Archives for 2010

What is the Definition of Slice of Life Anime?

August 20, 2010 by Chikorita157 6 Comments

What exactly makes an Anime be considered in the Slice of Life genre? There has been talk about it around the blogosphere on the true definition of the Slice of Life genre (Midnight Equinox provides a whole lowdown of bloggers who provided their views on the Slice of Life genre). Like I said in my slightly trollish response, it’s actually complicated. There is a reason why explaining the genre complicated. People have different views on what qualities in the show they would consider as Slice of Life. However, I’m going to share my views on what qualities that would be in the Slice of Life genre.

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Category: EditorialsTag: editorial, essay, fandom, opinion, slice of life

Kaichou wa Maid-sama – Episode 19 – The Moment of Truth…

August 19, 2010 by Chikorita157 Leave a Comment

maidsama-ep19-scr1 — So, perverts come from Phermone? I didn't know that!

From a continuation from last episode, Misaki-kun and Usui become partners in beating the so called Footman contest… The question is… how well they do?
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Category: Kaichou wa Maid-samaTag: drama, horrible cooking, JC Staff, moe, shoujo, tsundere

K-ON!! Second Season – Episode 19 – Romio and Jurietsu

August 18, 2010 by Chikorita157 Leave a Comment

k-on-s2-ep19-scr1 — Azusa's spacing out...

The school festival for the girls have now arrived! How does Mio and Ritsu perform in their class play of Romeo and Juliet? We will find out soon enough.

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Category: K-ON!Tag: comedy, drama, moe, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare

Turning a new chapter on Chikorita157’s Anime Blog

August 16, 2010 by Chikorita157 2 Comments

e6b1f7a35410a9b895812bde39a67fc8 — Also, more moe~... the wave of the future...

I know I screwed up the posts, but that is least of my concerns since 99% of them are restored. If you noticed, I have done some changes to the blog itself and I want to explain why I did them. Here it goes!

New Domain Name

If you noticed that chikorita157.com now redirects to chikorita157.com. That is because I bought a new domain name for the blog. The domain name will help give the blog even more exposure by dissociating the blog with NotCliche. However, they are still hosting us, it’s just that the name is no longer in the blog’s address.

Also, once I get Kronblr fixed, Kronblr will be accessible from kronblr.chikorita157.com and people can add me easily. Also, Kronblr will be easier to manage since I don’t have to fiddle with it for a directory installation.

Lastly, the domain name is highly portable. If I decide to host myself in the future when I get a job, I can just move my stuff on the new host and the existing URLs will still work.

New Mobile Site

This change happened back in June 2010 when I decided to pull the trigger and buy the Pro version of WPTouch. This version of WPTouch is different from the free version since it has more features such as threaded comments, advanced menu system, customization, WebApp mode, Retina Display support and other goodies. Since there are a good number of mobile users and I use the iPhone extensively, it will benefit the site more by using the Pro version.

Guest Editorials

This is something I haven’t done in the past, Guest Editorials. Since I’m going to be pretty busy during the fall and spring semesters, I won’t post as I normally do once summer ends. To fill the gap, I decided to allow other bloggers or members from Anime Forums like AnimeSuki to write Guest Editorials. Guest Editorials can be a review of a show I haven’t see (which pertains to the genres I cover in the blog), opinion piece on an Anime or related comment or the fandom/industry as a whole. Guest editorials must conform to the following:

Must be grammar/spell checked before submission.
Be at least 500 words or higher.
Anime/Manga/Light Novel/Visual Novel related. (No trolling, please).
Contributor cannot be anonymous. Contributor must be a member of an Anime Forum or have written for an Anime Blog.
Content have to be suitable for a PG13 audience.

To send your submission, you can either send me a Private Message over AnimeSuki under chikorita157 or send me a email containing the post in rtf or doc format at chikorita157(at)thecolorless.net. When I receive the submission, I will review it before posting it. The submission will be identified as a Guest Editorial.

Anyway, that pretty much wrap up what changes I have done to the blog. If you have any suggestions, comment below.

Attribution Information

Fanart used in this post is made by 若葉猫

Category: UncategorizedTag: site, update

K-ON!! Second Season – Episode 18 – Stage Fright

August 15, 2010 by Chikorita157 1 Comment

k-on-ep18-scr1 — Someone get the defibrillator!

Nobody has stage fright as Mio does… She is scared out of her mind!
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Category: K-ON!Tag: comedy, kyoani, moe, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare, stage fright

Amagami SS – Episode 7 (Karou’s Arc Part 3) – Kaoru’s Dilemma

August 14, 2010 by Chikorita157 3 Comments

amagami-ep8-scr1 — Nii Nii is a Perverted Bellybutton Licker!

While Junchi had a good time kissing Kaoru in the belly button, Miya was spying on him as always… Since Miya is pissed off, Kaoru became a bit upset when she sees her mother going out with another person.

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Category: Amagami SSTag: AIC, big brother complex, drama, moe, pervert, romance

Unfortunately, I screwed up

August 14, 2010 by Chikorita157 1 Comment

Well, there are always accidents in life and I did one of them. When I try to replace the old URL with the new URL for all the posts, half the posts were missing. This meant that most of the recent comments are gone and the posts too. It just proves that nobody should mess around with the Wordpress tables, unless they want the whole blog to break.

Luckily, Google Reader, the cache and Mac Journal have the posts back up. However, I felt that its just best to start over. Because of this preventable boo boo, I will have to rewrite some of the posts like Nanoha Ep6-7 post and the pages… but it’s no big deal since losing all the content will be even worse.

What I will try to do is restore all the posts from the Fall 2009 season to the present. I won’t be restoring any posts before then since they were junky anyways… In the future, I will have a better backup tool so that something like this will never happen.

Category: UncategorizedTag: update

Kanon – Makoto’s Arc – Final Impressions

August 14, 2010 by Chikorita157 2 Comments

makoto-1 — She started as a fox... and... yeah.

Makoto’s arc was one of those arcs that I couldn’t watch in one sitting. The drama was so tense that I skipped her arc during my first time of watching the Kanon remake. Its not until the middle of July that I finished her arc off. After I wrote the whole review on the Kanon Anime, I decided to continue with the visual novel and finish Makoto’s arc. The feeling of the visual novel arc was just as emotional as the Anime adaption, but it was more spread out instead.

For those who watched the Anime, there was hardly any content that was left out so you don’t have to worry about spoilers.
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Category: Kanon, ReviewsTag: final impressions, key, moe, opinion, tsundere, visual novel

Angel Beats Original Soundtrack – Final Thoughts

August 11, 2010 by Chikorita157 2 Comments

Since zzeroparticle and ETERNAL reviewed the Original Soundtrack very nicely, I don’t feel the need to review the whole soundtrack over again. However, I do feel that I need to share my overall “too long, don’t read” thoughts about the whole soundtrack because it sounded so good.

I do have to admit, even though the plot of Angel Beats and Girl’s Dead Monster’s songs are a big mess, the Angel Beats Orginal Soundtrack does not disappoint. The big surprise that everyone doesn’t seem to notice is that the synth songs. Although they have the Jun Maeda style, they are actually composed and performed by a synth group called “ANANT-GARDE EYES.” Most of these synth songs primarily sound like video game music, primarily music from role playing games like Final Fantasy for example. The video game style music fits pretty well with the overall setting of Angel Beats since it’s a virtual reality purgitory afterall.

From the whole soundtrack, my heart, my most precious treasure, kanade, Ichiban no Takaramono (Orig. Version) and theme of SSS stands out the most. I will pretty much discuss the mentioned songs on why they sound better than the other songs in the soundtrack and my overall thoughts about the soundtrack as a whole.

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Category: Angel Beats!, ReviewsTag: ANANT-GARDE EYES, editorial, Jun Maeda, key, music, opinion, OST

Kaichou wa Maid-sama – Episode 18 – Igarashi… He’s Baaaack!

August 9, 2010 by Chikorita157 Leave a Comment

Remember Igarashi? He is that guy for whom Usui beaten up for nearly raping Misaki in Episode 8. He’s baaaaaaaack with vengeance! Basically, he wants to demolish the block of buildings that also include the Maid Cafe and build a fancy butler cafe to piss Misaki off. How does Misaki get back at this jerk? Why of course, participate in a Footman contest, but its for males only! Well, Misaki got a way.

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Category: Kaichou wa Maid-samaTag: I have money, it’s a trap, JC Staff, moe, screw the rules

Happy 21st Birthday!

August 9, 2010 by Chikorita157 13 Comments

94aed988a6f8df1913007e84c931200e — I wished Mugi baked me a cake. :p

It seems the whole year since I post my first birthday post back in my first year of Anime Blog. Within a whole year, I have accomplished a lot in terms of blogging and participating in the Anime Blogosphere and it went by really quickly.

Anyway, my parents celebrated my birthday last Friday by taking me out for dinner and it was good. I have already gotten my present, which was an iPad a few months back, so yeah. The reason it was celebrated early since my mother went away today to California to attend classes for her job and wont be back until Friday of next week. Also, even if I am 21, I will never drink a drop of Alcohol because I do not want any diseases or cancer and my parents will kill me if I do so… so its better off without it.

Feel free to say Happy Birthday in this post… and I hope the future will bright in the coming months. ^^;

Attribution Information

The fanart used in this post is made by 榛名ヒスイ

Category: UncategorizedTag: birthday, cake is a lie, update

Kannagi – Episode 11-12 – The Drama Kicks in Sky High!

August 7, 2010 by Chikorita157 Leave a Comment

Before I watched Episode 11, I would have thought that they will go down the same path with comedy since the other episodes were like that. However, good things have to end and we have to let the drama kick through.

In Episode 11, Jin couldn’t take the unluckiness he was receiving including falling out a window. He ultimately blames Nagi for his problems. Nagi in turn leaves Jin all alone because she thought she was causing trouble for Jin.

Compared to the last ten episodes, Episode 11 and 12 had a change of pacing. The comedy is turned into drama with the whole ordeal over finding out information about Kannagi, a god that Nagi claimed to be. The general lack of information makes the whole situation a bit difficult, especially when the last resort is a grandmother that talks funny. I know this was supposed to be a serious scene, but I couldn’t think straight with her mouth opening very widely when she talks.

The overall situation in my opinion is Nagi’s fault, not just Jin’s. She seems to be too be a bit too self centered and spoiled for attention. She is too consumed on her goals of getting followers and destroying impurities that she cared less about Jin. This is why Jin reacted like this because Nagi was just causing trouble for him. Some of the trouble Nagi caused is making everyone think that Jin is gay or double timing with the two other girls. Besides the trouble Nagi caused, Jin and Nagi seems to have a hint of romance going on, which explains why Jin feels so depressed after Nagi left him. He really needs to get over the trouble Nagi caused and save her… or something that that. If not, we may as well let the other girls fight over him.

Overall, the drama scenes were okay and weren’t drawn out so long. Hopefully in our finale, we will have Jin and Nagi reunite with each other and learn more about her true identity. After that, we have a special and I would be complete with the whole series!

One more thing… Zange-chan kicking the three guys butts in an alley? That was so out of place after my mood changed from the drama.

Category: KannagiTag: A1 Pictures, aniplex, drama, emo

Amagami SS – Episode 6 (Kaoru’s Arc Part 2) – Kaoru and More Unusual Kisses

August 6, 2010 by Chikorita157 2 Comments

amagami-ep6-scr1 — Nii-nii is doing something perverted again!

Like in Haruka’s arc, girls seems to hate kissing on the lips for some reason and want to be kissed in unusual places instead. Last time this happened, our hero kissedHaruka puppy style, but what he came up this time with Kaoru?

And while you at it, we might see a more pissed off Miya?

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Category: Amagami SSTag: AIC, comedy, drama, romance

State of the Union: The Current State of Anime/Manga/Etc Cataloging Services

August 4, 2010 by Chikorita157 14 Comments

sample-a2fffa0b5a35183bcfd291c20be78545 — Don't worry, we changed in the last 6 months...

Cataloging sites are an important pillar to any Anime Fan since it keeps track what we watched, completed or planning to watch. People share these lists with others so other people can see what the person watched.

The evolution to good and easy to use Cataloging Services have been a rough one. MyAnimeList from the opinions of other users have been rather negative for unnecessary changes, random bugs and no open APIs that its been a frustration for both regular users and developers alike. AniDB hasn’t changed much and still too advanced for the average user. AnimePlanet is rather new still and still missing some features. However, its still better than MyAnimeList in many aspects. Lastly, Melative, the whole kitchen sink remains powerful and became more accessible to users. However, it does not have a really pretty web UI. In this State of the Union, I will discuss my thoughts on what’s good and what’s not good about these services and which one benefits the user the most.

Note: Fanart used in this post is made by えびばーちゃん
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Category: EditorialsTag: AnimePlanet, editorial, fandom, melative, MyAnimeList, opinion

Kaichou wa Maid-sama – Episode 17 – The Epic Beach Volleyball Match

August 3, 2010 by Chikorita157 Leave a Comment

maidsama-ep17-scr1 — From the looks of it, its pretty evil.

In the pursuit of Aoi-chan to have Nagisa accept his crossdressing lifestyle, Misaki and Aoi-chan participates in a Beach Volleyball Tournament… However, for Usui… he has other reasons to participate in the tournament.
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Category: Kaichou wa Maid-samaTag: drama, it’s a trap, JC Staff, moe, shoujo, tsundere

K-ON!! Second Season – Episode 17 – No Clubroom?!

August 2, 2010 by Chikorita157 Leave a Comment

k-on-s2-ep17-scr1 — I think Ui would make a fine lyricist.

Imagine that your club room, gym or field became unusable because of some accident or rare occurrence. You have an important event happening in a few day and need to practice or you won’t perform well. You soon find out that the other rooms are being occupied by other club activities that are preparing for the same event… Then what? The same exact occurrence happens to the Light Music Club and they really need to practice to prepare for the festival.

Since when the Light Music Club ever practiced? Every time I see them, they are drinking tea and eating cake… They will do fine, except in this instance…

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Category: K-ON!Tag: florida orange juice keeps the cold away, kyoani, moe, music

Amagami SS – Episode 5 – Kaoru “Sex Hair” Arc, First Impressions

July 31, 2010 by Chikorita157 Leave a Comment

amagami-ep5-scr1 — Ear biting is the new kind of fetish invented by Haruhi and Mikuru!

With one girl’s arc down, we continue on with the next one featuring Kaoru. There was a lot of talk about her because of her hair since it looks messy. Kaoru’s hair style gave her the nickname,”Sex Hair” from her fans. After watching this episode, it was a bit better than the first episode of Haruka’s arc because Kaoru was a bit more entertaining compared to Haruka.

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Category: Amagami SSTag: AIC, comedy, moe, tsundere, zettai ryouiki

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha – Episode 6 – A Whole Lotta of Cliffhangers

July 29, 2010 by Chikorita157 1 Comment

nanoha-ep6-scr1 — Nanoha is feeling a bit down lately... I wonder why.

After taking a three day break from Anime and catching up with some other stuff, I decided to watch more Nanoha. Apparently, Nanoha got her butt kicked two times with Fate. Two losses was enough to make Nanoha go in “emo” mode for a little bit and change her approach in getting those Jewel Seeds and how to deal with Fate.

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Category: Magical Girl Lyrical NanohaTag: drama, explosions, mahou shoujo, moe, tsundere

Reminiscing the Past: My Journey Through Anime…

July 27, 2010 by Chikorita157 12 Comments

3d01d3ea87853775d59529499ffbe44f — Remembering the happy memories can always be fun...

After reading Yumeka’s blog post on different generations of the US anime fandom, it would be interesting to tell my experiences of Anime when I first started in the nineties in full detail instead in a small paragraph…

From the nineties, things were a lot different compared to what Anime fans have now such as easily accessible fansubs, fast Internet connections, streaming, and cheap boxsets. Anime was hard to obtain and can only be watched from limited sources from television or VHS. Since the topic is relevant, I will show you my experiences on how Anime was like back in the nineties to the present.

Note: Fanart used in this post is made by 米

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Category: EditorialsTag: commentary, editorial, experiences, fandom, opinion

Amagami SS – Haruka “Lovely” Morishima Arc Final Impressions

July 25, 2010 by Chikorita157 7 Comments

amagami-ep4-scr1 — It looks like they are going to have a good family...

As Haruka’s arc begins, we saw a few good scenes that came out of the arc. The excitement happened as a result of Haruka having an enthusiastic personality. Does our male lead, Junchi reaches his goal of finally getting a lover on Christmas Eve? We will find out soon enough.

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Category: Amagami SS, ReviewsTag: AIC, comedy, drama, final impressions, opinion

K-ON!! Second Season – Episode 15 – Marathon… Houkago Tea Time Style!

July 23, 2010 by Chikorita157 2 Comments

kon-s2-ep15-src1 — Yui just isn't fit for this kind of activity.

Although we don’t want summer break to end, break ends for them. This leaves us with the most feared activity for Yui… Running long distances!
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Category: K-ON!Tag: comedy, kyoani, moe

Kanon (2006 Remake) – Final Review

July 23, 2010 by Chikorita157 2 Comments

b001c6fd159e42849e2cf5363ccec0c5 — Well, it's not hard to like the girls of Kanon...

Kanon, released on June 4, 1999 was a visual novel that changed the bishoujo game industry forever. It featured deep melodramatic story lines for each girl that gave a sense of sympathy and sadness (along with the optional eroge scenes). The one that was behind this masterpiece is Key/VisualArts. They continued to create other masterpieces like Air and Clannad that released several years later.
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Category: Kanon, ReviewsTag: drama, final impressions, key, kyoani, moe, opinion, review

K-ON!! Second Season – Episode 14 – Tsumugi’s Wish…

July 22, 2010 by Chikorita157 Leave a Comment

k-on-ep14-scr1 — Oh no! Mugi is deflating into nothingness!

As the Summer Break heads to the very last days, Mugi is deprived of Mugivision and wants female to female contact. Ritsu decides to help by taking her out and try to fulfill Mugi’s wish of being smacked.
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Category: K-ON!Tag: kyoani, moe, yuri

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha – Episode 5 – Hot Springs and Fate Kicking Butt…

July 22, 2010 by Chikorita157 5 Comments

nanoha-ep5-scr1 — Poor Yuuno... looking at girls this way is ruining his purity.

What is the best thing to do after you got your butt handed to Fate? Go to the hot springs to relax and try again later. However, unexpected things happened that turn the whole situation rather sour for Nanoha and Yuuno.
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Category: Magical Girl Lyrical NanohaTag: drama, fanservice, mahou shoujo, moe