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K-ON!! Second Season – Episode 7 – The Mio Fanclub Legacy

May 23, 2010 by Chikorita157 Leave a Comment

Beware, this episode has a lot of MugiVision…

I bet all those Mio fanboys are raving this after they had a tea party commemorating Mio.

Fangirls are fascinating creatures…

Fanboys and Fangirls are facinating creatures that seems to love and be so passionate what they like way too much. In real life however, these Fanboys and Fangirls can get so annoying to fan haters that the fan haters and the fanboys/fangirls go out on an all out war. In K-ON!!, they seem to not show that negative aspect. No matter how much those Mio fanboys want to be at the tea party, they can’t go since it’s an all-girls school.

Considering how popular Mio is after that ~~pantsu~~ Nice Bowl incident doesn’t help the fact that she is shy. Not only that, she generated a lot of fans that she thought they were stalkers…

Caught Red Handed!

In a past incident, the former student council president, Sokabe Megumi is actually behind the Mio Fanclub! No wonder she knows how to make tea! Also, Ritsu tried to add some Mugivision while Mio was telling about what happened with the Mio Fanclub which I found rather funny. Not only that, the whole club plays for Megumi before she graduates… and the club gets handed down to Nodoka although she doesn’t want to…

Megumi is the biggest Mio fangirl out there that she could surpass all those Mio Fanboys in real life. Not only that, she wants an autograph from Mio signed as Mio-tan… I laughed.

Now onward to the party:

Holy crap! Mio themed items!

The speech isn’t much of a speech with Mio biting her tongue, lips and also with someone saying Shish kabob that makes Mio laugh. Fangirls love it when they see her quirkiness.

Azu-nyan and Mio cutting the cake with embarrassment.

Fangirls are still squealing…. Not only that, the cake looks nice.

Ritsu and Yui is having a field day with this…

Although Mio doesn’t like Ritsu and Yui asking about scary stories…

The fangirls are… They will be satisfied with anything…

Not only, they take advantage of this by asking Mio embarrassing questions. Also, do I smell some Mugivision going around here

They look so cute… Also, why Ritsu is in every picture? It's her pictures, obviously…

When the fangirls look at the sideshow…

They are liking it.

Mio afterwards share a very strange poem that sounds like a love poem… ouch… Next, they play “Pure Pure Heart” which sounds really good, on the same level as Fuwa Fuwa Time from the last season. At least its better than the mediocre music I had listen from Girls Dead Monster…. Ugh… Not only that, the insert single is releasing in another week, so I will probably get a chance to review the full song. Will it be better than Fuwa Fuwa Time? We will find out soon.

When they take group pictures with Mio and the fangirls, Azusa sends a group picture to Megumi who can’t come to the party. Look at how much she grew in the last scene:

Oh look how much she changed after she graduated…

Girls grow more mature and beautiful once they graduate and enter their adult/college life. Also, the last scene as pretty heartwarming indeed… especially when she is the #1 fan of Mio… Take that Fanboys~

Even though I am not a Mio fanboy, I found this episode rather enjoyable… This episode pretty much done it for me along with Episode 4 and others. It makes me wonder… What will happen to the Mio Fanclub once Mio graduates? That will leave us speculating about it until the end of the season.

Verdict

8.9/10

Category: K-ON!Tag: comedy, fangirls, kyoani, moe, music

Game Review: CLANNAD SPELUNKER

May 22, 2010 by Chikorita157 Leave a Comment

Just don't ask why the hell I'm playing this…

On Wednesday during the week of finals, someone on Twitter was playing this game called CLANNAD spelunker, which is essentially a Clannad themed version of the original Spelunker on the Atari. If it has Clannad characters, it must not be that bad… you will be mistaken when I show how hard this game really is.

Warning: There is a lot of swearing when I made the post.

It is pretty odd to have a game such as spelunker and slap Clannad characters in it… Well, yes… it’s so out of place… Now to the gameplay:

Character Selection Screen

Although I can’t read Japanese, it doesn’t really matter since its pretty obvious. In Clannad Spelunker, you can play as Nagisa, Kotomi, Tomoyo and Yukine. I’n guessing that each character has different abilities… I don’t know… but whatever.

The Gameplay

The goal of this game is to explore caves, collect treasures and defeat enemies… Sound easy, right? You will find out sooner…

What? I just died from that jump? WHAT????!!!!!

That is fucking bullshit! I died from that fall? Yep, I did and it wasn’t that high… Note that when you lose a life, you go back to a place in the level… Note that when you hit a checkpoint, you will get sent back there when you lose a life

The game fools you in thinking the game is easy. Compared to the original spelunker which is one hit and game over, Clannad Spelunker gives you 4 tries and you can replenish them by collecting the hearts. Not only that, its pretty hard to get on the damn ropes that you will end up falling when I realized that I need to use the double jump. You are going to use the double jump a lot to get to these places. However, the controls feels like shit that you will end up doing a single jump and lose a life because of the fall. That is fucking horseshit!

In Super Mario Bros, you can jump further without dying even if you fall from a high platform, but in Clannad Spelunker you die from a high jump. The developers made the game feel so hard that nobody can beat it in one sitting or without saving. Believe me, you are going to die a lot in this game. And yeah, if you lose all your lives, there are NO continues…

Forgot to mention, there is a save function, but I have no idea how to use it.

Seriously, this enemy looks stock…

It seems that the makers of Clannad Spelunker are not creative. We get stock characters like ghosts, bats, blobs and witches. Can’t the developers be a bit more creative? They should have added dangos or starfish… but whatever… Not only that, they have insane amount of hit points. It takes 6 hits just to defeat that ghost. Not only that, if you don’t hit them fast enough, they get you and you die… and you know thats bullshit!

Fuck! That is not fair! I just respawned there and I died just like that… Thats bullshit!

An enemy right near the checkpoint. When you respawn, you get hit again and lose a life. That is just fucked up.

What is a wedding head dress doing in a cave? Also, it looks cropped out of somewhere.

After dying so many times in getting to that treasure chest, I finally get to it and what I found? A head dress? What the hell is a wedding head dress doing in a treasure chest? I would have thought there would be something like gold, but no. I think they had done this since it’s Clannad themed. This wedding head dress from what I recalled is from Kouko Ibuki from Fuuko’s Arc. I grabbed the key and bullshit…

Fuuuuuuck! I fell and now its game over… I was so close, but now I have to do that over again? F that!

I died… I gave up afterwards since I couldn’t even beat the first level!

What is this game intended for? Certainly not Clannad fans or fan of Key…. It disappoints everyone just because the game is too fucking difficult! Even with the four lives compared to the original, it’s still too fucking hard. It even compare to the difficulty to Transformers: Convoy no Nazo, which is known to be the most difficult Transformers game out there. Clannad Spelunker is on the same level difficulty as the latter. Clannad Spelunker just redefines the definition of Nintendo Hard, a game that is very difficult and gives no mercy.

What would be my suggestion? Stay the hell away from this game, unless you like dying every time you fall or hit an enemy… This game is basically trial and error. Every time you play, you will get better until you get stuck again… and believe me… you will die a lot and I mean it!

Overall Picture

Pros: It’s a Clannad themed Spelunker game!

Cons: Intense difficulty, poor controls, stock enemies, unfair respawning, no continues (without saving).

Verdict

6.2/10, D-, Below Average

Category: Clannad, ReviewsTag: final impressions, games, key, nintendo hard, opinion, strawberry sundaes

Working!! – Episode 7 – The Clumsy Newcommer

May 22, 2010 by Chikorita157 Leave a Comment

What? Now she is living at the restaurant?

Believe me, this anime gets stranger by every episode. Nevertheless, this episode was pretty good and better than the first 6 episodes

Needless to say, they introduced a new character called Yamada Aoi, who has a hair style like Mio from K-ON!. The funny thing is that she causes havoc… It’s like bringing a dog you bought from the pet store. When you leave it home, it makes a mess of the house, trying to take stuff out and pooping on your furniture. Yamada is just like that breaking dishes and cups, taking all the spices, taking shelf space for herself and causing trouble with her peers. Don’t worry though… she will be tamed soon enough.

Yamada can’t help it since she doesn’t have a family. She tried to make Yachiyo her mother, but as you know… she is obligated to Kyoko… It’s just like a boy trying to take away someone’s girlfriend… you just don’t do that (and we know that because Kyoko wants her parfaits). She also causes some drama between Satou and Yachiyo… Believe me, she is a very troublesome girl.

Not much to say about this episode, except that it is a vast improvement than the earlier episodes. The problem that was present on the first half of the season such as the over-redundant punching of men from Inami is pretty much gone that it made the show more enjoyable. I know it had potential, but under the pile of meh, it didn’t deliver. Episode 7 pretty much change that view a little bit and it is redeeming itself. However, I need to watch the last 6 episodes to be sure it doesn’t go down the same path as the first half of the season. It may have a lot of flaws, but it’s not bad overall… if the material remains consistent.

Verdict

8.5/10

Category: Working!!Tag: A1 Pictures, aniplex, comedy, moe

Midseason Impressions: Angel Beats!

May 20, 2010 by Chikorita157 Leave a Comment

Been really slow on Angel Beats! since it first aired because I want to watch it with the best subs, but now I am caught up with the 7 episodes, it’s time for my midseason impressions on it.

Angel Beats! is the Sora no Woto of this season. Sora no Woto was unpredictable because it was an Anime Original that led people to do a lot of speculation on what will happen next. We get the same with Angel Beats! since it is also an Anime Original. I can’t say if this is a good thing or not, but it makes things pretty fresh.

Angel Beats features drama and comedy stuffed into random places. Unlike previous Key Anime adaptations like Kanon, Air and Clannad, they were pretty consistent with comedy in some episodes and then drama placed in a few episodes. The pacing was consistent since they focus on each character’s arc separately. We don’t get that in Angel Beats because the comedy is jumbled up with the serious sections. This could be the small flaw of the show as a whole as it makes things feel slightly out of place, especially with Episodes 2, 3, 4, and 7. For some people, it can make people feel that they can’t take the serious scenes seriously. If only Angel Beats had 24 episodes, I would think this pacing issue would ease a bit.

The animation for the whole show is pretty good, but there are some instances that the animation looks a bit quirky as shown in the following:

Just don't ask what the animators were smoking when they made such an ugly scene like this…

Not nearly as bad, but still… mehhhh….

Well, I don’t know what the Animators were thinking when they made these scenes…

The story is pretty much up in the air. In some episodes, they focus on a character’s memory that I found pretty melodramatic and tragic, but not nearly the level seen in Clannad After Story. Since the story is unpredictable, I can’t really comment on it as a whole until the end of the season, but it remains interesting.

As for the music, they have done a very good job with the instrumentals and the opening and closing songs. The only problems I have are the singers of the insert songs as I mentioned in my reviews of the Crow Song and Thousand Enemies single reviews. The singing from marina and LiSA felt amateurish and doesn’t sound professional as they go out of tune in some instances, ruining the whole premise of the song. What they should have done is let the voice actor do the singing… but meh…

Overall, Angel Beats is pretty good, but not a masterpiece. There are flaws like pacing issues, animation quirkiness, and amateur singers for insert songs that prevents it from being perfect. If PA Works pulls through with Angel Beats, they may become a viable candidate against Kyoto Animation if Key plans to do an Anime adaptation of Little Busters!

Attribution Information

Fanart used in this post is made by 逢鍵ゆう

Category: Angel Beats!Tag: editorial, key, midseason, opinion

Midseason Thoughts: K-ON!! Second Season and Working

May 16, 2010 by Chikorita157 Leave a Comment

Yes, this is a trap….

It’s about that time again where we are midway through the Spring 2010 Anime Season. Working!! and K-ON!! is closely compared as they are both slice of life comedy anime. However, which one I think is better so far? You will find out soon enough.

Working!! is supposed to be a fresh new experience with the setting mainly taking place at the restaurant. So far, Working!! is not delivering because of the content. The problem I see is overused jokes or using them way too fast that they get old pretty quickly. Most of the comedy I see is slap stick or the running gag such as Inami’s over exaggerated Arrhenphobia to the point where it gets completely annoying. Because of this, Inami is the weakest character in the whole Anime and the most unliked. The only characters I like is Popura, Kyouko and Yachiyo, and there is not enough of Popura, even though Shouta seems to like her the most…. What happened? Did she became unPopura or something?

Unlike Working!!, K-ON! does not suffer this problem. Yes, the beach scenes were a bit redundant last season, but from the second season, it remains fresh to me and I still enjoy it a whole a lot more than Working!!. K-ON! is simply more polished because Kyoto Animation had experience with comedy anime in the past. The problem I can see is that A-1 Pictures doesn’t seem to have any previous experience with comedy anime. They will hopefully gain more experience once they pick up a few more comedy Anime adaptations in the future.

Now to K-ON!!. Besides from the not so good opening, I quite enjoyed it. It is slightly better than the first season and I continue to enjoy every bit of it. I have nothing else to say…

If someone saying that K-ON!! is outdated sh** and Working!! is better… That is simply bullsh**. Working!! needs to solve its flaws to be better than what it is right now. I know it has potential, but I am simply not seeing it. This doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy it. It’s just that I am not enjoying it as much as K-ON!!. It’s simply an average comedy slice of life that is stagnating, not improving on its content…

Category: K-ON!, Working!!Tag: poll results

Angel Beats – Episode 6 – Naoi’s Family Affair

May 15, 2010 by Chikorita157 Leave a Comment

It only took Otonashi grabbing him to convince him.

The SSS finally know that Naoi is behind the massacre, but how about Otonashi convincing him to stop this madness?

The highlight of the story is Naoi’s past. The first half of the episode didn’t matter as much compared to the second half.

Being locked up alone really sucks.

Naoi being locked up to play while his other brother does the more important stuff is very typical. This seems to happen frequently to younger siblings. Usually, the older brother/sister gets more attention than the youngest sibling. I never had that problem in my life, but I’m sure others had trying to get more attention from their parents.

This is a very important quote that will pretty much change Naoi’s life and holds some significance towards the end of his story:

You’re the one who died.

A lot of work ahead of you now…

Parents always want their children to succeed in life. Probably, the only way for a younger sibling to do gain more attention is from hard work and succeeding. However, some people aren’t cut out at some things even they put their full efforts. In this instance, Naoi swaps places with his brother so he can have an important meaning to his life, but sacrificing his previous life. Naoi faced a lot of difficulties because he was simply not good at pottery like his father and his brother. Eventually he got it with an award, but he did not do nearly as well.

Tragedy strikes and…

It makes you wonder… What Naoi achieved in his life since his father can no longer train him? Nothing. He considers himself as a failure because he does not have the skills and he have to take care of his father for rest of his life. He failed because he was trying to be more like his brother instead of being himself, which is why the quote “you’re the one who died” holds true. Being yourself and hard work is the only path to success.

Besides from Naoi’s story, the episode is a rather a good one. The joke seems to be somewhat out of place. It kind of reminded me of the previous Key Anime adaptations that had a period of comedy and then turning into a melodrama. With the pacing in Angel Beats being slightly fast, it gets out of place. Now with Tenshi on their side, will Naoi join in as well after Otonashi bringing back to his senses? We will find out next episode.

Verdict

8.8/10

Category: Angel Beats!Tag: drama, key, PA Works

K-ON!! Second Season – Episode 6 – Rain Worries and Naming Instruments

May 14, 2010 by Chikorita157 Leave a Comment

I think I got a nosebleed here…

Yes, it’s rainy season and it sucks badly… April seems to be the month where it rains so much that you need to wear a raincoat or use an umbrella. Not only that, outdoor after school activities get canceled or put indoors because it is so wet out. There was a few occasions in my life where I stood out in the heavy rain for an hour. After going inside, I was all soaking wet, even when I have an umbrella and jacket on. Yui is the same way, trying to protect her Gitah. Getting wet by cars splashing water, puddles, a dog and falling down to the ground. This is a reason why Yui is wearing this maid outfit. I wished she kept it on since it looked so cute, but oh well…

Is this some kind of ritual?

This is a funny thing since hardly anyone would dry their clothes in the dark music room. Well, you have to put it somewhere so it could dry. However, Ui never broke the news that it was Yui’s and it left hilarious reactions on Azusa’s and Jun’s part.

You wonder where Azusa got this?

Azusa discovers online shopping where she bought various things for cheap such as a guitar raincoat that comes with a guitar desiccant, a wall mounting guitar hangar, finger trainer and a training CD. Azusa really loves to buy random things online. Buying online is usually beneficial as it costs less and you can buy items that is normally not sold in stores in the comfort of your home, but some might get too overboard and then have their place filled with unnecessary things lying around the house or apartment.

When Yui starts replacing the strings in her Guitar, the funniest scene happen when Azusa said that Yui shouldn’t talk so dearly to her Gitah every time. This makes everyone else think that Azusa is jealous of Yui and saying it is a love triangle. I laughed.

How she is going to take this off when inside?

Musical Instruments are very delicate and very sensitive to temperature and moisture. I know this because my Clarinet is made out of wood. However, I won’t go so far and wrap it with plastic and tape. It is pretty foolish because it’s hard to take off. This is why all the members decided to leave the instruments at school, but…

Yui misses Gitah.

There are some people that are emotionally attached to their musical instruments like with Yui. This is because Yui brings it home every day so that she can practice on it and even sleep with it! Normal people won’t do that with their instruments, unless they are like Yui…

Oh my! Mio is also naming her instrument.

There is some things in life that some people give names to… Computers, cell phones, instruments, Weighted Companion Cubes (no, I’m just kidding about the cube part)… you name it! I even name my computers and my iPhones after my favorite anime characters such as Fujibayashi Kyou on my Unibody Macbook Pro. Laugh of me if you want, but I am proud of it.

Yui suggests naming her bass “Elizabeth” which Mio refuses to call it by. However, Mio calls it “Elizabeth” by the end of the episode, with the others peeking at her and giggling. Azusa also calls her guitar “Muttan.”

In the end, this was a pretty fun episode with the girls doing some funny stuff… To my surprise, what will Ritsu and Mugi name their instruments?

Verdict

8.7/10

Category: K-ON!Tag: comedy, kyoani, moe, music

Review – Girls Dead Monster – Thousand Enemies

May 11, 2010 by Chikorita157 3 Comments

General Information

Album Title: Thousand Enemies
Artist: Girls Dead Monster (Singer: LiSA)
Catalog Number: KSLA-0052
Release Date: May 12, 2010

General Thoughts

The Crow Song Album and marina’s singing has proven to be mediocre because something was missing from the vocals… expression! As a result, the vocals sounded so dull and flat that it lessened the playing of these songs. If I were Jun Maeda, I would be crying in my sleep because the vocals ruined my music composition. With the new singer for Yui-nyan, do you expect a fangirl of Girls Dead Monster to sound better than the predecessor? I have to say that the vocals in this album sounds marginally better than the previous, but it is not perfect.

Thousand Enemies

If we compare the instrumentals from Crow Song and Thousand Enemies, there are some obvious differences. Crow Song had more energy, but not so good vocals. In Thousand Enemies, we have better vocals, but lacks that energy shown in Crow Song. So, there is a tradeoff here: more energy but not so good vocals or good vocals but lack of energy. Pick your poison! Also, I found something wacky with the vocals midway of the song (around 3 minutes in) in the following:

Mayotta toki ni ha kokoro no chizu wo atashi ni misete hoshii
Sore nara yukisaki sugu wakaru kara
Jibun ja wakaranai dake

Something doesn’t sound right with these lines. It seems that LiSA’s vocals for those phases went out of tune or something… Overall, it is a good sounding song, but not nearly as rememberable as Crow Song, despite the not so good vocals.

Rain Song

Rain Song sounds like a JPop Rock song. Comparison to Alchemy, this song seems to be more polished since we don’t have stuff like vocals going out of range. Like with Listen!!, they seem to play it safe after the big disaster they have with the vocals on the first single. Not perfect, but a good listen.

Highest Life

I can’t say that the albums aren’t consistent as it follows the pattern from the last single. Highest Life is a ballad but unlike My Song, this song is not an acrostic. Highest Life is a good song, but has flaws. In some instances, LiSA seems to go out of range for a few seconds, but not like marina, which seems to get the worse of the out of range vocals.

Overall, LiSA’s vocals seem to be a big improvement over marina’s mediocre vocals, but that is saying too much about the album. Comparing the instrumentals to Crow Song, the former had a lot more energy and excitement, but if we had better vocals, it would have given a better result. That excitement was simply not present in Thousand Enemies, but in return, we had better sounding vocals for the most part.

Lastly, I don’t get this… Why assign dedicated singers to these insert songs instead of using the voice actors? I’m guessing they want a professional to do it, but come on… you have to give them a chance!

Verdict

7.7/10, Good

Category: Angel Beats!, ReviewsTag: final impressions, key, music

One Year Later, I still enjoy K-ON!

May 9, 2010 by Chikorita157 8 Comments

wpid-73a421ef1c74c28fa6ab5d84dcfc83ba-279x300-2010-05-9-22-58.jpg — No, it's not because of the pillow fight that Mugi started.

It has been nearly one year ago since the first season K-ON!. When I first watched it, I actually enjoyed it and more so since in 2009, I was already in college and graduated from High School. I still enjoy the second season of K-ON! as much I did with the first season. So, how come I still enjoy this moeblob, music slice-of-life anime? For several reasons.

First, It brought back past memories on how my high school life wasn’t great compared the girls in K-ON and how they are enjoying school. I have attended a public high school where some or most of the students are from higher class families. The school I used to attend didn’t have a good environment because there were some students who do drugs, going out drinking, and obsessed about relationships for example. I was one of those teenagers that don’t do these activities. I had friends, but gradually I stopped talking them when college started. I was a minority in the school and the school was not a multiracial school. As a result, I was picked on and bullied in high school. These were the reasons I didn’t like my high school years compared to college years. Now looking back at K-ON!, they don’t suffer the problems and it seem that the girls actually enjoyed going to school and having fun after school and eating cake and drinking tea. I wished my high school years was like this… less teenage rage and more on enjoying school and having fun with after school activities.

Second thing I can relate to K-ON! is the music aspect. Yes, half the time spent on the whole season is watching them drink tea, eat cake, socialize, and etc, but they actually play. In middle school, I enrolled into concert band since 7th grade up to the last year of high school. I played Clarinet back then and gradually, I started to get better with the lack of practice since I spend time on the computer. Although I never got first chair in my high school years, I did enjoyed playing music. The same happened with Piano. Ever since I started when I’m young, I hardly ever practiced. However, I managed to play those pieces with some minor mistakes. I am talented like the girls in K-ON! who manages to play the songs perfectly without any practice. It was quite amazing. Since college however, I haven’t really touched the Clarinet and the Piano, but I should start playing again with Anime Music of some sort.

Lastly, K-ON! is not all about the moe factor or moeblobs. There is always going to be moe-haters, mecha-haters, action-haters, romance-haters, you name it! Deep down from the shallow perception of moe, K-ON! has what all the qualities slice of life anime have. Slice of life stories relates back to your or anyone’s life and past experiences. Although K-ON! may not a masterpiece, it is still a pretty good and well balanced slice of life Anime that most who can enjoy that enjoys the genre. Then again, isn’t a slice of life story supposed to be a mere image of everyday life? We may not see a person like Yui in real life, the character personalities can be a possibility.

Life experiences and the music is what makes me watch K-ON! like I do with the slice of life genre. While some people may not like this genre because of the lack of plot, I think most people would enjoy it as there is other elements in slice of life such as comedy, drama, romance, etc.
Attribution Information

Fanart used in this post is made by 眼鏡虫

Category: Editorials, K-ON!Tag: editorial, fandom, opinion, slice of life

K-ON! – Episode 5 – Girls Night Over

May 8, 2010 by Chikorita157 2 Comments

No really... Doughnuts are so overrated that Jun only took one bite of every one of them.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t be taking a bite of every one of them if they aren’t so closed… No, I’m just kidding.

This is obviously the story of Ui, Azusa and Jun who are left behind since they are not on the trip. Compared to the trip, this looks less fun, but still enjoyable.
…

Category: K-ON!Tag: comedy, kyoani, moe

Working – Inami isn’t WORKING!! for me anymore!

May 6, 2010 by Chikorita157 7 Comments

You might be wondering how many times Souta got punched by her?... A lot.

Like I have said before on Melative… I complained continuously on Inami’s fear of men… it is becoming really ridiculous that her Arrhenphobia have been going on so long and over exaggerated to a point where it’s becoming a major flaw in WORKING!!. After seeing so many times of Inami punching men, I came up with this conclusion after watching Episode 5:
Inami isn’t WORKING!! for me anymore… stop punching… it’s getting really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really old.

That is right, Inami is becoming my least favorite character because of this. I mean, I would want to like her character, but it’s becoming flawed because of her extreme Arrhenphobia and the tendency of punching them. Well if she does this in real life… I don’t think they would tolerate it that much. She will probably get fired for punching all those male customers and even get arrested for assault and do some time in jail, which is something that I wouldn’t like to see.

Unlike Working!!, K-ON! is still working for me since they don’t have this annoying running gag that makes it old. Working!! is not like K-ON! and the jokes are really getting old. Not only Inami’s overwhelming fear of men, it is falling into the hole of never ending jokes that have been used over and over again and not being fresh. Working!! is supposed to be the Anime that moves away from the usual school setting, but weaknesses like the running gag of punching men and some others I haven’t mention that it is rapidly reducing it’s strengths it had with the setting. Despite this, it still managed to give me several laughs, but they really need to get some more fresh jokes soon or it will be in a pool of disappointment. The only characters that don’t disappoint me are Popura, Kyouko and Yachiyo.

I still wonder, if we get Aoi-chan to go to that resturant, would Inami punch him? Not likely because (s)he is a TRAP! When Inami finds out that she is a male… she will punch him like she did with all the male customers… Seriously now… Inami… Get over your fear of men… NOW!

Category: Working!!Tag: editorial, opinion

Editorial: Wait? Horrible Tasting Food in Anime?

May 5, 2010 by Chikorita157 2 Comments

Most often times you will normally see a girl or a boy cook rather delicious food… for example, Akiko’s cooking (except the Jam…) and Usui’s “moe moe omelet” as shown in Episode 4. However, there is a dark side of good cooking… horrible tasting food! Food that doesn’t taste right or tastes funny. Not all cooks are created equal, but I will focus on some instances of horrible cooking in Anime I had watched so far.

…

Category: Clannad, Clannad ~After Story~, Hayate no Gotoku, KanonTag: editorial, food, opinion

Angel Beats – What was the purpose of bullying Tachibana Kanade?

May 4, 2010 by Chikorita157 6 Comments

All she wanted to do afterwards is eat Mapo Doufu...

Finally got caught up and from these three episodes, Yuri goal is to eliminate Tenshi (real name: Tachibana Kanade) because Yuri thought Tenshi was the god… The only problem is that she isn’t and couldn’t rebel because she is the student council president.

Yuri is a big bully and the SSS is becoming a gruesome bullying group. She intended of making Kanade loose in the baseball game just to make her cry? Also, what about the breaking into her room just to get information on her? Now, Yuri executed her plan to make Kanade fail all her exams just to ruin her reputation and have her kicked out of student council? Well, yes… and that was the result of it after the exams were over. Like with Haruhi, Yuri has no morals or even proof that Kanade is actually god or not… Just go ahead and go along with the Anti-Tenshi plans without knowing damn well that Tenshi is a human like all of them meant to be.

In contrast to Yuri’s bullying… it’s just as gruesome as real life bullying. Bullies have no morals and just doing it because they have no self esteem and think that by bulling a student or a person that is weaker than them, it will make them more powerful… What would that do to help the victim? With bystanders not doing to protect the victim from the bully… what would that do to the victim with all the pain and suffering like with Kanade is suffering after losing her position in student council after the SSS tried to sabotage her tests?

Tachibana Kanade needs a warm hug… I feel sorry for her on how she is mistreated by Yuri’s outrageous plans to get rid of her.

Thoughts

Away from the Kanade bullying by Yuri… I felt that the 4th and 5th episodes being very enjoyable and funny. However, the 3rd episode was filled with melodrama. Iwasawa’s story was very sad and I sympathize with her since she never got to finish her goals because the injury caused by one of the parents fighting. The music is exactly what I have said in my review of Crow Song single, so no need for the explanation…

This also brings up a new point after watching Episode 5, even good people who rebel even get eliminated… and also, Tenshi didn’t get eliminated after she was removed from student council, so I don’t really know what is Yuri’s reasoning that if you obey Tenshi, you will get eliminated. That is simply not true at all.

With the 4th Opening done by Yui’s singer, LiSA (don’t know why, but they probably don’t want the voice actor for Yui to sing) which was pretty decent, but I still perfer the Piano version.

Overall, although the comedy scenes are out of place, I think it is still a very good series so far. The animation has been really good so far compared to the first episode. Perhaps, they will animate Little Busters! next? Who knows…

Category: Angel Beats!, EditorialsTag: editorial, fandom, key

Weekly Anime Roundup: Net Idol Traps, Smartypants Cooks and Senior Field Trips

April 30, 2010 by Chikorita157 Leave a Comment

It has been a very slow week with Anime since releases for shows I’m covering didn’t come out until the end of the week. Nevertheless, I decided to cover them in one post with some real life experiences along with the usual thoughts on the Anime itself. This includes Kaichou wa Maid-sama, Working!!, K-ON!! Episode 4. This post is paginated by each series. If successful, I may do this in the future to leave room for more editorial posts.

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Category: K-ON!, Kaichou wa Maid-sama, Working!!Tag: A1 Pictures, aniplex, comedy, JC Staff, kyoani, moe

Review – K-ON – Listen!!

April 28, 2010 by Chikorita157 2 Comments

This is the last of the Anime Music reviews for a while… until the Angel Beats! OP/ED comes out or some Insert Song Album shows up. Further ado, now onward to the K-ON!! ED Single Review, Listen!!

General Information

Album Title: Listen!!
Artist: Houkago Tea Time (Toyosaki Aki, Hikasa Youko, Satou Satomi, Kotobuki Minako, Taketatsu Ayana)
Catalog Number: PCCG-70073
Release Date: April 28, 2010
Tracks

1. Listen!!
2. Our MAGIC
3. Listen!! (Instrumental)
4. Our MAGIC (Instrumental)
General Thoughts

It has been proven that Hikasa Youko is a better singer overall compared to Toyosaki Aki. Proven with the single, “Dont’ say lazy” that was released last year. Not only that, she managed to pull off Fuwa Fuwa Time pretty well and bring out a very fluffy and catchy song that brought out her character’s “cute” side. Does Listen!! delivers on that consistent quality the last two single albums have done after the disaster called “GO! GO! MANIAC.” We will find out soon enough.
Listen!!

Listen!! has energy, but not as much as the predecessor, “Don’t say lazy.” They seem to play it safe after the big disaster they had experimenting with GO! GO! MANIAC. The vocals are more present, similar to the style in “Don’t say lazy” and also, very catchy. Some may find the longer version better than the TV version… It is obvious that Hikasa Youko is a lot better than what I have seen with GO! GO! MANIAC.

Nevertheless, it was pretty damn close, but only a bit off of being just as good as the predecessor and is still a good addition for this season.
Our MAGIC

A bit slower than the last side and is more of a pop song that has a 60/70s feel as some people say. In contrast to the B-side from the “Don’t say lazy,” it is very different as it doesn’t have the rock feel. Our MAGIC is a very catchy song. As they say, this song sort of didn’t suit Mio’s character just like “Hello Little Girl” from Mio’s Character Album that released last year. Perhaps it could of suit Kotobuki Minako better, which had a pretty good singing voice from my experience… but I don’t know… Despite that, Hikasa Youko has done a pretty good job with this song.

Overall, Listen!! is definitely a better single album than GO! GO! MANIAC and a decent addition to K-ON!. It may not be on the same level as the predecesor, but it was pretty damn close. This pretty much proves Hikasa Youko is simply a better singer than Toyosaki Aki… As always, the animation of Listen!! is top notch just like “Don’t say lazy” from the first season.

And wait… Didn’t Hikasa Youko sing songs for Chu-Bra!! a long with Kotobuki Minako? Well, yes… of course. Although I didn’t heard any songs from that Anime since I have no interest in it, I’m positive that it is probably around the same level from my assumptions. I may be wrong, but oh well.
Verdict

8.5/10, Outstanding, but barely.

Category: K-ON!, ReviewsTag: music, opinion, review

Review – K-ON – GO! GO! MANIAC

April 27, 2010 by Chikorita157 4 Comments

General Information

Album Title: GO! GO! MANIAC
Artist: Houkago Tea Time (Toyosaki Aki, Hikasa Youko, Satou Satomi, Kotobuki Minako, Taketatsu Ayana)
Catalog Number: PCCG-70071
Release Date: April 28, 2010
Tracks

1. GO! GO! MANIAC
2. Genius…!?
3. GO! GO! MANIAC (Instrumental)
4. Genius…!? (Instrumental)
General Thoughts

K-ON! in the first music had a very good amount of good pop music that sounded very good and very catchy. Did Go! Go! Maniac fulfill the promise to be better than the opening of the first season? Far from it since from first time listening to the TV version, it was a complete mess. However, does this album fixes that messiness. Not a chance… and you will find out soon enough.
GO! GO! MANIAC

Well, in comparison to Cagayake! GIRLS from the first season, GO! GO! MANIAC is two leaps backwards. The problem? The vocals are sadly a big mess. Toyosaki Aki’s vocals were a big mess compared to her first single, love your life, which sounded a lot better than this… The problem is that the messiness comes from the lyrics being sung way too fast and causing some squeakiness. I think the trend of Kyoto Animation providing not so good opening themes is becoming a reality since Suzumiya Haruhi S2’s opening theme, Super Driver, was also considered a disaster because of the not so good singing from Hirano Aya.

Oddly enough, taking the vocals away makes the song less cringing… but it doesn’t change the fact that the song was ruined by the vocals.
Genius…!?

Genius…!? sounds better than the former and Toyosaki Aki’s voice not nearly as bad, but fits in and pretty catchy. However, as with the overall horribleness of the opening song, this song simply doesn’t have the energy and sounds pretty simplistic.

From Toyosaki’s performance of these songs, the overall performance of the songs in the album was average. The problem is the opening song is obviously a big mess to make the song slightly unlistenable. I have heard a a lot better from Toyosaki Aki from the Houkago Tea Time Album and also Yui’s character Album. GO! GO! MANIAC did not deliver at all and was actually worse than the former OP in the first season. Even Toyosaki’s version of Fuwa Fuwa Time sounded better than this… Way better. From my impressions, it is clear that Hikasa Youko will perform better on the ending theme, Listen!! which I will review next time.
Verdict

7.2/10, Average

Category: K-ON!, ReviewsTag: music, opinion, review

Review – Girls Dead Monster – Crow Song Single

April 26, 2010 by Chikorita157 6 Comments

If the artist name doesn’t ring a bell, well don’t worry. This single obviously contains the insert songs in the Spring Anime, Angel Beats! that is currently airing. It surprised me on how early in the season it was released, but then again, the K-ON!! singles just released recently as well… Sorry if I’m not good at music reviewing. Probably Anime Instrumentality Blog will do it better?

General Information

Album Title: Crow Song
Artist: Girls Dead Monster (Singers: Marina and LiSA)
Catalog Number: KSLA-0051
Release Date: April 23, 2010

Tracks

Crow Song
Alchemy
My Song

General Thoughts

The Album sounded fairly good, but it is not without flaws… Like with the music oriented K-ON! which had the characters playing with some rather good music, this is the same effect, but not perfect… Overall, the vocals were good for all the three song, except that the feeling in the vocals was somewhat missing or something as they sound a bit flat. I noticed this on all three tracks. If I compared this to Fuwa Fuwa Time or even Houkago Tea Time back in 2009, I think they done pretty close, except the flaws I mentioned.

Crow Song

This song is the insert song played in Episode 1. The overall song sounded really good and really like the instrumentals and had a lot of energy.

Alchemy

Alchemy is an album insert song. Although this song sounded good, but not as good as Crow Song as the energy wasn’t there that would make this song a bit forgettable. I think it would have sound better Live or something. It is sad that this one hasn’t been used in the Anime let.

My Song

This song is an insert song played in Episode 3 and it is a ballad. I haven’t watched Episode 3 yet, but it is a ballad. The song itself is powerful, and liked the acoustics. A bit better, but the vocals are still a little flat…

Overall, I think the instrumentals sounded really good because they are obviously composed by Jun Maeda which have made some really good music in past works. The only problem is with the vocals I mentioned earlier. While it is almost damn close to the K-ON! songs released last season, I think the flatness of the vocals is the problem I see here. If it wasn’t that flat, I think it would have done better…

Verdict

7.6/10, Good

Category: Angel Beats!Tag: key, music, review

Working!! – Episode 3 Thoughts and Impressions

April 23, 2010 by Chikorita157 1 Comment

No, seriously… This episode was filled with alot of Mugivision™… Wait… Wrong show…

If Takanashi didn’t have enough with the rather eccentric girls like Inami not liking men and want to punch the lights out of them, well meet another rather eccentric girl named Yachiyo. As shown in a flashback, she was bullied because she was carrying a katana for some reason… and one day, she gets picked on and Kyouko hit them with a needled bat and after that day, Yachiyo follows her around. This meant that Yachiyo seem to have some love interest to Kyouko, although Kyouko only cares about the food…

This episode had alot of Yuri of what you can imagine. Besides the parfaits and Yachiyo go dreamy over it, there were more hints of Yuri aka Mugivision™… For example:

Some Mugivision™ happening here with the forehead touching...

Wait… Theres more where that came from:

Indirect KISS!!! God knows if that spoon has Yachiyo's spit on it.

Don’t ask, but Yachiyo did lash out at the general manager, Otou Hyougo with her Katana for taking Kyouko away from the damn parfaits… yes… it was bound to happen… You know that Yachiyo’s feelings for Kyouko is very sensitive you know… Kyouko got to have those parfaits no matter what favor.

And yea, Inami didn’t punch Otou… but instead Takanashi… I think punching him is getting a bit… well, old… I hope this doesn’t turn into a running gag…

Overall, from the look of it, it’s a bit better, but not good enough. The problem with Working!! like with other bloggers said that the show might start getting into the “stupid humor” ditch that once you get in, it is pretty difficult to get out. Like always, your milage may vary… We get that when Yachiyo only takes out the katana for that one instance… nothing else which made it slightly disappointing. Also, the whole episode left Popura out the spotlight… I thought she was the centerpiece of the show and that Takanashi likes her because she is short and childish? Did she become unPopura…. NO WAI!!!! It can’t be! It is for this one episode.
I still don’t know about this… but from what I have seen, I still perfer K-ON!! over Working!! because atleast it is funny in its own way and it didn’t show “stupid humor.” Then again, it is just what I prefer…
Verdict

7.8/10

Category: Working!!Tag: A1 Pictures, aniplex, comedy, moe, yuri

K-ON!! Second Season – Episode 3 Thoughts and Impressions

April 22, 2010 by Chikorita157 Leave a Comment

wpid-wpid-shot0001-kon-ep3.WigdobqY1qcS-2010-04-22-21-14.jpg — Look at this cute turtle!

No, this episode is not about this turtle you are seeing here… it is about Ritsu…

Although I’m not a big Ritsu fan, this episode was enjoyable. Well, it is tough that you never be in the spotlight, but trying to do something else won’t help either because the bottom line of doing what you want to do is not all about the popularity favor, but if you enjoy what you are doing. Ritsu gets tired for not being in the spotlight, so she tried the guitar and…

wpid-wpid-shot0002-kon-ep3.SrRbf0IZJDMy-2010-04-22-21-14.jpg — She isn't cut out for it... sadly...

Well, it seemed that it was too difficult and Yui seems to be glad to have Gitah back (lol). She becomes jealous at Sawako’s shining appearance that she also tried doing the keyboard like shown below:

wpid-wpid-shot0003-kon-ep3.EfCvjtPKPjNi-2010-04-22-21-14.jpg — I think I can do better than this...

Be amazed that she can make the keyboard talk, not make actual music. Well, after playing Piano for several years, I think I still know how to play the keyboard at least… more so than Ritsu by what she does with it. Putting her in front of the band or shining the light on her also didn’t help… Of course, popularity isn’t everything as she remembers why she played the drums in the first place… And yes, it only took the watching of The Who (yes, the actual band) and Keith Moon (who is part of the said band) on DVD… After all, The Who is a very influential band.

Funny, isn’t it… Ironicly, the person who really wanted to shine aka Sawako went too extreme and well, yeah…

wpid-wpid-shot0004-kon-ep3.R61yDwVfko8x-2010-04-22-21-14.jpg — Experimenting has dire consequences...

If you cover your face with something, it is quite obvious that you went a bit overboard. Anyways, another factor is Yui… Yes, I know she doesn’t seem to be like Fuko, but I still find her rather cute and very funny despite this. literally, my intelligence fells when I see Yui doing something that a normal person won’t normally do, but it is all good. Also, Mugi figured out another song thanks to Ritsu fooling around the keyboard… Can’t wait to see how it sounds like next episode, if she does sing…
Verdict

8.4/10

Category: K-ON!Tag: comedy, kyoani, moe

Working!! – Episode 2 Thoughts and Impressions

April 17, 2010 by Chikorita157 Leave a Comment

Inami (Izumi or whatever) and the fear of men… Well, we have been there, but Takanashi doesn’t seem to have a like for her since she always punches him and also… a pettanko compared to the well like Popura who is well endowed… and short, something that Taknashi seems to like. Does this make him a lolicon or what… just don’t ask. Pretty much the whole episode was focused on Izumi and punching Takanashi… I don’t remember how many times she had punch him in the whole course of the episode, but with a few laughs.

The episode was slightly better, but I’m still slightly ever disappointed. The problem I’m seeing is that the jokes are getting repetitive. How many more times we see Takanashi’s lolicon tendencies or Izumi punching him ever few minutes… Well, it did work, but soon I… well, yawned. As they put it, they seem to clam way too much in one episode and as a result, all the jokes gets repeated over and over again rather quickly… If it wasn’t so packed in together, it wouldn’t get so old rather quickly. Oh well, there is always the Manga…

Also, the animation is okay but… A-1 Pictures can do a better job than this since they were able to put out really good animation in Sora no Woto… why not this? Anyways, I’ll give it a few more episodes… but I have pretty low expectations… I mean, they can do better than this so it will become more enjoyable… but I guess it is better than seeing a fanservicy series that I would otherwise be disappointed on the spot.

Verdict

7.6/10

Category: Working!!Tag: A-1 Pictures, aniplex, comedy, moe

K-ON!! Second Season – Episode 2

April 16, 2010 by Chikorita157 Leave a Comment

This episode is probably the most funniest one compared to the first season, thanks to Ritsu. They clean out that messy closet and they found a really heavy, pristine guitar that looked like it was never used. Actually, it was Sawako’s and she doesn’t want it anymore and wants them to pawn it and use the money for the club. They end up in the shopping center where Ritsu and Yui fools around while Mugi becomes amazed because she really wanted to go one of them (for herself being a ojou herself have never seen one for herself). They finally pawned the guitar at the music shop and they got 500,000 yen ($5,500 USD in current exchange rates) for the whole thing and the other girls except Mugi becomes obsessed on how to use to money. They clean up and Sawako comes and Ritsu lies about the money. Then, Sawako wants the reciept and she ate it until Sawako takes it out and finds out it is 500,000 yen. She takes the money back and later the club decided on buying that turtle at Azusa saw… Although disappointed at first, she finally makes it her friend and it was cute!
…

Category: K-ON!

Angel Beats! – Episode 1 Thoughts and Impressions

April 10, 2010 by Chikorita157 Leave a Comment

Imagine yourself in a virtual reality… this what it is, except that anything that is out to kill you won’t actually kill you, although it will hurt a hell alot. This was obviously an introduction episode and from the look of it, the show is probably something that isn’t like the previous works. Nevertheless, it’s still pretty good so far. Animation is pretty good, especially on the second half, but the glass was half empty… Animation on the first half was meh until the second part where it got better. As with people are in the afterlife, they do not age and also the so called NPCs (Non-Player Character) don’t either… Damn, is this some kind of RPG or what?

Well, Yuri, wants to get rid of Tenshi, who is the chairperson of the student council and she tries to target her in the beginning of the episode… Obviously Otonashi doesn’t believe her and had Tenshi attack him. Afterwards, he agrees to join the SSS and plan this operation where they use the concert as a diversion and attack Tenshi. He takes a shot at her, but it hit her the first time, but the second time failed. Everyone else starts targeting her with their weapons and firing at her, but in the end… it didn’t turn out well as planned.

Anyways, that was pretty much the whole gist of the whole episode. It was interesting, but then again, it’s obviously different than before… Intense battle scenes with gore and stuff… As long it turns out interesting… then I’ll keep watching… 🙂

Verdict

8.3/10

Category: Angel Beats!Tag: aniplex, comedy, first impressions, key, moe, P.A.Works

Working!! – Episode 1 Thoughts and Impressions

April 7, 2010 by Chikorita157 Leave a Comment

wpid-wpid-working-ep1-scr1.tywSHMj6y2kQ-2010-04-7-21-34.jpg — She isn’t a grade schooler!!!

Working is one of those slice of life animes that have… well… Moe~… However, Working is sorta enjoyable and had some potential, but this episode was mediocre at best. For the first part, the animation seems to be a slight disappointment. After seeing Sora no Woto’s nice animation from A-1 Pictures, I thought they can do just as good… but not in this case… A good thing is that the animation is better than Fairy Tail, which is a big mess.

Obviously, Takanashi got a job at the family restaurant because he can’t resist Taneshima’s cuteness. Taneshima is definitely a moe~ character and really cute and all, but suffers the height problems like Kurimu did in Seitokai no Ichizon, where she is made fun of her height by Ken. The difference is, Taneshima is not a pettanko (flat chested), so no DFC here. Anyways, we are introduced to other characters and well more moe… including Kyouko… well, never ask how old a woman is, or you may suffer the consequences… and lastly that girl that is afraid of guys punches Takanashi in the face… Ouch…

Overall, Working is sorta like K-ON!, moe~ except that it’s not all girls and that it’s in a family restaurant. I enjoyed it, but not enough to keep watching at the moment. I might continue on if it gets better, but for the time being, It’s on hold…

Verdict

7.3/10

Category: Working!!Tag: A-1 Pictures, comedy, first impressions, moe

K-ON!! Second Season – Episode 1 Thoughts and Impressions

April 6, 2010 by Chikorita157 8 Comments

wpid-wpid-shot0002-kons2-ep1.6Fo9l4xmM8rV-2010-04-6-22-19.jpg — So heavy....

K-ON is back… well, this time in widescreen… which means no more waiting for several weeks to get the widescreen edition. TBS must have learned its lesson. The five girls are back and the four, Mio, Ritsu, Tsumugi, and Yui are in the same class after Sawako pulled some strings to put them in the same class, along with Nodoka… Yes, they were crying for joy… but realized that when they graduate as seniors, Azusa will be all alone, so they attempt to find new members through all means as dressing up as animals, stalking people’s clubs and stuff, but failed. They do a performance and still… no new members, although Azusa is okay with it, but she is going to be even more stricter than before and Yui now wants a new member again…
…

Category: K-ON!