The Big Kahuna: Sesshomaru...

Name : Sesshomaru
Age : Appears 19 but his real age is remained unknown
Species : A full-fledged Dog demon
Family : Inuyasha (half-brother)
Friends : Jaken, Rin and Ah-Un
Admirer : Kagura (Naraku's incarnation)
Weapons : Tenseiga, Toukijin and Whip
Ability : Poison Flower Claws, flight, heightened senses, superhuman strength and speed, immunity to all poisons and sickness


Sesshomaru is a full-fledged dog demon who prefers to fight alone. His true from is a gigantic white dog with similar markings as his humanoid form. When he transforms, his body is surrounded by bright red aura and a tornado circling around him (see picture). Apart from that, he has a superhuman strength and incredible immunity to any poison or dark magic. He is even immune to Naraku's toxic miasma and for that reason, he dubs him as a 'perfect demon'.

In the beginning of the episodes, he is only accompanied by Jaken. However, later in the episodes of the series, he is accompanied by a group of friends. He, apparently, hates his half-brother -Inuyasha because he believes being a half-demon, Inuyasha is a disgrace to the family. He also despises the fact that Inuyasha is bestowed by his late father a powerful sword known as Tetsusaiga. Tetsusaiga has the power to kill 1000 demons with a single stroke. He, on the other hand he is bestowed a sword called Tenseiga which has the reverse effect of Tetsusaiga. Tenseiga is powerful enough to revive the dead. Later, he instructed Kaijinbo (an evil black-smith) to forge a powerful sword to match Tetsusaiga and the sword is named Toukijin (see picture). In the early episodes of the series, Sesshomaru has (time and time again) tried to steal Tetsusaiga form Inuyasha. Nevertheless, towards the end of the series, he seems to lose interest of the sword since the sword is protected with a barrier that repels demon.

Unlike Inuyasha (who is so childish, clumsy and loud), Sesshomaru is stoic, collected, cold and he is a man of few words. It's really hard to understand him. Earlier in the episodes, he acts as the antagonist or the villain (beside Naraku). This can be seen when he incessantly tries to slaughter Inuyasha. He even declares his undying hatred for his half brother and vows to kill him with his own hands. Nonetheless, later he displays his compassion by adopting a young human girl named Rin. Furthermore, Sesshomaru is also an anti-thesis of traditional hero. This can be seen when he tries to save Rin from being killed by Naraku. Then, in one of the episodes (Band of 7 Arc), he even saves Kagome, Sango and Miroku from Mukotsu's poisonous mist despites his great hatred for humans and humanity. These are, by far, the best examples to illustrate his so-called 'heroism'.

Well, compared to Inuyasha, Sesshomaru is much more powerful and invincible. I like his character because he embodies a true greatness of a supposed protagonist, which is kind of ironic. Sesshomaru, the real deal...






[Note]
There are several discrepancies - regarding the plot as well as the development of Sesshomaru's character - between anime and manga version. As for this posting, I only stick to the anime version since I don't really read the manga...

Indigo Ink

Aizome
Vocals: Noto Mamiko

Asaki yumemiji towa ni nageki mo sesu

Tsuki no hikari
kokoro terashidasu
Moyuru hana no mai
michishirube

Karamitsuku
ayamachi no uta mune o shimeru

Hatenu kawa ni te o sashi nagasou
Omoi tsumeta koto noha
ai ni somete

Surechigai ga kokoro morokusuru
Ibasho mo nai mama
kaze wa fuku

Akai michi ashidori omoku
yami ni mukau

Ichido nagaseba nido to kaeranu
Yubi ga tsumabiku sadame
ai ni somete

Ikutsu akenai yoru o kasanete
Yagate ai no nageki mo
kieyuku no ka

Hatenu kawa ni te o sashi nagasou
Iro wa nio hedo itsuka chiri nuru mono

Ai ni somete…

Download song

[Note]

This song certainly steals my heart. Really adore it. Simply because it complements the whole mood and theme of JIGOKU SHOUJO FUTAKOMORI. The melody is sweet and yet the lyric is bitter and sad... A bittersweet ending, definitely...

Tokyo meets Paris

After watching NODAME CANTABILE: Paris for several time. I am really captivated by the ending theme. This is actually Miyamoto Emiri's song which is sang by a French singer, Solita. Miyamoto is a young Japanese violinist and she is truly brilliant. Just listen to this track! This is truly 'east meets west'. The song is entitled TOKYO ET PARIS or Tokyo and Paris.

Check the video and enjoy the song!



Miyamoto's violin is so amazing and it complements Solita's 'delicate' vocal...

Do you like the track? Here's the L.I.N.K of you are interested in downloading the song.

Lonely in Gorgeous (Vid & mp3)

Since I love the song so much, here are the opening clip and the mp3. Enjoy!

[Note]
The singer of this song, Kawase Tomoko, is also known as Tommy February6...

KISS me... I'm in PARADISE

PARADISE KISS or abbreviated as Parakiss by fans, is first produced as a 5 volumes manga series by a popular mangaka Ai Yazawa (the very same mangaka who creates Nana). Then it is produced into 12 episodes anime by Aniplex. The same production that produces Bleach, Blood+, Kamichu and many more.

Personally, I find that this anime is very 'international' as the idea is very fresh and universal. It deals with world of fashion, glamor, dazzle and runways. IMHO, this anime is daring as it portrays idea of bisexuality and cross-dressing blatantly. Even though, I don't really fancy the notion, I applaud this gallantry!

I also adore the portrayal of the characters like the tall and lanky Hayasaka Yukari a.k.a Caroline; the 'ambiguous' Koizumi "George" Jouji; the pink-haired Sakurada Miwako; the rocker Nagase Arashi and not forgetting the cross-dresser Isabella Yamamoto a.k.a Yamamoto Daisuke.

Apart from the colorful characters, I also adore the opening theme: Lonely in Gorgeous by Kawase Tomoko. The ending is also superb as it is sang by Franz Ferdinand entitled Do you want to.

In the final analysis, I believe that this anime is worth watching. The animation is so realistic and the artwork is artistically done. However, this anime is not recommended to be watched for the whole family. Some values shown are a bit too 'contemporary' for some viewers.

Only the strongest will survive...

When I watched the first 2 episodes of JYU OH SEI a.k.a The Planet of the Beast King, I thought that this anime would be kind of intriguing. The twins Thor and Rai seemed to be such interesting characters. And the murder of their parents is really good for the development of the plot.

Personality wise, I really enjoyed the fact that Thor and Rai were different from each other despites that they were twins. And I thought the twins would end up as the main protagonists of this anime. But, my expectation was crumbled into smithereens when I learned that Rai was dead in the earlier episode and his character was totally obliterated from the series!

Then, entered characters like Tiz, Third, Zagi and many more. By this time my interest of this anime has gone down...

The whole plot is kind of 'squeezed in' and the development is somewhat minimal since there are only 11 episodes altogether. And before you even know it, you are at the final episode. However, that's actually intentional. This anime is action-oriented. The plot specializes in events or scenes that are quick and 'painless'. You will highly unlikely encounter any scenes that are dragged and stretched.

Theme-wise, this anime exhibits the survival of the strongest and in doing so, humanity is sacrificed. This anime gravely reminds me of a great classic novel by William Golding -Lord of the Flies, which, sadly enough, I despise so much!

In a nutshell, if you are an action-anime junkie, this anime fits the bill perfectly. As for me (I much prefer a romantic and comedy anime) I think I'll take a rain check... NEXT!

Falling in love, Paris style...

Wow! how long has it been? I guess it's kind of late to wish everybody a happy new year, but what the heck.... HAPPY NEW YEAR!

To usher in the new year, the very first entry is gonna be about our beloved stalker and her object of obsession - NODAME CANTABILE : Paris Arc.

What's new? The whole issue is a bit similar but the setting is different. This time around the main setting is in Paris. In this arc you can see the beautiful and renown landmarks and spots like L'Arc De Triomphe, Champs Elysees, Eiffel Tower and the list goes on... Here, Chiaki's true love for arts and music is heightened.

But then again, to my disappointment, this arc's plot is rather somber and predictable. Noda Megumi a.k.a. Nodame is still fumbling around in finding her own sound and style. Her affection for Chiaki Shinichi is somewhat (it's really complicated...) unrequited. However, gradually, Chiaki-senpai succumbs to Nodame's child-like charm. Oh, yes... they kissed! On the whole I still think the first arc is much better and funnier...

Well, frankly speaking I wouldn't categorize this series as a must-watch. But, if you have watched the first arc, give it a go! Here is the LINK for you to download the whole arc. Have a blast!