The power of knowledge

If you are into fantasy, moe and bishies, BIBLIOTHECA MYSTICA DE DANTALIAN (The Mystic Archives of Dantalian) a.k.a Shoka No Dantalian, is absolutely for you. So far, there are only 2 epis and I love the series. It is packed with action and superb voice-acting and the graphics is so incredible.

The series opens with the introduction of the protagonist Hugh Anthony Disward or Huey when he was young. He seemed to be obsessed with books and library. A partially a bibliomaniac, I guess... When he grew up, he inherited a mansion and a library from his deceased grandfather Lord Wesley Anthony Disward. Unbeknown to him he also inherited a Yomihime (trans: Reading Princess) named Dalian.

Huey and Dalian

The 1st episode: Turn-up Book, is about the first meeting between Huey and Dalian. Then one thing led to another, both of them were struggling to banish the creatures that emerged from a cursed turn-up book. In this epi, Dalian finally acknowledged Huey as her Kagimori (trans: The Key Keeper) and granted him the passageway to the Bibliotheca Mystica De Dantalian. At that moment, Huey realised that Dalian was not really a human as she is the guardian of the mystic archives.

Other than the storyline, I also love the graphics and the music as well. A must-watch summer anime series.

Below is the ED entitled Yes, Prisoner by, Marionette... Enjoy! It's creepy and beautiful!

No. 6: A firsty...

Tadaimaa minna-san... It's been a while!

I told you I'll be back. Apparently I haven't forsaken anime and all its glory nevertheless my leisure time needs to be cut into half. Lately, I was and am still preoccupied with my day-to-day commitment. Well, an otaku still has to make a living...

Now let's get back to my entry. I am still watching following Hanasaku Iroha and Ao No Exorcist. Love the series to the core! Other than that, I have bought some anime DVDs but still haven't gotten the much-awaited opportunity to watch them... sigh.. But I have discovered two interesting new series: NO. 6 and THE MYSTIC ARCHIVES OF DANTALIAN. However for this entry I am going to focus on No. 6 first...

No. 6 is an anime series produced by Bones (the same production company that produces Jyu Oh Sei, FMA, Darker Than Black, Ouran Hi Host Club...). The series takes place in an alternate universe and it revolves around two protagonists, Schion and Nezumi. FYI, No. 6 is actually referring to an sectors of regions. In this universe, the regions of the earth are divided into sectors and No. 6 happens to be an ideal city created for the elite.

On Schion's 12th birthday, he met a mysterious wounded boy named Nezumi (trans: Rat) as he broke his bedroom's window. And since it was raining Schion sheltered him. Nezumi told him that the so-called ideal city was made as a brainwashing tool. The next morning Nezumi was gone and Schion was arrested for harbouring, according to the police, a criminal. And because of that he and his mother were banished from their luxurious home, Chronos, and moved into a shabby appartment in Lost Town...

4 years after later, Schion worked as a park operator. While doing his job he inadvertently stumbled upon a dead old man. However, after much investigation, he realized that the body did not belong to and old man. It belonged to a young man who apparently had aged rapidly. He saw a beetle under the skin of the dead body...

One thing led to another, Schion and Nezumi were reunited under a peculiar circumstances and before Schion even realized they reached a place named Western District. A place which is the exact opposite of No. 6...

Well, I hate spoilers and I believe you do too. What I adore of this series is the graphics and the portrayal of the two main characters... Initially I was rather worried of following this series because I am no fan of yaoi anime. However as the series progresses I believe that the relationship between Schion and Nezumi is more like a brother/friend relationship. Nezumi is more like an older brother and vice-versa.

Nezumi: I have ponytail...And I am not a sissy!

A bad dye job!

There have been only 2 epis so far and I am so looking forward for the 3rd.

Of a bishie and a yokai

If you are into bishies, ears and moe.... guess what? OTOME YOKAI ZAKURO (Demon Girl Zakuro) fits the bills perfectly.

I am hooked to this anime series simply because I love the artistic elements that this series exhibits. The portrayal of each character (especially the female lead, Zakuro) is really intriguing. Each character is given special traits and these traits are highlighting the importance of each character in this series.

Doesn't she remind you of Inuyasha???

I really adore the portrayal of the male lead Agemaki who is portrayed as an anti-thesis of a typical male lead. He is a weakling who is afraid of any types of yokai. He is time and again saved by Zakuro in numerous occasions. Nevertheless, since I never read the manga I believe his character will soon develop and improved.

At the moment I am at the 4th episode and so far I couldn't find any flaw of this series.... Simply adore it!

TADAIMAA....Back from shopping!

Tadaimaa minna-san.. I am home.

Well, it has been ages I haven't updated anything. Well, actually I have my own reason for it. I went shopping! Yup... I was shopping for new animes series...

For this season, I have decided to stick to 3 + 1 animes. They are, KURAGEHIME, PSYCHIC DETECTIVE YAKUMO, OTOME YOKAI ZAKURO and SHIKI (the only anime from previous season)

For this post, I am going to talk about KURAGEHIME a.k.a Princess Jellyfish. I think I am going to stick to this anime like a glue! Simply love the theme and the plot. Ang most important of all I love the the characters design in this series as well. This is absolutely my kind of anime!

The series is about a spinster jellyfish otaku (and hence the title). She is called Tsukimi (Moonsea - tsuki means moon and umi means the sea). She is not exactly your kawaii type female protagonist. She is short, unkempt, unpolished and a nerd. She lives with other 4 spinsters as well in a complex apartment called Amamizu-kan. They are known as the amars a.k.a Buddhist nuns and that means all of them are still virgins. Each of the amars has her own freak-point. For example, Mayaya is a freak who has an excessive obsession on The Three Kingdoms. Banba has a insane obsession of toy trains...

Introducing Tsukimi, your sub-par jellyfish otaku protagonist....

From right to left: Banba, Chieko, Jiji and Mayaya

Then enters a cross-dressing male protagonist: Kuranosuke.... Heck, at the beginning I thought he was actually a 'she'. Ironically, Kuranosuke is much prettier and sexier than any of the girls. With his long legs and slender figure none of the amars suspected anything funny...

By some freaky circumstances, Tsukimi and Kuranosuke have become fast friends... and right now I am on episode 3. From where I am standing, I have a strong feeling that their friendship will develop to another level... If you get my drift!

A tsundere and her merry friends

I was introduced this anime OOKAMI-SAN AND SEVEN COMPANIONS (a.k.a Ookami-san to Shichinin Nakamatachi) or simply Ookami-san, by one of my students one day. I downloaded the first episode and I instantaneously hooked! I really love the anime and I believe this anime will be on top of my ongoing anime list. So, how did it fare?

This anime is about an adventure of Ookami-san adapted from a series of a light novel created by Masashi Okita. The series will be based on parodies of old fairy tales with funny and light-hearted undertone.

The female lead is Ookami Ryuoko (ookami = wolf) and her side-kick is Akai Ringo (Red Apple) who resembles Red Riding-hood. Another tsundere here.... Just the way I like it! She is assisted by 7 other companions plus a president in an establishment called Otogi Bank.

Otogi Bank is not a real bank. But it works like a bank. In actual fact, it provides services to the clients by helping them solving any predicaments the clients are in. But with one condition. The services are not free of charge as the client must repay the bank's services by helping it in return. That is why it is known as 'bank' because it 'loans' help to the clients. In essence, the anime series will be about the adventure of Ookami and her merry friends helping the clients and hence saving the day!

Like in classeic case of tsundere, in this anime our tsundere heroine meets with the male lead named Morino Ryoushi (ryoushi = hunter) who has his eyes on her (well, he is a hunter, isn't he?) and this will incite a love-hate relationship between them.... Ookami is not exactly fond of this idea of him. Duhh, what do you expect from a tsundere female lead?

Ookami and her merry companions + the president

Anyway, this anime is a keeper. The first episode is the testament! Have a go and mark my word.




[Note]
I could've sworn I saw Aisaka Taiga somewhere in this anime!

So, your school is attacked by flesh-eating zombies...

What would you do if your school was suddenly under attack? And to make thing even worse, it was under attack by a horde of flesh eating zombies! Well, if you want to be one of the survivors, HIGHSCHOOL OF THE DEAD (HOTD hereafter) is your perfect manual.

HOTD is actually a manga and it is adapted into anime series by Madhouse. Words on the streets that it's going to be a 12-episode series. Well, I guess it's going to be a helluva anime! The pace must be able to do justice to the plot.

The first episode - Spring of the DEAD - opens with a monologue by Takashi, one of the students. He was with another 2 of his classmates - Rei and Hisashi- fighting off a bunch of zombies in order to save themselves from being devoured.

Then, we are transported to another scene that happened much earlier. There was a strange man banging at the school's gate and some teachers were trying to take the matter into hand by pushing the man away from the gate. However he was bitten by the man who was actually a zombie and few minutes after that, that teacher had turned into a zombie and he bit another teacher.... Unbeknown to them, the incident was witnessed by Takashi...

One thing lead to another, soon the whole school was infected by zombie virus and everybody was zombified in an instant, except some students. The whole school was in panic and soon after that, Takashi realized that the whole town was in catastrophe as well...

Then, we are back to the original plot. Armed with a baseball bat and a mop handle, the three of them tried to save themselves by running towards the roof. In order to defend herself Rei tried to kill one of the zombies. She then, was overwhelmed by one of the zombies but Hisashi managed to save her but in the process, he was bitten. Takashi, then managed to barricade the roof from being infiltrated by the zombies.

Hisashi realized the shape he was in hence he asked Takashi to kill him before he turned into a zombie. Rei tried to stop Takashi believing that Hisashi would not transform. But realizing the grave situation, Takashi ignored Rei's pleading and smashed Hisashi's head with a baseball bat....

And at that moment, they realised that they only had each other....

My verdict:

I think this anime is going to get good reviews throughout its season. The reason being, it is an action-packed and fast-paced anime. And the plot is going to be interesting. I would love to reccomend this series to those who enjoy supernatural,thriller and gore anime. Since I never read the manga, I wonder how will they get through all this?

However, my greatest fear is, this is going to be another 'Resident Evil' type of show or rather a video game-like series with a dash of ecchi flavor to it. So, we just need to relax and sit back and wait. Only time will tell...

Occult Academy : Supernatural Galore!

If you are a supernatural and horror anime fan, OCCULT ACADEMY (a.k.a Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin) is the one for you. This anime series has it all. Ass-kicking female lead who can run in heels and fight in a mini, supernatural mumbo jumbo and hocus pocus, over-the-top highschool, and most importantly a naked guy who makes his appearance in the very first episode…. Heck, I am so going to stick to this anime like a glue!

This anime sets in 1999 and it opens with scene of a man running frantically in a wood, trying to teleport in order to save himself from being devoured by a winged beast. However, his effort was in futile when the beast managed to swoop the man and slaughter him before the teleportation finished. Apparently, the man was from the future, year 2012, and he was on mission. Nevertheless, the mission went awry and it had sacrificed 5 out of 6 operators.

Now, back to the original plot. Enters Kumashiro Maya who is the female lead of this anime. She was the daughter of the newly-deceased founder a.k.a principal of Waldstein Academy a.k.a Occult Academy Kumashiro Junichiro who was deceased of heart attack. Obviously, she was running late for her estranged father's funeral.

Everything looked normal initially, but one thing led to another, all hell breaks loose. The school suddenly was under attack by a supernatural evil being called Lamie. The deceased principal was possessed by Lamie and it terrorized the entire school. Have no fear, Maya is here… Maya whacked, kicked and hacked (with others' help, of course) and finally the evil spirit was vanquished.

Finally after everything was resolved, suddenly there was a strange bright light in the sky and a light beacon descends and...

TADAAAA!….. A naked man appeared! Looked familiar? Well, it is too familiar to be ignored!

Hey, naked man! Takizawa-san wants to have a word with you about stealing his thunder!

(This is just a fan-service... LOL)

My two-cents: This anime is a 2010 must-watch series. And from where I am standing, 2010 is a year for gore and supernatural animes. Occult Academy is funny, fast-paced, and action-packed. This one is sure a keeper.... for now.

Shiki: My first impression...

After watching 'The First Blood' (episode 1), I have a very strong feeling that SHIKI will be one anime that will rock 2010.

When I watch the 1st ever episode, I swear it got me spooked. If you enjoy supernatural and horror anime, Shiki should be in your list this year. The story stars with news of several mysterious deaths. When discovered, the corpses were almost disintegrated and disembodied. The police concluded that it was caused by natural causes and probably wild dogs attack.

Then, enters Megumi. A whiny brat who thought that she was too good or too stylish to be in a mundane little town of Sotoba. She was last seen walking towards a European-styled mansion nestled on top of a hill. She then lost for a quite some time only to be found dead after a few hours discovered by the villagers. Another unexplained death, even though the local doctor claimed that her anemic condition is the real reason.



Another unexplained situation is the European Mansion that doesn't really fit in the picture. Then again, that's one of the key elements of this anime. It certainly screams mystery...

Characters wise, I believe they are too many to remember. However, I believe they will be well-introduced through out the season. Each of them looks so mysterious. I vouch that each character's personality and characterisation will be revealed gradually as the series progresses.

Anyway, I can't say more as I have never read the manga.... But I trust that this anime will not disappoint me.

[Note]

- I am trying to watch other than shoujo anime and broaden my horizons and hence this anime.

- Upcoming reviews: Occult Academy & High School of the Dead.

Arakawa Under the Bridge: The first impression

If you enjoy a seinen, romantic and comedy anime, why don't you try ARAKAWA UNDER THE BRIDGE (AUB hereafter) for a size. You might like it. Apparently, SHAFT has done it again! If you enjoy Zetsubo Sensei's serialization (SZS), this anime might be right for you.

I always thought SZS is the weirdest anime to date! And oh boy, how I am wrong and thus I stand corrected. When I came across AUB for the first time, I downloaded the 1st episode and watched it right away. Somehow I was hooked for some weird reason. It's funny, romantic and at the same time it is also bizarre and outlandish!

In this first episode, it is actually broken into several minisodes as they are to correspond to the ones in the manga. The main character, Ichinomiya Kou, is a very rich heir to an Ichinomiya Company. On one fine day, he was bullied and ripped off his trousers by a bunch of punks under a bridge. In order to retrieve his trousers he climbed up the bridge and unbeknown to him the bridge was under construction hence caused him to fall into a river.

Then, enters Nino, a Venusian (well, that's what she claimed to be). She saved his life by pulling him out of the water. Drenched, Kou thanked her profusely and insisted to repay her good deed. Because Kou was so insisting, Nino decided that Kou must become her koibito. As a man of his word, Kou accepted her request. Hoping to be only a part-time lover, Kou started to head home and he was stopped by Nino. Apparently, according to Nino, she claimed that she was an absent-minded girl. Hence, she will forget him if he went home and she insisted that both of them should live together, under the bridge.

Naturally, a normal human being would reject this but Kou acceded, again, to her request. However, she needed to ask permission from her landlord (trust me, this will get even weirder).

If you have a fetish for a weird girl, I'm yours!

Next, enters an unnamed Kappa. Oh yes, this is way weird. Apparently the Kappa was actually the head honcho of the river and the bridge denizens and in order to acknowledge hi authority, everybody must ask for his permission first before they move in there. Initially, Kou was ecstatic for meeting and talking to a real life Kappa but after a while he realized that he was not real. In fact, he was actually a man in Kappa suit!

Kou was so upset thinking that the Kappa-suited man was trying to con him but after a while he just agreed with him and reluctantly acknowledged him as a real bona-fide Kappa. The Kappa, in return, christened him by giving Kou a new nickname 'Recruit'. And then, at that moment Kou was finally recognized as one of the inhabitants of the bridge-river.

There is a moment in this anime that boggles my mind. When Nino introduced her name, Kou noticed '2-3' on her track-top and exclaimed "Nino-san from 2-3!" Does this mean that they have met before and that was the reason he agreed to live with her?

The reason why I mentioned SZS earlier is because for some reason, this anime has the similar mood and feeling with SZS. The dramatic pause, the sound effect (the wind, the water) and in fact some of Kou's mannerisms are almost similar with Nozomu Itoshiki a.k.a Zetsubo Sensei. It's like experiencing a deja vu.

Itoshiki in one of his fits!

Looks familiar? Hmmm... now, where did I see this before?...

Anyway, I have been only watching the first episode.... let's see how it goes. It's too early for recommendation.

A classic case of shoujo-tsundere: Kaichou Wa Maid-Sama

When ANIMAX anounced that KAICHOU WA MAID-SAMA would be aired soon, I was so estatic! I'm a fool for shoujo (少女) and tsundere (ツンデレ) and based on its manga's reputation, it is most probably an anime to look forward to in 2010.

Well, after watching the first ever episode on Animax, I was downright ecstatic. Apparently this anime has all the essential ingredients for a successful shoujo anime. The tsundere character, a drop-dead gorgeous male character and the romantic comedy plot. This is the one!

The synopsis

The main female protagonist, Ayuzawa Misaki, is the head honcho of a co-ed school. She is very authoritative and cold towards all boys (a classic case of ツンデレ). Apparently, being the president of the school full of problematic boys has transformed her personality. Usui Takumi is one of the male students of the school and he is very popular despites his cold and sombre attitude. He is hated by Misaki since Usui has time and again makes girls cried.

Misaki is from a poor family and because of that she has to work part time as a maid in a maid cafe. The work has forced her to be docile and submissive and it is a stark contrast of her personality as the school president. And because of that, she needs to be under the radar in order to remain feared and respected by everybody at school specifically, the boys. However, on one fine day, her cover was blown into smithereens when she is inadvertantly discovered by Usui Takumi. Exactly at that moment, she reckons her reputation as the school president will be tarnished. To her surprise, Usui does not even breath a word about his encounter. In fact, he supports her. He even protects her from being assaulted by groups of boys. Misaki is still skeptical thinking that Usui is actually trying to mess with her mind. However, towards the end of the episode, Usui proposes her to be his personal maid!

[Click to enlarge]

The Verdict

I simply love this anime despites the mediocre animation and graphic. I believe the story will have a romantic development. I also love the portrayal of the main female and male protagonists. Even though it is very typical, heck! I love it! However, the graphics and animation can still be improved. Can't wait for the next episode!

Il Postino: ala Japanese...

Lag, Niche and Steak... hard at work

LETTER BEE OVA (Jap: Tegami Bachi) is one of those animes that have made me cried violently. Yes, I am a freak and I don't really care.

I dunno, somehow the portrayal of the protagonist, Lag Seeing, has captivated me. I realised now that I have a soft spot for forlorn and pathetic orphan boy. His voice and his eyes are so compelling. Other than that, the storyline is so effective.

Lag Seeing is a Letter Bee or in layman term, a postman (or boy if you will). He is accompanied by a 'dingo' named Niche and Steak (who is actually Niche's pet). So, the story actually revolves around him doing a task of delivering a 'package' named Darwin. And during the delivery, he discovered that Darwin is actually a 'dingo' of a former Letter Bee who had died during a mission. He is to deliver the 'package' to the grave of the former Letter Bee.

The stinkin' pathetic Darwin...

Anyway, during the plots, there are several clips of Lag Seeing's past and how he became a Letter Bee. We will also be introduced to Gauche Suede, the very man who saved Lag he became Lag's source of inspiration.

I have a gun, a girly gun!

Actually, this OVA is the spin off from the original autumn 2009 serialization. After I watched the OVA, it triggers me to watch the series. Apparently, Lag Seeing is one heck of a cry baby, in every nuance of the definition. It seems that he cries in almost all episodes. I know, it is kinda cheesy but that actually attracts me to this series. Like a moth to a flame...

Naraku's Heart : A Review

Plot

I am so glad I managed to watch the first episode of INUYASHA: The Final Act entitled Naraku’s Heart. In this episode we witness the plot to overthrow Naraku, masterminded by Hakudoshi. He managed to persuade Goryomaru and Kagura to follow suit.

However, in the middle of the plot, Kagura’s humane side was surfaced when she protected Kohaku from being attacked by Goryomaru and Hakudoshi. Then, as she was almost defeated, Inuyasha and the rest of the team saved her from being slaughtered by Hakudoshi.

Unbeknown to Hakudoshi, his plot was acknowledged by Naraku with the help of Kanna and her mirror. Hakudoshi was a defeated when Miroku used his Kazaana (wind tunnel) to suck him. Lucky for Miroku, Naraku’s siamyosho did not interfere this time around.



My two-cent
What I like about this first episode is the fact that all characters - Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Sesshomaru, Kagura, Kohaku.... and the list goes on - are given enough screen-time for the fans (and non-fans) to refresh their memories. Another reason why I enjoyed this episode is, even though this is the first episode of the series, the momentum is sustained. I really enjoy the action-packed scenes and the fighting sequence. I miss ‘KAZE NO KIZU!’ so much that when Inuyasha did it, I almost yelped in excitement! Woohoooo!!!!

Memories are meant to last...

Have you ever felt that you haven’t watched enough animes? Or, there are still a lot of anime series that needed to be watched by you? Well, apparently that is how I feel. That’s the reason why I love doing aniblog- hoping every now and then. This is how I encountered the series entitled XAM’D LOST MEMORIES.

I have just finished 4 episodes of this series and I would love to recommend to all of you. The graphic as well as the animation are so breathtaking and awesome.

[These screenshots are taken from episode 1. Click to enlarge]

Plot Summary:

The story opens with a ritual done by a group of people in some castle. Then we are taken to a scene that involves weird looking spaceship and crew members.

Next, we are then introduced to a character named Takehara Akiyuki. Apparently, he is a high school student who is living with his mother on the island of Sentan. On this particular morning, something has made him late to get to the bus to school, but he manages to arrive before it leaves. When he spots there was this albino-like girl stands in front. He notices that she doesn’t possess an armband needed to board the bus. So he helps her. While on the bus, radio announces of the ongoing war outside the island, and the students are unaware of the Northern Government forces coming.

As they arrive at school, Akiyuki notices that the pale-skinned girl is still sitting while the rest of the passengers are getting off the bus. Suddenly, the bus explodes. Akiyuki and his friends are thrown to the ground due to the extreme impact of the blast. Obviously he isn’t hurt. Then there is a glowing orb floating above the remains of the bus. It fires out many energy beams in numerous directions. One of these beams penetrates Akiyuki’s arm. Apparently it injects something into him that causes him great pain. Still suffering from the pain he then notices that the albino-ish girl is still inside the bus. He rushes to help her, and to his surprise, the girl apologizes for getting him involved.

At that moment he realizes that she was the mastermind behind the bombing. She introduces herself as Nazuna and tells Akiyuki that he’ll be okay with the Xam’d Lost Memories. Before she dies, she touches his forehead in order to create a mask that covers his face. The mask triggers the transformation of his body into a large white being. Upon his transformation, a guard arrives on the scene threats to shoot him and he does. The impact of the bullets throws his newfound body onto the ground. Witnessed by Haru, Akiyuki announces that he still wants to live…

That's all from episode 1. Seriously, this anime is the one to watch. If you are interested to download the whole series, try this LINK. Have fun while you are at it!





[Note]
Somehow, there is something about this series that reminds me of animovie, Nausicaa.

Trying it on for size....

Warning: Nudity ahead!


Recently, while surfing the net for new animes, I stumbled upon an anime series entitled EDEN OF THE EAST (Higashi no Eden). I ran a background check on it and I discovered that the anime series is very recent. It was aired in April 2009.

So, I downloaded all 11 episodes and I am watching them, as we speak. The plot is very intriguing as well as thought-provoking. It is funny and witty at the same time. So far, the overall impression that I get from this series is very positive. Meaning, I think I might like it.... This series is definitely one of its kind. I really love the concept as well as the idea.

Whoaaa! Nice view!

It opens with a girl named Morimi Saki was visiting Washington D.C during her graduation trip. Somehow, she was in trouble when two policemen cought her throwing something into the yard of the Whitehouse. However, she was saved by a man. A naked man. The man had nothing on. He only had a gun and a weird cellphone.... Obviously he was amnesiac. Well, one thing led to another, they became fast friends and then they decided to return to Japan.

Three months ago, an uninhabited areas of Japan were missiled. However, no one died and therefore this incident was disregarded by the Japanese and the day was dubbed as Careless Monday. What's the connection between the amnesiac guy and this incident? Well, you really have to watch the series to find the connection.

In this series, you will be introduced to an idea so crazy that it will stir your noodles... What is Noblesse Obliges? What on earth is Seleção? Who the heck are Juiz and Mr. Outside? I'm still figuring them out.

Other than the intriguing plot, I also love the portrayal of the charaters, especially the protagonist, Takizawa Akira a.k.a Seleção No. 9. He is very smart, witty, funny as well as bold. Apparently, in the beginning of the series, he was amnesiac after he went through a brainwashing process.

Anyway, I would love to recommend this anime series to all (despite some nudity) especially those who enjoy psychological-themed anime. Even though this anime series can be classified as comedy, the theme exudes rather serious tone.

Wanna give it a try? Click HERE to download the episodes.

Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody : Synopsis and Review

In this post, I'll be reviewing SUZUMIYA HARUHI NO YUUTSU 2 episode 1: Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody.

[Screenshots: click for larger view]

Plot summary:

The episode opens with Haruhi mentioning about Tanabata day to Kyon. Then she explained the importance of Tanabata celebration in Japanese culture. Hence she decided that SOS Brigade should throw a party just to celebrate the meeting of two stars Orihime (Vega) and Hikoboshi (Altair).

Then, during their daily meeting at the club room, Haruhi entered with a stalk of bamboo in her hand and several wishing cards in the other. She insisted everybody to write their wishes for the future and then hanged them among the bamboo leaves. Then using theory of relativity (yup, you read me right!), she explained in detail that the wishes could only reach Vega and Altair within 16 to 25 years and therefor everybody must NOT write wishes that would take place less than 16 years in the future.

After everybody wrote on the wish cards and hanged them among the bamboo leaves, Haruhi suddenly became melancholic and dejected. Then Mikuru secretly slipped a note to Kyon asking him to meet her in the club room right after everybody went home. Then Nagato also slipped a secret note to Kyon. Eventually, after everybody went home, Mikuru explained that she wished to take Kyon 3 years back. Back where he first met with Haruhi. When Kyon agreed, suddenly he fell asleep.

When Kyon opened his eyes, he was sleeping on Mikuru's lap and they were at a park exactly three years ago. Then, out of the blue, Mikuru suddenly fell asleep. Apparently, the time-divergent (adult) variant Mikuru was trying to communicate with Kyon on what to expect. She instructed him to go to the nearby field.

Next, with Mikuru on his back, Kyon walked to the nearby field and then he saw the young Haruhi climbing the gate to the field. When she saw Kyon walking, she immediately urged him into helping her. Haruhi couldn't identify Kyon's face since it was night time and it was dark. Next, she made Kyon drew something on the field exactly like she ordered using some chalk she had prepared before hand. While drawing the strange sign Kyon realized that a message in a weird language. It was actually the message that Taniguchi once told him about. And what's so interesting was, it was written by himself.

After he finished the task, Kyon and Haruhi had a conversation about alien, sliders, time travelers and espers. To Haruhi's surprise, Kyon believed her and told her that he knew someone who believed in those stuffs back in his high school. In addition, he introduced himself as John Smith and Mikuru was her narcoleptic sister. Then, Haruhi left without even thanking him. To Kyon's surprise, this was the exact moment that triggered Haruhi to choose North High where she would later in the future.

After that, he woke Mikuru up and she was in panic when she realised that she had lost her TPDD. TPDD was actually the device that helped her to travel through time. At that moment, Kyon recalled that the secret note given by Nagato. Turned out, the note was the strange message that he drew on the field. That note actually led them to meet Nagato, the present variant, who was in stand-by mode for three-year long.

After explaining the predicament, Nagato led them to a room and asked them to sleep on seperate tatami. Both of them slept but only for less that 30 seconds. Nagato had actually manipulated time and space continuum. She helped them to return to the present time by freezing the time inside the room. Mikuru realised this when she checked her atomic-clock wrist watch and apparently, they had returned to their own period.

After what he had gone through, playing chess could really ease off the nerve...

The Verdict.

After 3 years hiatus, despite of many negative feed backs, I believe this first episode has justified the wait. I like it because it answers some of the weird things done by Haruhi in season 1. Maybe not all. But it does answer several questions, like:

• What or who actually influenced Haruhi to choose the high school? (It was Kyon, of course! After their short conversation at the field.)
  

• Why did she say, she was only interested in meeting aliens, time travelers as well as aliens and people who have the same interest as her? (Because, Kyon told her that the school was swarmed with that kind of people. And he mentioned that he knew a person who has the same interest.)
  

and...

• Why did she ask Kyon: 'have we met before?' when they had their early conversation in class. (Of course they had met before! However, it was dark and she could recognise his face, though.)
  

• Next, this episode reveals to us on who is the real 'culprit' who wrote the strange sign on the field as mentioned by Taniguchi in Season 1.

Too bad, the next episode will only be aired on 18th June. Maji de?! I really can't wait that long for it. Sheesh!

In this episode as well, we can see that Haruhi is a very intelligent student when she utilises theory of relativity in explaining her idea about the speed that the wishes will take to reach Vega and Altair.

Other than that, I would like to comment is the ED theme. It seems that it doesn't have the similar impact like the first season Hare Hare Dance... However, I do enjoyed the montage. It is very dazzling and it complements the whole theme mood of the series. The graphics are so fluid and realistic.

For the first episode, sadly enough, there is no OP theme. Well, it looks like we have to wait for it in the next episode. I hope it would be a blast! At least something catchy....






[Note]
Haruhi's wishes are, the world will rotate in the opposite direction and the world will revolve around her.

Once upon a time...

Currently I am watching anime TEARS TO TIARA produced by White Fox. This anime is actually adapted from an eroge RPG with the same title. The anime is first aired on 5th April 2009 and it is simulcasted by ANIMAX. Up till now the channel has aired 6 episodes so far.

This anime is set in an alternative universe which emulating the middle-age world. The main protagonist, Riannon, is kidnapped and set to be sacrificed in order appease a resurrected demon lord, Arawn. She then is rescued by her brother, Arthur. As her brother Arthur attempts to rescue her, Arawn is finally resurected. He, in turn, anihilates those who resurrected him and eventually frees Riannon from her captors. Because of this herioc act Riannon admires him and hence names him as the next leader of her clan by wrapping a red muffler around Arawn's neck. Which means he must marry her, one way or another.

This anime is focusing on war as the main theme. This eventually leads to a party of companions being assembled for adventure, with Arawn acting as the leader.

Frankly speaking, I'm still watching this anime and it is way too early to do a review. So this post is merely to recommend the anime. Currently, this anime is aired on Animax every Sunday at 12.35 a.m. Since the episodes are aired at wee hour I have been missing 4 out of 6 episodes. So, if you are missing the episodes and want to start from scratch, you can download the episodes HERE. Have fun!

Check out the opening video!



[Note]
Since this anime is adapted from an eroge, so there are some characters that are scantily clad. Therefore viewers discretion is advised.