Mobile Suit Gundam 00 1-12

It is the year 2307 A.D. Earth’s energy reserves have dried up but humanity has now access to solar energy – virtually unlimited power. Despite this, global powers still wage countless wars with each other for strength and superiority. Celestial Beings, a paramilitary organization, intercedes and engages a war to end all wars.

Beautiful mecha and bishies. 'Nuff said.

I dared Mobile Suit Gundam 00 for one reason. The office server had all complete episodes for its two seasons, and if there’s one thing I can’t stand, its incomplete episodes. An incomplete episode to me is like what coitus interruptus is to couples – a heart-breaking frustration.

A war to end all wars, to create a better world by destroying the old one – that’s a common enough cliché in anime. In Gundam 00, however, the storyline is doused with generous helpings of realistic characters, events and situations, infusing the whole series with a contemporary vibe. One can’t help but be drawn and engrossed with the excellently paced story.

The themes of war and its effects have always been the core of any Gundam series. But in Gundam 00, this theme is appreciated more as it is more pronounced and clearly detailed, abetted by its realistic storyline. True, the story is set in the future, but the problems tackled in the story are the same issues the world is facing today. I may be a little biased here, since the only Gundam series I’ve ever had an interest in before was Gundam Wing, with its good-looking protagonists and even better-looking antagonists. But to sum it up in a thought, the one thing I loved most about Gundam 00 is the fact that I can relate to it.

Animation wise, Gundam 00 is solid. A bit clichéd though with how the characters are drawn – a little too stereotypical and forgettable for me. Sure, Gundam 00 still has the bishounen factor in it, but more toned down if you compare it to Gundam Wing. I mean, definitely no Zechs Marquise here.

While the character animation may be a little blah, the mobile suits themselves are in a whole different league. Gundam 00 boasts of skillfully rendered machines, space shuttles and mecha designs. Beautiful is the only word I can come up with. The mobile suits are beautiful, superbly crafted, intricately detailed and designed, strong lines, fluid animation and infused with more personality than their pilots. Of the four Gundams, Dynames as the sniper is my favorite.

Dynames with a mean gun.

On character development, I’m still waiting for more action. It’s a great thing that the main cast is of varied ethnicity and of different backgrounds. The characters need a bit more fleshing out, though. Gundam 00, after all, has quite a big cast. But then, I’m only at episode 12 of season 1, so this is a premature worry of someone who is just itching to get through the 25 episodes at the soonest possible time.

The one thing that I found cumbersome is the technobabble. It’s a bummer really, trying to keep up with extensive narration of new technologies that you have never heard of yet. But I guess it’s something you can’t avoid in a futuristic mecha series. Thankfully, Gundam 00 limits the technobabble to a minimum, but it’s still enough to make me tune out and press the fast forward button.

I’ve yet to finish season one, but I have a feeling that I’m going to watch all 25 episodes and continue on with its second season. Hurray for office servers!

Winter 2010: Durarara!, Katanagatari

Finally, an anime season that is worth watching! The previous anime seasons had nothing that really interested me. Lots of titles in varying degrees of suckiness. This year's Winter anime line-up may not be as epic as the 2007 season. And it will never be as epic because 2007 had Gurren Lagann, and 2010 doesn't.

But there are one or two titles that look promising. Huzzah!

Durarara!

Thinking, breathing, being bad-ass.

I initially wanted to watch Durarara! because it was from the same guys who brought us Baccano!. But after watching 4 episodes, Durarara! has got what it takes to stand on its own.

Durarara! channels a lot of Baccano! goodness, which is good and has me all nostalgic again, and it's unfolding to be a great story. It has a huge cast, interesting characters, a fair amount of gore and supernatural and fast-paced action. One would likely get lost within the frenzy of activities in Durarara!, especially if you haven't watch Baccano! yet (which is, trust me, even more frenzied than Durarara!). It's important to note that the story proceeds in a non-linear structure. Think one major event, different viewpoints.

This has the potential to be absolutely kick-ass. Or it can spontaneously combust. But 4 episodes in and so far, it has been great. Now I have to wait another week or so before the next episode comes out.

Damn, I miss Baccano! so much. I wasn't able to save a copy of the series from my laptop from my previous job. Ach, dang it, I miss you Ferio!!!

Katanagatari

Kawai, neh? *blink, blink, blink*

Interesting premise, solid cast, simple animation and clean lines. I just finished the first episode over lunch. It has all the right stuff in the right places. I appreciate the quirky comedy too. I lolled quite a bit while chewing on a particularly hard piece of meat. Here's the OP credits.

Katanagatari will only air one, 50-minute episode each month (!). Not good news for someone who's already hook and interested to see how things turn out. However, since it'll take a month to produce each episode, I prolly can expect great stuff to come, since the studios will have more time to do things right. One thing I'd like to see more are fight scenes because them fight animation rocks.

For now, these 2 are the only titles that have piqued my interest. I'm planning to give Ookami Kakushi a whirl because I need something dark to tide me until the next season. Will also catch up on Fall 2009 titles, especially Kimi ni Todoke. I need the fluffy romance factor too, now that February is here.

I am the one who chose a summer that was unchanging

It's the second day that I have sat through 8 hours without doing any actual work. Never mind that I have a set of guidelines to complete or a newsletter to prepare. Having been at this kind of job for half a year now, my brain's configured to function best when the deadline monster is breathing down my neck. The only way, really, to get work done is to cut my ties with the intarnetz. But then, half my work is tied to the internet, so cutting it off is really rendering me next to useless.

This week, I'm interested to see how fast I can get through the 12, 1-hour episodes of the Japanese live-action adaptation of Honey and Clover.

The live-action cast and the anime cast. Both pastel-y.

I'm a fan of the anime version. Honey and Clover was the first anime series that I bought during my first trip to Manila back in college. My mom thought I was crazy for coming home with CDs instead of tshirts and donuts. Anyway, here's a link to a review of the anime version.

I knew that the anime had a live-action version of sorts (Japanese and Taiwanese adaptations and at least one movie) but it wasn't until I learned that Studio 23 will be airing the live-action version on February that I got interested. I think Studio 23 is going to air the Taiwanese version. I found the Japanese one online and I'm sticking with it for the meantime.

Usually, I'm everything but eager to see live-action adaptations of anime and manga. Think Meteor Garden for Hana Yori Dango and you get my drift. After all, live-action adaptations have a lot of things to consider: visual presentation (no super chibis here), budget, character likeness and plot accuracy. Most important? How to take a 26-episode anime and compress it into 12 episodes. Then there's measuring up to the anime/manga version. Online debates on which is better, and the comparison never ends. In live-action adaptations, many things can, and probably will, go wrong.

Thankfully, the Honey and Clover live-action adaptation is a good one. It does not follow the same story line as the anime, but it does capture its gist. Osamu Mukai is a dead ringer for Mayama sans the red hair and Hiroki Narimiya is impressive as Morita. Toma Ikuta, Riko Narumi and Natsuki Harada all do a great job as Takemoto, Hagumi and Ayumi. Natsuki Harada, especially, looks gorgeous while delivering high kicks. Wiki on the cast here.

On the other hand, I don't think Mayama was that mischevious in the anime. I don't remember Mayama ever teaming up with Morita to pull a prank of Takemoto, though when it does happen in the live-action, its really quite funny and fresh. So nothing majorly disastrous there for me.

Buffering the second episode now. Pretty slow, but I'm still trying to get the hang of these 1-hour dramas anyhow.

Higashi no Eden 5-9

I finally got to squeeze in episode 9 of Higashi no Eden, thanks to the lull at work. Connection problems have been a pain and the internet filters have prevented me from dallying in my usual quota of shows. I haven't been able to finish Mononoke (and I'm on my last two episodes, too!). Still, I'm grateful I can still access Higashi; I'm careful not to tell this to anyone in the office, though. Wouldn't want another site to be blocked.

Anyway, on to Higashi. The show definitely picks up pace in episode 5 and more than makes up for the series' rather lackluster start. I still had problems with some scenes - I just went absolutely "meh?" on some. It's quite off-putting really, so I was glad when there were less of those "meh" scenes in later episodes.

We also get introduced to the other Selecaos, and it's really, really cool stuff. Mid-way to episode 5, the possibility of a Selecao vs Selecao battle is a glorious anticipation. Episode 5 and 6 does go into that, and viewers get a little glimpse of the mind of a Selecao.

Juiz on overtime :B

Episode 7 delves more on Saki's side of the story and bit on the supporting cast. It does the story good, in my opinion, to have more people introduced and explored. In episodes 8 and 9, the pieces start to fall in place, chaos ensues and the bigger picture starts to unravel. Great spy/thriller stuff here.

All throughout, the animation and voice acting remains consistent. Most impressive of all is the overall pacing of the story - it's just right for an 11-episode show. Not too fast and not too slow to bore the viewers out, either. It has just the right amount of resolution and mystery to keep the viewer guessing.

My only problem with the series, as I've earlier pointed out, are the "meh" scenes. They appear abruptly, distract the flow of the story - basically very confusing. It's a minor peeve, though.

On to episode 10 and beyond :)

Higashi no Eden 1-4

On November 22, 2010 ten missiles strike Japan. However, this unprecedented terrorist act, later to be called as "Careless Monday," does not result in any apparent victims, and is soon forgotten by almost everyone. Then, 3 months later... Saki Morimi is a young woman currently in the United States of America on her graduation trip. But just when she is in front of the White House, Washington DC, she gets into trouble, and only the unexpected intervention of one of her fellow countrymen saves her. However, this man, who introduces himself as Akira Takizawa, is a complete mystery. He appears to have lost his memory. and he is stark naked, except for the gun he holds in one hand, and the mobile phone he's holding with the other hand. A phone that is charged with 8,200,000,000 yen in digital cash. - ANN (because I'm too lazy to write my own summary :D)

I could not pick on a new series to watch for the Spring/Summer 2009 season; I planned on watching and re-watching stuff that I've, sadly, neglected behind.

I, however, wasn't to keen on letting the Spring/Summer season slip by without at least checking out a show. From my experience, despite a season's preponderance for crappy shows, there's always bound to be an exception. So, I hopped around anime sites and forums, hoping to get a whiff on the right direction.

That's how I ended up watching Higashi no Eden, a very promising show so far. It's right up my alley, being a short series at only 11 episodes. The characters remind me somehow of Morita and Hagu-chan of Honey and Clover fame :D

Anyway, first episode was not much of a bang, I admit. The story did not unfold much, just ran around in circles, the dialogues, dull. Some scenes left me completely nonplussed (a naked Akira Takizawa, anyone??). It had its share of funny and intriguing moments, though, enough to make me wanna watch the second episode.

Thankfully, the succeeding episodes does a greater job than the pilot. Viewers are treated to a sneak preview to a great story, one that will probably involve epic proportions. The main characters are developed, obtaining new depths. The story picks up from here and the story moves fast, covering histories and characters in an episode. The show's pacing, though, does not affect the storytelling aspect of the show, and the animation remains above-par throughout.

The OP is really good; it deserves some kind of award. I can't find it yet, but I'll link it as soon as I can find it. Really, it's something everybody should see :D

So far, so good. The show is getting more interesting, revealing and hiding just the right amount of story information to keep the viewer guessing (and not annoyed :D). My only fear now is the impact of 11 episodes on a story that obviously is large in scale, but that remains to be seen. On to ep5!

Hooked for now.

Mononoke 6-7

During a random surf through my anime list on MAL, I found a number of rotting anime titles under the "Watching" and "On-hold" tabs. Shame, shame, really, as some of those titles were really good ones, too, and now, I'm just too tired/lazy/busy to finish them all.

Yesterday, though, I got the chance to continue with Mononoke, a title I started a year ago. Mononoke,not to be confused with the anime Princess Mononoke, is a 12-episode series of Japanese stories of horror and the supernatural. Despite the year hiatus, I'm glad that my fandom for this title has not dimmed one bit.

Episodes 6 and 7 dealt with the Japanese Noppera-bo. A noppera-bo, in Japanese folktales, is a faceless woman-avenger. The noppera-bo takes on the face of the wronged victims before meting out serious psychological, twilight zone-ish justice to the offenders.

Mononoke, however, had a different take on the whole noppera-bo folklore. Instead of a faceless woman, we encounter a spirit (ayakashi) with many faces in love with a woman accused of murdering her family.

As usual, Mononoke's storytelling style surpasses itself. Scenes often overlap each other, mimicking the muddled and disturbed psyche of the arc's main character. The overall effect of these subtle elements does the noppera-bo arc true justice, though, I initially found the constant and rapid change of scenes confusing at first. Nothing a little rewinding couldn't remedy :D

I'm definitely going to continue with Mononoke (buffering episode 8!). I'll also squeeze in a few more pending series I've neglected, in between work. I'm rather surprise at the lackluster Spring 2009 season; I've been watching some episodes, but so far, nothing has grabbed my attention. Or maybe I've just been lost for so long :D

MAL-ling

Yay, my own MAL account is up and running, thanks again to the office's nifty connection. I've added some pictures, updated my profile, posted in forums, created a new sig....

I need paperwork, lots and lots of paperwork to distract me from internet pleasures. Either that or cut off my ruddy connection if I am to churn out productivity!

ParaKISS

Wallie featuring Miwako from Paradise Kiss :D

Unemployment=Productivity

I am out of work! And here are the results! Pick-charrs!




Yes, I noticed the repetitive images. Unfortunately, I don't have that big a gallery, so I've learned to recycle the whole lot, over and over again.

Done in Photoshop 7.0. Brushes credit to celestial-star.

Enjoy.

Or not.

Photoshop...again

3 more Photoshop manipulations, featuring Rokujo of Nabari no Ou, Johann of Monster and 1 random/abstract picture, I guess.















^Vectored the image from the manga scan. Added a lot of splatter because I did not know what else to do with it :D
















^I initially made this as a background, so it looks unfinished. I like it the way it is, but if I can find a good enough picture of Johann, I'll add it up. For now...this :3

















^Abstract. Experimented with Ripples and Glows :/

Credits (for brushes and custom shapes):
Feathers
Sparklies
Splats
Japanese characters
Film
Stalks

Monochrome Factor and FLCL wallpapers

I'm really not good with graphics and wallpapers. I don't use wallpapers for my desktop, come to think of it :D

As it is, the wallpapers that I made are really simple; I use lots of brushes and gradients to make my backgrounds, really nothing fancy. Images are usually vectored, but when I'm lazy, I just slap on a screenshot :s

Here's a wallie of Shirogane, from Monochrome Factor. I'm not a fan of the series (SHOUNEN-AI!!), but I just love Shirogane and his lip gloss. Shirogane=cosplay material.














FLCL wallpapers, featuring Mamimi and Haruko. I still have to clean up the Mamimi wallpaper, I'm just too lazy right now :s















Haruko, I finished just now. I really like this picture and I seriously wish I could create a background that could do Haruko justice ;p But for now, rainbows! Looks kind of groovy and funky, to match her bass guitar. I'm really happy how this one turned out.

Spring 2008: Itazura na Kiss, Bus Gamer, Chi's Sweet Home, Macross Frontier and Golgo 13

Itazura na Kiss

Booya! Finally, a romantic comedy that I can enjoy ;p Itazura na Kiss is basically your tried-and-tested romance comedy about two very different people - a dumdum sort of girl paired with a brooding, genius-y type of guy. They meet, they fight and poof!, they fall in love. Hum, my kind of show, one that doesn't go all philosophical on me :D

It's like Nodame Cantabille, though, not as good yet. Animation is, at times, bland and undefined, but for now, I'm enjoying the first 2 episodes. The strongest point of Itazura, so far, is its comedy, and I hope they won't go all melodramatic later on. For now, rollickin' fun!

Bus Gamer
One of the first series to come out for the Spring season, and frankly, I'm just disappointed. There's nothing in this show that's watch-worthy. I dunno, it just, sucks :/ The good thing, accordingly, is that it's only 3 episodes long (really, why even bother at all?). I'm 2 episodes in, and I officially won't venture with episode 3.

Hum, the guy reminds me of Sanjo of Gensoumaden Saiyuki fame ;/

Dropped :s

Chi's Sweet Home
This is too cute for it's own good. The show is actually, to correct my previous post, only 3 minutes long, and it works really well: a full-length episode of a cat trying to find its way home will be puh-retty boring. As hell. Seriously.

Anyway, this one's a winner. I can't see how Chi can go wrong ;3

*Cue: AAAAWWWWWW*

Macross Frontier
I have not, in all honesty, watched a single Macross episode in my entire life. Macross Frontier is a first for me, and thankfully, its a show that's basically geared for Macross noobs: you don't need a solid background on Macross to understand and enjoy this show.

I loved the CG battles in space set in time with great music. Reminds me of Vandread, another favorite of mine (if only it wasn't so harem-y ;p). I'd like to watch episode 2 right now, but I keep getting bad fansubs - it won't play nicely!

Golgo 13

It's supposed to be an adaptation of a classic, but I haven't got the faintest clue about it. Still, a dark, nitty-gritty story of assassins, guns and crimes. It got compared to James Bond a lot, so I expect its got some dark stories, spy themes and women.

I got the first episode, but I haven't finished it yet. The animation is not what I'm used to seeing in a Japanese anime: it's more of, I dunno, Western in style rather than anime.

So, Golgo. I dunno. Maybe.

Chi's Sweet Home

Aaaaw, so cute :3 Each episode is only 2 minutes long.

Sweetness.

AAAAAAWWWWWWWW.

(Screenshot. Suru :3)

Anyway, inspiration struck and I finished 2 forum sigs :3 Rahahaha, I really think I'm getting the hang of Photoshop now...Noob po-po-po-powah!

Licensed!

I can't believe it! Just when things get really interesting, True Tears and Shigofumi gets licensed by Bandai :'( And they were my top two animu for my 2008 watch list. Boo! Boo!

The blurb (for those who care) from ANN.

It's going to be hard to follow it now, with its licensed status, basically because all fansub groups are going to drop these two from their projects. I mean, it's a good thing - more income for the anime industry - but it won't be good for some fans, like myself. Bandai won't be distributing it in the Philippines!!!

Oh, hellfire.

Top 5

Finally, my very own top 5! Anyway, this list is a compilation of 5 of my most favorite scenes in an anime series. Why scenes, and not characters? As the old adage goes, a picture paints a thousand words; likewise, a particular scene can catapult a series to iconic fame. A character presents only one side of the story; a scene encompasses everything: the mood, the interaction and dynamics, and, at some point, the story itself.

I only have 5 scenes, mainly because I have only seen a modest number of anime series. At present, I would peg the number of anime series I have watched at around 15. And not all of them are good.

A lot of hardwork went in to this post, from the initial tally to the screenshots themselves. Before I go to my list, a few credits (and links) to where credit is due:

Jev, for the idea of the top 5
Janice, Cyril, Jilly and Jo, the first two for introducing me to anime, and latter two for kindly lending me their own anime goodies
AND
Autumn Rain Screenshots Archive, basically the source of all my pictures here.

RIGHT-O!

My TOP 5 BEST ANIME SCENES!

#5 Ayumi's Confession

Anime: Honey and Clover
Episode: ??

I'm a sucker for romantic animus. Honey and Clover has large quantities of sweet, pastel-colored romance, especially the tension between Mayama and Ayumi. While the pontifications of both Ayumi and Mayama are a bit exhausting, their interactions and growth, however, are excellent. Definitely one of the better anime under the slice of life genre.

The scene above is my favorite Honey and Clover scene: Ayumi gets drunk, and Mayama carries her home (Piggyback!! The most romantic ride of all!!). On the way, Mayama talks about how he cares for Ayumi, in that special friendly way. Ayumi then starts crying and mumbles, "Mayama, I love you" over and over again, to which Mayama simply replies with a monosyllabic "Yeah."

I love this scene to pieces. It's poignant, bittersweet and romantic at the same time. The music, sparse conversation and the animation captures all of the aforementioned three perfectly.

#4 "I was born to smother you with flowers.."

Anime: Monster
Episode: 6

Okay, that's a screenshot of an email inbox. Pretty plain at first sight, but when Nina reads the email from the unknown sender, swoon! Yes, you guessed it..."I was born to smother you with flowers.." How poetic is that??

Anyway, the email turns out to be from Nina's twin brother, Johann, bad-ass psycho killer, who returned to take his little sister away.

Monster is a great show, even if it's highly underrated. Great story, well-developed characters...a psychological series any mystery and horror buff will enjoy.

If someone said those lines to me, I'd really lose it. Seriously.

#3 Departure

Anime: Full Metal Alchemist
Episode: 25

I love Maes Hughes. He's the ultimate Kodak guy: loves his little girl, loves his wife, carries lots of pictures of his family, blackmails people into buying giant teddies for his daughter..the quintessential father and husband.

So when Hughes dies, I was naturally devastated. This scene, together with beautiful music, has him waving at Edward at the train station. Unknown to Ed, Hughes was already dead at that time, after discovering vital information about the Philosopher's stone. This picture became my wallpaper for weeks. It speaks of so many emotions: sorrow, pain, joy. Oh, Hughes-sama, I do miss you!

I'm partial to Hughes, but even if I weren't, this scene would still be the best scene in FMA!

#2 Spike and Julia

Anime: Cowboy Bebop
Episode: 26

Ah, the scene/picture that made me take a second look at Cowboy Bebop. That's Julia and Spike in bed, and it made me realize, "Whoa! Spike is a man!". And that's all that matters!

Spike's manliness aside, Cowboy Bebop is perhaps one of the most famous anime series ever. And for good reason. This series has got everything, with hardly a flaw in it. The music, the animation..just perfect. I highly recommend this one, if not for the picture above then for this:

The runner up for my favorite Cowboy Bebop scenes. This is Spike, after his duel with Vicious. Before falling down, he simply ends it all with one word: "Bang."

And finally, the number 1 scene...

#1 Hybrid Rainbow

Anime: FLCL/Fooly Cooly
Episode: 6

My most favorite scene in the whole, effing world! Naota with his guitar, gazing up to the skies, atop a rubble. I can't even begin to describe what I see in this picture: pride, youth, potential, ambitions...ah, I can go on forever.

Another thing: this scene is played out with the background music of 'Hybrid Rainbow', courtesy of the Pillows, making this one of the most iconic scenes I have ever seen. I mean, you don't need words to end this 6-part OVA; the picture tells it all.

"Can you feel, can you feel that hybrid rainbow..."

Animated Gifs by ME!

Random SZS images thrown in together to make my first gif animated image. Whee!

It's a pretty simple image, not that creative. You have to click on the photo to see it move.

*Off to practice some more on the animator program*

EDIT:

And, immediately after the first comes my second try, this time, featuring Toph the Earthbender. Again, clicky on the image to see the animation.

:o

On the Avatar Part 1

Am I the only one who's <<<<<3 Prince Zuko?? Teh prince is hawt.

I am not in the position to write anything else but the aforementioned statement. I got noodles for brains.

Will elaborate after Christmas season.

Winter 2008

Blurb shamelessly stolen from the AA forums :3

Winter preview 2008

I'm going for Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, the second season. I am only hoping that for this season, subs will come out regularly. Also, Mnemosyne. One look at the picture and trailer, and my interest is more than quipped.

I'm looking forward to a great season of anime this 2008. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.