Anime Blog 53: Bleach

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleach_(manga)

Alright, because the English dub of Bleach finally ended, I'm going to do my blog on Bleach this go round. The anime is 366 episodes over 16 seasons. There are 4 movies and 2 OVAs along with 8 different types of Omakes (the shorts at the end of the episodes).

So we all know the story of Bleach. Guy named Ichigo meets a "soul reaper" named Rukia, gets powers from her, fights hollows, and becomes the strongest character in the existence of characters ever...simply because he beats everyone else. (exaggeration? maybe)
[If you don't actually know the premise of this story, just read the wiki page because I don't feel like talking about it since the show isn't very cohesive story-line-wise)

I just want to start out by saying that I really enjoyed the first season of Bleach. Then when weird arcs started appearing (the bounts, that weird one with the new captain of squad 3, the fullbring.......) I got annoyed with the show. I can't believe it took 15 seasons to kill butterflaizen! (if you don't know who that is...Google it...seriously). By the time I reached season 16...I was done. The only reason I watched the crappy fullbring arc was because I knew it was the last season and I'm a slight completionist. The final arc sucked. But at least the ending was good.

Overall I liked the show for it's amazing cast of characters. I loved the zanpakuto arc (to an extent...the story on that one sucked) and I take pride in knowing such a large cast of characters by name (AND their zanpakutos!)

As for the art (since you all know how I feel about art), it definitely got better as the show went on.
So art comparison!

(Ichigo: Season 1 (L) & Season 16 (R) )

I decided just to use one picture of Ichigo...there are just too many characters in this show and I can't find one that I like of all of my favorites :)

Bleach also has some openings and an ending that I really like the music to!

Season 1 Opening:

Season 1 Ending:

Opening 5:

These are my faves!

Now it's time again for pros and cons:

Pros:

• Great cast of characters
• Typically good music for openings/endings
• Much improved art!
• Yoruichi & Urahara! (faves!)
• Zanpakutos
• Good first couple of seasons
• Good ending
• Omakes galore!

Cons:

• Got way too long
• Filler arcs had no connection and made no sense (esp. the Karakurizer crap...)
• Butterflaizen...enough said
• It just plain got ridiculous
• No cohesive storyline connecting all the arcs/seasons

That last con is a big one for me. There is another long show that I'll blog about later on (not mentioning it's name...*cough* *cough* it involves ninjas *cough* *cough* where at least it forms a cohesive storyline if you connect it all (esp. if you consider the filler as flashbacks). But whatever, that's for another blog.

It is a good show. I just personally don't care about a lot of the arcs...they were just a bit over-the-top...Glad it's over. Honestly the omakes were better than most of the show & that's just sad.

Well thanks for reading! Until next time!

~Kei

**Shipping addition: I ship IchigoXRukia, RenjiXRukia, ToshiroXMomo, UraharaXYoruichi, and sometimes IchigoXRenji (or vice-versa)...**

Anime Blog 52: Good Witch of the West: Astrea Testament

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Good_Witch_of_the_West

Alright. Good Witch of the West (GWW) is a 13 episode Shonen series that I watched subbed.

The story revolves around Firiel Dee and her best friend Roux Liskin. Firiel's mother had passed away and on her 15th birthday she received her mother's necklace as a gift. In this kingdom a ball is thrown for the Queen's birthday and all 15-year-olds are invited. Firiel wears her mother's necklace. The necklace is recognized at the party as belonging to the royal family, making Firiel a princess and inserting her into the line for the throne. She is sent to a school where all who are in line for the throne attend where everyone is trying to come out on top.

I really like this show. It was one of the first series that I ever watched. I really like Roux and his bug-eyed glasses :D It was an adorable and romantic story with plenty of "OMG MEAN GIRLS" happening. And cutthroat people trying to attack the candidates for the throne. Plus the art was really cute!

ART:

 

 Firiel

 

 

Roux

 

 Adel (Firiel's friend)

THE ART IS SO CUTE!

Anyway, time for pros and cons.

Pros:

• Cute art
• Adorable story
• Roux's glasses XD
• Short with a good ending

Cons:

• There was 1 really nasty character that I didn't like...but that's just how anime goes :D
• That's really it though.

So Watch it!

Thanks for reading! Until Next Time!

~Kei

Anime Blog 51: DRAMAtical Murder

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dramatical_Murder

So, it's been forever since I posted a blog...oops. I've been really busy with my new job, but I've been watching lots of stuff to talk to y'all about! This is one of the Summer shows, it's shonen-ai (warning).

DRAMAtical Murder is a 12 episode series that is based on a BL video game with one OVA.

The story follows Aoba through a very confusing storyline where there are obviously many "couple paths" that he can take. The anime version tries to devote an episode to each character's story arc from the game...or at least I'm assuming that's what they were doing since there were a number of episodes focused solely on Aoba and one of the other characters. My 2 faves were Noiz and Clear (just BTW). Overall I really enjoyed the show and decided that I mostly understood what was happening :D

Also, for the most part the art was really good. I just prefer Aoba without the jacket and headphones...I think they look kinda dumb...(just personally ya'know?)

**Just watched the OVA (1-18-15). Apparently it was a compilation of the bad endings of the game. Basically it's a lot of rape. I did not enjoy it at all. It went through all the pairings (minus Sei  & Mizuki but it did include Tripp & Virus)...It was weird and full of blood and S&M-esque scenes. The series was much better.***

ART!

(L-R: Noiz (w/ bunnies), Mizaki (in red), Tripp & Virus (I can never remember which is which), Kojaku, Clear, Mink (beneath clear), Ren (human form, he is also the little black dog), Aoba, and Sei)

 

 

Pros and Cons:

Pros:

• Shonen-ai (as always)
• Eye-candy
• Noiz
• Clear's singing
• Love the Art!
• Intriguing story
• Good length

Cons:

• Sometimes a bit confusing...
• Mink...I really disliked him....

So, BL fans, I advise DRAMAtical Murder. There's only 1 kiss but it's a really cool show IMO.

Thanks for Reading! Until next time,
~Kei

**Shipping addition: I ship NoizXAoba, ClearXAoba, and RenXAoba...and I sometimes think about KojakuXAoba...but only sometimes**

Anime Blog 50: Emma: A Victorian Romance

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_(manga)

Emma is a 24 episode Seinen that I watched Subbed.

I LOVE THIS SHOW! I honestly think it's my new favorite anime.

So the basic story is as follows: In Victorian England a maid (named Emma) and the first born son of a nouveau-riche family (named William) fall in love. The show follows their trials and tribulations as they try to be together against all the conventions of society. The story includes an Indian Prince (named Hakim) and William's arranged fiancé Eleanor.

This show was just awesome. There's really no other way to describe it. There were historical trivia facts at the end of each episode and the story itself seems to be an accurate portrayal of the time period (although fictional).  Being a History nut (and having a Bachelor's Degree in the subject), I just can't get over this show. It made me laugh, it made me cry; I was yelling at my computer screen half the time!

I also really like the art style!

(L-R: Eleanor, William, Emma, Hakim)

Also, Emma's second season has one of my favorite anime endings:

I think it's just so adorable!

So, pros and cons!

Pros:

• Awesome story
• Great characters
• Beautiful ending
• Historical (almost always a pro!)
• Pretty art
• ALL AROUND BEST SHOW EVER!

Lets not even kid ourselves. There are no cons to this show.

So there you have it! Thanks for reading, see you next time!

~Kei

Anime Blog 49: Gokujo no Koibito

MyAnimeList Page

Gokujo no Koibito is a 1 episode Yaoi AniManga (moving manga panels with voice over) that I watched subbed.

So the episode actually follows 2 couples MasahiroXAkito and MasahiroXYoshimi and it's kind of about Yoshimi stealing Masahiro from Akito (from what I can remember).

I honestly don't remember much about this anime other than that the ending was completely unresolved. So I can't really say too much about this show this time but the art wasn't too terrible I guess:

Art:

(Top to Bottom, Left to Right: Akito, Masahiro, Yoshimi (twice) and Masahiro)

I think that's right...

pros and cons:

Pros:

• Short
• Yaoi (as always!)

Cons:

• AniManga
• Confusing
• Not Impressionable at all

So there y'all go. I don't really remember too much so sorry about the lousy post but I honestly wouldn't recommend it...

Thanks for reading! Until next time!

~Kei

Anime Blog 48: Gakuen Heaven

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gakuen_Heaven

Gakuen Heaven is a 13 episode Shonen-ai series (that I watched subbed) based on a PC game.

Ok, so story in short: This kid named Keita gets in to this super elite all boys school. There he meets a large group of guys...almost all of whom are after him! Now the manga version of this (and the game I think) have multiple endings (in the game it all depends on what you do). The anime version chose ONE ending. So in the anime version there are really multiple pairings alluded to even though it seems everyone holds an interest in Keita.

I really enjoyed this anime. I remember when I first found the wiki page for it. I was in high school and I was Google-ing anime series based on video games. And what luck! Not only what I wanted but Shonen-ai! I liked the ending of the show and I loved noticing all the other couples that were alluded to in the series! I also ADORE the little chibi hamster omakes!

The art reminds me of Descendants of Darkness :D

(Top to Bottom: Left to Right: Koji, Nakajima, Naruse, Iwai, Kazuki, Keita, Niwa, Taki, Saionji, Omi, and Umino)

And those aren't all the characters!

So time for pros and cons!

Pros:

• Shonen-ai (as always)
• Pretty art
• Based on a video game
• Good ending
• Umino's cat...
• Lots of couples

Cons:

• Not much in the way of storyline really...I mean there is one but...eh.

But that's the only con I can think of and it didn't bother me at all!

Thanks for reading! Until Next time!

~Kei

**Shipping addition: Now for this one, I'm gonna tell you who I ship but I won't say which ones (if either) become actual couples in the show: I ship KazukiXKeita and NiwaXNakajima**

Anime Blog 47: Code Lyoko, Garage Kids, and CL: Evolution

Code Lyoko
Garage Kids
Code Lyoko: Evolution

Code Lyoko is a 97 episode French anime that I watched Dubbed. Garage Kids is a 1 episode prequel (it was the original idea for the show but was scrapped), and CL: Evolution is a 26 episode part live action sequel (the latter 2 I watched Subbed).

So I'm going to start with Code Lyoko.

I absolutely LOVE this show! I used to watch it all the time when the episodes were first airing on TV. The basic story is that a genius at a boarding school, Jeremie, finds a supercomputer and turns it on. Once the computer is on he discovers an AI female (AKA: Aelita) and learns of an evil AI (XANA) who is trying to take control of, basically, the world from the virtual world of Lyoko. Through interesting circumstances he gains a group of friends (Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi) who, through the use of large scanners, go to Lyoko to fight XANA.

I totally ship UlrichxYumi and JeremiexAelita (FYI)

The only season I wasn't a fan of was the 4th. This season gave the characters new outfits and Yumi's really bugged me. But whatever. I also wasn't a big fan of William in the original series. He made me so angry!

So I'll admit that the art isn't something I'd normally go for (if you've been reading these blogs you understand what I mean) but even with their ridiculously high foreheads, I LOVE THIS SHOW!

(LtoR: Ulrich, Jeremie, Odd, Yumi, Aelita)

Also Code Lyoko has one of my favorite openings!

So Pros and Cons:

Pros:

• Great story
• Great opening
• Awesome Characters
• AWESOME SHOW!

Cons:

• Foreheads...
• William
• 4th season clothes...(idk just Yumi's eyebrows really...)

So there you have it! Now on to Garage Kids (which'll be short)

Garage Kids was the original concept for Code Lyoko. It became a 1 episode pilot but was then scrapped for what we know as Code Lyoko.

I'm glad it was. The story was darker and all the character personalities were weird. I've only seen it once so I don't remember too much about it but I recall not liking it very much.
Also...the art was almost the same but the Lyoko outfits were...lets just say weird.

 

(LtoR: Odd, Yumi, Ulrich)

SOOOO glad that got fixed!

so pros and cons:
 Pros:

• It led to Code Lyoko

Cons:

• Story was weird
• Weird Lyoko outfits
• Personalities were creepy

All in all...I wouldn't recommend it...

Code Lyoko: Evolution is the newest installment in the series and serves as a sequel to the original 97 episodes. In this version the Lyoko scenes are still animated but the school scenes are live action. XANA 2.0 has attacked and the Lyoko Warriors must once again fight to stop him. With some new problems along the way (like Laura...if you've seen this then you understand my high dislike of her).
I watched it in French with English subtitles (except episode 5 which is in English...not a fan of the dubbing...they didn't get the original voices back...) and also the last 6 episodes or so for some reason have Hungarian audio with the English subs so I had to watch the video muted while playing the French audio video at the same time (b/c it didn't have subs...argh.)
I honestly expected to hate this season. and at first I wasn't a fan. But by the end I realized that I actually enjoyed the show. I liked William a lot better at least!

So the art has been updated plus the live action cast:

 

(LtoR (inc. the avatars): William, Odd, Aelita, Ulrich, Yumi, Jeremie)

so time for pros and cons:

Pros

•  Continues a great story
• I like William more
• LA isn't all that bad

Cons:

• Laura
• Laura
• Laura
• Laura
• Laura
• (you get it...)

So yeah. If you're a fan of the original I would suggest watching it. I've heard rumors of a second season...we'll see. It definitely left off where one could begin!

Thanks for reading! Until Next Time!

~Kei