Endurance Anime Test Concluded

So I already posted that I dropped Mermaid Melody, but I recently also dropped Lucky Star. I already wrote why I dropped Mermaid Melody. But I dropped Lucky Star for entirely different reasons. Basically I couldn't get into it. Some of the episodes (like episode 7) were mildly entertaining, but majority were very very dull. Episode 8 was one of the most dull, so I ended up dropping it after 8. I guess I could have tried to watch a bit more, but I figured that if I still found it a chore to watch after eight episodes, there was no point in continuing. Better to use my time with something I find more interesting, especially since there is a lot of anime out there. =)

Anime Endurance Test:
Mermaid Melody: Pichi Pichi Pitch - 24/51 DROPPED
Lucky Star - 8/24 DROPPED

~Joanna.

Currently Watching: Impressions

Ojamajo Doremi
This show has really grown on me. I'm really enjoying it. The wacky predicaments that the characters get themselves into always put a smile on my face. Some episodes are really emotionally charged, like the one about Aiko's mother (even with the ridiculous gender bias, aka little Aiko says, "Who will take care of dad if you leave? Who will make him dinner? Do the laundry? etc." and Aiko's dad saying to Aiko's mom, "You should quit your job to take better care of Aiko" I'm serious, these were the words each one said, well roughly). Excluding these little hiccups, the show is lots of fun. Doremi can still get a little annoying, but the funny results make up for it. The only character that really gets on my nerves now is Pop. God, she is so annoying and stuck up. Every time she talks I want to strangle her, Doremi is right, she is the unluckiest girl because she has Pop as a sister. Episodes with very little Pop are the best episodes in my opinion. Of course, I love to point out annoyances, but really I am enjoying this show a lot. I'm glad there are like six seasons all with 40-50 episodes; means I'll be enjoying Doremi, Hazuki and Aiko's hijinks for quite some time. =D

edit: Finished season one. The ending was very sad, but season two cheered me right up. But I got to say, Hana-chan is getting more annoying than even Pop! Yeah, I know I know, she is a baby, but my dear god, her wailing is annoying and loud. Maybe if the first three episodes didn't portray her as crying every few minutes, I wouldn't get so annoyed every time I heard her crying. Onpu was also not a favourite of mine, but she grew on me a little in the last episodes of the first season.

KARAU: Phantom Memory
The description sounded interesting, and it is, but it's been dragging lately and interactions between Karau and Christmas are not those of equals, which was the premise of the whole story. The two beings can only exist in pairs, yet Karau dominates Christmas, and refuses to let the her into her heart. Christmas is also very passive, often not saying anything when she wants to, for example the fact that Karau doesn't tell her things. However, some stories have evolving characters, and relationships, so I'm willing to continue on with this one to see where it will go.

Konjiki no Gash Bell!!
After the last arc with Zofis and Koko finished, I decided to take a break until now. The new arc now focuses on a strange demon structure that appeared and then disappeared in the human world. The Gash look-alike also made an appearance, so I'm guessing this arc is going to finally be about him. A new pair was also introduced, Ted and his human partner Jido, while the two are mostly shown as comic relief, it looks like they will become a part of the growing group that Kiyomaro and Gash fight with. The episode where Mizuno interpreted Megumi to be Kiyomaru's girlfriend was very funny. Overall, Gash Bell continues to be a wacky anime with a good chuck of action. I am looking forward to the new arc.


Mermaid Melody: Pichi Pichi Pitch
It has finally happened, I dropped it. After episode 24, I couldn't bother to watch it any more. Episode 24 united everything I hated about the show. First Kaito decided to pretend to marry this little girl (who is in fact a mermaid from Hannon's kingdom). By doing this he is not only being insensitive to Lucia but also to Meru; he is basically disregarding her feeling because he feels she is a child and thus her feelings aren't real. A good person would have explained to Meru that he has someone else he loves instead of toying around with her because she is a child. My god, what the hell would anyone see is a jerkface like Kaito! Second is Lucia, who, instead of spying on Kaito and Meru, should have told Kaito exactly how she felt or dumped his dumb ass! Finally, what is this business of weddings being a girl's dream?! Sure girls, just as much as boys, dream about finding someone that can love them, but a wedding being only a girl's dream and just this one dream is ridiculous and sexist. This is why this show drives me crazzzzy. I know that I dreamed of falling in love when I was little (who didn't), but I dreamed of a lot of other things as well (like being a veterinarian, adventurer, etc.). I hate when shows do this, making it seem like getting married is the only thing girls want, and it's only girls who want it. Agh. I am so glad I dropped it. I think if I continued I would have died of a heart attack brought about by extreme stress at how foolish the characters and the show are.

~Joanna

Currently Watching: Impressions

Bleach
A series has really fallen from grace when you are more entertained watching filler arcs then reading the actual manga. Really, this filler arc about the zanpakuto is far more interesting then what is happening in fake Karakura town. I do admit, half of why I find this so boring is because most of my favourite characters are in Hueco Mundo, but the other half is that the current fights seem so half assed. I mean Shunsui's first release was enough to defeat number 1? really? I get that he is one of the most senior of the captains, but even Ukitake wasn't able to do that and both of them joined Seireitei at the same time and both were tutored by Yamamoto. It really did feel like Kubo did it to get the plot moving, so I guess he knows that the fans don't like this part at all. Anyways, the filler arc is pretty interesting. I really liked Renji's fight with Zabimaru, it was basically his fight with Byakuya all over again, except this time he won. I wish Renji would get more fights, I really miss him. I was very disappointed with Rukia's fight, or lack of. While Rukia's fight with number 9 was amazing, so I was disenchanted with the Sode no Shirayuki fight. Although I guess Rukia would not want to fight her own zanpakuto.

EDIT: Chapter 338 just got back to Hueco Mundo! Hurray! My interest level when from 4 to 7 (on a scale of 1-10). =D

Ojamajo Doremi

I started watching this series because it was a magical girl show, and I tend to like these. Doremi isn't Tutu, or even Cardcaptor Sakura, but it's still entertaining. The biggest problem with Doremi is that the characters are walking archetypes. Doremi is the good-hearted but dumb and goofy leader in pink, Hazuki is the soft spoken book worm with glasses, and Aiko is the blue tomboy that excels at sports and isn't too bright, but is high above at Doremi's level of dumbness. Most episodes are self contained and usually feature one of Doremi's classmates who has a problem and comes to the shop to buy a magic item to solve their problem. Often the person will buy Doremi's deformed item and the girls will have to follow the person to make sure that the item doesn't malfunction. It can get a bit repetitive, but Ojamajo Doremi usually changes up the formula just when it is getting stale by making the next episode about the girls's magic exam, or their family members. So far I'm yet to be bored of it, and it has a certain charm that keeps me coming back, even when the characters are so badly made and used.

Mermaid Melody: Pichi Pichi Pitch
Sometimes I really wonder why I continue to watch it. The plot moves at the pace of a snail, the filler episodes are boring and uninspired, and the main characters (except Lina) annoy me to no end. I should probably drop it, but I end up deciding to give it another chance because it's a magical girl show. I think Lina also helps me keep my sanity when watching this show, because the other characters are so unbelievably shallow and cliche and dumb that I cannot fathom anyone relating to them and their plight. Yes, angry rant is coming up! For starters there is Lucia, she's suppose to be a mermaid princess, but she NEVER takes her responsibility seriously, even after realizing that her kingdom is in real trouble. Nope, she rather day dream and chase after Kaito, who is awful. The guy has 'feelings' for both mermaid Lucia and human Lucia and doesn't know they are the same person. Sure he likes the same person, but if it so happened that they weren't the same person, he would be two-timing them. Most the time it seems like he only keeps human Lucia around because he knows he can't have mermaid Lucia, and during the earlier episodes he was really mean to human Lucia. But Lucia, being the dumb brood that she is, forgave him because he loves her in the end, even though he doesn't yet know it. This is kind of absurd because he is 'in love' with a mere image and recollection, and not a real person, any self respecting individual would have realized Kaito isn't worth the effort since he is a self absorbed shallow prick. The anime's awful perpetuation of masculinity as seen through Kaito and femininity as seen through Lucia and Hanon often brings me nausea. The only saving grace is Lina, who takes her responsibility as a mermaid princess seriously and is unwavering in her dedication to freeing her kingdom. Often episodes featuring her give me enough hope to keep slogging through the anime, but I am beginning to question how far my love for maho shoujo, and Lina's character can take me to bear the god awful atrocity that is Mermaid Melody. I guess we shall see how long I can bear to watch it. Currently I have watched 20 episodes out of 51. It's a contest then. ;)

Lucky Star

I must say episode seven was far more entertaining then the previous episodes. Konata's lady imitation was genuinely funny because it is such an overused anime cliche. However, the rest of the episode was rather dull, like the six episodes before it. Lucky Star is bordering on being dropped like Mermaid Melody, but for now, I'm still willing to watch another episode (maybe not in the near future because like Mermaid Melody, I can only subject myself to something I do not particularly like, but something I feel may get better only so often.) Any ways, like Mermaid Melody I will have a little contest to see how far I can watch, Lucky Star has an advantage as it is much shorter, but then again it's even more dull then Mermaid Melody. I don't know about other people, but I do not find four demure (possible excepts are Konata and Kagami) girls discussing food, clothes, cell phones, and other trivial matters to be entertaining. But we shall see how much I can endure.

Endure Anime Test:
Mermaid Melody: Pichi Pichi Pitch - 24[NOW DROPPED]
Lucky Star - 7/24

Anime Impressions - 0.2

Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni: Episodes 1 ~ 15



Well I finally got around to doing another anime impression. About time eh? Let's see, I the summary sounded interesting so I decided to give this one a go. I have mixed feelings, but overall I'm enjoying it. Episodes 1 through 15 are broken down into 4 arcs; The Spirited Away by a Ogre Arc, The Cotton Drifting Arc, The Killing Curse Arc, and the Time Wasting Arc.

It started out rather boring, but with little hints about the brutality to come, and these hints kept me watching. The Spirited Away chapter was probably the best one because I didn't know what to expect going in. And the slow degeneration of the main character as he gets more and more paranoid, as well as the seeming demonic nature of two of four girls (Mion and Rena) really intrigued me. The ending left much to be desired, as instead of the two girls killing Keiichi, he kills them and then seemingly commits suicide with hints that behind it all stands some sort of organization. I was left going, "ummm...ok?", but the promise that things will be slowly explain kept me watching.

Cotton Drifting started out strong, it seemed at first to be taking place during the same time as Spirited Away, but instead showing things in a different perspective. Yet as the arc progresses, contradictory things happen and the arc goes in a totally different direction. This time Mion appears to be the villain, and it appears that her family is a criminal organization that is behind the brutal deaths. She also happens to be descended from onii (demonic ogres). Yet the ending implies that Mion died before everything happened and that her twin sister was the one who did everything. The ending also implies that only Rena survived this time. I didn't like that instead of a different perspective, we got a different story. It felt disjointed and I was upset that we didn't learn more about what happened during the first arc. Still it was interesting enough to keep me watching.

Killing Curse is much the same, things appear at first to happen at the same time as the previous arcs, but too many contradictions happen. Unlike Cotton Drifting however, the characters themselves begin to realize these contradictions. For example, Keichii trying to protect Satoko kills her uncle during the festival, yet the other characters say he was at the festival like in the other arcs. This marks the first time the contradiction is made apparent by the anime itself and this intrigued me once more, and got me excited about Higurashi again. We also learn quite a bit about Satoko's sad history. Killing Curse picked up the slack from Cotton Drifting, but the ending made me go "umm...ok?" again. Namely, this time everyone dies because of the poison gas released by a volcano near the village; it is strongly suggested that Keiichi cursed the village and that is why it happened. This left me a bit puzzled as to how this poison gas ending relates to the other endings, I also found it strange that this time Oyashiro-sama (the deity attributed with all the bizarre events) would be 'helping' Keiichi instead of the girls like in the other arcs. I also found the missing corpse rather strange; I mean why would someone dig it up for Keichii, or did he imagine killing Sakato's uncle. Hence the ending left me going "ummm...ok?" Sometimes I think all the characters are mentally insane and we are seeing what each one sees and since they are all so deluded it doesn't have to make sense. I don't know, but there is a lot of suggestion that this is the case; examples include, psychotic laughter from Rena, Mion, and Shion, Rena's past with a psychologist, Keiichi's paranoid behavior during arc one, and Keichii's possible delusions involving the murder of Satako's uncle. The only characters not to appear psychotic are Satako and Rika. If this turns out to be the case for all the mysteries, I'm going to be disappointed, but the fourth arc seems to point to something different, so I still have hope. :D

Finally Time Wasting arc suggests that Rika plays a key role in this whole mystery because she knows what will happen even before it does. This also suggests that mental disorders will not to used to explain away all the contradictions between the arcs, thank god! Strangely enough, the poison gas that seems to have happened to Hinamizawa, never occurred in the first two arcs....maybe the characters didn't survive long enough? That or higurashi is being needlessly twisty. :/

Like I said, I'm enjoying this anime for the most part because I am genuinely interested in how everything will be pulled together, yet at the same time, I'm a little annoyed at the disjointed nature of each arc. The violence also seems a bit pointless and I often question the characters sanity. But all the mysterious are very compelling and I am definitely going to keep watching, which means the anime has done its job right. I'm entertained and I genuinely want to watch more of it.

Also, I found this other blog that analyzes Higarushi more in-depth then myself. (Sorry I'm just too lazy to do such an in depth analysis ^^;;) If your interested in some really good analysis on the show I suggest going here for arc one.

Edit: I have finished watching both seasons, it was pretty good and I enjoyed it enough to marathon it :) All I have left is the third season comprising of five episodes

~Joanna

Upcoming Posts

well, I have decided to give everyone a little tease of what is yet to come because I take so long to post new stuff, plus this little list will remind me of what I have yet to finish (and trust me, I am pretty forgetful ^^;;;)

Manga Related:
-Impression: Wild Com.
-Impression: Basara 26
-Impression: Basara 27

Guess I should call this the Yumi Tamura marathon..ahaha. Well her manga is really good, so I can't help but try to pick up every little thing of hers that is localized. Wild Com. will be coming soon (I hope) as I have already finished reading it. And I hope to get started on the last two volumes of Basara tonight. I'm so happy I was able to pick up the whole series. :D :D I think of Tamura-san's works, I still have Chicago to pick up. Too bad the only editions of it avaliable are the older ones...

Game Related:
-DSing Update
-Game Review: Rocket Slime
-Game Review: Final Fantasy III

I haven't done a gaming update in awhile, so I guess I should do one, just to let everyone know what I'm currently playing and my thoughts on that. ;) I finished Rocket Slime awhile ago, so I really need to get the review done. And I finished FFIII recently so I also want to get my thoughts down while my impressions are still fresh. Reviews take me awhile to write, so I wouldn't expect these any time soon. :/

Anime Related:
-Anime Impressions -0.2

I haven't done an anime related post since forever, because I just lazy. T___T Hopefully, I'll get one done soon, and if I do, it will most likely be about Higurashi no naku koro ni. Not a new anime by any means, but I'm watching it now, so it's ideal for an impression. Actually, I never watch any "airing" anime, the only exception is Bleach, because I was hooked on it once and now I just watch it for the animated fights. The manga has been going downhill lately...but that rant is for another time.

~Joanna

Anime Impressions - 0.1

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha: Episodes 1 ~ 5

At first glance, Nanoha looks like a typical magical girl anime and it follows the formula quite well in its first four episodes, expect in one respect; unlike the typical magical girl shows, Nanoha is not from the shoujo genre as one would assume. Furthermore, it cannot be classified as either shoujo or shounen, because the target audience does not fit any of these groups. If anything, Nanoha should be classified as otaku, because its targeted at males who have a interest in lolis, or young cute girls. And although it has an echii (or perverted) slant to it, it cannot be classified as echii either, for the fan service is comprised of a few shots in episodes 1 to 4 and a chuck of episode five. But if I would have to choose between these three genres, echii would probably fit Nanoha the best.

With all that said, the basic story of Nonaha is certainly filled with typical magical girl stuff. And if I could be so bold as to say that it seems almost as if the story writers and concept designers for Nanoha read and copied Cardcaptor Sakura. I am being dead serious here, the similarities between Nanoha and Sakura are far greater then those between Nanoha and other magical girl series. Firstly there is the popular find and seal said magical item in both shows. In CCS, its the clow cards that need to be sealed and in Nanoha its the Jewel Seeds. Next both characters have wands that they use to seal the said magical items and these wands are granted to them by their mascot companions. In CCS, this is Kero-chan and in Nanoha its Yuuno-kun. It is also worth pointing out that both mascots are male. And the similarities don't stop there, both Sakura and Nanoha are exceptionally gifted with magic that they seem to have no connection to. Both characters also use magic to jump far distances and this magic manifests itself as a pair of wings at their feet in both shows. Finally, both have a rival that strives to collect the said magical item against the main heroine; in CCS its Syoaran, while in Nanoha its a mysterious blond haired girl named Fate. The change in the gender of the rival can be attributed to the genre of each show, CCS being shoujo needs a main male lead to not only be the rival, but later to become the love interest. Echii shows don't have such a need and bringing in another magic wielding loli is in their interest.

Now, the basic story of Nanoha is as follows; Nanoha a third grader has a strange dream, in which a young boy uses magic to fight off a black ball with red eyes. The boy is unable to seal the beast with his strongest attack and faints from exhaustion. Once the boy fall to the ground, he is transformed into a ferret and asks for help. After this, Nanoha awakes from the dream by the music of the alarm on her phone. She gets dressed, introduces the viewers to her family and goes to school. After school, one of her friends suggests they go down a shortcut to get to their cram school. This shortcut turns out to be the forest from Nanoha's dreams and she once again hears a voice pleading for her help. Deciding to check it out, she runs into the ferret and her friends suggest taking it to the vet. The vet assures the girls that the ferret is alright and promises to watch over it until tomorrow. The girls thank her and go to their cram school. During their lesson, Nanoha asks her friends if they can take care of the ferret, both of her friends are unable to do so and Nanoha decides she will take care of it for the time being. In the meantime, the ferret is resting soundly when the black ball monster appears before it. It attacks the ferret who manges to escape, but it causes a lot of damage to the animal clinic. The ferret realizes that it cannot defeat the monster on its own and calls the one who heard it before to come help it again. Nanoha hears its cries and decides to go to the animal hospital. She arrives just as the monster is preparing to attack the ferret again. The ferret dodges the monster's blow and jumps into her arms. Afterwards it explains that he needs her help and allows Nanoha to wield his magic device, the Raging Heart. Nanoha is then able to, with the ferrets assistance, transform and seal the monster into a Jewel Seed. After the conflict, the ferret introduces himself as Yuuno and explains to Nanoha that he is sealing the Jewel Seeds that he had discovered on his home planet because they somehow winded up on earth and in her city. Nanoha agrees to help Yuuno seal the jewel seeds and the two of them go about doing so until another mysterious mage shows up and gets in their way. Her name is Fate, and she appears to be after the jewel seeds by the request of her mother.

As I've stated before, at the surface level, Nanoha is very much a typical shoujo and magical girl anime, and it will probably appeal to fans of these genres. The only distinction between Nanoha and a shoujo magical girl anime is the fan service. This fan service for the most part is not noticable, if you exclude episode five, where a noticeable portion of the anime is dedicated to booby and panty shots. Other then episode five, the most noticeable fan service appears in Nanoha's transformation sequence (see above) and in a few dressing shots, which can be tolerated. So although, it has an echii slant, its not full of nude and crude screen shots, and it can be enjoyed even by those who do not particularly like echii anime. As for myself, I'm not too fond of echii, but if it can entertain me then I'll give it a try.

The animation is great, and I love the designs. My only complaint is that the minor characters seem kind of plain, but its alright because the main character's designs are well thought up. Music is also up to par, the background music fits the mood and I really love the opening theme; I wouldn't mind listening to it over and over again.

Overall, Nanoha has roused my interest and I will definitely continue watching it. So far the episodes have been hinting at more plot to come so I am definitely looking forward to the coming episodes. Not to mention that I just love the magical girl genre, and although Nanoha is slightly deviating in that it is not a shoujo but a shounen magical girl show, it has still kept true to the magical girl formula. Maybe a little too well; so much so that sometimes I feel as if I am watching CCS not Nanoha.