05/11/11 Weekly Wrap-Up

Wow, I haven't done this in forever.

This week in anime:
After a terribly long internal debate about whether I had enough space left on my hard drive to download more, I decided to pick up two more series. Following that debate, I had another one about which fansub group I should go with. I'm not too picky with the translation or awkward phrases because for the most part they convey a similar message, but I am picky with the visuals so I generally go with the nicer typesetting. I really am trying my best not to turn this into spring again where I picked up way too many shows.

Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukani
It's giving me Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko vibes. I like it.

C³
Gore. Fighting. Lolis. Fanservice. To be quite honest, I really don't know what to say about this show. I'm really liking the gore, which is perhaps the only reason I keep coming back for more. I have no idea where this show is heading and I can't say there's anything remotely new or revolutionary about it at all. It's not even funny. Not even close to being a tiny bit funny.

Fate/Zero
Everything about this show is simply amazing. Perhaps a tad biased coming from a fan of the series but honestly, this tops Fate/stay-night by a mile. It makes me wonder if they were ever really part of the same series. Ufotable didn't disappoint with those impressive visuals either. The soundtrack is also a given considering it's Kajiura Yuki composing. If everything keeps up the way it's been going, the show is probably only going to get better from here.

Guilty Crown
I've never really been a huge fan of this kind of future post-apocalyptic war set up but this story isn't too bad. It still manages to retain my interest. What I really do love about this show are the stunning visuals and the soundtrack. That soundtrack is superb.

Phi Brain: Kami no Puzzle
Mediocre series. Not bad but not amazing either. Frankly, it should be bad. The premise is stupid, for lack of a better term, but some how it didn't turn out to be a complete joke. It did kind of become more interesting after the recent episode so I guess we'll see where it goes from here.

Shakugan no Shana III (Final)
For one of my all-time favourites, it really didn't fail to deliver this season to the point where I'm constantly checking what day it is in anticipation for the next episode. It doesn't help when the subs are delayed.

Un-Go
Starting... really soon.

I recently finished Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen or Samurai X - Trust and Betrayal. Anime really doesn't come like this anymore. It kind of made everything I've been watching recently seem not so good. Now I have this onset of nostalgia and feel like watching every 90s anime in existence. Kidding. Gotta keep up with the times too, y'know?

I'm working on a few reviews and on my way to finishing off anime from the spring and summer seasons but alas, real life gets in the way so I haven't been able to finish anything.

28/05/11 Weekly Wrap-Up

Fear not. I haven't forgotten my blog. Just a really quick update this week. I really haven't had time for much anime lately. I haven't even watched the top 3 of the season this week yet. That's mainly because I have to watch them in a specific order and UTW subs are delayed. I'm probably going to drop A-Channel and Steins;Gate. They both bore me to tears.

I don't have much time due to a lot of assessments in the coming month, so don't expect any reviews anytime soon. They're coming. I promise. Trying to balance school, anime, manga, music and exercise (in the form of learning dances for fun), and various other things is really difficult, but I'm trying. I don't want to become the kind of person who does nothing but study all the time. Of course I want to excel in my studies, but what kind of self-development is there in hitting the books 24/7? You just become a somewhat mindless and boring person, who frankly doesn't know much at all.

This week, I did manage to get a few episodes of anime in towards the beginning of the week. I watched Astarotte no Omocha, Ao no Exorcist, Hanasaku Iroha, Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi and Gosick. Gosick was absolutely amazing. Hopefully these last few episodes don't disappoint, but hey, no expectations means no disappointment. I think I finally don't feel the need to watch a million episodes per day any more.

Truthfully though, I haven't really been doing much work despite not watching anime. I've been watching BEAST related videos like their MTV documentary. I think I've been in a constant high ever since I realised that k-pop isn't all boring like DBSK and BIGBANG or just bad... like all the girl groups. Yes, the revelation was a little overwhelming. Well, at the moment the only group I really love is BEAST. They're so good that their live performances sound recorded. I also like U-KISS and ZE:A but not enough to bother learning any of their names. I have a hard time remembering Korean names for some reason. My musical horizons are expanding but I'll save that story for another day.

For now, I'm out. Real commentary to come as soon as I get around to watching the episodes. Perhaps in the monthly wrap-up, although I have an important exam two days after that. We'll see.

Hooray. Hidan no Aria just got released. Time to watch. Laters.

21/05/11 Weekly Wrap-Up

Yes, it's worth that much. No, I didn't pay that much. I'll show you what I have someday...

This week went by so fast I felt like I had no time to do anything. I get a little scared every time someone reminds me of how little time I have left to prepare for the biggest exam of my life. I spoiled myself with another massive order from Book Depository. I do have a round of assessments coming in 2 weeks so blogging will be a little sparse... not that it isn't already. I promise I'm trying. This post is a day late too because I went to a birthday party yesterday. Nothing happened but it was fun anyway. I hadn't been to one in ages.

Pending Reviews: TOO MANY ..........

• Clannad: After Story
• Moshidora
• Highschool of the Dead
• Chrno Crusade
• The Gentlemen's Alliance Cross

I tried to do the Fortune Arterial one but I didn't remember much so that one won't be out any time soon.

Didn't start any anime this week.

Manga started this week: Kimi ni Todoke, Full Moon o Shigashite, Pandora Hearts, Hidan no Aria (Light novel), Dengeki Daisy (Delinquent school custodian...mmm)

Manga completed: I-O-N
It was really nice story and the art was pretty good for Arina Tanemura's first ever complete volume, even though she did short stories before that. In short, I really liked it.

Song of the week:
Well, I downloaded all of UVERworld's music and B2ST/Beast's new album. People seem to have this misconception that I've been 'converted' to kpop. Seriously, stuff you. I never was against it in the first place. I just don't like all the stuff you do. (Sigh) I never really found anything in Korean music that I liked before this album. I should listen to some music in English but I'm so lazy and it hasn't been that good as of late.



5. UVERworld - Rush
4. Kurosaki Maon - The Place of Hope (HotD ED)
3. B2ST - On Rainy Days/The Day the Rain Came : I'm trying to figure out the guitar for this.
2. Misato Aki - Spread Wings (Oretachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai OP)
1. B2ST - Back to You (My favourite song on the album.)

The intro song was the beginning of B2ST - The Fact.

I've been learning May'n - Scarlet Ballet on piano. It's so fast. I finally finished learning Secondhand Serenade - Your Call on guitar. I just can't sing and play at the same time properly but singing is the only way I know when to play what.

SPRING ANIME RANKINGS v4
Some really good ones and some really bad ones this week. I may drop a few but I don't really like leaving things midway.

1. AnoHana +1 : Heartbreaking.
2. Hidan no Aria -1 : It lacked something this week. Just a little something that was there in all the other episodes.
3. Gosick = : So beautifully cryptic. Best episode yet.
4. Hanasaku Iroha = : Hilarious episode.
5. Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko = : I absolutely love the art. There were so many close ups of faces I nearly died.
6. Ao no Exorcist = : Best episode so far. I loved the back story. Dislike the love interest.
7. Deadman Wonderland +3 : Quite exciting.
8. Oretachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai -1 : I don't know what to think. Only 5 episodes left. Will it make sense in the end?
9. SKET Dance = : Cute episode.
10. Astarotte no Omocha! -2 : Utter disappointment. It was really bad this week.
11. Dog Days = : A decent follow-up. Not too bad.
12. Steins;Gate = : I fell asleep.
13. C +1 : I'm a little lost. I don't understand it's popularity. It's like Yu-Gi-Oh! with credit cards, just not as good. I fell asleep.
14. Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL +1 : Well, I also fell asleep.
15. A-Channel -2 : And for the third time, I fell asleep.
16. Sekaiichi Hatsukoi +1 : This show is lame.
17. Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi -1 : This show.. remind me why I'm watching this?

Best of the week:
AnoHana again. The story is amazing. It really tugs are your heartstrings. I can't imagine what would happen if I decided to watch all the episodes in a row. Waterfall incoming?

Worst of the week:
Everything I fell asleep in along with Hoshizora and Sekaiichi. Really. No joke. It was a bad week.

Most memorable moment:
When the guy in Deadman Wonderland got his eye gouged out. (I don't want to post a picture so have a little of Kurosaki over there instead.) I'm not usually phased by any sort of gore but it was censored which made me imagine all this stuff about what it would be like. It was really graphic. Not to mention I was eating at the time. I didn't finish my food. I nearly spit it everywhere.

14/05/11 Weekly Wrap-Up

So this week wasn't a particularly eventful one. I went by the whole thing in an absolute daze. I was so sleep deprived due to the insane amount of English homework. I hardly remember what happened. I do, however, remember that my youtube account was terminated. I never liked youtube, but apparently, you only get your videos removed if someone reports you. Shame on that person for not allowing me to share the music I like! Also, I did receive 6 books in the mail, with 10 still on the way. That brightened up my week a lot. The amount of Shojo Beat manga I buy is crazy.

Pending Reviews

• Fortune Arterial: Red Promise (It's actually been a while since I watched this but I wanted to do a review because I actually liked this as opposed to the majority of people whose reviews I did read.)
• Clannad: After Story + Kyou Chapter OVA
• Moshidora
• Highschool of the DEAD + OVA
• The Gentlemen's Alliance Cross (Thought I'd try a manga review.)

Anime started this week: Bottle Fairy. It's terrible.

Manga started this week: Princess Ai

Anime completed this week: Highschool of the DEAD. I was actually following the dub, but I couldn't stand waiting any more, so I watched it all on Thursday.

Song of the week:

I actually download songs like a madwoman, so this week, I decided I would make a video of the top 5 songs I added to itunes this week! I uploaded it to megaupload which really decreased the quality a lot. It took me hours, and hours, because my editing skills are rather rusty. It took me ages to cut the songs and put them together properly so it would sound okay.

5. French Kiss - Kakko Warui I love you! (Sket Dance OP) - It's so catchy!
4. Kishida Kyoudan  & The Akeboshi Rockets - HIGHSCHOOL OF THE DEAD (HotD OP)
3. momo - Daisuki da you (Moshidora ED) - I love the chorus.
2. UVERworld - CORE PRIDE (Ao no Exorcist OP) - Despite the fact that the ending theme is absolutely unbearable, I love the opening theme and have been listening to it over and over. I love the gang vocals.
1. Nakano Aiko - Camellia no Hitomi (Hidan no Aira ED) - I've been listening to this on repeat.

I do realise they're all songs from anime, but I haven't really had the chance to go look up some new English music. Some of the obscure music I like is not so easy to find.

SPRING ANIME RANKINGS v3
I revised my scoring system this week. I think it actually makes more sense now and the scores match my thoughts on the series'. The amount of 'fluff' in all the episodes this week was insane.

1. Hidan no Aria = : It doesn't fail to impress yet again. After I see something happen, I realise how predictable it was. What makes it good is I didn't know it was going to happen. Aria's character is also nice because she shows more of her deredere side.
2. AnoHana = : Emotional overload. It's absolutely beautiful. It's quite powerful in the way it makes the viewer able to empathise with all the characters.
3. Gosick : Adding this in this week since it's on going as well. The real story is unfolding. The ending was so touching.
4. Hanasaku Iroha = : More melodrama and amazing art.
5. Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko = : The show that you really like, but have no idea why you like it. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
6. Ao no Exorcist +1 : Really cheesy episode but I liked it. I hope this show continues to improve.
7. Oretachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai +1 : Total mindfuck, but something is happening. I can just feel it underneath all the bad but funny fan service. The series is mid-way through now, and the way I see it is it'll either be absolutely mindblowing, or it will fail epically. 
8. Astarotte no Omocha +2 : This is turning out to be a lot more than it initially was. It's nice, and somehow manages to put a smile on my face.
9. SKET Dance +6 : Really a hit and miss kind of show. This weeks episode was really heartwarming.
10. Deadman Wonderland -4 : Conceptually, I like it but it's getting more and more boring by the week.
11. Dog Days +1 : That twist at the end. Shocking. 
12. Steins;Gate -3 : *Yawns* Need I say more? It's not confusing or anything, it's just really weird and extremely boring. The banana jokes aren't funny any more.
13. A-Channel +1 : This show is just bad. What happened?
14. C -3 : I'm so disappointed that this isn't as good as I thought it would be. Animation isn't good at all.
15. Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal -2 : It's like this show doesn't even try to be good.
16. Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi = : Don't even get me started on the fan service. There is also absolutely no plot whatsoever.
17. Sekaiichi Hatsukoi = : Just not feeling the emotion. It's so superficial. It's lame.

Best of the week: AnoHana episode 5. The emotional impact this show has is amazing. 

Worst of the week: Hoshizora and Sekaiichi. Wow. Never have I ever seen anything so bad.

Most memorable moment:

I really want to see Victorique meet her mother. This moment was one of those 'awwwww' ones.

07/05/11 Weekly Wrap-Up

Shameless shipping. They're so cute.

I thought I'd start doing this due to my lack of time to regularly write reviews, and because I feel like writing about random things. I'm far from impressed with my progress at school despite the fact that people keep telling me I'm doing fine but I've been doing a whole load of retail therapy. On Tuesday, I did a bulk order from Book Depository. I might actually post my manga collection after I get my books. Maybe. SUMMER LIST WILL BE UPDATED SOON.... MAYBE.

Pending Reviews:

• Seikon no Qwaser
• Fortune Arterial: Red Promise
• Clannad: After Story
• Moshidora

SPRING ANIME RANKINGS v2

1. Hidan no Aria +3 : I thought it just couldn't get any better. How wrong was I.
2. Ano Hana -1 : Aria took over. This show is still amazing though.
3. Hanasaku Iroha = : The art is beautiful and the story is developing quite nicely.
4. Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko -2 : Where the story is going, I have no idea, but this show makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
5. Deadman Wonderland = : It was really boring this week. I have it on a 6/10 at the moment, and that's really saying something about the anime this season.
6. Ao no Exorcist +2 : It was interesting this week. I actually didn't yawn at all while watching this week. There was actually some element of surprise. There was also guns.
7. Oretachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai +8 : I think I'm starting to piece things together in my head. This anime is quite funny. I think I was just being to harsh previously.
8. Steins;Gate +2 : Somewhat predictable revelation but execution wasn't too bad. Character interaction is nice.
9. Astarotte no Omocha +5 : Latest episode was kind of nice... after I got over how annoying Lotte was. 
10. C -1 : So incredibly boring. The story isn't making much sense. It's so vague. The animation is so bad, my eyes burn. 
11. Dog Days = : Nice battle scenes. Other than that, it was boring. The singing at the end was nice.
12. Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL : I just started this week. It's pretty generic and childish.
13. A-Channel -6 : The same jokes are being used over and over. It's not funny anymore.
14. Sket Dance = : Episodic. Not funny.
15. Hoshizora e Kakaru Hoshi -2 : Cliché. Really bad harem. Retains interest but little in terms of development.
16. Sekaiichi Hatsukoi -8 : So you finish with one couple and just move onto the next? The romance is basically like rape... I just sit there cringing for 20 minutes. Not to mention, I don't really understand the connection between the couples?

Ratings changed drastically after one week. The first four are pretty solid, but after that, they're not fantastic.


Anime completed this week: Clannad: After Story, Moshidora

Best of the week: Hidan no Aria episode 4

Worst of the week: Sekaiichi Hatsukoi episode 5

Song of the week: Hidan no Aria OP - Scarlet Ballet by May'n

I actually really didn't like this song at first, but I actually really like it now. It's grown on me. Not to mention this amazing piano transcription. I'm going to learn it but even though I'm classically trained in piano, I'm not sure if my fingers can handle it after not playing for so long.

Most memorable moment:

Girls with guns.

It seems as if this whole post is about Hidan no Aria... I love this show, so what can I say.

On another note: