MOVING

http://kisa-tan.blogspot.com/

Follw my new blog if you want to :3 I've been busy lately and I only plan to stick to doing small reviews.

Roro and Gero!!

Gotta love Gero xD I mean seriously no one sings or rather shouts like him.

Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu

Idiots, Tests and Summoned Creatures

 The story centers around Akihisa Yoshii, the "baka" of the title. His academy rigidly divides up the student body into classes based on the results of tests. The prodigies are in the A class with reclining seats complete with air conditioning, but Akihisa is in F class, the lowest rung of the school ladder which is furnished only with low, decrepit tables and worn-out straw tatami mats.

The school happens to have developed experiments to summon fantasy creatures, and Akihisa decides to rally F class to take on the higher-tiered classes and seize their perks. The F class uses the summoned creatures in an all-out battle for school supremacy.

+ + + + +

Unique anime? Most definetly. 
Idiots are everywhere in the world. Heck even I am one :) But thats what makes everyone happy in the case of Baka to Test. 

My friend recommended this anime to me yesterday saying it is a very hilarious and enjoyable anime with some crack every 5 min during an episode. Well that is true if you consider every comedic part funny or "interesting' (i did for most parts). I haven't really watched a comedy anime for quite some time, the last few were most probably Gintama, Seitokai Yakuindomo and B gata H kei. Baka to Test is a new refreshing and somewhat perverted comedy anime for me. BTW: SYD and B gata H kei do not count as "somewhat" perverted cause 80% of the whole series consist of perverted jokes.

Ahem, anyways for character development and stuff well its not too unfamiliar. I mean like I said, "There are idiots everywhere" so the characters in Baka to Test would make up most of the bakas you've seen in other animes. E.g Akihisa is seriously a pure baka and Himeji would be classified as air-headed baka. Though one character has caught my attention and that would be none other than Kinoshita, Hideyoshi. A bishounen with extremely feminine features. His stereotype would normally be known by many but still he ain't as smart as the rest. 

This wraps up what I think of Baka to Test. I would give it 8/10. For comedy, enjoyment and art. Yes I will judge art style for EVERY anime. As for voice-acting...well I only see 2 male seiyuu, Shimono Hiro and Miyata Kouki, I know due to the fact they appeared in at least one BL anime before. 

Seriously how does he NOT look like a girl?! o.o

The kawaii Himeji-chan and flat-chested Shimada-san make up for the "That's a guy." reaction though. And if you are observant enough he has the same expression for both pictures ;D

Sekaiichi Hatsukoi 世界一初恋

NEWS

Synopsis: 

Onodera Ritsu has just transferred from his father's publishing company to Marukawa Shoten. Assigned to the shoujo manga division, he crosses path with the person he'd least expected to meet. Takano Masamune is the editor-in-chief of the division Ritsu's been assigned to, and the two seem get off on the wrong foot right from the very start when Takano unexpectedly kisses him. However, there is more to than what meets the eye: Takano is actually Saga, Ritsu's senpai and high school love, whom Ritsu had thought to have played him for a fool by taking his affections for granted when he confessed and summarily dumped him.

Guess what? Junjou Romantica isn't the end of Nakamura Shungiku's anime works. Introducing her new manga that is going to be turned into an anime is Sekaiichi Hatsukoi! lit. (The World's No.1 First Love) And the team that did JR are doing this one too. Chiaki Kon is directing the series at Studio DEEN and Rika Nakase is supervising the scripts.Yoko Kikuchi is designing the characters.

Main Cast:

Katsuyuki Konishi as Takano/Saga Masamune 

Takashi Kondo as Onodera Ritsu 

The OVA will be released first during March, following that will be the anime in April 2011 (Spring Anime Season)

After reading the manga, well honestly Junjou beat this one hands down. The main reason would be because Junjou has a clearer plotline. Sekaiichi is quite confusing but word has it there's going to be 2 other pairings too (i have not confirmed) just like Junjou. Story-wise too is quite ordinary. I'm really not getting my hopes up on this one and I daresay there are better BL mangas that are worth getting an anime. 

However I'm not saying Sekaiichi is bad, don't get me wrong. It gives a very fuwafuwa image to me when I see the pair and that makes me quite satisfied as it is. I'll still be watching it next year for its fuwa-ness  ♥  But really I can't help but compare this with JR.

P.S the seiyuu cast is veery interesting to me xD

Bakuman バクマン。

Moritaka Mashiro and Akito Takagi are pretty much foils of each other. Mashiro, an average 9th grade student but talented artist, and Takagi, an overall advanced 9th grader and aspiring writer. After great convincing, Takagi convinces Mashiro to join him in becoming the greatest mangakas Japan has ever seen. Takagi, with his gift of writing, hopes to become a successful mangaka, and Mashiro, with his gift of art, hopes to marry the girl of his dreams, Azuki Miho. 

(Source: ANN)

Now no matter how weird Mashiro's hopes are. They are still, in the end, hopes and dreams. Which is what Bakuman is about really - hopes and dreams. Though it also emphasizes on extrinsic motivation on Mashiro at first as he really had ZERO interest in working together with Takagi. But in fact deep down he wanted to draw manga and follow in the same path as his deceased uncle who worked as a Gag mangaka. 
This story shows just how difficult it is to achieve your goals, especially in the Manga market (seriously do you know how many mangas there are out there?) and their goal is to  get their anime adapted into an anime before they're 18 years old. Mashiro and Takagi are no Tite Kubo I can tell you that. Since most of their plots are in the sci-fi genre. Their editor however is a good at what he does, be it in judging their stories and what it means to draw manga. Nizuma Eiji, a rival mangaka, has something they don't and that would be love for manga. 


Overall I enjoy this anime very much. It teaches people like me who aspire to be mangaka what it takes and the terms used in the industry. Though I'm planning to be a BL mangaka...


Oh well I'd have to start somewhere right? I'd follow Bakuman's example and start practicing. :D 

Togainu no Chi Episode 8

The explanatory episode that is Episode 8

We start off the episode with Aribitro (unfortunately) welcoming Akira to his so called castle. And from there the explanation to "Line" starts. Now everyone would know by know its a drug that enhances an average human's power but have you ever questioned yourself what is it made from? I certainly didn't when I was going through the original game. But as the title states "Blood of the Reprimanded Hound" it gives you a hint no? Well here we find out Akira and Keisuke were actually orphans used as test subjects for a Human Experimentation group called ENED to carry out Project Nicole. The Military and Government tend to play an important role in this case. Thus I really wonder can you really trust your own country in general... 

Akito: The guy is actually Nano :D

         

Kurosuke pops in! God he gives me the shivers...but well he's better that Keisuke in his own ways...

Kurosuke: Where did you run off to?

Me: Somewhere for away from you >.>

Aribitro helps Akira in trying to find out how to use his blood for a good cause but apparently his offer of letting Akira stay in his castle was rejected by Akira. Of course Arbitro isn't that stupid not to know the answer from the start.

This is the only part where I ALMOST punched my monitor. When Arbitro went um... hungry for Akira. Yes Akira I feel your disgust...

Akito: Aki belongs to Shiki, you bitch!

Me: I can't agree anymore on that sentence my friend...(mind your language)

Anyhow, Akira manages to escape from the pervert's clutches. The scene after just shows Kurosuke "hunting" down Akira and a close-up on N/Nano. And then back to Aki! I was surprised to see a church there really...

The oh-so-mysterious Motomi has finally come clean and told his past to Akira! And a painful truth comes revealed- "Theres no way to save a person who has taken Line"

 The old geezer sure is wise... that must be one reason why I always respect my teachers... Anyways looks like Emma is on the move talking about the military and all. I try not to pay attention to these parts as normally they would not be helpful if you are not really aiming to completely understand Togainu no Chi itself.

 This part reveals a thing or two about Rin's past and sibling connections. Apparently his group got murdered but Shiki thus Rin seeks revenge.

 Shiki-sama!~~ God he's to hot not to love xP

 Yup here comes the most surprising part of this episode which was unfortunately not surprising to me because of a certain Akito-kun here >> Note: Akito has a bad habit of giving spoilers) Rin's older step-brother is Shiki. And boy is Shiki the worst older brother ever...


Akito: I still CANNOT see them as siblings...
Me: I dont think anyone can. Seriously the hair and eyes? At least have SOME resemblance Dx

Akira's imagination can be quite extreme neh? Well anyways the old man's role after this would be "Father Figure"

See he even had a son :O

This part was really ironic as Akira repeated what Kei- I mean Kurosuke said to him when he saw Akira. 


Akira: I was looking for you. I really wanted to see you.
Me: O.O 

 Ep 9 preview: 

Yea I watched it. Keisuke did NOT die.

CLANNAD -クラナド-

I was thinking to myself today, "CLANNAD is one of those tragic stories isn't it.... I'll try it out." 
Apparently what I had thought to be a dull and sad anime turned out as an invigorating new adventure for me. Sadness, Comedy, High-hopes, Interesting characters and a touch of tragedy in the protagonist, Okazaki Tomoya's past. I am only at Episode 2 but I'm expecting great things from this anime. Honestly shoujo themed manga/anime do not appeal to me as much as the others but once in a while it would be nice to try out new things. And CLANNAD actually appealed to me as a Shoujo anime itself. I mean seriously they managed to put in comedy and fairly interesting characters in without making me feel bored xD However I don't really want this anime to be harem...considering the number of girls Tomoya had "bumped" into the past 2 episodes.

I have heard many things about KEY. 

Mainly the fact that the anime they produce are tragic and especially good. I was not surprised when I found out it was the same creator of Angel Beats! (one of the 2 animes that made me cry).


Key is a Japanese visual novel studio under Visual Art's, it is known for making dramatic and plot-oriented visual novels and they also formed Key Sounds Label for their music tracks. Key also produce internet radio show called Key Radio. (Source: Wikipedia) 


I plan to watch Air after I have completed CLANNAD and the After Story. Also if you dont find sad and tragic animes to your liking I suggest you try not to get your hopes to high. I personally like manga and anime with themes such as this. Another reason why KEY would be one of the only shoujo anime creators I would spend my time on watching.

だんご　大家族

Dango, dango, dango, dango, dango, a big dango family
Dango, dango, dango, dango, a big dango family

The naughty fried dango, the kind red bean dango
The Mid-Autumn Festival dango that tends to dream a little
The prim sesame dango, the four dango on a skewer
Everyone, everyone comes together and it's a family of 100s

The baby dango is always within happiness
The aged dango has its eyes narrowed

The chummy dango hold their hands together and make a big, round ring
They build a town on the dango planet and everyone laughs together
The rabbit is trying to wave in the sky; the huge moon
Is rounding up everything, happy things and sad things, too

The chummy dango hold their hands together and make a big, round ring
They build a town on the dango planet and everyone laughs together
The rabbit is trying to wave in the sky; the huge moon
Is rounding up everything, happy things and sad things, too

Dango, dango, dango, dango, a big dango family


Romanji & Kanji Lyrics

ニコニコ♥ラブ

NicoNico in a simple sense is a Japanese "YouTube". There are plenty of interesting videos based from anime, manga, games and especially Vocaloid. Well honestly most of the Vocaloid MVs come from NicoNico and from there people download them and post it on YT. But of course whats original will always be original. I normally go to Nico for Vocaloid songs and Hetalia Pairing Vids. Hehehe~ (>p< )

One of my favourite Vocaloid (even if Gumi isnt really official)

Mangaka Spotlight: Takanaga Hinako

Well I'm going to showcase one of my favourite BL mangaka's works. 

And her name is Takanaga Hinako 高永ひなこ :)

From MangaUpdates:
Hinako Takanaga debuted in 1997 with "Goukakukigan" and has published more than 20 manga, illustrated more than 10 novels and has had many of her works adapted into drama CDs. 


The first manga I read was probably Kimi ga Koi ni Ochiru and after that I read the sequel Kimi ga Koi ni Oboreru. The prequel did not leave much of an impact as the sequel did but as time goes by, people will improve. "Challengers" was one of her early works I recently checked out and let me tell you the difference in art is definitely different. It got better and cleaner. Bukiyou na Silent would also be worth mentioning as its one of the very few fluffy, cute and light mangas I like. Now my favourite manga by her would be Koisuru Boukun. 

Screenshots of Koisuru Boukun OVA 2:
This episode follows Chapter 3 to 5 of the first volume. So I can pretty much tell what is going to happen here.

This would be around the time Morinaga's absence irritates Souichi. And soon he visits his apartment often just to check if he had come back. 

 

Souichi-kun cried... very amusing for a tyrant huh?

And so they do xxx and xxx using "blackmail" as an excuse.

More info and images here:

http://www.primetime.gs/koisurubokun2/

Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan 私たちの幸せな時間

"I have something I don't want to lose"
"So much so that these terrible feelings have grown."
A pianist who attempted suicide 3 times, Juri, is taken to help her aunt at a prison where murderers who killed indiscriminately are sentenced to death. There, she meets a man named Yuu who took the lives of 3 people. A mother's antagonism--a brother's death... Together they embrace the violent rebellion in their hearts caused by the large, deep scars they carry. However, before long, they both embrace an earnest hope in their hearts. "I want to live"...

An adaptation of novel by South Korea's most popular female novelist, Gong Ji-Young.

The things I like about seinen manga is that the themes, characters, and messages presented are sophisticated. Though I'm not implying that shoujo and shounen manga aren't, but the percentage of of them that actually contain such attributes is very few. 

The protagonist, Juri, gets taken to a prison to help convicts on the death row with her aunt who works as a nun. There she meets a serial killer named Yuu. The story unravels both of their tragic pasts. Though it was initually Juri who was supposed to provide help for Yuu, he also returns that same favour by gently letting her realize the beauty of the world, and of life itself.