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They're good...

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(oh understatement, how I love thee~~)
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...me likey!!!

Kimi ni todoke and Darker Than Black mark my return to the world of anime-watching. Not that I ever left, really. Just took a mini-hiatus, that' all. (cos if Natsume Yuujinchou returns with a third season, you can bet your ->beep<- that I'd be on it in an instant)

It's nice to be back. =)

Ossu! Ohisashiburi~! Kinda.

Remember when I said I'd be heading off to le Zipangu and that I'd be watching this Japanese adaptation of the Broadway musical Glory Days? If not, check about two entries down with the slightly provocative image--you really can't miss it. I actually wrote a short report about it here (accompanied by some pictures I took before and after the show) some time back. The DVD's been released and someone's uploaded a few of the songs on youtube. To give you all a better idea of what I saw that day, here's a vid of the title performance from the musical itself:-

~**~



~**~


Very talented bunch of young chaps, these four. Well, I'm actually pretty familiar with one of them but it took all four of them (together with all the other staff who made this wonderful adaptation possible) to make this show shine the way it did. =) Oh yeah, while I'm at it, and since they're available for streaming (for now), I thought I'd introduce a couple of my favorite songs from the show: this and this =D.

Do check 'em out, yeah? I promise you won't regret it. Probably. Possibly maybe. xxD And if you do like it, and have some spare cash in hand, do consider getting your hands on the DVD, yeah?

The drink after the show, I tell you, was a real gem. -.-; There are parts of the show that are slightly hazy in my head (the performance was powerful enough to cause a sensory overload in my HD) but my memory of the drink and of the experience I had after is technicolor vivid =.=.

Japanese title: Ai no Mukidashi

This is a show I've been raring to see for a while now, ever since I first heard about it a few months ago. It's been creating quite the hype in the movie festival circuit, selling out arthouses and festival venues around the world despite being a whopping 4-hours in length. I first heard about it while searching around for AAA goodies (the singing/dancing performance unit the lead actor is a part of, whose music and dance I find highly appealing) and what a great thing it has led me to. Here's a taste of it:-



And now, I've seen it.

Not being able to go to these festivals, I had to wait two months with bated breath for the DVD to finally arrive at my doorstep. The wait was worth every second, the amount I paid worth every cent.

Here's my review, which took me a week and three watches of the movie to finally churn out:

(WARNING: CONTAINS MILD-ISH SPOILERS)

( Of saints and sneak photographers and raging hardons and 4 hours of poetry )

Lalalalala~~



...




↑ Gonna go watch this. *grin*

See y'all in a few.

Will take lots of pictures.

If I remember to.

Alley oop! Over and out.

Will be watching:
1. Eden of the East
2. Fullmetal Alchemist Remake
3. Phantom ~Requiem of the Phantom~

May be watching:
1. Sengoku Basara
2. Valkyria Profile
3. 07 Ghost

Recently finished watching:
1. Casshern Sins
2. Bounen no Xamdou
3. Kurozuka
4. Chaos;HEAd
5. Junjou Romantica -2-
6. Kidousenshi Gundam 00 -2-
7. Kuroshitsuji

Currently still watching:
1. Birdy the Mighty Decode -2-
2. Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou
3. Himitsu ~The Revelation~
4. Kyou Kara Maou -3-
5. Tales of the Abyss
6. Tentai Senshi Sunred
7. Eve no Jikan



Anything from the last season not mentioned here = dropped (or never started at all)

Some questions I posted to /that/ student of mine a couple or so weeks back:

Me: Which do you prefer, summer or winter, and why?
T: I prefer summer because I like snow.
Me: Is that what happens in your country? Cos that'd explain why you're so whacked.
T: ...did I say summer? Maybe you hear me wrong. I meant winter. I prefer winter because I like snow.

Me: If you could choose how old you were, how old would you be and why?
T: I would be 20 because I want to go casino.
Me: The legal age to enter casinos here is 21, you know.
T: Oh. Then I choose to be 25 because I want to go to casino.
Me: Okay. Why 25?
T: Just in case, you know.
Me: ...
T: What?
Me: You know you kind of remind me of...me.
T: 8D Really?
Me: No. Let's move on.

Me: If you had a million dollars, how would you spend it?
T: *no hesitation* I'mma buy orange juice.
Me: ...ok. What else?
T: What do you mean what else?
Me: After getting your...orange juice, you'd have 999,998 dollars left, I think. What would you do with it?
T: ...ja, I'd buy another 499,999 bottles of orange juice.

-The End-
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If there are indeed such things as past lives, I'm beginning to think I've somehow wronged this kid in one of mine.

Fall '08: Another blasterful season of anime, yai! Definite watches are:

Keepy-keep-keep!
1) Tales Of The Abyss (Suzuchinko!! How I've missed you!T.T)
2) Kidousenshi Gundam 00 Season 2
3) Eve no Jikan
4) Junjou Romantica 2
5) Casshern Sins (is it bad that I keep expecting the main character to perpetually end his sentences with "-kuma?")
6) Kurozuka
7) Chaos;HEAd
8) Tentai Senshi Sunred <--Highly recommended for lovers of crack!

Watching, but on an on-again-off-again basis
1) Mouryou no Hako

Temporarily/indefinitely on hold
1)Toradora (Uhu...Ryuuji's totally my type...)<-- was pleasantly surprised by this one =)

Trash folder:
1) Kurogane no Linebarrel <--i never did go beyond the first episode and don't plan to anytime soon, so...dropped

Yet to check out so verdict to come later:
Nodame Cantabile Paris Chapter
Kuroshitsuji
Alive: Saishuu Shinkateki Shounen (not beginning this season)

And to celebrate the anime launch of TotA, I'll share my favorite BGM from the game! =) Download Crimson Pride

--Japan's answer to The Last Samurai.



The verdict? I like!

(Wow, it came out last year. Totally escaped my notice, this one.)

The lucky Japanese have their subtitles to fall back on. What do we English-dependant audience have? I'll tell you what we have. We have...cool sounding English that hugs the borders of Engrish (sometimes crossing it, even) that sounds kind of like English and yet nothing like it. Yay.

Nevertheless, this should be an amusing watch. It shall enter my to-watch list tomorrow night (along with Korea's Old Boy).

I've been rewatching Casshern Sins to see if I can come up with new observations. Can anybody tell me why every time I look at this scene, I get hungry?



I can't seem to puzzle it out. There must be something subliminal about it and it's making my tummy growl something awful...

Anybody remember Tomoya? Those of you who are thinking, "That stoner?", give yourselves a pat on your backs. Here's another one of my misadventures with him (oh, and his family name's Kawamura, btw):



V: It says here name two famous Americans.
T: Uh...Johnny...
V: (Whoa, Teh Depp?? Right off the bat? This kid knows his stuff!)
T: ...Kawamura.
V: ...ah. Okaaay...and how is he fam---now waaaaait a minute.
T: *sweating bullets* He come to Japan. Long, long time ago.
V: Who is he? Your imaginary great-great-great grandfather?
T: U-uh...*grin*
V: Rejected. Try again.
T: D8
V: Try. Again.
T: O.O;; Uh...Johnny...Johnny...Carrey...?
V: You mean Jim Carrey. And he's Canadian. Too bad. Try again.
T: O.O;;;; Uuuuh...
V: ...?
T: Ah, I know! Bush!
V: Impressive. You know who he is?
T: *nods nods*
V: Not bad.
T: Thanks!
V: So you know enough to name him huh?
T: He very very famous.
V: *nods* Aye, that he is. So what's his first name?
T: ............Johnny?
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Once again, this is spoiler-free.

The show stayed true to its original intentions. For that, I'll commend the makers.

I still like Lelouch as much as when I first came across him and his antics ways, which is to say, quite a bit. Same goes for Suzaku.

All in all, a good show. The mess that's the middle, I think I'll just chalk it up to there being too much to tell and ultimately not enough episodes to tell it at the even pace it deserved. The makers worked well enough within the restrictions they were given.

It's pretty much to me a picture which story was clearly painted and was ultimately, aptly delivered to the audience, from start to finish. It's definitely not the...puzzling mystery...that was GSD in my books. And that's my final verdict.

Yoshi! Now to look forward to 00~~.

Man, what a trip.

Made me cry! Cry like baby! ;_; So! I share! Share!



Lyrics transliretra...transrilet...words and meaning! Here!

Aptly titled, "This is Light Yagami's World". An award-winning effort by nightwolf789.



It'd make for an awesome official trailer, don't you think?

...that delivers it right here *thumps chest*. Masterfully executed. Kore ijou saikou na mono ga nai gurai...

Damn, the makers of this anime know where to hit　the hardest.

Oh! Btw, I got me a shiny new screen-capturin' enabled player so here I'm gonna showcase the fruits of my sparkly screen-capturin' endeavor. Ma, tekitouni yattayakedona...

( No spoilers not guaranteed, also LQ cos I couldn't be bothered to get a HQ raw )

...had me sobbing like an admonished child. K'so!!! This calls for some Gintama eps!!! *crunchies it immediately*