the story started and how the plot moved, I was hoping for a spectacular ~~and gruesome~~ ending. Unfortunately, the ending is totally different and surprised me in a bad way. I've been told by many friends that I'm heartless just because I tend to hate happy endings. Frankly, it's not that I hate happy endings but many happy endings I've watched felt forced and unrealistic. I prefer endings which are realistic to the setting of the story. Whether is it a happy ending or sad ending, I like it so long as it flows with the plot. Mirai Nikki is a series with a surprisingly happy ending and frankly, I hate it.

Story: (7/10) – Fairly Good
The story is supposed to be about how 12 future diary holders battle out one another to achieve the status of God. It was what it was supposed to be for the most part of the series and I quite enjoyed the plot twists, even though many of the twists didn't quite make sense. However, the last few episodes focused more on the immature romance between the 2 main characters. One is a wimp who can't do anything on his own and the other is a yandere stalker who is a b*tch (even after watching the last episode, there's no feelings of sympathy.).

*Spoiler Alert! I always think that it's very lame to bring back dead characters using parallel worlds. In order to display Yuno's craziness and 'love' for Yukki, most of the characters are killed by her. And to make the viewers sympathize with her, we are brought to a parallel world with a younger and purer her, and all the characters she killed are still alive. In my opinion, that's a very forced happy ending. I've read the manga ending and I was disappointed that it's much worse than the anime ending. Actually, the only difference is that the anime left out the last chapter in the manga. I think that's a good thing as I hated that ending even more than the anime ending. Seriously, neither Yukiteru nor Yuno deserves a happy ending. *Spoiler Alert! My first impression after seeing Yukiteru as a God is... 'I wouldn't want such an emo guy as a God'. Anyway, it's creepy to hear Yuno's voice at the end, but I'm glad they didn't show what happened after that. That happy ending in the manga is really disgusting.

Character: (8/10) – Good
I seriously hate yandere. They are quite fun to watch initially but I get sick of their crazy antics after a while. I hate Yuno, not only because she's a yandere but also for what she did in episode 22. I also hate wimpy characters and recently there seem to be more and more of such characters. =.= Yukiteru is also one such typical wimpy character. He's cowardly and depends on his girl to do all the dirty work. =.=||

Favorite characters:

Akise Aru - he's cool, intelligent and rational. The only thing he did wrong is to like Yukiteru and being too soft with that yandere.

Uryuu Minene - she's cool and I like how she lectures Yukiteru.

Art/Animation: (8/10) – Good
The art and character designs are good. The animation is decent too.

Music: (8/10) – Good
The song choices are good and fit the theme; though not may cup of tea.

Enjoyment: (7/10) – Fairly Good
I enjoyed most part of the series but it started going downhill for me after episode 22.

Overall: (7/10) – Fairly Good
Despite not liking the main characters, I decided to continue watching because the story seemed interesting. After watching everything, I wouldn't say I regretted watching as it was quite entertaining for the most part but I was hoping for something better.

Persona 4

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:20:00 +0000

I never intended to watch Persona 4 as I'm not a gamer (so I did not understand the reason behind the hype) and the character designs and art did not appeal much to me. But... one day, I felt a little bored and decided to give it a shot. After watching it, I wouldn't say I fully understand the hype but I did enjoy watching the series.

Story: (7/10) – Fairly Good
The first episode was really confusing for me. The way the main character, Narukami Yuu suddenly gained a new power is still a puzzle to me. But well, I reminded myself this is an adaption of a game series and tried not to dwell too much into it. The last few episodes of the anime revealed most of the mysteries but there are still some questionable points for non-gamers like me. The real last episode will be bundled with the blu-ray disc. I'm looking forward to watching it.

Character: (8/10) – Good
Yuu wasn't very interesting initially but his character grows on me after some time. The other main characters, except Rika, were also likable. It's very interesting to see the main characters facing their shadows (their other selves). All of us have a part of us which we do not wish to face or for others to see. However, there are definitely times in life which we have to face it. Denying it or running away from it is not a solution and I think that's the message Persona 4 is trying to tell us. It's also nice to see their friendship deepens even after seeing one another's ugly side.

Favorite characters:

Yuu - he looks cool and is expressionless most of the time. I like the gap between his reactions/behavior and his looks.

Yousuke - he's a very kind and helpful character. I find him very adorable!

Art/Animation: (6/10) – Fair
The art is not very appealing and the animation is not very good too.

Music: (7/10) – Fairly Good
The Opening and Ending themes have a modern feel to it and that suits the feel of the anime.

Enjoyment: (8/10) – Good
Since I watched it with little expectations, surprisingly I enjoyed Persona 4. There are enough action, humour and drama to keep me entertained.

Overall: (7/10) – Fairly Good
I heard that Persona 4 anime is very faithful to the game plot so I guess that's a good thing for the fans. Even though I didn't play Persona 4 game, I find the series and characters interesting too.

Steins;Gate

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:20:00 +0000

I didn't watch Steins;Gate last year as it looked like a harem series. Well, I was not exactly wrong about that but Steins;Gate is much more than that. The story is intriguing and the main character is a Mad scientist!! What more can one ask for?!

Story: (9/10) – Very Good
Steins;Gate is set in the summer of 2010, approximately one year after the events that took place in Chaos;Head, in Akihabara. Steins;Gate is about a group of friends who have customized their microwave into a device that can send text messages to the past. As they perform different experiments, an organization named SERN, who has been doing their own research on time travel, tracks them down and now the characters have to find a way to avoid being captured by them.

It's never easy to write a story about time travel as when one travels to the past and he will definitely attempt to change something and the future will be affected by that. It's not easy to explain that cause and effect but Steins;Gate has done it splendidly (and Reborn had failed spectacularly).

Character: (9/10) – Very Good
The characters are quite unique and the female characters are mostly not too irritating (only a few are).

Favorite character:

Okabe - Mad Scientist FTW!!

Art/Animation: (8/10) – Good
Hmm... All the girls look pretty and cute... BUT... none of the guys can be considered ikemen (v.v) this is so unfair -.- but... that aside.. the animation is pretty good.

Music: (9/10) – Very Good
I enjoyed the Opening and Ending themes. Really nice choice of songs.

Enjoyment: (9/10) – Very Good
Time travel is almost everyone's dream and this is an often used theme in anime. Steins;Gate has done a good job and I had a good time watching it.

Overall: (9/10) – Very Good
I watched it with high expectations as it was raved by some bloggers as being the best anime in 2011. I wouldn't go so far to say that it's the best but it's definitely a good series and is very worth watching!

Another

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:59:00 +0000

Another is not the kind of anime I'll usually watch as I'm not into horror stuffs. But since my friend recommended it to me, I decided to give it a shot. The first few episodes were indeed spooky and I actually didn't dare to watch it at night. (v.v) The atmosphere and the dolls (I really hate dolls and have always find them freaky) really scared me a little. As a horror series, i think that the first 10 episodes were great but unfortunately, the same can't be said about the last 2 episodes. There were many deaths in this series but they were all meaningful... until the random killings in the last few episodes make Another looks like a Final destination ripoff. From what I heard, the novel and the manga are quite different from the anime. I haven't had the time nor mood to read it but will probably do so one day as I'm quite curious about the differences.

Story: (8/10) – Good
26 years ago, in a third-year classroom of a middle school, there was a student named Misaki. As an honors student who was also good at sports, he was popular with her classmates. When he suddenly died, his classmates decided to carry on as if he was still alive until graduation. Then, in the spring of 1998, a boy named Sakakibara Kouichi transfers to the class, and he grows suspicious of the fearful atmosphere in that classroom. In particular, there is an aloof girl named Mei Misaki who wears an eyepatch and is always alone drawing pictures.

The premise of the story is interesting but yet full of questionable points.

The main question I have in my mind after watching Another is "Who is behind the revival of the undead?" There must be someone or something behind it! They can't just simply brush it off by saying that it's a natural phenomenon since there's nothing very natural about it. I'm also pretty disturbed by the fact that there seems to be no real solution to the problem. It's sad that the next third class will have to go through the same sh*t all over again. Seriously, if such things really do happen in real life, I'm sure that the school would have closed down by now. But well, the author is coming out with sequels and spin-offs so we can only hope for him to give us more insights to the Another phenomenon.

Character: (8/10) – Good
Frankly, I was pretty shocked by who the 'Another' one was, but on hindsight, it kind of made sense. If only there's a proper explanation for the presence of the 'Another'.

There are many characters in Another but many died before they even made an impact. The main character is Sakakibara. There's nothing very special about him except that he got to witness most of the deaths.

Another main character is Misaki Mei. Many feel that she's a cool character. I did feel the same way too but now I feel that many deaths could have been avoided if only she had revealed earlier who the undead was. The ending might have been better if she had revealed it earlier.

Art/Animation: (9/10) – Very Good
The bloody death scenes were animated well... I think. Frankly, I didn't pay too much attention to it as I don't enjoy watching bloody scenes. The art style is nice and pretty and surprisingly suits the mood of the story.

Music: (8/10) – Good
The Opening and Ending themes bring out the atmosphere of the anime very well.

Enjoyment: (7/10) – Fairly Good
Overall, I think Another was quite entertaining. Since my threshold for horror series is very low, Another did manage to scare me a little (especially the first few episodes). I'm not sure if horror fans feel the same way too though. One thing I didn't enjoy was the random and crazy killings in the last couple of episodes. It took away the mysterious and horror vibe.

Overall: (8/10) – Good
If you like horror series, I think Another is worth a try. I wouldn't say the ending is satisfying but it did surprise me a little. If you want to watch this series, remember... never to read the spoilers. It will most definitely take away half the enjoyment of watching it.

Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 19:57:00 +0000

This series reminds me a little of Kimi to Boku as its main characters are high school boys too but well.. they are different in many ways. Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou shows us a lot more the idiotic and immature sides of high school boys (and girls). I was from an all-girls school so I could more or less relate to the things that happened in the series. Since Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou is also by Sunrise and the director was in charge of Gintama, I can't help but feel the Gintama vibes when watching Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou... but personally, I think Gintama is alot funnier.

Story: (6/10) – Fair
Tadakuni, Hidenori and Yoshitake are students at the all-boys academy, Sanada North High School. This is a tale about just that—their daily lives as students. Winning the basketball tournament? Finding true love? You won't find any of that here. Whether it's sparking random arguments while hanging out with friends, meeting that one weird co-worker at a part-time job, or even letting imaginations run wild on a windy afternoon, we've all experienced the show's ordinary but true-to-life themes at one point or another.

Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou is somewhat exaggerated but it reminds people of the idiotic things that happened during high school days.

Character: (8/10) – Good
3 main characters - one hardly appears in the second half of the anime (Tadakuni), the other is a megane who always seems to have some weird encounters (Hidenori) and the last is a blond who does stupid things with the megane (Yoshitake). Other than these three, there are many interesting characters in Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou. There are also some irritating ones (most of the female characters).

Favorite characters:

Hidenori - he does really stupid and hilarious things!

Motoharu - looks like a gangster but is really a nice guy..

President - love his bluntness and idiocy.

Art/Animation: (6/10) – Fair
Art is not not my cup of tea. The animation is also average... But well, we can't expect much from an anime about daily lives.

Music: (7/10) – Fairly Good
The Opening theme is catchy and the Ending theme is quite cute and interesting.

Enjoyment: (8/10) – Good
I had a good time watching. It didn't make me go LOL but it does make me smile and laugh. This series also reminds me how carefree and fun my high school days were. ^^

Overall: (7/10) – Fairly Good
Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou is light-hearted and fun to watch. The character designs are not exactly appealing but the strong personalities of the characters more than make up for it.

New Prince of Tennis - mada mada dane!

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 19:25:00 +0000

Seriously, I have never intended to watch New Prince of Tennis as I wasn't all that impressed with the first series of Prince of Tennis and with what I've read in the manga (I dropped it a long time ago). But since, there's only 13 episodes, I decided to give it a shot. Other than more bishounen, there's nothing new and fresh at all. The only episode I enjoyed was the episode where Echizen and pals sneaked into the training camp to steal alcohol.

Story: (6/10) – Fair
Middle school boys (Echizen and friends) vs High school boys. Does that excite you? It certainly doesn't excite me. To me, it's just a cheap way to let the middle school boys continue playing together and for new bishounen to be introduced. I'm totally cool about the new characters but I think time needs to flow faster in the Prince of Tennis world. In case you haven't realized it, since the very start of Prince of Tennis, only less than 1 year has passed =.= but, so many things have happened (Seidou won the championship, Tezuka went for rehabilitation and came back, team mates went to visit him, Echizen played in US Open and etc). It felt as if at least 5 years must have passed. Can so many things happened in less than 1 year? Why can't Konomi sensei just let Tezuka and friends graduate and introduce new characters that way? Why must he be so insistent on Echizen being a middle school year 1 student? He should seriously let his characters grow up! Or rather, I want to see an older version of the characters.

Character: (6/10) – Fair
Old characters are the same... Not much character development, maybe except for Kaidou and Hiyoshi as they were supposed to have learned something from their respective captains. The 'loser' group also went through tough training to get stronger. But from what I see, they only became stronger physically but nothing else has changed.

Most of the new side characters (mainly the High school boys) are being portrayed rather negatively. They were either too arrogant or childish. Is this just to make the middle school boys look like the good guys and the high school students look like the bad guys?? -.-!!

There are some new cool characters but they had too little appearance to make any impact.

One of the new characters, Tokugawa Kazuya

Art/Animation: (7/10) – Fairly Good
The animation seems a little better than its predecessor's.

Music: (6/10) – Fair
I don't think the themes suit the anime at all and they are not my cup of tea.

Enjoyment: (6/10) – Fair
As mentioned, the only episode I truly enjoyed was the episode where Echizen and pals sneaked into the training camp to steal alcohol. Other than that, the rest are bland.

Overall: (6/10) – Fair
I wasn't all that impressed with the first season but I think the first series is better and more entertaining.

Beelzebub

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:01:00 +0000

Aye.. Frankly, I'm quite shocked that Beelzebub has ended. After many episodes of fillers, just when it looked like it's going to start a new arc, it ended! =.=! I think the anime started too early. If the anime had started later, it will definitely have less fillers and will most likely last longer.

Story: (6/10) – Fair
The story follows the "strongest juvenile delinquent", Oga Tatsumi, a first year in "Ishiyama High" the school for delinquents. One day while sleeping next to a river he sees a man floating down it, he pulls him to shore and the man splits in half revealing a baby boy. This boy is the son of the demon king and he has been chosen as the one to raise it with the baby's demon maid Hilda. The story follows his life with the baby and at the delinquent school.

Beelzebub is fundamentally a gag manga/anime so its lack of plot doesn't bother me. However, what really bothers me is the fillers!! Not only did they not contribute to the plot, they are NOT funny at all!!

Character: (8/10) – Good
Beelzebub has quite a number of interesting characters and I enjoy their interaction with one another. Though Baby Beelzebub is the main character, I don't really find him that cute. In fact, i find him irritating at times. I find Baby Kouta much cuter.

Though Beelzebub has many strong and cool characters, my favorite character is Furuichi! I find him really funny! I also pity him at times as he always gets teased by the big ossan and gets bullied by Oga and others.

Art/Animation: (7/10) – Fairly Good
There's nothing to boast about in this department. The art is not exactly pretty but it's decent and easy on the eyes. The animation quality is also average.

Music: (6/10) – Fair
I don't find the Opening and Ending themes, in particular the Ending themes, very appealing. Whether they suit the anime or not.. well I guess that's subjective.

Enjoyment: (7/10) – Fairly Good
When it's supposed to be funny, it's funny enough to put a smile on my face, though not enough to make me LOL. However, most of the time (especially the fillers), it's not funny at all.

Overall: (7/10) – Fairly Good
If only the anime had started later, we'll most likely get a better adaption of the manga... one with fewer fillers.

Guilty Crown

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 14:41:00 +0000

Guilty Crown is a noitamina anime and I had high expectations for it. I had high expectations not only because it's a noitamina anime, but also because it was in the hands of the staff of Death Note and Code Geass. Unfortunately, Guilty Crown is no where near the standard set by Death Note and Code Geass. But well... though it totally didn't meet up to expectations, it wasn't half bad... I guess (trying not to be too harsh).

Story: (7/10) – Fairly Good
The story takes place in Tokyo in 2039. After the outbreak of the unidentified virus "Lost Christmas" in 2029, Japan has been under the control of a multinational organization called GHQ. Ouma Shu is a 17-year-old boy who gains a psychic power in his right hand. He can use the power "Ability of King" to extract tools or weapons from his friends. He has been avoiding making trouble for others but his life changes when he meets a girl named Yuzuriha Inori, a member of a resistance guerrilla group called "Undertaker", whose members pilot mecha weapons to fight against the government.

The idea behind the story is pretty good but the execution is lackluster. There are quite a few twists in the story but they are no surprises at all. In fact, some are quite cliche.

Character: (5/10) – Poor
I don't think I've ever given such a low score for "character" but I think Guilty Crown deserves it. In Guilty Crown, there are more dis-likable characters than likable characters. In fact, I find none of the characters likable.

Also, I seriously hate weak, wimpy and cowardly main characters. No matter how strong they become, I can't bring myself to like such characters. In Guilty Crown, the main character, Shuu is one such character. Not only is he weak, wimpy and cowardly, his main motivation to become strong is because of a girl (super lame in my opinion). Same goes for the main antagonist, Gai. He's pretty cool and strong but his motivation is also a girl! =.=

Art/Animation: (9/10) – Very Good
One if the redeeming points of Guilty Crown is the art and animation. The quality of the animation is really top-notch and character designs are pretty cool too.

Music: (8/10) – Good
Another redeeming point of Guilty Crown is the music. The 2 songs played throughout the series are quite nice, even though I was expecting more songs to be played.

Enjoyment: (6/10) – Fair
The animation is good and the story is average, but the characters make the series not very enjoyable to watch.

Overall: (7/10) – Fairly Good
If the characters were more appealing (personality wise) and the story was more well thought out, I would most likely have enjoyed this series a little more.

Bleach - it has finally ended!

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:44:00 +0000

After 366 episodes, it's finally finished! Seriously, it should have ended more than a year ago (after the Aizen arc). But well, late is better than ever. Since, the manga has also finally just entered its final arc, I think it's a good thing they end the anime and not dragged it out using fillers.

Story: (6/10) – Fair
In my opinion, things started going downhill for Bleach after the "Rukia Rescue" arc. I'm not saying this just because there are too many fillers. The main story itself was also getting predictable and it's mainly about Ichigo experiencing power-ups. No matter how strong the enemies may be, somehow Ichigo will power-up and defeat them. (ò_ó) I still can't get over the fact that Ichigo defeated Ulquiorra!! To be fair, I don't think all the fillers are boring, though most are. I personally quite like the Zanpakutou arc.

Overview of all story arcs (including filler arcs):

1. Agent of the Shinigami arc (episodes 1-20) - This is the very first arc of Bleach! How nostalgic!
2. Soul Society: The Sneak Entry arc (episodes 21-41) - I quite enjoy this arc as it shows us what kind of place the Soul Society is.
3. Soul Society: The Rescue arc (episodes 42-63) - The battles are interesting and the twist is pretty good.
4. The Bount arc (episodes 64-109) - This is the very first filler arc and it's really boring. Thinking about it makes me wanna yawn...
5. Arrancar arc (episodes 110-167, 190-205, 213-229 and 266-316) - This is the longest arc in Bleach thus far (and according to Kubo sensei, the last arc he is writing now will be longer than this =.=!). As this arc is too long and Kubo sensei's story telling speed is too slow, the anime caught up with the manga many times and the anime staff had to put in filler arcs in between.
6. The New Captain Shuusuke Amagai arc (episodes 168-189) - this is quite a crappy arc too (yawn).
7. The Past arc (episodes 206-212) - I really like this arc as it shows the past of the vaizards!
8. Zanpakutou Unknown Tales arc (episodes 230-265) - this is the only filler arc which I find interesting. The human forms of some of the Zanpakutou are really cool.
9. Gotei 13 Invading Army arc (episodes 317-342) - This arc is pretty interesting too even though it is a filler arc. It's nice to see Byakuya vs Byakuya! ^^
10. The Lost Substitute Shinigami arc (episodes 343-366) - Even though this is canon, it is the worst arc ever. The new characters are not very interesting and this is supposed to be a Chad-centric arc (according to Kubo sensei) even though Chad didn't even get to fight a single battle. =.=!!

Character: (7/10) – Fairly Good
The main characters do not appeal much to me. Ichigo's constant power-ups really get on my nerves and the other main characters (Orihime, Chad, Ishida and Rukia) are pretty weak and useless. I don't really like the human characters but I really like some of the shinigami, espada and vaizards characters.

Favorite characters:

Byakuya - cool brotherly character ♥

Ulquiorra - he's emo in a very cool way!

Grimmjow - I like hot-blooded characters like him!

Hirako - he doesn't look very cool in my opinion but he has a really cool personality!

Kenpachi - He's really badass!!

Art/Animation: (7/10) – Fairly Good
Kubo sensei's artwork is without doubt good but too bad he ain't half as good in storytelling. Bleach is a long series and the animation quality at the beginning is very different from the animation quality now. It has definitely improved over time but the animation quality hasn't been very consistent.

Music: (9/10) – Very Good
Bleach has many Opening and Ending themes. Some has become classics, some are good and some are average.

Enjoyment: (7/10) – Fairly Good
Initially, I really enjoyed Bleach a lot. It WAS my favorite among the big 3 shounen but after a while, the story became bland and I didn't enjoy it all that much. In fact, I find myself watching/reading it only for the sake of completing it.

Overall: (7/10) – Fairly Good
If I were to rate it purely based on feelings, the scores would probably be much lower as Bleach disappointed me greatly despite it having a really good start and pretty interesting setting. Objectively speaking, comparing Bleach to other shounen works, it may not be the best but it's definitely not the worst. On a side note, I'm not impressed with the new arc in the manga and thus I seriously hope that it won't be animated.

Kimi to Boku

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 17:50:00 +0000

Kimi to Boku is my Favorite Fall 2011 series!! It's a really sweet and laid-back series and I can't help but fall in love with it!

Story: (10/10) – Awesome
The story revolves around four teens - the good-looking twins Asaba Yuuta and Yuuki, the effeminate Matsuoka Shun, and the class head Tsukahara Kaname who have known each other since kindergarten. While they are not necessarily good or bad friends, they continue to hang out well into high school. The half-Japanese transfer student Tachibana Chizuru joins the circle of friends in this comedy about the everyday life of adolescence.

What I really like about Kimi to Boku is that the story is simple, laid back, and very easy to relate to. It's a slice of life that revolves around the theme of growing up and friendships. Through the happenings around them, the various protagonists reminisce the past and their experiences from more than 10 years ago which still have strong influences on what is happening "now" in their lives.

Character: (10/10) – Awesome
All the boys (yes.. even Noisy Chizuru) are so lovable!! I love their personalities and their interactions with one another! In each episode, we learn a little about the boys through the happenings now and their past. Though some of the happenings and flashbacks may seem insignificant or unimportant, they hold precious place in their hearts and eventually, in my heart too. Some of their flashbacks remind me of my kindergarten days and it gives a feeling of nostalgia.

Favorite Characters:

Yuuki - He's the younger one of the twins. He's the less talkative but more playful one. He has a really cool personality too.

Yuuta - He's the elder one of the twins and he's also the most mature out of the 5 boys. He's also really caring and sensitive.

Kaname - He's such a cute Tsundere. I love his reactions to the boys' provocations (in particular, Yuuki's! ^^)

Shun - I like him much better in his short hair. He totally looks like a girl with long hair.

Chizuru - He's very cute when he's young! Now, he's noisy and irritating at most of the times but he can be very caring at times too (especially towards the girl he likes -.^).

Art/Animation: (9/10) – Very Good
I love the art and character designs. It's simple and beautiful. I love the different illustrations in the Ending theme sequence (really melts my heart!).

Music: (10/10) – Awesome
Very nice choice of Opening and Ending themes. I especially like the Ending theme and its sequence (nice illustrations!!). I love the background music played during some scenes too!

Enjoyment: (10/10) – Awesome
Many say that Kimi to Boku is a little slow in pace, but I personally don't think so. I find the pacing perfect for a mellow and simple series like Kimi to Boku. I enjoy this series thoroughly and am looking forward to Season 2!!

Overall: (9/10) – Very Good
This is a must see for all who likes slice of life series!

Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi (Seasons 1 and 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 17:06:00 +0000

*warning!!! Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi is a Boys Love (BL) anime. If you are underage, homophobic or gay-phobic, please click the back button or other links!

When it comes to love story, I prefer those that are more realistic. Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi definitely does not have a very realistic setting and plot but it does portray quite realistically the feelings people go through when they fall in love.

Story: (7/10) – Fairly Good
There are three main stories being told. One is that of former lovers, broken apart by a stupid misunderstanding and finding each other again after ten years. The second is of a 30 year old editor who likes good looking guys and ends up with one, but his lack of self-esteem creates some problems for the couple. The last story is of two childhood friends, one ends up falling for the other.

The first story is the main story and is the one I like best. The second one is too unbelievable to be true (The older I get, the more cynical I become =.= (sob)). The last one is alright but the uke's insensitivity to everything does get on my nerves.

Character: (8/10) – Good
I love all the seme characters, in particular Masamune and Hatori. On the other hand, I find ALL the uke (3 of them) in Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi too girly (not in terms of looks but in terms of personality and height). Why are they all so short? Also, why do they like to Over-think and Procrastinate? It gets on my nerves that I have to listen to Onodera, Kisa and Yoshino's monologue for most part of the anime.

Favorite characters:

Masamune - His persistence is really something. Though he looks really cool now, somehow, I think he looks more cool in his high school days. ♥

Hatori - A guy who can cook!! ♥

Yukino - Too good to be true!

Art/Animation: (7/10) – Fairly Good
The art style is not really my cup of tea (maybe because it's too pinkish? flowery? shoujo-ish?). Also, the characters all look about the same. It's a little difficult to differentiate who is who, if not for the fact that each episode focuses on different couples. As for animation, it's pretty average, nothing spectacular.

Music: (9/10) – Very Good
Really nice choice of ballads for the Opening and Ending themes. They are nice, catchy and suit the mood of the anime.

Enjoyment: (7/10) – Fairly Good
There are some sweet moments which make my stomach flutter but there are more moments which make me impatient (when the uke are in their monologue mode and procrastinating).

Overall: (7/10) – Fairly Good
Sadly speaking, there are not many adapatations of BL manga. Among the few adaptations, Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi is one of the better ones. Though I may sound a little too critical, overall, I do quite like the series.

Nurarihyon no Mago: Sennen Makyou

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 12:03:00 +0000

Rarely do I get to say this but Season 1 is much better than Season 2 - Nurarihyon no Mago: Sennen Makyou! Not only does it not have stupid fillers, its main focus is on the youkai and onmyouji, and not the irritating humans! Season 2 is definitely more exciting, meaningful and interesting than the first one by far!

Story: (8/10) – Good
At first glance, Nura Rikuo seems like nothing more than a normal middle-schooler. In actual fact, he is grandson of Nurarihyon, master of a youkai clan. Having only recently resolved the hostilities between the Nura Clan and the Shikoku Yokai, Rikuo finds no rest as an ancient enemy of the Nura Clan, Haguromo-Gitsune, resurfaces. After 400 years of inactivity, Haguromo-Gitsune suddenly sweeps through Kyoto with overwhelming power.

In my opinion, Sennen Makyou arc is the best arc in Nurarihyon no Mago (anime and manga) so far. The current ongoing arc in manga isn't half as interesting. However, even though it's a pretty good arc with interesting developments and exciting battles, I personally don't quite like the ending (the appearance of Seimei). Seimei totally reminds of Aizen from Bleach and like Aizen, he's TOO overpowered and this means that in order to defeat him, Rikuo will eventually be overpowered too. -.-

Characters: (9/10) – Very Good
I'm glad this arc focuses very little on the irritating humans and a lot more on the youkai and onmyouji. However, without the irritating humans, I actually feel that Tsurara is quite irritating. I hate how she whines about protecting Rikuo but yet has little power to do so, and ends up being the damsel in distress. -.-

Anyway, Sennen Makyou arc gives us insight into the past of many characters. I especially like how the pasts of the 3 generations of the Nura head are inter-linked and linked to Haguromo-Gitsune.

Favorite Characters of Season 2:

Rihan - Among the 3 generations, I like him the best! He's really charasmatic and I love his wink! （＾＿－）☆

Rikuo - It's great to see him in Night form most of the time!

Ryuuji - For some unexplainable reason, I find him really cool!

Itaku - His human form is cool and his weasel form is cute!

Yura - She has really developed in this arc. Defintely my favorite female character in this series.

Art/Animation: (9/10) – Very Good
I'm not sure if it's my imagination but the art seems a little better the Season 1's. The animation has also improved. The battle scenes are very well animated.

Music: (6/10) – Fair
The Opening themes by LM.C are quite catchy but I totally can't stand the Ending themes. The Ending themes really kill the mood of the anime. =.=

Enjoyment: (9/10) – Very Good
Except for the recap episodes, none of the episodes felt boring. I definitely enjoy this better than Season 1.

Overall: (8/10) – Good
If you haven't heard/read/watched Nurarihyon no Mago before, you may want to start with the manga or Season 2 of the anime. Season 1 did the manga injustice but Season 2 is an almost perfect adaptation of the Sennen Makyou arc.

Working'!!

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:57:00 +0000

I don't find Working'!! as fun. Even though it's not worse off than Season 1, somehow I don't enjoy it as much. I guess it's because the jokes are the same as that of Season 1, I don't find them funny anymore. The good thing is that there's a small tiny progress in the story.

Story: (6/10) – Fair
A story about how a group of young people work together in a family restaurant.

I'm not a fan of the kind of randomness this series has. It feels very forced at times and seems to be there just for the sake of making the viewers laugh (but sadly, I don't find it funny most of the time). I'm also getting very impatient of the relationships (Takanashi and Inami, Satou and Todoroki). It seems to me that they are dragging it out on purpose and it's really irritating to watch them going in circles.

Character: (7/10) – Fairly Good
There's almost no character developments from Season 1 to Season 2 even though almost a year (in the story) has passed. Also, I'm finding Yamada super irritating.

Favorite Character:

Satou - he's still cool as ever but I can only hope for him to give up soon as I doubt Todoroki can ever give him the respond he wants. It's becoming a drag and he should just move on with it.

He finally admits (quite) openly he likes Todoroki. Will his love blossoms?

Answer cannot be found in this season! =.=

Art/Animation: (7/10) – Fairly Good
Same as Season 1

Music: (7/10) – Fairly Good
Like Season 1, both the Opening and Ending themes are sung by the voice actors. I can't say I like the songs but it's quite fitting of the theme.

Enjoyment: (7/10) – Fairly Good
It's not as fun to watch and the jokes are getting bland. But well, I did enjoy those episodes on Takanashi's sisters.

Overall: (7/10) – Fairly Good
As a comedy series, Working'!! is not too bad even though the jokes are getting repetitive. As a slice of life series, I think it fails.

UN-GO

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:12:00 +0000

Due to UN-GO being a BONES productions and it being an notaminA anime, I had very high expectations. Unfortunately, the series has failed to meet that expectation. (v.v)

Story: (6/10) – Fair
UN-GO is a detective story about a detective and boy combo who tackle the country's most difficult crimes together for reasons of their own. With superior deductive powers, Shinjurou solves various challenging cases. Meanwhile, Inga, a young lad, serves as Shinjurou's assistant. Contrary to his cute looks, he's a sharp and arrogant rogue.

The setting of the story is a postwar, future Tokyo that still bears the scars of war. Shinjurou's archrival, Rinroku Kaishou, who through politics and technology has the communications infrastructure under his thumb. Kaishou has used a clear head and the massive amount of information at his fingertips to lead to the solution of a great number of cases. But there's an underside to Kaishou's brilliant deduction work, which is that Shinjurou Yuuki, "the Last Great Detective", is the one who actually uncovered "the truth" in those cases. However, the public doesn't know this and thus refers to Shinjurou as the "Defeated Detective". Still, Shinjurou, together with Inga, can't help but search for the truth.

This is supposedly a detective anime but the cases are mostly too straight forward and boring. The most interesting case is the one where Shinjurou is stuck in jail.

Character: (6/10) – Fair
There's hardly any character developments and none of the characters appeal to me.

Main Characters:

Shinjurou

Inga

Art/Animation: (6/10) – Fair
I don't like the character designs. It's not very eye-pleasing. The animation is sub-par too.

Music: (7/10) – Fairly Good
The themes suit the theme of the anime. I personally like the Opening theme better than the Ending theme.

Enjoyment: (6/10) – Fair
The first half of the series is utterly boring but the second half makes up for it and is more interesting.

Overall: (6/10) – Fair
I appluad the staff's effort and bravery in trying to be different and unique but unfortunately, it doesn't turn out to be a successful attempt. This series can be considered original in its presentation, but, plot-wise, there's nothing very original about it.

Fall 2011!!

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:24:00 +0000

Ahhh!!! Why do I have so many things I wanna do but so little time to do them? =.= Even though we are already 2 weeks into the Fall 2011 anime season, I've only just finished watching the Summer anime series. =X And among the Fall 2011 anime series I'm interested in, I've only watched the first episode of Hunter X Hunter 2011 (and hated the new voice of Kurapika!!). I shall spend my weekend at home and do some catching up!!

1. Mirai Nikki (Future Diary)

Middle school 2nd year, Amano Yukiteru, is a boy who has problem making friends. He thinks of himself as a bystander and will always write down everything he sees in a cell phone diary.

Tormented by solitude, Yukiteru began to imagine things like a friend called Deus Ex Machina who is apparently the Lord of Time & Space. Seeing Yukiteru's miserable state, Deus gives him a new ability. His diary will now record events that will happen in the near future. Yukiteru is then forced to participate in a game which the winner will become Deus's successor.

I'm totally in the mood to watch a Psychological/Mystery anime and Mirai Nikki sounds like the one I want.

Watching? Definitely Yes!

Release date: 9th Oct 2011

2. UN-GO

Based from Sakaguchi Ango’s novel “Meiji Kaika Ango Torimonocho”.

Meiji-era story about a detective named Yuki Shinjuro, who solves various incidents that happen in his circle of friends. The adaptation will utilize an original story set in the near future, revolving around the detective and a boy named Inga, who continually encounter mysterious cases.

Yea!! Another Mystery anime!! It's also a Noitamina anime!

Watching? Definitely Yes!

Release date: 14th Oct 2011

3. Kimi to Boku

The story revolves around four teens — the good-looking twins Yuuta and Yuuki Asaba, the effeminate Shun Matsuoka, and the class head Kaname Tsukahara — who have known each other since early childhood. While they are not necessarily good or bad friends, they continue to hang out well into high school. The half-Japanese transfer student Chizuru Tachibana joins the circle of friends in this comedy about the everyday life of adolescence.

I haven't read the manga but have heard many good things about it.

Watching? Definitely Yes!

Release date: 4th Oct 2011

4. Guilty Crown

The story takes place in Tokyo in 2039. After the outbreak of the unidentified virus "Lost Christmas" in 2029, Japan has been under the control of a multinational organization called GHQ. Ouma Shu is a 17-year-old boy who has a psychic power in his right hand. He can use the power "Ability of King" to extract tools or weapons from his friends. He has been avoiding making trouble for others but his life changes when he meets a girl named Yuzuriha Inori, a member of a resistance guerrilla group called "Undertaker", whose members pilot mecha weapons to fight against the government.

This is also a Noitamina anime but it doesn't appeal to me as much as UN-GO. The character designs remind me of [C] and the story reminds me of Code Geass. I don't know if that's a good thing or not but let's hope this series will live up to expectation.

Watching? Yes!

Release date: 14th Oct 2011

5. Hunter X Hunter 2011

Remake of the 1999 TV series of Hunter x Hunter based on the manga by Togashi Yoshihiro.

A Hunter is one who travels the world doing all sorts of dangerous tasks. From capturing criminals to searching deep within uncharted lands for any lost treasures. Gon is a young boy whose father disappeared long ago, being a Hunter. He believes if he could also follow his father's path, he could one day reunite with him.

After becoming 12, Gon leaves his home and takes on the task of entering the Hunter exam, notorious for its low success rate and high probability of death to become an official Hunter. He befriends the revenge-driven Kurapika, the doctor-to-be Leorio and the rebellious ex-assassin Killua in the exam, with their friendship prevailing throughout the many trials and threats they come upon taking on the dangerous career of a Hunter.

I LOVE the first Hunter X Hunter anime and all the OVAs. Sigh... why remake Hunter X Hunter? why does Kurapika sound even more girly than ever? why not stick to the original seiyuu? There are so many other series they should remake (Slam Dunk, Shaman King and etc) but they chose Hunter X Hunter. Even though Togashi-sensei is the King of Hiatus, he gets to earn even more royalties from Hunter X Hunter 2011 anime. Doesn't this only encourage him to go on hiatus more often?!

Watching? Yes for now... but if I can no longer stand Kurapika's new voice... I might drop it (v.v)

Release date: 2nd Oct 2011

6. Working'!!

Second season of Working!! ^^

I enjoyed the first season so I hope that the second season will be as entertaining.

Watching? Yes!

Release date: 3rd Sep 2011

7. Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi 2

Second season of Seikai-ichi Hatsukoi. ♥

I have not yet finished the first season, and the second season is here. As much as I like BL, I prefer reading to watching it. Hopefully I can finish watching both seasons by the end of Fall.

Watching? Yes.

Release date: 24th Sep 2011

8. Chihayafuru

Chihaya is a lighthearted tomboy, who's not especially good at anything in particular. Her dream has always been for her sister (an aspiring model) to become the number one beauty of Japan, or perhaps of the world. But then one day she meets someone who tells her that a dream is something that should concern only herself - and something she has to work hard for as well.

At the same time, Chihaya discovers a passion for the old Japanese game hyakunin ishhu, also called "karuta".
This is categorized as a sports anime but it totally doesn't look like one. I think it's more like a game anime. I like sports/game anime so I shall give this a shot.

Watching? Likely.

Release date: 5th Oct 2011

9. Bakuman 2

Second season of Bakuman.

The first season was ok but I dropped the manga quite some time ago as I totally couldn't stand the progress of the story. I'm not sure if I'll watch Bakuman 2 as that pretty much depends on my mood.

Watching? Maybe.

Release date: 1st Oct 2011

10. Last Exile -Fam, the Silver Wing-

Last Exile -Fam, the Silver Wing- is a new original tale in the Last Exile universe. It features new characters, new mechanics and an all new story centered around the young ace vanship pilot, Fam, and her trusted navigator, Giselle, as they pilot their vanship, Vespa, through the free and peaceful skies.

I haven't watch the first season but am intending to as the story sounds pretty interesting. If you live in Singapore, the good news is that LASTEXILE –Fam, The Silver Wing– will be airing on Saturdays at 8pm in a same-day-as-Japan simulcast, first and exclusively on Animax (StarHub TV Ch 532). If you live in other parts of Asia and have access to Animax-Asia, you can also watch it on cable.

Watching? Yes.

Release date: 15th Oct 2011

Ao no Exorcist

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:40:00 +0000

I'm totally behind for Ao no Exorcist manga! I'm still at the chapter where Rin and friends are brought to the forest for a training camp! =.= This is also very coincidentally the part where the anime diverted from the manga. Well, this means that I watched the anime with no idea what's happening in the manga now. I think this may be a good thing as even without knowing what's currently happening in the manga, I didn't quite like the second half of the anime.

Anyway, an Ao no Exorcist movie has been green-lit. Since the anime has a proper original ending, my guess is that the movie will be a side story of what happened in between.

Story: (8/10) – Good
This world consists of two dimensions which are reflections of each other, just like a mirror. The first is the world in which the humans live, Assiah. The other is the world of demons, Gehenna. Ordinarily, any kind of contact between the two is impossible. However the demons can pass over into this world by possessing anything that exist within it. Satan is the god of demons, but, there's one thing that he doesn't have, and that's a vessel in the human world that is powerful enough to contain him! For that purpose he created Rin, his son from a human woman, but will his son agree to his plans? Or will he become something else...? An exorcist?

The first half was really good but I don't feel the same for the second half. The second half felt rushed and the appearance of Rin and Yukio's grandfather felt sudden and unnatural. How their grandfather managed to usurp the power of the Grigori is a mystery! I also didn't like how they portrayed Satan's personality. He was known to be merciless and evil but he apparently loved a human girl and wanted to create the perfect world they envisioned, which was pretty cliche and made Satan appeared more humane, though he's really not and one can totally see that from the way he treat his sons!

Characters: (9/10) – Very Good
Ao no Exorcist does not have a very big cast but it has some very likable and interesting characters.

Here are the characters I like:

Rin - It's impossible to hate him! I simply love his earnest attitude and stupidity!! ♥

Ryuuji aka Bon - He's such a Tsundere!!~ <3 It's also really nice to hear Nakai-san speaking in Kansai-ben too!

Fujimoto - He's one of the nicest fathers in the anime world! I enjoy watching him and Rin. It's sad to see him die! (v.v)

Kuro - What a cute and loyal cat!!

Art/Animation: (9/10) – Very Good
As expected of A1-Pictures, the animation is top notch! I love how they animate the blue flames and battles. The character design is pretty unique too!

Music: (8/10) – Good
I like the 2 Opening Themes "CORE PRIDE" by UVERWorld and "IN MY WORLD" by ROOKiEZ is PUNK'D but I don't like the 2 Ending Themes.

Enjoyment: (8/10) – Good
I totally enjoyed the first half of the series and even though I didn't enjoy the second half as much, it was still entertaining enough to keep me watching till the very end.

Overall: (8/10) – Good
Though I didn't quite like the second half of Ao no Exorcist, overall, I think that it's definitely worth a watch!

Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 09:55:00 +0000

Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni is surprisingly better than its predecessor. In this season, a few episodes were dedicated to the pasts shared by Yuuji and Shouko, and Aki, Shimada and Himeji. It's interesting to know about their pasts as it helps us to understand better why they turned out the way they turned out.

Story: (7/10) – Fairly Good
Season 1 was stupid, random and shallow whereas Season 2 has slightly more depth, but still stupid and random. The back-stories shared by the different characters are interesting and helped us to understand their personality better.

Characters: (7/10) – Fairly Good
I'm not into any of the characters but the character I find most interesting is Hideyoshi. I also find Aki less irritating and more likable this season. However, I still find Himeji the most annoying.

Art/Animation: (7/10) – Fairly Good
The art and animation are nothing special but fit the style of the anime.

Music: (7/10) – Fairly Good
I don't like the main Opening and Ending themes but I do like the 2 one-off Ending themes they used in episodes 7 and 11. They are respectively "Baka to Koshitsu to Kodokumeshi" and "Hi-Ho!!" by milktub. Both songs portrayed the mood of the episode really well.

Enjoyment: (7/10) – Fairly Good
The entire series is pretty enjoyable. My favorite is probably the last 2 episodes (Yr 3 vs Yr 2). It's funny to see people getting freaked out by fake monsters and it's even funnier to see Hideyoshi screamed when he's being confessed to. LOL

Overall: (7/10) – Fairly Good
This anime is pretty good for passing time.

NO.6

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 13:55:00 +0000

*warning: though NO.6 is not categorized as a shouen-ai series, I see it as one. (^ー゜)

Sigh... NO.6 is yet another series which had a bright start but a disappointing ending. It's impossible to cover 6 volumes of novel content (mine was the wordy version; the other version has 9 volumes) in 11 episodes, but, Bones tried anyway and failed terribly. The pacing was too fast and that totally screwed up the flow of the series. The redeeming points are the presence of Nezumi and Shion o(^▽^)o, the 2 kisses ♥ (kudos to BONES for leaving it in!!), and the animation quality.

Story: (7/10) – Fairly Good
The story takes place in the ideal city "NO.6" in 2013. Shion was judged as having "highest-ranked intelligence" when he was two years old and was allowed to live in the luxurious area "Cronos".

On his twelfth birthday, he met a beautiful boy called "Nezumi," who had escaped from a reformatory. Shion protected him and as a result, the Public Security Bureau deprived Shion of all his privileges and expelled him from "Cronos" to "Lost Town".

Four years after the meeting, a mysterious accident leads Shion to the secret of the city "NO.6".

I like NO.6 so much that I went to buy the entire novel series. The plot itself is pretty good but sadly Bones did injustice to the story. Instead of presenting us with a story, I felt like I was watching a summary. I particularly disliked the last episode as it's super rushed and many important parts were either left out or unexplained. For those who have not read the novel, the last episode probably didn't make much sense.

Characters: (9/10) – Very Good
I love Nezumi!! I love Shion too! Ah... They are such a lovable pairing!~ (＾ｰ^)ノ

Art/Animation: (9/10) – Very Good
As expected of BONES, the animation is top notch! I love the artwork and character designs too!

Music: (8/10) – Good
I like the Ending theme "Rokutousei no Yoru" by Aimer but I can't say the same for the Opening theme "Spell" by LAMA.

Enjoyment: (9/10) – Very Good
Despite the awful pacing and subpar ending, I enjoyed NO.6 nonetheless. This is mainly because of Nezumi and Shion! ♥

Overall: (9/10) – Very Good
If only more episodes are dedicated to NO.6... I'm sure the pacing would be much better and we would most likely get a much better ending.

Natsume Yuujinchou San

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:50:00 +0000

Ahh.. Yet another season of Natsume Yuujinchou has ended. The good news is there will be a 4th season but the bad news is we have to wait for 3 months.

I love how the last episode ended with Natsume discussing outing plans with his school friends and playing oni-tag with the youkai friends. It's such a heartwarming scene.

Story: (9/10) – Very Good
If I'm not mistaken, around 1/3 of this season consists of fillers. The fillers are pretty good but I definitely prefer the original materials. My favorite part of this season is the part with Natori and Matoba. Another part I really like is the part on how Natsume first met the Fujiwara. I'm very happy that there'll be a 4th season as it means more Natsume, Nyanko-sensei, Natori and Matoba!!

Characters: (9/10) – Very Good
This season focuses a lot on the friendship between Natsume and his school friends. It's nice and heartwarming to see Natsume relying more on his friends.

Art/Animation: (9/10) – Very Good
The art looks a little different this season. I think they make Natsume look more cute and bishie. (＾ｰ^)ノ

Music: (8/10) – Good
I didn't quite like the Opening theme "Boku ni Dekiru Koto" by HOW MERRY MARRY and the Ending theme "Kimi no Kakera feat. Miyamoto Emiri" by Kousuke Atari initially but the more I listen to them, the more I like them! ^^

Enjoyment: (10/10) – Awesome
Just like for seasons 1 and 2, I enjoyed watching season 3 too. I really look forward to season 4. (＾ｰ^)ノ

Overall: (9/10) – Very Good
If you haven't watch seasons 1 and 2, please do yourself a favor and watch it!

Usagi Drop - a heartwarming slice of life

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 13:03:00 +0000

I had a very good first impression of Usagi Drop but that impression was destroyed by STUPID me, who couldn't control myself and read the manga ending! =X But well, I'm very glad that there's only 11 episodes to this series and the anime only animated the first part of the manga. I pray and hope that the second part will never ever be animated. I love the first part of the manga and I love the anime too!! It's so sweet and heartwarming!~ ♥

Story: (10/10) – Awesome
While attending his grandfather's funeral, 30 year old bachelor Daikichi is surprised to discover that his grandfather had an illegitimate child with an unknown mother! The rest of his family, fearing the obligation and embarrassment, want nothing to do with the silent little girl, Rin. Sensing her imminent abandonment and outraged by his unconcerned family members, Daikichi decides to adopt her himself! However, he may have underestimated the difficulty of balancing his work, family, and life with his role as her guardian.

The rating is purely based on the anime and has nothing to do with the manga. As mentioned, the anime is mainly based on the first part of the manga, which focuses on the difficulty and joy of bringing up Rin. Though I don't really understand the mindsets of parents, I think that the story has portrayed the different aspects of parenting, in particular single-parenting, very well.

Characters: (9/10) – Very Good
It's almost impossible not to like Daikichi and Rin. The other characters also help to bring realism and life to this wonderful series.

Here are the characters I like:

Daikichi - He's the kind of guy who will make the perfect husband as he's so caring and nice

Rin - She's is a little too mature for her age but she's nonetheless cute.

Kouki - I was quite a tomboy when I was a kid and I remember I was more like Kouki than Rin XD

Art/Animation: (9/10) – Very Good
I love the pretty art and the animation is pretty good too!

Music: (8/10) – Good
Nice choices of songs for the Opening ("Sweet Drops" by Puffy) and Ending ("High High High" by Kasarinchu) themes! Both songs have a happy feel to it and fit the mood of the anime.

Enjoyment: (9/10) – Very Good
If stupid me hadn't read the manga, I would have enjoyed the anime much much more! But nonetheless, I enjoyed the many sweet and heartwarming moments in this anime.

Overall: (9/10) – Very Good
The endearing characters, heartwarming and sweet moments, and the realistic story-telling make this anime a Win!~

First Impression: NO.6

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 06:25:00 +0000

NO.6 has A LOT of potential for... shounen-ai I fell in love with the characters of NO.6 the very first time I saw them in a magazine:

scanned by chan-chan

I love what I see in NO.6 so far and almost all the interactions between Nezumi and Sion make me go *doki doki* and *gyaaa~*.

What's Hot?
- I love the character designs and setting of the story. There seems to be a lot of mysteries behind the city NO.6 and I can't wait for them to be unraveled.
- As expected of BONES, the animation is top notch.
- Nezumi and Sion ♥

What's Not?
- There will only be 11 episodes.

First Impression: Natsume Yuujinchou San

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 06:10:00 +0000

Natsume Yuujinchou is back with Natsume Yuujinchou San!~ I love Season 1 and Season 2 and I can't wait to watch the rest of the episodes in Season 3.

As typical of Natsume Yuujinchou, the first episode started off with a reintroduction of the background of the series. From the Opening and Ending theme sequences, it seems like there will be more focus on the relationship between Natsume and his human friends and family. I don't mind that at all but I certainly hope to see more of Natori and Matoba (they have finally made their appearance in episode 6!).

What's Hot?
- The stories are as heart-warming as ever!

What's Not?
- Nothing.

Remake of Hunter X Hunter anime

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 18:00:00 +0000

Hunter X Hunter manga just made its return (once again) this week after being on hiatus (again) for around a year. I'm not exactly happy with the new chapter as there's no Gon and Killua in it but I'm super happy that the ant chimera arc is finally coming to an end. I'm not sure if Togashi-sensei will continue the manga after the ant chimera arc ends but I hope he will as I want to see Kurapika and Leorio again, and I want Gon to be back to normal as I hate to see him in the current super-saiyan form. =.= I also hope that Gon will someday find his dad!

Anyway, not only has the manga returned (hopefully not for a short while but for a long time), there will be a remake of Hunter X Hunter anime!! According to the announcement, MadHouse will be remaking Hunter X Hunter anime from manga chapter 1 onwards. The new remake will start airing in 2nd Oct 2011.

I love the original anime a lot but I don't mind the remake so long as MadHouse do not screw up the story. I love the first few arcs of Hunter X Hunter so it's nice to be able to watch them again in high definition. However, there's a big change in the seiyuu casting for the main characters. Personally, I'm happy with some of the changes but not so happy with the others.

Gon - The previous seiyuu was Takeuchi Junko (Naruto - Naruto, Endou - Inazuma Eleven and etc) and new seiyuu will be Han Megumi (live action actress). I like Takeuchi Junko as Gon ALOT! I like her voice acting as Gon better than that of Naruto. Sadly, not only they change the voice actor of Gon, they give the role to some actress with little voice acting experience =.=

Killua - The previous seiyuu was Mitsuhashi Kanako and the new seiyuu will be Ise Mariya. I personally also like Mitsuhashi Kanako as Killua. As for Ise Mariya, she has quite a bit of voice acting experience but I don't think she has done many shounen roles before. Hopefully she can pull it off

Kurapika - The previous seiyuu was Kaida Yuki (Fuji - Prince of Tennis, China - Hetalia and etc) and the new seiyuu will be Sawashiro Miyuki (Celty - Durarara!!, Lag Seeing - Tegami Bachi and etc). Kaida Yuki is very experienced with shounen roles. However, the same can't be said about Sawashiro Miyuki. Given her performance in Tegami Bachi, I don't have high hopes. She doesn't really pull off shounen roles very well imo. I hope she can pull this one off well as Kurapika is my favorite character in Hunter X Hunter!

Leorio - The previous seiyuu was Gouda Hozumi (Sunbeam - Konjiki no Gash Bell and etc) and the new seiyuu will be Fujiwara Keiji (Hughes - FMA, Village Chief - Arakawa and etc). Both are experienced voice actors and I'm personally happy with this change since I like Fujiwara Keiji's voice.

Hisoka - The previous seiyuu was Takahashi Hiroki (Folgore - Konjiki no Gash Bell, Japan - Hetalia and etc) and new seiyuu will be Namikawa Daisuke (Italy - Hetalia, Baka Ouji - Level E and etc). Both are very versatile and have done many different roles. I love Takahashi Hiroki's version of Hisoka and I can't wait to see Namikawa Daisuke's version.