Anime Blog 54: Gravitation

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

Ah, Gravitation. This was the first Shonen-ai manga I ever read. Then I discovered it had a 13 episode anime series with 2 OVAs. I've seen this both dubbed and subbed :D

So the story goes: a high-school boy (Shuichi) becomes a rockstar and falls in love with a romance novelist (Yuki) who just happens to be a jerk all around. Shuichi's work is 9 times out of 10 completely related to how the relationship between he & Yuki is going. The show also includes a rival band (that Shuichi idolizes) and crazy-secret-backstory!

The anime wasn't bad. I still don't really understand why Shuichi's hair is pink...but whatever. They definitely could have followed the manga better, but all in all it was a good adaptation. Also, the songs are AWESOME!

AND may I mention that Kazuhiko Inoue (who plays Kakashi-sensei on Naruto) plays Yuki in the sub....OMG I LOVE HIM!

Now, the only thing I have to say about the OVAs...NEVER, even in dreams, give Yuki a whip...it's just not right :D

So, ART!

(L:R: Sakano, Fujisaki, Hiro, Yuki, & Shuichi)

AND MUSIC!

(I picked my favorite song: Spicy Marmalade)

So, pros and cons:

Pros:

• Shonen-ai (as always)
• Good adaptation
• Awesome songs
• Really nice art
• ShuichiXYuki
• OMG love the manga
• The comedy in this show...
• There's more but I just can't put the "feels" in words :D

Cons:

• Should've followed the manga better (but what can we poor avid anime-fans do?) :D

Well that's all folks!
Thanks for reading!
Until next time,

~Kei

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

Anime Blog 46: FullMetal Alchemist and FullMetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

The original FullMetal Alchemist:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fullmetal_Alchemist_(anime)

Ok so the original FullMetal Alchemist was 51 episodes long and was followed by a movie (titled the Conqueror of Shamballa that also served as the end of the series) and had 5 OVAs. (I, of course, watched it dubbed)

So when I watched FMA for the first time, it was because everyone I know was all like "it's the best thing ever!" So...I watched it. I have to say...I was unimpressed originally. When Ed was fighting at laboratory 5 all I could think was: "why do people like this show? He sucks!" Now, I'll admit that the show did get better...but it still wasn't my favorite. And don't get me started on the crappy ending movie...OMG that SUCKED! The OVAs were cool:

• The chibi party for the end of the movie was friggin adorable! and I loved Hawkeye's speech about "our completely platonic relationship!" (even though I disagree with it XD )
• The Live Action one with Al walking around in Japan was really cool
• The one about the 3 kids in the real world and Ed being their grandpa was cute. Especially because one of the kids in the background looked like a chibi Roy!
• The Alchemists VS. The Humunculi one was pretty cool
• And finally the recap one was a recap...ha!

So I also need to add to this that the show's creators caught up with Arakawa (the mangeka) and then totally went off on their own storyline...which is why I think the show ended up being WAY more confusing than it needed to be.

Also: Vic Mignogna plays Ed, Travis Willingham plays Roy, Colleen Clinkenbeard plays Hawkeye, Caitlin Glass plays Winry, and Kyle Herbert plays Falman :)

Oh...and if you don't know the storyline (the basic one is the same for both series): In a world full of alchemy, 2 boys try to bring their dead mother back to life. But human transmutation is forbidden for a reason: in order to gain something, something of equal value must be lost. Now one brother has a fake leg and arm, while the other's soul is bonded to a suit of armor to keep him alive. The boys are searching for a way to return to their original bodies and believe that the philosopher's stone will do just that. (The story in it's most basic form :D )

So, art!

 

(L to R: Riza Hawkeye, Roy Mustang, Winry Rockbell, Edward Elric, and Alphonse Elric (in back) )

 

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Really good storyline
• Roy Mustang
• Alchemy
• Good Voice Acting
• Roy
• Good mix of action and humor

Cons:

• I personally didn't like Ed's fighting style near the beginning of the series...
• Doesn't follow the manga after meeting Greed...
• Gets really weird
• That movie...

But all in all it was a great show. So much so that they re-did it to follow the manga...

FullMetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fullmetal_Alchemist:_Brotherhood

Ok so Brotherhood was 64 episodes long and had a movie and 4 OVAs.  (Still watched it dubbed!)

I liked this series a whole lot more! The show made more sense to me and I really felt that Ed's fighting was much better and more believable. There of course were huge changes from the original series (because of course the original was filler) but they all made sense to me. And the ending was much much better (no spoilers!)--well except that mustache thing...I didn't like that...

The movie was a bit pointless honestly and I was really disappointed with the way they portrayed Roy in it.

The OVAs were cool though:

• There was one describing Izumi's time on Brigg's mountain
• One with a blind alchemist that Ed and Al meet...that one was creepy...and sad.
• Roy's story from the Ishbal war
• And finally the story of why Riza grew out her hair and why Winry pierced her ears (my fave!)

In addition to almost all of the original cast returning, the addition of Todd Haberkorn as Ling. (Gre-Ling!)

Art! It didn't change too much till the end of Brotherhood.

 

(L to R: Mei, Ling, Ed, Winry)

 

(ending art)

So yeah.

Pros:

• Same great cast
• Better story
• Roy (still!)
• Much better fighting
• Still a good mix of action and humor

Cons

• I got nothing!

Also, there's a really great song in the show called "Brothers" It is played in almost every episode but you have to really listen sometimes to hear it because it's played all different ways! (Also, Vic Mignogna did a English version of the song that can be found HERE )

Alright everyone!
Thanks for reading and see you next time!

~Kei

Anime Blog 45: Fruits Basket

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

Fruits Basket is a 26 episode Shojo that I watched Dubbed. Which is funny because I thought I watched it Subbed...huh. The anime list never lies!

Alright the basic story is this girl named Tohru ends up living with the school prince, Yuki Sohma, due to regrettable circumstances. Turns out the Sohma family has a big secret, they're actually members of the Chinese Zodiac and if they are hugged by a member of the opposite sex they transform into said animal. There's actually a cat in the zodiac, Kyo, and he and Yuki fight a lot. The story just goes from there with meeting all the family (excepting the Horse and the Rooster in the anime) and helping Kyo with his "little problem" (no spoilers!).

I really enjoyed this series. It was so cute! Originally I wanted Tohru to end up with Yuki but apparently that's not how things work in the manga so NO. :( But whatever, it's obvious who she's going to end up with...

I really loved almost all the characters in this show, they were just all awesome!

So...art! (which is so adorable btw!)

 

 

(I feel like this pic is perfect. It has most of the zodiac plus Tohru and the names are labeled!)

 

The only one this picture left out was mine! (My zodiac sign= Monkey) This is Ritsu:

 

(He's just so adorable!)

So now, time for pros and cons.

Pros:

• ADORABLE art
• Good story
• Cool Zodiac idea
• Ritsu!
• Awesome characters

Cons:

• Didn't have the horse or rooster in the anime
• Needs another season

Well that's all for that! Thanks for reading! See you next time!

~Kei

Anime Blog 44: Free! Iwatobi Swim Team

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free!_(anime)

ALRIGHT! Free! is a 25 episode Shonen?? anime with 1 OVA that I watched Subbed. Let me just say THIS SHOW IS AWESOME!

A team of 4 (kinda 5) SUPER hot guys on a swim team!? What's not to like?

So the story is pretty simple. 4 guys create a swim team at their school and go to competition. 3 of them knew each other from swim competitions in the past along with another member who attends a different school. There you go. Simple.

Oh...and all the guys have girl's names. :D

I don't have much to say other than how absolutely adorable this is and that I love that you get to see the team as children as well as in high school.

***After season 2 addition***

Season 2 continued an awesome show and made me love it more! (is that possible!?)
It wrapped up the swim teams relationships, helped Haru find his dream, and showed what happened to everyone after the seniors graduated. Of course it added in quite a bit of drama but all-in-all it brought a great show to a wonderfully endearing end.

***OVA Addition***
LOL! I thought the maid thing was hilarious...but the survival game...AWESOMELY HILARIOUS! Also, poor Kisumi...wrong place, wrong time. They all took the fight so seriously!

ALSO...AWESOME ART!

(L to R: Rin, Haruka, Makoto, Rei, and Nagisa)

So time for Pros and Cons:

Pros:

• Hot guys
• Shonen-ai themes
• Swim team
• Hot guys

Cons:

• ...cons...hmm...cons...yeah...not coming up with any... :D

Well...WATCH IT! lol

Thanks for watching! See you next time!
~Kei

**Shipping addition: I sometimes ship HarukaXRin...but that's because they want me to XD**

Anime Blog 43: Fooly Cooly

Wiki Page
FLCL World

Fooly Cooly is a 6 episode OVA series that I watched dubbed. I can't even begin to explain to you how excited I am about this blog post even though I may not have too much to say!

So to start I'm going to give a brief plot summary. Middle school boy Naota gets run over by space cop Haruko Haruhara and then weird robots keep popping out of his forehead. Things get VERY confusing after that and the word "fooly cooly" is used a lot. There's a detective that has stickers for eyebrows and his blonde subordinate who owns a GIANT gun. And more confusion follows culminating in the idea of a giant hand grabbing a giant iron and flattening the world.

Confused? Good.

This show really makes no sense. BUT that's what makes it AWESOME!

This was the first anime series I ever watched KNOWING it was anime. What happened was I was in Pennsylvania for a 4th of July party and was staying with a friend. We had stayed up really late and she fell asleep watching Rosanne re-runs. I grabbed the remote and turned it to Cartoon Network where I saw a moment of a show where some old guy in red falls off a cliff (unbeknownst to be, that was InuYasha...). I turned it back and finished the episode of Rosanne before going back to Cartoon Network to watch the debut of Fooly Cooly episode 1. I was fascinated. I didn't understand ANYTHING that happened in the episode but I absolutely LOVED it! I think I was like 12...(actually, just wiki-ed it and did the math, I had just turned 11).  I didn't watch the other 5 episodes until I was in high school but this show will always play an important role in my life because it really got me into anime (I watched Rave Master next!).

So now that that life story is over...ART!

(Alright from L to R going F to B: Mamimi with Takkun, Haruko, Naota, Eri, Masashi, Kamon, Canti, and Lt. Kitsurubami)

I think that's right...not sure about the car people but I think that's it.

Also One of my favorite endings:

So pros and cons:

Pros:

• This show is awesome
• Robots
• Confusion
• Hot chick
• Craziness
• Great music!

Cons:

• I find no cons in this show...HA!

So my suggestion? WATCH THIS SHOW!
Your life will never be the same :D

Thanks for reading, Until Next time!

~Kei

Anime Blog 42: Fish in the Trap

WARNING! CONSIDERED YAOI (by manga demographic) YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

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

Ok so Fish in the Trap is a 1 episode OVA that I watched subbed. It is apparently a prequel to the manga series.

So the basic story is: guy named Matsui falls in love with the swim team captain (Tsukamoto). That's about it...plus a jealous best friend (Eiichi). However the OVA seems more like: Matsui gets raped by Tsukamoto and then joins the swim team to discover that he's the team captain...and that's the end. Seriously. This is the WORST ending to an OVA I have EVER seen.

There's really nothing else I can say about this one, I mean I watched it because it was short and it was on Aarinfantasy.com and discovered I hated the ending. That's it in a nutshell. Maybe the manga is better.

Art:

 

 

(L: Tsukamoto, R: Matsui)

Yeah the art is kinda old too.

So pros and cons:

Pros:

• Yaoi (always)
• Short
• Swimming...ish

Cons:

• WTF ending
• Basically just raped the guy...(not a good thing in my world)
• Did I mention the ending?

Personally I wouldn't recommend this...it wasn't all that great. But if you're a die-hard Yaoi/Shonen-ai fan...it won't kill you and it's short :D

Thanks for reading! Until next time,

~Kei

Anime Blog 41: Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy:_The_Spirits_Within

Alright. As most people know, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is a CG movie made by the creators of Final Fantasy...it has NOTHING to do with the series itself.

I don't have too much to say about this film except that it was highly advanced for its time. It uses the same CG graphics that are seen in the FFX CG cutscenes and was highly praised for the realistic nature of its characters. The story line confused me a bit but it kind of all comes together in the end.
It's a movie worth watching at least once :D

So...ART!

 

(L-R: Aki, Gray, and Dr. Sid)

 

I was trying to find a picture with more than 1 character in it...this is what happened...lol

So Pros and Cons:

Pros:

• Great CG
• Made by FF
• Alec Baldwin plays Gray

Cons:

• Story sort of falls flat...

Don't get me wrong, there may only be one con...but it's a big one. I still say watch it though.

Thanks for reading, Until Next Time!

~Kei

Anime Blog 40: Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children, Last Order, & On the Way to a Smile

I'm going to combine all 3 Final Fantasy 7 "anime" here instead of doing them separately because they are all connected of course :D

Advent Children:
Wiki Page

Alright, Advent Children is a CG film based 2 years after the events of the game Final Fantasy 7.
This time the action takes place in Edge, a city built, can you guess?, on the edge of the ruins of Midgar. There is a rampant disease called Geostigma that no one knows the cure for and there are 3 Sephiroth-clones causing trouble in the city trying to obtain Jenova's head.  (I'm not going to spoil the movie by telling you any more) XD Also...I watched it Dubbed.

I really liked this movie. Cloud was just as angsty as ever and the graphics were great! Plus, I HATED Reno in the game but OMG I LOVE him in this movie! It's a really good follow-up to the game and, in case you're wondering, is followed by FF7: Dirge of Cerberus.

The only thing that really confused me about this movie: Denzel. So now you're wondering who Denzel is right? Well, Cloud and Tifa sort of live together above her new 7th Heaven bar. (Mostly Cloud is using it now for his base of operations, he has a delivery service...lol). Marlene (Remember Barret's daughter?) lives with them and so does orphan Denzel. The movie NEVER explains who he is, or where he came from...more on this later.

So...art!

 

(Top (L:R): Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie, and Aeris. Bottom (L:R): Vincent, Cid, Cait Sith (on Red XIII's Head), Barret)

Pros and cons!

Pros:

• Good sequel film
• Great graphics
• Vinny!
• Helps cure Cloud's angst??
• Reno!
• Awesome fight scenes

Cons:

• Haven't we played the "Sephiroth is the bad-guy" card too much?

But that's the only con I can think of.

Last Order:
Wiki Page

Last order is a single episode prequel OVA that I watched subbed.
Put quite simply...it's an OVA of the death of Zack and what happened in Nibelheim. It's pretty sad really. It has nice animation and it's basically what happens at the end of Crisis Core and right before the start of FF7.

Art!

 

(Top (L:R): Sephiroth and Tifa. Bottom (L:R): Cloud and Zack)

 







Alright, pros and cons:

Pros:

• Good animation of backstory
• Good art
• FF7

Cons:

• Sad...

That's kinda all I've got...

On the Way to a Smile:
Wiki Page (Generally)
Wiki Page (Specifically)

Ok so On the Way to a Smile is actually a collection of short stories. Only 1 of which was turned into an OVA: The Case of Denzel (HA! Told you we'd come back to this)

Alright, so this is simple. The story explains who Denzel is from the end of FF7 to Advent Children (basically). It also involves Reeve (remember Reeve? the guy inside the mog that Cait Sith rode on?). But only very briefly. (unfortunately there's not much to say because saying anything spoils the story...and since it was only 1 episode (subbed!)....)

Art!

 

(Denzel)

Since the story is told through Denzel's point of view, it's hard to find a picture of him with the people I want :D

 

(so there are Tons of people in this picture...I can only name some of them...At the very top are Cloud, Marlene, and Tifa. The guy with the bushy reddish hair is Gaskin. The old lady by him is related to Reeve (ha! no spoilers...riiiight). and the two people at the bottom are Denzel's dad and mom. All the other people are people Denzel met in the slums and worked with to find scraps)

 

If that wasn't enough typing....lol.

 

Alright Pros and Cons:

 

Pros:

• Explains who Denzel is
• Nice art
• Throws Reeve in there (I like Reeve)

Cons:

• ...no cons...

So there we go! We've made it through the Final Fantasy 7 anime bits!

 

Thanks for reading! Until Next Time,

 

~Kei





Anime Blog 39: Fault!!

WARNING! THIS OVA IS HENTAI (aka: Anime Porn) YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

MyAnimeList.net page

Fault!! is a 3 episode Hentai that I watched Subbed (of course...) and it's censored (with that weird "oh, we just covered everything in these weird variations of pale flesh color blocks in the same shape of what we're covering" thing...I don't know what else to call it...same way Boku no Pico was censored)

So, let me start by explaining that I have a slight obsession with Prince of Tennis (just wait till I get to that blog...it'll be ridiculous) and because I spent an entire summer watching it I gained a small obsession with tennis shows. I don't recall how exactly this happened but I was looking for another tennis anime and a show called Fault!! pops up...remember that whole "sucker for pretty art thing" from my Another Lady Innocent blog??? well it happened again...so I watched this.

So if I remember right, the first sex scene is the main guy and his little sister...disturbed to start with.
Then in the second episode he was doing it with his doubles partner and it's revealed he's slept with the senpai...then has sex with his sister and his partner...had to be one right?
Then lastly he has sex with the teacher and then has more threesome sex in cosplay getting caught by the senpai (who isn't disturbed by this I might add). There you go...whole show. Oh and did I mention all of these girls were virgins before he slept with them? Apparently that was a thing with this show.
Disturbed.

Now I can't remember if I've mentioned this before but I keep a detailed anime list (in Microsoft Access...so I suppose it's actually a database) that includes lots of metadata about the anime I watch along with my thoughts on them. (OMG my InfoSci minor is showing!) My thoughts on this show were (are?) "SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT THIS GUY! The blue-haired one was more attractive."--exact words.

So I suppose that I should reveal the art...

 

(L: Saeki (the doubles partner) R: Mio (the little sister), Rika (the teacher, and Reiko (the Sempai) )

 

(I was having trouble with the original pictures on here so the one above has the game graphics. I kept the picture of Reiko below for comparison to the anime)

 

(Reiko (the Senpai) )

(Kei (the Blue-haired guy and Mio's doubles partner) )

and finally

 

(Shuuichi the man-whore)

 

 Alright so on to pros and cons:

Pros:

• Tennis
• Pretty art

Cons:

• Incest
• Plot revolved around sex
• Did I mention the incest?
• The whole virgin-thing...that was just weird
• HE'S NOT EVEN THAT GREAT PEOPLE!

Ok I think I'm done. I don't know where to put Hentai because some days it can be a pro while others it can be a con...so I'm just going to let bygones be bygones. If you really like Hentai...watch it. If you were in it for the pretty art and the tennis (like me) don't bother...they only play tennis for about 60 seconds. (unless "playing tennis" means "having sex on the tennis court" in which case...)

 

Thanks for reading!

Until next time,

 

~Kei

Anime Blog 38: Cardcaptor Sakura

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

Ok...so Cardcaptor Sakura is a 70 episode Shojo with 3 OVAs and 2 Movies. AND OMG SO KAWAII! (...I watched all of it subbed...no English voices here!)

So the story is simple. A young girl named Sakura accidentally lets these magical cards out of their book, in the first half of the show Sakura has to collect the cards (which transform and cause problems) and in the second half of the show Sakura has to transform the cards using her own magical powers. There is of course a rival for card collection named Syaoran who gets some of the cards as well (in the first half). Syaoran and Sakura's relationship changes from rivals to love interest over the course of the show and is actually important to the plot :D

This show was just so cute! I love Tomoyo (Sakura's friend who creates all her costumes and films her adventures) and I love Toya (Sakura's brother) just because he has jobs EVERYWHERE! And I of course love Yukito (but telling you why would be spoilers!) and even though I didn't like Meilin at first I grew to like her by the end. I also love the relationships of Sakura's classmates: for instance Yamazaki always lies and his girlfriend Chiharu has to beat him up to get his lies to stop. And of course I love the comparison between Fujitaka and Nadeshiko (Sakura's parents) and Rika and Terada-sensei. (Explanation: Fujitaka was Nadeshiko's teacher before they got married when Nadeshiko was 16 and Rika is in love with Terada-sensei...idk if he knows or not XD)

**so I'm writing so much on this because I just finished it 5 minutes ago!**
The OVAs were video diaries by Tomoyo and they were really cute: turns out Tomoyo created the original opening!
The first movie was pretty good, it was a side story about a woman who wanted to get revenge on Clow Reed and mistook Sakura for him because she has the Clow Cards.  (AKA a spinoff!)
The second movie was a sequel to the series introducing a sealed card (so there were actually 53 not 52!) and bringing Syaoran back to Japan. It was really good, the ending decided to play a prank. (I try not to spoil!) and let me just throw out there: since I didn't see him catch her I'm going to assume she fell! (jkjk)

So...art! (I'm gonna challenge myself with this pic!)

 

(Back Row: (L-R) Sonomi (Tomoyo's mom), Mizuki-sensei, Fujitaka (Sakura's dad), Next row down: Rika, Chiharu, Yamazaki with Naoko in front of him, Akizuki (Ruby Moon), Toya; Next row: Yukito with Syaoran in front of him, Kero-chan (the yellow lion), Sakura, Tomoyo, Meilin; Front Bottom: Eriol and Spinal Moon)

Wow...I hope y'all can follow that...it was a little hard because Naoko isn't in a row and Akizuki's head in in the back row but she's standing in the one next to Toya...and Syaoran just had to be sitting...but oh well. Hopefully y'all got it!

The art is just so cute!
So time for pros and cons:

Pros:

• Magical girl!
• SakuraXSyaoran (if you're a CLAMP fan you understand!)
• Clow Cards!
• Kawaii art
• Adorable story

Cons:

• Annoying "villans" (AKA: Hiiragizawa)
• Long...(well for me...ish)
• Takes you-know-who forever to tell the other you-know-who how they feel about them! (if you can follow that logic!)

Overall this was the most adorable anime I've watched in quite a while. EVERYONE SHOULD WATCH IT! Well, thanks for reading!

Until next time,

~Kei

Anime Blog 37: Fake

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

Fake is a 1 episode Yaoi OVA that I watched Subbed.

Ok so I must say that this disappointed me. I have friends who really liked the manga and told me I should check it out...so I watched it. I really felt thrown into the middle of the story of two cops in love going on vacation and then having to solve a crime that happens to occur at their hotel. Plus I really did NOT like the art...it was actually hard for me to watch because I disliked the art so much.

Honestly that's about all I have to say about this one. I didn't find it to be all that great and the only saving grace was that poor Dee kept right on a trying but could never catch a break.

So art,

 

(Top: Dee, Bottom: Ryo)

So time for pros and cons:

Pros:

• Yaoi (always a pro)
• Interesting idea

Cons:

• OMG THAT ART!
• Really confusing because you're just dropped in the middle

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

~Kei

Anime Blog 36: Elfen Lied

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

Elfen Lied is a 13 episode Seinen anime that I watched Subbed and it has 1 OVA.

So let me start out by saying that Elfen Lied was one of the first animes I ever watched. A friend of mine showed me episode 1 on YouTube and I was hooked...I mean a naked girl killed a whole bunch of people with a PEN!? AWESOME! So I watched it and I really liked it.

OH...also copious amounts of nudity...there's your warning.

I have to warn y'all though...it's uber violent. I still don't like to watch the puppy scene...that's just disturbing...but she gets revenge for it, don't worry :)
So basically the story follows a new type of human (a Diclonius) named Lucy. She has telekinesis-like powers and horns. The story follows her escape from an experimental lab to where she loses her consciousness and becomes Nyu...which is all she can say. More Diclonii are introduced later in the story to capture/kill Lucy/Nyu and end up joining the household she has with Kouta and Nozomi.

The ending is a cliffhanger...just so y'all know. But it's good :)

The OVA is about how NANA (another Diclonius) just isn't good at cleaning things...she may only feed the dog...she doesn't mess that up :) It's cute

So art:

 

(Lucy)

 

(Lucy as Nyu)

 

So one of the most famous pictures from this anime is Lucy's eye:

 

It's haunting right?

 

Well there's also a beautiful song with this anime called Lillium. It's in the opening so I'll just post that.

 

The video uses beautiful imagery along with art parodies (read the wiki if you're interested).

 

So time for pros and cons!

 

Pros:

• First episode has hot naked chick killing people with a PEN!
• Really fascinating story
• Hilarious seeing Lucy become Nyu
• Nudity...in this case not way over the top

Cons:

• Really violent (some people may not like that and it even got to me sometimes)
• Confusing backstory
• (I guess if you don't like nudity then that'd be one but as I said above it wasn't over the top)

So that's all for this one! I hope those of you who are interested watch it!

 

Thanks for reading!

Until next time,

 

~Kei





Anime Blog 35: Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ef:_A_Fairy_Tale_of_the_Two.

Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two is a Shonen anime in two 12 episode parts (Ef: A Tale of Memories and Ef: A Tale of Melodies) that I watched Subbed.

So let me start out by saying that I absolutely ADORE this anime! And I'm not 100% sure why...it's soooooo sad :( But at the same time, so beautiful! And the great part is that EVERYONE in both stories is connected in some way, shape, or form (whether through people, school, neighborhoods, etc)

So the show follows a number of different couples, some in Japan and some in Australia. The main couple's story  (Yu and Yuuko) is split between the two parts and they're trying to meet once more even though (SPOILER!?) Yuuko is a ghost.

I really loved the story of Renji and Chihiro. Because Chihiro can only remember 13 hours at a time because of an accident when she was younger and so every time they're together it's like meeting for the first time for her. It's so sweet...and so depressing.

I also love the story of Yu and Yuuko because it's really shown as flashbacks and it's so sad. He tried to save her. (I'm trying not to spoil things...why is that so hard!?).

And also the story of Shuichi and Mizuki...It's one of those younger girl falls for older guy stories...except with a sad twist...and the song that he plays on his violin is BEAUTIFUL! (here...I found it on YouTube)

 



 

So I should probably give you pictures of the couples so you can recognize the characters in the videos if you haven't seen the anime :D

 

 

(Yuuko and Yu)

 

 

(Miyako and Hiro)

 

 

(Kei and Kyosuke)

 

 (Renji and Chihiro)

 

(Mizuki and Shuichi)

 

Ha ha! Found them all! Amazingly, good pictures of KeiXKyosuke and MizukiXShuichi were hard to find! But whatever. So there's going to be lots of stuff on this blog because I also love the imagery of the openings.
Ef: A Tale of Memories:

Ef: A Tale of Melodies:

 So for pros and cons.

Pros:

• Beautiful art
• Beautiful music
• Depressingly beautiful storyline
• Great characters

Cons:

• Sad

That's it, I can't think of anything else that's bad about this anime.

Well, thanks for reading!
Until next time,

~Kei

Anime Blog 34: Boku no Sexual Harassment

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

Ok so I know I said that I would never watch this as long as I lived...because of the corn thing, but in a fit of boredom one night on AarinFantasy I watched it (subbed of course)...and it wasn't as bad as I expected.

Boku no Sexual Harassment is a 3 episode yaoi  series that consists of a newbie at a computer firm, Mochizuki as he performs sexual favors so he and his boss/lover, Honma, can rise in the company hierarchy.

So I felt really bad for Mochizuki, who claims to be straight by the way, and the way Honma used him in the anime...it was really wrong. I mean he was whoring out his boyfriend to other people so that the two of them could rise in the company...I almost wanted the other employee, Fujita to win in the end....(oops Spoiler?). Well anyways...I don't have much to say about this particular anime except that the guy in OVA 2 who got raped with the corn...he deserved it big time.

Art:

 

(Front to Back: Mochizuki, Honma, Fujita)

 

Pros and Cons:

 

Pros:

• Short
• Yaoi (as always)
• OVA 2 guy got what he deserved

Cons:

• Kinda creepy honestly
• Wrong on a number of levels
• Corn...that is all

 

I personally won't be watching this again but I can say that I watched it...

Thanks for reading!

Until next time,

 

~Kei23