I am totally loving Itazura na Kiss!! <3 Sure the art is a bit dated, but I’m all for nostalgia lol. A few eps ago (14, IIRC) there was a whirlwind of events which led to *gasp* Aihara Kotoko to becoming Irie Kotoko!!! I was like doki doki whoaaaa—

And look at this latest ep - on top of Kotoko officially known as ‘Irie Kotoko’ by having her name posted publicly on a board outside, we’ve got some competition for Irie, eh?? Although this bunch of nurses are just as whacked as the rest of the characters - we’ve got a cross-dressing guy plus a native-looking, sorta naive guy plus that girl with so much makeup - if Irie doesn’t get his act together, this naive guy may just snatch Kotoko away! Oh noes!!

I think this is why I don’t go into detail with shows, because when I get excited I babble even more than usual. This show just makes me laugh out loud (like, actually, my mouth opens and loud sounds come out) and I react to every single moment - like ‘ooooh you go girl!’ and ‘why ARE you such a klutz??’ and ‘ooooooooh triangle and it’s NOT Kotoko fighting over Irie with some other girllllllll’

At this point, I will spare you any more fangirly behaviour and leave you with this:

Ohh, he’s ticked. Just slightly.

First off, finished a few series. Writing this at work (because I’d rather be watching anime at home LOL), so will have to remember what I finished off the top of my head…

Kurenai: I really liked this series… except for the end. It was disappointing. Yes, I know Murasaki has a strong personality, but she’s 7! Seven. It’s okay to run away, man. Maybe 12 eps is too short. Or maybe, I would have accepted her decision if the ending was written better. The whole thing just didn’t make sense to me. I dunno. It’s over now. I enjoyed eagerly waiting for the next ep while it lasted.
And let me just say thank you to BSS for doing ordered chapters. I usually avoid downloading the HD versions of releases simply because their size, but with ordered chapters I could enjoy all the HD goodness without the clunky size! yay!

Vampire Knight (first season): I have a thing for vampire stories. And of course bishies. Can’t wait for more. Maybe I should read the manga… I’m not too fond of Yui Horie as Yuuki anyway.

xxxHOLiC Kei: ep 12 felt more like an ending than 13… 13 was more like, hey we have one more ep to fill, let’s have a party! I really need to get back to reading the manga (because the art is so much better :P)

Shion no Ou: Not bad at all. I think this is one of those series that would be more enjoyable if you watch the eps close together. It needs that momentum. Of course, I very much appreciate that Live-eviL subbed this series for us, and I’m not complaining about their speed. Just saying it might be worth rewatching as a marathon.

Mnemosyne: I’m not sure what to think of this show. I mean, I can’t even pronounce the title. In the last ep, it was like, whoa they actually had an overall plot?? When were they gonna tell us?? And it’s all so confusing anyway, even if they revealed bits of it in the previous eps, I wouldn’t have remembered it.

Zettai Kareshi (live-action): Enjoyable show. Not too shabby ending either. I mean, it’s standard and predictable, and I don’t know if it’s because it has anything to do with the fact that it’s live-action, but yappari ne - more realistic. Not the part about the robot lover, but the flow of things seem more natural and the emotions are more realistic. Or maybe it’s just better storytelling. lol.

Junjou Romantica: This is cute, lol. I even watched that special preview where the seiyuu had random conversations. I’m still amused that Abarai Renji from Bleach is one of the seiyuu (well I knew this early on). But then I looked up Usagi-san’s seiyuu and was like whoa this dude is old! hahahaha. But I like his voice :3 Looking forward to the next season~

Umm… I think these are all the ones I just finished…? Well I’m getting tired of picking at my brain, so let’s move on to new stuff!

Antique Bakery: Pretty amusing. And I love cake <3

Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto: Natsu no Sora: I like magic too. This is pretty good so far. Nice colour tones and stuff. The only thing would be Sora’s seiyuu. She’s the one who did Sora (uh yea, same name) in Sketchbook. It’s not like she’s bad, I just get tired of her voice after a while. In Sketchbook, she didn’t speak much, but this other Sora is more energetic. lol.

Slayers Revolution: Although I haven’t watched the previous Slayers series, the sort of 90s style of art is a bit nostalgic for me, having grown up watching Sailor Moon and stuff. The comedy style too. It’s so ridiculous that you can’t help but laugh.

Chocolate Underground: There’s nothing impressive about this show except that my favourite food is illegal! I’ll watch it cause it’s only 5 min, but I wouldn’t be waiting for the next ep or anything.

Birdy the Mighty Decode: I’m expecting to drop this as soon as I see what they did with that rich girl, because I’m the kind of person who just has to know. The show in general seems too typical and bland, so not much interest on my end.

Sekirei: Having shows like this and Birdy make me feel like I’m watching the same stuff over and over again. Plus I don’t like the kind of boobs they have here, which is about the only thing they have.

Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu: This one is a bit different, lol. Rich, elegant girl is an otaku, oh my. Interesting enough for now (ep 1), will see what kinda direction it heads in.

Yakushiji Ryoko no Kaiki Jikenbo: What’s up with series titles using this template of “[full name of main char] no [something the main char seems to have]”? Reminds me of Suzumiya Haruhi lol. Anyway, another detective show. I’m still waiting on Himitsu: the Revelation. Well, we’ll see how ep 2 is. I don’t expect much from this one though.

Koihime Musou: Romance of the Three Kingdoms? This? Uh…

Naisho no Tsubomi: Isn’t fifth grade a bit too early? And what secret does this Endou Saya hold?? Rea-pi is the typical blabbermouth, who is annoying like she should be. And that other girl who looks like a tomboy is actually girlier than you think! I’m slightly embarassed to say this, but I’m enjoying watching these girls and boys grow up. lol.

Mister Ajikko: From the subbers who brought us Yakitate Japan, Anime-Empire is sharing an older cooking show with us! Again there is the nostalgia. I hope they will be able to find a translator to continue the show!

World Destruction: I didn’t pay much attention to the first ep, but it didn’t seem very interesting… the bear looks kinda familiar… Oh, I just found out that the bear’s seiyuu is Sailor Moon’s Mamo-chan! LOL. I’m infinitely more interested just to hear the bear speak again.

Also started watching Fruits Basket. Pretty good so far, except for the fact that I downloaded a dual-audio version, in which the subs are basically the dub’s script… I need to remind myself to actually try and understand what they’re saying instead of being lazy and reading the text on the screen (I’m more of a visual than auditory person)

Oh, and watched WALL-E a few weeks ago and loved it. He’s so cute.

anyway.

somehow, i seem to have developed an interest for shounen-ai. i believe it is thanks to junjou romantica, but my brain doesn’t seem to have room to remember minute details such as that anymore. so then of course i went to look for more. as we do with yummy food. oh human nature.

which landed me with sukisho, which has such a long ass name and for what reason. it wasn’t a random choice really, as i’ve sampled sukisho before, when it first aired. at that time, i had not grown up yet and was still like OMG i shouldn’t be watching this OMG they shouldn’t be on top of each other like that >< today i am able to appreciate it. lol.

sadly, in search of anime that truly interests me, sukisho doesn’t really capture my attention. i had watched the first 3 eps a while ago, and just watched the 4th. it seems to be the same silliness on repeat. maybe i prefer shounen-ai without the supernatural? hahaha. junjou romantica feels more down-to-earth, more slice of life. it’s like i could be one of those characters, having an experience like that… if i were a guy.

the only problem i have with junjou is that the brown haired guys all look the same to me.

1. Kanokon - prolly one of the first subs of the season? For those who get turned on by little boys being sexually assaulted I guess. I think I had more than enough with just the first ep.
2. ToLoveRu - however you spell that. More nakedness and boobs and stuff. I might have been slightly amused, but seeing the flood of fansubs made me discard this quickly. Plus there’s Mnemosyne, which is similar enough I suppose.
3. Bus Gamer - the characters are kinda ugly. Only that older-looking guy looked okay, and even then he’s not the type I’d go for in terms of bishies. It was kinda okay since it was nice and short, but the 3rd ep didn’t even really seem like an ending. It’s like they got lazy or sth.
4. Chi’s Sweet Home - so cute xD and it’s like 2 min, so why not?
5. xxxHOLiC Kei - watched to the first season, love the manga, so this was a no-brainer. I just wish they would animate it better. I know it’s sometimes hard when you have a manga to compare to, but Tsubasa turned out okay, right? I dunno… *sigh*
6. Kurenai - I think this is one of the most promising this season. Character design is similar to that of Red Garden. Murasaki is really well done, imo. Most shows that I’ve sampled, most of the characters are easily forgettable. I love her hair, her facial expressions, and the voice matches quite well. Shinkurou is not as impressive, but I guess that’s supposed to be his character as well.
7. Special A - my original intention was to follow this one, but after the 2nd ep I felt like the exact same things are just gonna repeat every ep. And the way the guy protects the girl is kinda awkward. His character is unnatural for some reason.
8. Itazura na Kiss - a classic shoujo story. Art is slightly outdated, but sorta nostalgic lol. The only downer is that Irie-kun is not really a bishie. And Kin-chan is just… yea…
9. Vampire Knight - my friend was pushing for me to read this manga. If only I had the time. Well now there’s the anime version. I do like vampire stories so I hope this continues in a good direction. Ooooooh Zero~
10. Zettai Karen Children - no recollection of any strong impressions. the only thing I remember is that I did not really like the colours. and that ‘karen’ is written such that the kanji means ‘pitiful’ in chinese.
11. Allison and Lillia - as of the third ep, it’s still on my list, but I’m not sure if I’m too interested in it. And who’s Lillia??
12. Wagaya no Oinari-sama - more wolves huh. This seemed kinda boring.
13. Kamen no Maid Guy - I wanted to stay away when I looked it up and saw the promo pics. But I was like, I’m doing all this sampling anyway, what the heck. Then I started watching it and did not last through the OP.
14. Nabari no Ou - seemed kinda cool at first, but after the 2nd ep, the main guy’s apathetic personality made me just a little apathetic to the show. Again too repetitive.
15. Kyouran Kazoku Nikki - this is absolutely stupid. No, really.
16. Golgo 13 - the idea of a genius shooter is cool. Not too fond of the art style, but I’ll manage if the story is good. I just hope it’s not actually 50 eps.
17. Penguin no Mondai - this was kinda stupid too. And the animation was so crude.
18. Crystal Blaze - I just wanna see what the ‘cargo’ is exactly. Most of the main characters are kinda annoying. And that enemy woman was ugly.
19. Amatsuki - It’s Paku Romi~~~!!! Prolly the main reason I’m gonna check out ep 2. Otherwise it’s not that impressive.
20. Himitsu - the Revelation - I thought the brunette was a woman!! O_O I wonder if this would get episodic.
21. Daughter of Twenty Faces - reminds me of Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne somewhat. I think the way they introduced the girl was not that well done. She gave the impression of a snobby brat and not much more. They could’ve hinted more that she was being controlled and stuff, rather than just emphasize that she only exists to piss people off. Absolutely no foreshadowing is what I’m trying to say, I guess. Well now that she’s out of the house, we’ll see where ep 2 goes.
22. Monochrome Factor - oooh shounen-ai huh. And I like those long ’silver’ hair types haha. Actual main character is nothing amazing, but I’ll watch it for Shirogane
23. Real Drive Sennou Chousashitsu - I’m not too into sci-fi, so I kinda knew I wouldn’t be too interested in this one. And I was right.
24. Kaiba - kinda sci-fi too, but this one has Paku Romi xDDD I just love her voice. We’ll see how the story progresses in ep 2.
25. Edit: Soul Eater - forgot about this one. At first I was interested in the way they animated the show to resemble somewhat like a video game, and the fighting was not bad either. Then, as I watched the 2nd ep, I lost interest again.

Besides these there are of course more shows that I did not bother to check out. *sigh* too manyyy.

Anyway… so before this big flood, there were still those shows from last season, or longer.

Kaiji… last ep was kinda meh, even though I don’t use the word ‘meh’.

Clannad… it’s so cute that the two of them finally got together. I don’t think I really cried, which is a bit disappointing, but I’m still happy about the confession and stuff. I also watched the Clannad Movie, which was a bit… different. Ending not bad either, I guess.

Finallyyy finished Zetsubou Sensei. That show is such a chore to watch, with all the writing on the blackboards and signs and stuff. Sometimes I wish the fansubbers didn’t translate all of the text so I wouldn’t specifically go back to read what it says. I thought about not watching Zoku Zetsubou, but somehow I got to watching the first ep of it… well let’s just say this show is so random you can’t help but not watch it… eventually. Though I gotta say I like the first season’s ep better.

Also got to watching Ghost Hound. I’m really amused by the dialect they speak xD It fits Tarou’s image, but it’s kinda weird hearing it from Makoto xD I’m not a science nerd, so I’m not *that* interested in all the scientific/psychological terms, but all that stuff about illusions and existence and stuff is something to think about. I’m just sad that I caught up before the last ep has been subbed. Now I have to wait.

Well it’s been lovely, but I’m gonna get back to watching Karei Naru Ichizoku (dorama). Didn’t think I’d like it that much, but it’s somehow drawn me in. I’m not archiving it though, unlike (almost?) all the other dorama that I’ve watched. Think I’ll be picking up Zettai Kareshi too. hehehe.

School has been busy busy as always. Trying to cut back on the number of shows I’m watching. As always.

The winter season is almost over, I suppose? I wish I could say the same about the actual seasons.

Kaiji is nearing its end. At some point I started wondering how it could be 26 eps. But it seems like they somehow did it. I wonder how it will turn out.

Clannad is almost done too. I thought Nagisa’s story would be more dramatic. It was kinda anticlimactic. I’m hoping the ending will make me cry.

For some reason I lump Shigofumi, Spice and Wolf, and True Tears together. Probably because they came out at around the same time and have about the same number of eps, plus they’re alphabetically close to each other…

Shigofumi was kinda anticlimactic too, when they revealed the mystery behind Fumika being a ‘mailman’. Looking back, the thing that pulled me in was the girl from the first ep who killed her father. I was like, whoa, this is different. And I was wondering if it was gonna be episodic, but I was still interested to see more. Fumika is actually not that interesting, to be honest.

Spice and Wolf is cute. I’m not too interested in the whole business and trade stuff, but it’s fun watching the interaction between Lawrence and Horo. Well I guess mostly Horo’s personality. lol.

True Tears… well they could’ve done better with Noe’s character. They set her up in the beginning to give the impression of a blunt personality and a strong vision, but in the end she’s just a regular girl wanting to be loved, along with one or two strange hobbies. They tried to make her special and failed. Hiromi, on the other hand, is a more realistic character, although not necessarily likeable. I’ve warmed up to her though. Aiko… yea I don’t understand while she appears in the OP as if she’s a main character.

Now to brace myself for the new anime season… ‘picky’ is the keyword. Actually, it should be ‘try’ instead.

Anyway, seems like Maestro needs a bit of help. Click here to read all about it.

Ahem.

Due to my realization that there just isn’t enough hours in a day, I’ve dropped Dragonaut and Bamboo Blade. Dragonaut… well in the end it’s all about boobs, and I’m not a big fan of mecha anyway. Bamboo Blade… it’s not *that* exciting to watch.

On the other hand, I’ve been watching a drama called Galileo (thanks SARS Fansubs for all their work!) which is about a genius physicist and a rookie police detective and their adventures in solving ’supernatural’ mysteries. With all the supernatural-ness it sometimes has the mood of a horror film, but at the end when the mystery is solved with logic, it’s like OHHHHHH. And then tying in human emotions and its irrational nature, mmmmm. Loving it. Fukuyama Masaharu is not bad looking either And I am really tickled by the expressions he makes as his character.

Well back to anime.

Was able to do some catching up today. Clannad is soo sad right now. And I love it. I hope it turns out~~ Kaiji is still good, despite the drawing style. The only thing that bugged me was when they were saying “うんぷてんぷ” (unputenpu - trusting to chance)… such an unpleasant-sounding word… *shudder*

Shion no Ou… sometimes the quality of the art lowers, but I’m enjoying the story and the shougi as well, even though I know nothing about shougi. It has the same kinda, how do you say it, intensity (? I’m stealing the word from the subs :P) as Go. And Hikaru no Go was so good.

I still follow Bleach and D.gray-man faithfully heh heh. Bleach looks like it’s picking up, and I wish D.gray-man would pick up faster. I mean, get your friggin arm back already. And why is his right hand so swollen-looking??

Haven’t touched the other shows yet… especially Minami-ke, my favourite from this season. I was waiting for a group other than Ayako to release, and for a while there it seemed like nobody else was continuing. I’m not pleased with Ayako’s little ‘prank’ in the intro. I want to keep these eps, and I’d rather not keep those kinda subs.

Ahh can’t wait til xmas break. Catch-up catch-up timeeee.

Hmm… let’s start with the ones I’ve decided not to follow:

Goshuushou-sama Ninomiya-kun: Too much fanservice. Plus it’s a bit embarrassing when your mom is sitting right beside you while you’re watching this show… LOL.

Night Wizard: The Anzolette girl is annoying, and Elis is too simple. I’ve got too many of this type of show anyway.

KimiKiss Pure Rouge: Typical, nothing amazing. Not enough time. (plus there really are too many shows about high school kids)

Prism Ark: Yea about the same as Night Wizard. The main reason I wasn’t interested is that it was similar to Shining Tears, and I dropped that show not to try to be picky, but because I was just that bored by it.

Mokke: Don’t like the animation (feels like an 80s/90s show). While it’s interesting to learn about Japanese mythology, it’s not entertaining enough. The audience imed at little kids.

Kodomo no Jikan: Yea… no. Don’t like the art. Not a lolicon. They’re not even cute. I’d rather watch Shugo Chara over this.

Blue Drop: I hate the main girl. Okay, so she’s never been to a school. You’d think with her background (she was living in a mansion before right?), she would’ve been raised properly. She makes me mad. D:

Rental Magica: I was contemplating this one. But I’m not really that excited by the show, and I haven’t got the time. Oh, and I was sooo confused with ep2 cause ep1 supposedly happened after ep2?

Okay! And for the new ones:

Moyashimon: The humans aren’t anything amazing, but the microbes are sooooo cute. Especially the ED. I’m keeping the actual eps xDDD

Shion no Ou: I was looking forward to this one. I loved Hikaru no Go, but I’ve actually learned Go before. Don’t know anything about Shougi. Haha. But the premise seems interesting, and omg Romi Paku!!! I love her voice and the characters that she does.

Sketchbook ~full color’S~: Their expressions are so cuteee. The only thing is that Sora’s nervousness - the way that she just waves around her arms and makes a bunch of noise - annoys me sometimes. Other than that, she’s so cuteeee. And her friends are so random - just the way I like it xD

Suteki Tantei Labyrinth: Genius kid who solves mysteries. Seems kinda cool. He’s way too polite though (said ‘thank you’ about 50 times in one ep…) but I suppose that’s better than that Blue Drop girl. haha.

Hero Tales: Character design style is similar to FMA, hehe. This one is still ‘tentative’ - waiting for ep2.

Ghost Hound: Haven’t watched this yet, but Shinsen-Subs just released ep1. I hope this is as good as it looks.

Special note about Clannad - forgot to mention that Okazaki looks so much like Takuto (Full Moon wo Sagashite). That’s another reason why I’ll keep watching xD Plus I lurrrve the ED. dango dai kazoku~~~

Finished Bokurano. That was a good show.

Minami-ke: The keeper that I was looking for. You could say that this is the kind of anime that I’m into right now. Comedy + slice of life + a bit of randomness. Like Lovely Complex. Like Lucky Star. Things like Nodame Cantabile too. Anyway. The tone is simple, set by the neutral colours. And then you’ve got Kana’s personality. Hehe. Their mouths are drawn in such an unconventional way that I’m in love with the shape. It’s hard to describe it - a cross between a rain drop, a hershey kiss, and dough…?? xD

Kaiji: I’m not too excited about the drawing style. It kinda reminds me of American cartoons. But I think it’s appropriate given the story and setting. And the story/setting seems like a good one. While it may not make it over to my hard drive, I am fairly certain that this is one of the shows that I will follow.

Dragonaut ~The Resonance~: Doesn’t seem that interesting to me at this point. Maybe if these “dragons” look cool then I’ll keep watching. The Kazuki guy seems like the typical best-friend-got-jealous because the main char was special and he could only ever stay at the sidelines kinda thing. Oh, and one thing I can say this show: boobs.

Bamboo Blade: I’m actually kinda tired of the whole high school setting. I just noticed that. But I do like the art, and I don’t know much about Kendo, so I’ll give this a few more eps. Tama-chan reminds me of that quiet girl from Negima. Heh.

ef - a tale of memories: The way they make the scene cuts and stuff (it’s probably not the right terminology lol) more artistic and unique than the usual show is what attracts me about this show. Otherwise it seems kinda typical, something along the lines of sola.

Goshuushou-sama Ninomiya-kun: Hayate? That’s the association that my mind made when I watched this. Nothing too spectacular. Of course lots of fanservice for the boys. But I’m not a boy. lol.

KimiKiss Pure Rouge: Yay more high school kids. [/sarcasm] The girl near the end seemed interesting. We’ll see.

So I watched all this yesterday. And after that my brain was just mushmush. With the exception of Shugo Chara and Myself; Yourself, I think I’ll just continue on to ep 2 for everything else.

Just downloaded Suteki Tantei Labyrinth 01. Wonder how many more new shows there’ll be >_>

Btw I’m not checking out anything sequels to shows I haven’t watched. e.g. Shakugan no Shana II, oh and I gave up on Da Capo at the beginning of season 2.

D.gray-man 52 had a new OP and I was sorta pleasantly surprised by that. Not sure why. I do miss the first OP for some reason though, but I have to say that I find abingdon boys school to be a lame name, and I hate watching the main vocalist perform. He looks so weird too @_@

The ending was nice. It’s good that everyone has decided on their paths after high school. Or at least they have an idea right now, whether that may change or not.

I was literally laughing out loud even in the last ep, which is one of the things I love about this show. I love being able to actually laugh when I watch something. The other notable show which made me do the same thing is Yakitate!! Japan. That was a good show too.

As usual for good shows that end so soon, I see people hoping for a second season. Personally, I don’t know if I want a second season. That might ruin it for me, since I am rarely impressed by sequels. Plus, the way they ended it, there’s not much else to tell, without making it really lame.

Of course, that being said, some kinda New Year’s special just to see Otani and Risa and their antics again might be fun.

*sigh* Now I want to read the manga too. I wonder if you can tell they have a Kansai accent in the manga, haha. That’s another thing I loved about the show. It’s so fun to hear their accents. *needs to find an online place to buy raw manga for cheap*

This is one of the shows that I will definitely rewatch… eventually. haha.

Come to think of it, there hasn’t been one show, of the new ones that I’ve been checking out, that jumped out at me and made me think, “This is a keeper!” Guess I will save some hard drive space xD