♥ Chan-Chan's Anime Blog ♥

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.

First Impression: Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 16:58:00 +0000

Though I'm not a big fan of the first season, I'm glad that Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu is back with Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni. It's nice to watch a brainless anime such as this once in a while. The baka action of the characters make me feel smart at times XD

What's Hot?
- The Hideyoshi scene in the first episode cracked me up! Even though he's finally wearing guy's trunks and revealing his upper body, he got caught for indecent exposure. LOL. I'm really curious about how his upper body is like. ^^

- Yuuji's cross-dressing cracked me up too!~

What's Not?
- Too much unnecessary fan service for guys. There should be some for girls too! XD

First Impression: Usagi Drop

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 16:40:00 +0000

I love what I'm seeing in Usagi Drop so far... I really do. It's heartwarming and there are some really sweet moments too. However, my love for it is dwindling because I "accidentally" read about the ending of Usagi Drop manga. The ending was way beyond my expectation (in a really bad way) and it was the only thing I hoped would never happen, but sadly, it did. Since there will only be 11 episodes of Usagi Drop anime, I think and HOPE that the ending of the manga will not be animated. Seriously, just because of this big spoiler I "accidentally" read, I'm starting to hate it. Why must such a sweet series end that way?!

What's Hot?
- I can relate to Rin and her fear of deaths. I remember having the same fear when I was in kindergarten.

What's Not?
- I like the anime so far but I HATE the manga ending!

First Impression: Nurarihyon no Mago: Sennen Makyou

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 14:59:00 +0000

I finally have time to watch the Summer 2011 anime series!~

I'm gonna start my review of the new season with Nurarihyon no Mago: Sennen Makyou. I'm a little disappointed with the first season (mainly because of the fillers and too much Kana!). I seriously hope they won't make the same mistake for the second season.

So far, I have enjoyed the first few episodes of Nurarihyon no Mago: Sennen Makyou. I was a little surprised with the way the second season started. I thought that they would start with Jami story but instead, they started with snippets from Rikuo's childhood (earlier chapters of the manga). I think that's a great way to start the second season as it portrayed Rikuo's growth very well.

What's Hot?
- Rihan! He looks so hot!

- I love the exchange between Rikuo/Yura and Yura's brother. It turned out better than I expected. I can't wait for the appearance of the youkai from Toono village and the onmyouji.

What's Not?
- Though I like how the second season started, I was hoping for Jami story to be animated. Well, it was but only the very last part of it.

Yondemasu yo, Azazel-san

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 14:27:00 +0000

Initially, I wasn't attracted to Yondemasu yo, Azazel-san at all as the character designs weren't appealing and the humor was slapstick and too crude for my liking. However, I continued to watch it because of the seiyuu cast and after a few episodes, I started to enjoy this series.

Story: (6/10) – Fair
Akutabe is a detective who summons devils to solve the troubles of his clients. One day, a low class devil Azazel is summoned by Akutabe and is used harshly by him and his assistant Rinko.

There's hardly any plot and the series is episodic.

Character: (8/10) – Good
The characters, especially the demons, crack me up! All the demons have strong and unique personalities and it's fun to watch them.

Here are some characters I find interesting:

Akutabe - He's human but more evil than a demon!

Azazel - a perverse lion(?)-looking demon

Beelzebub - a poop-loving penguin-looking demon whose real form is a good looking demon who loves poop (LOL)

Salamander - a dragon-looking demon who's a male chauvinistic samurai

Undine - a mermaid who is crazy and desperate but somehow, she cracks me up!

Art/Animation: (6/10) – Fair
I'm not fascinated by the art nor the animation.

Music: (6/10) – Fair
The Opening and Ending themes are the typical anime music that I don't really like.

Enjoyment: (7/10) – Fairly Good
I would definitely enjoy Yondemasu yo, Azazel-san more if the humor is not so crude. But well, the eccentric behavior and personalities of the characters have certainly entertained me.

Overall: (7/10) – Fairly Good
Each episode is only 12 minutes long so it doesn't really take a lot of time to complete this series of 13 episodes. However, if you really can't stand crude humor, you should avoid it. This series is good for a few laughs and killing boredom.

Deadman Wonderland

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:15:00 +0000

I like Deadman Wonderland manga and thus had a lot of expectation for the anime. But, after watching all 12 episodes, I felt really disappointed! (v.v)

Story: (8/10) – Good
A massive earthquake ravaged Japan's mainland and destroyed most of Tokyo, sinking three-quarters of it into the ocean.

10 years later, the story starts with Igarashi Ganta, a seemingly ordinary, unassuming middle school student attending Nagano Prefecture's middle school. A survivor of the great earthquake, Ganta has no memories of the tragedy and has lived a simple, normal life. This all changes one day when a strange person covered in blood and crimson armor appears, floating, out of his classroom windows. Smirking madly, this "Red Man" massacres Ganta's entire class and, instead of killing Ganta, embeds a red crystal shard in his chest.

Within days of the massacre, Ganta is declared the sole suspect and, following a suspiciously quick trial, is sentenced to life imprisonment in Deadman Wonderland, a massive theme-park-like prison.

Overall, the anime adaptation was a decent one. However, it ended at a very weird point (imo). But well, it did leave a lot of room for a 2nd Season (if there's ever going to be one). Personally, I doubt there will be a 2nd Season since an OVA will be released this Oct. The OVA will probably (and hopefully) give the anime a proper closure.

Character: (8/10) – Good
There are many awesome characters in Deadman Wonderland but the anime failed to display their awesomeness. I'm very disappointed that the other Deadmen (in particular, Senji aka Crow) received only that little airtime. It's sad that the anime ended just before Senji gets to display his awesomeness. =.=

Favorite Characters:

Senji - He's the epitome of coolness! He looks even sexier with one eye (though it was painful to see his eye being taken off).

Ganta - Loves his never-give-up spirit but he does get annoying whenever he goes into a negative mode.

Art/Animation: (8/10) – Good
Character designs are really cool and the animation for the battles is really good. However, many violent scenes were being darkened out so much that I could hardly see a thing.

Music: (9/10) – Very Good
I love the Opening theme "One Reason" by Fade. The Opening theme and its sequence fit the mood of Deadman Wonderland very well. On the other hand, I don't really like the Ending theme "SHINY SHINY" by NIRGILIS.

Enjoyment: (8/10) – Good
I thoroughly enjoyed those few scenes with Senji! He's so damn cool! (Pardon me for my fan-girling... can't help it =P). I would have enjoyed it more if Deadman Wonderland had not ended so abruptly.

Overall: (8/10) – Good
The story felt incomplete because of the way the anime ended. Anyway, the Ending theme sequence features the past of the different Deadmen (even those who have not appeared at all in the anime) even though the anime features nothing at all! I hope this means that the OVA will focus more on the other Deadmen.

[C] The Money of Soul and Possibility Control

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 05:42:00 +0000

Once again, we are reminded of the fact that "Money is the root of all evils!".

I was in Japan a few weeks ago and after watching [C] The Money of Soul and Possibility Control, I was reminded of something I saw in the news when I was there. In the news, there's an interview with a writer (can't remember his name) and the interview was about the future of Japan after Earthquake/Tsunami/Fukushima incident. The writer commented that Japan must be strong and if it's necessary to lower the GDP, it should be done. He also added that instead of being a country with high GDP, Japan should strive to be a country that's respected by all. Personally, I think what he said is very true and it also applies to my country, Singapore (too money minded!). By the way, I'm surprised that Singapore was being mentioned in the anime (even though it was wiped out the very next moment LOL).

Story: (7/10) – Fairly Good
The Japanese government was rescued from the brink of financial collapse by the Sovereign Wealth Fund. For its citizens, however, life has not improved, and unemployment, crime, suicide, and despair are rampant. Kimimaro, raised by his maternal grandmother after the disappearance of his father and the death of his mother, is a scholarship student whose only dream is to avoid all this and live a stable life. One day, however, he meets a man who offers him a large sum of money as a collateral for his future. From then on his fate is radically altered as he's drawn into a mysterious area known as "The Financial District."

The main theme of this series is "present vs future", with the main antagonist on the "present" side of the argument against the protagonist's "future" argument. Personally, I believe in the importance of protecting the "present" as the "present" determines the "future". However, the anime's definition of protecting the "present" is very different. In the [C] world, the only way to protect the "present" is to use the future as a collateral. This could be a reference to how some people irresponsibly spend beyond their means using credit cards (future money) to fulfill their current desires (present). As demonstrated in [C] and also real life, using the future as a collateral is a big no no and should never been done.

Character: (7/10) – Fairly Good
The only character who developed throughout the series is Kimimaro and all the other characters have little or no development at all. Even though we did get a glimpse of the past of Kimimaro and Mikuni and that somewhat helped to explain the motivations behind their actions, I feel that the anime staff could have done better. Also, there is a lack of explanation on how exactly Asset come about. All we know is that it is the embodiment of one's future but I'm curious about why it has a physical form.

Main characters:

Kimimaro

Mikumi

Masakaki

Art/Animation: 9/10 – Very Good
Character designs are really cool and the animation (especially for the battles) is really good.

Music: 6/10 – Fair
The Opening and Ending themes didn't leave much an impression on me.

Enjoyment: 7/10 - Fairly Good
On one hand, [C] is fast-paced and has lots of actions but on the other hand, many things are left unexplained and given the buildup to the finale, the ending was disappointing (I was expecting something more spectacular).

Overall: 7/10 - Fairly Good
[C] has great style but sadly speaking, substance is lacking.

Summer 2011!!

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 18:26:00 +0000

Time flies and it's already summer. I've been so busy lately that I have not finished any of the Spring 2011 anime even though some has already ended. (v.v) Anyway, Summer 2011 anime listing looks pretty exciting and there are also sequels to some of the anime I like.

Below is the list of anime series which interests me:

1. Natsume Yuujinchou San

I enjoyed the first and second seasons thoroughly. I'm so happy that they finally made the third season! I can't wait to see more Natsume, Nyanko-sensei, Natori and others!

Watching? Of course!

Release date: 4th Jul 2011

2. Nurarihyon no Mago: Sennen Makyou

The first season's pacing was a little slow but I think this will not be the case for the new season. The major story arc which the new season of the anime will be focusing on is the Kyoto arc. It's a pretty long arc so there's no need for the animators to throw in fillers like what they did in the first season. The Kyoto arc is all about the youkai and onmyouji so I hope that the animators will stick to that and not shift the focus to the annoying humans (referring to the Rikuo's classmates).

Watching? Definitely Yes!

Release date: 3rd Jul 2011

3. No. 6

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, but the Public Security Bureau deprived Shion of all his privileges and expelled him from Cronos to "Lost Town." Four years after the banishment, a mysterious accident leads Shion to the secret of the city NO.6.

I love the art and the character designs. It looks like something I will like.

Watching? Yes!

Release date: 7th Jul 2011

4. Usagi Drop

Going home for his grandfather's funeral, thirty-year-old bachelor Daikichi is floored to discover that the old man had an illegitimate child with a younger lover! The rest of his family is equally shocked and embarrassed by this surprise development, and not one of them wants anything to do with the silent little girl, Rin. In a fit of angry spontaneity, Daikichi decides to take her in himself! But will living with this overgrown teenager of man help Rin come out of her shell? And hang on, won't this turn of events spell doom for Daikichi's love life?!

It looks like a nice slice-of-life series. I shall give it a try.

Watching? Yes!

Release date: 8th Jul 2011

5. Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni!

The first season was pretty enjoyable and funny. I also enjoyed the OVA on the school festival. Hopefully the second season will continue to entertain me.

Watching? Yup!

Release date: 8th Jul 2011

6. Dantalian no Shoka

Hugh Anthony Disward inherits an old mansion and a personal library from his grandfather. In the basement of the mansion, he meets a mysterious girl Dalian. She is a Dantalian and a gateway to "Dantalian's bookshelf", which stores the prohibited books of the demons. "Gensho (Illusory Books)", the prohibited books, endanger the balance of the world but people are fascinated by the taboo. Huey and Dalian solve the cases involving Gensho with their ability to access the Dantalian's bookshelf.

The summary sounds interesting and I shall give this a try.

Watching? Yes!

Release date: 15th Jul 2011

7. Sacred Seven

A "new school battle action" project by Sunrise. The tagline is "People's memories change the world!"

I like Sunrise productions so I hope that this will be good.

Watching? Likely.

Release date: 2nd Jul 2011

Bokurano

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 14:47:00 +0000

How would you react when you are told that the fate of our Earth lies in your hands?

This is a question which I hope I never have to face even if it means that I get to be a SuperHeroine. It's seriously not fun to be entrusted with such a big responsibility.

In Bokurano, 15 middle school kids are tricked into participating in a battle to protect Earth. At first look, Bokurano looked like a typical mecha series with huge mecha fighting one another. However, that's completely not true as even though Bokurano is a mecha series, it focuses much more on the human side.

Story: (10/10) – Awesome
During a summer camp, 15 middle school kids, 8 boys and 7 girls, found a cave near the beach. Deep within the cave, they discovered working computers and some electronic equipment. Momemts later, a man called Kokopelli appeared and he claimed to be a programmer working on a brand new game, in which a large robot has to defend the Earth against alien invasions. He persuaded the children to test the game and sign a contract.

Around 1-2 episodes are dedicated to each kid who is chosen to be the next pilot to fight on Earth’s behalf. Each kid has a story to tell, a conflict of some sort to work out before they fight.

I've nothing but good words for the story. It's very unique and beyond my expectation. Even though the story is super depressing, it actually makes it more realistic.

Characters: (9/10) – Very Good
There are at least 20 important characters in Bokurano. Despite having so many characters, the series managed to develop them and tell their stories beautifully. Some of the characters appeared really boring initially, but I can't help but to like or empathize with them as the series progressed.

It's difficult to pinpoint who my favorite characters are but I personally like the back stories of Daiichi and Maki. Their back stories really touched me a lot.

Daiichi

Maki

Ushiro is probably the character with the most development and I enjoyed watching his development.

Ushiro

Art/Animation: (7/10) – Fairly Good
I quite like the character designs for the humans but I can't say the same for the mecha. The mecha which the kids are using is called Zearth and it looks pretty cool but I can't say the same about the other mecha. On the other hand, the mecha battles are animated quite well.

Music: (7/10) – Fairly Good
The Opening theme is "Uninstall" by Chiaki Ishikawa. Personally, I don't quite like this song but I have to say it does fit the depressing mood of the anime. Chiaki Ishikawa also sings the 2 Ending themes, "LIttle Bird" and "Vermillion". Both themes are more light-hearted and I personally like them better.

Enjoyment: (9/10) – Very Good
Bokurano did not make me laugh but instead, it made me cry many times. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it as it's really unique and thought-provoking. The internal struggles and pain which the characters went through are very realistically portrayed and I can't help but to feel for them.

Overall: (9/10) – Very Good
To sum it up, Bokurano is a mecha series which focuses more on the human aspect. One of Bokurano's appeals is its depressing theme so don't expect any fairy tale endings as there's none of that. If you are in the mood for a depressing slice-of-life anime, watch Bokurano!

Colorful

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 08:50:00 +0000

Colorful is an anime movie based on an award-wining first person narrative novel by Mori Eto. The movie itself also won several awards in Japan.

To be given a second chance in life after dying once... how many of us will ever get such a chance? Not many I guess.

The story of Colorful is a boy who is given such a chance.

Story: (9/10) – Very Good
"I" died and was kicked out of the cycle of reincarnation because of the sin "I" committed. An angel told me that "I" won a lottery and he gave me a chance to remember the sin. My spirit possessed the body of a 14 year old boy Makoto, who committed suicide and "I" tried to recollect my memory. "I" felt distressed by the terrible circumstances of Makoto and the fact that "I" was borrowing his body. "I" have started to realize that people are hurting each other because the world is too colorful to distinguish the true color of themselves from others'.

All of us have sinned before, but how many of us have ever paused and pondered over those sins we've committed?

The main character has committed so grave a sin that he could not reincarnate but he was lucky enough to be given a second chance to try to remember his sin. Sometimes, being given a second chance and a different perspective is all it takes to see life in a brand new light.

Characters: (9/10) – Very Good
The characters are very real and you can probably find someone like them around you. The interactions between the different characters are also portrayed very realistically.

Art/Animation: (8/10) – Good
The character designs are kind of boring but I do think that it's realistic.

There were some scenes where they used real photographs of the old trains to tell the viewers more about the history of trains. Though the photographs were obviously real, they managed to blend in very well with the animation.

Music: (9/10) – Very Good
The music was great. Different scores were appropriately introduced at the right scenes. The ending theme "Aozora" by miwa also fits the mood of the movie well.

Enjoyment: (9/10) – Very Good
The first half of the movie was a little slow and I felt a little annoyed watching the self-centered behavior of Makoto. However, as the movie progressed, Makoto also progressed and became more likable. It also became clearer where the story was heading towards and I felt very touched and satisfied after watching the movie.

Overall: (8/10) – Good
If you are looking for a slice of life anime, Colorful is the one you should definitely watch.

First Impression: Inazuma Eleven Go

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 08:10:00 +0000

5 episodes into Inazuma Eleven Go and I've decided to continue watching it. Initially, I was deliberating whether I should follow Inazuma Eleven Go or not as the creators have (most likely) turned my favorite character from Inazuma Eleven into a bad guy.

Well, this is just my speculation but sadly, I think I'm right. In the first episode, it's revealed that Gouenji is Tenma's life savior. In the same episode, there's a scene with a mysterious guy and a priest. A few episodes later, it's revealed that the mysterious guy is Holy Emperor and he's the bad guy who tries to control football by fixing football matches. I don't want to admit it but he looks and sounds like Gouenji. They share the same voice actor but this may not be indicative as in Inazuma Eleven/Inazuma Eleven Go, it's common for voice actors to voice multiple roles. So if that guy is really Gouenji, it means that we'll eventually see a face-off between him and Endou (finally appeared in the last scene of episode 5!). A face-off sounds exciting but I still don't like the idea of Gouenji becoming a bad guy. =.=

Gouenji vs Holy Emperor - don't they look alike (v.v)

What's Hot?
- Among the new characters, I find Tsurugi the coolest. His attitude reminds me a little of Fudou.

- So far, only 2 avatars are shown and I love their design.

What's Not?
- Frankly, I don't quite like the main character, Tenma. He's the weak but positive and motivated kind who will eventually become stronger. I personally prefer characters who are pretty strong from the onset (ie. Gouenji, Endou, Kidou and etc).

- Gouenji is Holy Emperor (?)

Inazuma Eleven

noreply@blogger.com (Chan-Chan) — Sat, 07 May 2011 09:42:00 +0000

Inazuma Eleven has ended! But, Inazuma Eleven Go will continue the legend of Raimon Eleven. I shall talk more about my first impression of Inzuma Eleven Go in another post.

With 127 episodes, I had a fun and enjoyable time watching Inazuma Eleven. The hissatsu waza (certain kill techniques) and action may be over-exaggerated and too unrealistic, but nonetheless, I found it very fun to watch. In my opinion, Inazuma Eleven is set in another universe where hissatsu waza is part of daily life so even though it's unrealistic, it doesn't bother me at all. In fact, I find the hissatsu waza fun and cute (penguins, penguins and more penguins!).

Story: (7/10) – Fairly Good
The story is simple. It’s about Soccer, Endou Mamoru, his team mates and rivals.

Though the plot was over-the-top and unrealistic, it's full of drama and surprisingly entertaining.

Characters: (9/10) – Very Good
Inazuma Eleven has MANY characters. Usually, for an anime with this many characters, it's not easy to remember the characters, but this is not the case for Inazuma Eleven. Not only the main character, Endou Mamoru, but almost all the characters develop throughout the series. Also, all the characters have unique personalities and character designs which make them easy to remember.

Here are the characters I like:
Gouenji - He's my favorite Inazuma Eleven character! He's really badass and cool!~

Kidou - I love his character development! I also love his cloak. It makes him look like a hero!!

Endou - It's hard not to like his never-give-up spirit and bright smile!

Fubuki - I love his character development too! Too bad, he didn't retain his brother's badass personality but I still love him anyway.

Tsunami - I love his easy-going personality!

Hiroto - Nice and cool personality!

Fudou - His hair is too cute!~

Art/Animation: (8/10) – Good
Inazuma Eleven has very unique character designs. I can't say I like all of them but it's fun to see the kind of character designs they have. The hissatsu waza is animated very well too!

Music: (9/10) – Very Good
I love the all the Opening themes which are all sung by T-Pistonz+KMC. All the Opening themes are full of energy and vigor, which fit the mood of the anime very well.

Enjoyment: (9/10) – Very Good
The hissatsu waza, the drama, and of course the soccer make Inazuma Eleven a joy to watch!

Overall: (8/10) – Good
If you are looking for a realistic sports anime, this is not for you. Inazuma Eleven may be a little kiddy and unrealistic, but that's what I like about Inazuma Eleven. From the onset, it's obvious that the soccer in Inazuma Eleven is different from that of real life's. Unlike Prince of Tennis, it doesn't try to act realistic by quoting the names of real life players but in the end, used unrealistic hissatsu waza (real life tennis players can't use those hissatsu waza).

If you are looking for an anime full of action and entertainment, I'm sure you'll enjoy Inazuma Eleven!