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NHK ni Youkosou

another one by gonzo, the series has been going on for awhile now. ive been reading the manga before, and to contrast a bit, i would say that the anime version was a little toned down, and maybe can be considered a bit more "realistic" as for the way they did some changes to the story on how certain events go. examples of which are some key encounters or events, where the manga came off really funny, comical and absurd, and on the anime it was a bit more serious and something that could possibly happen in real life(aside from those weird hallucinations the lead char has).

the anime took off some insane slap happy things that were in the manga, an example would be the suicide meeting episodes where in the manga they were trying to kill themselves in a tent by inhaling carbon in closed quarters(stupidest idea ive ever heard -i was laughing my arse off while reading that part) ..in the anime, it was a deserted island and they tried to commit suicide via jumping off a cliff(it wasnt as funny to say the least). another is on the MMORPG addiction eps where in the manga it was really funny where the guy almost died because he was tied up in a chair and had to call his online friend to help him only to find out that.. erm.. anyways.. short of saying that they made the anime seem much mroe convincing i guess.. not a bad job in doing so, but i really missed what i considered as the funniest moments ive seen in the manga.

well to its credit on the other hand, the anime is quite entertaining, a bit of a dark take of the manga. overall pretty interesting show, a bit of a hard one to watch at that(for some people).. but still funny enuff to not be passed aside.

Muteki Kanban Musume

a martial arts anime or so it seems at first.. well yes and not really.. the principles of the martial discipline of the heroine wasnt really explained.. something called "Onimaru ryu Burial technique" will instantly fall to the 'do not take it so seriously' category.

a story about a noodle shop delivery girl and some friends and foes.. well the story aint much, i think there is none really.. its just a daily romp with the lives of the hero and her rivals battling it out day in day out. a lot of senseless fighting but also very funny. the maniacal madness that is Onimaru Miki is sure enuff to entertain anyone with the stomach to stand watching even if things go literally funny enuff to cause one to barf the contents of his stomach.. just like one of my friends did(and i meant that literally) lol..


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Sumomomo Momomo 'The Strongest Bride on Earth'

another 'martial arts' anime as well which is stil ongoing right now.. a bit more on the fan service side of comedy and toliet humor and other seemingly unpleasantries, but man is this show weirdly funny.. the characters specially sumomo made me laugh the first time she sed "Hai!" with such enthusiasm and fire.. the op sequence remided me of ranma1/2 for some strange reason.. btu when looking at the translation of the op song.. >_< hehe yeh, its full of that overdrive.. well what can i say.. for an anime where the story is about a girl who wants to make a child with "the strongest man" in order to further and strengnthen the martial arts legacy of the family its quite the riot. specially when the strongest man she has chosen is a weak sap and a coward.. not to mention refuses to practice martial arts because of a past trauma that she herself was the cause in the first place. the particular trauma was so damn funny as well.. anyways, this series only seems to run on comedy, any particular plot it may have is not really that important imo.. as long as they can pull off comedies like this the story is more or less "ok".

well if only for a good laugh its still good.. shows like these arent really to be taken seriously, they exist for the sole purpose of making us laugh, so i leave it at that.

MAHOU SENSEI NEGIMA! ~HARU


now this was the preview ive seen before, it was sorta like a follow up to the series or a 'spring special' much similar to the love hina specials.. but unfortunately its not as good..

the style and quality is a bit more similar to the recently released remake of negima titled "NEGIMA!?" theres not much of a story here just a 'misunderstanding between Negima and Asuna', theres not really a plot per se.. they just had an argument over a trivial thing,. they ended up going on vacation with the rest of the class to some private island, where the class helps the two 'clear the air' between them.

well for a 'spring special' its not at all as good as love hina's, its a short oav as well, its just full of fanservice.. well u get to see all the girls in swimsuits.. -_- really now.. a decent story or conflict or adventure couldve made this a whole lot more interesting.. but instead they chose to just make eyecandy out of it. well im not really complaining much.. its not like it hurts the eye to watch.. but yeh.. eyecandy.. nothing more.. nothing less..

STRIKE WITCHES


OMIGAD!! GONZO WTHHAPPD?!!!!


^is basically my way to describe this gadawful crap that i just watched... sure the screens i saw looked nice and all(being gonzo) but damn.. what is this@!$$!#!!


a similar anime titled "sky girls" -an ala powerXtreme cartoon wannabe anime with flying girls had more punch and fun than this piece of retardedness called STRIKE WITCHES..

its reeks genericness all throughout and i cant seem to find even one frrigin redeeming factor for it cept for the fine animation by gonzo other than that..

its the basic lure, mecha magical girls, cat/dog ears/tails all rolled into one(and i cant believe they failed in such a basic strategy).. damn those CHEESY FAG one liners and dialougues.. -_-

i know gonzo have had theyre near misses, but this one is prolly the worst..

MANABI STRAIGHT!!

in the tradition of 'Azumanga Dai Oh' and 'Ichigo Mashimaro'. another ..brain melting loli fest xD

*ahem* ok.. personally i dun like the term 'loli' as it happens to be linked with the fetish thereof, but thats what everybody is calling this show as it is concerned with little kiddies..

that aside, i really liked the show, the animation was great, its fresh, new, hip, what else.. i guess its more similar to ichigo mashimaro, in comedy and art, the resemblance is a bit.. close i guess(maybe its the seiyuu i dunnoo..).

the story is really heartfelt in this one, i could almost see my own brain melting while a smile forms on my face as i watch the show.. there is something in the show that just makes u smile i guess.. same with 'pita ten' and others such genre.. i guess its a 'feel good' anime to be precise.


Manabi Straight is about a girl, Manabi, who transfers to a new school.. the setting of the story is abit futuristic, as there are hover scooters, and all kinds of gadgets that can be seen around. anyways, in this time period, school activities have been declining as the trend of the world are more geared onto practical jobs, school only becomes like a prerequisite that the new generation would rather work rather than go to school. so any other activities other than learning are quickly becoming outdated, and most phased out of the curriculum.

so here comes manabi to the rescue it seems, on her first day as transferee student, she elects herself the new chief of the Student Council and promises to make school life fun and memorable for everyone..

ok cheesy, check
brainmelting, check
retardedly cute, double check(with the gradient hair)

overall 2 eps in this is fast becoming, the next ichigo mashimaro(only with more story), if ya like cute like pita ten, azumanga, etc.. then this show id for juu.. <3

FREEDOM


the story:

people live in the moon now, the earth as we know it has inevitably fallen to ruin(as all earth future stories standard -its like an unavoidable future even in reality) well bored kids with nothing better to do join in on racing modded bikes(similar to starwars pod racing) race events. the earth to their knowledge is no longer fit to live in. or at least thats what they are led to believe...


first impressions:

it really looked like an all new AKIRA anime.. the art, character designs and the junky mechs. aside from that its another refreshing anime that does not necessarily seem like the last typical stereotype. only 6 eps to this oav, it will probably feel like a long movie when all is done. a good long movie at that..

misc info::
nice op song by utada hikaru = xtra points!!
product placement: nissin cup noodles

Maria-sama Ga Miteru

well having nothing else to watch these days i decided to check this series out of curiosity.. (more likely i couldnt stand the retarded dubbing animax made of the series so i decided to get fansubs)

i didnt quite like the opening intro of marimite, as it depicted a cruxifix as a symbol of "purity".. which is soo damn far from what it really signifies.. which in my case it means nothing more than a glorified execution method used by the rome. anyways, thats just my historical bias. when it comes to religion its also wrong misconception using it as a symbol of purity, when it is a symbol of sacrifice for christians.

well aside from that i would say marimite was not as enjoyable to watch as 'strawberry panic' (a similarly themed anime) but i got bored of strawberry panic after a few eps and didnt bother finishing the whole series. for some reason i managed to get thru watching the entire marimite anime.


Maria-sama Ga Miteru ~Haru
on the second season, is where things finally get interesting, unlike the first season which was kinda wishywashy till the last eps, we finally get some action, with the introduction of new characters, still the same feel to the theme, yet it kinda sticks to me in aways, so i managed to finish that as well.

Maria-sama Ga Miteru ~Natsu
continuing where 'Haru' left off, (Natsu)an oav series now, the animation has changed dramatically, not only the quality but the line-art seems to have gotten a revamp. it kinda threw me off a bit coz it definitely made the series feel a leebit different from before. but ultimately its not half bad.. just finished the first ova , and onto the next ep..

so far the series is just so-so for me, tho it is interesting specially teh suggestive theme, but it wont be making a deep impact on this particular viewer. sure it introduced another fad, but gradually i think it wont have a lasting impression... also, im reminded of kimagure orange road, specially on the ova series, becoz of the change in artstyle sachiko looks alot like KOR's Madoka Ayukawa -still its not KOR(hardly as memorable as KOR).

Byousoku 5 Centimeter

its the latest work of one of my fav directors, Makoto Shinkai. i put him up there along with the great, Hayao Miyazaki, Satoshi Kon and others. Makoto Shinkai definitely has a unique way of presenting his works, there is a feel that is different and trademark 'shinkai' that is solely his.

'Byousoku 5cm' is a three part movie story of a boy and a girl's meetings and partings, and just like his previous works, 'The Voices of a Distant Star' and 'Beyond the Clouds, The Promised Place' the story is presented thru a certain point of view of his characters. very sad, fleeting and wavery emotions combined with an aspect of nostalgia are his main points in storytelling.. while my personal fav of his works would have top be the orginal release of 'The Voices of a Distant Star' (with which he himself and his girl did the seiyuu of), this new feature is fast becoming a fav of mine, im really looking forward to the next phase of the story, and how it will turn out. hopefully it would have a happy ending like 'beyond the clouds*' but then again, i really cant be sure that the ending of beyond teh clouds was a happy one. it wasnt vague or anything, but its not really conclusive. the feeling ive got for it is that one must just take the feeling it last left you and run with it. it was definitely 'different' from other animation movies out there, including those of ghiblies .

well only seen the first of the three but it sure is looking good, great scenes/scenery/cinematography(asusual) and very delicately themed for people looking for something else thats different from the norm.

GHOST HUNT

its been awhile since i saw a good ghost themed anime, the last would be 'vulgar ghost daydream'(since mushishi doesn't necessarily fit the category).

ghost hunt is 25 episodes long, tho i would like to see a continuation come soon. the 8 'cases' are split within the 25 eps, so one case(story) usually takes 2-3 or more episodes to finish, the first episode(introductory), doesnt really imress on the fear factor, its pace was slow consuming 3 eps in the process, but it kinda draws the audience into the atmosphere of the line of work of the characters, which mostly deals with exorcism.

the characters are a really fun bunch, it reminds me of the anime 'Haunted junction' only more serious in this story, the group consists of one monk, a miko, a catholic priest, a psychic medium, an omyouji and a narcissistic lead male and his highschool student assistant. quite the wierd combo for a ghost hunting group, but they work well together by exhausting all the methods they know in doing their job, they can eliminate most of the paranormal threats they face together.

by the middle episodes of the series, it really does come into the thick of things, paranormal activities follow one after another, poltergeist, spirits, zombies, curses and everything in between, one particular case, arc number7(case 7) had me feel a bit of a cold sweat as i watched it alone in my room with the lights turned off.. kinda helps me pass the time during this hot weather, feeling a chill thru a scary flick was good once in awhile. tho it didnt help my sleeping problem one bit =P

Tabz is the king of anime reviews XD keep 'em coming Tabz, really great stuff here!

Btw I'm wondering if you'll review Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto anytime soon

i know ive started a review draft on it somewhere in my pc(cant seem to find it -_-) but its not finished yet, im thinking of doing a short review of bakumatsu when it finishes since i still have mixed feelings about it. the main character is kinda boring for me(as he is right now), but other characters keep it interesting.. hopefully the plot would get better(with more conflicts arising), i guess its the same as 'le chevalier de eon' its running on the same formula(a 'what if...' history background with a dash of magic/mysticism crap).chevalier turned out pretty disappointing , it looked good when it started but they couldnt keep up the quality, too much repetitiveness on the action scenes(budget constraint seems to be the cause as the animation sucked halfway through the series), and the inconsistencies in recent episodes are too obvious to ignore. but that's an entirely different matter(gna have to revise that chevalier review soon). so far 'bakumatsu Irohanihoheto' has better consistency than 'le chevalier' im really hoping they keep it up.

ROMEO X JULIET

it seems they're trying to replicate the success they had with 'Gankutsuo'(gonzo's rendition of the Count of Monte Cristo) tho the style is a bit different, while Monte Cristo was remade into a futuristic setting, this Romeo & Juliet adaptation is more geared to a fantasy type background, with neo verona, the capital being located on a floating continent in the sky, and with flying horses as a mode of transportation.

2 eps so far, it wasnt as bad as i thought it would be, well in fact its actually quite entertaining, a reversal of roles, and a plot far different from the original. the Capulets were all murdered by the Montagues and took from them their rulership over neo verona, the sole survivor of the massacre, the young Juliet, escaped and raised as a boy(named Odin), and doubles as the 'red whirlwind'(a masked hero similar to zorro only she wears red instead of black.)

they even did a number on William Shakespeare, he's in the show as one of the side characters, they made him really fruity.. named him 'Willy', i call him Gayspeare >_<.

well you know how it goes, the two soon meet, Romeo and Odin(Juliet)..., way to pull it off tho, im quite the skeptic(when it comes to these things) but the story seems to flow just right. it aint awkward, and its not like theyre trying too hard(unlike some new entrants this season) so yeh, quite a good watch..

misc info::
op song is a jap rendition of "you raise me up"

SEIREI NO MORIBITO

probably the most beautifully animated series this season, from the op song(which i didnt really like till a few replays) , the scenery was just so absolutely gorgeous.. that countryside atmosphere that deep green lush and infinite blue skies thing..

Seirei no moribito is the story of a female 'yojimbo' (bodyguard for hire) named "Balsa"(or Barusa), she has just returned after being away for two years, upon nearing the city, she was caught up in an incident regarding the royalty of the region, she saves a young boy, a prince no less from drowning in the river. and later on becomes his bodyguard to fulfill a vow she made years ago to save a certain number of souls, the boys life she set as being the last of the tasks as she vows to protect him with her life.

now now, i know what you're thinking but thats not exactly it, this female warrior isn't the typical young girl with a sword archetype, she's a seasoned warrior who's an expert spear user, well dont wanna spoil it for this reviews sake, so ill leave the story part(most of it) out from this review.

in anyways, this really is beautifully animated, even the food looks good enuff to eat , prolly one of my top choices for this season, and for 1 there aren't loli-robo's, violent teen aged girls, and maids, or any combination of the three. so definitely someething that would stand out among others.

the music i didnt like at first, its one of Laruko's songs, but hey its just that maybe theres alot of larc band wannabees that their sound seems sooo generic nowadays, but definitely got used to it after awhile.

this is another one that i would call a long movie that was cut into episodes, the animation quality is really good. and the action isnt over the top, its just like a regular movie only animated, yeh they could prolly make this into a live action series/movie , but then it would be difficult to find such beautiful scenic spots and structures to portray the story well. the setting seems to be oriental, not really sure if its japanese, korean or chinese, but definitely oriental in style and im pretty sure the plot isnt of this world coz i see 2 moons in episode 2 meaning maybe another world altogether.

woot for tabz! i agree with your review for seirei no moribito. the art is topnotch and the battle scenes are insanely rendered (napanood mo na yung episode 2? astig!). but then, you can always expect that from Production I.G.

hope you come out with something for Bakumatsu. and have you reviewed Darker than Black yet? recommended din! ^___^

^seire's ep3 was more than enuff to make me drool.. the fight scenes were as fluid as a kung fu movie.

bakumatsu's turning out a bit disapointing, animationwise, it just never got better lacked abit mroe umph. after seeing action like in seirei, i cant really give it a good mark

Darker than black is surprisingly good.. it has decent animation and doesn't get cheap on the gore and blood. the story is a bit intriguing, not original but teh animation alone can carry a series if its good, its just simply good.

ok im feeling a bit lazy so ill just post some few impressions ive had on some new shows since i havent the time to write reviews for each of them so here goes:

idolm@ster Xenoglossia - trying to replicate the success of mai hime and stratos4 by putting video game girl characters with boring looking robots and unispired conflicts and dialouge = FAIL.

Rocket Girls - seemed like a stratos4 like anime, with deated graphics, cg which looks older than stratos' but the crazy story is enuff to win me over/. = its quite good. the people in this show are crazy.

Bokurano = another depressant.. yes its a drug that some crave from time to time.. stay clear of this one if you dont/cant love depressing animes. but animation is good, story intriguing and yes people die so easily. = its good. ~unisntall, uninstall.. yess id uninstall this from my brain if only it werent that good.

Kaibutsu oujo = fail because i saw murder princess first and the action is limp compared to murder princess ~huga the manga was better imo..

Murder Princess = a hack and slash anime with robo loli girls and maids. = its ova so it passes quality requirement.

Lovely Complex = funny anime with osakan accent, a love comedy about a short guy and this tall girl. = its a bit different from the norm.

Overdrive = great animation, a bicycle anime, so the protagonist is this stupid kid, btu he gets better by the end i bet.. they all do. its good for now.

Tenggen Toppa Gurren Lagan = super robot fans rejoice! gainax does it again!! another homage to the greats that seedy kids just doesnt understand the passion of super drillz and big combines!! ~kyoudai gattai!!

Lucky Star - if you liked azumanga and you loved the melancholy of haruhi suzumiya, and you dont mind if those two get combined then you'll lovve this. theres no story, its just some comic segments and a flashy new dance op, courtesy of the same studio that did melancholy. and yes hirano aya is the voice of the small blue haired otaku girl. lots of refference to animes, and melancholy. lucky channel is my fav segment.

seto no hanayome - standard fare..

nagasarete airantou -standard fare..

hayate no gotkoku - standard fare...

heroic age - based on greek myth, futuristic, big robots mechs,space opera .. i like space operas.


shining tears X wind - FAIL.

Kishin Taisen Gigantic Formula - Gigantic FAILURE!!

Kaze no stigma - generic, but its ok.

Terra e (toward the terra) - might review this one soon.. its a remake of an old movie based on an old manga.. yes its very good so far.. might be one of the animes that have had influenced the creation of movies such as the matrix.

im working on a more detailed Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo Movie review since i got a look on it and it was really something pecial.

btw the comments are just based on my own personal sastes, what i like and don't like doesnt necessarily be the same as others so having sed that cut my opinions some slack