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It's been long overdue, but I finally started Fafner in the Azure: Dead Aggressor. I have some pretty high expectations for this show from word of mouth and because it's done by the same production company that created one of my favorite animes of all time - not to mention the anime that still holds my golden standard - Gundam SEED. (Destiny's a different story, however.)
The relationship between Gundam SEED and Fafner are apparent from the getgo. I'm actually a bit disappointed at the lack of differentiation, but that disappointment is easily turned into nostalgia. The character designs are all familiar, but the mechas aren't. They are more reminiscent of the mechas in Evangelion and so is the enemy. But this first monster seems cooler than any monster that ever appeared in NGE.
I've only seen the first episode, but the story seems surprisingly similar to NGE and RahXephon, which was also kind of an NGE knockoff. There's a peaceful city, but then these alarms go off throughout the whole city and everyone is forced into an underground hideaway. Then a monster suddenly appears and no matter what kinds of planes or missiles the people fire at it, nothing works and it seems like only the mechas can get the job done.
Fafner seems like a prototype for Gundam SEED with several Evangelion cues; from the recycled character designs (the main character looks like Athrun and the one girl looks like Miriallia), to the sudden attacks that force people to get into individual safety shelters.
Either way, familiar or not, I'm fully expecting this show to rock my socks off.
As if the spectacular but confusing first episode was not enough for viewers, the next two episodes get even MORE confusing!
In my last entry about Tokyo Majin, I said that the action was ok, but not as good as I expected. Well...I take that back. The action is "good enough" but I really don't mean that in a bad way because in my mind, I'm comparing it to something like...Black Lagoon, which really isn't fair. Tokyo Majin should really stand alone, and it really does.
The horror/mystical setting blended with action is a perfect one-two punch and not something that I've seen since the original Hellsing several years ago. The animation quality is not lacking and all the finer details are there when they need to be.
It won't be long before the story clears up and hopefully, it'll be grand. Grand, I say! Tabun.
The return of non-filler Bleach was less spectacular than Naruto's, but I'm still hyped up about it. I have a love-hate relationship with Bleach. On one hand, I love the action. On the other hand, there is too much unnecessary fluff in between. On one hand, I love humor. On the other hand, Bleach humor is hit-or-miss and it's a usually a miss for me. On one hand, I love all of the shinigami and their crazy powers (GIN!). On the other hand, they're almost never around (Gin.....)! You see? It's a dilemma, really.
Anyways, the latest episode of Bleach was more of the usual "hang on just a little longer, the action's almost here" fluff. HOWEVER - having read the manga, I'm PUMPED up for the next 2-3 episodes because we're going to get to see some ban kais and ice dragons and bony snakes and white swords and stuff. Yeeeah, it's gonna be quite the party.
Even though I've always thought the arrancor were kinda stupid, I'm really looking forward to the anime versions of them because due to my own lack of comprehensive abilities, I have umm...slight difficulties...understanding and imagining what goes on in the manga. If the arrancor are done well, then I might have a change of heart for them.
A friend of mine recommended this new series called Tokyo Majin Gakuen Kenpucho. I decided to check out the first episode today (instead of studying for an exam). I was told that the action was supposed to be great. That's enough of a reason already, really.
What I understand from the first episode, it's about a group of high school kids (which anime ISN'T about high schoolers?) who fight demons at night around Tokyo. The action [from the first episode] wasn't as great as I expected, but I DO see a lot of potential in the cast and story. It's just the first episode afterall.
The first thing I'd like to say is that I like the character designs. I especially like the one character who wears the hood and falls asleep in class - don't know his name yet. In addition to that, I also like the design of the female characters. They're "attractive" without the need of big boobs or being overly cutesy. It's hard to put into words, I guess, but it's not something that I see often in many animes.
The story, like I said, as a lot of potential. The genres for this show would be action, horror (which ANN agrees with). It seems to be taking some of the mythology from ancient Japan (or just Asia in general), and I just absolutely love it when animes incorporate mythology or history from certain countries (Mai-HiME, Fate-Stay Night, Naruto, Otogizoushi...to name a few). In the case of Tokyo Majin, there is the incorporation of elements of Asian occult, which IMO, is richer than their Western counterparts.
The OP/ED for this show isn't anything spectacular. But they're not as awful as some of the older Naruto tracks.
I've got some pretty high expectations for this series, so I surely hope it doesn't disappoint. I'm far from being able to recommend it to anyone, but I'd recommend watching anime in general anytime, so if you've nothing else to do, why not?
May 25, 2005 was the day it began. February 15, 2007 was the day it ended. It took over a year, but Naruto filler was finally over.
I know and understand that a lot of people ended up hating Naruto because of the filler. And believe me, the year-long wait was painful for me too. But I always believed that the good ole Naruto would return and I knew that it would be packing heat. (And anyone who's read the manga where the filler began would know.)
To celebrate Naruto's homecoming, Studio Pierrot makes the first episode is a one-hour special. Shippuuden, or the "Hurricane Chronicles," begins with a pretty intense sequence that fast forwards to when Naruto and his team finally finds Sasuke. After a short sequence, we're presented with the new OP song by nobodyknows+ called "Hero's Come Back!" And indeed they have!
The remainder of the episode mainly presents the viewer with some updates about Konoha and her ninjas. Overall, the quality of the animation is once again top tier and I can't be sure, but it seems like there's also a new soundtrack for Shippuuden. I liked the first soundtrack, but honestly, you can handle only so much after 200 episodes.
In true Naruto fashion, the episode ends somewhat of a cliffhanger and totally left me wanting more. The new ED is "Nagare Boshi (Shooting Star)" by HOME MADE KAZOKU.
In my mind, Naruto is still as awesome as ever, with the filler being more of a business/politics issue rather than a creativity one. It's good to have you back, Naruto.
On February 19, 2007, I decided to start this new blog via Google.
As a little side project, I hope to dedicate this solely to my anime and manga experiences. Hopefully, this will become something really great and something I can continue doing for many years to come.
This is my goal. This is my promise. However, I will not start until I have a look that I am satisfied with.
