Kampfer - 01

OP: "Unreal Paradise (あんりある パラダイス)" by Minami Kuribayashi

Kampfer - 01

Impression:
Holy crap that was so cool and at the same time interesting. It's action packed and I'm quite addicted I want to watch the next episode. OMG, the girls here are so hot specially the female Natsuru and the gun totting Mishima Akane. I think it was enjoyable even though some of the jokes aren't that funny. Though I get the joke with the seiyuu. The premise of the story sure is interesting and I'm wondering why does the Kampfers fight each other and how they are selected. Why does most of the Kampfers are girls and if they are not a girl they transform into one? I also would like to know an explanation why the girl Kampfer transforms into someone who has a somewhat opposite personality. I just can't wait to watch the next episode!

The OP and ED songs are fine it's neither good nor bad. The OP animation feautes thes girl cast with Natsuru of course. The ED animation sure has a LOT of fanservice and it's fine since those girls are just hot.

Oh btw, my Yuri alarm went off during the OP sequence and the time when Sakura told Natsuru that she like the girl that save her earlier, which is of course the female Natsuru. Crap I think I'll love this show with the yuri, action, hot girls and the interesting cast of seiyuus (the likes of Yui Horie, Marina Inoue and Megumi Nakajima). I think I'll love to blog this one though that depends if other shows would be good I have to decide first because I'm quite busy.

Ponytails really turn me on hahahaha!!! WHAT THE HECK?!

ED: "One Way Ryouomoi (ワンウェイ両想い)" by Marina Inoue and Megumi Nakajima

until then...

~ja

Eden of the East - Final Impression

Final Impression:
Wow I’ve finally able to finish watching Eden of the East! Thanks to the storm that has stricken our country, it’s quite cold so I became lazy and decided to watch anime instead of studying physics and chemistry.

Eden of the East is a good series but it ended with a cliff hanger. The last couple of episodes kept me hooked with the plot and the answers to the mysteries that surround Takizawa, the Selecao and some of the identity and motive of its members. Looking back last spring I was so amazed with the first episode mainly because of the mystery, suspense, questions that the series presents and the fact that Takizawa is naked at the beginning. Yes, the plot is engaging and interesting because of this so called game that Mr.Outside made but at the middle of the series I lost interest because I’m confused since there are a lot of questions unanswered. I marathon it at around episode 8 and surprisingly it’s good. The end of the series is quite cool especially with the shooting that Takizawa did. There were also little details that I’ve noticed I don’t even know if it’ll play its part on the movie. It seems that Takizawa made an off screen request to Juiz that explains the beeping of his phone and why did he put his phone inside Saki’s pocket? Did he spend all of his money already? Is he the King of Japan now? What the heck so many questions that really need answers. I certainly can’t wait to watch the movie.

The only characters that left impression on me are Saki and Takizawa and their characters are I think well developed but as for their relationship I think it’s still raw. I though Isuzu was dead but no he’s not and I don’t know why the writers did kept him alive. I don’t really care about him. See, the problem of this series is the character development. They are not that fleshed out so I don’t really care whether they live or die. Of course I care about Saki and Takizawa’s character but that’s because theya re the lead characters and the story is focused on them.

One of Eden’s good points is the animation and character design. As you all know Chika Umino is in charge of the character design and she’s famous for her work in Honey & Clover. So you see a similarity in design of Takizawa Akira and Morita Shinobu which also has similar personality. The background is so detailed and the movement of the characters are also very fluid. The 3D used blends well with the 2D parts. The OP animation is really interesting and creatively done and explains some part of the series if you’ll carefully pay attention to it. The ending on the other hand uses paper-mation which is also creatively done. And the ED animation is like what happened in the last episode of the series.

The music in the OP and ED are really catching. I always found myself humming them while I’m walking. Together with the OP and ED animation it’s amazing alright. The bgm on the other hand, hmmmm…it’s barely noticeable because I can’t remember hearing it.

Overall, this is a really good mystery/conspiracy series that is set in modern times. Though there are some parts that are dragging and there are a lot of questions unanswered its forgivable because there’s still a sequel. Oh crap can’t wait to watch it.

Overall Rating: 8/10 (Very Good)

until then...

~ja

Fall 2009 Anime Preview

IF you want to check out the lists of some anime that would be airing this fall please just click here and check it out. I'm too lazy to post it again here because I have to upload all of those pictures again. Tnx for your understanding :D

until then...

~ja

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 series review

Rating: B

If it may seem too soon to review this anime because of a disaster of our own, I thought this would be the right time to do so. Although the real-life disaster over here and that of the series are of different natures, the feeling of helplessness, desperation, disconnect and frustration at the government's slow and oftentimes inadequate response are all too familiar. As my homie Dilthey once said, "understanding is based on experience". Therefore, I understood this anime based on the experience of a natural calamity, both mine and of those who were not as fortunate. (Unlike most Manila residents, I didn't experience the house-devouring floods this typhoon became famous for, but power and wired communications were cut off for a day to prevent the floods from electrocuting people, and I had to fight long and hard to get rid of puddles forming on my floor. The only allies I had were my mom, my trusty old transistor, my phone and a hand-powered flashlight.)

The main points of the series were also its weakest. Because they presented the story as basically a journey back home by two kids stuck in a disaster zone, the aspects of chaos are very well played out. The capture of panic, fear and futility are very accurate. However, this is a double-edged sword. Character development wasn't done for those other than the 3 main characters. Everybody is a stranger. Everyone was met for the first time. Everyone else was known on a "right-here-right-now" basis. Furthermore, the pacing was also very well done. However, the end part was a bit too raw for me. Yuuki's death, while moving, felt a bit rushed and could've been explored further.

Anyways, this is a very good depiction of a real-life disaster scenario. But as a story, it's so-so. I liked it because of the way it captures the human experience. I didn't think Mirai made that much of a development after the last ep. In fact, I even think her sanity took a hit because of Yuuki's death (see that delusion over there). Obviously, it cannot be a bildungsroman by any means-- just a good chronicle of a disastrous event.

Stay Tuned.