Shuffle #1-15

For some random reason, I decided to start Shuffle! during my spring break. As you may have guessed, however, I didn't finish it, since it's 24 episodes. I was surprised to find out that Shuffle! is based on an H-game. I actually feel stupid for NOT knowing. One guy...surrounded by 5 girls...all the time.

I really enjoyed the humor early on, and a lot of it is done pretty cleverly. However, I'm a bit past the halfway point, which is where the story starts to get kinda serious and more adult (R-15 discretion warnings started appearing halfway through). I ruined the story for myself because I read spoilers on Wikipedia, but apparently, things just sort of get a bit more messed up from this point on. It makes me sad, but at the same time, I am kind of looking forward to finishing it.

I really like the OP, so I'll have to get that sometime. The rest of the soundtrack isn't bad, but nothing really stands out, IMO. A fair portion of the vocal cast also did Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu, so the voices are pretty good. The humor pretty much your type H-game-based-anime humor, where you have an "innocent" young man surrounded by and more or less "pursued" by several girls.

The female cast is very interesting. I found out that since it's based on an H-game, each of the girls sort of cater to a different crowd of guys. For example, the first girl, Kaede, is the childhood friend of the main character Rin. She is 100% dedicated to him and states quite clearly several times throughout the series that her sole purpose of living is to serve him. (What I find interesting is that he just accepts it when she says it.) The next one, and my personal fav, is Asa. She is energetic and fun and likes to tease Rin a lot. But I think my absolute favorite part of Asa is that she is an amazing chef. Then there's Lisiathus, or Sia. She's the ditzy cute one, while her counterpart, Nerine, is smarter but quiet, and can't cook. And finally, there's Primula, who would be the lolita girl, and she caters to the lolicon crowd.

This show is pretty good, and there's a "retelling" called Shuffle! Memories that I'm looking forward to watching after I finish this series. I won't have much time for a while, but I'll get as much anime in as I can!

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion #1-10

I finally started watching Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. This show is GOOD. If I were to describe it, it'd be something like...the world of Gundam, controlled by a Raito mentality, with a dash of Ouran-ish animation. In other words...it's awesome.

The setting takes place in the not-so-distant future but with very-distant situation. What is the USA right now becomes the empire of Britannia, who's taken over Japan and renamed it Area 11. And now, all Japanese people are derogatorily called "11's." Naturally, many 11s do not like being occupied by the Britanias, so there are quite a few resistance (aka terrorist) groups in "Area 11."

The main character is Lelouch, who we soon find out is of royal Britannia descent, but is hiding due to political circumstances. Lelouch is a young, smart, and VERY ambitious man who aims to retake the throne. Through an interesting turn of events, he obtains a special power that enables him to order anyone who looks into his eye(s?) There's a catch to it, but I won't indulge it here.

As the story develops, Lelouch, taking the identity of the masked knight Zero, leads his own resistance which is later named the Order of the Black Knights - or something like that. And what's an action anime without mechas? Code Geass delivers! The mechas are called "Knightmare Frames" and are pretty impressively designed. They're not of Gundam caliber and variety, but they're good enough for a standard mecha anime. Especially the unique Lancelot.

The animation quality is VERY good. The character designs are spot on and the vocal talent, while not superstars, are still stars nonetheless (Cloud Strife, Tenma Tsukamoto, Kuchiki Rukia, to name a few). I'm a bit disappointed with the soundtrack thusfar, but that didn't stop me from getting the soundtrack/OP/ED anyways. Haha

Ikkitousen: Dragon Destiny #2

Episode 2 was just some more story development. We're introduced to a few fight scenes of some pretty important characters. Assassins, ambushes, Xiahou Dun loses his eye, stuff like that. =)

Les Miserables #1-2

When I found out about Les Miserables the anime, I was aghast. Les Miserables is one of those things that hold a special place in my heart because it was a part of a more innocent time in my life. I was very surprised, but still very happy to find out about it.

For those of you who don't know the story, there are about 3 main characters: Jean Valjean, Cosette, and Javert. Cosette is an orphan who is taken under the wing of Jean Valjean. However, Valjean has one major skeleton in his closet - he used to be a convict and he broke his parole. Javert, who is a police officer/detective of France, has been searching for him for years. Of course, Les Mis has a few other subplots as well, but that's getting ahead of things.

I saw the first 2 episodes so far. I must say that this is THE MOST BEAUTIFUL anime I've seen in a while. The backdrops, the scenery, it's really amazing and absolutely breathtaking. The animation style is reminiscent some Western styles, but that's perfect because if Les Mis was done any other way, it just wouldn't feel right. The music is just perfect for the show. There's a real "aura" about this show. I think the producers really captured the traditional feel of it.

Summary of Ep 1 & 2:
Fantine and her daughter, Cosette, move to a new town, where Fantine must find work to support her and her daughter. In the town, the local businesses there refuse to hire her because she's a single mother. However, she finds out about a new factory in another town that is hiring. Fantine doesn't want to risk not getting the job, so left with no choice, she leaves Cosette with the Thenardiers. Both mother and daughter are heartbroken at the way things must be.

Unbeknownst to Fantine, the Thenardiers are really rotten people, and they take advantage of Fantine and Cosette by demanding payment and forcing Cosette to be their child slave. (It's sad, but it's done to the point where it's kinda ridiculous/funny. Or maybe I'm just heartless.)

Fantine arrives at the other town and is hired into the factory. The factory is owned by the local mayor, Madeleine, who is really Valjean. Years ago, Valjean, still a crook, was taken in by a local bishop. Valjean steals the bishop's silver, but when the police bring him in, the bishop tells them that the silver was a gift. In addition to that, the bishop "reminds" Valjean that he even forgot about two silver candle holders. However, as the bishop handed the silver to Valjean, he says to him, "Don't forget your promise to me, that you would use this silver to become an honest man." At that point, Valjean's life changed forever.

Ikkitousen Dragon Destiny #1

When I first heard of Ikkitousen, I must admit that the idea and premise captivated me. Being the avid Romance of the Three Kingdoms fan that I am, I just HAD to watch an anime about fighting, girls, and, well, Three Kingdoms. I mean, without a shadow of a doubt, I was SOLD. Even though I knew that Ikkitousen is ecchi, I can honestly say that the sheer amount of fanservice was actually a bit too much. It took me about a month to finally gather enough stomach to finish off the 13-episode series. Some months later, though, season two of Ikkitousen comes around, and lo-and-behold, I'm once again...SOLD.

The first episode opens with a bit of action to get the blood pumping (in more ways than one). Then it kinda gets into the politics behind the schools and the factions and the characters. In true Ikkitousen fashion, the story well...kinda crappy, IMO. It's not done well, but it's supposed to be better this time around - which really isn't saying much. The animation is still "just as good." Really, it is. There's still the obligatory fanservice and all that. The soundtrack, while not as catchy as Drivin' Through the Night by MOVE, is still pretty good.

Season two seems to be a little more serious than season one, but I don't doubt for a second that whatever respect the producers are trying to garner for this series will be wiped out somewhere between the 320-330th panty shot.

Here are some screens to key you in on some of the goodies Ikkitousen Dragon Destiny has to provide.