Monday, September 5, 2005

   Homework Sucks
Due to college (and my wonderful 18 credit hours), I have had very little time to do much watching of anime. In fact, the only new series I have seen...is S-Cry-d. So...

SCRYED
The premise: 20 years ago there was an unexplained upheaval in Japan that resulted in an island-like area that was thrust upward 300 meters and cut off from the rest of the world. It is known as the "lost ground". Now, people are being born with powers, called 'alter powers', that allow them to call up their alters, whatever they are (the alters are different for everyone). The Japanese governmenet stepped in and set up a city in the lost ground, and then set up a police force known as 'Hold', and inside Hold there is Holy, the alter-using faction of Hold. The entire plotline basically follows the fight between lost ground and mainland at different scales - between city and inner (the term for outside the city - beats me why that is), between Ryuhou and Kazuma (main characters - Ryuhou is in Holy, Kazuma's an inner), and of course, the fights between the actual mainland army and the inner alter-users.
My Opinion: Ick. Ok, maybe it was the dubbing. I am a person on the fence in the sub/dub debate, usually preferring whatever I started out with, but this dubbing was horrible. Ok, maybe that's a little harsh - it usually wasn't bad - but whenever Ryuhou and Kazuma saw each other or thought of each other, the dialogue seemed to go from ok to cheesy weird. Plus - synchronized lines? C'mon! They weren't done well.
Ok, other than the bad dialogue, there really wasn't anything to make any of the characters endearing - out of all of them, I liked Cougar best (why do the secondary characters alwasys get the cool outlooks on life?). I kinda wished Cherise would end up with Ryuhou, and I wished that Mimori would somewhere in the plotline fall for Kazuma, but no. Ok, sorry for the spoilers (spoiler spoiler you don't wanna know don't look!) but the whole love thing was wack in the series. Firt, Kanami's a little girl, yet Kazuma ends up with her?? And the childhood friend of Ryuhou, who hasn't seen him since they were little, gets to be with him even though the person who's been with him longer and more recently and knows him perhaps a little better dies. What a crappy end to the love triangle! Not to mention the whole ending of the series, with Ryuhou and Kazuma's fight - what was that about? It was a pointless episode. I would have rather the series ended an episode earlier than have to sit through that. (END OF SPOILERS SPOILERS DONE YOU CAN LOOK AGAIN!)
Animations were average - nothing special, actually a little underdone. This was done by the same people as Gundam Seed, so if you've seen that you can imagine what it's like, save minus the 3d scenes. It's actually a little below Gundam Seed.
Music was...average to a little below. I tried to listen to in-show songs, but I don't remember any of them, and the opening song's ok, but that's about it.
My Rating: 5
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Monday, August 15, 2005

Other Stuff
Basically, I am in college now. My roomate has disappeared, however, which is sad. She's not even sure she's gonna be here first semester, now, so I may get a total stranger for a roomie... T__T I liked her! She was a Packer fan! *sigh* So for the moment I have a room to myself, which isn't as great as it sounds. It gets really boring. Fast. On the upside, the girl across the hall is a big otaku, so yay! I get to hang out with her a lot, and she has DDR, so I'll get into that in my spare time and maybe get good! Well, at least not as bad. (^__^;;) I'm all settled in myself, carefully avoiding putting my stuff on the other side for now (if I start I'll never stop...), and I'm having fun at the freshman orientation! Wish me luck once classes start! e__e x__x
Visit me often for more updates! (fast internet! fast internet!)
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   Ok, I've been busy...
Heh heh. I've seen a few more series since my last post. I'm in my dorm now, so expect more updates with the fast internet (when I'm not buried under a pile of homework, that is.. *urk*). Ok, so let's get started!

DIRTY PAIR FLASH
Premise: A story of two Travel Consultants (basically, police that are not affiliated with the formal police) that are vastly different but are put together as partners in their difficult job. They have to protect travelers or random people, catch criminals, and other stuff like that. We have Yuri, the ditzy, vain, and airheaded girl, and Kei, the buff, swig-a-beer-and-belch, butch kind of character.
My opinion: Not bad. At only 15 episodes, it is short, and that total is broken into three five-episode "missions". The first is spent getting the characters to like each other, the second is the best (with a plot that actually spans all five episodes!) and the third is ok, spent with random one-episode plots that mainly just show how they work together... So I like the second mission best.
Music overall is ok. I didn't hear anything I fell in love with, personally. They do change songs every mission for openings and endings, but none of the songs were so great I wanted to listen to them every episode. In-show music was fine - mood-setting but not inspiring, either. The animations look a bit old, the style is a bit older, but not so old as to be annoying, personally. In fact, overall, everything was ok, but not mind-blowingly wonderful. Overall Rating: 6.5 or 7.

SORCERER HUNTERS
Premise: In this world there are normal people and sorcerers, who are born with powers. The sorcerers have been given dominance over the regular people (think nobles vs. peasants), and as a result some of these sorcerers start to abuse their powers. Thus the Sorcerer Hunters were started by Big Momma, who appears to be some kind of goddess. (I believe technically in the series she's called 'The One Closest to God', but this god never makes an appearance or has any effect over the plot, so whatever.) These Hunters punish those sorcerers who abuse their power, usually with death (unless they repent, I think). They are: sisters Tira and Chocolate (personality-wise, they are opposites; extrovert vs. introvert. They both love Carrot), Carrot Glaze(the woman-chasing pervert who cares more for chasing women than pretty much anything else. He does love Tira and Chocolate very deeply, however) and his brother Marron Glaze (a total pretty-boy, and he's gay), and Gateau (the 'butch' of the group, and he's bi, and eventually hooks up with Marron). In the meantime, we have the Main Bad Guy, Zaha Torte (only made better by the fact that it's pronounced tor-TAY), who's determined to reawaken the Destruction God and bring about Apocalypse, and hence, the rebirth and remaking of the world, in which he would be god.
My Opinion: For all the strange names, it's actually pretty good! They don't pull anything when it comes to innuendo (heck, Carrot hits on a little girl, and, well, here's one of their conversations: Carrot: "When you're older, would you play with me again?" (they had done little fun things, like skipping rocks)(girl, named Lake): "Are you thinking dirty?" Carrot: "Uh-huh." Lake: "Were you nice to me just so you can do dirty things with me when I'm older?" Carrot: "Uh-huh." Lake: *giggle* "All right, sure!") But quite frankly, none of it is really dirty, and I think that, while not something you'd want your younger sibling to see or hear, it was to me in good class and not anything I found myself looking away over, which in my book makes it amusing and, in the mentioned episode's case, kind of sweet (if you see the episode, you'll understand). The rating is 17+, which I totally agree with, and I think that's quite appropriate given circumstances. Only once did I think something SHOWN was 17+, and that was only for a short bit in the last episode, when Chocolate's outfit loses a shirt and replaces it with thin suspenders that hold up her very low pants. Literally. But you only saw it for at most a minute, so I was okay. And the ending itself is pretty good, along with the general dialogue and plotline. For once, the evil character didn't wait for no reason! He didn't play with the main characters; he didn't stall for any reason other than he had to to gain more power in order to take on Big Momma.
For that and that alone I'd give this a good rating, but it is backed up with at least a memorable opening song (and if I take a moment to think, ending song too), and reasonable to good in-episode music that definitely sets the mood, if nothing else. If I hadn't been so intent on what was happening, I might have actually found in-episode songs I liked, but I was too entertained by what was going on to pay attention.
Animations aren't anything flashy, but they are well-done if you take a moment to pay attention to the details they add. Sure, they do little shortcuts with panned stills like all shows do, but it's not often and everything else pays wonderful attention to physics (yay!). Realistic - that's the word!
Overall Rating: 8.5

SAIYUKI
Premise: Shangri-La used to be a peaceful place where humans and demons shared a wonderful brotherhood until about three years ago (I think. A lot of things happen one year ago in the plot, too, though) So Priest Genjyo Sanzo is commanded by the Merciful Goddess to travel to the west and prevent the resurrection of a powerful demon named Gyumao, since it is the attempt to resurrect him that appears to be driving the demons into muderous rage (lots of magic and technology mixing). Sanzo is also ordered to take along a demon (I guess) named Goku, another demon named Hakkai, and a half-demon named Gojyo. Goku is the noisy, whiny yet strongest of the four, Gojyo is Goku's arguing mate (they fight CONSTANTLY), Hakkai is the happy-all-the-time, polite, caring character AND the most versatile fighter, in my eyes (hand-to-hand, chi blasts, chi barrier walls, and healing chi!), and Sanzo is the generally-ticked off irritable character who refuses to admit he cares for anyone (even to himself). Along the way they are opposed by Kougaji, Gyumao and Rasetsumo's son (legit wife of Gyumao is Rasetsumo), who is controlled by Lady Gyokumen Koushu (Gyumao's mistress), who is heading the resurrection attempt. (Apparently, Koushu has Rasetsumo trapped in stone) Kougaji also has his side-kicks (Dokugakuji, Lirin, and Yaone). Then Sanzo and his team are waylaid by Homura, the current God of War for the Heavens, who is intent on pretty much the same as Zaha Torte from Sorcerer Hunters: remake the world. He doesn't care about ruling that world, however.
My Opinion: AWESOME. I cannot gush enough about this series. Sure, they may swear a lot, but I don't care. It makes it tons more amusing!!!! When they're being series, they don't tend to swear a great deal, but in amusing sequences, they swear up a storm! And dialogue itself is just wonderful, even the stuff they have in the background, like the arguments between Goku and Gojyo that are a near-constant occurance have their own witty remarks!
The animation is beautiful. It may not be high-budget, but nonetheless it is incredibly well done, and when it comes to artistry and transitions, they are just amazing. I can find little to fault with any of it.
Music is great. In-episode and opening. Well, ok, I like the first opening best, and I pretty much skipped the others, but the first opening is just wonderful! My favorite song at the moment, and it easily pops into my head. The only thing is you can tell when they're going to get into something serious because the music changes into a piano piece that can, at times, get a little annoying.
Characterization is also wonderful. What can I say? They do a great job of fleshing out ALL of the major characters, from Sanzo to Hakkai to Kougaji to Homura. Everyone is studied, and if you read the historical notes, you can get even more out of the characters. And it isn't too overbearing in their study of the characters, either, in the way of 'come on, speed it up and get back to the action.' You may feel that way every now and then, but not often - usually, it's quite nice.
Overall Rating: 10!!

ARC THE LAD
Premise: Bounty hunter Elk is caught up in a conspiracy to open the Covenant (and thus swallow the world in chaos and darkness) and those who seek to prevent that. Ark, the rightful heir to some kingdom (sorry, don't remember which) leads that resistance, and the 'bad guys' turn people into monsters while the 'good guys' can use the powers of the spirits (Elk has fire, Arc has them all).
My Opinion: Cliche. From beginning to end, you can predict every event and most if not all the lines said by pretty much everyone. I would recommend this to younger audiences or something, but then they go and have one episode that I wouldn't want a younger person (say, below 13) to see. Consequentially,. that's the one episode I liked. But anyway, the main character, Elk, ends up killing an old childhood friend (he chokes her to death) in that episode, so that's a little more geared to older people. Honestly, they tried to make a bad RPG plotline into a series, but it was too cliche and too game-influenced to make it good. Not to mention I hated the main character (Elk, not Arc).
There was one song I kind-of liked, and that was the second ending song. The others I didn't like and skipped. In-show music was eh. Don't remember any of it, but I do remember thinking it had a lot of trumpets and that it was overdone. It tried to set the mood, but it was just too much.
Animation was good, I guess. Now and then I found myself thinking that something didn't line up right, but overall I didn't hate it, which is something with this series.
Overall Rating: 3

ORPHEN
Premise: Orphen quit his studies at the Tower of Fang after his mother-figure/childhood friend turned herself into a dragon and, as a result, the Tower of Fand cut all ties with her and tried to kill her. It's been six years, and he's found the sword that she used to transform herself, but he can't get it, so he watches it. He gets himself an apprentice to pay for his quarters, and then, later, is joined by the bratty, emotional girl who owns the sword. While he tries to find a way to save Azalie, the Tower of Fang is still seeking to kill her and, since he's in their way, Orphen.
My Opinion: I liked it! It had some weird points, but overall the dialogue didn't suck too badly most of the time - and managed to be witty some of the time - the music was nice (love the first opening! and the other opening and the two endings were good enough I'd like to hear them again), and the animations very smooth. My only irritation came seldomly in the form of strange mouths. Little dots on the corners and the bottom lip, and that was it. But I can live with that. However, it wasn't as inspiring as, say, Saiyuki.
Overall Rating: 9.
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Thursday, July 7, 2005

   Having....little....sleeeeppp.....
This happens to us all around summer time, when too much fun stuff piles up and we sacrifice the healthy and sane practice of sleeping in order to cram in all into what time we can. ^__^;; In my case, it has been the watching of a few series. So, for any and all who care, I will post about them here, now! *internet not on list of must-do stuff...slow connection...urk!*

RAYEARTH I&II
The premise: in order to save the world Cephiro from crumbling, the Pillar of Cephiro (a person who keeps the world from collapsing or falling into war through his or her will and prayers - a her in this case) summons three teenagers (age 14) from Japan to become the Magic Knights. In order to save the world, they must revive three Rune Gods (that resemble mecha suits once they're 'donned') and save the princess from the evil high priest Zagato. They are met by master mage Clef, and granted magic by him before he is turned to stone by Zagato, and from there get weapons from mastersmith Presea made of the evolving ore Escudo. In the second, the three are pulled back to Cephiro by an unexplained force, once again, but for what? And by whom?
My opinion: NEVER SEE THE FIRST!!! With that said, I will recommend reading what happens in the first, or if you must watch it, see only a few episodes. Those would be the episodes that actually are referenced in the second - the one where Ascot turns good (Umi slaps him - a true friendship!), the one where Presea dies, the ones where Ferio comes in (there are about three or four that are important) and the last two, maybe three. Well, and the first one, so you get a feel for what is going on. Otherwise, be prepared for a series oozing with cheesy lines like "I can win because my friends are with me!", and other such cliche and sickeningly sweet situations.
The second is worlds better. The main characters no longer remind you of the heroes in a bad old RPG, and the plotline actually takes a slightly more mature route (slightly, you are reminded.) There is still very little swearing, very little blood (though there is some) and some weird, rather kiddish situations (the princess of Fahren loses the archery match to Fuu because she chose targets that resemble something that grosses her out...). But there are some rather mature situations, as well - Eagle from Autozon seeks to become the Pillar, and doesn't care about what Lantis (his friend from Cephiro) thinks of him because he's going to die soon of a lung disease, anyway (looks like typhoid). And there is love, fulfilled and unfulfilled. And regret. Really, the second grows up, but I'd still only recommend it if you don't mind putting up with a few cliche remarks and aforementioned odd situations. While the first ranks a 2 or 3 in my book, the second I'd up to an 8.

HELLSING
Premise: The Hellsing organzation in England is a special forces kind of swat team geared toward dealing with vampires and other undead...and they employ a vampire. Two, after the first episode, when police-girl Cecia Victoria, in order to not die once Alucard shoots her in the lung, decides to become a vampire. Integra Hellsing is the organization's leader, and she is a strong but obssessed character intent on keeping the Hellsing's honor and integriy intact. When they start encountering man-made vampires, who is behind it all? And why? And through is all, Cecia must get used to the baggage that comes with being a vampire.
Opinion: Wow. What can I say? I liked it a LOT. The plot was interesting, the characters rememberable, and the ending a satisfying and yet open-ended conclusion. Only 13 episodes, in length, but a great 13 episodes. There are none that can be skipped if you wish to follow Cecia's acceptance of being a vampire, and even if you don't, there are only a few then that you can skip. They waste no time. ^__^ The music is a little generic, but one really sticks out - a battle song with a really nice beat - though the opening and ending songs are forgettable (I don't remember, them, in other words). However, this series more than makes up for it in overall plot and characterization. While definitely a mature title (I'd rate it R, myself, sometimes), I definitely recommend it. A 9.5 out of 10.

THOSE WHO HUNT ELVES
The premise: Three Japanese people are accidently summoned to another world when high priestess of the elves Celcia casts a spell that, unfortunately, has a side-effect of summoning things from their world. And when she attempts to send them back, inscribing a spell onto her skin, Junpei, the guy, makes a comment about 'shouldn't she be naked?' that makes her lose her concentration, and the spell is split into five pieces. Now, they must look for the spell fragments on the skin of five female elves, so to find them...they must strip them. The three people, by the way, are martial artist and simple-minded brute Junpei (who's in love/idolizes Airi), Airi, a famous actress, and Ritsuko, a gun-happy teenager who somehow acquired lots of heavy artillery and...a tank.
Opinion: Funny!! This is a series you remember and laugh about. They may not shy away from swearing, but it's done in such a way that you can't help laughing alnog. You don't see anything, so you don't have to worry (or get your hopes up, if you were) about seeing anything you'd rather not see. Really, the only mature thing about it is the subject and the language. Other than that, I'd recommend it!! ^__^ Here's to you, cuzzy! :P And Karl, who supplies me with such wonderful serieses for me to while away the time with. ^__^ In my book, either a 8.5 or a 9. (I'm still watching Those Who Hunt Elves II, so give me a little time about that) One thing to point out, however, is that both the first and second are 12 episodes each, 6 on a disc, so they're incredibly short and a little on the sparse side in explaining just what they're all doing in the beginning of the first series. ^__^
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Sunday, June 19, 2005

   Noir
I just managed to finish the Noir series. I like it! It's a bit slow, and after the first 2 discs you want to strangle the makers into showing you the full flashback scenes just so you can get it over with, but the music is really nice, and the plot is definitely satisfying. I like the girl main characters, and the realistic settings and overall effects. I also like the fact that it's not set in Japan. Don't get me wrong - I like Japan, and I like it alot - but sometimes, you want a setting that doesn't include Tokyo as the all-important city. Noir only goes to Japan once, in the beginning, and after that never goes back or mentions it, really. Most of the action is in Europe. And the ending is really nice. I won't spoil it for those who have not seen it, but it all falls together nicely. Once the action picks up and you realize all the connections, you have to admire its complexity, and then it really gets interesting. I'd say the last two discs are well worth the wait of the previous ones. ^__^ In my book, Noir is a 9 out of 10.
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Monday, May 16, 2005

   Samurai X
I'm hooked. I myself found the TV series, Wandering Samurai, ok but not the best. (They're odd disregard of physics during battle left me annoyed. If someone hits your blade, it should recoil at least a little...) However, the Samurai X 6-espisode series leaves nothing to be desired. It's action is smooth, if somewhat bloody, and the plotline caught me so completely in the first two episodes (sadly, I did not get the director's edition Trust & Betrayal, only Trust, so I have only seen the first two so far) that I am truly aching to see then next part. I entirely recommend this to anyone who wouldn't be put off by a lot of animated blood. They don't show any guts, but blood is abundant, so wait to see it if you think that's a problem, but I really do think that it's a good series, for all it's shortness. Go see it now!! ^__^
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Monday, May 9, 2005

Tenchi GXP
Just finished watching that series, and am now in the middle of Tenchi Universe. GXP was captivating, so say the least! I couldn't stop watching it.

Just wondering, though - about Tenchi Muyo! - are there really only 13 episodes?? I don't believe it one bit! They were building plot! They introduced powers to Tenchi, a new evil person, and the Jurai King was planning something!! They CANNOT have ended there! Please, if anyone knows if they completed this or not, please tell me!
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Friday, April 29, 2005

   Rockapella in Concert
This would indeed be the incredible aca pella group sang "Where in the World is Carmen SanDiego?" And no, there are NO intruments. Even their percussion. They hook up their percussionist - Jeff Thatcher - with some of those sensors they put on electric guitars so he can get the bass end of the drums. (It's really awesome to watch him perform.)

I went to see them in concert not that long ago. It's was so completely awesome!! Their blend - ah, goodness, it's godly. I mean, I'm not a choir person, though I was in middle school, but even I could appreciate the absolute BALANCE they struck in their chords. And they were amusing! I love their lead singer, Scott Leonard - he's just so amusing, and he has such a personality! Charisma. :P

So how does this connect to anime? Well, it doesn't directly. I got one of their cds - Live in Japan. Oddly enough, they're bigger in Japan than they are in USA. And it's so cool!! Since it's live, they have the intros to songs, where Scott speaks in Japanese. ^__^


For those who care, they did the Folger's theme song, too. The "It's the best part of the waking up. It's Folger's in your cup" song.

And maybe the coolest part was their syncronization. I don't just mean knowing the songs or dancing together (though they danced nicely!!!) but overall their interaction, their trust in each other and the level of respect they held each other in. I mean, they were joking through half the concert. Not to mention everyone got the spotlight. In fact, most of the time the solos were switching between everyone, and again everyone got their own songs - two each, I believe, maybe three, and a drum break for Jeff during "Carmen SanDiego." I say Scott's the main singer, because it's his personality that pervades everything they do, but in reality he leads the songs just as much as everyone else does. He doesn't hog the spotlight at all.

So all I can say is that Rockapella is an awesome group, and I really recommend you to pick up a copy of any of their cd's if you see any lying around. I personally like their "Smilin'" cd, followed by "Live in Japan," though I'm told their other live cd is also very good.
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Thursday, April 28, 2005

   Yay!
A good friend and fellow otaku has joined theotaku!! Do go and visit her, and look at her pretty pictures (as soon as she gets some up there). Her username is Ironi, and I have her listed under my friends, so she's just a click away!! ^__^ HI IRONI!!!!! *waves back*
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Monday, April 25, 2005

   Summer Summer!!
I know it's not here yet, but it's coming!! And when it finally arrives, so do the good games!! >:D Kingdom Hearts II, Final Fantasy XII, Dirge of Cerberus..! Ok, so I'm not actually certain when each of these comes out, but it must be getting close!! And I can't wait for Advent Children to finally come stateside. When..? WHEN??!! *shakes fist at the sky*
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