I'd like to hear a song put to the Eighteen Days of Christmas, especially with a random smorgasboard of themes like this.Unfortunately, like all features, this one has to eventually come to an end, especially with a growing list of harem (among other) shows begging to be put to the microscope.Oddly enough, blogging an average of 1,300 words a day for eighteen straight days has not been as incredibly exhausting as I imagined, partly because of the raw fanboy adrenaline that drives these posts. It's certainly been a fun experience to go over all the shows and moments of my first year of serious anime fandom, especially since I uncovered a few shows again that were beginning to fade into the mists of time. Hopefully it's been the same enjoyable, sentimental experience for the readers as well.And now it's time to point the fancannon towards the future, as we take a look at what next year has in store - at least from the perspective of a relatively new romance/harem fan. There are promising shows from the fall season, the winter season, and even beyond, with intriguing releases on both sides of the Pacific.No doubt, though, that some of the most interesting things to happen haven't been revealed yet - perhaps another random show will blindside its way to a top spot on the list, or maybe some exciting news involving an old favorite. You never know.And so, here are some of my resolutions for the year 2008 in anime...I resolve to figure out what the hell Byousoku 5cm, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, and Honey & Clover are, and why they are so awesome.I'm pretty sure this one is self-explanatory. These three shows are romance-types that have been praised to heaven and back a few times, that I've just missed the boat on thanks to licensing. Indeed, I downloaded the first episode of H&C, and didn't even get to watch it before the license was announced. Such is the way of fansub fandom.In any case, I don't plan on complaining about shelling out an extra hundred dollars or so blind for these shows combined if they turn out to be half as good as the hype. There's only one way to find out~I resolve to fall into a seven-year coma over the sheer beauty that only sad girls on DVD can impart. (Kanon R1)Kanon has, and will always be, my personal fanboy weak spot. I watched Kanon once streaming, watched it again on fansubs burned to DVD again, and now it looks like it's going to be the third time, except this time in real DVD quality on the big screen.Rewatching a show has never been my thing, with so much new content still available, but given that Kanon just looks better every time I watch it (if you follow the progression above), and that it will appease my guilt about cheaping out on anime, I don't think I'll mind that much. After all, I did say on a forum that I would buy "any box with a picture of Shiori" on it...(But they gave a cover to Kaori? Pfft.)I resolve to believe in the fanbase that believes in the Gurren Lagann.Similar to the triple threat above in the first resolution, Gurren Lagann has pierced the heavens with the praise heaped upon it by fans large and wide, and I figure with ADV going beyond the impossible and offering free streaming of the first few episodes, I should kick my reasoning to the curb and see what the hell Gurren Lagann thinks it is.I'm not a mecha person personally, but I have been pleasantly surprised before (look down one resolution), and, well, if it has this many quotable phrases, I'm sold on it.I resolve to figure out how to pronounce 'zawa zawa'. (Kaiji continues)Seriously...it's not computing, no matter how many times they say it in the show - which, considering the situation Kaiji is getting to, is quite a lot. Kaiji has been probably the one shock show of the year for me; something with one token-appearance girl over thirteen episodes, with really ugly art, and a mere 50-second opening song wasn't going to end up on my watch list by any means of my own resolve, but I'll have to thank the Kaiji fans out there (Orion, among others) for tuning me on to this show.It's mindgame central, with an anti-protagonist who alternates between incredibly stupid and ingenious fighting with a bunch of morally-ambigious characters in a yakuza-sanctioned last-chance 'gamble' for debtors. And from there, it only gets better, with an emotionally-intense rooftop tightwalking challenge that leaves everybody questioning themselves, and leaves the audience wondering and wanting more. It's a show with a real sense of danger and tension, and it's pretty intriguing to follow analytically as well too, at times. If you have even a hint of hair on your chest, or want some, drop whatever you're doing and watch Kaiji. Now. You won't regret it.I resolve to fanboy 200% more over any humanoid interface with purple hair, yellow eyes, and glasses. (Haruhi II)And now for the other end of the spectrum...the fourth book in the popular Haruhi Suzumiya light novel series, titled "The Dissaperance of Haruhi Suzumiya", is getting animated sometime in 2008 by Kyoto Animation. This book focuses on and develops the character of Yuki Nagato, a humanoid interface who shows little emotion on the inside but may harbor internal desires. Additionally, a mysteriously related girl, thought to be removed from the story, named Ryoko Asakura, returns, in a time-bending plot that will leave readers on the edge of their seats.Is that enough sanity for you? I really want to go to town with the potential of this anime. (Can you take me to...mo~e town?! Can you take me to...) Nagato's my favorite character in Haruhi by leaps and bounds, and the fourth book was intriguing in its plot and head-hurty time travel aspects...not to mention, talking, blushing Nagato! (plus cold, rational Nagato for maximum fanboyism) Plus, the many potential side-stories KyoAni could throw in leaves the imagination wondering of the possibilities. It's easily one of my most anticipated anime of 2008, and I don't care if that makes me a slavering fanboy.The only thing that worries me about this show is the stratospheric hype that people like me will pile on top of it. We'll see if KyoAni can clear the bar that has been set even higher than before.I resolve to actually pick one consistent Shuffle! girl to fanboy this time around.Well...first it was Nerine for a brief stint, then Mayumi, and now Sia resides in the spot of 'most adorably awesome Shuffle! character', but one thing's for sure...I'm looking forward to the R1 release of Shuffle.It was probably one of the ecchi-er shows I watched this year but it more than redeemed itself with a gripping second half, with Sia's, Asa's, and Kaede's stories all resonating on different levels and making for great dramatic stuff. It's been a while since I've seen it in full (considering I couldn't even make it through Shuffle! Memories), and so I'll see if it stands up to the test of time. I certainly hope so - Shuffle! has both a stunning cast and storyline, definitely a good mixture.I resolve to make the producers of Code-E's second season resolve to actually resolve the story this time.Easy enough to understand. I think I may be one of a dozen or so English fans actually anticipating the remainder of this show, considering even the first season went over lukewarm, but apparently someone in Japan likes this show...or is threatening the studio.It's kind of understandable why the first season of Code-E was so understated in terms of popularity - it was a very slow-paced, relaxed show, and didn't really offer a lot to grab viewers (not to mention the infamous lack of noses). But it was a slice-of-life with a fair amount of romance, and even a little bit of action and intrigue, and was a good show for kicking back - the pace was in-between Aria and KimiKiss, being relatively laid-back most of the time, but occasionally sitting up and doing something.In any case, I look forward to the second season, as with the recent revelation of NanaDrops and sola as some of Japan's top 10 anime of 2007, Code-E might be left as my only show I've liked that I can trumpet as 'something not a lot of people have seen, but probably should.'I resolve to figure out what the hell is with this whole 'dango' thing. (Clannad continues)It's Clannad! What am I going to do, drop it? Unsuprisingly, dango fever has overtaken a lot of English blogs, with some affected more than others, and it seems overall that the third Key anime to be produced is being recieved a lot more warmly than Kanon or AIR. Perhaps this is due to the larger emphasis on comedy, and the surprisingly strong female lead that Nagisa is turning out to be. She's a character who's weak in emotion but strong in resolve, and has the feeling of being mostly believable with just a dash of escapism attached. The way I like it.Kotomi's still a wildcard at this point as to how she's going to turn out, Tomoyo looks to be a lot of fun when her arc comes around, and Ryou and Kyou are comedic, awesome, and adorable all at once, and nearly threaten the Hisui and Kohaku deadlock on 'best twins in anime'. We'll see if Clannad can keep up this strong pace as it looks to head into some more of the supernatural, visual-novel-type stuff in its second half.I resolve to be in despair again. (Zetsubou II)Even though it lost a little steam (and a few fansubbers) near the end of its first season, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei was still a hilariously fresh comedy that was an entertaining blend of Monty Python, the anime reference database, and a couple thousand monkeys on typewriters.That is, black humor, random parodies, and random...random, put in a blender, and set to awesome. Oh yeah, and add a dash of Shaft for maximum head-churning - certainly, with all the blackboard scribblings and references, I could see why it takes so long to translate - after all, it usually takes 30 to 35 minutes for me just to get through a 25-minute episode!Although SZS did take a turn for the repetitive and fanservicey toward the final episodes of its first run, the characters are great twists on the norm, and I look forward to seeing Itoshiki and his anti-harem pull off some amusing antics again in winter 2007/8.I resolve to learn how to manipulate people to cross-dress. (Minami-ke II)Minami-ke is the second comedy sequel in the winter 2007/8 season, and it's also got my attention, with an equally vast and hilarious cast of characters, from the romantic stalkers, to the countless traps, to the scheming sisters behind the whole slice-of-life show. Certainly I was counting on only Chiaki being the manipulative one, but with the advent of Banchou Haruka and the revealing of Kana to be much brighter than she looks (when she chooses, anyway), it seems all the characters have a lot of potential for having 'fun' with the others, intentionally or not.The nature of this Minami-ke confuses me however, as I'm not sure whether it's a second season, a remake, an alternate retelling, or all of the above, but if it stays close to the adapted formula used in the anime, it should be plenty good.I resolve to get back in touch with my Dark (and Krad) side. (DNAngel manga continues)Some interesting news that nearly slipped by the radar near the end of this year was the quiet announcement that the DNAngel manga was to continue serialization soon. Having stalled out for few years, the hype for a popular fantasy-romance manga like this has probably subsided a bit, but it's enough for me to still raise at least one eyebrow.I enjoyed the DNAngel anime and what existed of the manga in my early years of anime watching, and although I've moved on to much bigger and better romances and adaptations, I still look forward to seeing this - hopefully - finish, or at least progress. An unfinished story is one of the things I detest the most, even more than a sloppily finished one.Which, incidentally, probably means I should finish watching To Heart 2 (nine months in the watchlist, and six episodes still to go) ... but it's not interesting enough at this point to deserve a resolution in itself.I resolve to continue watching shows targeted at an audience younger than the anime itself...and female. (Marmalade Boy)Marmalade Boy was another blast-from-the-past manga I re-encountered this year, in the form of a 4-DVD boxset in the public library. It's vintage 1994, and it shows in every form, from the different character design, to the purely animated (no CG) graphics, to the old-school music, to the lack of...well...moe.It's really a pure shoujo romance, right down to the sparkly pan shots of the blond-hair bishonen, and yet it's still not too bad. I can't determine whether it's the sentimental factor of the manga, of old anime in general, or just my tastes in romance overall, but it's still a fun watch, and one I'm hoping I'll get to stumble across more of in the next year. And hopefully soon - with roughly 50 episodes to go, there's a lot left...I resolve to say something interesting about KimiKiss, and why I'm going to keep watching it. KimiKiss is a tough show to crack funny about, if only because it is rather, almost plain at times - but you know what else is plain? Vanilla ice cream. You know what vanilla ice cream is? Awesome.KimiKiss is refreshing in its take on visual novel romance in many ways - the first, hinted at above, is that it's very down-to-earth, simple in a way compared to the other starfish-carving, memory-erasing, house-burning dramatic visual-novel anime featured recently. And secondly, there are three, maybe four threads going at the same time - it's not just everyone loves one guy, but rather, Kouichi and Kazuki, the main guys, have two potential characters each, Mao has Kai and maybe Kouichi, and even the third guy, the film club president, and High-Class Girl Voiced By Mamiko Noto (considering Kotomi and Konoe, that narrows it down, doesn't it?) might factor in. The ways in which the many independant threads of KimiKiss could intertwine, are certainly intriguing.I resolve to double my yandere view-count. (Higurashi R1)Higurashi is another anime that's somehow passed me by, and with Geneon in trouble, the window for me to watch this show without shelling out hundreds may be shrinking into the distance.Still, I hope someone manages to pick up this show, if only because I've heard many interesting things about this show; it's a visual novel adaptation and it's got cute girls that are apparently ALL yanderes, and that sounds like a good enough reason to keep me on the edge of my seat. Also, I've got the first ten seconds of the "Auau~" song stuck in my head.I resolve to say "Magical Beretta" with a straight face. (School Days OVA)Seriously, what the hell? That's all I can say about this.Apparently School Days is cashing in on its popularity just like Makoto seemed to have done within the show, with not one but two OVAs being produced in the near future for it, and with 0verflow's reaction to the end of the anime (here's a hint: they're selling "Nice Items" at Comiket) there's no bounds as to where these OVAs could end up going. Especially since this one's adapted from an essential April Fool's Joke. It's going to be - what's the word - interesting...I resolve to say something eye-catching about Shira Oka, a true English-produced school-life visual novel.I believe this is what they in the business call "name-dropping".This is something I've got an eye on with that enthusiasm that only an anime fan could have: I'm not sure if this visual novel will sell, or even avoid becoming vaporware, but with the powers of hope I look forward to this product, just to see what could become of the possibilities.Additionally, I have a vested interest in this company, Okashi Studios, because they're California-based, so there you go. Apaprently this game has been going around a while, making shows at some anime conventions, so we'll see what comes of it.I resolve to actually watch through Shugo Chara's transformation scenes, at least once.Shugo Chara was the show that made me wonder where I'd been without my magical girl fix. The answer was probably Nanatsuiro Drops, but these two shows really piqued my interest in the 'pure magical girl' genre again. They offer an interesting blend of slice-of-life and romance, and don't always devolve into the cutesy pink-fests that many believe this kind of shows to be.Rather, Shugo Chara has a large amount of intriguing characters for both genders; Amu herself is a character with realistic fears, hopes, and struggles, and Ikuto is an interesting flirt with that slight touch of rebellious character. The plot has promise of becoming something in-depth, instead of monster-of-the-week as well.One thing I have to say from the spoilers, though, is: Nadeshiko, say it's not so. I don't care what you take from me. My dignity, my pride, my sense of sanity, anything, just tell me this isn't true. It can't be, it won't be, it'll never be. I'll never accept it, never, ever! Never I tell you!I resolve to power through ef in a 15-hour span, lest I forget about it.I think that was how the plot went, in any case. Although I usually watch shows one-episode-per-night, I might have to step up the pace, since between all the other shows, the disjointed Shaft style of ef, combined with the dual plots, makes it very hard to watch.Which really bugs me, since everyone is heralding it as a true work of genius, and so far I can see why. I really like a lot of it, from the touching story of the main heroines, to the motto of the male leads wanting to be the 'knight in shining armor for someone', and I can't wait to see how it all ties together. I just hope I can make sense of it.I resolve to fall in love with Sakura and Syaoran falling in love all over again.This is something that's a long time coming. A Cardcaptor Sakura rewatch is something I've been meaning to do one of these days as a blog mini-special, with a little episode recap blurb, maybe a half, quarter size of a normal post, on each episode of Cardcaptor Sakura. Just because I want to see if my fanboyism for this show knows any bounds - and to see if it's still as gold as it first was.It may not happen the beginning of the year, it may not finish before 2009 - but I just have to find the drive, and the time. Rest assured, it WILL happen. Long live hanyaa~n.-CCYSacchin waves bye-bye to 2007.(Wow, I sound like an old crochety anime fan with all my ridiculous passion for old shows like Marmalade Boy, Cardcaptor Sakura, and DNAngel. Even my harping for Code-E, who knows.)(Oh my God, nearly 3300 words. This pips at the post by a dozen words or so the fall 2007 mid-season review post as the longest post ever on Eternity - yes, without this addendum. Hope you haven't fallen asleep during reading this. Happy New Year, and here's to another great year of anime~)
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I was out of town for a week, and with all the holiday craziness, I’ve fallen a bit behind on several series. I think I may only carry Bamboo Blade and Shakugan no Shana into next season. I heard Shugo Chara is slated for 51 episodes, and I am scared of commitment. [...]
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I think that the end of 2007 will be the best time for this, so yeah, I’m going to drop Shugo Chara so that I won’t take it along into 2008. I’ll still continue watching it, but I don’t feel like blogging it anymore, for a variety of reasons: - First and foremost: the 51 [...]
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In behalf of Shugo Chara episode 12 (and even 13 for that matter) I bring you the latest two installments to its COOL and SPICY manga instead (I'll just separate the two). With the recent turn of events in the anime (or the lack thereof), I think I’ll be dropping my regular blogging for Shugo Chara, at least not until something interesting kicks in, once they finally show the missing interesting bits and pieces of the manga. The animu is evilll... it turned me into an evil bunny who provides SPOILARz. >3 I actually think I’ll be better off providing spoilers instead. Might as well put my Nakayoshi into good use as I recently started subscribing to it >3 [ This is only an excerpt for the post! Go the the website for the full content + pictures + links. ]
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Decidedly, the word is that 2007 is not as exciting as 2006. We did not have Haruhi, we did not have Simoun, we did not have Black Lagoon. In fact, I'm going to talk about shows I didn't see in 2007 (and some that I did, but not like Haruhi, Simoun and Black Lagoon).
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Yes I’m considering cosplaying out favorite Cool and Spicy Loli, Hinamori Amu. I wanted to do something thats not really well known just yet, But something that hopefully by the time AX comes around people will be able to figure out who i am. Now i wasgoing to dye my hair pink for an experiment [...]
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"I have no idea if Hisui is saying anything relevant, but she looks angry...and hey, it's Hisui."Now that the last fifteen days have convinced you that that the last year in anime has been nothing but pure awesome, let me bring some concepts slightly closer to Earth.On the whole I'm still pretty optomistic about anime as a whole, for sure, but there never fail to be moments where I just wonder...what were they thinking?And so, I've picked out a few of the moments over the course of the last year that deserved a nice hearty facepalm. Thankfully, it was a bit harder than coming up with enough moments to fill the twelve-best list.Let me note that these moments of annoyance don't often reflect on an anime as a whole; as always, the greatest dissapointments come from the things you expect the most from, and as such many of these moments come from shows that are otherwise fantastic...except for one little pet peeve that gets to me every time.(Spoilers: Tsukihime, School Days, Code-E, Tokimeki - oh, who I am I kidding - Memorial)Lunar Legend TsukihimeNrvnsqrnasndflkahgodmykeyboard Fight (Or lack thereof)Bad spelling aside, Nero's 'fight scene' in Tsukihime, the anime, was probably one of the first major signs that something was funny with the adaptation. There were other minor aspects that the anime got wrong, naturally, but the fact that they took a dramatic, drawn-out fight and condensed it into three minutes really got me.I kept looking at the clock as the Nero fight started at the end of episode three (four?). Thinking, "OK, they'll cliffhang it here. No...here. Here. They can't possibly fit it all into the ending of one episode!?"Well, they did, and all without animated a single attack by Shiki. I can almost understand WHY they did this, to show the raw power of Nanaya Shiki in belittleing a seemingly major villain, but, come on. We had plenty of proof with him going to town on Arcueid anyway. Nero deserves a bigger send-off.Sayonara Zetsubou SenseiRandom Kiri x Chii yuriKiri Komori was looking to be a pretty promising character. Maybe it's the geek's natural disposition towards others of their kind, but Kiri the beautiful hikikomori (shut-in), when introduced in episode two, looked to be an entertaining and interesting character.But gradually, through the course of the show, her role faded out, to random cameo appearances, popping up in random places with that delightful "Sen-sei~". Eventually, she didn't even get that.Along with Chii, the vaguely sane counselor, Kiri got demoted to 'random fanservice girl', breaking up other, apparently more important, scenes with spontaneous yuri action. It's demeaning to see such a good character go to waste.Shugo Chara"DO YOU HAAAAAAEEET ENGLIIIIISSHHHH?"Yes, random X Egg character, yes I do. When you use it and draw it out like that, especially.Engrish is probably one of the things that grates upon any English-speaking anime viewer (like how I imagine a Japanese speaker would react if they saw some of our fanbase talking), and Shugo Chara's monster-of-the-week fight with an X Egg centered around a personified fear of English takes the cake for most egregious abuse of English in recent memory.Actually, the English isn't incredibly bad, but the squeaky, high-pitched voice that draws out each syllable to incredible length gets really grating, really fast. Luckily, it's a one-time deal.School DaysMakoto knocks another one upSomehow I have a feeling this one was done on purpose to make us gag, or at the least, roll our eyes...with contempt!As I've probably said too many times, those of us who came into School Days with even the slightest hope that something would go right, were proven horribly, even hilariously, wrong again and again.Perhaps most of us saw the progression from a pure romance to a complicated love-triangle; perhaps Setsuna joining the fight was acceptable. But near the end of the show, the writers just began to throw girls at Makoto left and right. There was Otome, the random childhood friend. Hikari, the one who seemed all for Taisuke at the beginning. Otome's wicked followers, all three of them at once!It all seems rather tailored to put a final condeming note on Makoto, to make the audience go "gee, anyone who has sex this much MUST be a bad character" (if not out of pure disgust, maybe a little of jealousy as well), and for once, I'm happy to agree with the path the writers have put us down. School Days was ridiculous down to the last drop of black oil wrung from the characters, and I don't think it would work any other way.Da Capo Second SeasonAisia will fix it with MAGIC!Sure, Aisia, you tell yourself that. Da Capo seems to be a formula that has been fixed far too many times over the years - and it was never really broken in the first place.The first season was outstanding - maybe not the best visual novel adaptation out there, but very solid in character development, conflict, and drama, enough to put it on par, or close to. with second-tier shows like Shuffle! and Myself;Yourself.The second season featured more of the same, except with a bunch of new characters added in a futile attempt to mix up the show (imagine any recent corporation that tried to look 'kool' or 'x-treme' to capture the youth crowd). And the sequel, Da Capo II takes the whole thing and chucks it out the window.But the fact is, the central conflict between Nemu, Kotori, and Sakura, three strong, well-rounded characters, has always been what has made Da Capo good, and Aisia, on the other hand, is one of the things that really threw the second season for a loop in the wrong direction.A character doesn't have to be intensely dislikable at first to develop into an appealing character at the end; while it's true that Aisia got more palatable as the show went on, that's no excuse for her annoyingly dense mindset at the beginning of the show.(Suddenly, I had a flash that I could change a few names and make this a rant about the Sonic games, and no one could tell the difference. But that's another story.)Code-EWhat, that's it?Code-E really did nothing wrong. It was just the equivalent of a student's poorly-planned essay on a timed test. The intro was intriguing, the first body paragraph were well-developed, and right halfway through the second when things start getting explain, time runs out. So they rush to write a half-baked conclusion, and we're left with a piece of work that has incredible promise, but never gets around to acting on it.Likewise, the ending to Code-E leaves more questions than it answers. Pretty much everything except the main relationship between Chinami and Kotaro is left unresolved, from the origin/purpose of the German spies, to the intentions behind Evil Pocketwatch Man, who I'm pretty sure never got a name, to even a fulfilling conclusion to the third side of the love triangle with Sonomi.The saving grace of this is that there is a second season of the anime planned for Code-E - a drastic change from the original announcement of 'we're all done here, go read the manga', and thankfully so.Shakugan no Shana IIIt's always the green haired lolis that mess things upThe character that singlehandly killed thousand of viewers.If I had one romance trope to get rid of, it would be the one that results in all the proclamations of "Oh look, some possessive girl has come onto my object of undying affection, time to call it quits". Because, honestly, it's really frustrating, when Shana and Kazumi had been fighting over Yuuji for a whole season, and one random girl who is not a plot object At All comes in and pretty much knocks them both for a loop? The least they could do it tag-team Konoe into the ground.Konoe's character as a whole, actually, is kind of annoying, if only because really dense characters tend to grate on my nerves (except in comedy situations, usually).To be fair, I never saw the first season of Shana outside of summary, and the second season is steadily improving, but the faulty start that Shana II had seems to have done quite a number on its fanbase.Tokimeki Memorial ~only love~Y'know I really have no idea that Sayuri has the hots for me, no, none at allDid I say if I had one romance trope to get rid of? Scratch that, make that two.An equally frustrating cliche used to drag out shows is "I'm entirely blind to the fact that the girl of my dreams is all over me". Riku actually manages to wield both this one and the above cliche from Shana II (oh no, some other guy is TALKING to Sayuri! I'm a loser tee-underscore-tee) to attempt to inject some drama into his relationship with the school idol, Sayuri.This does have the positive benefit of giving Tsukasa and Mina an almost infintesimal chance of winning (which, as fans know, is more than enough chance to give an excuse to root for them), but...seriously, Riku, get a clue. As many shy, uncertain teenagers as you may attract to your side by being wishy-washy and unsure of yourself, it's just not very interesting to watch the same train of thought over and over, especially when love doesn't get more drop-dead connect-the-dots obvious than this.KimiKissThe frogsOh God, the frogs. You'd think the personification of some psuedo yuri relationship between two loli-looking (or at the least, imouto-style) girls would have people jumping all over them, but Romeo and Juliet aren't doing much better than their Shakespearean counterparts in earning lots of disdain (from the characters in the story of R&J, anyway).It probably falls under the same category as the Shugo Chara! complaint in that the girls and their frogs are very loud and very squeaky, not to mention shoved in our faces all the time. KimiKiss likes to draw the viewer's focus in a blunt manner, as it does with the girl's lips all the time, something that's also kind of awkward, but given that two stuffed amphibians don't have a fraction of the appeal of Eriko Futami, it's obvious who the award has to go to here.Also, the way in which 'oh my God the frogs are kissing and/or acting otherwise in a romantic manner' never fails to unsettle Kazuki and Kouichi is equally frustrating, in that 'oh so romantically tense' cliche manner.Shuffle! MemoriesUpon realizing it's all recapI think this one speaks far, far too much for itself.-CCY(Episode 12 was totally worth it for Yandere II: Boxcutter Boogaloo and Mayumi's Haruhi parody, though.)
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"Yes, I was really frustrated they took Nagato's SG out of Guitar Hero III. And Eddie Knox."I like to rant a lot about music in anime, first because I've been a Dance Dance Revolution addict since the original PSX port, and second because I can't play it with any resemblance of much more than a cacophony that could have come from Kotomi Ichinose's violin itself.And while I've said a few times in the 12 (and running) Days countdown that insert songs, or background music can really make a moment in an anime, equally important to a show is the opening and ending themes.It may not be as important as the in-show music, but the fact is you're going to hear these themes at least twelve times over the course of a show's run, and so they better be good. Sometimes it's all right to get away with skipping a show's ending theme, but to jump over the opening seems almost heretical.This is because the the OP / ED animations, and the songs themselves, do a lot for setting the mood of a show. A contemplative, deep-thinking show might have a slow, mood-filled theme, while a action-packed comedy might have a more hyperactive, high-energy song.Thusly I've picked out ten of my favorite songs for bookending anime I've seen this year. They range from the fast-paced to the melancholy, from the lyrical to the instrumental, but they're all songs that I wouldn't sniff twice at putting on my MP3 player.Y'know, because anime fans like me were born with no shame.Most Inexplicably Catchy SongZetsubou ED - Zessei BijinNormally I go for either the slow-paced piano/violin songs with drawn-out vocals or the high-energy, typically rock songs, but the jazzy ending theme to Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei is surprising finger-snapping fun. It has lyrics and an overall feel that captures perfectly the almost humorously sadistic feel of the show, and the rhythm of the vocals is enjoyable as well.In the full version, the multiple singers are used to maximum effect, with each line of 'I got to hear their screaming voices again' (the penultimate line in each chorus) sung by a different singer. Incidentally, the way they sing that line every time is simply stunning. The instrumental solo in the full version is pleasant as well, and really captures that pseudo-horror feel of the song and the lyrics.Best Song PairSHUFFLE! OP - YOU and SHUFFLE! ED - InnocenceShuffle!, like most visual novel shows of the harem type, is a show that blends both light-hearted comedy and serious drama, and this is reflected great in the two contrasting themes in its opening and ending. Typically, most anime have a 'fast' and a 'slow' song split among the OP and ED, but Shuffle!'s are top-notch in both regards.YOU is an example of the strong singing and guitar-work typical of the Shuffle! series; Mirage Lullaby and Remember Memories are equally rocking yet still emotional songs sung by YURIA for the Shuffle! eroges. The guitar work is catchy, and the vocals are sung with power.Innocence is the flip side of the coin, an almost melancholy song with a lighter guitar note to it and some sweet-sounding vocals. It's good both as a song on its own and as a contrast to the upbeat YOU, and these two songs go together well to form the dual face of Shuffle!, a surprisingly serious (and seriously enjoyable) eroge conversion.Most Incomprehensibly Meme-Worthy SongLucky Star OP - Motteke! Seerafuku!It was a coin flip between this and Hare Hare Yukai, but I felt determined to acknowledge at least one song that has been mimicked (if not beaten into the ground) by the fan community innumerable times by either parodies or dance-offs. Motteke! Seerafuku! is kind of like Hare Hare Yukai on crack, in that it features more dancing, the lyrics make even less sense, and it's even faster-paced.Actually, the lyrics make no sense at all, but there's a certain enjoyability to random English nonsense like "Let's get cherry pie!". As well, the incredibly quick speed of the lyrics makes me wonder why they don't have more rapping Japanese schoolgirls. The first lyric part (from the end of the instrumental intro to the saxophone segment) is far too catchy for something I can't comprehend at all, even with subtitles.It's a pretty fitting random song for a pretty random anime; sometimes I don't get either of them, sometimes they both seem kind of overhyped, but they're both a lot of fun.Most Rocking SongMyself;Yourself OP - Tears InfectionI like songs with guitar. A lot of guitar. In that sense, I should probably be picking Shana II's JOINT for this then, but Tears Infection is an equally enjoyable song that really wants you to break out the air guitar.Which is a bit of a lie, as Tears Infection actually doesn't have too many guitar pieces, much less complicated ones - there's the 8-note riff repeated throughout the intro and any instrumental space, and the slow notes played during the vocal parts. But what's fun about this song is that there's a lot of energetic fast parts (any time you can see the band playing in the OP) and a few moments that focus on intense vocals instead (the part with Sana / Nanaka visible). And, of course, there's the choruses, with a little bit of both. It's a pretty good mix overall that's great for four-minutes of head-bobbing.Most Able to Be Actually Performed by a White Guy (but not really)Kanon OP - Last RegretsLast Regrets is a perfect example of the 'slow, moody songs' that I was mentioning earlier, featuring mostly piano backing, and deep, slow lyrics. So slow, actually, that I was able to memorize them. Not to mention the first thirty seconds of the piano piece as well.In conclusion, fandom is scary and you should never ask me to sing Last Regrets, because I will. The song itself, male voices aside, is quite great, starting slowly and building to a sort of powerful crescendo. The Key songs have always been kind of like this, with songs clocking on the slower side, although Tori no Uta and Megumeru were both a bit faster-paced, they definitely enjoyed their slow instrumental and powerful lyric parts. Sad songs in slow like this are perfect for these largely own-pace, character-driven shows of discovery.And one more bonus point: the Kanon OP on DVD on a high-definition TV is simply jaw-dropping.Most Amusing Use of Side VocalsMinami-ke OP - Keikenchi JoshouchuuFirst off, I hate this song for being the only one on the list which wasn't easily transcribed Japanese or Engrish. But otherwise, this song is just brimming with the sort of energetic, peppy, carefree attitude that a slice-of-life show like Minami-ke has. It's fun, right down to the last touches.These last touches, as the title may hint, are the heavy use of side vocals, or whatever I should be calling them; the little voices, personified by chibi characters in the OP, shouting 'Whoo!' and 'Hai hai hai hai!'. It's cute, and it really captures that kind of playful feel of the song. 'Kuru kuru!' is one of the catchiest for me. I suppose this sort of thing goes to show why Japan can spin an entire culture (or, at least, a few brands) based on random cute chibi things.The rest of the song, for no other way to put it, is 'fun' as well, and really feels like the kind of song you'd bounce around, or at the least, clap energetically too. Amusing to me though, is the fact that even a song like this has a wicked guitar solo. They're everywhere in anisongs.Most Mellow Melodysola ED - mellow melodyActually, there were other songs in contention for the second slow song slot (say that ten times fast, and whatnot), but having settled with sola's ending song, I had to name it this.It's a great relaxing, yet emotional song (which I've said ten times, but it's still true) that works well to soothe after another dramatic, cliffhanging episode of sola. I can't count the amount of times that something exciting would happen, then it would cut to black and this song would start playing. The vocals are nicely done in this song, and the visuals in the animation are an alluring mix of real-life sky shots, in theme with the show, and conceptual art of the characters. It's worth watching for the stills alone, probably, and the song is pretty sweet too.Most Ironic SongSchool Days OP - Innocent BlueI'd easily take many of School Days's various ending themes over the opening theme, but given that this song gets twelve times as much exposure, it deserves a bit of recgonition for being what it is - completely unrelated to the anime.One has to imagine the composers had their tongues firmly in cheek when creating a peppy song like this, that wouldn't be out of place in any normal harem or romance show. It's a catchy song made all the more amusing by the knowledge that School Days isn't normal in the slightest, and the thematic and lyrical use of 'angels', not to mention all the happy, innocent characters in the opening, are a great joke played on non-suspecting viewers. Those of us who have endured this show can smirk at this song as others try to piece the upbeat music with the downbeat story.Most Embarassingly Awesome SongShugo Chara! OP - Kokoro no TamagoMagical girl songs - I don't know what it is about them. Cardcaptor Sakura had three great openings. Nanatsuiro Drops came along with Shining Stars Bless. And now Shugo Chara! pulls one of its own out of the hat.It's exactly as you'd expect a song from a show like this, and somehow I don't find that to be a problem. It's smile-inducing to a fault, from the cheery lyrics to the sugary animation. It oozes pink and J-pop and just plain happiness from every pore, and for some reason the slightly techno-sounding voice is incredibly catchy. I don't even find a fault with the Englishy 'hop step jump' or 'drew draw drawn' (?), although my favorite part of this song would have to be the last few lines building up to the chorus, ending in 'my own heart, unlock!'. It's a strangely addictive song that I've rewatched probably more than the show itself so far.Most Touching Song From a Show I've Never WatchedBokurano OP - UninstallI have no idea what Bokurano is, but I have a strong desire to find out now. Uninstall very well might be the king of slow-paced, emotional songs. The lyrics are sung in a very melodic fashion, with a great range of pitch that produces a great sense of feeling in the song. It just flows good.What I really like about this song are the lyrics. They support the song in terms of power and depth, and are very touching in their somewhat existential tone. I think I can really claim a song is good, like this one, when I can really enjoy it without having any sentimental memories of a show to back it up.-CCY
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First, some alibis regarding the lack of blog updates. So last week was the office Christmas rush, busy with preparations for our [formal] company Christmas party held last December 15. But since the people in the office are such fun-loving people, the party didn’t stop at that. We had yet another party just this Friday,　 an “in house” Christmas party this time, loaded with fun-filled activities—a white elephant gift exchange, karaoke, Pictionary and charades tournament, and most importantly… a Wii-party!! Throughout the week, I spent most of my free time at home playing, so Wii could get to know each other better. It’s even more fun (and distracting?) when you get to know the Wii-mates in the office, who suddenly graced your little baby with a lot of games~ In other words, the Wii (and of course my lack of self-control) is to blame for the MIA status of the blog in the span of a few days, causing me more backlogs orz. I think the Christmas Countdown will now be a countdown to the... [ This is only an excerpt for the post! Go the the website for the full content + pictures + links. ]
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Argh what is the anime doing to MY Shugo Chara???? The screenshot of Ikuto here is about the only accurate thing in the whole episode. As usual they switched the seasons but that’s the least of my concerns. The whole hawt scene of Amu and Ikuto going “let’s see if my key will fit [...]
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