Tuesday, 28 April 2009

BKK

well, i'm off to BKK tomorrow morning.

even though it's still not 100% safe, at least the "state-of-emergency" has been lifted.

things i wanna do there,

shopping (of course!)
thai massages (of course!!)
eat cheap food (AKA sharks' fin, bird nest)
more massages (hopefully)

i can't wait!

Friday, 24 April 2009

Hetalia Ep 13

Episode 13: England tries to curse Germany

again! no Chibitalia this episode.
not that funny an episode either. >_<.``

Saturday, 18 April 2009

Tears to Tiara: plot-twist fulfilled?

probable plot-twist: demon king might not just want to eat her (girl) up. but that's just my own delusional thoughts.

in episode 2, turns out the demon king really does not want to eat her up.

well, no surprise here.

but i wasn't expecting Riannon (girl) to throw herself at Arawn (demon king) to be his bride straightaway either.

Friday, 17 April 2009

Hetalia Ep 12

Episode 12: France proposes to England


no Chibitalia this episode, but loads of laughs with their take on the English-French Union.

Monday, 13 April 2009

Spring 2009

ok, so i was wrong.

the new Spring season has much to offer.

BUT.

unlike last Fall, not all the series i picked up had me excited at ep1.

the "Definitely Can Continue after Ep1" series

1) Sengoku Basara
so it doesn't have the most original plot since it is based on a video game, but damn is it good! lots of fighting scenes all done video-game style, turbo power included. it helps that there is a strong seiyuu cast, with Koyasu-sama, Hoshi Souichiro, Morikawa Toshiyuki and many more.

and doesn't the armor Date Masamune wear remind anyone of Yoroiden Samurai Trooper? heehee.

2) Valkyria Chronicles
Senjou no Valkyria -Gallian Chronicles- AKA Valkyria Chronicles for short.

another game adaptation, this time from a PS3 RPG. it doesn't have the popping-up-suddenly-from-one-place-to-another feel that Tales of Abyss gave, which is a good thing as it makes it more realistic in that sense.

it's been a while since i picked up a military series, so this should be fun. but another 12-episode series? really? even Abyss had 26 episodes.

3) Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~
a series similar to Darker than Black, revolving around an assassin couple, non-romantically involved (for now). at least this doesn't send me into a state of confusion after ep1 unlike many of the other Spring shows.

probable plot development: i'm expecting them to start running from their superiors halfway through the series.

4) Ristorante Paradiso
my male harem series for Spring, though this is the first time there's actually a series on handsome and sexy middle-aged men in their 40s and up. even the age limit for the guys from Antique Bakery was below 40.

ep1 and ep2 broadcasted back-to-back, and it really sent shivers down my spine just watching the men serving (they're all employees at a small italian restaurant) the ladies customers.

this is why suave older men are hot.
think George Clooney and Pierce Brosnan.
definite must watch for all women who love their older men.

5) Cross Game
to think i almost didn't pick this up initially because i thought it might be similar to Adachi Mitsuru's previous baseball works like Touch or H2. but i'm so glad i watched ep1 after reading the review on RC.

and any series that can make me cry on the first episode is definitely worth watching. the ED song by ayaka was just too perfect for the ending.

incidentally, Mizushima Hiro and ayaka just got married in late feb 2009. OMG!! ayaka's been diagnosed with Grave's disease and is gonna stop working at the end of the year to rest. =/

6) Tears to Tiara
finally! a fantasy series that's more straight to the point, compared to others like Guin Saga, Pandora Hearts and Asura Cryin'. girl gets captured by bad guys to be used as a sacrifice to revive a demon king. enters her brother who comes in to save her.

probable plot-twist: demon king might not just want to eat her up. but that's just my own delusional thoughts.

7) 07-Ghost
since this is being animated by Studio DEEN, the guys in this series reminds me of at least someone else in Junjou Romantica. that in itself is enough reason for me to continue watching. also continuing because it doesn't confuse me, plot-wise.

point of thought: why do anime shows always love using characters that have amnesia?

8) Shangri-La
loads of environmental issues, in particular, excessive carbon emissions in a futuristic world. while i haven't seen Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, it almost seemed believable that maybe, just maybe, there is the possibility of taxing countries for carbon emissions in the near future.

i always like how some anime relates to current world affairs, like how Gundam almost always portrays its wars. there's another anime, Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 coming out in Summer 2009, decipting what would happen if Tokyo was ever hit by a 8.0 earthquake.

for those that watches j-drama, you would remember a similar show called Kyumei Byoto 24 Ji Season 3 which also played around the same storyline. all 3 seasons were fantastic, so it's definitely worth checking it out.

anyway, Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 is a definite a must-watch once it's out.

9) Kin-iro no Cordo ~second passo~
sadly, this is only a TV special running for 2 episodes, with ep2 airing in 5 June.

3 new bishonens (from the RPG game sequel) are introduced, along with the other resident hotties. Miyano Mamoru is cast as one of the new guy, Aoi Kaji. he's using his soft spoken voice which doesn't really fit well with me since i was expecting a sporty voice for his role.

the "To Be Confirmed as Ep1 didn't leave a strong impression" series

1) Basquash!
basketball. mecha. sci-fi. can it work together to form a good series? i'm giving it a few more episodes just to be sure.

2) Pandora Hearts
one of the many shows this season that left me completely clueless as to what is happening. nothing, plot-wise, is out in the open, except the introduction of the few main leads. it already reminds me strongly of Kuroshitsuji, especially with the talk of a contract between the leads. if it continues to confuse me, i'm chucking it out soon.

3) K-ON
my first thought was it looks like another Manabi Straight in the making. it was only after watching ep2 last night that i'm more interested in watching through the whole thing. hopefully i wouldn't be chucking it halfway through the season.

4) Hanasakeru Seishonen
this was supposed to be my male harem series for Spring, which of course had been overtaken by Ristorante and kicked to being something i might drop halfway through the season.

even with the supposed overload of bishonen, it lacked the certain X-factor that drew me to series like SaiMon, Kin-iro and of course Ristorante. i'm still hoping for the plot to start getting more interesting, with the introduction of more bishonens later on.

5) Guin Saga
i had high hopes that it would be an epic show that would rival others like Seirei no Moribito. instead, i was totally turned-off by the half-leopard-man, with yet again lost memories, and one half of the royal twin, the guy, who was an absolute whinning brat.

i'm just gonna watch another couple of episodes, in case there's anything else that might redeem the show and not make it a total waste of time and effort by the studios.

6) Eden of the East
in the Noitamina timeslot this season is a terrorism story with yet another guy with amnesia. the probability of me finishing this show is quite high, but i'm still hesitant to put it in the "Definitely Can Continue after Ep1" series category since the plot is still relatively unknown though not confusing. yet.

7) Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
the show no one needs an introduction to. i'm thinking if i should just skip the first season and watch the new FMA since it's a complete re-telling anyway. hmm. still thinking about it.


the "Definitely Cannot Continue after Ep1" series

1) Asura Cryin'
if you thought Pandora Hearts was confusing, this is much worse. aside from the guy who is stalked by the his childhood friend's ghost, in comes a mysterious locked suitcase given to him by his older brother no less. the pacing of the show is slow to say the least.

2) Saki
you would think that being the mahjong freak that i am, i would continue with this series. instead, i'm confused over all the new terminology used, which i attribute to the difference between the japanese style and the one i usually associate with on a regular basis.

doesn't help that i'm irked out by the yuri-like relationship between the 2 female leads.

-------------------------------------------------------

in total, of all the shows i've watched so far for Spring, there are 6 guys who are suffering from amnesia or a sudden lost of memories.

seriously, what is with Spring and memory lost guys.

this is just a tad bit ridiculous.

Wednesday, 8 April 2009

Hetalia Ep 11

Episode 11: Holy Roman Empire leaves Chibitalia?

Tuesday, 7 April 2009

One Piece new opening song

new opening song by Tohoshinki (東方神起) called Share the World.

i can't say i like it very much, but i don't technically hate it either.

the english lyrics was abit off though, like not really fitting into the whole OP sequence. which was really fantastic, together with lots of spoilers going all the way down to the current manga chapters.

makes me super excited to how the later arcs are gonna be animated out.

BUT!

does that mean the new song will last for a very long time?

hmm...

in any case, i can't wait for next week's episode!
Luffy is so gonna be punching someone soon.

Thursday, 2 April 2009

Homo janai~

because of Mizushima Hiro, i picked up the japanese Hana Kimi again.

this is my 3rd time, but you know what they say.
"third time's the charm."

Hira plays the playboy Nanba Minami. this is not about him though. rather, it's my 2nd fav from the series.

NAKATSU SHUUICHI!!!

this scene is from ep3 where he sings his "homo janai" song.

i could re-watch this forever.

damn funny!!

onna suki ore wa
onna suki

homo janai~
homo janai~~
homo janai~~~

Wednesday, 1 April 2009

Hetalia Ep 09 & 10

Episode 09: Holy Roman Empire learns drawing


Episode 10: Holy Roman Empire chases after a mouse
(DUH DUH DUH!!!)