This is what the show should be about

So if you’ve been around the anime blogosphere lately… you probably know of a little show known called Angel Beats! that came out recently.  I mean if you haven’t heard of it, it’s fine, it’s only got Jun Maeda of KEY fame writing the story…

Besides Jun Maeda, you’ve got P.A. Works (who are being billed as the new KyoAni) animating the project, Seiji Kishi (Seto no Hanayome, Tentai Senshi Sunred) directing it.  You would think it’s a recipe of epic win, right?

Well.. not quite.  If you think about, everyone except P.A. Works is quite out of their element working on Angel Beats!.  Jun Maeda has only really worked on slow placed romantic drama that tear at the heart.   Now he’s trying to write an action-oriented series without letting go of his heavy drama roots… not an easy transition if you ask me.  Also, Seiji Kishi has made his name making zany, and off-the-wall comedies.. and now he’s directing a drama.

The result is a weird collision of multiple genres that doesn’t quite flow well together.  At it’s heart, it’s an action-drama story.. but it’s got supernatural elements and some rather out-of-place comedy thrown in.   I mean, in each episode I’ve watched, I’ve sorta just tuned out comedy when it comes and wait for the next string of drama or action.

There is enough though to make the show tolerable.  The drama, in true Jun Maeda form, strikes straight at the heart.  The animation, as expected, is pristine.  Also the main story is definitely interesting and makes me want to watch more.

In the end though, I feel the thing that’s hurting Angel Beats the most is the runtime.  They’ve only got 13 episodes to build a full story, and from the pace they’ve been going at, they need 26 eps to wrap it all up.  I personally feel like P.A. Works is trying to copy the KyoAni-Key adaptations a bit too much instead of taking some liberty to make it work.

So while, at this point I am enjoying the show on a whole, I’m not particularly optimistic on how it will turn out.

_ tekky99

PS. I refuse to talk about the similarities with Haruhi… that argument is just stupid.
PPS.  TK is the whole FCKING SERIES in my eyes. GET CHANCE AND LUCK!!!

Oh hey look, Tekky made a post…

So I didn’t cover any of the shows this past winter cause honestly, 90% of them were crap.  The only ones I found worthy enough to keep up on were Durarara!! and Full Metal Alchemist. This season there are a few shows that have interested me enough to try to keep up with, but not many that I feel like talking about.

One of the exceptions is Working!! This show has turned out to be quite a nice relaxing show to watch (especially when stressed out).  I’m not saying the show is perfect, there are plenty of faults (biggest of which is the main character).  But when you look at other “slice-of-life” shows this season, I find Working to be a clear standout.

Well actually, that’s not saying much, cause there really are only 2 other comparable slice-of-life shows: K-ON!! and Mayoi Neko Overrun.  I stopped MNO halfway through the episode because everything about it irritated me.  As for K-ON!!, if this season is the same as the last season, then it’s biggest problem is it relies more on moe cutouts rather than comedic gags.  In that regard, Working!! is lot funnier and a better picker-upper than K-ON!!.

Now Working!! is no where near my favorite show of the season and it definitely isn’t a “quality” show.  If you, in general, hate moe shows, you probably are already steering well clear of this.  But for the rest of you, if you need a good picker-upper, Working!! should work nicely for you.

tl;dr Working!! works for me.

_tekky99

Now that wasn’t so bad…

Endless Eight takes place after the Mysterious Island arc in the first season, near the end of summer. Due to Haruhi’s feelings of regret, the world has been thrown into a two-week time loop. The gang will relive their summer over and over again until Haruhi is satisfied.

Everyone has a lot to say about Endless Eight, most of it bad, and though I have a lot to say too, I feel like I can’t get all of it quite out. Nor will I try to say all of it, as that would probably take up a little too much space, and since this is being posted practically half a year later, I think most of the things have already been said anyway.

To begin, I watched all eight episodes straight through, rather than one by one, and thus I don’t feel any of the torture, insanity, or urge to kill that many others have experienced. The first episode was pretty boring to me, but that’s probably because there was nothing odd or off-kilter with it.

The second through sixth episode were actually amusing though. Despite the majority of the script being exactly the same as the first episode, there were slight differences in dialogue, and huge differences in visuals and angles that made the episode worth watching through.

Okay, maybe I didn’t EXACTLY watch it through. I did kinda surf the Internet, read a book and twiddle my thumbs at the same time. But I paid enough attention and wasn’t TOTALLY bored until around the seventh episode. That was when I really started to feel antsy–seven times was quite enough.

Thankfully, the eighth episode was the last one. And the end of the episode actually really got my blood pumping. Something about seeing Kyon finally breaking out of the cycle made me feel inspired–as if I myself could break out of some endless cycle in my own life. I’m not quite sure what exactly that cycle in my life would be–but if I ever DO find that cycle, you know for sure that I’ll be inspired to break it!

Anyway, here are a few of my favorite moments from the arc:

Mikuru’s Final Breakdown

Halfway through each episode, Kyon gets a call in the middle of the night from Asahina-san crying for help. Each time, she is having an emotional breakdown, which really, is TOTALLY in character for her. This wouldn’t be anything special except for the last time this happens in episode 9.

Ib become unable buture!

Clothes

Despite the script being pretty much the same for each episode, you can’t accuse Kyoto Animation of slacking off during these eight episodes. The attention to detail given to the scenery, the mood and staging is actually quite astounding. One of the most obvious things to notice is the clothes that everyone wears. For instance, take a look at these yukatas:

Pretty much every episode, the main cast is wearing different clothes within the same scene. Hell, they’re even wearing different swimsuits! (Now who owns eight different swimsuits at home? *shrug* Not me.)

Nagato Yuki

Watching the events in Endless Eight might be hard for us–but imagine sitting through it 15,532 times! Kyon’s concerned that all this repetition is hard on Yuki, and he may be right. I’m not sure though…it’s kind of hard to tell from her face, plus Yuki is already used to waiting long periods of time doing nothing. I don’t think she would really mind, but I’ll just assume the main character is right.

In any case, Yuki buys a mask from the Obon festival every iteration. From a quick estimate, there are 25 different masks on sale at the mask booth. This means that on average, Yuki has bought each mask about 600 times, assuming that she doesn’t have a preference for a certain mask. That’s a pretty reliable customer, doncha think?!

“I Love You~”

“Embrace Suzumiya-san from behind and whisper into her ear ‘I Love You’.”

From episode 2 onwards, I especially paid attention to this scene. If you don’t remember, it goes something like this:

Kyon: What does she want anyway?
Itsuki: Why don’t you try embracing her from behind and saying “I Love You”?
Kyon: Like hell I will!
Itsuki: Well then, what if I try it then?
Kyon: …
Itsuki: Just kidding. *smirk*

And I noticed the first time around that during Kyon’s “…”, we don’t get to see his face. Which makes me all the more curious–just what kind of expression is on Kyon’s face as he thinks of Itsuki taking Haruhi away?! Gahhhhh, I want to know!

But even up until the very last episode, we never get to see Kyon’s expression. In one episode, the camera will be from Kyon’s point of view. In another, it will be aimed squarely at the back of his head. And most of the time, Kyon isn’t even on-screen during this moment. It’s a bit frustrating, but I guess that leave the expression up to the imagination. Good stuff.

Final thoughts

Certainly, showing the same episode eight times in a row wasn’t something viewers would like, and maybe the producers even did it on purpose in order to provoke us. But at the same time, making me rewatch variations on a theme over and over again created an emotional reaction in me at the very end that could not have been reached with only two or three episodes.

I probably wouldn’t have found Asahina’s incoherence as funny if she hadn’t spoken clearly seven times before that. I wouldn’t feel as bad for Nagato if I hadn’t experienced at least a fraction of what she has. And the final scene, where the time loop finally ends, would not have been as exhilarating if I hadn’t seen Kyon fail so many times before.

Despite the same script, the animation and colors increased the desperation and intensity of each episode until it finally reached the climax. In the end, it was worth sitting through it all.

Well, hopefully this post marks the end of a long hiatus. Take care, everyone!

~eNamorD (byItsuki’s amazing lung capacity)

So I do like the occasional shoujo manga, but lately I feel like drama shoujo titles have become more like soap operas rather than romantic dramas.  Lately there’s been too much of a reliance on melodrama to get readers.  Even the insanely popular and praised, Kimi ni Todoke has it’s own share of melodrama.  While the addition of melodrama might make for nice “oh snap” moments in the manga, it takes a toll on the human factor.  Bokura wa Itsumo is a exception to the current trend in shoujo manga, and is an immensely satisfying read.

By definition Bokura wa Itsumo is a story about a love square,  but I find that term misleading.  Rather it’s better described as a parallel love story.  There are 4 characters in BwI: Saeka, Nori, Kyo, and Haruna.  In order to ratchet up the human factor, Fujimiya Ayu writes each chapter from the perspective of one of the four main characters.  By alternating these perspectives, we get to see how each character thinks and develops as events of the manga progresses.

There were many times where I expected the story to go one way due to current standards of shoujo manga, but it ends up avoiding the pitfall completely.  Rather than adding drama solely for drama; it’s added for the purpose of character development.  Don’t expect to see bitch fights or back stabbing in this manga.  Everything is treated subtly, and in a way it makes it more effective.

I found myself loving the characters with each passing chapter, and I’m anxiously waiting the next release.  So if you’re someone like me, who’s sick of the current style of shoujo mangas… give Bokura wa Itsumo a shot.

_tekky99

So this is the 3rd time that we’ve gone on unintentional hiatus due to school.  Considering the increasing frequency of these hiatuses, I think it’s clear that college engineers + episodic blogs don’t mix.  Fact of the matter about episodics is this: it’s hard to have something to say about every episode of a 26 episode series.  This happens more often  than you’d think.  Add bloggers who haven’t taken a writing class in 2+ years  and you have a recipe for writer’s block.  With the intense engineering curriculum that we have, maintaining the blog becomes less and less of a priority

At the same time, I’ve grown too attached to this blog for me to simply give it up. Rather than let this blog die, I’d much rather scale it back and make it as enjoyable as possible rather than a weekly chore.  I don’t know about the other bloggers, but I’m not gonna commit to blogging a series any more.  Instead I’m probably just gonna randomly make posts when I feel there’s something going on in the world of anime that worth’s commenting on.  (Hopefully the other bloggers will find this a welcome change).

Lastly I want to thank the readers who visit this site despite it being updated so infrequently.  We think of you guys when we post =D.

Arigatou~
_tekky99

PS as the end of the year/decade approaches… top 10 lists are almost too fun to pass up.  XD Expect a few to come out after this weekend.

Nope, we’re not dead… we just had a little thing known as COLLEGE start up again.  I’m in a slight break in my schedule after my first set of midterms, and I finally had time to make a post.  So I decided to get started w/ Darker than Black 2.

So 3 episodes in to DtB2 and the only real word I can come up w/ summing up my thoughts is: disappointment.  Don’t get me wrong… I really like the series so far, as an anime… but not so much as a sequel to DtB.  It just seems to be missing what made the first season really good.  I’ll just run through what I feel is lacking w/ this season thus far.

I have major problems with the characters.  In the first season, Hei, Yin, and Mao made a great team of morally-ambiguous protagonists.  The entire first half the series fleshed them out REALLY well.  With only 13 episodes this season, there’s no way they’ll be able to flesh out the new characters a well.  Suou thus far has been a whiny bitch and I honestly don’t care what happens to her.  But most annoying/disappointing is how Hei’s personality has changed.  In the first season, he was the definition of suave.  This season… he’s become emo… WTF!

Plot progression hasn’t been that great either.  It’s a little too…. linear.  Also, I’ve facepalmed at certain developments.  I mean… seriously, they got rid of Hei’s ability in favor of Suou going mahou shoujo.  And more annoying… THEY BROUGHT MAO BACK FROM THE DEAD AAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I mean c’mon BONES, I thought you were better than that… did you seriously have to pull the come-back-from-the-grave card.

Now as I said, despite my issues w/ the season thus far, I am liking the show in general.  The first episode was amazing and captured everything that made the first season good.  I really hope the episodes down the line will be more like that.  The plotline w/ Yin missing is probably the most interesting thing in the show thus far.  I really hope that that’ll be the main focus of the season.

All in all, the way DtB2 has gone thus far seems to indicate that there’ll probably be at least one more season left after this.  There’s still a ton of stuff regarding the Syndicate, PANDORA, Hell’s Gate, and Contractors in general, that they haven’t even begun to cover.  Enough material to take up 1-2 seasons.. w/o introducing new threads.

EPISODE 1 RATING: 9/10
EPISODE 2 RATING: 8/10
EPISODE 3 RATING: 7/10

_tekky99

PS I’m gonna finish covering the summer series.  Also none of the other fall shows interested me enough for me to blog them.

After missing out on the summer preview, PSJ is back with a full fall season preview.  Same format as before, same style, not including kids show (so no Battle Spirits or Stitch commentary here.) As always summaries and production infos are found on MyAnimeList, AnimeNewsNetwork, and AnimeDB.  Only major difference is that I’m also including a “long-term expectations” tier.  As it sounds, if we feel a show will be good for the long run, then we’ll give it a 1 or 2 tier.  If not, we’ll give it a lower tier.  (Interest Tiers will be labeled “Interest” and Long-term Tier will be labeled “Long-Term”)

11eyes

Studio: Dogakobo
Genres: Action, Fantasy, Romance
Synopsis: Satsuki Kakeru lost his sister by suicide and has been living a dull life ever since then. One day, he is transported into a bizarre world “Red Night” along with his friend Minase Yuka. In order to survive and escape from Red Night, he fights against Dark Spirits (Ralva) and Black Nights.

tekky99: Like Night Wizard and Rental Magica in the past, This series has a lot of promise and potential for a great dark story.  However, also like the series mentioned, I expect 11eyes to fall well short.  Will check it out though to see if it’s any good.
Interest: 2     Long-Term: 4     Blogging Chance: 30%

Shiki: I’ll give bonus points for the art but why do we always have to have the usual male and female mains start together? Sounds like a cookie cutter, though I’ll watch the first couple episodes to see if it’ll change my mind.
Interest:3       Long-Term:5     Blogging Chance:0%

eNamorD: The biggest thing that will determine how much I like this show will probably be how combat works–how much of it is magical and how much of it is physical? How well-paced are the action-scenes? The second biggest thing will be how intriguing the plot is–but from the synopsis so far, it doesn’t seem that intriguing.
Interest: 3    Long-term: 5    Blogging Chance: 5%

Menma: Looks kind of cool…probably not cool enough for me to seek it out.  I dunno, I’m just burned out on action.  It’s so rare for shounen series to be exceptional these days.
Interest: 4     Long-term: 3    Blogging Chance: 0%

Anyamaru Tantei Kiruminzuu

Studio: Hal Film Maker, JM Animation, Satelight
Genres: Unknown (probably Slice-of-life, Comedy)
Synopsis: Unknown

Reasons to Watch:  Joint project of 3 up-and-coming companies.

tekky99: From what I can tell, the main characters in this series can turn in animal.  Besides that, the promo artwork reminds me of DigiCharat.  Here’s to hoping for a sugary cute series.
Interest: 2     Long-Term: 3     Blogging Chance: 20%

Shiki: I’m about to get cavities X_X I hope its more than it sounds like its offering.
Interest: 4    Long-Term:5       Blogging Chance:0%

eNamorD: Looks a bit too chibi, cute and pointless for my tastes. I’ll check it out if I hear about any redeeming qualities, but I think I’ll avoid it for now.
Interest: 5    Long-term: 5    Blogging Chance: 0%

Menma: Pass.  Desu.
Interest: 5     Long-term: 5    Blogging Chance: 0%

Asura Cryin’ 2

Studio: Seven Arcs
Genres: Mecha, Fantasy, Action
Synopsis: Continuation of the Asura Cryin mecha anime from the spring 09 season.

tekky99: Lost interest in the first season after 3 episodes.  Probabaly not gonna complete it any time soon.
Interest: 5     Long-Term: 5     Blogging Chance: 0%

Shiki: Not planning on watching sequels this round unless I hear something is really good.
Interest:5      Long-Term: 5     Blogging Chance:0%

eNamorD: Maybe if I decide to watch the first season.
Interest: 5    Long-term: 4    Blogging Chance: 0%

Menma: No first-season experience.
Interest: 5     Long-term: 5    Blogging Chance: 0%

Darker than Black: Ryuusei no Gemini

Studio: BONES
Genres: Science-Fiction, Mystery, Action
Synopsis: Two years have passed since Hei and Yin escaped the Syndicate after the events of the first season. Making their way to Russia, Hei encounters a young girl named Suou Pavlichenko, whose family is gradually pulled into the war between contractors and various intelligence factions. Meanwhile, Misaki Kirihara has quit her position in Foreign Affairs to begin her own investigations into Hei, the Contractors and the Syndicate.

tekky99: I had the pleasure of finishing the first season recently, and I can’t wait to see how the story continues.  Should be a pretty easy show to blog to.
Interest: 1     Long-Term: 1     Blogging Chance: 100%

Shiki: I lied..I will watch this because the original was made of win! I love the character development in this series.
Interest: 1     Long-Term:2      Blogging Chance:0%

eNamorD: I haven’t watched the first season, but it’s by Studio Bones, which I respect a lot, and the plot does look interesting. Probably after I watch the first season though.
Interest: 3    Long-term: 3    Blogging Chance: 0%

Menma: Haven’t seen the first season.
Interest: 5     Long-term: 3    Blogging Chance: 0%

Fairy Tail

Studio: Satelight, A-1 Pictures
Genres: Shounen, Action, Comedy
Synopsis: Lucy is a 17-year-old girl, who wants to be a full-fledged mage. One day when visiting Harujion Town, she meets Natsu, a young man who gets sick easily by any type of transportation. But Natsu isnt just any ordinary kid, he’s a member of one of the world’s most (in)famous mage guilds: Fairy Tail.

tekky99: I tried to get into the manga, but I haven’t gotten past the first 5 chapters.  It’s still on my “to-read” list.  Maybe this’ll give me an excuse to check it out.  However, history shows that anime-original endings of long running series rarely turn out well…
Interest: 2     Long-Term: 3     Blogging Chance: 50%

Shiki: I enjoy reading the manga although I’m somewhat behind. The problem is this makes me want to really watch the anime even though I know I’ll get bored with the anime pacing X_X. I’ll be watching anyway since its a fun series.
Interest: 2     Long-Term:2       Blogging Chance:0%

eNamorD: WAIT IS THAT BLACK STAR?! Anyway, this looks interesting–here’s to hoping this Lucy girl is a strong female lead. I’m tired of the main character females who do absolutely nothing.
Interest: 2    Long-term: 3    Blogging Chance: 30%

Menma: I’ve heard that the manga is something special, so I’ll probably give it a try.  I don’t expect much, though.  It will probably go on forever.
Interest: 2    Long-term: 3    Blogging Chance: 10%

InuYasha: Final Act

Studio: Sunrise
Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Romance
Synopsis: Adaptation of InuYasha that covers the final chapters of the manga (not covered by the original anime).

tekky99: Never seen/read any chapter/episode of InuYasha, and I don’t plan on starting now.
Interest: 5     Long-Term: 5     Blogging Chance: 0%

Shiki: Inuyasha took too long so I’ve already long left it behind a few years ago. I don’t really feel like getting into it again since that would require a refresher…and that is a lot of refreshing to do.
Interst: 4        Long-Term: 5     Blogging Chance:0%

eNamorD: Hahahahaha, I’ve been planning on finishing the Inuyasha series for awhile. Inuyasha was a memorable part of my childhood, despite the exorbitant amounts of filler, and I intend to finish it someday. Obviously, that day is not anytime soon–but for the fans who have followed the anime, I’m glad they’re at least getting a PROPER conclusion.
Interest: 3    Long-term: 2    Blogging Chance: 0%

Menma: Inuyasha was a big deal for me too as a kid, but I lost hope long ago.  Sorry Inuyasha.  You just hurt me too bad. 
Interest: 5    Long-term: 4     Blogging Chance: 0%

Jungle Emperor Leo

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Studio: Tezuka Productions
Genres: Adventure
Synopsis: In the 21st century, The UN entrusts Eternal Earth to create “Neo Jungle”, an artificial environment for wildlife facing extinction. In this ecosystem, a young white lion, Leo is born. He vows to be the jungle emperor and encounters a boy named Ken’ichi

tekky99: I was gonna pass this off as just another kids anime, but after seeing Osamu Tezuka’s name listed as the original creator… I figured it’ll probably be something more.  I’ll let other people tell me if it’s any good before checking it out.
Interest: 4     Long-Term: 3     Blogging Chance: 10%

Shiki: Sounds like a cute premise so I’ll give it a try…I’m also interested in the animal side of things.
Interest: 3    Long-Term:3       Blogging Chance: 0%

eNamorD: For some reason, the idea of a talking lion trying to become king doesn’t interest me much…despite The Lion King being one of my favorite movies ever.
Interest: 4    Long-term: 5    Blogging Chance: 0%

Menma: I know I should love anything Tezuka, but…meh?
Interest: 5    Long-term: 5   Blogging Chance: 0%

Kampfer

Studio: Nomad
Genres: Action, Comedy, Ecchi
Synopsis: Bishoujo battle & school love comedy. Senou Natsuru is a normal high school boy. One day he wakes up to find himself turned into a girl. A stuffed tiger “Harakiri Tora” gains a life and tells him to fight as a female psychic fighter “Kämpfer”. Having no idea about what’s going on, Natsuru is involved in the battles against other Kämpfers.

tekky99: School + martial arts + big bewbs. Where have I seen that formula before… Ikki Tousen, Tenjou Tenge, Sekirei… Shikiiii! I found something for you!
Interest: 5     Long-Term: 5     Blogging Chance: 0%

Shiki: Hai hai tekky, so anyway gender-bender + school + martial arts + ecchi = interested shiki. Art doesn’t look bad either, if they have good fighting music I’ll watch this.
Interest: 2     Long-Term:2      Blogging Chance:0%

eNamorD: To tell you the truth, I’ve never really tried an anime like this before, and it would be interesting to find out what it’s like. Obviously, I’d have to be someone who doesn’t mind big bewbs, martial arts and gender-bending boys. If the plot is too dumb, I’ll probably drop it without a second thought.
Interest: 4    Long-term: 5    Blogging Chance: 0%

Menma: Bewbs.
Interest: 1     Long-term: 1    Blogging Chance: 0%

Kiddy Girl-and

Studio: Satelight
Genres: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
Synopsis: In Star Century 0379, Ascule and Que Feuilles are working in GTO. They are the secret agents of ES …. on probation.

tekky99: Got pretty low expectations for this, but I’m too much of a space junkie to pass up on this.  Hopefully won’t be as “WTF?!” as SoraKake.
Interest: 3     Long-Term: 4     Blogging Chance: 0%

Shiki: No.
Interest: 5     Long-Term:5      Blogging Chance: 0%

eNamorD: I don’t see anything to dislike about this anime at first glance, except for maybe too many acronyms that I don’t know. I’ll check it out, but I’ll be mildly wary about it.
Interest: 3    Long-term: 5    Blogging Chance: 5%

Menma: I guess I would watch if it was handed to me.
Interest: 3     Long-term: 4    Blogging Chance: 0%

Kimi ni Todoke

Studio: Production I.G.
Genres: Romance, School, Shoujo
Synopsis: This story is centered around a girl named Kuronuma Sawako who is nicknamed Sadako (ghost girl from “The Ring”) by her classmates because of her scary face and demeanor. She greatly admires Kazehaya-kun from afar, he is “100% refreshing” and is able to draw in people with his personality. Unlike her facial expressions she yearns to make friends and live as a normal student. Gradually she starts affects those around her, including Kazehaya-kun…

tekky99: I’ve loved what I’ve read of the manga, and I’ve been meaning to continue.  It definetly isn’t your typical shoujo manga… *gaurds the anime from menma, hissing at her*
Interest: 1      Long-Term: 2     Blogging Chace: 80%

Shiki: Oooooo!! Is that character development anime I see? The description kind of reminds me of another series but without the comedy*coughtoradoracough* and since I’m severely lacking in more down to earth slice of life anime after marathoning Sengoku Basara and Berserk I’ll be watching this.
Interest: 1     Long-Term:3       Blogging Chance:0%

eNamorD: Really? Sadako doesn’t look all that scary from the promo pic. Is this going to be another “Everyone’s afraid of me in the first three episodes, but will stop mentioning how I look for the rest of the season after that” type of thing? Anyway, this seems one of the more promising story-driven anime.
Interest: 3    Long-term: 3    Blogging Chance: 50%

Menma: Hey Tekky, stop hissing!   I love this idea – it sort of reminds me of Sakaki from Azumanga Daioh.  I’ll be checking it out.
Interest: 1     Long-term: 2    Blogging Chance: 50%

Kobato

Studio: Madhouse
Genres: Comedy, Fantasy, Mystery
Synopsis: Kobato is sweet and perky girl, but also extremely naive about the world around her. She has a “mission”, which is to fill a mysterious bottle of hers with the suffering from people’s hearts so her wish to go a certain place that she desires to go can be granted.

Reasons To Watch: Original manga is written by CLAMP

tekky99: KOBATOOOOO <333333  Seriously though, she’s probably my 2nd favorite Clamp character, second only to CCS Sakura.  However, one must wonder how Madhouse plans to adapt it over 26 episodes, when the manga’s story has only just begun…
Interest: 1     Long-Term: 2     Blogging Chance: 90%

Shiki: Yes!!! I’m definitely watching this! I love CLAMP stories and their twists and Kobato is such a cute heartwarming manga series I would not feel right not watching this. And its CLAMP. CLAMP always gets bonus points. Always.
Interest: 1     Long-Term: 2     Blogging Chance: 0%

eNamorD: Hmmm….intriguing. “Sweet and perky” girl….collecting suffering others?
Interest: 1    Long-term: 2    Blogging Chance: 70%

Menma: I went “whut” until I saw it was CLAMP.  So I guess I’ll give it a chance…
Interest: 2     Long-term: 2    Blogging Chance: 10%

Kuchu Buranko (Trapeze)

Studio: Toei Animation
Genres: Unknown
Synopsis: Irabu Ichiro is an eccentric psychiatrist. Patients, who visit him to have a counseling, are perplexed with his weird behavior. (noitaminA timeslot)

tekky99: Trapeze marks Toei’s return to noitaminA (previously doing Hakaba Kitarou).  As typical w/ noitaminA, the series looks to be quite original.  Unfortunately, what I’ve seen doesn’t interest me, but i’m pretty sure quite a few people I know will like it.
Interest: 3     Long-Term: 3     Blogging Chance: 40%

Shiki: I’m intrigued by the art style and the description of eccentric psychiatrist (blind leading the blind…crazy therapist for the crazy?) I must try.
Interest: 2     Long-Term:3      Blogging Chance: 0%

eNamorD: Oh? This anime isn’t about clowns? Hahaha, well it certainly looks interesting. It’s got potential.
Interest: 2    Long-term: 2    Blogging Chance: 60%

Menma: The premise sounds awesome.  We’ll see about the execution.
Interest: 1    Long-term: 3    Blogging Chance: 20%

Miracle Train ~Oedo-sen e Youkoso~

Studio: Yumeta Company
Genres: Unknown
Synopsis: Unknown, but characters are bishounen anthros of Japanese rail lines…

tekky99: o_O, that’s all I’ll say to that…
Interest: 5     Long-Term: 5     Blogging Chance: 0%

Shiki: ZOMG! Bishie Harem!
Interest: 1      Long-Term:2      Blogging Chance: 0%

eNamorD: Anthropomorphic Japanese railroad lines? Nah, I think I’ll stick with anthropomorphic countries.
Interest: 3    Long-term: 5    Blogging Chance: 0%

Menma: Oh my god, eNamorD is a Hetalia fan?!  Shit about to get weird up in here.    Yeah, I might watch this, so that I can bemuse non-anime-fans by telling them that I’ve watched a TV show about railroad lines in human form.  I sure hope the fansubbers do their homework, otherwise we’re going to be missing out on a LOT of cultural in-jokes…
Interest: 3     Long-term: 3    Blogging Chance: 20%

(eNamorD: I’ve never watched Hetalia…just saying that in the realm of anthropomorphic inanimate objects, I have a better background knowledge of countries in WWII than of Japanese rail lines. So I’d rather watch Hetalia, because THIS would just go right over my head.)

Natsu no Arashi! Akinaichuu

Studio: SHAFT
Genres: Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Synopsis: Second season of Natsu no Arashi

tekky99: The first episode Natsu no Arashi was a major turnoff from me.  However, I hear that the anime got better after that,  so I’ll definetly give the show another chance; though I doubt that’ll happen before the fall season begins
Interest: 4     Long-Term: 4     Blogging Chance: 5

Shiki: Sequel….I don’t wanna get into it =P
Interest: 4     Long-Term: 5     Blogging Chance: 0%

eNamorD: Art-style isn’t very appealing, but I want to give the show a chance. Not anytime soon though, I think.
Interest: 3    Long-term: 4    Blogging Chance: 0%

Menma: I didn’t watch the first season, so nope.
Interest: 5     Long-term: 5    Blogging Chance: 0%

Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu: Purezza

Studio: Diomedea
Genres: Comedy, Romance
Synopsis: Second season of Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu

tekky99: The first season was fun, cute, and enjoyable (albeit cliche).  Hoping that they don’t have another eel cockblock >_>. Despite having “blogged” the first season, I’m not gonna confirm blogging this season.  It’s not that I didn’t like the first season, it’s more that I want to see what else is out there.  That and this season is showing me how hard it is to blog a slice-of-life series…
Interest: 1     Long-Term: 2     Blogging Chance: 80%

Shiki: No comment
Interest: 5     Long-Term: 5     Blogging Chance: 0%

eNamorD: Looks cute–once again, I should check the first season out. (Damn second seasons)
Interest: 2    Long-term: 2    Blogging Chance: 0%

Menma: Again, didn’t watch the first season
Interest: 5     Long-term: 5    Blogging Chance: 0%

Nyan Koi!

Studio: AIC
Genres: Comedy, Romance
Synopsis: Junpei Kōsaka is a second-year high school student who despises cats and has an allergy to them. It just so happens that his high school crush is Kaede Mizuno, a girl who adores cats. One day, while walking home from school, Junpei kicks an empty can and unfortunately beans the local neko-jizō-sama (guardian deity of cats). He finds he can now understand what cats are saying, including his family’s own ill-tempered cat, Nyamusasu. However, if he does not grant 100 wishes from cats, he will turn into cat himself.

tekky99: I definetly didn’t think much about the series when I first saw the promo image.  My opinion changed significantly after seeing the promo.  Here’s to hoping that it ends up cute and hilarious.
Interest: 2     Long-Term: 3     Blogging Chance: 65%

Shiki: Interesting premise…don’t know if I have the time for it.
Interest: 3     Long-Term: 4     Blogging Chance: 0%

eNamorD: I like the synopsis and see a lot of potential for this show. I wonder if you can be allergic to yourself…?
Interest: 2    Long-term: 2    Blogging Chance: 65%

Menma: It’s interesting how anime portrays cats differently from how I think of them, as a cat owner.  I mean, there’s definitely overlap, and anime cats are usually cute and awesome to watch, but when I think of cats, I think of crazy little jackasses running around skidding on hardwood floors, destroying your precious possessions and then jumping up into your lap to fart in your face.  Just saying.
Interest: 2     Long-term: 3    Blogging Chance: 20%

Queen’s Blade: Gyokuza wo Tsugumono

Studio: ARMS
Genres: Ecchi, Ecchi, Ecchi, Ecchi…. etc.
Synopsis: Second season of pr0n Queen’s Blade

tekky99: THIS… is why we can’t have nice things…
Interest: -5     Long-Term: -i Blogging Chance: … really?

Shiki: Sat through the first season, don’t have the willpower to go through second, ran out of brain cells.
Interest: 5       Long-Term: 5  Blogging Chance: 0%

eNamorD: ……next.
Interest: 5    Long-term: 5    Blogging Chance: 0%

Menma: Missed out on the first season.  Maybe someday.
Interest: 4     Long-term: 5    Blogging Chance: 0%

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

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Studio: Unknown
Genres: Action, Historical
Synopsis: The same Three Kingdoms novel inspired countless Japanese manga, anime, and games of varying historical accuracy, including Sangokushi, Ikki Tousen, New Tale of Three Kingdoms, Yawaraka Sangokushi Tsukisase!! Ryofuko-chan, SD Gundam BB Warriors: Romance of the Three Kingdoms, KOEI’s Dynasty Warriors game franchise, and BaseSon’s moe-influenced Koihime†Musō.

tekky99: What anime season would be complete w/o another adaptation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms…  Shikiiiii! I found something you’ll like!
Interest: 4     Long-Term: 5     Blogging Chance: 5%

Shiki: I’m watching if there is a decent representation of Zhuge Liang, and if the art is good. But yes..it does get tiring after seeing adaptation after adaptation.
Interest: 2     Long-Term: 4     Blogging Chance: 0% (are we seeing a pattern?)

eNamorD: I’m not much of a fan of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. If anything, I’d just read the actual novel.
Interest: 4    Long-term: 5    Blogging Chance: 0%

Menma: Like Shiki, I only hang around this bar for the sweet, sweet Zhuge Liang…so I’ll pass on this 46490382483th adaptation.
Interest: 4     Long-term: 4    Blogging Chance: 0%

Sasameki Koto

Studio: AIC
Genres: Comedy, Romance, Shoujo-ai (possibly yuri)
Synopsis: Murasame Sumika is popular in the high school for her excellence in the marks and sports. However, she has a secret: she is in love with her classmate Kazama Ushio. Ushio also has a liking to the love between girls, but she hasn’t noticed Sumika’s feeling and always been refused by other girls.

tekky99: I realize now that I tend to like the fast-paced shoujo-ai/yuri shows.  I’ll check this out, but probably will put it on hold in the long run.
Interest: 3     Long-Term: 4     Blogging Chance: 25%

Shiki: Meh, I’m picky about my shoujo-ai anime and manga and this sounds a bit boring. May try watching it if time permits.
Interest: 4     Long-Term: 5      Blogging Chance: 0%

eNamorD: I’ve never really watched a shoujou-ai before and I know there are some good ones out there. I’d rather watch those first because this one doesn’t interest me.
Interest: 4    Long-term: 5    Blogging Chance: 0%

Menma: I always want to give a shoujo-ai series that isn’t clearly just about fanservice a chance.  It’s a little hard to tell what this one really is.  My interest isn’t immediately captured, but…
Interest: 3     Long-term: 3    Blogging Chance: 20%

Seiken no Blacksmith

Studio: Manglobe
Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Synopsis: Once upon a time, there was a tragic war, in which the power of the devils was involved. After the war, the devils’ power was banned and the world was restored to peace. Cecily Campbell is a knight, who has been looking for a blacksmith to repair her old sword given by her father. One day, she saw a man fighting with a ruffian who used the tabooed devil’s power. The man defeated him with one blow of his weirdly shaped sword. The man turned out to be a blacksmith called Luke. The fateful encounter was the beginning of the adventure.

tekky99: I never thought that Manglobe would be doing a moe-show… maybe this could be good for the fantasy-adventure genre?… eh, probably not.  I’ve yet to like a single Manglobe show and a fantasy-adventure anime, and last time I checked, two wrongs doesn’t equal a right
Interest: 3     Long-Term: 5     Blogging Chance: 20%

Shiki: Whenever I watch these series I feel like I should be playing them instead which in turn causes me to play mmos which in turn leads to me putting this stuff on hold. We’ll see how it goes.
Interest: 2     Long-Term:4      Blogging Chance: 0%

eNamorD: C’mon synopsis–give me more to go off of. I have no clue what this adventure entails–are they going to defeat a great lurking evil that’s been planning its attack for centuries, or are they traveling to the grocery store to get some milk? Plot makes a difference!
Interest: 3    Long-term: 5    Blogging Chance: 15%

Menma: MOEEEEEEE (running out of comments)
Interest: 1     Long-term: 3    Blogging Chance: 30%

Seitokai no Ichizon

Studio: Studio DEEN
Genres: Comedy, Slice-of-life, School
Synopsis: The series, which is also called Hekiyō Gakuen Seito-kaigi Jiroku (The Records of the Hekiyō Academy Student Council’s Activities), revolves around a private high school whose student council is chosen entirely by popularity vote. Because of this, Ken Sugisaki is the only male representative, in the otherwise all bishōjo student council, that may enter the “sacred sanctuary” of the council’s meeting room. At the behest of Council President Kurimu Sakurano (pictured at right), Sugisaki records the minutes of the council meetings, which devolve into daily conversations about the students’ lives and interests.

tekky99: The original synopsis promised a parody-filled moe show.  Here’s to hoping that it’s more parody and less moe-fluff.  Either way, not the kind of show I’d blog
Interest: 2     Long-Term: 3     Blogging Chance: 10%

Shiki: I’ll wait for tekky to tell me how it is before I try watching it.
Interest: 5     Long-Term: 5     Blogging Chance: 0%

eNamorD: So it’s a council of students who gossip about other students? Or more specifically, a council of GIRLS who gossip about other students? I’ve been in situations like those before, and they’re usually amusing. I’ll give this a chance.
Interest: 2    Long-term: 4    Blogging Chance: 30%

Menma: Hnnng student council moeblob pass.
Interest: 5     Long-term: 5    Blogging Chance: 0%

Shin Koihime Musou

Studio: Dogakobo
Genres: Fantasy, Action
Synopsis: Spin-off of the Koihime Musou anime.

tekky99: eh… I’ll pass.
Interest: 5     Long-Term: 5     Blogging Chance: 5%

Shiki: I want the art as my poster or wallscroll.
Interest: 5     Long-Term: 5     Blogging Chance: 0%

eNamorD: I don’t see anything wrong with this show, but nothing that catches my attention either.
Interest: 4    Long-term: 5    Blogging Chance: 0%

Menma: Haven’t kept up with the franchise.
Interest: 5     Long-term: 5    Blogging Chance: 0%

Sora no Otoshimono

Studio: AIC ASTA
Genres: Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy
Synopsis: Sakurai Tomoki has been having the same strange dream since he was a child and would wake up in tears. Sugita, an upperclassmen at his school, believes the dream to be of the new continent. Later that night, while waiting under the cherry trees for Sugita and Sohara, his childhood friend, an angel, comes flying down.

tekky99: The only reason I was excited for this anime was because the original mangaka wrote one of my favorite series: Watashi no Messiah-sama.  However, the more and more I read about this, the more and more I lose faith.
Interest: 3     Long-Term: 5     Blogging Chnace: 40%

Shiki: *yawn*oh hey! a chibi!
Interest: 4     Long-Term: 5     Blogging Chance: 0%

eNamorD: Maybe this show will have an interesting plot. Oh wait. Comedy AND ecchi. Never mind.
Interest: 3    Long-term: 5    Blogging Chance: 10%

Menma: Intense meh.
Interest: 5     Long-term: 5    Blogging Chance: 0%

Tatakau Shisho: Book of Bantorra

Studio: David
Genres: Fantasy, Seinen
Synopsis: In a world where dead people turn into books and are stored in the Bantorra Library where anyone who reads a book can learn their past. Bantorra Library is maintained by Armed Librarians who wield psychic powers and their enemy is a religious society known as Sindeki Kyoudan.

tekky99: Looks interesting, but I get the feeling that one of the other writers will like this more.  I’ll check out the first few episodes, but probably not more after that
Interest: 3     Long-Term: 3     Blogging Chance: 50%

Shiki: I’d like to watch this but I get the feeling that its one of those where I’d only like to watch in batches at a time.
Interest: 2     Long-Term: 1-5 (depends if I remember to catch up on it) Blogging Chance: 0%

eNamorD: Psychic, armed librarians protecting dead people from the clutches of a religious society? Haha, sounds interesting. Art looks okay too, so now all it has to do is keep my interest.
Interest: 3    Long-term: 3    Blogging Chance: 40%

Menma: I love deadly librarians, I love seinen, and the art looks great.  I’m there.
Interest: 1     Long-term: 3   Blogging Chance: 50%

Tegami Bachi

Studio: Pierrot
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Supernatural
Synopsis: Gauche is a governmental employee, given the task to deliver any letter to it’s destination. Meeting a young boy who is the letter to be delivered, Gauche makes friends with Lag and inspires him to take up the job. Five years later, Lag Seeing finally becomes his dream, that of a Letter Bee. However, the one who inspired him has gone missing and only there does the mystery start

tekky99: I’ve read the first chapter of this manga, and it’s definetly interesting.  It’s got gorgeous art, and pretty interesting story that kinda reminds me of Shigofumi.
Interest: 2     Long-Term: 3     Blogging Chance: 70%

Shiki: AH! So pretty! I love these whole mystery disappeared person things as long as the person appears instead of being an unresolved plot point. I half expect Gauche to appear as an enemy or test-your-strength boss from video game experience.
Interest: 2      Long-Term:3      Blogging Chance: 0%

eNamorD: The main characters look really cute–but what is that rat thing on the girls’ head?! Anyway, I do like non-cliche heroes like messenger boys.
Interest: 1    Long-term: 3    Blogging Chance: 75%

Menma: The premise is something new, anyway.  I might try it out.
Interest: 3     Long-term: 3    Blogging Chance: 10%

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun

Studio: J.C. Staff
Genres: Action, Supernatural
Synopsis: Academy City. 2.3 million inhabitants. 80% of the students are active in the ‘Brain Development Program’ and out of those only 7 are Level 5s. Meet the civilian protagonist Mikoto and her friend Kuroko, maintainers of peace and order in the University district. Kuroko is a member of ‘Judgement’.

tekky99:  If the manga is anything to go by, this series should be better than Index. It’s layed out a lot more like a detective mystery rather than an action series, so it’s more suited in anime form.  Not to mention, more BiriBiri.
Interest: 1     Long-Term: 3     Blogging Chance:  70%

Shiki: I’ll leave this to tekky and concentrate on other anime. Sounds interesting though so I may watch an episode now and then.
Interest: 3     Long-Term: 5     Blogging Chance: 0%

eNamorD: They did an okay job with the Index anime and the only beef I have with that show was with the plot. If I have a problem with THIS show, it’ll probably be with the plot as well, but at least the title character does more this time around.
Interest: 1    Long-term:  3   Blogging Chance: 50%

Menma: Again, haven’t been keeping up.
Interest: 4     Long-term: 4    Blogging Chance: 0%

White Album 2

Studio: Seven Arcs
Genres: Romance, Drama
Synopsis: Direct continuation of White Album.

tekky99: Sorta gave up on the first season.  Don’t see why I’d want to continue…
Interest: 5     Long-Term: 5     Blogging Chance: 0%

Shiki: ZZzzzzzzzzzzzz
Interest: 5     Long-Term: 5     Blogging Chance: 0%

eNamorD: I still wanna give the first season a try.
Interest: 3    Long-term: 5    Blogging Chance: 0%

Menma: Didn’t watch the first season AS;LDFGNAJOA;WAPS I am starting to feel seriously pathetic saying that.
Interest: 5     Long-term: 5    Blogging Chance: 0%

Winter Sonata

Studio: Unknown
Genres: Romance, Drama, Tragedy
Synopsis: Airing 2009. Based on the Korean drama television series about the love between two childhood friends and the tragic events that happen. The drama was a huge hit in Japan.

tekky99:  Is this really airing this season? I’ve seen this on every season preview this past year, and it’s always been quietly delayed.  Anyway, delays aside, the show looks be a great tear jerker.  Not sure if I’ll blog, but I’ll definetly watch.
Interest: 2     Long-Term: 2     Blogging Chance: 65%

Shiki: Prefer these kind of series in manga form but I usually enjoy the music in these kinds of shows so I’ll try an episode.
Interest: 4     Long-Term:5      Blogging Chance: 0%

eNamorD: Sad girl in snow! I’m crying already. Art looks good, let’s just hope the execution goes well too.
Interest: 2    Long-term: 3    Blogging Chance: 0%

Menma: Childhood friends?  Tragic events?  I’m there!  Wait, no I’m not.
Interest: 5     Long-term: 5    Blogging Chance: 0%

Yumeiro Patissiere

Studio: Unknown
Genres: Shoujo, School, Cooking
Synopsis: The story centers on a 14-year-old girl named Ichigo Amano who wants to be a pâtissière (female pastry chef), but she is stymied by her own clumsiness. One day, she enrolls in St. Mary Academy, a culinary school for sweets, and meets a “spirit of sweets.

tekky99: shoujo? check.  crazy big eyes? check.  Ridiculously pink? check.  Menmaaa….
Interest: 5     Long-Term: 5     Blogging Chance: 0%

Shiki: I wanna watch this! *breaks away from anti-shoujo mode*
Interest: 2     Long-Term: 2     Blogging Chance: 0%

eNamorD: I will watch this for either, or both, of these reasons: A) The anime is so cute and amusing that I just can’t help but smile or B) The food makes my mouth water every time. I would prefer both, thank you. I wouldn’t blog this series, but I suspect that if some good food shows up, I will do a little blurb on it.
Interest: 2    Long-term: 4    Blogging Chance: 5%

Menma: Cooking shows are awesome if they’re not lazy about the cooking.  Either way, it looks cute and I might check it out.  If it turns out to be a hideous shoujo mess, I might blog it, too
Interest: 2     Long-term: 3    Blogging Chance: 20%

So you must understand how incredibly elated I was when the chapter came out today and the series didn’t end!

I don’t know what I like about this series so much. At the time, being a guy, and being new to anime, I really didn’t know what I was getting into. I didn’t even realize that this was a magical girl manga, until chapter 5, when she transforms into a silly costume. I put down the manga at that point, and spazzed out for a bit for not knowing, then I picked it back up because I wanted to know what happens.

Seriously though, this manga is more than a magical girl story. There are just a lot of laugh-out-loud moments, some generally comedice and others just so outright scandalous that you have to laugh (or giggle inside like a school-girl). Some of my favorites include: finding out Utau and Ikuto are siblings AFTER we watch them kiss, finding out Nadeshiko is actually a BOY, finding out Ikuto is a SEVENTEEN-YEAR OLD PEDO and so on. The story’s just chock full of scandalous moments. (OH YEAH–DON’T FORGET TADASE IN A SKIRT!)

So from here, I can’t tell how long the series will go on for. It might go on for another chapter, but from the things that happen here, it seems like we’ll have at least another year’s worth. This is because Kairi makes a reappearance, and I suspect he brought some tasty plot with him. If he HADN’T shown up in this chapter, I would’ve considered the possibility that the next chapter will flash forward to the future and wrap things up.

As for the chapter itself…it made me very sad. Because…

..the original three are gone! I wasn’t expecting that at all–somehow, I felt like they would be around forever until the end of the series. It’s so depressing…but at least Dia’s still around!

So from here, I have a few speculations about the plot off the top of my head:

A) Dia pulls A Christmas Carol on us and takes young Amu to three different futures, each with her adult self following a different path in life. In one, she’ll be excellent at sports, in another, she’ll be a wonderful artist, and the third, she’ll be an amazing housewife (seriously, that’s all Suu is).

B) Amu recovers her missing eggs one-by-one by trying her best at their respective specialties.

C) Dia doesn’t do anything specific, Amu starts middle-school, the plot keeps going and eventually we find out what she means by “guide to the future”. (Oh! And Kukai returns to the story. Hurrah!)

In any case, I’m looking forward to the rest of the series. In general, EVERY chapter has been wonderful, interesting and able to drive the plot forward–as opposed to some OTHER thing. (*coughcough* I’m looking at you, Shugo Chara Doki!) So I’m glad that this journey doesn’t have to stop now.

~eNamorD (with my would-be self)

A guest post? Just who is this guest posting on Psychadelic SoulJam? It is I, 53RG10!!
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…no reaction…as expected… ”’orz

Well, I’m the owner of both Open Your Mind and Deciphered Melody and I was asked by tekky here to come and post about Sora no Manimani episode 05 because he’s a lazy bastard he has writter’s block…{according to him}. I’ve never guest written on any blog, so I thought this would be a good experience and took the offer.

I’m no good at episodics, so I thought this might give me some experience in that area also, and what anime is {seemingly} easy to write about an episodic about? None other than Fangirl Magnet Anime Sora no Manimani of course! So let’s get it on!

[Summary]

Picking up from the orgy of previous episode, Fuumin scolds the Astronomy Club for doing such a vulgar act…which of course didn’t really happened. This is just Fuumin blowing things up and making a big fuss out of nothing and not listening to reasons because, according her, she is correct…they may not have done anything, but it’s the “image” that they give off. So as punishment for this act, she bans the Astronomy Club from activities and confiscated all their equiptment.

The Astronomy Club then try to appeal to Fuumin by being good kids, like cleaning up the beach. A plan that miserably failed. During the time, Saku learned Fuumin…I’m used to calling her that now…came to their building to notify them that she was able to get them a bathroom/shower they can used together, but because she saw the orgy, she flipped and didn’t mentioned it at all out of jealousy. Saku learned of this and talked to Fuumin, which was interrupted by girly screams.

The girls were being hit on by some random beach dudes. Fuumin being Fuumin, stood up to them and told them off, which kinda made it worse…which was made much more worse by her slapping one of them. So the super awesome male lead had no choice but to save the day. Here comes Saku to the rescue!!!

Or not…So uncool dude…

Seeing their beloved Saku on the ground, Mihoshi and Hime’s power levels rose >9000 and dropped kicked the random dudes. Don’t anger girls in love…

So as Saku was recupirating from the fall, he had a nice talk with Fuumin about what the Astronomy Club find so endearing about the Night Sky. Something Fuumin hasn’t been able to figure out since, well, like Saku, she’s a bookworm and needs someone to drag her out. Saku managed to convince her to have her and the Literature Club come out and see just what the Astronomy Club really do at night. Orgy and all.

Man…I wanna see a Night Sky like this…without the AWESOME pictures of course… >_>

With darling Hime as the guide, the Literature Club were treated to a trip around the Night Sky. Even Fuumin enjoyed the session as she spoke with Saku and learned to listen to the Words of the Stars…

I find most episodes of Sora no Manimani to be quite enjoyable…that is, when Fuumin is not in the picture. It’s not that I hate her or anything like that, it’s just that she rains on the Astronomy Club and impedes their activities. And it’s only because she THINKS they do vulgar things at night. So I don’t really like it when she’s on screen…But then again, I do like the whole Saku X Fuumin they got going here, it makes for DORAMA. I guess she is officially a part of Saku’s harem now? Something tekky wondered about.

Episode Rating: 7/10

This wasn’t has hard as I thought it would be, it was simply time consuming…I mean an hour and a half to write this [episode rewatch + writing]? Man, that time I could have watched moar anime or read manga…I dunno how well I did, but hope you enjoyed the Guest Post!

–53RG10

Gonna try something new, and attempt an ongoing manga review.  Manabiya is a new manga written by Kojima Akira, and serialized in Gangan Joker.  Kojima Akira previously worked on Mahoraba (Not to be confused with Maburaho).  Mahoraba is my favorite slice-of-life manga so far.  All the characters were such a treat to watch (or read in this case), and I couldn’t help but smile while reading each chapter.  If the first few chapters of Manabiya is any indication, than Kojima-sensei has done it again.

Like Mahoraba, Manabiya has a pretty common setting for a slice-of-life manga: a high school club, more specifically: the photography club.  If you expect it to break out of it’s stereotype then I’m pretty sure you’ll be dissapointed.  Manabiya’s charm (like Mahoraba’s) comes from the mood it sets up.  Kojima seems to have a knack for making cavity-inducing cute characters.  Now when I say “cute” I don’t mean “moe-cute”, I’m talking about innocent childlike-cute. 

With only 5 chapters out, it’s hard to tell what Manabiya will be about.  Needless to say I already love the characters.  Takeru makes a pretty good main character, despite being an almost carbon copy of Shiratori (Mahoraba).  Shirayuki makes a great tsundere character, I’ll definitely be rooting for a Takeru/Shirayuki pairing.  The rest of the photography club looks to make some great comic relief. Kojima’s “4-koma mode” makes a reappearance in chapter 4, and safe-to-say it was hilarious.

Seeing as though Manabiya is a monthly manga, it doesn’t look too hard to cover, so I guess I’ll try to blog it for the time being. … yep, i’m saying it right as it hits a 2 month break.

Do yourself a favor, and check out Manabiya (and if you haven’t already, Mahoraba), before the next chapter releases on October 22nd.  Until there, here is some club pres love =D

_tekky99