Fairy Tail, Hakuoki, and SNSD's The Boys

Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy

So I've started watching Fairy Tail. According to Hulu, I'm not even halfway through it. xD Only on episode 16. BUT!! I will say that I ENJOY this anime--I'm not just trying to plow through it to make a review, like I did with Freezing, Yosugo no Sora, and Oreimo. I absolutely love the characters thus far and though at this point there's no main plot, it's funny and action-packed enough that the lack of an umbrella plot doesn't really matter. I'll go into a more detailed review once I finally finish it, probably over the winter break. (Which starts in 2 days!! YES!!!)

[Very back row: Sannan, Kondou, Harada, Shinpachi] [middle row: Heisuke, Saito, Okita] [center: Hijikata] [not pictured: Chizuru, the protagonist]

I'm actually almost done with this one. I have 5 more episodes of the second season left to go, but I can't just watch them now because I SHOULD be studying for my 2 exams I have tomorrow night... lol. (Yes I am most definitely procrastinating.) In any case, I like this anime, too. My favorite thing about it is that it's very mature. There isn't a whole lot of humor, but rather a whole lot of historical references and action, and character development, too. I think the anime's only downfall so far is that it's based of an otome game, or basically one of those dating-sim like games made for girls instead of boys. (Hence the reverse harem shown above.)

The reason this is a downfall is because Chizuru is boring as hell. She's MEANT to be, because the only purpose she serves is to put the viewer in her shoes, so the viewer feels like SHE'S the one the guys are falling in love with. Except this completely backfires for people like me, because I am waaaay too lively to ever feel like I could fit into such a polite, soft-spoken, boring role. xD So I just end up feeling like I'm not in the role, AND I'm watching some boring person in the role, so her character really does nothing for me. Further what makes her so "special" is... really, really stupid. You continuously watch others with the same special trait do awesome stuff, and she's just like "OKAY I'LL PUT MY HAND ON MY SWORD LIKE I'M GONNA DO SOMETHI--oh wait I got saved. 8D Yay." I think her only upside is that she doesn't talk in a fake voice like many anime girls do. You know the one: overly cutesy, sometimes very pouty-whiny sounding, annoying in general? Yeah, Chizuru just sounds NORMAL and I thank my lucky stars for that.

Again, a more detailed review will come once I finish watching it.

Going clockwise, from the top center: Yoona, Jessica, Yuri, Sunny, Hyoyeon, Sooyoung, Seohyun, Taeyeon, Tiffany

I'm too lazy for a full review at the moment--plus the guilt of procrastination is building--so I'll just review the title track.

But, let me say that I haven't been impressed with any of SM's albums for the past year and a half. BoA's Hurricane Venus is probably the best out of any of them that have been released. f(x)'s album--the one with Pinnochio on it--was awful. SHINee's album was okay. TVXQ's was okay--and that's saying something coming from me, because I usually love their albums. Super Junior's album was alright, but not as great as they used to have. SNSD's...

This entire album sounds like they don't care about music. Now, I'm not going to say "OH NONE OF THEM ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT MUSIC THEY JUST WANNA MAKE MONEY." No. I'm sure a few of them, if not all, do in some way. BUT! I will say that the songs on THIS ALBUM make it sound like they couldn't care less about music and performing. The album isn't cohesive. The songs sound like they could come from completely different artists... and this is not a good thing. Further, none of them sound particularly inspired by their own music. It's a problem. What was already a mediocre song just becomes even more so because you can tell they know it's mediocre, or at the very least, you can tell they would have preferred to sing something else.

01. The Boys
The instrumental track itself if very well-composed. If I listen to the instrumental, I am amazed at how much thought when into it. There are such miniscule things in the track that you don't notice from just the first listen. The girls' vocals are pretty good in the verses and bridges. I absolutely cannot stand the chorus and the rap, however. They are extremely uninspired, even in Korean. As for the lyrics, the English ones are awful. The Korean ones are just as awful. Sure, they sound nice... at first. Then you get to this lyric:

I think I'm falling more and more for you, who is becoming more and more perfect.

SNSD went from being the Goddess Athena, promoting bravery in all endeavors and self-confidence, to being lovestruck nymphs. What the heck? I also really resent the word "perfect." SNSD is supposed to be GIRLS' Generation. It's damaging to girls to think that their boyfriends are "perfect," because then when the relationship goes sour, they blame themselves, thinking that if he's perfect it couldn't have been partially his fault. Further, why is this message directed at boys in the first place? Or at least, why ONLY boys? Shouldn't girls have bravery and self-confidence, too?

Super7 vs SNSD

Super7 Under Fire for Similarities to SNSD
Super7 Accuses SNSD of Being Plastic

I was going to stay out of this until I saw this video:

If you want a long story short, Sones are mad as hell that Super7 first "copied" SNSD's Hoot outfits, and are now mad that (apparently) Super7 called SNSD "plastic" in an interview. So now they are going to all of Super7's videos on Youtube, disliking them and leaving hate comments.

Uhhh.

Tiffany's outfit design looks familiar...

Oh, of course! She's the red Fantana stealing the purple one's costume design!

Now that you mention it, Yoona looks familiar too...

Ohhh, SM must have bought the outfit at a Halloween store and put red on it...

My point with these pictures and captions is that SNSD WAS NOT THE FIRST TO COME UP WITH SEXY SECRET AGENTS COSTUMES. So WHY the hell are Sones saying that Super7 copied SNSD's Hoot, when truthfully they all probably just bought from the same Sexy Halloween Costumes store?

Which leads me to my next point: SNSD ALSO SELLS SEX. Yeah sure, from time to time they pretend to be cutesy little teenagers again (even they're all in their 20s now and need to STEP AWAY FROM THE LITTLE GIRL THEME). That doesn't negate the fact that they show off their legs and stomachs, wear ubez amount of makeup, and wear fetish costumes (see my previous article)... ALL are tactics that utilize sex appeal. Anyone who denies this is just kidding themselves.

Sones are leaving the kinds of comments on Super7's videos that the most hardcore SNSD antis leave on SNSD's videos, calling them sluts and saying "They aren't selling music, they're selling sex." (More on that in a later article.) Yet every time an SNSD anti leaves such a comment, they're met with hate and even death threats from Sones. Sones, WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND. Once again you prove through your own actions and words that you don't deserve to be treated any better than the way you're treating Super7. If you can't take it, then don't dish it. How would you respond if an anti left a hate comment, you attacked them, and they replied, "I'm only talking about SNSD the way you talked about Super7"?

And you know what? Super7 may not have the most awesome vocals, but if they're still around, they must be making SOME substantial revenue. And furthermore, THAT DANCING CHICK IN THE VIDEO I LINKED EARLIER PERFORMED HARDER MOVES THAN I'VE EVER SEEN HYOYEON DO... And this is coming from someone who likes Hyoyeon the best out of all the SNSD girls.

And then she went on to beatbox decently. That's when I realized: These girls have dreams, too. These girls have talents, too. And they're being shit on by Sones... and for what?

Because their MANAGEMENT decided to put them in sexy secret agent costumes?

Because their MANAGEMENT told them to say certain things about SNSD in an interview?

That's another point I want to make: Asian celebrities play CARICATURES of themselves in the public. Brian Joo has admitted this. SM Entertainment has even said that idols go through intensive personality and character training. They claim it's so their stars won't lose their sense of judgement, but let's be real: They mean in terms of the good of the company, not in terms of keeping a level head. They train them to know what the public wants to hear, and train them to regurgitate it as often as needed. It's well-known that even celebrities in America sometimes have their interview responses rehearsed. And you're seriously going to tell me you think Super7 was just allowed to go on that interview and say what they wanted about SNSD? If anything, I think their company is pissed about Sones leaving such a negative response just because of their outfits (which, as I said, Sones have no right to say they copy SNSD's Hoot outfits when SNSD copied sexy secret agent outfits). I think their company told them to say something like that, almost as a way of throwing down the gauntlet at SM Entertainment. Which, since this IS A COMPETITIVE MARKET, isn't unheard of. A bit unprofessional, but definitely not rare or even uncommon.

Finally, I offer this to Sones: No one likes a bully. No one likes a kiss-up. As you are being both, I imagine if SNSD were to meet you and be shown the kinds of comments you've left, or the kinds of disturbingly obsessive threads about SNSD that you've taken part in (again, see my previous article), they would not want you to be their fan.

I'M NOT DEAD[?!]

Really, I'm not!

I'm just swamped with classes and being the treasurer of our university's Japanese Club! Furthermore I have a puppy and he is all sorts of rambunctious. Sooo yeah. All of that combined = less posts from me. xD'

I do try to make time for watching Anime. Recently I've tried watching: Ouran High School Host Club, Fruits Basket, Claymore, Durarara!!!, Gurren Lagann, Spice and Wolf, and some weird anime about a Japanese doctor in Germany who is faced with moral dilemmas on a semi-daily basis... Or at least that's what I got from the first ep. I wasn't interested enough to keep going but who knows? Maybe I will for the sake of a review.

In any case, once I can finish any of these, I'll be sure to make a review. ^_^

For now, I need to do my statistics homework. @_____@

What STANDers feel about Sones

To start off, I want to clarify: I have all of SNSD's albums on my iTunes. I know 4 of their dances, and I would like to learn more of them. I think their songs are catchy and frequently listen to them. I think Seohyun is gorgeous and sweet, Hyoyeon is pretty and an amazing dancer, and Yuri has the best body I've ever seen.

I, however, am an anti of SNSD. I am also part of STAND.

First, let me tell you why I am part of STAND. I go there because, like any sane person, when I want to talk about something, I go where other people are talking about it. I wouldn't go into a Justin Bieber forum talking about KPOP. I wouldn't go into a Twilight forum talking about Harry Potter. And I wouldn't go into Soshified talking about what I dislike about SNSD and Sones. So I go to STAND, where I know I won't piss anyone off, and I know there won't be anyone to piss me off. Simple, harmless, therapeutic venting.

Now, let me tell you why I'm an anti of SNSD. Actually, let me link you to it: Click for a great article.

Now, I understand that other girl groups act sexy while pretending not to be. The thing is that yes, I do have the slightest of problems with that concept as a whole. But it's not JUST the concept that annoys me. What really brings it home are the fans that try to act like that's not the case. It's YOU, Sones, that make me disappointed in SNSD.

Have any of you ever stopped to realize that every single that SNSD's come out with has had a concept associated with a fetish? "Into the New World" was schoolgirls (based off the lives' outfits, which were school-looking uniforms). "Girls' Generation" and "Kissing You" were young girls. "Gee" was dolls. (Yes, dolls are a fetish. Sex dolls, anyone?) "Genie" was naval officers. (Another "uniforms" fetish.) "Oh" was cheerleaders. "Run Devil Run" was good-girl-gone-bad. (Because they went from sweet cheerleaders to dark, sexy succubi.) "Hoot" was secret agents. "Mr. Taxi" was taxi drivers. (Yet another "uniforms" fetish.)

Don't believe me? Let's see how many of these concepts have an equivalent "Sexy Halloween Costume" available: Schoolgirl? Check. Young girl? Check. Doll? Check. Naval Officer? Check. Cheerleader? Check. Succubi? Check. Secret agent? Check. Taxi driver? Check.

I literally cannot put a fetish name on any of 2NE1's concepts. Nor 4minute. Nor Secret. Nor Brown Eyed Girls, BoA, Brave Girls, f(x), etc. After School? SOME concepts, yes. Girls' Day? SOME concepts, yes. Rania? Not really, but to be fair I suppose being super sexy in general could be a fetish.

Again, I would not have a problem with the fetish-concepts if fans would just own up to it. You Sones have to understand that saying to a STANDer or otherwise anti-fan that "SNSD isn't viewed as sexy" is a huge insult to us. They are so blatantly using their sex appeal that it's like you think we're really so stupid that just 'cause you say they're not, we won't notice and just believe you. It is SO obvious, even to people that do not follow KPOP.

Don't believe me about that last bit? Here's a fun little anecdote: I was doing a paper for Human Sexuality and Culture about female body image. In order to get a better idea of what people I knew thought about body image, I sent my friends 10 pictures ranging from ridiculously thin women to very big women. A picture of SNSD was included, this picture in fact:

My friend wrote this about the picture:
They look too young to be sexualized by wearing heels. They seem to be willfully trying to please men, which disgusts me. 

When I told her that they were our age, if not older, she was shocked. She was not the only one; 3 other girls I had to interview as part of the paper did not guess that SNSD was in their 20's. The youngest guess I got was 13-14 years of age.

What I'm trying to say here is that it is just RIDICULOUSLY OBVIOUS that they are utilizing sex appeal while pretending not to. A lot of STANDers and antis in general would be appeased if Sones would just acknowledge that this is true! And yet instead we see Sones try to act like they have never, EVER, seen SNSD as sexual objects. Gee because the first thing that definitely comes to mind when I see women in heavily altered naval officer outfits is, "Wow, they are so creative with their concept! This is definitely not something I would see in Spencer's as a slutty costume!" [/sarcasm]

Another thing that I personally have an issue with when it comes to Sones are the way in which they "argue" over the internet with STANDers and antis. I could say something as simple as, "Wow, I really don't get the cowboy thing in this teaser. Out-of-place, much?" And I'd get a bunch of comments back talking about how I'm "just jealous."

Of what? Having to act like a fake version of yourself 24/7 so you don't ruin your image? (*cough*Yuri not being allowed to do kkap anymore?*cough*) Fainting from exhaustion? (*cough*Sunny in Japan?*cough*) Hanging out with male idols? (Yes, yes, because their busy schedule gives them so much time to hang out. Besides that, they've only done ONE sets of commercials with DBSK, my personal favorite male idol group. To be honest with you Diane, I'm not worried.) Having a body that's the result of not eating right and not getting enough rest? Nope. I'm pretty sure THEY'D be jealous of ME being able to eat what I like and sleep as long as I want. xD

My point here is a lot of Sones don't even try to give us a decent argument back. And that's insulting, you know? If you're going to be an asshat, at least take the time to make a legitimate, substantial argument. It may be the future law student in me but I just cannot stand when people don't bother to try to be smart when they argue with me. It's like, "Wow, I can really see how much you respect my opinion when you just shit on it with your thoughtless comments."

Furthermore, you guys will literally seek us out to attack us. I know for a fact that I have had people, MONTHS after I posted a comment on a Youtube video, attacking me for what I said. Additionally, there was a recent raid on the STAND forum, which resulted in a permanent closing of registration. Really? Really?

Let me tell you a secret, Sones: I have an account on Soshified.

And you know what else? I haven't made a single post there, because I only went to learn. Like any normal person, when something confused me or made me curious, I went looking for information. In this case, I wanted to find out of Sones were as crazy on their forums as they could be in Allkpop or Youtube comments. (And some of you are, even when you're not arguing with a STANDer or anti.)


I know that there are antis out there who are not as civil as I am. I know that not all antis go to STAND and STAND only to voice their frustrations. I'm not here to point fingers and say that you Sones need to stop getting your panties in a wad over antis, but I am here to say that you guys really, REALLY need to learn the difference between a troll, a "hater," and an intelligent person who just wants to voice their opinion.

A troll will say shit like a Sone said in the STAND raid: "I think SNSD should change their color to red. Cassies don't need it because DBSK doesn't even exist anymore."

A hater will say shit like: "Are you guys doing so badly in life to a point such that you have to resort to putting others down to make yourself feel better?"

(This person also went on to say that we STANDers need anger management, which I lol'd hard at because part of anger management is talking to a therapist about your problems to simply "let out" the anger. Which, by talking to others who share our opinion, we're already doing. Lol.)

An intelligent person who wants to voice their opinion will say something like this: "Wow, I really don't get the cowboy thing in this teaser. Out-of-place, much?"

Then of course some of you are just. plain. creepy. From going into Soshified, I found a thread that literally lists Hyoyeon-related definitions, one of which being this:

"Hyogoodies - Hyoyeon's piercings, Hyoyeon's abs, Hyoyeon's muscles, Hyoyeon's dead skin cells, Hyoyeon's, molar tooth, Hyoyeon's bellybutton hole, Hyoyeon's nails, Hyoyeon's hair follicle--you get the gist. Anything that's attatched to her sexiness is a Hyogoodie"

...dead skin cells. Hair follicle. WHAT IS THIS I DON'T EVEN.

Then there's ANOTHER thread completely dedicated to pointing out where Taeyeon has moles. And ANOTHER thread dedicated to noticing trends in how Jessica stands. Do you realize how creepy this is? I've also been part of Yunho-sshi.com's Forums for years and I've never seen anything this creepy. There's like one topic about his moobs and whether or not you like/dislike them, but that's because it's something he 'fessed up to a while ago. We don't go around analyzing how his posture is, what his "bellybutton hole" looks like, or how many moles he has all over his body.

Furthermore, on another forum, Sones have threads dedicated to posting up pictures of SNSD's chest, butt, legs, and stomachs. Again: what is this I don't even. I'll cite Yunho-sshi.com again: we most certainly do not have "Yunho's moobs, Yunho's crotch, Yunho's butt, Yunho's abs" threads. Sexuality is a normal thing but omg. Some things you should keep to yourself, at risk of coming off as creepy.

In short:
STANDers (and probably other groups of antis) don't like Sones because:
o1. Sones turn play dumb when it comes to SNSD's sex appeal.
o2. Sones often resort to trollish posts in debates.
o3. Sones can be just plain creepy.
And in turn, we don't understand why all the weirdos flock to SNSD, and we don't understand why SNSD lets them. Hence, a dislike for SNSD-related things emerges because we don't want to be subjected to that tomfoolery and shenanigans.

Please note that this does not apply to all Sones. Some of you are probably very normal and friendly and whatnot. (I've just personally not met one yet.) To you, I implore you to help reign your fellows in because the rest of us cannot handle the nonsense.

Tokyo Mew Mew//MANGA [spoiler free]

 

 This was just terrible.

I was in the mood for a shoujo Anime, so I went looking for a list of popular ones. Googling "Top 10 Shoujo Anime," I somehow came across Tokyo Mew Mew, remembered that a friend of mine had loved it in middle school, and decided to watch it. I found the dub, which horrified me. I found the sub, which was nearly as bad. Fed up with both, I decided maybe reading the manga was my best bet.

I was wrong.

The characters are really bland. They're your average shoujo team: the popular pretty one, the bubbly hyper one, the prissy uptight one, the nerdy shy one, and the cold elegant one. Nothing special at all. They all come across their powers in the stupidest way. I mean the idea could have been good, but this author really didn't try to bring it to its full potential.

I recall two of the male characters--the ones that resided in the "cafe/lair" of sorts--were relatively unimportant. Honestly I forget what one of them looks like; something is nagging at me that he was the "butler" and the "blonde one" was the "scientist." I have no idea; this is just what my memory is bringing to me. I read this like 2 months ago; gimme a break. xD

The main love interest for our main character is rather bland. Nice, smart, good-looking. Apparently he loves animals. A twist comes up later that... didn't... really make sense. I mean I guess it did since nothing negated the possibility of it happening, but I don't know. I feel like it was some kind of cop out to make the story seem like it was more interesting. But it failed miserably at that and just seems like a pile of meh.

The story itself is too predictable. I literally skipped three volumes because I didn't feel like reading through the process of them finding the other members of their Mew Mew team. And yet I STILL knew what was going on when I resumed reading. That's not a good sign. Like, ever.

Did I mention our main character, Ichigo, is a huge Mary Sue? For inexplicable reasons, she is somehow "more qualified" as a Mew Mew and therefore gets the best powers. She is also made to seem like the cutest/prettiest, and actually has two guys (possibly three; there were hints at a third) fall in love with her. Seriously, wtf?

 The art style was super cute but that did NOT make up at all for the lack of entertainment.

All in all, 2/10. Don't waste your time. Seriously, I can't believe the creators even did on creating the stupid thing... Can you believe they made a sequel? Smh

Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya//SEASON ONE [spoiler free]

 

I'm going to be honest: I've only seen the first season, but it didn't have much going for it. And YES, I DID watch it in the correct order. (For those who don't know, they were for some reason released in the wrong order, purposefully.)

The characters. Well, Haruhi is an annoying tsundere. Like, near-unbearable. I'm sorry, when did molesting others become endearing? When did being super bossy magically transform into just being "strong-willed?" She literally uses the people around her for her own entertainment. Yuki is the silent type; I can't remember if she has personality or not. But generally if I can't remember, it means there was nothing remarkable about her. Mikuru... is basically the moe of the group. She's the nice, soft-spoken one who just does what Haruhi says, even when she herself is not comfortable doing it. But whatever, right? Having a backbone is so out; as long as you have boobs, who cares? Kyon is just your average guy. Again, nothing special. Itsuki is actually pretty interesting, though not because of his personality but rather what he does in the Anime... which, really, since he didn't do it super often, isn't a huge advantage.

The plot... pretty much happened in the first five episodes as they gathered the main characters together and introduced ideas. It's... definitely unique, but it doesn't set up for anything, really, as evidenced by the fillers that ensued after the plot was established. So then the plot is forgotten for 6 episodes or so and then BAM last episode, crazy stuff goes down, Kyon takes action, things go back to normal, season ends.

...I'm sorry, what? Where was the resolution? You call "things going back to normal" a resolution? No, no. Things aren't permanently back to normal; there is a good chance that this could happen again. I'm super mad that you set up this situation where cool things could happen and completely ignored it for the majority of the first season for stupid filler stuff.

Fanservice. There's some. It's not too ridiculous but... it's all filler. And that's all that really bothers me about it. Can we spend less time watching Mikuru's boobs bounce and more time doing something, oh I don't know, that has to do with the unique plot you set up? No? I should be happy that I get a cute dance animation sequence in the end? Oh, okay. Apparently I'm not up-to-date on what Anime fans are into, these days, 'cause I thought STORYline was important in a STORY. My bad. :/

All in all, 5/10. It wasn't ridiculously terrible, even with the filler, and the plot bunny they birthed for this Anime is so unique that I feel like maybe they redeemed themselves in the second season and I just don't know it. I'll watch it eventually and get back to you.

Yosuga no Sora [spoilers but you should read anyway]

DO. NOT. WATCH. THIS. ANIME. UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. THIS IS NOT REVERSE PSYCHOLOGY. THIS IS ME SAVING YOU FROM A WASTE OF YOUR TIME AS WELL AS DISTURBING NONSENSE.

Now. I'll explain to you why: this Anime is entirely based off an eroge ("erotic game," if you didn't look at my blog about Oreimo).

If that hasn't already scared you away because you're into that, here's another thing: There are different endings for each girl, which means you have to watch the same crap with slight variation like, what? 4 times?

I am extremely sad to say I witnessed about two of these, having been too dumb to realize it was going back and repeating events rather than just continuing from when he slept with the first girl. I am also extremely sad to say that I Google searched it to find the Wikipedia (at which point I realized it was based off an eroge)... and also found out that he does, in fact, end up doing his sister. And if it's anything like the H-scenes ("hentai scene," for those not familiar with the term) I saw, it's most likely graphic.

Sure, the art is pretty enough, but there's nothing about the characters that's interesting. They're your standard stereotypes plus another "blank male" for the male viewers to insert themselves into. It's terrible. No plot, just the guy pretty much MYSTERIOUSLY seducing everyone. (Seriously, are all eroge like this? You can not know a person at all, yet fall in love and sleep with them? Sheesh. And guys say us GIRLS are unrealistic when it comes to relationships. =.=)

As this is based off of an eroge, you can imagine there's a lot of fanservice. I don't know why you're even bothering to read this far because everything you need to know what in the first bit: DO NOT WATCH THIS ANIME. I didn't bother to finish, but I don't regret it. I am glad I spared myself something so taboo. If you're into that, I assume this Anime is right up your alley. Even then, it's not something you could really admit to having watched and liked, because the story, art, and characters are so bland that everyone will know you liked it specifically for the H-scenes.

All in all, 0/10. Why did I even watch that far? Whyyyy? T~T Oh yeah, 'cause it was #6 on the Top 10 Anime List on ZOMGAnime. THANKS A LOT, ZOMGANIME.

Code Geass [spoiler free]

 

Oh, Code Geass. How pretty you are~ I guess I'll start with talking about the art, then. CLAMP did the character designs; you know what that means! Noodle arms and legs, longer-than-they-should-be torsos, nice busts/butts, amazing hair, cool outfits, and pretty eyes. As someone who draws, the legs, arms, and torsos DID bother me at times, but the prettiness and crispness of everything else definitely made up for that.

The plot. Basically, due to events in his past, an ex-prince of the Britannian Empire decides he wants to take it down and establish a new, utopian world in which his sister can live. When he receives a mysterious power from a mysterious woman, he has to learn how to use it so he can utilize it in challenging the Britannian Empire. Also there are MECHAS~ And the beautiful thing is that the plot isn't focused solely on them; they're just a supplement to help the plot move along.

The concept of Geass, the mysterious power, is extremely cool. It has rules and limits, and also has consequences if you use it too often. Furthermore, you can't just GET Geass; you have to form a contract with someone who has it already, basically promising to do something for them in exchange for the power. The mechas, called Knightmare Frames, are extremely well-designed with the exception of one that has a cape... (What's the point of a cape on a robot, really?) However, they, too, are not all-powerful and have limits, so they're not like the ultimate godmode weapon or anything. You could have a Knightmare Frame and completely fail at using it, resulting in losses forever.

There are also a lot of characters in this Anime. Let me just say that I really appreciate that the main character has no idea what he's doing at first. As a matter of fact, he wasn't planning on doing anything until he GOT the power, because he knew just how normal and clueless he really was. With the power, he feels like he's received the key to enacting his revenge, and has to use his wit to learn more about the Geass and be clever about how he goes about using it. Furthermore, he doesn't rely solely on Geass. Granted, he does use it a lot, but the guy is intelligent and comes up with great strategies and ideas in which his Geass usually plays one role that, when combined with the strategies, seals the deal.

Did I mention he takes on a secret identity that he has to hide from pretty much everyone he knows, adding tension? Did I mention one of these people happens to be his bff, who happens to be a soldier for Britannia?

There's really a wide range of characters and personalities; you'd be a fool not to explore them by really committing to watching the entirety of this Anime.

The beginning of the second season will throw you off; calm down, take a breath, just keep watching and everything will fall into place and make sense. You'll be glad you didn't quit the Anime because you were confused for a moment, because second season is where things get real. Some people have said the director felt like he had to rush the second season, and therefore it "didn't turn out as good." I, however, did not feel this way. Yes, there were instances where a scene would feel a tad faster-paced than it should be, but the twists and turns that happen are so worth it, in my opinion. Which, by the way, there are a lot of, and they will BLOW. YOUR. MIND.

The ending... Well, the director has had to clear up confusion, because the way it was directed seemed ambiguous to a lot of fans. In my opinion, this is a good thing, because if you're not happy with one interpretation, you can leave it up to your imagination to use the knowledge you've gained about the universe of Code Geass to piece together your own version of the ending. It's really pretty interesting, in my opinion. Just don't bring up the ending in a forum anywhere unless you want to start a fanwar. Some people get super srs about the ending. xD

All in all, 10/10. Watch it. Do it. Seriously.

Highschool of the Dead [spoiler free]

***Note: The videos are nooot really safe for work.***

This Anime isn't about zombies, contrary to popular belief.

It's about fanservice.

Literally, this is an Anime made for someone who is into girls and violence and gore. Don't watch it if you're not okay with those three things. Oh, and did I mention a crappy ending? Don't watch it if you're not into crappy endings that make you go, "WHY DID I SPEND SIX HOURS WATCHING THIS WHEN I COULD HAVE WATCHED THE LAST 2 EPISODES AND PRETTY MUCH GET WHAT HAPPENED?!"

Literally, the plot is "ZOMBIES EVERYWHERE! WE MUST SURVIVE!" and that's it. There's a HINT of a suggestion as to why the zombies appeared in the first place, but it makes no sense at all. Without telling you what it is (because this is spoiler free), let me tell you why it makes no sense: IT'S NOT USEFUL TO ANYONE. AT ALL. And are you trying to tell me that no one, oh I don't know, THOUGHT ABOUT THE RISKS before all this crap went down? No, no, that doesn't fly with me. Sorry. Try again. :/

The characters. WELL. They're actually pretty cool. The one thing I thought was stupid: You know how in most zombie movies/Anime/etc the creators write the characters as people living in a world where zombies don't even exist in fiction? So therefore the characters know nothing about them, not even fictitious facts, and then their absolute helplessness makes more sense? Well in this Anime, they DO have zombie movies/Anime/etc... and yet for the first episode, no one remembers the first rule of zombies: GET 'EM IN THE HEAD! I facepalmed when I found out that they SHOULD have known this, but just CONVENIENTLY FORGOT. (Convenient for the sake of screaming girls and pantyshots, not convenient for the characters, obviously.)

There are too many characters to talk about them all individually, so I'll just name the three characters I had a problems with. 1: the nurse. She exists for moar fanservice and comic relief. She's successful in the former and fails so miserably hard in the latter. I was not amused by her stupid, dazed personality, and found myself wondering what kind of school would ever hire her. (I'm telling you, it couldn't have been because of her "intelligence" in the medical field, because A, nurses don't have to be ridiculously skilled to work at a school, and B, she did like one medical thing the entire series and that was rub salve on someone's back.)

2: Saeko, a.k.a. BA kendo girl. She was AWESOME at first... and then she explained something to the main guy in a temple, and she was ruined. It's not even the little tidbit of information she shared that ruined her, it's that there's no explanation for it. Maybe if we knew more about her past, and there were legitimate REASONS for it, I'd be like "OMG SUCH DEPTH" but no. Instead I'm just like, "WHERE DID THIS COME FROM?!"

3: Crazy pedobear teacher guy. I can't remember his name but he wears a pinstripe suit and looks like a creeper. And he is. He's supposed to be "charismatic" to the point of almost resembling Hitler in some moments, but there was absolutely no point to this. His character barely--BARELY--advances or hinders the plot. If anything, he gave Rei and Komuro the motivation to break off from the group for a bit, and later gave Rei a moment to look mature, but that's literally it. ...Speaking of, the reason Rei hates him is kind of weak. I can understand how you'd be pissed at the guy, but it's definitely not a good enough reason to leave safety over, imo.

The art. OMG THE ART WAS SO AMAZING. I mean, it's an Anime, so I didn't expect to be scared 'cause it's drawings... I figured nothing could be made to look scary enough that I would freak out. But seriously, I jumped, I gasped, and I full-out screamed at some points, THAT'S how good the art was. (And I suppose you could argue that directing + sound also contribute, but STFU THIS IS MY BLOG YOU NO ARGUE ANYTHING OKAY? OKAY. ...Although I must add that both were also rather fantastic, especially in a certain scene where you hear the sound of teeth clacking together. 8D If you've watched, you'll know.)

The fanservice. It's ridiculous. Honestly. There were WAY too many minutes wasted in one particular portion of the Anime where they kept showing the girls sleeping or whatever thing were doing, all of them just happening to be naked or might as well be. Oh yeah did I mention STUPIDLY LONG bathroom scene where the girls are like "THERE ARE ZOMBIES OUTSIDE BUT WHO CARES LET'S PLAY WITH EACH OTHER'S BOOBS! 8D" No, I'm not kidding. And this lasts for way longer than it should. Worse yet, they keeping switching from serious scenes to THAT, and it really disrupts the flow of the Anime. I THINK they were trying to balance out all the DEATHDEATHDEATH with some comic relief, but they did it in a really poorly executed way. Also, I can understand pantyshots when a zombie with no regard for underwear is dragging some girl down the stairs... that's just realistic. But when Rei is getting ready to lance one in the head, suddenly we need to see her butt as she gets into position? No, we don't. Try again.

The point where I got really disappointed in this Anime: There is literally a scene where Saeko's boobs are jiggling at JUST THE RIGHT PACE so that a bullet can pass through them as they undulate back and forth. I am not joking. It was stupid. The bullet that passed between her legs as she leapt forward to attack, leading to a pantyshot? That was epic. The bullet that passed between her boobs? No, that was just stupid. Really, really stupid.

THE ENDING IS TERRIBLE. There better be a second season because that... UHG!! Even then, that pisses me off. You know who does cliffhangers right? TRUE BLOOD. They resolve the main conflict that was going on in that season, and then in the last minute of the last episode of that season, they leave a cliffhanger so you're excited for the NEXT season. Newsflash Anime creators: IT'S NOT AN EFFECTIVE CLIFFHANGER WHEN YOU HAVEN'T RESOLVED ANYTHING. THEN I'M JUST PISSED OFF THAT I WASTED THAT MUCH TIME ON AN ANIME I'M NOT EVEN SURE YOU'RE GONNA CONTINUE. (I'm lookin' at you too, first season of Haruhi Suzumiya!)

All in all, I give it a 3/10. Bashing zombies was entertaining for a while. Then there was a lull and I got bored. Throw in ludicrous fanservice and a crap ending, and you get a 3.

Yu Yu Hakusho [spoiler free]

Really, this is a classic. It's really long (112 episodes), and not all of those episodes are completely worth it (towards the end of each season they'll draw out the "final" battle), but I really enjoyed this Anime.

Let me talk about the plot first. A boy dies, but a Spirit Guide says the afterlife has no room for him because they didn't expect him to die. So he's offered a chance to live again, which he takes. Later he finds out he has special powers dealing with Spirit Energy, and is asked to work for the afterlife as a "Spirit Detective." He encounters demons and apparitions alike, and eventually forms a team of two demons and a spiritually-gifted classmate. They go on missions together to keep the balance between the Spirit, Demon, and Human worlds. BATTLES ENSUE~

Seriously, what's not to like about this Anime? There's plenty of action, there's a hint of romance to draw in the female viewers, and there's a lot of great humor! The characters develop really well over the series, and each season's plot usually has a twist that keeps things interesting amidst the seemingly neverending battles.

There are really too many characters to talk about individually, but let me say that Yusuke Urameshi is probably one of the best heroes I have ever seen in Anime. What I like about him is that he knows the meaning of teamwork, and though he does get the spotlight sometimes as the protagonist, the others often get chances to shine. This lets the bonds between them grow stronger because they know they can rely on each other. We also get to see into everyone's motivations and pasts--not just Yusuke's--so we can come to appreciate if not love all the characters. Moreover, they're very well balanced. 2 serious types, 2 goofy types. 1 fights with brute force, 1 often leaps before he looks, 1 fights by moral code, and 1 fights with strategy. There are 2 characters that can be considered "bishounen," and 2 that appeal more to the male audience in that they aren't supposed to look pretty. Like I said, everything's in pretty good balance.

The art... Well, there were times when I noticed a bit of a change in the style, probably due to sudden increases or decreases in budget. You have to remember that this is an Anime from the 90s, so we can't expect perfection. Even so, this is better than a lot of 90s Anime, in my opinion.

All in all, I give it a 9/10, taking off a point just because the battles were sometimes a little long. Still, I recommend that everyone watch at least part of this Anime if not all of it. I loved it even when I hadn't finished it because Adult Swim took it off the air, and I loved it when I watched all the episodes in a marathon with my friends. It really is a classic, in my opinion.

Best. Scene. Ever. (2:50):

Oreimo//My Younger Sister Can't Be This Cute [spoiler free]

Don't let the title fool you; though the creators sometimes WANT you to think it's that kind of Anime, it ends up not being one.

The main characters. KIRINO IS PROBABLY THE MOST ANNOYING TSUNDERE EVER. EVEEEEEER. I literally have nothing good to say about her. She's the younger sister of the protagonist--her older brother, Kyosuke. She's a pretty, popular middle schooler who does modeling part time. Her quirk? She's into eroge ("erotic games" for those not familiar with the term), especially the kind that deals with Older brother x Younger sister relationships. Yeah, I know, warning bells are going off; they did for me, too. (AND YET YOU CAN'T LOOK AWAY; THE ART IS TOO PRETTY D8) Kyosuke... I mean, he's not a BAD character, but there's nothing special about him. (I'm seeing a trend of "essentially blank male hero that makes it easy for male viewers to insert themselves" in these fanservice-excessive Anime...) He and his sister don't get along at first, but after her secret is exposed, he decides to help her protect it because he's her older brother.

The side characters are actually quite enjoyable. Well, Kirino's otaku friends, anyway. Her model friend pissed me off in one scene and never really redeemed herself in my opinion, but it didn't really hinder the flow of the Anime for me so that's fine. That said, there really aren't many characters in this... xD' 6 that I can remember off the top of my head, meaning they're the only important ones. Kyosuke's female friend is... eh. I personally disliked her at first because she was just sooo stereotypically that "quiet, domestic neighbor-girl" character. But she did get kind of interesting later on, and I came to appreciate her. As for the otaku friends (since I just noticed I didn't expand on them at all--D'OH), they're really funny and just overall great characters.

The plot. Well, there is none. It's a slice-of-life with a twist, what did you expect? Pretty much it's just daily nonsense until the end, but it's fun nonsense so that's fine. Kirino ruins everything, though. Seriously.

The ending. There's two. I know right? IT'S LIKE AN EROGE~ except not erotic. (Maybe. There was some fanservice, though not in the form of nudity.) The first ending sucks, imo. Like I said, there were moments where the creators want you to think the brother and sister will end up together, but by the time you hit the episode right before the first ending, you don't feel that way. I realized after a while he wouldn't end up ROMANTICALLY loving his sister; he just loved her, in a "I'm your big brother and I don't want anyone or anything to get you down!" way. For that, I was actually really touched that he would set aside all the crap she put him through, INCLUDING HER AWKWARD INTEREST IN BROTHERXSISTER EROGE, and still NOT ONLY accept her as his sister, but want to help her.

...But then the first ending kinda ruins the certainty of that. Basically, it leaves things ambiguous. After seeing the first ending, I still didn't get the feeling that HE romantically loved HER... but maybe that SHE romantically loved HIM. Awkward. Like a lot. Some people say it's just because she wants to stay with her brother, because she loves him as a SISTER, but I'm sorry. She would have to face that choice SOMEDAY; it's only easier to get it out of the way early.

The second ending is much better, in my opinion, but still with its own problems. I like that life has to change and the characters have to adjust, but I don't like how things ended between Kyosuke and Kirino. What she did is harsh to do to a sibling. On the plus side, Kyosuke was hinted at becoming romantically involved with a different character, and it was a character I definitely felt fit better.

The art. It was very cute and colorful. There were never really any blaringly lazy moments; at least not that I can remember, as I watched this about 2 weeks ago.

The fanservice. Was pretty minimal, from what I can remember. Still kind of awkward, but tolerable enough.

I would NOT suggest this Anime if you're overly sensitive to suggestions of incest. Like I said twice already, THE CREATORS WANT YOU TO THINK IT WILL END THAT WAY. There's scenes that lay on the border, not crossing into "THIS IS DEF INCEST" nor "THIS IS DEF NOT INCEST" and they really keep you guessing 'til the end. It was muted enough that I could tolerate it, and that's saying something since I generally can't stomach that kind of thing.

All in all, 8/10.

Kimi Ni Todoke//Reaching You [spoiler free]

Center: Sawako (Black-haired female), Kazehaya (Black-haired male)//Left: Yano (Orange-haired female), Chiizu (Brown-haired female), Ryuu (Black-haired male)//Right: Pin (Mahogany-haired male)

First off. Let me start by saying that I've seen quite a few slice-of-life, highschool romance type Anime, and this is by far my favorite. FAVORITE. AS IN I SMILED 'TIL MY CHEEKS HURT, SQUEE'D, AND ROLLED AROUND ON MY BED FROM THE ADORABILITY THAT IS THIS ANIME.

This review pretty much pertains to both seasons, by the way. ^_^

Let's start with the characters. OMG THE CHARACTERS. They are so remarkable that I HAVE to talk about each one individually.

Okay, first: Kazehaya. DEAR GOD KAZEHAYA. I've been super annoyed lately with the trend in Japanese and Korean dramas/Anime/movies/etc where the girl falls for the verbally abusive, violent, and just plain rude guy when the perfectly nice guy is totally into her. Kazehaya being the way he is is basically like God looking down at my frustration and being like, "You know what, Rai? You've been a pretty good girl lately; I think I'll give you a break." Kazehaya would be the epitome of sweet if the main character hadn't already taken that title; lemme tell you, he comes in a close second, though. He's always helping others, really social, very polite, but he's still a teenage boy with his share of competitive edge, jealousy, and hesitations. Yet he doesn't express these in an attitudinous way; he's mature and handles everything with a relatively level head. To put it simply, I was wishing a Kazehaya existed in real life. (Especially the live action version... Mmm cute guy~)

Yano and Chiizu. They are the perfect set of BFFs ever. But the best thing about them is that you get to see them grow and learn with the main character. Well, Yano not as much as Chiizu, because Yano is already pretty mature. She's got this almost maternal energy, like a Mother Bear protecting her cubs. Chiizu, too, protects the main character, but with a sisterly feeling. Chiizu would probably be one of the main sources of comic relief, as she's generally very energetic, chipper, and funny. Yano is the one that usually provides us with the deep stuff. The duo are definitely portrayed extremely realistically without being boring, something I find really admirable about this Anime.

Yano and Chiizu are Sawako's first real best friends. Here they're giving her a makeover~

There are a lot of smaller roles such as Ryuu, Kurumi, and Pin. Ryuu is Kazehaya's bff, Kurumi has had a secret crush on Kazehaya for years, and Pin is their quirky homeroom teacher. Probably only Pin is the uber goofy character that matters, but even so, it only adds humor, not annoyance. Kurumi... well, she was pretty average for a while. Your standard "rival of the main character" type. Later, though, she changed... She actually developed and made me really appreciate her. Not LIKE her, per se, 'cause she's a bit bratty, but you know. I understood why she was needed in the show and how she added some depth to it. And then Ryuu... Usually the bff of the main character's love interest doesn't play a significant part. He may not have a huge amount of scenes, but Ryuu is anything but insignificant. He gives thoughtful advice (though he may not remember your name when he gives it), and he's always very calm and composed. Though he seems like the strong, silent type (at first reminding me of Mori-senpai in Ouran), he's also polite and has a soft spot that he displays now and again.

And finally, the main character: Sawako. OMG I LOVE HERRRRR. Seriously, she is the type of person that if she were real, she would make me want to be a better person. Wait, scratch that, even as an animated character, she makes me want to be a better person. She is nice to EVERYONE, polite to EVERYONE, and always gives EVERYONE a chance to show the good in them. When bad things happen, she doesn't blame anyone; she knows bad things happen usually because of misunderstandings, so she makes it her mission to clear up misunderstandings and be direct about her feelings (though in a well-mannered way). She's a bit naive, but this isn't really a hindrance of her character. Rather, it's super endearing.

D'aww~ she's smiling big for once~ :D

And I know, I know. As soon as you hear the words "naive" and "endearing" used in the same sentence, you think, "Uh oh. Mary Sue?" But actually, the glorious truth is that she isn't! While she is the nicest, most genuine Anime character I've ever seen, people don't like her because her looks (long black hair) and name (Sawako) make them thing of Sadako, the scary little girl from The Ring. For a long time, people pick on her and expect bad things to happen if they even look at her. Slowly, as she begins to open up and try harder to be understood, her classmates begin to see that she's not like they thought. She doesn't become THE most popular girl or anything, but she does become generally liked. Still, it's not in a "-rolls eyes- Here comes Miss Mary Sue" way; it's more like a well-deserved reward for her effort.

How Sawako's classmates see her: as Sadako from The Ring.

As is it slice-of-life, highschool, and romance-themed, there isn't much of a plot. Rather, you watch the relationships between the characters grow and deepen, as well as watch the characters themselves change slightly. There's a lot of well done humor that keeps the show entertaining. Like, I was laughing out loud numerous times. You have a few tense, emotional moments, too, but not so much that the show seems like an emofest.

The art style is a little different; I think they tried to keep it as close to the manga as possible. For added humor, they often use a style that I want to describe as "chibi," even though I know it's not really the same thing. Whatever the name, it's not overused at all, so everything is really well-balanced. I personally really like the art style, and as someone who used to be a big shoujo fan but got jaded of the genre, I was happy that such a stimulating Anime used a lot of shoujo elements like the sparkly eyes, sparkly and rosey and dreamy backgrounds, and lots of blushing. Kimi Ni Todoke wraps you in a warm, happy atmosphere and makes you think that's what life should be about: trying to be a good person while getting your feelings across to the people you care about so you can all continue to grow closer.

All in all, 10/10. I recommend that everyone at least give this Anime a try. If it's not your cup of tea, I can understand, but I couldn't forgive myself if I didn't advise you to at least watch the first episode right now.

Also I love the opening and ending themes for both seasons. SO. PRETTY. Okay so this is actually the second season's opening. STFU I LIKE IT MOAR OKAY? OKAY.

Freezing//フリージング [spoiler free]

I'm new to this, so I'll just go step-by-step with what comes to mind.

You think that's a lot of women? Get this: It's missing some.

First, our main characters. Aoi Kazuya is your standard nice-guy-with-WTF-power. I honestly can't say there's anything really special about him. You'll like him enough but not in a memorable way, just in the "Oh, you don't annoy me" way. Satellizer el Bridget (wtf is up with her name) is a pretty good character, actually. At first you think she's your standard tough chick who doesn't wanna let anyone in, hates the world, blah blah, because she's so quiet and ruthless. But it turns out this toughness has reason, and once you find out what the reason is, it makes perfect sense. And believe me, you find out early on. There are hints dropped that are glaringly obvious. I think maybe the only thing I DIDN'T like about her character was the fact that the uniform she wore--while longer than the others'--showed huge amounts of boob. This isn't me being a prude; when you find out about her past, it just doesn't make sense for her to show them off like that.

The only angle where they aren't overly exposed.

Then we have a ridiculous amount of side characters. Luckily the show didn't spend more than an episode or so on each one. Rana was probably the best out of them, as she was bubbly and cute--a great refresher after seeing cold Satella (Satellizer's nickname) and tsundere Ganessa all the time. Ganessa was annoying. I personally hate overly competitive characters in Anime, and she was ridic with the competition nonsense. She redeems herself in the end, though, and actually brought tears to my eyes. The other side characters aren't really worth noting. ...Well, maybe the school president, but only for the fact that she reminds me of Brock from Pokémon, 'cause her eyes are always squinted. xD

Brock's long lost sister?

The plot. Well... it was okay. "We're a school that trains girls to battle these weird creatures from an alternate dimension!" Lately I'm getting tired of "young" Anime characters, as since I'm in college now, I can't relate. BUT, as that's just a personal thing for me, it's a pretty okay basis for a plot. At first the terms are confusing... "Ereinbar Set," "Limiter," "Pandora Mode"... But you get the hang of it after a while. THE ONLY THING THAT BOTHERS ME ABOUT THE PLOT: At first it seems like a bunch of random fighting. "OMG THIS THING IS LARGE AND CAUSES DESTRUCTION KILL IT!" But you don't know WHY the Nova (the "things" I was referring to) are doing so until like, literally, the second to last episode. And even then, it doesn't make sense as to WHY they're doing THAT, even. The very last 30 seconds of the last episode make it seem like there's going to be another season... So hopefully they'll explain more in the next season?

The fanservice. DEAR LORD THE FANSERVICE. I mean, I'm 19. I'm in college. I take Human Sexuality and Culture, for crying out loud. Boobs and buttcheeks don't scare me. Sex sells; I know this and I'm not afraid of it. BUT DANG. It was excessive. There were literally moments where I felt like the creators had a quota for each episode, and that quota had to be around 10 fanservice moments AT LEAST. Seriously, in every battle, someone's boobs pop out because apparently at West Genetics (the name of their school) it's customary to rip someone's shirt open when attempting to battle/humiliate them.

Filler episodes. Technically you could say most of the episodes in which they introduce a new character were filler, as the plot pretty much happened in all of 5 or 6 episodes. But they had their own battles, so they were enjoyable for the most part. Nothing special but nothing that made me absolutely POed at the time I spent watching them. There's one LEGIT filler episode when they go to "Prom"... It was cute, but that may be because I'm a girl and I like things like Prom. If you're a dude, ...well, you'll still probably like it, because the fanservice in this episode is out of control. xD

The art. It was pretty enough. There were definitely some instances of laziness on the animators' part, like in the one scene where you see Satella's mom tell her never to lose. It's basically Satella's shining eyes while her mom, from offscreen, talks to her. Lazyyy~ BUT! For the guys, you'll be pleased to know that the animators drew nipples on the girls. For the girls, you'll be lol'ing or D8'ing. Everything seemed proportional enough (besides the boobs), but they DEFINITELY used hairstyles to differentiate characters; a trait I find rather disappointing in Anime.

All in all, I give it a 7/10.

I christen thee, blog!

Yes, yes. The first blog post. I suppose I should make it witty and interesting but frankly I'm in the middle of watching an Anime and it occurred to me: I've been watching a bunch of Anime lately; maybe I should write reviews of them. After all, there can never be too many reviews. I used to rely on them to decide whether or not I wanted to watch an Anime or play a game.

Now, I am passing on my knowledge to you, O noble reader. (Or not so noble, depending on the type of Anime you search to get here. :/)

I guess I could do other stuff here like talk about my life, post art I've done recently, and maybe review some KPOP or JPOP. We'll see.

And with that, let the blogging begin~ (Watch me completely forget about this in the next day.)