Eden of the East episode 3

Definition of terms?

Okay, episode 3 was slower as expected. The seeds of the main plot had been sown and things are more or less, clearer now. For the first time, we know for a fact(?) that Takizawa is a part of a shady organization whose involvement in the missile attacks grow clearer by the day. The question is, why? Yes, they may be "forced to play a shitty game, bokurano style", but the extent of their involvement are still unknown. Some rules of the game are also revealed, such as the purpose of the special cell phones loaded with e-cash (the colloquial term for it), and the consequences of blowing all 10 billion Yen... Ouch.

I must say that pop culture references aside, this series is veering in the direction of a linear retracing of the memory tale, much like the Bourne trilogy. There will be a lot of action as Takizawa unravels his still unknown past. Unfortunately for Saki, she will be dragged into it. Her innocent flesh will be put to the crucible of the underworld. I hope there will be blood. Just bleed, guys. Now that Takizawa has the vaguest idea of who the flying fuck he is, he will inevitable retrace his identity before the wipe, and what all these things mean, though his case will not be as serious as Jason Bourne's, as he comes off as a happy-go-lucky goof like his spiritual predecessor, Shinobu Morita.

All in all, I liked the episode. Though it is slower than the first ep, it does not pull punches for a third ep. Most series by this time either reveal too much or plod too slowly. This does not. The pacing is just right, tease the audience but don't blow the load. The visual quality hasn't dropped yet, though I don't expect it to anyway. But I saw through that little cheat in the parking lot scene. Way to go making light reflection effects on the floor.

Stay tuned.

[simulcast at thingle.wordpress.com]

First Impression: Cross Game - 01 & Hanasakeru Seishounen - 01

Disclaimer: If I blogged the first episode that doesn’t mean that I’ll stick to it. It’s just that I want to give shows a chance before saying that they sucked.

Cross Game - 01

Impression:
At the first part of the episode I thought that the pacing was a bit slow but after the episode ended I think it was appropriate. This is only the episode of the series and there are little character background and relationships but wow, it was able to make me teary eyed and I even have goose bumps. I really like the way they extended the ending song it’s appropriate for the mood at that moment and I like it. On the other hand, I find the OP song decent but I didn’t like it that much I really 2x like the ending song better. The animation was fine but I find the character design a bit of a retro and sometimes I find it hard to distinguish whose who in the series. I never thought that a baseball story with a touch of romance would be this good.

I don’t know if I’ll continue blogging this but I know I’ll watch this since the debut episode is really good and I’m interested in finding out how Kou handle the death of her childhood friend.

Hanasakeru Seishounen - 01

Impression:
Lets start with the OP song, I found it really good and according to the website of m33w the singer was J-Min, a Korean singer. I checked some of her songs on YouTube and wow she’s quite good. This is quite interesting episode revealing at the end that Kajika would choose a husband from 3 men. I know that I watched this one because I could get to see handsome guys but that’s not the case now since there’s more to the story than it seems. At first it seems simple; a girl chooses one from the three guys and hey, with the setting I think it’s more than that. To tell you the truth, during the first part of the episode I thought it was Yuri but that’s it and it became revers harem as the series progresses. What’s up with her leopard pet? Why does she love it that much, maybe it’s because it was given to her by Li Ren.

The animation is fine its just average for the current standard so I think it’ll eventually get worse. The guys are gorgeous and Kajika is quite boyish, I like her so far.

Overall a very good debut episode and I’m surely going to watch this because I’m a sucker with shojo shows.

until then...

~ja

First Impression: Pandora Hearts - 01 & Slap Up Party - 01

Disclaimer: If I blogged the first episode that doesn’t mean that I’ll stick to it. It’s just that I want to give shows a chance before saying that they sucked.

Pandora Hearts - 01

Impression:
The first episode sure reeks of mediocre, from the animation, character design, plot and many more….yup mediocre. I really had a hard time finishing this episode mainly because it’s not that interesting. I wasted my time watching Oscar, her sister and Gilbert walking around the estate and I can’t find anything interesting in that. The slow paced episode sure made me drowsy so I’m sure that I won’t be watching this. Ugh, poor production, poor writing and poor everything so sayonara.

Slap Up Party - 01
Impression:
The first episode is quite decent for a Gonzo anime but I find the first part to be overly dramatic but still there are some interesting aspect like the Demon Knights, the Kazan curse and how did Baron found that sword that seem to belong to the companion of Roxie, who become a chibi after the incident in the cave. I thought that I’ll dislike Baron’s character but it turns out that I dislike the gunner guy (he’s kind of irritating) and I kinda like Baron. Despite his looks, he is a very kind guy.

The OP song and sequence is quite ok but I like the ED better coupled with its animation sequence which is cute. The animation, I think it’s quite inconsistent but decent compared to Pandora Hearts. I think it’ll get worse as the series progress as typical of Gonzo but hey, if they make the plot work I don’t have a problem with the animation but heck, its Gonzo and I expect them to ruin the plot (yare yare..).

I enjoyed the first episode despite its flaws but I think I won’t be blogging this but I think I’ll still watch this.

until then..

~ja

Eden of the East episode 2

When losing one's memory seems good, given the benefits

It goes without saying that Jason Bourne is the luckiest amnesiac on the planet. For losing his memory, he gets a (presumably virginal) chick, 8 billion yen and a new identity. Well, let's discuss that. This episode opens the main plot IMO, the organization Jason used to be connected to is given light, and it's not a very good one. They seem to operate like spies, but nothing much is known at the moment. They might even be involved in the "Careless Monday attacks". It looks like they are all connected by a weird cell phone with a huge amount of money. Jason Bourne can practically buy 80 Lamborgini Reventons with that money, and some change to spare.

The show definitely built Saki up to be sidekick material. Yea, that kind of sidekick. Innocent-looking girl, loving family, easily frightened by finger snaps, forced into trouble. Basically, the archetypal hero. As early as now, she already fell for Jason Bourne (or maybe his Johnny) . Just look at her blush. That blush is a "fuck me" blush. Well, that's one thing one musn't do. Falling in love with spies/assasins is equal to inviting trouble, and they are already spotted together, so it may make life hard for Saki.

Altogehther, a very good episode quality-wise. Much better than the other shows this season. One can notice the power of money in these times. I.G. must be throwing lots into this series, and it shows.

Stay Tuned.

[also simulcast at thingle.wordpress.com]

The wordpress migration project

I've recently decided to make a soft transition to the Wordpress host, as I am thoroughly convinced that it is a better platform than Blogger, but I will be doing it gradually, in the course of weeks or months. There will be a synching period where posts here might appear there, but of course I'll gradually wean you guys off the Blogger page. My co-author will also be invited to join the new page once I set things up in order, so don't worry if you like her posts.

To commemorate the project, I've created the banner for the new page.

Of course, this is still the primary blog, but not in 1 month or so. So DO check back HERE for further updates (such as a 480p version of Eden of the east 2).


Stay tuned