THAT Animeblog

AniBlogging Crossover Special: Two Different Views on Honey and Clover

ExecutiveOtaku — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 02:20:11 +0000

ExecutiveOtaku’s Intro: Honey and Clover is a series that has been written about fairly extensively in the anime blogging community. It’s also a favorite of many. So when, as a brand new blogger, I found out that Scamp from Bokutachi no Blog was currently working his way through the series, I proposed that once he was done that we make a post comparing how two different people viewed the series. Having just recently finished it, he and I ended up having fairly different opinions on it. From my viewpoint as a huge fan of Honey and Clover, and he as someone more mixed in his opinion, we have collaborated to bring you this post displaying and contrasting our opinions on such a widely well regarded show. While the series ended three years ago now, I feel that it is rich enough to be worth a (semi) retro-editorial especially given our different opinions on it. I’ve also just always wanted to write more about it despite joining the blogging community a few years late, heh. We both hope you’ll enjoy this inter-blog, international collaboration between Scamp and myself and our differing opinions. We also invite your own comments and opinions in the comments section whether they agree with one of us, with neither of us, or with both of us (somehow…).

Just a word: it should go without saying that this will contain some amount of spoilers.

Overall impressions

Scamp: If FLCL is the perfect anime at portraying the transition from childhood to adolescence then Honey and Clover is the perfect anime for the transition from adolescence through to adulthood. At least, the first season is anyway. There is a phenomenon in any great slice-of-life anime I like to call the Azumanga Effect. This is where the characters, while not necessarily doing anything different, gradually grow on you to the point that you just love watching them together no matter what they’re doing. OK, this isn’t exactly restricted to the slice-of-life genre but it’s by this effect that these shows live or die by. In an ideal situation the characters should gradually grow on you until right at the end of the series where you actually feel pretty darn emotional just at the thought of saying goodbye to the characters, as if they were your personal friends and you’ve lived through those times with them. The best anime examples I can think of are BECK and, of course, Azumanga. This is what Honey and Clover should have achieved and was certainly heading in that direction. The insanely accurate depiction of college life, the slow maturing process of each character like a good cheese and the friendship between those bunch grew on me gradually, culminating with Takemoto’s return from his bike journey at the end of the first season. And yet the series didn’t quite feel complete just yet. There wasn’t that sense of closure that could’ve left the first season work as a stand-alone series. Several plot points had yet to be solved but most of all it hadn’t quite reached the uber-Azumanga Effect finishing levels just yet. That is what the second season should have done. But instead it abandoned all that for some fucking dorama. Hagu was turned into a just another Key adaptation esque pity moeblob. The resolution of Morita’s story was painfully anti-climactic. The second season killed the fun, killed what made me love Honey and Clover in the first place and, even though it’s been about 2 weeks since I finished it, I am still bloody pissed off about that entire season.

ExecutiveOtaku: “It’s so real!” was the exclamation of a friend of mine as she watched Honey and Clover with me, more precisely during the sequence in episode 07 when the song ‘Tamagawa’ plays. And this, in one sudden outburst, is exactly why I love the show. Honey and Clover is easily my favorite anime for its amazing combination of genuine emotion, characters you can identify with, its realistic approach to growing up, excellent visuals, and skillful use of insert music. That’s quite a lot of praise, but it’s hard for me to overstate exactly how much I love the show and how watching it (three or four times now) has impacted me. There are so many anime series that cover some of the same themes but are set in high school. While I know that this fits into the long standing (though currently changing) Japanese social concept that compulsory schooling is for fun and growth and that everything afterwards is srsfknbsns, it’s rather hard to believe that high school is the place that these themes play out to resolution. It has been my observation that the time when people really develop and figure out who they are is during the years immediately after high school. And in Honey and Clover it’s all there: the search for who you are and what drives you, the ‘student poverty’ that somehow creates great memories, that transitional phase into adulthood, loves lasting, one-sided, and short, and what to do with yourself after you graduate.

The growth and experiences of the characters as they go through this time in their lives is so well done that someone who is also at that point in their life can identify with all of the characters at different moments. Sometimes Takemoto’s feeling of emptiness is something you experience, other times you’re in Yamada’s shoes, or at a particular moment you might feel more like Mayama trying to pursue your dreams but still confused or clumsy in doing so. Maybe you know a Morita (or are one), or are under pressure like Hagu, or stuck between trying to be cool and trying to be genuine as Nomiya was. At different times you are, or you know people who are, all of these characters. And even with so much else to love about this series, this ability to identify with the genuine emotions being conveyed through the screen is the true strength of the series.

-Favorite character(s)

Scamp: Tough choice. It’s between Morita and Takemoto. While Takemoto might not have been the most interesting character in the world to watch, it was his story and development that really hooked me. That returns back to what I love about the series. The portrayal of growth through adolescence and nobody showed that better than Takemoto. I hate to say that he was a character that was easy to relate to (OMG, I’m also a generic high school boy who has troubles getting girlfriends just like that guy in *insert whatever here*) but that’s exactly what I’m going to say. Morita, on the other hand, is a complete and utter nutter. What he lacks in terms of his story and development he makes up for with his sheer energy. The moment that will always stick in my mind with Morita is, after disappearing for several months, randomly showing up on TV to accept the award for the movie he worked on and to equally randomly show up in the bed beside them. It wasn’t until he returned after several episodes absence did I realise how much an effect he had on the show. Everything turns funnier when you added Morita. Ideally if you were to mix Takemoto and Morita together you would have the ultimate anime character.

ExecutiveOtaku: Mayama. I know many fans of Honey and Clover tend to focus on Takemoto due to his epic journey of self-discovery, but I’ve always liked and identified more with Mayama. Mayama’s experiences were more about trying to find a way forward towards the future and what he wanted out of it, whereas Takemoto first had to find out who he was. This was more relatable to me, since I was never really unsure of who I am but have had lots of moments where I wonder about the future and how I’m going to make my place in it. The love triangle between Mayama, Rika, and Yamada was also my favorite part of the drama in the series, and it was really touching and heartfelt no matter which character’s angle it was presented from. Full disclosure: I was a Mayama/Rika fan right from the start.

In the end it was Mayama’s attempts and progression towards maturity that made me like the character, respect him even with his faults, and to sort of look up to him in a way. He would try to act like the cool upperclassman to Takemoto and others, but in the next moment make an anime or kid’s show reference or getting embarassed after making a mature sounding comment (for instance, the Galaxy Express 999 reference he couldn’t help making, but was obviously somewhat embarrassed to, when everyone broke into Morita’s room.) He grew up into an adult, but moments like this just show that he’s still young at heart. His determination in the face of a difficult and complicated situation in regards to both Rika and not wanting to hurt Yamada was admirable and relatable. As I head into the last year of grad school I often recall his journey and hope that I can pursue my goals with the same stumbling yet resolute steps forward.

-Favorite moment(s)

Scamp: Easy choice. Takemoto’s bike trek across Japan. Throughout the first season they kept making references to Takemoto getting on his bike and just seeing how far he could go and I never quite got where they were heading with that analogy. But it clicked in those episodes exactly what the purpose of Honey and Clover was and what the anime was aiming to portray. Heck, you could write pages and pages of analysis into, as EO puts it, ‘Musings on Takemoto’s Bicycle Journey Analyzed in a post-Marxist Context or Something Equally Pretentious’, but there are people far better at writing analyital content and love the show more than I do who are far more qualified to compose something like that. I’m sure a quick search Mono no Aware, Ha Neul Seom, Kritik der Animationskraft or similar styled blogs that usually put me asleep will conjure something on Honey and Clover. I’m going to compare it to the feeling I got after finishing Forest Gump. As soon as the credits rolled I got an intense urge to go out the front door and start running. Honey and Clover achieved that same feeling times ten. Just to go out the door, hop on my bike and pedal. No direction, no purpose. Just to see how far I could go. I didn’t, in case you were wondering. I hadn’t got my bike repaired after I got knocked down by that van. Plus it was raining. It’s always bloody raining in Ireland. There’s a big difference between cycling in Japan and Ireland I’ll have you know.

ExecutiveOtaku: The scene at the hospital when Mayama finds Rika, talks to her, and then gives her a ride home as a pretext to talk to her about their relationship and tries to move things forward. The scene where ‘Yoru wo Kakera’ plays during episode 15 of the first season. While I’ve already covered it in my Defining Moments in Being a Fan post (it’s my top moment), I’ll try and take a little bit different approach to explaining why it’s my favorite. It has great visuals, excellent use of music, and is an important point in their relationship. I have written about these before, but the true force of the scene to me was that I could feel both the emotions of the characters and the change in the direction of their relationship like the surge of a wave. As I watched the scene, I saw a relationship that had seemed deadlocked suddenly built momentum again and Mayama’s unexpected risk-taking paying off in a big way. It’s another example of the determination that I loved about Mayama, even if he’s not always the smoothest. And seeing Rika being affected by such a straightforward attempt to reach her through the guilt she felt towards both Harada and Mayama was truly profound.

Analysis

-Story

Scamp: Eh, H&C is slice of life so talking about story is a bit redundant. I will say this though: the Yamada/Mayama/Nomiya/Rika story dragged on waaay too long. I didn’t really notice it by the end of the first season because I was too busy adoring the bike trip and reveling in the presense of Morita once again. But the start of the second season is where I really got sick of them, which is just another reason why the second season sucked. Mwahaha, go my biased views, go!

ExecutiveOtaku: I disagree with my colleague on story in slice of life being redundant. Life moves and changes constantly, and Honey and Clover reflected this with the progression that constantly went on even during the ordinary days that the characters experienced. If it was all just random ordinary days or entirely a drama the series would not be what it is. The progression was great, and the resolution in the second season gave us the realistic mixed bag of some things working out, some not, and the reminder to treasure them either way.

-Visuals

Scamp: I usually think of Josei series in my head as ‘older shojo’ and group the two together (or alternatively ’shojo series I actually like’. This and Nodame are the only shojo series I’ve ever properly enjoyed). Not only do they act similar, the animation style is very similar. Sparkles, flowers and SD facial expressions are the order of the day. I can’t really praise or criticise it though, it did it’s job just fine. No more, no less.

ExecutiveOtaku:The artistry of the visuals in Honey and Clover is among my favorites in both anime and live action. The drawing style was mostly realistic but utilized various effects such as watercolor-like backgrounds, vivid recolors, and complete black or white backgrounds with just an object or a character to put the visuals in service to the emotions being expressed. Angles were often used effectively as well, such as the slanted, shaking angle when Mayama ran after Rika at the hospital, the moonlight cast down on Yamada as she drank and cried during the ‘Tamagawa’ scene, and the ferris wheel interior scenes. And rounding it out on less serious fronts were good use of chibi faces and comedic background changes/reaction shots.

-Music

Scamp: This is a hard part to review thanks to those bloody fansubbers. The music in H&C is excellent, I can certainly grant it that much. But when the fansubbers provide you with karaoke for every single fucking insert song that ever appears (and trust me, there’s at least one insert song with lyrics per episode) I started wishing the show would stop the insert music. My favourite songs were always the lyric-less ones.

ExecutiveOtaku:: The music really made many scenes for me and was the best use of insert songs that I’ve ever seen (my referring to certain scenes as the ‘[song name] scene’ may have given that away, heh.) Now every time I hear them I recall those events and remember my love for the series. I even made sure to listen to ‘Tamagawa’ on the shore of the Tamagawa River one night when I was on study abroad BECAUSE I’M A HUGE NERD.

Tangent – Authors Opportunity to Talk About Whatever

Scamp: I HATE DORAMA

I assume by now you can see that I really did not like the second season, more specifically the drama. However it wasn’t until discussing this series, and eventually other series, with EO did I realise exactly the extent of how much I hate human drama in my anime. In PlanetES, EO preferred the drama and imagery while I liked the ’slice-of-life in space’ aspect of the series. Full Metal Panic is yet another example of a series where I hated the second series, this time because it killed the fun that the first series and FUMOFFU had in bucketloads. Looking down through my favourite series on MAL there’s only two anime that focused primarilly on human drama that I’ve rated highly, Grave of the Fireflies and Welcome to the NHK. Funnily enough, I wouldn’t class either of these series as something I enjoyed. Rather, I appreciated what their messages were. Basically, I HATE DORAMA.

ExecutiveOtaku: Miwako is Mai Waifu

Oh Miwako, you acting older than you are, Mayama and Nomiya teasing, Rika idolizing, massage chair sitting, Yamazaki embarrassment scheming, heavy lifting, 60-40 hair styled, outdated reference making, mischievous office lady, let me count the ways I love thee! I enjoyed every minute that this wonderful supporting character had in the series. Her demeanor, sense of humor, commentary, and genuine support for the characters she interacted with (even if they were embarrassed by it) made her a standout supporting character to me.

Conclusion

Scamp: Insanely realistic and so easy to connect with, Honey and Clover is the perfect series at portraying the growth from adolescence through to adulthood. At least, the first season is…

ExecutiveOtaku: There has been no other series that I’ve watched that has so completely captured the real emotions and experiences of this period in life. It will be something that I’ll be looking back on and recommending to people for years to come.

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun – 07: The War on Hikko Terror

Crusader — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:35:33 +0000

Says the Level 5 who has destroyed a few city blocks…

IED Ishii continues his reign of terror as he targets Judgment instead of the people who kick the crap out of him. So far he is the most retarded villain to date and it suits him for he doesn’t know who his enemy is. How he could have failed to attack soft targets like his tormentors is quite beyond me he see’s them in school he sees their faces and yet nothing he sits idly by blaming Judgment while listening to Ali Project all damn day. It’s like blaming the cops when your dumb ass gets jacked because you were too sissy and prickish to earn the privilege of conceal and carry. The Hikko scum bag aside it was nice to see Biribiri praising Kuroko for all the hard work she does, and considering Kuroko’s workaholic tendencies it seems the love child of Alphard and Liang-Qi has inherited their work ethic. I sense that Kuroko will be a great leader one day. Biribiri on the other hand seems to have been the love child of Alphard and Canaan as she has super powers, is an onee-sama, but has childish tendencies and tastes. I make no secret of my dislike for Spikey-kun and today he was showing off his pedo preferences and had the audacity to whine and complain when he lost his loli to some hikkomori. At least his presence was brief and he didn’t ramble on for an episode.

While I do like Biribiri and her tomboyish behavior I can still use a lot more Kuroko who seems to possess the more likable traits of her parents. In the end IED Ishii was thrown out along with the trash and I was all the more happier for it. I have no small dislike for would be rebels with shallow ideologies and I do sincerely hope that Kuroko killed him in a manner that would make Liang Qi proud. The story seems to be moving along thogh we have yet to see the two Anti-skills featured in the OP. While there seems to be an new enemy next ep I wonder if Saten will achieve a night that goes on forever and ever with Uiharu…

Calawain’s Adoration of Railguns

This episode featured an excessively lame bad guy of the week, although I suppose his power was somewhat interesting. What a whiner with a really irritating set of headphones. Inferior set of headphones and music to the MC from Persona 3.

Touma taking a loli out to go shopping was kinda creepy and pedobear like. Not sure I get where all of that came from, maybe I missed something. He did have his badass moment sliding in front of Biribiri to block the explosion. Though the excuse they used to put him in there (dropping her coin) was pretty silly. All in a day’s work for Touma, saving some girls and making Biribiri even more tsundere for him.

Crusader’s Record of Kuroko’s Love

What’s this Kuroko is actually hearing praise?! The rabu rabyu assault is finally paying dividends…

But of course she does, Biribiri is just going through a phase of confusion is all…

Could? You SHOULD!

See Kuroko is feeling better already!

Well at least they aren’t going before a BIG FIGHT.

And that you were keeping a lookout for IEDs…

LOAN SHARK FAIL

Sometimes you just have to smell the flowers…

Ah an onee-sama meeting.

Kuroko has a long list of items she wants her onee-sama to have…

Sadly Saten and Uiharu were underage…

IED Ishii not only has shit taste in stuffed animals but music as well…

Developing Kuroko-like tastes are we?

You never know until you try…

Marilyn Monroe had a subway grate, Uiharu has Saten.

…

Kuroko was hoping that was code for lingerie…

Rather excessive…the skirt serves no purpose at all…

So all Kuroko has to do is wear that…

Are you trying to make her blind?

There is another…

To be fair no one likes the idea of growing old…

Patience, calm…

Strike while the iron is hot!

I have no idea, but me thinks Spikey-kun be stalking…

And he went straight for the underwear section…the damned pedo.

Let me guess he offered you candy if you went in his van…?

So Biribiri likes them young…

Sadly Spikey-kun was the one to hide behind civilians.

Well on the bright side, you have yet to master CQC.

Praise this loli for dragging away Spikey-kun before he could give a speech.

Her only other true love is Gekotan…

More like Fakotan.

Yes counterfeit merchandise is the bane of her existence…

OH SHI- Spikey-kun killed her dumped the body…

Never hear that much do ya Uiharu…

Such low tactics IED Ishii uses…

Thus does his arrogance and stupidity increase…

And yet he has attacked zero assholes…

I think he means he’s giving out blow jobs too…

I didn’t know they stacked garbage that high.

A major fault of IED Ishii was that he liked to brag…to himself.

Your insignificant powers are no match for the Yuri-side of the Force…

You will pay the price for your lack of vision…

Now Bomber-san…you will die.

For Almighty Zeus hates you that much.

Says the guy who attacked none of his oppressors and used a loli as a suicide bomber…

Says the one without the wit to use his power constructively or productively…

You know if he bled out from his mouth that would have ensured the he’d shut the fuck up for once in is miserable life…

Sad to see that it was not as devastating as a ROCKET PUNCH.

I see that the love child of Alphard and Liang Qi has some special trolling in store for him.

Kuroko is very detail oriented.

Indeed.

Yes she did.

I just thought this was cute.

Hooray for skinship.

ANYTHING…

Consent is not required…

To be fair it was a plot contrivance on the level of TRANS-GRAHAM.

You know she really must stop stealing from the same vending machine.

I completely agree, the fucking tosser.

Saten…and what might you be up to…

Yet another random post from a random ghost

Impz — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:29:08 +0000

The AFA 09 in Singapore is here again, and I was thankful that they actually emailed me to offer me a media pass. Honestly, work has been so tiring these days that I had to sadly ignore NovaJinx’s calls on Friday because of intensive meetings at work. On a pleasant note, I didn’t expect the communications team for AFA to remember a random folk here. I mean, I am not exactly employee of the month, I couldn’t go to the press release because I am at work (2 pm is not a friendly time for a working adult) and I didn’t even promote on AFA at all. I promise I will be diligent next time at the very least.

After visiting the conference, I will probably be making a simple post about the overall state of AFA. I am quite sure that many blogs will offer you the sights and sounds of the conference, while I will probably do a more boring entry about the improvements and regressions from AFA08 to AFA09. Stay tuned if you are keen to hear what I have to say.

For now, I am still fully engrossed in Kimi no Todoke and Kobato, both good series that never fails to have that fuzzy feeling in your heart. I remember a comment from my girlfriend who noted that this season would make GAR lovers squirm in agony from all the lovey-dovey moments in the better animes. I am PERFECTLY glad if that happens every season. The bad news is that I will then haunt this blog much more than you wish for it. Whether it is a good thing or bad thing, I wouldn’t personally know myself.

I do apologize if people are expecting me to blog systematic articles of particular episodes. I believe the other bloggers could cover it. I also find myself hard to devote onto a specific series these days, considering my time constraints and workload. It’s definitely fulfilling to find a job you enjoy that surprises you everyday, yet it can be tiring at times when you struggle to figure out how to make it work. I am not sure if anyone could give some advice, but I will be glad to hear from you about your work-life balance.

Side note:

I have been enjoying the blog entries about the PSC scholarship through DarkMirage’s entry and Moto’s entry, who were/might have been high fliers within the public service. As I am hardly of that caliber myself, I find it fascinating to see how differently they consider things from the elite point of view. Perhaps, this is why they and many others might have left. Still, I cannot dive in deeper to publicly voice my views due to the confidentiality of a currently hired civil servant. Those who might be interested to listen to my views could always contact me on my MSN when I have some spare time to come on.

Samurai High School (J-Drama): Pretty Much Live Action Anime

Mabdese — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:16:04 +0000

One of these things is not like the other~

Something that has always perplexed me is why anime fans don’t watch more Jdramas. I’m sure this could be for any number of reasons but many dramas are based off anime (Hana Yori Dango, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, GTO, Nana, etc.) and some seriously seem to have been animes in a past life. That’s where Samurai High School comes in. It’s got all that you ever wanted in an anime ridiculous faces, great acting, awkward shots focusing on things that aren’t important and the absurdest characters in strange places. Yet still these two worlds will never meet eye to eye I suppose.

In that way it’s kind of like the plot for this show. The main character Mochizuki Kotaro (played by Miura Haruma, who also was in Gokusen 3) is an unsuspecting and frankly average high schooler who shares the name of his ancestor, a heroic general from the Sengoku period. While for normal people this would just be an omen of good luck when Mochizuki meets a strange librarian things start to change. When trying to save a classmate he bumps his head and turns into his samurai ancestor!

It’s all in this book! I swear!

The first episode starts out with Mochizuki in a battlefield in Sengoku Japan, about 400 years ago when samurai were overtaking something in Osaka. I’m the first to admit I don’t like history very much. He’s woken up in class and tries to explain himself but he’s in math class so there’s very little reason to be dreaming about history. As a punishment the teacher assigns him a paper on the Campaign he was dreaming about. On his way home some girls harass him for money but evetually he heads home. On the way he sees a library sign that leads him to believe he can find books about history in there.This smile makes me smile. Oh ho ho ho~

The creepy librarian woman sees his name of the paper to sign out books and brings him a very special book which glows. Inside the book is the tale of a boy the same age (17) and same name as Mochizuki.

The second-hand embarrassment is so high right now.

When he gets home instead of writing his paper he pretends to do samurai moves with a ruler. At that point he gets a call from his best friend Ai who sees their classmate Nakamura in trouble. He does what any good samurai would and runs to the rescue.

Yanki’s are pretty bad ass but even I think I can take these girls. Especially if I were 6′2″…

Nakamura is kind of a helpless boy. He stutters and looks down all the time but because he’s played by Shirota Yuu (former D-boys member) I forgive him. Mochizuki is immediately scared and stutters out a bunch of nonsense. When he tries to defend himself he trips down a flight of stairs and hits his head.

Somehow as a samurai Mochizuki has perfect hair and a TON of eyeliner. Very stylish for the Sengoku era.

The bump on the head makes his ancestors personality come out. Even when we (the audience) can hear the real Mochizuki on the inside he seems powerless to make his own body move. Samurai-Mochizuki easily takes care of the three pansy girls while freeing Nakamura. He does this with the ruler that was still in his pants ^^;;. He moves in to kiss Ai but then this happens.

Warning: May explode when kissed.

He wakes up as normal Kotaro and has trouble trying to explain to Ai what happened. He doesn’t have time anyway because Nakamura has already gotten himself in trouble with those yanki girls again. This time Nakamura has let them talk him into stealing watches. Mochizuki runs to try and convince him not to do it but ends up there at just the wrong time.

Neither of these men is articulate enough to explain that three evil girls did this.

They are taken the police station, picked up by their teacher and manage to clear their names in front of the board while the girls get off scot-free. There’s a long scene of lamenting where Nakamura tells Mochizuki that they’re both weak and so they can never win at life and it’s as simple as that.

Stop moping you pretty boys this isn’t a Final Fantasy game!

When he arrives home Mochizuki’s father tells him that he is the ancestor of the samurai bearing the same name proving something that we’ve pretty much known all along. The yanki girls from before kidnap Mochizuki and Nakamura a few hours later to beat them up for some reason even though everyone got off without more than a slap on the wrist.

Look, they brought friends…

They throw Mochizuki out the window when he fights back and he bumps his head and turns into a samurai again so he can kick butt with a broom!

Becoming a samurai also puts his hair in a ponytail for some reason?

He beats all the bad guys up and the day is saved with no thanks to Nakamura because he pretty much cowered on the ground and made sad noises the whole time.

I’m trying not to read anything sexual into this but I have trouble.

♥ It’s a bromance ♥

Final Thoughts:

If you have some time and you’re out of anime (amazing but it happens) then I would definitely tell you to give this series a watch. It’s a pretty great series and there’s already has five episodes out. I had a ton of fun watching it and even my fiance kept starring at my screen to try and watch it with me. Unless I get some overwhelming response I don’t think I’ll be blogging other episodes of this but I figured maybe every now and then I’d show you guys a great Jdrama that’s anime-ish. This one gets a full 5 stars out of 5 for wild ride awesomely acted ridiculous anime-esqe comedy.

Confession Corner:

I have something to get off my chest and I won’t be able to move on until I do. I started watching this for Shirota Yuu. You do not know this about me but I am in love with the Sailor Moon Musicals and Yuu played Tuxedo Mask from 2003 to 2004 (where I fell in love with his body singing). Someday I may bring you some Sailor Moon musical reviews and recaps but until then I leave you with this picture:

SDF Macross Episode 27 – It’s the End of the World as We Know It

ExecutiveOtaku — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:07:35 +0000

Given the grand scale of the events of episode 27, I felt it would be best to just do a one episode post this week. Preparations began among the Macross-Britai fleet last time as the main Zentradi force began to defold into Sol system, and now the battle begins. All the various resources of the Macross, Britai fleet, and UN Spacy are at the ready, but the scale of the incursion is massive. Bodolzza even brings the entire headquarters fortress WITH HIM for the battle along with millions of ships and countless soldiers. With the stage set, events occur on both civilizational and personal levels that will forever change the lives of everyone involved.

Ready for the fight.

Before getting into the cockpit himself, Hikaru tells Minmay that he always loved her and wishes her well with Kaifun. No regrets before battle.

Everyone aboard the Macross-Britai fleet ships prepares. For the first time we get to see a little bit of the inside of the Destroids. I wasn’t even positive that they were piloted before now.

UN HQ is preparing as well, with Misa directing the deployment of Earth-based Valkyrie squadrons.

The UN Space Cartography Department leaves something to be desired unless there were massive sealevel increases that somehow didn’t touch Japan. They’re also not the only powerful international organization to forget about Africa (Australia and most of SE Asia is noticeably missing too).

As Hikaru gets into his flightsuit and prepares to launch, Minmay comes to see him again. She still wants to talk about what Hikaru said to her, starting to say that she just thought of him as a friend but trailing off like she has more to say. But Hikaru calmly and without any sign of emotional distress, tells her that it wouldn’t have worked out. Even in the confines of one ship, they’ve been living completely different lives. Minmay seems shocked by this, though one would think that she would have noticed by now. But just then the Bodolzza fleet begins its planetary bombardment of the Earth, shooting through the orbiting UN ARMD-class ships, wiping out most of the inhabited areas and effectively destroying human civilization there. This is done from such a long range that the Macross-Britai fleet didn’t even have a chance to engage them before they fired.

Very nice use of the helmet in the scene. Why doesn’t more anime try to be creative with its cinematography like this?! Such an old series puts so many more recent ones to shame.

The final killing blow to the Minmay X Hikaru ship. Though as much as she was the enemy of my preferences, at the end I feel more like moving on and letting her be than savoring her shock. She screwed up big time in the middle, but towards the end she at least went out with dignity.

The Zentradi reduce the surface of the Earth to ruins as they did to another planet when Hikaru, Misa, and Kakizaki were captured. Despite planetary bombardment being outlawed by every civilized world.

The second shot from Battlestar Galactica reminded me of the original, though I would doubt it was an intentional homage to Macross.

The Earth is now devastated, but the Grand Cannon at Alaska Base is still operational, and the UN HQ fires back at the Zentradi fleet, surprising Bodolzza with its power. The forcefulness and totality of the Zentradi attack seems to have vindicated Admiral Hayase’s plan to shoot first and seek negotiation later as the Zentradi didn’t even think twice about trying to destroy the Earth. Hikaru came up with an idea for Minmay to sing and distract the enemy Zentradi by exposing them to ‘culture’, and on the bridge of the Macross Capt. Global, Archivist Exedol, and Capt. Britai finalize the coordination of this jamming by other means. Minmay then readies herself and begins going through her repertoire of songs, with a kiss between her and Kaifun in the middle to heighten the effect on the enemy. At that moment she says goodbye to Hikaru in her thoughts.

You may fire when ready. BA-BOOM Big laser! PA-PEWWW! Zentradi chunks EVERYWHERE!

She never looked so mature or introspective.

Some of the Zentradi are watching, though it’s too late for Earth.

The bombardment of Earth will not go unanswered. The Macross-Britai fleet capital ships begin attacking the enemy command ships while the Macross’ Valkyries, loaded with reaction warhead equipped missiles, keep the mecha busy and take out several capital ships of their own. Millia now joins the fray in her own VF-1, painted red because real aces have custom paintjobs. Down on the surface the Grand Cannon’s firing made it a target for the orbiting fleet which quickly devastates the base. Misa is still trying to contact any units that may be out there when she gets a message from her father telling her to leave. Everyone else in the base is either dead or has fled, and the transmission ends with Adm. Hayase’s death as well when the control room explodes.

The Macross-Britai fleet flagships begin their attack, while another variant of Zentradi battlepod is engaged by the Valkyries.

All the Valkyries deployed seem to be equipped with the new FAST Pack equipment.

Given recent events I imagine Millia is less hesitant to deal killing blows.

Zentradi counterbattery fire quickly reduces the Grand Cannon to rubble. Such is the disadvantage of stationary superweapons.

Misa may be the only one left alive in the entire base.

Hikaru is good, but not good enough to get away unscathed and his Valkyrie takes enough damage to prevent him from escaping the Earth’s gravity and returning to base. He realizes that there’s nothing more he can do and prepares his VF-1S for reentry. During this he remembers the rest of his conversation with Minmay. As they saw the Earth being bombarded, staring in shocked silence, Minmay tells him that she will sing just for him and gives him a parting kiss. In his mind, Hikaru also says goodbye to Minmay as he descends to Earth. There he radios to the UN HQ and finds Misa on the radio, overjoyed to hear from him. Up in orbit the battle continues, and Kamjin watches events and is persuaded by Minmay’s song to join the Macross-Britai fleet, which is currently engaged in fierce combat as it works its way towards the fortress.

Similar to my love for the ‘point of no return’ part of Gundam 0083, the scene in Hikaru’s nearly disabled Valkyrie and the final part of the conversation between him and Minmay featured great use of silence. It really says more than words could at such times.

At least it ended well, I’ll give Minmay credit for that.

I agree, ‘Love Flows By’ has been the best of Minmay’s work so far.

Apparently Captain Harlock has also joined the fleet.

Hikaru flies into the remains of Alaska Base looking for Misa, and finally cuts his way into the flight operations center. There the two meet again, both overjoyed to see each other and to have a real human connection amidst the devastation that is all around them. It was a very sweet moment and nicely done, some parts in time to the music of ‘Love Flows By’ that was still playing in the background. A paragraph just to talk about this one short scene? Yes.

Their reunion is one small thing to be happy about on such a dark day.

Set to the drum beat from ‘Love Flows By’, I loved the snapshot style of this sequence. Not saying that the destruction of most of humanity was worth it for these Misa smiles, but it’s not a bad consolation prize.

Though I wasn’t as keen on the black and white sketch style of the embrace part. Reminds me of the video for ‘Take on Me’ and that’s NOT A GOOD THING. Argh, there’s so much to hate about 1980’s pop culture and yet my generation has this odd obsession with it. WE WERE BORN IN THE 80’S, HOW MUCH NOSTALGIA CAN YOU HAVE HAD FOR SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED WHEN YOU MAY NOT HAVE EVEN BEEN BORN YET? AND FOR A POP CULTURE THAT SUCKED ANYWAY! GAHHH! *raeg rant*. Sorry, it kind of hit a nerve with me. At least there’s Macross and Operation Ivy to remind me that the 1980’s weren’t a complete disaster.

Now the Macross begins the final phase of its attack. Making its way to the command fortress, the Macross focuses the Pinpoint Barriers on the bow, punches through the outside of the asteroid, and fires all its weapons and reaction warhead anti-ship missiles into the interior and then raising the ODB to protect itself from the explosion. Supreme Commander Bodolzza is killed and a large portion of his fleet it also destroyed, leaving the rest of the Zentradi leaderless. Back on Earth Misa and Hikaru observe the explosion and take the time to tell each other how much they appreciate being together at a time like this. While the explosion so near Earth of a massive object would probably lead to an Endor Holocaust scenario, the Earth is already pretty screwed.

The Macross Attack utilized the entire ship in a manner similar to the Daedalus Attack invented earlier.

Bodolzza meets the face of Death, and it is a singing idol.

I had figured they were going to intentionally overload the ODB to destroy the fortress, but the reaction weapons seemed to be enough.

Quite a sight.

She never lost faith, and indeed Hikaru has grown over the months to deserve such faith.

Sitting at the end, and beginning, of all things.

Stuck on the Earth the happy-given-the-circumstances couple is worried about what happened to the Macross, but soon their fears are alleviated when they see the heavily damaged ship float down to the surface as the sun rises of the ruins of Alaska Base. Surprisingly after so much death and destruction they manage to remain upbeat for now, holding onto each other and returning to their friends and comrades. Soon it will be time to reorganize and make sense of the new situation. The human and Zentradi have both lost their chain of command, the Earth is destroyed, and there will likely be aftereffects of the Zentradi being exposed to culture. But for now, Hikaru and Misa enjoy their flight back towards the Macross.

No need to narrate this image, just including it because I liked it.

The Macross is one tough ship.

More great use of objects in the foreground as occurred earlier with the helmet. The broken cockpit almost seems to reflect the losses of the day, while the rest of the Valkyrie is still mostly intact and able to move forward just as the fleet and survivors must.

Into the newly uncertain future.

Final Thoughts: – This really changes everything. With the Earth devastated and the remnants of a massive fleet still in-system, the future is uncertain as never before.

- I could see how the series could have ended here, on a pretty big downer but with a hopeful spirit for recovering in the future. However I’m a big fan of ‘what now?’, post-war stuff so I’m looking forward to what happens in the rest of the series. Way too often series just cover the war and somehow things are just back to normal and rebuilt by the time of a sequel series. I know a lot of people hated the show, but one of the good things about Gundam SEED Destiny is that it did address the immediate aftermath of war and the lingering animosities. I’m excited to see what’s to come and how Macross handles it.

- The end of the Minmay/Hikaru thing was well done on both characters’ parts. Even though Minmay annoyed me a lot through most of the series, she has started to wise up and mature a fair amount lately. And at least she didn’t take her unreciprocated feelings and run off into an abyss of treachery and selfishness like another loser in Macross love.

- I’ve started to notice the budget constraints coming into play somewhat. There were some obviously recycled sequences from other episodes, such as the Zentradi recon ship getting destroyed by the Macross’ main cannon from the first episode, and Hikaru getting jerked back and forth by his harness when he decelerated using the FAST Pack for the first time.

Kampfer 06-07: The Return of Mikoto

Crusader — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:58:37 +0000

It is with great relief that we accept your return.

The glorious return of Mikoto was most welcome as not only is she genki but she also fulfills the role of osana-najimi for both Natsuru Girl-type and Akane so already she has a decided advantage when it comes to yuri bliss when compared to Sakura. The Quasi Maid Cafe was so much fun as the exploitation of Natusur Girl-type continued, oh sure there was some idiot boy (must have been Shin in disguise) who ordered a low priced coffee like some cheap bastard. Thankfully the class VP is about as underhanded as Dick Cheney (though so much HAWTER and better) and she gave him a concoction which I suspect was anti-freeze laced with turpentine. Shizuku and Sakura pool their money to get the super expensive escort service though Zeus was most furious that Sakura was trying to go on a date behind Akane’s back. I was most relieved when Mikoto decided to intervene decisively and had Natsuru Girl-type chase her around the school. The fight was fun as Mikoto showed her Yandere side, though it was wrong war, at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and with the wrong enemy. Nevertheless it was a chance for Akane to come to the rescue and she did so marvelously as she grabbed Natsuru Girl-type at the waist and dropped her once the BIG FIGHT started. Mikoto subsequent shock was understandable as Natsuru Boy-type’s meido cosplay was disturbing to say the least…

Sakura wants to have a night that goes on forever and ever but Shizuku got wind of it and brought Akane along to sabotage the whole affair. The Packy game was excellent as Shizuku took Akane’s first kissu and left Akane overawed. Zeus granted Akane an opportunity to be first to steal Natsuru Girl-type’s lips but alas it was not to be. Still unlike Zyl Almighty Zeus has not abandoned Akane and made sure that no matter what Sakura would not win even a single chance. Considering the amount of Packy Shizuku must have kissed Akane numerous times I just hope that the special edition DVD will have a close up of Akane’s first kissu. Zeus even guided Mikoto to the location of Sakura’s stuffed animal fortress to ensure that Sakura would not emerge victorious so early on. I am certain that the Lord of Awesome Type Rocket Punches is going for the anyone but Sakura pairing, so Sakura better start playing by the rules. Sadly Sakura seeks to have an unfair advantage, and in flagrant disregard for the Rules of Courtship as written by Patrick, Sakura steals into Natusru’s bed in the dead of night like some devious Jihad-kun. Thankfully Zeus’ rage was infinite and from Bardos Island reverted Natsuru back to being a Boy-type as to give Sakura a most unwelcome surprise. Akane sensed a disturbance in the Yuri and sallied forth to challenge Sakura and blew out part of ceiling to announce her anger and frustration. In a bit of dere dere Kampfer Akane tries to confess her feelings of true love for Natsuru and her willingness to tolerate the existence of the Boy-type. Instead of a full confession it seems that the last lot of recipients of Sakura’s babies were fated to form the White Team. Rika-chan is the first to attack Fortress Sakura, though she is quickly bested by Shizuku.

I have my doubts that this story is going to be complex but for the most part things do seem to follow some modicum of logical progression as four Entrails Animals were tossed out by the Slug Queen Sakura in episode 5, Rika was the pink haired loli which leaves the remaining three. Poor Akane can’t seem to get a clean hit on anyone these days though I suppose that, like me, she just needs to focus on her target instead of be consumed by frustration that Natsuru- Girl-type is SUGOI thick. Still I guess Shizuku will remain the strongest though perhaps like a fighting game Schwert beats Gewehr, Gewehr beats Zauber, and Zauber beats Schwert in a rock-paper-scissors set up. If that is the case things look bad for Akane as Schwert seems to be very popular in the metagame, in fact it is almost as bad as 40K where everyone plays Space Marines. Still I really felt bad for Akane when she mustered up all her courage to try and confess, only to be interrupted. Seven eps in and I am still having so much fun, though next week is going to be a love song to Shizuku, I expect Calawain to be left twitching on the floor when it gets subbed. Mikoto has proved to be a rather light addition as her strategy seems predicated on setting up Natsuru Boy-type for failure and then swooping in to claim her prize once the official rejection from Sakura is given. Still I guess in small doses Mikoto is fairly awesome as she too has some Yandere tendencies and if things go bad for my OTP I can ship AkanexMikoto as the osana-jimi pair. While I acknowledge Shizuku as a great kisser I do not see her as a one woman kind of gal, nothing short of being a mistress of her own yuri harem would suffice for a woman of her stature, but we shall see. With the arrival of the White Team I wonder if we are going to get more fighting or more yuri, I am hoping for both. Also I noticed how they tweaked the OP to edit out Sakura kissing wieners and put in Mikoto, Zeus be praised for this change!

Calawain’s Crossdressing Corner

Akane failed to channel her inner Matoi, she can’t run away when confronted with a rival. She must be relentless in her stalking and assertiveness. Meanwhile, at the Maid Cafe, once again Shizuku comes through with the entertaining torment of Natsuru. And if Sakura knows something about the Kampfer she’s got a great poker face. Finally, Akane has the most horrible aim with her guns, for being someone who specializes in it. Think of all the bullets she’s fired in 7 episodes and how few have hit anything of importance.

The Pocky game was interesting, if a bit eye-rolling and uncreative. There are much steamier ways to introduce that kind of material, I guess they decided on the easy route. Shizuku on the other hand, always brings the awesome with the “accidental” spilling of curry to create a stimulating bath scene. Not as stimulating as the futon spooning, though that would have been a lot more interesting had they let it run its course rather than some random idiot new Kampfer popping out of nowhere to introduce herself. Plus she interrupted Akane’s confession (somewhat forgiven by being voiced by Kana Ueda).

Yes, as Crusader has foreseen I am looking forward to next week’s dayto episode with Shizuku.

Crusader’s Chronicle of the Kampfer Conflict

Oh ho…so you two have gotten FRIENDLY in the past eh?

Technically Mikoto counts as osana-jimi for the both of you…

Sadly yes.

Patrick is most disappointed in this one, though it would be a losing battle anyway.

Indeed kick kiss her when she is down.

Is this the part where I over pay for water and soba?

To confuse and sexually frustrate Zyl and Shin.

For supply cannot possibly meet demand…

Go to Starbucks then you bastard.

VP is just as under handed as Cheny…

Tastes great doesn’t it…that mixture of Anti-Freeze and Turpentine.

To Get Rich Is Glorious.

…

Now THAT is customer service.

Is that Akane?

For once I can agree with this girl.

I suppose the accountant has a photographic memory.

…

Oddly enough I feel a sense of camaraderie with these three.

Indeed.

Looks like some one is really going to get an earful…

But Natsuru Girl-type really likes you…

Hey that looks sharp you should be careful…

Wait isn’t that you?

That is a delightfully blunt battlecry.

Only Akane is allowed to bully Natsuru Girl-type.

Still it was a magnificent rescue.

She has no time for patience you know…

I would have liked it more if she went in single handed with her arm around Natsuru Girl-type’s waist.

That’s Solidus to you?

…

Mein eyes!

That is not he boy-type she wanted to see…

He’ll push it to the limit past the point of no return…

Good Going Solid Snake…

Now these two would make for great Negotiators…though something is missing.

…

And Akane was like “what’s up bitch?”

She’s got to win at least one right?

Zeus approves…

We gotta get closer!

…

Shizuku is smooth…

YESSS!

HELL YESSS!

The Winner of ep 7.

Who says losing is bad?

Outta the way bitch Zeus has decided…

…

Patrick Approves of this Packy Strategem…

We need to create the mood…

I scoff at your narrow minded hetero thinking.

Indeed she is.

For Zeus does not approve of you or your methods…

Sakura is the Slug Queen!

It was the most fortuitous industrial accident of the century.

Zeus guided Mikoto to Natsuru Girl-type, he guided Sakura half a league away…I sense a bit favoritism.

You can’t cook can ya?

I like this better than the swim suit…

The problem is…YOU.

…

Mikoto doesn’t talk, she just does…

Mikoto is a smart one through optimal positioning she gets to sleep next to Natsuru Girl-type…sadly they put her in Sakura’s stuffed animals mausoleum.

Patrick only approves of consensually advances! Only Jihad-kuns steal into bedrooms in the dead of night!

O RLY…

She’s pissing me off too.

Well stated.

OH SHIT SOMEONE IS GOING TO DIE!

I can live with that loss.

…

Ganbatte!

Say it LOUD SAY IT PROUD!

Yo you are interrupting a confession…

What didn’t Kaede do…

Nah you just feel superior…

I await this most glorious of wake up calls.

Oh wow a choker…

Inuyasha Kanketsuhen Episodes 05-06 – Magnificent Bastard

ExecutiveOtaku — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:04:31 +0000

No individual post for episode 05 due to not much happening during the episode. There wasn’t much to talk about and I also had some fairly pressing constraints on my time, so I decided it would be better to combine episode post. You could call it an executive decision. Now that I’ve gotten in my required groan-inducing pun, let’s recap. In episode 05 Inuyasha meets with Tottosai to discuss the problems with the Tessaiga that have been occurring ever since it integrated the youki-absorbing scales with the blade. Going to see a master recommended by Tottosai, the gang goes to a small town to seek his counsel. After going through this, the next episode is all about Goryoumaru/Mouryomaru and Naraku. Sprinkled throughout are various weapons upgrades as the development of new weapons and new countermeasure continues at a pace rivaling that of The One Year War or the Operation Stardust incident.

Episode 05: Starting out two snake-like youkai are fighting their eternal battle against each other when Goryoumaru appears intent on absorbing their power. They briefly unite and are easily beating their foe when one turns on the other in front of their mutual enemy, a move that would make Chiang Kai-Shek proud. Exploiting this Goryoumaru absorbs them just in time for Sesshomaru to show up and attack him. Though once again he’s bailed out and allowed to escape by Byakuya’s intervention. The rest of the episode involves Inuyasha and his group going to the town where the old master lives and seeking his help. His guts where absorbed by a passing youkai, and he tasks Inuyasha with retrieving them without using the Tessaiga. After fighting a disguised youkai, he learns how to detect and attack the vortexes of youki that all youkai possess.

Episode 06: At the opening Naraku comes to absorb a youkai and human eating tree that was sealed long ago by Kikiyo. It’s becoming active again as the barrier fades from age and Kikiyo’s weakening, and Naraku tricks it into attacking him, consuming it himself and taking its youki piercing vines. Kouga briefly encounters Kikiyo who explains to him why his Shikon shards have been slowing him down at times. She tells him that she’ll take them peacefully or by force, but he refuses and runs off to continue his pursuit of Goryoumaru. Kouga’s quarry flies to confront Naraku, considering himself sufficiently powerful to meet him in battle. They fight as Kouga, Kikiyo, and Inuyasha’s groups converge on the area. There they witness Goryoumaru seemingly defeat and absorb Naraku, combining their Shikon shards. Inuyasha and Kouga attempt to slow him down, using the terrain to their advantage, but the Infant’s anti-youki barrier is preventing Inuyasha from finding the vertiexes in his energy. Kikiyo then informs Kagome and Sango of her plan, and despite Sango’s objections Kohaku is willing to sacrifice himself to the plan.

Naraku is a magnificent bastard though, and all is not as it seems. The Shikon shards have no combined and as Goryoumaru attempts to absorb Kouga, Inuyasha guesses correctly that the point of absorption is a vortex and has Kouga fire the Goraishi at the Tessaiga and then strikes this point. Making things worse for Goryoumaru inside his armored form Naraku has endured despite the attempt to consume him. And now inside the shell, normally unable to be pierced, he makes his move. The seemingly random acquisition of the youkai tree is now revealed to be integral to Naraku’s plan. The tree would consume youkai by penetrating their youki field and in the close quarters of Goryoumaru’s interior the vines easily work their way through the infant’s barrier. The tables are now turned and Goryoumaru is destroyed, the infant now a hostage to Naraku in his new form. At this point Miroku sees a chance to destroy him, heart and form now in the same place and vulnerable, and opens his wind tunnel. But this takes time and Miroku strains himself, the curse spreading through him as he draws Naraku in. He’s determined to end things here and not even blood pouring out from his eyes and mouth. In the end, only Inuyasha’s intervention prevents him from taking both himself and Naraku out, though his wounds are still grievous. Kikiyo offers to heal what she can, but notes that a body that has taken that kind of damage will never be fully restored.

Sorry if I’m a bit at a loss for commentary for these episodes. Episode 06 was significant in terms of storyline, but it didn’t give me much to speculate on as things were left up in the air on many fronts. Though Naraku reaffirmed himself as a worthy antagonist by his skillful use of specialized weaponry and deception to strike at the heart of Goryoumaru and the infant, reversing his seeming decline vis a vis Goryoumaru. Naraku was the original Big Bad, and he proved that he still holds the crown in this series.

Crusader’s Song of Sango and Other Observations

Filler aside Sango didn’t do terribly much while the monument to stupidity that that annoying baby created was powering up. Naraku wins yet again but so it was written. Miroku made Sango cry and I do lament how the lowly monk’s hand did not glow with an AWESOME POWER WHOSE LOUD ROAR TELLS HIM TO DEFEAT NARAKU. Oddly enough for once I am starting to like Kikyo more since she isn’t just a cold Miko anymore now that Kohaku is following her around. Wolf boy is starting to get on my nerves he can’t control the shards yet hopes to abuse their power… As fights go it was pretty meh Wolf Boy’s weapon was pretty much a non factor against the Mobile Armor more over Inuyahsa and Wolf boy are no 8th Team nor Immortal 4th Team and Mouryoumaru is no Norris Packard. Indeed Mobile Armor-san did chicken out and beat a brave retreat when the Lord of the West showed up to field test his newly reforged Narsil Tenseiga. Still the annoying baby is gone the Mobile Armor is now a pile of scrap and all that is left is Naraku and his new boy toy origami otaku. I guess that makes it a net plus before ep seven.

ExecutiveOtaku’s Screencap Commentary, References, and Bad Puns

Kohaku swears his loyalty unto death to the One True Priestess.

Demonstrating that power is useless without wisdom.

My liege would have ended things now if it weren’t for that meddling kid.

Under the bridge downtown…

Apparently a secondary effect of the scales is that it can allow Inuyasha to detect the vertexes and strike at them.

The dangers of mating a new and different technology to an old delivery system.

Out shopping.

Oh Inuyasha, you and your spoiler episode titles.

We can do this the easy way or the hard way Kouga.

Naraku unleashes some of his old chemical weapons to clean out the battlefield.

Upgraded Goryoumaru vs Naraku in something that looks like a cross between a sea anemone and the Neue Ziel.

One step closer to the realization of Kikiyo’s plan, but one more source of power to the enemy.

He’s only really useful as a living I-Field.

Hitting the weak spot.

Hi thar, usurper.

Naraku is in your body, killing your chances of freedom.

Kagome tries to make an opening in Naraku’s armor before he can adjust to his new form.

Miroku may have the most powerful weapon of them all…

…but at great cost.

Sango is so dignified, even now she uses titles of respect.

Despite assured victory, Inuyasha finds that a friend’s life is too high a price to pay.

It’s good to see Kikiyo interacting with the main group, even if it may only be for a time.

Kobato 02-03: Cameos, Umbrellas, and Candy

Mabdese — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:15:07 +0000

I love you Iroyogi-san, don’t change.

So I’m doing a little catch up since I joined the team mid-season. I really wanted this to be a Samurai High School post but some unfortunate things that made me feel a bit like I had Kobato’s common sense happened and I won’t be able to post it until tomorrow at least.

Moving on! Kobato 2 and 3 gave us a better look at Kobato’s inability to understand anything ever, showed us some love-love magic and also showcased some characters from CLAMP’s other works. Kobato takes to the streets looking for hearts to mend in her nonsense-only fashion only to find that it’s a bit more difficult than that. Kobato becomes employed but not for any money and we don’t find anything out about the backstory of Fujimoto-san at all. Luckily it’s not all failures as Kobato is able to mend her first heart, gains an apartment (and bed), and finds some unlikely friends….

Kobato’s first mission is to heal hearts so that she can fill up her bottle to get her wish. She apparently has no memories or sense which also explain her lack of sense. Learning that makes me wonder if she isn’t an angel. Though maybe she’s just a girl who has hit her head hard enough that small animals are sending her on missions.

She completely misinterprets what healing a heart might entail and tries to help people out in superficial ways like taking all of this mans tissues. I guess it’s a good start and she seems to be learning a little from last episode. I’m not gaining any second hand embarrassment from her actions this time around. Maybe I just got used to it though?

What would you even do with this many tissues? I don’t want to know.

She runs after Fujimoto-san after he knocks all her tissues onto the street and ends up at the nursery where he works. She comes on a bit strong to Sayaka-sensei who likes it rough her anyway. Thus she joins the two of them taking care of children which is easy since she’s basically a child herself.

Kobato interprets her feelings into dance.

Since Iroyogi has to pretend he’s a stuffed animal Kobato has forgotten him somewhere and she freaks out. I don’t really understand how you lose track of a blue, talking stuffed dog but if anyone could find a way it’d be Kobato. Before she goes to look Sayaka-sensei has one thing to say to her…

Not in this economy at least!

Turns out Iroyogi is good at pretending to be a stuffed animal so he’s exactly where she left him but now Kobato has to have deep, meaninful thoughts before the story can continue. I’m glad to see her brain isn’t made of mush but I also have some doubt that she would consider the feelings of others so deeply when she tried to give crows trash just the other day. Just sayin’. She meets a little boy from her nursery in the park who is having some trouble because others tease him about his mother picking him up late. Adults tease him. That’s a pretty harsh life for being like 5.

Pretty much that exact phrase causes complexes in children everyday. Good job uncaring woman, you’re way more of a jerk than his hard-working mother. Your child will probably resent you in a few years, enjoy!

Kobato understands though. I wibbled a little at this scene and wondered if I was being too hard on Kobato, she’s obvious got a big heart.

And thus she got her first Star Bit for healing his heart.

Leading me to believe we should eat each others hearts: nom nom nom

Something that’s been bugging me this whole time is that Kobato has pretty much been living in a park. Sayaka-sensei also seems to have noticed and arranges an apartment for her.

As they were walking up the door I thought I recognized the apartment complex from Chobits and then laughed at myself until…

FROM CHOBITS! I feel sufficiently validated in saying CLAMP has run out of characters.

Kobato introduces herself by bowing so low that Iroyogi drops of her bag without her paying attention.

HOW COULD YOU FORGET ME!?

He manages to climb back up the balcony and scare the ever living daylights out of everyone. They should just make horror movies around Iroyogi-san. Since it’s Kobato’s day off she goes around town looking for hearts to mend.

On the way they meet Mitsuru who is very concerned that she made Iroyogi dirty when she bumped into Kobato. She seems to be a young school girl with nothing too special about her. Kobato forgets her umbrella at home, gets one from a man at a cake shop and then it’s stolen when she’s outside a place called “Piffle Princess” which if you’re familiar with CLAMP is something they use often.

Mitsuru lends Kobato her umbrella and then runs off after a boy walks by with a girl under his umbrella. Kobato stares on in confusion but decides she needs to return this umbrella to Mitsuru the next day.

Looking at this picture makes me glad I’m not 14 anymore.

Kobato sees Mitsuru starring at the boy they saw the other day and can’t seem to put these things together. She also realizes she’s late for work and runs the whole way there.

He’s kind of an anal retentive jerk.

I can’t get it out of my head that Sayaka is kind of a dom…

After work Kobato sees Mitsuru again and wants quite badly to help her. She goes back to her house to think about what to do to help. While she’s pondering she hears a knock on the door and some squeaky voices which I assumed would be children from her school. But they weren’t!

Instead we’re greeted by Chii and Freya now with new more adorable names. Actually they’re really cute! It almost makes you want to watch Chobits again? They brought her a matress since she’d been sleeping on the floor until then but seriously kawaiiiii~

Kobato ponders Mitsuru’s love-love issues while enjoying her mattress incorrectly. I hope she didn’t try to sleep on it this way but I’d pretend to be surprised if she did. The next day she confronts the boy Mitsuru likes by giving him an umbrella so that he can stand under it with Mitsuru. After the awkwardness of two young kids we are finally treated to an adorable scene:

This actually good deed results in another “candy” in the jar…

And somehow causes Kohaku and Shuichiro Kudo (from Wish) to appear on a bridge.

At the end of the day Kobato gets a zero for dropping Iroyogi in the mud too many times!

Last Thoughts

I really enjoyed these episodes and I’m starting to feel more for Kobato instead of just being embarrassed or frustrated at her actions. I have no idea what CLAMP is doing or why they need to include so many characters from their other series. I loved Wish and Chobits as much as the next person but they already did the crossover with Tsubasa and I can actually feel their new ideas running out of them as I watch. It’s really fun to see Fujimoto-san and Kobato interact because he obviously really dislikes her but I’m dying to know what horrible thing scaled him as a child to make him so prissy. High hopes for the next two episodes!

Also I love the ending. Love. I listened to the ending after both of these episodes even though I didn’t have to and definitely skipped the opening both times. Win some, lose some.

Kimi ni Todoke 06: Bravely Bold Miss Yuuka…

Crusader — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:10:51 +0000

When Sawako was loli she was able to play with all the other kids…

T’was a most glorious episode as the first of Sawako’s foe’s felt the sting of defeat and were SMASHED INTO ATOMS by their own pride and subsequent inferiority to Yoshida. After being battered and bloodied for their infantile assault on Sawako Kazehaya delivered the coup de grace and voiced his disdain for rumor mongering bitches. While Hirano and Endo have no combat ability they mounted a successful PR campaigned that reaffirmed Sawako as the Zashiki Warashi of the school. All is well as misunderstandings are cleared up and oaths of friendship are taken openly and in a manner most straightforward with the lavatory. The venue mattered little and Yuuka the insolent bully was decisively crushed and she ended up in a manner most fitting. I was over come with glee as Yuuka was forced to beat a brave retreat and after escaping with no wounds begins to weep delicious False Tears that Noe dislikes. Ah that alone was the high point as her hopes and dreams of being with Kazehaya were SMASHED INTO ATOMS it was glorious to have Yuuka feel the revenge of reality despite being spared by Sawako. Long may Yuuko weep and long may she cry hot False Tears of lamentation and deplore her own folly!

On a more pleasant front Sawako seems to have had a colorful childhood, but it turns out that poor Shino-san was the one who got the ball rolling though I hold her blameless for it was the ignorant masses that created all the subsequent falsehoods. At least Sawako did not experience undue pain from her ostracism. Now she has some reliable friends and Shino-chan decides to conform to Yano and Yosida’s movements and relinquishes the mantle of Sawako’s only friend. Kazehaya is in a way glad but having been denied the chance to be the hero and with Yano and Yoshida’s monopolizing of Sawako’s time he is becoming increasingly jealous. I can only hope he keeps it in check… Meanwhile the original instigator seems to have started another rumor passing off blame to Team Yuuko, but while idiots may believe Vichy-tan and hope that it was not her, all suspects are guilty, otherwise they wouldn’t be suspects… Yuuka may have cried a river, but when Vichy-tan gets what is coming to her Almighty Zeus shall ensure that that she will be hit with the force of a BIG BANG PUNCH. I look forward to the day that Vichy-tan’s fate is sealed.

ExecutiveOtaku’s Unadulterated Adoration of Sawako

Rejoice! For the crisis is over and we get many sweet moments of Sawako and her comrades coming closer together! This time justice is done upon the perpetrators of the cowardly bathroom attack. Apparently the head of this faction is called Yuuka, one who was led to the Dark Side by her unworthy jealousy of Sawako. After showing what a barbarian she is by pushing Sawako down, she is still unmoved by Sawako’s heartfelt and sincere declaration of the truth. Outside Kazehaya is restrained from intervening due to the cowardly choice of ambush location, but Yano and Yoshida show up to save the day. After routing their enemy they talk to Sawako and all are moved by the intensity of their bonds of trust and friendship in each other. As the Yuuka Faction flees in disarray before the might of Sawako, Yano, and Yoshida, Kazehaya waits outside to deliver the killing blow. Declaring loudly that he hates such vile rumors and those who spread them, his words pierce the heart of Yuuka as fatally as if they had been arrows. The consolidation of the Sawako Alliance continues for the remainder of the episode, with Kazehaya cutely worried that Yano and Yoshida are going to steal Sawako away from him. And in the end Vichy-tan reveals herself once more, dismissing the Yuuka Faction as mere children. Whether she is allied with them, manipulated them into their rumor offensive, or is (unlikely) just misunderstood as being an enemy, she obviously does not think much of them.

EO’s DAAAWWWW of the week.

ALPHA GO!

TANGO DOWN! Hostage has been secured.

The three shoujo-teers.

All for one, and one for AAWWW.

And Kazehaya was filled with the righteous fury of the just. For the ground itself shook as if frightened underfoot, and friend and foe alike trembled before his angry visage!

To quote Dr. Cox from Scrubs: “I love this moment so much, I want to have sex with it.”

True Tears of happiness.

Another radiant smile. May there be many more.

Kneel before your refreshing and compassionate goddess! Sawayakyaa!

No worries Kazehaya, this isn’t a yuri series.

See, she’s already looking back at you and smiling.

CRY SOME MORE YUUKA, YOUR TEARS ARE DELICIOUS TO ME!!!

Were they mere pawns in her larger war?

Dispatches of the Second Kazehaya War

Oh Shino-chan it was you?!

Yeah you fucked up…

That’s not that great of a silver lining.

Class A War Criminals! We must hunt them down and destroy them!

She already is, you on the other hand…

Note that this will be a most fatal mistake…

NO YOU!

I say we butcher the lot of them…

Leave it to Moi…

Which is why they fail at school…

They only know of jealousy Sawako…

I know…

Bravely bold Miss Yuuka rolled forth from Class A
She was not afraid to die, O brave Miss Yuuka
She was not at all afraid to be killed in nasty ways
Brave, brave, brave, brave Miss Yuuka…

She was not in the least bit scared to be mashed into a pulp
Or to have her eyes gouged out and her elbows broken
To have her kneecaps split and her body burned away
And her limbs all hacked and mangled, brave Miss Yuuka…

Her head smashed in and her heart cut out
And her liver removed and her bowels unplugged
And her nostrils raped and her bottom burnt off
And her penis…

Well that’s enough music for now, ladies…

…For second after second Brave Miss Yuuka held her own, but scarcely was her shirt damp…then she suddenly… dramatically changed tactics…

Brave Miss Yuuka ran away – No!
Bravely ran away, away – I didn’t!
When danger reared its ugly head
She bravely turned her tail and fled – No!
Yes, brave Miss Yuuka turned about
And gallantly she chickened out
Bravely taking to her feet
She beat a very brave retreat
Bravest of the brave, Miss Yuuka…

Yuuka buggerd off…

Your hate will make you powerful…

Those words homed in and found their mark…

When Sawako was loli she was able to play with all the other kids…

At least the Ferengi know to hear all and trust nothing…

You’re doing something now…

Yes so begins the Sawako Propaganda offensive which is armed with the truth, Vichy-tan’s lies are no match…

Can I get a Bro-fist?

You will remove all obstacles…

Love has a funny way of sneaking up on you…

You have history…

You can…

Bah Spiky-kun returns to ruin another moment…

Spiky-kun sucks at everything…

As I have said time and time again Spikey-kun is the enemy of women everywhere…

This one is on the slow side…

…

Weak in the knees is it…?

You know it’s not too late to take responsibility and be part of their little group Shino-chan…

If only you walked down the aisle before the handoff…

Yes I wish to hear it again…

Oh you can’t hurry love I guess…

Look you all of you vermin cowering the lockers thinking what…? That you might escape the coming fire?! Your class will burn and not even you Yuuka will be able to slither from the blackened and charred remains to mar the continuation of Sawako’s friendships.

Indeed it makes the obliteration of her hopes all the more satisfying…what was nursed over years was undone in mere seconds.

No that mole doesn’t help you! I curse you with a Gendo Ikari for a love interest…

Packing it in and packing it up…

Slinking away and buggering off…

Chickening out and pissing off home…

Yes, bravely she is throwing in the sponge…

And don’t come back!

Vichy-tan is most devious…

Great we have kindling for the FIRE!

Editorial: Defining Moments in Being a Fan

ExecutiveOtaku — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:54:29 +0000

As fans we all have certain moments while watching anime that really capture our hearts. A moment or a scene that we really experience as closely as is possible with a fictional event. Everyone has their own. They may not always be the most technically well done scenes, the most artistic, or those with the most significance to a story. But something about them connects with each of us in a very strong manner. In this editorial I list ten of my own, and invite you to list yours in comments. Or even to write your own post and put a link to it. Join me as I nerd out about my favorite moments and hopefully communicate some of their significance to me as a fan.

NOTICE: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. I have chosen images and headers that are not spoilers in and of themselves, but if you haven’t seen the series (and don’t want anything spoiled) for Char’s sake scroll down to the next one! I would also ask comments to be setup in a similar way so that people can read the first line and know whether to skip it for spoilers or not.

The idea for this article originated from Scamp over at Bokutachi no Blog. He wrote a similar list of his own favorite moments after an off-topic comments exchange in one of his posts that we had concerning Code Geass episode 22 (though the post was about an episode of Hetalia, go figure.) Just so you know, he’s cool with me stealing using the format, heh. This is why the fandom is great: conversing with each other, sharing ideas and influencing each other in turn! *clenches fist to chest and cries manly tears of respect* Now, my ten moments, in something of an order leading up to my singular favorite. As a note, I attempted to find a video link for each scene, but in some cases it wasn’t possible to find one that doesn’t need to be fast-forwarded to the scene I wrote about, or in two instances clips that have no English subtitles (I could have picked an English dub for one, but it was pretty terrible.)

10. Kidou Senkan Nadesico episode 16

SCENE 8:24-9”25, sorry, couldn’t find English subtitles in an online video and you wouldn’t want to hear the dub.

Megumi: “We’ve all been tricked! These people are…”

Akito: “Human beings. Descendants of those expelled from the moon.”

…

Megumi: “Why are you stuck fighting such an old war?”

Akito: “You don’t understand. This has become our war!”

The crew of the Nadesico has just discovered that Nergal has been hiding the fact that the Jovian Lizards are actually humans that were forced off of the moon and then Mars a hundred years ago. Megumi and Haruka find the escaped pilot of one of their Gekigangar mecha and aid him in his escape, leaving with him to try and find out what’s really going on. But Akito has seen enough of the war that the Jovians have brought and now is solely focused on their destruction.

The fight with Akito in the Lunar Frame against the Gekigangar sent to destroy the Nadesico as it undergoes refit was perfectly grim and tragic because it was understandable. Akito kept fighting against the Jovians, humans or not, with a fury born of his personal experiences in the war. Mars, the death of Gai, the refugees in the lunar base. He’s not like some typical anime characters (usually antagonists) who keep fighting because they’re convinced that they’re right, or won’t listen to anything that contradicts their ideals, or because it’s all they know how to do. Akito started out as a cook not a solider, he’s listened to the broadcast, and he knows that his enemies are humans that have been wronged in the past. But he doesn’t care. The war is starting to turn against the Jovians, he’s endured and witnessed suffering at their hands, why turn back now when they’re finally getting what they deserve for what they’ve done? The way Akito’s change from reluctant to dead set was presented suspended that rational part of my brain for a time, the part that would go along with what the rest of the crew was trying to do (stop the war), and made me feel his hatred towards the Jovians control his actions, facts be damned.

9. Cowboy Bebop episode 05

SCENE, PARTIAL.

Fay ends up captured and used as bait to lure Spike into an ambush as we get our first major glimpse into the history that Spike and Vicious share. The scene in the abandoned cathedral still echoes through my memories. It wasn’t so much for content (though it is important to the story) but for the way in which the scene was presented. The organ music combined with electric guitar during Spike’s walk to the cathedral, the lack of music during the action scenes, and the choir music as Spike fell through the window set up a great atmosphere in terms of sound. Visually I thought the episode was the best combination of two of the major visual and thematic influences in the show, Film Noir and Hong Kong crime/shooter movies. The cathedral was cast mostly in slanting shadows and the color scheme almost entirely black, purples, and blues. The way the fighting was done reminded me more of the classic A Better Tomorrow instead of later films that often added a little too much (or way too much) stylization and acrobatics to the gunplay. Spike and Vicious have their personal duel and exposition ending in a draw when bombs go off and throw Spike from the building amidst flashback to his past and of Julia. Though the beginning really made the scene for me. “In the Rain” being played while Spike walked up to the front of the cathedral under an overcast sky has stuck with me ever since.

8. Toradora! episode 16

SCENE

Several important events happen during the school festival in this episode, but to me the crowning moment of awesome of the Taiga X Yusaku arc was when Yusaku was dejected from his (seemingly) one-sided love for Kanou, and Taiga decides to do what she can for him. Despite being in love with him, Taiga takes out her boken and hunts down Kanou after telling Ryuuji to stay by his side while she helps him the only way she can. Finding her in a classroom, lit with heavy, yellow beams of late afternoon sunlight, calls her out for being a coward about her feelings and challenges her to fight. She accepts and the fight goes from shinai/boken to fists, each combatant powered by their feelings for Yusaku even though one turned him down and the other know he’s not interested in her. Eventually Taiga calls Kanou a coward and she then admits that she turned Yusaku down because she knows he would follow her even if it wasn’t in his best interest. While it was melodramatic to express their opinions on each other and Yusaku by fighting, it was a hell of a powerful way to do so, and not so far fetched given the intensity of their feelings and their personalities. And it was the high note that the original Taiga X Yusaku arc went out on. As Taiga and Kanou are restrained by their classmates, Yusaku enters, saying that he was glad to have fallen in love with Kanou, and Minori also watches from the sidelines. The beginning of the next drama arc begins here just as the previous one ends, as Ami returns Taiga’s photos to her and speaks some story altering words to Minori.

7. Gundam 0083 episode 12

SCENE (fast forward to 20 minute mark).

Kou races to catch up to the colony and the Zeon forces guarding it, engaging in fierce combat as he makes a desperate run in the GP03 Dendrobium straight for the colony. The countdown to the point of no return, past which it will be impossible to divert the colony from Earth, is announced several times in the middle of the battle. But despite the best efforts of Kou, the Albion and other EFSF forces, the hijacked colony passes the point of no return. The defining moment for me was when the operator on the Albion announces “The colony…has passed the point of no return.” Absolute silence on the bridge and in the GP03’s cockpit. At that moment, despite all they did, there was no more that could be done (to their knowledge, Bask Om had one more card to play) and it sank in quietly, with just those words and silence. The silence spoke more than anything that could have been said by any of the characters, it descended over the Albion and over my mind like a fog. It was shocking and confusing and made you feel how despair and the desire to do something were straining against each other in the characters’ minds. Whether or not you had seen Zeta Gundam first or not (I had not), what happened was both dire for the characters and those on Earth, but also went against your expectations as a viewer. What do you mean the bad guys win?

6. Initial D Fourth Stage episode 08

SCENE

There were several moments of pure awesome in the various seasons of this show (if you’re a car fan like I am), but this one has always been my favorite and has always impressed me with how several great components all come together to make a great decisive moment in this race. Keisuke in his twin turbo FD3S Mazda RX-7 vs Kyoko in her nearly identical model FD, only modified with a large single turbo. Always a hothead to a degree even with his more recent training under his brother, Keisuke is having a difficult time with the roughly paved roads that he races Kyoko on. But slowly he starts to understand and learn, slowly adjusting the pressure he applies on the accelerator by tiny increments to stop from spinning the rear wheels. As he does this ‘Right Now’ by Dark Angels starts playing, a wonderful combination of eurobeat with some rock guitar. The two FDs are very close, making the same moves and as the music continues there’s even a point where Kyoko’s taillight light trail stays on screen after she breaks and then Keisuke’s brakelight fits the exact spot and brakes at the same point. SO COOL! Kyoko wants to keep racing with her crush, hoping to bring the match to a second round by keeping ahead. But while she’s thinking about this she’s distracted and lets her tires slip on the rough pavement, and letting off the gas causes her boost pressure to fall. Keisuke instantly notices and figures out the weakness of the single turbo, that it takes more time to spool up. Going around a corner, he slightly bumps her rear fender with the nose of his car, causing her to let off the gas for an instant, bringing them neck and neck as they exit the curve. Here Keisuke’s twin turbo system has the advantage, using its greater acceleration to get ahead before Kyoko’s more powerful single turbo can spool up. The music, the matching moves, the importance of the different turbo systems, Keisuke learning to control himself despite his brash nature, it all just came together to form a nearly perfect moment of racing.

5. FLCL episode 01

SCENE

From the first ‘tap tap tap’ of drumsticks as the instrumental version of Bran New Lovesong began, the scene where Naota runs feverishly to meet Mamimi on the bridge struck me and carved a place in my mind for the density, melancholy, and futility of what was expressed in it. The everyday life where ‘nothing extraordinary happens’ that Naota is both discontent with and accepting of is challenged by the arrival of Haruko, but what does do about it? He runs full speed back to it by running, out of breath to meet with Mamimi again. She’s once again smoking, and the first closeup is of her crumpled cigarette with “never knows best” written on it, seeming to comment on both her and Naota’s lives and their weird proxy relationship with each other. After this visual, as the song continues, Naota arrives with the left over, stale bread for Mamimi and he brings up the basis of their relationship and Mamimi’s with his brother in a way that was not spoken of before. He first asks if she likes him, and she replies with a list of similes “like a panda with a mean face…or the smell of a chalkboard eraser, or a Sunday when you wake up and it’s been raining”, an odd list that is still very real in its sublime and melancholy descriptions. She embraces him in the one-sided way that they’ve been doing things, and the atmosphere of the scene is just absorbed by watching it. Naota as a proxy for his brother, Mamimi not letting go now that he’s left for America, the desperation of Mamimi’s life, and their mutual acceptance of such a hollow but still desperately important relationship. They’re sad and kind of despicable, but you certainly feel the static desperation of the characters, accentuated by the music and set on the streetlight-lit bridge in the middle of the night.

4. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann episode 26

SCENE, key part starts at 3:50, sorry no subtitles.

Nearing the end of the fight, the crew of the Chou Ginga Gurren Lagann is caught by one final trap and imprisoned in a false reality that’s meant to give everyone their own personal dream and trapping them in this appealing illusion. But eventually Simon sees through the recreation of his childhood, breaking the illusion’s grip on his mind. As this happens he meets Kamina again. There they stand in rays of sunlight breaking through the clouds, the two leaders and friends together once more. The line that brought the moment to the highest point for me was when Kamina, after a word of encouragement, remarks to Simon that he’s grown taller than him. The time shift and aging of the main characters was one of the best parts about this show, but here is the culminating moment, when Kamina, great though he was, has now finally been eclipsed by his former younger follower. He’s now a hero in his own right, leading everyone on after Kamina and no longer the kid idolizing his brash sempai. His old friend is obviously proud of him, and they share a parting look and moment before Simon says it’s time to leave, leaving both the illusion, his best friend, and the shadow that he grew up in.

3. Honey and Clover season 2 episode 12

SCENE

This scene! It’s the last moment of my all time favorite series and it was so bittersweet that I’ll never forget it. All the other storylines, characters, and dramas have been resolved, and now Takemoto boards the train to leave Tokyo for his architecture restoration job when Hagu comes to see him off at the last minute and hands him a gift. They embrace, then place their hands next to each other on each side of the window, and as the train moves away Hagu chases it smiling and teary-eyed until she reaches the end of the platform. Sitting alone in the empty train car Takemoto opens the gift to find a stack of bread…and in between each slice honey and a four-leaf clover. His memories of her come flooding back as tears stream down his face and “Inaka no Seikatsu” by Spitz begins to play. All his memories of Hagu and thoughts about their failed love come back as he stuffs the bread into his mouth as if both trying to take in the memories like the bread and as a way to ease his emotions. Despite their love never materializing, the last line of the series is Takemoto’s “I’m glad that I fell in love with you.” Finally there’s a last montage of the other characters as the ending theme plays. This whole episode was an emotional experience just for the fact that a series I loved so much was ending, but the final scene at the train stations/on the train was the peak of it all. I cried. I felt emotionally and physically drained of all energy. And I still can’t listen to “Inaka no Seikatsu” or “Split” anymore. Hearing the music just brings back this scene and feels like my insides are being twisted. It was a great ending, keeping with the genuine emotional expression of the entire series as well as its realism; not everything works out for a happy ending, but you should still treasure the moments anyway. Gah, I need to finish up the part about this scene, I’m starting to feel that emotional drain again just from writing about it.

2. Code Geass season 1 episode 22

SCENE

Where were you when Season 1 Episode 22 happened?

Talking about this scene is what inspired Scamp to write the post that inspired this one, and I think I’ll reprise some of the comments I made on his blog for this amazing moment. While on a much smaller and infinitely less serious level it’s kind of like one of those historical milestones that otaku point too like the regular public would the Moon Landing, Kennedy Assassination, 9/11 attacks, etc. The moment it happened kind of crystallized in everyone’s memory. Everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing when they first saw it. And after it happened, everything changed. Eupehmia has put together a plan for Japan to be run autonomously, Zero/Lelouch is onboard with his Black Knights, and all of a sudden his Geass becomes permanently active and a casual remark forces Euphie to order the killing of any and all Japanese. Not only was it a huge and sudden plot twist, but Euphie’s death at Lelouch’s hand early in the next episode began Suzaku’s journey to hatred and nearly Titans-level obsession with rooting out the enemy (which just made him even cooler in my eyes, both he and the Titans had good reasons even if they went overboard at times.)

For me I was in my Temple University Japan dorm room on study abroad one afternoon after class. It was a nice sunny day outside and I was relaxing after class and catching up on the shows I was following that season. It was such a rush of emotions as I had no way of knowing that it was coming. My mind just kept racing between ‘WTF’ ‘what now?’ and ‘OH S*** THEY DID FORESHADOW THIS SLIGHTLY!’ while I kept alternatingly yelling ‘what the f***’ at my computer screen and laughing at the insanity of it. It was by far one of the best moments in my years of watching anime.

1. Honey and Clover season 1 episode 15

SCENE

It may not be as overtly intense as some of these other moments, but when I think of moments in anime that I’ve watched over the years, this one scene has been the one I think back to the most, the one that can definitely point to as a favorite above all others. Maybe it’s because I was a big fan of Mayama and Rika throughout the series, maybe it’s because I’m just a cheesy romantic who is composed entirely of mush on the inside. But this scene just brought things from the depths of despair to the heights of hope and kyyaaaaa for me. After visiting Asai in the hospital Mayama finds out from him that Rika came to visit and mentioned seeing him in the park over the summer, something Mayama though was just his imagination at first and was driving him nuts. In the lobby he runs frantically to find her, finally spotting her in an elevator and running, shaky, slanted camera angle as he does so, to reach the elevator doors and holds them open as “Yoru wo Kakeru” starts playing. Throughout this series the use of insert songs was particularly amazing, this episode being the pinnacle in my opinion along with the scene where “Tamagawa” plays during episode 07. Upstairs they talk, and as Mayama has guessed in his internal monologue, things are still the same and Rika pushes him away again against the beautifully done backdrop of the huge windows and rainy skies outside. After she leaves to visit Asai again Mayama thinks to himself that things need to start again, and hours later that evening he is there waiting with a rental car to give Rika a ride home. But he intentionally (and he admits the selfishness to himself) drives the wrong way to give himself more time with Rika as the car spirals down the Daikoku Fuutou on the Wangan highway amidst the rain and orange lights.

Things start to change with this, though the rest of their relationship is by no means straightforward or easy. But it was a stunning combination of mostly restrained, subtle emotional content, Mayama’s dramatic chance taking, great music, and rich, artistic animation in the still backgrounds and rainy color palette, the placement of the characters both on the bench and in the car, angles from which they’re viewed, and the objects in motion parts such as the car’s blurred taillights. There was a great visual metaphor used in this scene too, contrasting stillness and motion. Mayama and Rika sit still on the bench, discussing the same things and having the same result as their relationship moves nowhere. But then as Mayama makes his play to change the status quo with the car ride, there’s a great deal of movement with the car, the windshield wipers, passing lights, and moving shadows on their faces as their relationship begins to ‘move’ again. And not only was this scene wonderful to watch the first time (and again and again), but elements of it will always be in my mind.

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun – 06: The Green Band

Crusader — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:09:58 +0000

The coward was making IEDs…

So after much lamentation of the lack of Biribiri goodness last episode Kuroko’s onee-sama infiltrates judgment in an attempt to flush out IED Ishii as the no good terrorist has been planing his bombs in children’s toys in a bid to be a jackass. The Electroshock Princess is quite haughty and dismisses the hard work thatKuroko puts into Judgment. Biribiri thinks that it is all action but sadly there is a harsh disconnect on the level of that betwee Modern Warfare 2 and actually being int he USMC. Turns out Judgment has to do the crap things in garrison too and deal with a shitty public that causes more problems that make you question whether or not they are even worth defending. Even if zapping civilians is bad, littering is worse as it pollutes the Earth, but these days students are as lazy as they were in the Cultural Revolution days, cutting class, vandalizing everything, etc. Bullying has taken a turn for shitty as Mr. Hippie with his long hippie hair was punchingIED Ishii while dancing like a white guy with no rhythm. Good to see that stupidity and evil feeds upon itself, though Biribiri held back her terrible vengeance. IED Ishii was most unappreciative as he wanted preemptive arrests, I think he should GTFO and move to the PRC. So Biribiri goes about with Mii-chan to look for a pink hand bag, and gets some delicious thigh meat, but in the end Biribiri sees no combat action and gets found out by Kuroko. Having a new found respect for the crap job Kuroko volunteered for Biribiri confesses her admiration of Kuroko. Kuroko then takes it, rightfully so, as a confession and goes nuts in a yuri powered hurricane, which is sadly cut short. In the mean time IED Ishii continues his reign of terror by placing bombs under chips display at the local 7/11 knock off.

Over all a rather fillery episode and not the yuri powered Kuroko and onee-sama fest I wanted. However I did enjoy how Kuroko was listing Misaka’s faults and attempts as raising awareness of how un-ladylike her onee-sama was. Kuroko just can read Misaka like a book though sadly Kuroko’s fanfiction segments have yet to become reality. Konori Mii-san was delightful and I am glad she got plenty of screen time and was thrilled that she rode atop Biribiri for a while though the latter was more worried about bugs than relishing the experience. I did very much enjoy Kuroko’s betime assault after hearing her onee-sama’s praise, and I am sure that is how Liang Qi would have reacted to Alphard’s praise. I am sure Calawain found it to be a little “meh” but i do very much enjoy watching Kuroko’s antics as a substitute for the Alphard onee-sama and Liang Qi, Canaan spin-off that will never see the light of day. I like Biribiri just fine but I simply adore how Kuroko is aggressive, refined, elegant, skilled in CQC, and essential is the love child of Alphard and Liang Qi as she displays traits of both, good to see that Misaka thinks of Kuroko too. Next week some terrorist gets his comeuppance I hope it will be particularly painful for him.

Crusader’s Chronicle of Kuroko’s Love

This Kampfer is a Level 4…

Well fighting crime is interesting stuff…

It’s not that bad to want a BIG FIGHT…

And she does it every day…

Yeah it requires sound judgment.

FUCK YEAH PINKY SWEAR!

Says the most egregious offender…

Kuroko wants to watch your back, literally…

This a personal request…

Oh it means everything…to Kuroko.

Man the imouto is lecturing the onee-sama…

Kuroko wants Biribiri to be an ojou-sama from a distinguished family that has been continued for a thousand years, skilled in both literary and military arts, with wit and beauty, the intensity of summer, the grace of autumn, the pride of winter, and the gentleness of spring …

Please do not interrupt Kuroko’s fantasies…

Man why is the onee-sama more childish than the imouto?

Be a Lady.

Kuroko has seen them all!

Yeah when will you level up?

No but Kuroko is Alphard and Liang Qi’s love child, so she has a bit of onee-sama in her.

That sounds like al Qaida to me…

How could you order a Parfait without her?!

Kuroko thinks this is some sort of date…

Someday Kuroko will be pelting Uiharu with airsoft pellets…

It does look yummy…

For Biribiri goes three times faster…

You have been conscripted…

…

CHANCE GET!

Show me you dedication…

Arrows?

Hey even US Marines clean latrines…

Your littering…

Your pushing it…

Worry not for while your head will heal the shock you gave him should have caused permanent damge…

More apology letters…?

Loli spotted…

We also use fists…

She has none…

Kuruko was right…

You will require better map reading skills than that…

Alert Heterosexual activity detected…

Cease embarrassment and initiate combat protocols…

Yes take the girl…

To the yuri side with you!

I guess she was too stupid to be saved…

Yeah I know you wanted to have a bit of fun with her first…

Indeed but take heart you still have Kuroko.

Now do you see how well Kuroko knows you?

Fondly remembering Kuroko eh?

Seriously keep looking…

Well right now it seems that Biribiri is on the bottom even when it comes to Kuroko…

You know that is a most enviable position…

That only see onee-sama…

Yo Shin this one’s gone yuri

What’s that?

Take that al Qiada!

Why you sneaky little terrorist…

That one was most suspicous…

O RLY?

Note how the lolis go the closest.

Kuroko asks that question everyday…

Kuroko has them…

No Panties onee-sama…

She always gets her handbags…

Who would have thought she liked such things…

Wait it’s coming together now…

Kuroko found her onee-sama all wet…

Kuroko knew…

DAWWWW…

Not used to being thanked are we?

That is exactly how it happened.

Just look at her list of activities and you will know…

Now you know and knowing is half the battle.

…

Oh ho…

Shocked and awed…

Too long…

Yes!

And she means EVERY nook and cranny…

There is no escape now…

…

Ouch…

Time for punishment…

So GTFO!

Like every stupid chick she just has to break a leg now…

Amateurs, look high and look low…

Captain Judgment has a invincible shield…can’t wait for the FINAL JUSTICE attack

I bet your leg wasn’t even in any pain…

Man they should make body armor out of those armbands not so much as a tear…

Kobato 01: In CLAMP I Trust (Kind Of…)

Mabdese — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:29:48 +0000

Ever since I became an anime fan I knew that CLAMP was the bandwagon for me. Is it the pointy faces? The impossibly wide shoulders? Or is it the strange undercurrent of bisexuality in all of their works? I may never know, but one thing I do know is that CLAMP is a team of four super-genius women who know exactly how to catch my attention again and again.

CLAMP’s newest manga turned anime has once again achieved instant success in my heart due to overwhelming cute. You see this time, in the city of Townsville Tokyo, there is some girl who in the opening floated down from space…

This is the star of the show, Kobato Hanato herself. Note the wide-eyed innocence, the far-off blank stare and the cherry blossoms everywhere. Honestly the only way this could be cuter is to add a mascot.

Uh, not quite like that. This blue dog-like stuffed animal is Ioryogi – a somewhat mean spirited instructor for Kobato. Kobato is trying to fulfill her own wish by creating a flask and filling it with mended hearts. Unfortunately, she must past Ioryogi’s test before she can even have the flask. The test? Pass as a normal human for the entire day in the park using human common sense.

At least it’s normal for homeless people.

Her second test involves a woman who dropped her trash. Kobato must dispose of it correctly. The image above is horrifying and will haunt me in my dreams for nights to come.

Needless to say, she fails. Though Ioryogi seems to think she needs “human common sense” I’m getting the feeling any type of common sense will do. After enacting a scene from The Birds, Kobato is approached by some men who want to have a drink with her.

Kobato is sufficiently in awe of these possibly raping thugs.

No! It’s a trap Kobato! Use your alien common sense! (For those guessing along at home she does not actually use common sense in the next scene.)

Of course it’s the first episode so there’s no horrific rape scene as Syaoran-kun this guy comes to her rescue. He’s pretty angry in general and runs off too quickly to even leave us his name. I’m sure we’ll never see him…

…again. We learn that his name is Fujimoto-san and he’s very busy working a part time job at this food stand during the cherry blossom festival. His phone rings and he leaves quickly for an emergency at a nursery.

Beautiful scenic la-la land.

Meanwhile, Kobato is enjoying the cherry blossoms. When she sees a bunch of children who’ve lost their ball she throws it to them and I’m not sure what. It happens off screen but I assume she really stuck it to some guy.

Is there anyone in need of cute sir? It’s all I have left…

She apologizes to the owner of the shop and offers to help him because she’s mortally wounded someone.

Soon after a man asks her to put the ingredients in his hot pot and she freaks out. Apparently this is very stressful for Kobato even though I’ve done it many times myself and have never seen the difficulty in sliding food into a pot.

Let’s just say there was no common sense to be had.Natto is so gross. Seriously.

And the thing she makes is so horrific that at least a half-dozen people gather to be grossed out by it. When consumed, it’s delicious much to everyone else’s surprise.

After her job is over, Kobato sees an old woman with a baby. This baby to crying at a volume so loud I had to mute my speakers for a minute.

Since the woman says the baby cries unless its mother sings for the first time all episode Kobato finally puts two and two together correctly and sings.

Somehow Fujimoto-san also hears her and is impressed and/or annoyed.

After she’s done everyone is overjoyed but not me. The song is plain and she struggles really badly on the high notes but yes, let’s all clap anyway because she’s the main character.

Going back to the park they started in Kobato is upset that Ioryogi decided she failed the day. He determines that the only thing she did that was okay was her singing as everything else was a mess.

Old woman comes to thank Kobato for her singing. Considering I think this is only a short while after the park incident I assume the old woman ditched the baby nearby since it’s nowhere to be seen.

Ioryogi decides that because the old woman thanked her that means Kobato should pass the test. I got excited for what I assumed was going to be a magical girl transformation….

And am totally disappointed with the fact that it’s just the flask Kobato wanted. The angry dog thing reminds her to fill the flask with mended hearts to get her wish.

Kobato loves it and hugs it and names it George.

END EPISODE 1.

Final Thoughts:

Opening: A familiar voice, Maaya Sakamoto sings the opening theme “Magic Number”. I can tell it’s not composed by Yoko Kanno though making it at best a 5 out of 10. It’s there. I probably won’t be listening to it again as Sakamoto’s voice is soothing but boring sometimes. The animation in the opening is minimal and forgettable as well.

Closing: The closing is about as interesting to watch (it’s just a bottle spinning around with credits) as the opening and reminded me very much of the Tsubasa 1^st closing “Loop”. The song is called “Jellyfish’s Confession” and is sung by Megumi Nakajima who you may know from Macross Frontier as Ranka. The song is interesting lyrically and may need a second listen before I decide if I just like it or love it.

Overall: If you already liked the Kobato manga, you’ll probably like this show. The first episode was painstakingly slow but depending where it goes I could see myself really getting into it. The voice acting seemed pretty strong and the animation was clean. I found myself inadvertently smiling as Kobato did everything wrong. I can’t help but cheer for the idiot characters, I blame Sailor Moon and give it a solid 3 out of 5 stars.

New blog design feedback cum Poll post

Impz — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:35:07 +0000

I can’t believe the stupid perverts (i.e. Crusader and Calawain) laughed at my title post. What’s so funny about the title anyway?

So, let’s get the key thing started first. We need your feedback on our new spanking blog design. Kabitizin of Sea Slugs Team fame helped us with this wonderful blog design, and we love you to give us some feedback on how it can be improved. In essence, we are asking you to give us feedback so we can torture Kabitizin until he goes like “no more, no more changes, SCREW THAT!!!!” Actually, no, That will be ~~fun~~ ugly. As you do know though, we always respect your feedback, so give it to us!

Secondly, the stupid poll about where I am gone is finally taken down since I am back. FYI, I was gone not because of the reasons in the poll but it was due to a time traveler kidnapping me for a inter-galactic sales call. Meh. It’s time for a new poll and I blame the anger in my head for this really weird poll. I swear it is my viewing of “Lost” and the games with Battle Royale-styled themes. Anyway, tell us why you think a certain blogger would win (I personally know who would, actually) in an online Battle Royale fight? Tell us how the fight will go, and the likely weapons we might use.

Edit: Fixed author’s page.

SDF Macross Episodes 25 and 26 – In Love and War

ExecutiveOtaku — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:38:30 +0000

Big things are happening in the UN and Zentradi forces, changes that will fundamentally alter the nature of the rest of this conflict and the future of the two peoples. Millia tracks down Max to settle her duel, only to have the two of them fall for each other and proceed all ahead full into marriage not long afterwards. Max seeks Hikaru’s advice and blessing, and then the ceremony takes place, the first between a human and a Zentradi. This is broadcast onboard the Macross, to UN HQ, and is intercepted by the Zentradi fleet, further spreading human culture to their current enemy. With the effects of ‘culture’ being felt more strongly, Britai decides to send a peace envoy rather than have his fleet tear itself apart, further encouraged to do so by the distinct possibility that Bodolzza will annihilate his contaminated fleet along with the Macross and Earth.

Millia puts on her Chiri face for the fight, throwing Max a knife and challenging him to fight.

Love counter!

YES!

Max and Millia will kick reason to the curb and make the impossible possible! MAX WO OMAE DARE DA TO OMOTE YAGARU?!

The wedding proceeds quickly thereafter, with most of the characters in attendance and Max and Millia making a grand entrance via Valkyrie. The ship and its fighters create a brilliant display for this flight outside as Max’s VF-1J approaches the ship. After their arrival and vows Captain Global gives a speech that initially touches on the conflict and reasons for mistrust between the humans and Zentradi, but then continues into his main point about how this moment is the first step forward towards ending the fighting and living together in peace. The happy couple is presented with the coolest wedding cake ever and the guests erupt in cheers at their joining.

So that’s the real reason Max got upgraded to a VF-1J: so he could have a backseat.

The Macross spared no expense in celebrating this most worthy union.

They’re so cute. But badass. But cute. But badass. But cute.

The inspiring sight even gives hope to the Genshiken nerds. Bridge bunnies like otaku I guess?

By far the sweetest wedding cake in the history of mankind.

Their offspring will be invincible!

Not everyone is so happy about this. But who could possibly stand against the power of both mecha and love?

At the ceremony Minmay also sings for everyone there and watching at home, and in a sign of her improving skills as a singer her song once again touches those who hear it. Even Misa, far away at UN HQ, hears it and thinks of Hikaru fondly. Though increasingly she’s feeling isolated from him and the rest of her friends as the Alaska Base continues preparations to use the Grand Cannon. Captain Britai was also watching the broadcast, and reluctantly determines that he must follow his orders and destroy the Macross. The order to launch and attack is given. Fighting breaks out between the fighters and Millia advises Max of a weakpoint in the Regults that allows them to be disabled with one shot. Despite siding with the humans, she doesn’t wish to see more of her fellow Zentradi destroyed. Hikaru notices Max’s attacks and does the same, disabling most of the Regults that they encounter. Onboard Zentradi ships followers of the Cult of Minmay threaten violence if the attack is not called off, a large portion of the fleet now under the sway of human culture. Britai then calls off the attack and both sides consider their next moves.

Minmay’s songs brings forth many memories and emotions.

They probably wanted a Klingon wedding ceremony but couldn’t find any Batleths.

The Valkyries scramble to intercept the attack as Global wonders about the future of the conflict.

Britai is now disobeying the orders of his superiors.

At home after the fight indulges in some ‘can’t cook’ moe.

While next door Hikaru just misses Misa more after seeing the happy couple.

Some time after a Zentradi capital ship approaches the Macross, broadcasting a message that it wishes to send an envoy aboard to negotiate a cease fire. Kamjin tries again to disrupt any attempt at peace, to which Britai forcefully responds by shooting down several of Kamjin’s fighters. Onboard a Regult, Archivist Exedol is brought to the Macross in Miclone form to conduct the negotiation. Captain Global, his senior officers, Max, Millia, and Hikaru are all assembled for the meeting. Exedol also requests the presence of Minmay and the superhuman he saw in the martial arts movie, having mistaken Kaifun’s special effects for actual abilities. There he informs them of the threat to both Earth and the Britai fleet now that the main force under Bodolzza has been mobilized. After some further negotiation, it is decided that the forces under Britai’s command will join with the Macross against the main Zentradi forces. This is fortuitous timing for Laplamiz has just informed Bodolzza of recent events and the fleet is preparing to fold in as soon as it can. While Kaifun surrenders to despair, everyone else is ready for the fight, and with Exedol’s information on the main fleet’s command structure they may well stand a chance. Britai speaks with his other commanders, and Laplamiz joins with him while Kamjin decides to make a break for it. Though I suspect we haven’t seen the last of him. I’m betting he’ll return to the stage at an opportune moment later in the story.

Britai has had quite enough of your antics Kamjin.

…

LOL.

Back on Earth, Misa tries unsuccessfully to convince her father to approve her transfer back to the Macross to join her comrades in the coming battle. Somehow I think she’ll make it back soon, orders or no orders.

I suppose she was just following orders, but given her later decision to join Britai you’d think she might have waited before deciding to inform Bodolzza.

We now need Max to sing his Minmay cover/remake, ”Ore no waifu mo piloto.”

An historic moment.

Minmay does one last song before the fight to ready the troops.

Well they are pretty sweet planes.

If the Bodolzza’s ships block out the sun then the Macross shall fight in the shade!

Final Thoughts: – The Millia/Max wedding was very sudden, but they make such a both sweet and awesome couple that I don’t care. They just better not get any of that dying together that they keep talking about!

- Some of the Zentradi joining with the humans has seemed like a strong possibility for a while now. Now with a common enemy and still many episodes left to go, I wonder where this conflict will end. There seems to be far too much time remaining for the issue to be resolved in the space around Earth where most of the fighting has taken place. The UN HQ’s response to all this could also throw things into disarray unless they coordinate with the Macross-Britai fleet.

Introducing: Mabdese, 23, Libra. Loves long walks on beach and shoujo.

Mabdese — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:27:09 +0000

Welcome to blogging Mabdese! (added by ExecutiveOtaku)

Dearest readers, friends, and hangers-on of THAT! ExecutiveOtaku here, and it is my pleasure to introduce to you the newest member of our blogging team/family/international hikkikomori conspiracy: Mabdese! She has impressed us with the breadth of her interests and experience in the fandom, and we hope you will welcome her to the blog and enjoy her entries. Ah, to think that only a few months ago I was the newbie and now I’m introducing our newest writer. Oh the transience of blogging youth! Without further ado, I hand the remainder of this post over to my good friend Mabdese. Welcome to the team!

Hello all you readers out there in THAT land! It is I your newest addition to the blogging crew, Mabdese. I’ve come to you from a distant land to save you from the mediocrity that plagues all of our lives. For my first series I’ll be reviewing Kobato and probably doing recaps of this seasons hot new j-drama Samurai High School. I’m sure you must be wondering what anyone could add to this wonderful blog but I’ll do my best to do the following things:

- Adding my unique feminine/old school insight into anime in weekly editions of reviews/recaps.

- Review some j-drama, stage plays, albums, and other tangential aspects of anime.

- Keep a keen eye out for overlooked animes.

- Have a wonderful sense of humor about otakudom.

Now I know you, you’re thinking hold up, who is this? so I’ll introduce myself properly. I’ve been in anime fandom for nearly 11 years now ever since attending a sci-fi convention and accidentally watching Eva. I am an avid (sometime rapid) fan of 90’s anime and probably one of the last people to hop the bandwagon before for the internet. In case you are wondering about my street cred, I watched Macross 7 in my friends basement on third generation VHS with the subtitles nearly unreadable back in ‘99.

I’ve been involved in the behind the scenes for a few conventions, been the head of panels, written fanfics and done some cosplay. I have shaken the hands of many seiyuus I admire and connected with some really great friends through anime. By day I’m your average 20-something with a full time desk job. I live Seattle, WA currently but grew up in NYC and double majored in linguistics and communications with a minor of Japanese. I love to cook and write and play video games. My anime interests are usually more girly with some my favorite series being Saikano, Earth Girl Arjuna, Paradise Kiss, and Blue Sub 6. I happen to like ecchi series a lot as well especially ones like Oku-sama wa Joshi Kosei, GreenGreen, and REC. My favorite anime might just be Record of Lodoss War. I own nearly all the merchandise produced for the series from wall scrolls to little action figures.

If you’re still not convinced I’m clearly awesome I submit this to you:

This is my soap dish. Yes, this is actually my soap dish.

I look forward to my time blogging here at THAT and hopefully forging more friendships through anime! Please support me~