I just ran out of anime and manga to review and I don’t want to blog about my work or life, that’s just too boring.
While everybody’s enjoying some new season anime, here I am stuck with work. Well I’ve been swamped with a lot of non-anime stuff lately (work, health, etc) and I hope I can catch up soon. I’m supposed to finish Trinity Blood this week but end up rewatching Ranma ½ episodes instead. It may be weird but Ranma ½ never fails to amuse me especially Happosai who I consider a true master of the martial arts.^^ It’s just one of those anime I never get tired of watching over and over. I also started reading a translated visual novel which I find really interesting. I’ll definitely write something about it when I’m done.
I’m leaving for Vietnam for a seminar. So I guess that’s another excuse for not blogging hehe. I don’t know if there are otaku stuff there but I hope I can still buy some nice souvenirs. See ya.
I’m still alive! Just came back from a 2-week seminar on capital markets and derivatives. Interesting stuff actually but it got exhausting later on. At least I now know how to hedge hehe.
Anyway I’ve been playing this old GBA game on the side. It’s entitled Love Hina Advance and I’m sure otakus have already played this a long time ago. The game is basically a visual novel following the same story as the anime (which was one of the best love comedies during its time). It was fun reliving the story through a game. This time I get to play Keitaro and go for the girl I like. Yes my hidden desires finally found their way hehe.
The game starts with Love HIna’s original OP with a rundown of all the characters with whom you can interact. It even includes Keitaro’s aunt Haruka and Sarah Macdogal. I knew right away what my noble task is… make all the girls fall in love with me!! Game proper contains mainly still images from the anime. There are events where Keitaro has to choose a response and then wait to see if the female character liked it or not. If someone’s heart points reach the top, lucky, she’s yours!^^
So I guess I got too kind to Shinobu and won her heart.^^
Speaking of games, I’ve been playing NDS a lot lately. The World Ends with You and Dragon Quest Monster: Joker are so darn addictive!
I wrote my first impressions on Highshool of the Dead some time ago and after reading 12 chapters, I think it’s living up to my expectations. Things are getting complicated and sexier.
George Romero fans would definitely love this manga. It basically works on the same elements - a survival horror with zombies roaming around the town looking for fresh flesh. What makes this manga different, though, are the pretty and hot female protagonists. I wouldn’t mind having zombies around if I get to tag along with them.
Much of the story is being fleshed out but the origin of the pandemic is still vague to me. Characters start to interact with one another, coming up with plans and making compromises. As new friends are found, conflicts also arise. Lots of things are being revealed about the characters, their past and their intents. It’s also interesting to see how a childhood-sweethearts story (as in the case of Komuro and Rei) is integrated in this series as well as a possible love triangle. And yes all of this happening while slicing and dicing zombie butts.
Artwork on characters is really good and fight scenes are getting bloodier as the story progresses. The story is interesting enough for me and I hope I’ll have time to catch up on the next chapters. It would be cool if this gets animated.
So anyone reading this?
While waiting for the second season, let me share some of my thoughts on Season 1 which is probably one of the best anime 2006 had to offer.
It’s not what I can call a unique series. The plot reminds me of the usual war themes in anime but the creators did quite well in presenting the story with all its socio-political elements, all revolving around very consistent characters. I particularly like how the sub-plots and characters are interlaced. The story is fast-paced but progression is smooth. It was exhilarating from its explosive start till the very end.
The ideological clash between Lelouch and Suzaku is a good concept and adds depth to the story. They both have their points and it’s hard to tell which is good or bad. Or perhaps it is not a question of good or bad in the first place. I’ll leave that to the philosophers.
The characters are beautiful; true to the CLAMP artwork (cute faces and seemingly wobbly limbs). I’m more interested in CC, the pretty and mysterious girl who likes pizza. I know a lot of things will be revealed about her. On another note, Geass actually reminds me of Gennouske’s ability in Basilisk - cool and devilish. The ending is a cliffhanger which is a fitting ending for the series in my opinion.
It’s an awesome series and I definitely want to see more.
I was looking for a relatively new anime which is short enough to squeeze in my schedule. I found ef - a tale of memories.
The first thing I noticed in this series was the cinematography. I don’t know much about the kind of animation used in it but as far as the execution of scenes and blending of characters and background images are concerned, it was really good. I also like how it shifts from one story to another. Kei’s story feels too trite for my taste though. I’m more drawn to Renji and Chihiro’s story. It’s more fresh and engaging. I’m actually intrigued with the novel Chihiro is trying to write. In my opinion, it can easily pass as a very good short fiction. The female characters look pretty but, aside from the hairstyle and that eye-patch, they look pretty much the same.
Overall, it was good; not something that I would include in my top list but it was really entertaining.